Chapter 359 - Weakness
Total combat time: one hour and twenty-something minutes.
Fueled by stubbornness and greed, the most drawn-out and pathetic battle in the history of my virtual self concluded after I finally derived the 'solution' through much trial and error.
My strategy—or rather, technique—for plucking the feathers of its massive wings, each one unironically bigger than my entire body, was a success. I call it the 'Forced Rocket Purge Grab', and it allowed me to secure my target material.
The procedure was extremely simple. First, I used the brute strength of [An-ru Galta (Hypothesis: The Wedge-Armor that Sings of the Royal Road)] to get a firm grip on the base of a feather. Then, I just used a full-power [Rocket] to launch myself off its body.
If there was one flaw in this plan—
"I successfully plucked it out, but I couldn't control my posture afterward, and the minions shot away the last of my HP left over from the self-inflicted damage… is probably it."
"Wait, that means you weren't successful at all. Are you an idiot???"
Her mercilessly exasperated face and words hit their mark, but right now, having accomplished my initial goal, my mental state was invincible.
"Your delivery has arrived!" I'd shouted as I stormed into her atelier just a few minutes ago. I shamelessly recounted my fresh, same-day-delivery adventure, and Nia had just blinked at me, utterly dumbfounded.
"Hold on, just be quiet for a second. Seriously, you're giving me a headache…"
She eventually held her head in her hands, but I was, unapologetically, in a great mood. I performed a victory dance, pointlessly flapping Epel's feather—the [Woven Feather of the Ice Guardian]—which was ridiculously huge yet felt completely weightless.
I was only able to bring back two as my spoils of war. However, she'd already assured me that with this size, it would be more than enough material for a single piece of clothing.
In conclusion, as far as I'm concerned, this attack was nothing short of a massive success.
"You Istian… you just got a game over, so why are you so energetic? Honestly…"
"Have you forgotten my build? This is pretty much a daily occurrence. You'd never get by if you didn't get used to it."
"I get that, but… you should be aware of that, you know? To someone who gave up on combat and chose a crafting profession, the very act of calmly accepting a death experience, even in a game, is kind of… out there."
I know that. I'm used to it now, so the thrill and excitement overshadow it, but even I used to be pretty scared deep down, whether I was facing monsters or other players.
Exchanging virtual lives in a world that feels just like reality—of course it's scary for anyone with a normal sensibility, even if they know it's just a game.
"By the way, are you in the 'gave up' camp?"
"I've been a pure crafter from the very beginning."
When I asked Nia about her own position, it turned out my personal artisan and seamstress was a born-and-bred crafter.
How can she call herself 'pure' when she's juggling two professions?
"Well, whatever—let me see it. Let big sis here inspect the goods for you."
"Who are you calling big sis?"
"I am older than you, you know!"
"Only by one year!"
With a beckoning gesture and an aura that screamed, 'My, my, what am I to do with this child,' my 'big sis' summoned me over. I slapped the feather I'd brought back into her hand.
And with that, the playful mood came to an end.
With her usual quick switch, the [Milmarinus] put on her artisan face, her trademark aquamarine eyes narrowing as she began her inspection.
"Is this the first time even you have seen one?"
"Yeah, I told you, it's practically a phantom. The number of successful subjugation reports is incredibly low. It's far from the city, so a normal expedition takes several days, and the difficulty of the field, including the boss, is so high that a normal strategy requires a joint operation between multiple parties…"
"I get it, so could you stop emphasizing 'normal'? I failed precisely for that reason and came back after getting my butt kicked, you know."
"Quietly??? I didn't think you'd go alone in the first place, you know?"
"Sorry, maybe 'quietly' wasn't the right word."
And for the record, I am reflecting on my actions. Even if I wanted to avoid spoilers, charging in solo with zero prep was taking things way too lightly.
When I bowed my head honestly, Nia let out another sigh, the umpteenth one today.
"Well, whatever… because of all that, the hurdle to even go hunt it is really high. And as for this material you said looked 'interesting,' it's only something that might suit you. For the general public, it's kind of mediocre."
"So, not much demand for it?"
"The fact that it's not being hunted suggests as much. There are literally thousands of bosses, so obviously, everyone is going to go after the ones that drop useful loot."
"This game is as insane as ever."
Seriously, can you play this forever? It's the best.
"So? What about those properties that are 'suited for me'? What's your take now that you've seen it?"
Even as we chatted, her eyes never left the pale blue feather. A few dozen more seconds passed as Nia continued her silent staring contest.
"…………………………………………—Yeah, I can make something good with this."
She looked up at me, her eyes shining with the joy unique to a crafter who's found fine materials.
Seeing that, the tension finally drained from my shoulders in the truest sense.
Mission, well and truly comple—wait…?
—Oh, shoot, I completely forgot about my junior's request! I was just casually thinking, "I'll stop by on my way back after I beat it"!
There's no 'on my way back' when you die and respawn!
"S-so, sorry, but I'll leave the feather with you. I just remembered I have an errand to run, so I'm heading back out of the city—"
"Stop."
Suddenly remembering my 'other request,' I glanced at the system clock and tried to leave the atelier, but Nia called me to a halt.
I know this is sudden, but I'll be back later, so please just let me go—
"Take it off."
—The words that hit me as I tried to form that sentence weren't meant to stop me. It was a demand so unexpected that it was my turn to blink.
"…Come again?"
"You can go, so just hurry up and take it off. Your clothes."
"Why!?"
Not content with just words, she stood up and strode over to me, grabbing my clothes. What is this—hey, stop, don't try to undress me!
"Whoa, whoa, wait, calm down, I'll give it to you! I'll change myself, just wait, hey…!"
With a face that said 'I have no ulterior motives,' which was probably true for once, I placated the rampaging Nia and used [Construction].
I swapped my [El-Gran Series] for another of her creations, the Lounge series, and presented the white and blue battle attire to the wild artisan.
"Thanks. See you later!"
"You're really unstoppable in artisan mode… What are you going to do with that?"
As soon as she had her own creation in hand, she gave me a cool wave and started to retreat to her workshop. I threw a question at her back.
Without stopping, Nia glanced back over her shoulder, offering a gentle smile that occasionally made her look genuinely older.
"You like it, don't you? —Big sis is going to 'remake' it into something even cooler for you, so you'd better look forward to it."
And with that, she left me with a wink that was surprisingly… well-suited to her, before disappearing into her workshop.
"………………………………Hmm."
Tossed about by various emotions, I put on a poker face despite there being no one to see it and left the atelier.
As for the new self-awareness I had just gained—
"Am I really weak to older women…?"
Since this has absolutely nothing to do with the game, I think I'll take that thought home with me and ponder it later.