Chapter 741: Hero, Now is the Time for the Trial Approaching the Truth

"The promised goods."

With a heavy clunk, the bucket filled with Golden Magma is placed in front of Bilac. Normally, if you did something like this, the magma would cool and harden long before the bucket melting even became an issue... but the Golden Magma taken out from my inventory continued to maintain its heat and radiance without fading in the slightest.

"......If I left it up to ya, it looks like you'd even bring back a rock from the moon."

"I can only procure things within my reach."

I still can't reach the moon, so if I actually got a request for a moon rock, I'd have no choice but to look up at the sky and hope for a random number generator event where the moon suddenly explodes and fragments fall as meteorites.

"You can make it with this, right?"

A weapon utilizing the materials of the Exordinary Monster, the Golden Scorpion "Golden Age"—the very thing Bilac sought to aim for an even greater height... That is exactly this Golden Magma.

It's a mysterious material that also has ties to that Hero Weapon, but to me, it's nothing more than a simple material with a high rarity and gathering difficulty.

"......Yeah. My eyes don't lie. The crystal scorpion is the infant of the earth, so the blood of the earth itself is the final key to spell the end of its childhood."

That thing was an infant? She's been getting smarter and smarter lately, I wonder if she's in a growth period? Can she please take some DoT from the fever of wisdom or something.

While I was thinking such pointless thoughts, question marks popped up in my head at the sight of Bilac, who wasn't making a single move despite the Golden Magma right in front of her.

"What's wrong? If you want to use the Golden Magma as a side dish, should I bring some white rice?"

"Course not! Seriously......... hey, Sunraku. I got an earnest favor to ask of ya."

"A favor? It doesn't seem like it's just an additional shopping order."

Bilac says nothing. She closes her eyes, crosses her arms, and just quietly... Ah, no, if I listen very closely, her throat is rumbling. Like a growl?

"......This is my own favor I'm asking. Ya are free to accept or refuse it."

"You're beating around the bush. Tell me the contents, the contents."

"I got the chance to become a Divine Craftsman."

"Oh, seriously?"

Hell yeah, Bilac! Since I'm a pure combat-job player and completely hopeless at production, seeing the breakthrough of the production class I've been backing makes me super proud as a patron.

But somehow, something is off. The path to the highest tier class... and the absolute highest, greatest, and strongest blacksmith job, which is also a hidden class, has opened up. So why is she making such a difficult face while saying that? The conceivable possibilities are...

"Don't tell me you really need a moon rock."

"I'd be happy if there was one, but nah. The only thing I need is just one... yeah, just one."

She really is beating around the bush. But I am a man who has overcome countless "It is not yet time for you to know..." and saved worlds. No, if you just said it from the start, the casualties would have been less than half! Takeda-shi also said that the broad-mindedness to swallow that anger leads to true dandyism... Well, his brain had completely melted from playing FPS games, but still.

"Divine Craftsman...... No, the arm of The BlacksmithDivine Craftsman is the one who advances from the present into the future...... The one who praises great deeds and gives them form......"

"Bilac? Hello?"

"Areadbhair."

"What about it?"

Areadbhair? Yes, I have Areadbhair. Want me to do my one-shot gag, "Wall melting like cheese"? Though the last time I showed you the floor version, I almost got killed.

"Listen here, Sunraku, the Divine Craftsman is the only existence capable of Divinely Awakening Hero Weapons. Conversely, a Divine Craftsman ain't worthy of the name if they can't do it."

"O-oh?"

"The Dragons of Five Colors? No, the Heavenly Sovereign Dragon? Nah! Areadbhair is unfulfilled! That's right, it is. It's a dragon-slaying spear, but it ain't killed a single dragon yet!"

Is she bugging out? Or should I call the Professor or Bansai-shi? Mirei would probably just dodge the question for about 5 minutes only to reach the simple conclusion of "I don't know a damn thing," so she's rejected.

"Sunraku, a dragon. Hunt a dragon!"

"Huh? A dragon? Shall I hunt a Usurper Dragon then?"

"I got no use for such small fry!!"

Hey, hey, hold on a second. Speaking of the Usurper Dragon, that's a super-powerful enemy that toyed with the trio of Dora-Hime, Attack Holder, and Speed Holder, giving them a massive struggle, you know? Well, the next time I meet it, I fully intend to launch myself into the sky and beat it down myself, but...

"Sunraku, listen to me, Sunraku. Strike down a true dragon!"

"A true...... what?"

"Fangs with wings, born from fantasy, truly a Dragon! The flames of Areadbhair that burned the Dragons of Five Colors are naught but a distorted legend! Listen, listen well, Sunraku! What Areadbhair is, what BrionacRadiant Spear Hypothesis is───!!"

"Look, the wall is melting gooey like cheese."

"What the hell do ya think yer doin'ーーーーー!!?"

"Calm down, you blockhead! Drill it with periods! Carve in some commas! You were talking so damn fast that the only things left in my memory are 'Brionac' and 'Areadbhair'!!"

"That don't give ya an excuse to melt and scrape away the wallーー!!"

Fully utilizing my skills, I caught the hammer she threw at me with exposed murderous intent, and snapping right back at her, I waited for the situation to cool down. Though I somewhat feel like it's only getting more heated.

......

............

Five minutes later.

To summarize the story from Bilac, who had calmed down for the time being, it goes something like this:

・I've recently obtained the chance to change classes to Divine Craftsman!

・The condition for the class change is to take a Hero Weapon from Rebuild (or Reverse) and raise it to an even further stage—not an evolution, but a Divine Awakening!

・In other words, if I'm getting cooperation from you, Sunraku-kun, we'll be using Areadbhair!

・But there's a huge problem! If we just try to evolve it straight from Rebuild (or Reverse) as it is, it will fail with a high probability! If it fails, naturally, the weapon will shatter into pieces!

・To prevent that from happening, we need to sublimate the very essence of that Hero Weapon! In Areadbhair's case, that essence is being a dragon-slaying spear!

・No, no. The hollow shell of a dragon is no dragon. The blueprint of the Progenitor Dragon is also no dragon. What I desire is a dragon, a true dragon species.

・I am the one who shall reach the truth of the radiant spear. Slumbering in the flames, though I scorch the hollow shells, my thirst remains unfulfilled.

・Master, the one who chases the shadow of the wolf that found the sword from the corpse of the giant spear, strike down a true dragon. Though my body has not yet reached the true theory, there is none other than myself suited for the true theory.

・Strike down a dragon, strike down a true dragon. For the monster of fantasy has already appeared in secret......

・What was I just sayin'? Felt like I blacked out for a sec......

Yep, let's go to the hospital, Bilac!!

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Author's Afterword

Lúin: "Yo, Hypothesis!"

Areadbhair: "Haaahーーーー???? A nuclear weapon with no owner shouldn't be acting all high and mighty!!"