Chapter 818: December 1?th: Since You Were Born a Man, Everyone Dreams at Least Once in Their Life of the Strongest on Earth───
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......Yeah. I had only heard the stories from Imron. Only the stories.
───That, particularly when it comes to crafting armor, this player was above her.
"Magnificent............ The technology to turn ore into fibers......... To think such a thing existed.........!"
.........Yeah. I had only heard the stories from Survival. Only the stories.
───That he was the man who ended the strongest armor debate in this game with just a single "Fang".
"Only focusing on technique and acting satisfied with the current materials......... Heh, I suppose that means I am still inexperienced......... The absolute peak is truly far away."
And so, when I heard that such a person was going to make armor for Wimp, I thought about it completely normally.
───Ah, well since we're in Catzeria anyway, I should bring him some ore-cloth made with the "Jeweler" skill. Even assuming it doesn't get used for Wimp's armor, I figured it'd work out as a token of gratitude or something......
"Thank you......... Let me imbue an emotion that would exceed thousands or tens of thousands if put into words, into these five characters......!"
As a result, I was currently being thanked while a rugged nice guy wearing a maid outfit clung to me in tears for some reason.
Yup, I knew it! At the point where he possesses an obsession that makes Imron himself admit he's "above" him despite only crafting maid outfits, and how he showed up uninvited to make a maid outfit for Wimp, I already knew this was probably going to be one of those Eta-Zero-style encounters!!
I mean, if you assume the ratio of normal hardcore players in this game is 7, there's roughly a 3-in-10 chance of running into guys who are playing hardcore with an obsession operating on a completely different scale than normal people...... which means this Elysion Haute-Couture person was also on the 30% side.
"Jewel Weaving!! To reel and weave ore, an existence that seemingly contradicts cloth... contradicts fibers......! I see, a blind spot! Just like how Secret Honey Silk is born from the Silkret Bee......!! Discoveries lie precisely outside the bounds of existing common sense, I had completely forgotten that........." [*1]
This type is troublesome; they aren't just immersed in their own world, they're immersed under the "premise that the other person is also in their world," so there's no telling when they'll suddenly start talking to you. An assault-type communication of a different nature than Love Clock...... While keeping my sense of hearing focused for now on Elysion-shi, whose sculpted features and buzz-cut combined with a classic maid outfit—attributes that absolutely shouldn't mesh but somehow did—I turned my field of vision toward the members of the Dress-Up Squad who were supposedly doing special training in this underground training ground? or whatever this place was, and to the person at the center of them...... Wimp.
"yes, i won't move. i won't twist my body during the measurements, i won't run away. i won't attack. i don't really understand but warm clothes would be nice......"
If this were a different game, this is the exact type of situation where the protagonist character would snap and charge at the enemy, you know.
After giving a half-lidded look at Wimp, who was thoroughly acting as a mannequin while muttering something with dead eyes, I glared at the Dress-Up Squad guys with even narrower eyes. The bastards averted their gazes.
Survival and Overwerke are still in Catzeria, and Yashirobird happily headed straight for the Leviathan. DeepSlo, who I thought was nine times out of ten going to tag along...... surprisingly said "I have other business" and teleported off somewhere.
Which means, I'm the only one here right now......... Maybe I should have brought Survival along at least.
"Ah— well, you know. The fact that you're going to make equipment for Wimp is something to be thankful for, and since it's a good opportunity I brought various things, but........."
"Sunraku-kun."
"Ah, yes."
Crap, I tried to hand over what I needed to hand over and quickly change the subject, but his affection rating skewed way too high.
Elysion-shi, who received the rolls of rare jewel cloth refined via the Ore Weaving I had prepared with trembling hands, set them down carefully (so carefully that even though he could have just put them in his inventory, he went out of his way to spread a cloth on the ground and gently place them on top), and then grasped both of my hands with both of his own with the momentum of a carnivore pouncing on its prey.
"Won't you become my patron and model.........!?"
..................Say what?
Patron, patron. So basically, like, a sponsor-type deal? Well, I get what he's trying to say, essentially it means he'll make equipment so he wants me to provide the materials. You could say my stance toward Imron and Bilac is also that of a patron.
And so, on top of that, what did he just say? Combine it with what?
"I have been hearing rumors about you for some time now. That you are involved in the subjugation of numerous Unique Monsters, that you are the North Star of Nekamas, and that you are an idol producer......"
"Eh, reputational damage?"
No, I muttered that reflexively, but when I carefully think about it and reflect on my own actions, it's not like I don't have any idea why I'd be called that...... Wait, what the heck does North Star of Nekamas even mean. Is it that? Meaning a guiding landmark?
"In order to enlighten more players...... no, given the AI of this game, even the NPCs, to the 'beauty' of maid outfits, a model shining like a star is absolutely essential...... Yes, for example, the Elma-type that boasts some of the highest popularity even among the Conquista Dolls, and 'Saina', who can be called its very symbol...... and,"
What Elysion-shi displayed was a single screenshot.
On it was the figure of a player standing atop the gravestone sword while equipped with the R.I.P..
"───There is no living creature that does not look good in the maid outfit, God's supreme masterpiece. Naturally, that includes you, who looks so good in mourning clothes."
save me wimp-san! save me with your goldunine power!!
"if you're going to stab the torso, thrust the blade in horizontally...... if it's vertical, it'll get caught on the ribs......"
The meaning of "practical combat" in that context isn't an action movie, it's a suspense thriller!
Author's Afterword
・The Strongest Armor Debate
What is the strongest armor in Shangri-La Frontier?
Armor made using rare ores.
Armor crafted from powerful monster materials.
Armor with superior enchantment effects, regardless of the materials used.
A massive debate that erupted in the early days of the service, sparked by these three factions dragging the crafting classes into it.
There were some malicious incidents such as people taking advantage of this debate to make crafting classes forge armor for free, but ultimately, Elysion Haute-Couture completely refuted everyone by crafting a total of 20 "maid outfits"—some meeting the "strongest" conditions proposed by all three factions, some not meeting them, and some partially meeting them—proving that "in the end, right here is everything."
The name of Elysion Haute-Couture, a.k.a. "that crazy maid outfit guy," became widely known due to this incident, but he eventually vanished after announcing the tactical-grade maid outfit "Majestic Combat Garment"......
Translator's Notes
- [1] Secret Honey Silk: Homophone pun, 秘密(himitsu) means secret but the second character is swapped out for 蜜, which means "Honey" or "Nectar".
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