Chapter 86 - The Rabbit's Horn
To put it bluntly, she got super mad at me.
More accurately, Kagura-san got so excited she was practically furious, and as she pressed me for details, an incident occurred where I was almost pushed over—
"Sorry."
"Well, it's..."
Now Kagura-san looked awkward, having regained her composure, while I could only manage a wry smile. With a rare look of embarrassment, the artisan's face was flushed red. On the table before her lay a single 'crimson' horn.
—Item Name: [Ruby Rabbit Demon Horn]. It was, quite literally, the iconic horn of the [Ruby Bullet].
This material was the cause of Kagura-san's shock, rivaling the time she saw the [Withered Fragment of the God-Wedge] that became the basis for my [Prologue: Wedge Fragment Singing of Eternity (Angalta)]... and for good reason. This horn was, without a doubt, a brand-new, undiscovered material.
The [Ruby Bullet] itself had been known since the early days when players started advancing into the garden, and it was regularly hunted.
The dungeon it inhabited was, of course, impossible, but if you just wanted to hunt the rabbits themselves, there were plenty of ways. Like I did during my run, you could block them with a shield and let them self-destruct.
Naturally, based on their appearance, players assumed "that horn has got to be a great material," and for a time, they were apparently hunted en masse (though it seems the players were also hunted en masse in return)...
But it never appeared, never dropped, was never obtained.
No matter if they were defeated normally, or if their horns were broken before they were defeated, there was no sign of the horns ever dropping.
On top of that, there was an animation where the horn would glow and shatter upon death or when the part was broken. This led to the prevailing theory that either there was a special condition for obtaining it, or it simply wasn't something that could be left behind as a material... and so it was eventually left alone.
—Now, let's take a look at the solo clear reward I obtained from the [Spiral Crimson Tower]: the [Spiral Crimson Ring].
[Spiral Crimson Ring]
Accessory: Ring | MID +100 *Non-transferable
A token of the Ruby Rabbit's affection, gifted to one who cleared the tower alone. The wearer is treated as one of their kin and earns the right to claim the symbol of their pride.
Do you see it now?
Yes, it was one of the prevailing theories—"some kind of special acquisition condition." Thank you very much.
This was the true purpose of my material farming after clearing the [Spiral Crimson Tower].
While equipped with the [Spiral Crimson Ring], you had to break the [Ruby Bullet]'s horn without defeating it—that was the condition for obtaining the [Ruby Rabbit Demon Horn].
I have to say, it was a struggle.
Against enemies charging at insane speeds, a clumsy counter-attack would surely result in either me or the rabbit exploding into pieces.
If I tried to stop them with my [Angalta], they would self-destruct.
In the end, the only way was to "smack the horn from the side with perfect timing," and until I got used to it, I racked up a considerable number of game overs.
I have nothing but praise for my [Quit Counter] skill, which, in combination with the newly acquired [Fatal Leak], performed exceptionally well here. I'm sorry for treating you like you were useless until now...
Anyway, the demon horn was a dream material in many ways due to this history. Even I get excited to some degree when I hear about "new materials," so it was understandable that Kagura-san, being a craftsman, would lose her composure even more.
"Think you can make something good?"
"...Honestly, it's quite an unexpected item. I thought it was a pure physical-type monster focused entirely on AGI, but—a Demon Horn?"
"That surprised me too."
Those rabbits—I thought they were speed demons with all their stats dumped into AGI, but it turns out they were actually magical creatures with all their stats in MID.
The flavor text of the material revealed that their absurd speed and the unique properties of their horns were all realized through magic.
Apparently, even their bodies were something like magically constructed clones... which makes their all-out suicide attacks make sense. No matter if they exploded or what, they were never truly 'defeated' in the real sense.
"But, well... yeah, I guarantee it. I can definitely make something interesting."
As Kagura-san said this with a smile, I could see the same fiery emotion I'd seen once before flickering in her eyes. I have no idea what kind of item it will become, but from the looks of it, my expectations can be high.
"Just a hunch, but it seems more suited for a weapon, right?"
"That's right. It lacks the stability to be used as armor, and you already have a fine actor for the accessory slot. Considering its original purpose and to expand your options, crafting it into a weapon would be best."
She looked at me, asking, "What'll it be?" I thought for a moment.
"The size is just right, so I'd like a good dagger... oh, but I'm sure it would make a great spear, too."
"For now, what do you need most?"
"...A dagger. I want to graduate from store-bought items as soon as possible."
Kagura-san nodded with a simple "Got it," and I opened the usual trade window to hand over the materials. I selected the [Ruby Rabbit Demon Horn] from my inventory and went to set the deposit quantity—
"Ah, how many do you need? And what about the commission fee?"
"If I'm just making a single dagger, well, one should be enough."
However, Kagura-san continued.
"Unfortunately, this is a new material I've never touched before. I can't imagine I'll be able to make something decent on the first try... I'll need at least five or six for practice. As for the fee, we can just call it even with the practice materials."
She confirmed, saying she was already getting more than enough in terms of technical experience, but for me, who already considers Kagura-san practically family, it was no problem.
If anything, I don't remember ever paying her a 'fee' for anything so far. Maybe I'm the one who should be worried.
"In that case, would it be better if you had as many as possible? It's not like they're doing me any good sitting in my inventory, so I can just give you all of them now."
"Ah, well, I wouldn't mind having more... eh? Wait, from the way you're saying that, it sounds like you have a lot more than I thought—"
"Well then, please accept this."
—Do you want to deposit [Ruby Rabbit Demon Horn] x219 with player Kagura?
"—..."
"Yeah, this material is ridiculously light, so mass farming was a breeze..."
After some back and forth... it was decided that for the time being, all my commission fees to Kagura-san would be waived.