Setting Entry 3: Weapon and Armor Commentary, Brought to You by an Extremely Personal Selection, Part 1

Author's Preface

The selection is entirely based on my mood.

・Mercenary's Twin Blades

Category: Dual Blades

Effect: Nothing in particular. Although their Durability is set relatively high, the inherent nature of dual blades as a weapon type gives them a short service life.

Description: The only things to trust are coin and one's own blades. A rugged pair of dual blades favored by mercenaries who wander in search of battle. Their ruggedness makes them crude, and they were never designed for long-term use.

Commentary: The so-called starting equipment, these are the dual blades owned by Mercenaries (dual-wielders) from the beginning of the game. Compared to the Thief class's starting equipment, the "Thief's Dagger," they boast a whopping 1.5 times the Durability! ...But because more hits = faster wear, using them without thinking burns through their Durability in no time. Roughly sixty percent of players who start as Mercenaries break them before ever upgrading them, making these unfortunate weapons in a sense.

・Lake-Marsh Dagger[*1]

Category: Dagger

Effect: Upon successfully landing a Critical Attack, Durability loss is halved for a set period.

Description: Though murky, this dagger still reveals fragments of brilliance. Forged from high-quality ore found in the Diremarsh Waste, it shall become a warrior's longtime companion.

Whether this blade can be made to shine depends upon its wielder.

Commentary: A dagger best described as the very definition of steady and reliable, most dual-wielders and dagger users end up owing this thing a debt. There is no Salt Greatsword or Sugar Greatspear.

Light fighters already lag behind warrior classes in raw damage, so they come to rely on Critical Attacks for their damage output, making this weapon popular even among advanced players as a tool for practicing Critical Attacks.

However, once they start getting used to landing Critical Attacks, it gets replaced by other weapons with damage-oriented effects, making it a sad weapon as well. Because a "teacher" is meant to see its "students" graduate...................... Incidentally, if you keep upgrading it, it gains damage-oriented effects. Even teachers can do it if they try!!

・Gazing Bird Mask

Category: Head Equipment

Effect: None

Description: A face mask modeled after a species of bird. It has almost no value as armor, but may prove somewhat effective for intimidation.

Its eyes see through wicked hearts and lay bare the wicked hearts of evildoers... perhaps. At the very least, children will cry.

Commentary: The culprit responsible for making the protagonist a pervert, a face mask modeled after a shoebill. It is so-called joke gear, and expecting it to function as armor is out of the question. Other joke masks exist besides the Gazing Bird Mask, and the one most commonly used by players is the "Dumbfounded Horse Mask"... which is, in other words, just a horse mask.

The truth is, continuously using it raises a certain hidden parameter................... or so I say, planting some plausible-looking foreshadowing. It is not particularly major foreshadowing, though.

・Vorpal Chopper

Category: Dagger

Effect: Upon successfully landing a Critical Attack, a positive damage modifier is applied.

Description: A chopper carried by Vorpal Bunnies. It is a weapon for cutting apart and butchering the meat called humans, and a symbol of the violence the weak can wield.

Commentary: Among the "Vorpal" series carried by Vorpal Bunnies, this is the most common weapon.

There is actually some behind-the-scenes history here: the author had "Tonberries" and "Vorpal Bunnies" mixed up in his memory, and somehow the chopper ended up becoming their default weapon.[*2] It is basically all Usagi-san Team's fault. No matter what anyone says, Miho-rin is the cutest.

Vorpal Bunnies appearing in later areas sometimes carry weapons other than choppers, so you might carelessly approach one thinking, "It's only a Vorpal Bunny," only to find it dragging a hammer that looks fully capable of crushing a human head with ease...

The "Vorpal" series all share effects relating to Critical Attacks, giving them high general utility, but a Unique Scenario contains a spell called "Enchant: Vorpal" that grants a weapon the effects of the Vorpal series, so the weapons themselves are not used very much.

Incidentally, I was often asked in the comments, "Can the protagonist, who reached Rabituza through a separate Unique, not learn Enchant: Vorpal?" So I will answer here: "He can learn it." In fact, he can simply purchase it normally from a grimoire-selling rabbit other than Elke... but the truth is that he has abandoned magic and does not give it so much as a glance.

Holy Spear Caledfwlch

Category: Spear

Effect: Grants bonus modifiers to all of the wielder's stats and grants the Class "Hero."

Grants the special Skills "Unbroken" and "Brave Spiral."

Grants a damage bonus against certain monsters.

When this weapon's Durability reaches 0, spending MP restores 10% of its Durability.

Damage dealt by this weapon is unaffected by the target's Hitzone Values.

This weapon cannot be used by any player other than "(Player Name)."

Description: A Hero's weapon that only the chosen are permitted to wield. Caledfwlch's spearhead pierces all evil, and with an unbroken fighting spirit it rises again even after overcoming death. Therefore, the one who wields it is called a Hero.

Commentary: A Unique Item that embodies what it means to be unique, with only one existing for each of five weapon types: sword, spear, bow, hammer, and staff. Frankly, it operates on the theory that "If you're strong enough to repel evil, that makes you a Hero, right?" so even a PKer can own one.

Since I am at it, I will write this here: the other Hero Weapons have also already been acquired by players, and the five players, Pencilgon included, are fairly well-known.

"Holy Sword" Excalibur... owned by the leader of the clan "Black Wolf," with an aggressively Hero-like kit.

"Holy Spear" Caledfwlch... owned by the former subleader of the clan "Ashura-Kai" and current leader of the clan "Wolfgang," with effects that look plain at first glance but are powerful.

"Holy Staff" Asclepius... owned by a member of a certain clan, with absolutely zero offensive capability but tremendous healing capability.

"Holy Hammer" Mjolnir... owned by a certain player, with characteristics somewhat different from the other Hero Weapons.

"Holy Bow" Failnaught... owned by a member of the clan "Black Wolf," and it is neither a musical instrument nor sad.[*3]

Author's Afterword

I intend to add more over time, but if you tell me things like, "I want an explanation of this," I may prioritize those.

Translator's Notes

• [1] Lake-Marsh Dagger: The Japanese name uses 湖沼, read koshō, meaning "lakes and marshes." It is pronounced identically to 胡椒, "pepper," hence the nonexistent Salt Greatsword and Sugar Greatspear.
• [2] Tonberry, Vorpal Bunny, and Usagi-san Team: Tonberries from Final Fantasy famously carry knives, whereas the lethal Vorpal Bunny originates from Wizardry. The author had the two mixed up in his memory, which led to ShanFro's Vorpal Bunnies carrying choppers. "Usagi-san Team" and "Miho-rin" are references to Girls und Panzer: Usagi-san Team is the first-year team, while Nishizumi Miho belongs to Anglerfish Team.
• [3] Failnaught: This references Tristan in Fate/Grand Order. He plucks Failnaught's string as though playing a harp, launching cutting blades of vacuum, while his repeated lament of "I am sad..." and the accompanying plucking sound became a running joke.