Chapter 269 - To the Next Tier
"—…And that's pretty much the situation."
""—""
After finishing my 'explanation,' which had taken nearly an hour, I averted my gaze from the utterly dumbfounded faces of my parents on the other side of the screen and took a sip of barley tea to moisten my parched throat.
It was a little past six in the evening. After they both let me know they were home, I started a video call and confessed everything that had happened from the time I started playing [Arcadia] until 'now.'
My mother asked, 'Are you really our Haru?' more than a dozen times.
My father muttered, 'Is this real?' an uncountable number of times.
They had figured out I was [Haru] immediately during the Four Pillar War broadcast two days ago, but things had been hectic and the situation was uncertain on my end, so I'd asked them to wait for just under two days.
When they finally got to hear the story, they were bombarded with a series of otherworldly, super-developments, leaving them both speechless and stunned, just as you'd expect.
Of course they would be.
"Sorry for telling you everything after the fact, but I hope you can understand that it wasn't exactly a situation where I had a choice…"
"Yeah, this is… even if you had consulted us, what could we have done?"
With an indescribable expression, my father slumped back in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose as if to say, 'We're helpless.'
"…In any case, Mr. Yotsuya promised to protect you, right?"
"That's for sure. He's the father of someone I trust more than anyone, so I think it's safe to trust Togo-san for now."
By the way, I didn't mention the fiancé thing.
Considering it was just a sham to deal with the people bothering Sora, I figured there was no need to complicate things by adding more information.
Even if I were to tell them, it would be proper to get Togo's permission before sharing that with my parents.
"What about university?"
"That's not decided yet. Kunori-san… um, she's the chairwoman of the board, and she told me to 'prioritize getting the situation settled first.'"
For now, I'll start by getting used to the new environment.
This condo building apparently has not only a convenience store but also restaurants and a fitness gym. It seems that while it's officially a 'normal' (?) luxury condo, it's actually a security building for VIPs connected to Yotsuya Development.
The environment is set up so that you can live healthily without ever needing to go outside… In other words, if I just stay cooped up here, my immediate safety is guaranteed.
By the way, I was told there are only four residents, including myself and Chitose-san. The height of luxury.
"Personally, I'd like to continue attending if possible, rather than quitting… But, well, I can't really predict what will happen from here on out."
"Well, that's true…"
Seeing their anxious faces on the screen filled me with an indescribable sense of guilt—but as Togo-san had said, this was truly a development that an ordinary person could do nothing about.
I was desperately trying not to be swallowed by the torrent, and my parents could only watch from the sidelines… It might be an exaggeration, but we were probably both on edge.
"Anyway, Togo-san… Yotsuya will be contacting you to introduce himself, so please handle it when he does."
""…Which of us?""
A smile unconsciously spread across my face as I saw the two of them ask in unison, their voices filled with trepidation.
"Mom, of course."
"…Well, I suppose so."
"…I'll leave it to you."
My father's 'flea-sized heart' is common knowledge in the Kasuga family. And that's fine. Our family has always operated on the principle of 'strong mother, gentle father.'
"Well then… I'll call again soon."
The existence of family, people I could trust unconditionally, was a true salvation.
Mentally apologizing for worrying them—I continued to chat with my parents for a while longer, enjoying our first conversation in a while.
◇◆◇◆◇
"—Alright then, time for 'work.'"
Drive on—and welcome to the virtual world of Arcadia.
The chaos isn't limited to the real world. As someone with a newfound mission to push forward with my conquests, I'm determined to tackle this world with more gusto than ever before.
That's why I can't neglect my tasks here, either. From fixing issues with my skill build to resolving problems with my armaments, I have a mountain of things to do.
…I say 'work,' but I don't think I need to think of it that way. Whether I'm told to or asked to—my stance of simply 'enjoying it to the fullest' has never wavered and never will.
I follow my post-login routine and check for messages… Okay, looks like I'm free to move around for a while.
I have no plans other than a promise to meet up with Sora at night. Therefore, the task I need to tackle immediately is—
"Wonder how you're doing, Boss."
One of the armaments that has a problem—I think I'll go have him take a look at my [Anima], which is on the verge of 'evolution.'
"—It hates you."
"Again…?!"
At the workshop of Halzen, the NPC artisan I hadn't seen in a while.
Receiving his frank assessment five seconds after handing over my [Anima], I sank to my knees, utterly crushed.
"Any particular reason? It's not about throwing it this time, is it…?"
Apparently, the store-bought straight sword I used before I got my Anima came to dislike me because I was probably just carelessly tossing it around.
However, my current beloved sword, the [White-Flawed Straight Sword], is designed to be thrown from the get-go. If it dislikes me again, there must be a different reason—
"…I don't know what you did, but it says it was used more as a tool than as a weapon. That's what it's saying."
"I'm so sorry."
It's true that I may have used it as a foothold more often than not.
That's all because I got my hands on super-spec armaments like [An-ri Galta (Prologue: The Wedge-Fragment that Sings of Eternity)] and [Parabellum Bullet] so quickly—I have that excuse, but if that's what it's saying, I have no choice but to agree.
If it was constantly being kicked around without being able to perform properly, of course a weapon would get angry… And he can tell that? Amazing, muscle-man.
A smith reads the iron—was that it? If possible, I'd appreciate it if he could communicate smoothly with humans (me) as well as he does with iron.
"Well, setting aside its feelings for me… the fact that it's like that means it has met the conditions for evolution, right?"
I pointed—the [White-Flawed Straight Sword], resting in the boss's large hand, was emitting a light that seemed to seep out from within.
It wasn't just a visual abnormality; the system also registered it as 'Unequippable'—and as far as I knew, this invariably meant it was in a 'standby state for evolution to the next tier.'
"Yeah, that's right. This one's ready to move on."
"Yes…!"
And so—the [White-Flawed Straight Sword], which had been struggling to find its place due to its lacking specs, was finally taking its next step.
The 'tier' of an Anima's enhancement level determines the content of the upgrade based on whether it's an odd or even number. Odd numbers mean 'acquisition of a new ability,' while even numbers mean 'enhancement of an existing ability.'
Going by that, this time it would probably just be a simple spec enhancement. I might not be able to expect a dramatic improvement… but well, it's one step at a time. Let's aim for the top together, partner.
"Someday, we'll get our revenge on his 'katana'… is what I'd like to say—so, um… what should I do with this?"
Enhancing an Anima can either require materials or not.
In the former case, you bring the Anima in its evolution standby state to the designated artisan NPC to receive a quest to obtain the required materials.
In the latter case, it's simply reforged using the 'experience' accumulated within the Anima.
This also seems to have a probabilistic tendency based on even and odd tiers. Usually, it's the odd tiers, where you acquire new abilities, that require materials…
"If you need any materials, I'll go grab them in a dash."
At a full-speed dash of over five hundred kilometers per hour—
"Not necessary."
As expected, it seemed a pure enhancement was likely this time. The boss shook his head as if it were obvious, and after examining the [White-Flawed Straight Sword], he placed it on the counter with a gentleness that belied his appearance.
"Give me that."
Then, just as casually—he pointed at my right hand and spoke.
"…Huh?"
I checked where his gaze and index finger were pointing several times, but he was unmistakably indicating my right hand. I wasn't holding anything; it was just equipped with the [Stake Gauntlet] and the [Spiral Crimson Ring]—
"—"
I had a bad feeling.
"…Go ahead."
I gently removed the gauntlet from my right hand and placed it on the counter.
Averting my eyes from his unmoving, massive frame, I was about to offer the gauntlet from my left hand when,
"The ring. Give it."
He delivered his merciless demand.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
I looked at him with pleading eyes, begging for mercy… but it wasn't the boss who was making this 'unreasonable' demand, but none other than the [White-Flawed Straight Sword] itself.
In other words, the unpredictable and unavoidable reality was this:
—Tragic News: My Anima is about to devour the reward from my solo conquest of an ultra-high-difficulty dungeon.
You've got to be kidding me.
Poor guy.