kscans

Chapter 864 - A Pleasant Interlude

"—Hmm… so, we'll be free for about two more months, then?"

"Well, ‘free’ isn't quite the word. But the door probably won't open, so for now, the plan is for everyone to clear the 100th floor by then."

"Setting aside the six slots, it's until the outer gauge, which seems to be some kind of common goal for all players, is filled… right?"

"That's about right. Though, it's all still in the hypothesis stage."

"Six slots… six people… I wonder who will be chosen."

"Well, two slots are a given."

"Yeah. Ui-san and Iris—"

"What are you talking about? It's the Princess and senpai."

"What?"

"If we're talking about 'absolutely guaranteed' slots, then yeah. If the Princess is going to get 'serious' in a party, she needs senpai with her, so it's obvious."

"That's right. With [Lightning Gale], his instantaneous maximum firepower surpasses even the [Sword Saint], and she herself has vouched for it. I think not just us, but all players would agree, right?"

"Stop it, for the love of god, don't praise me that much… Sora-san, what's with that expression? I don't think I've ever seen you make that face before."

"I-It's n-nothing…"

"It's half pride as his partner, and half jealousy as his partner, isn't it?"

"Tetra-kun!?"

"Also, if we're confirming a third slot, I think it'd be Sora-senpai."

"Wh-Wha-Nya!?"

"It's a given, since she's guaranteed a ridiculous power-up when she's with senpai."

"Honestly, that's more important than her individual specs…. In terms of adaptability… or rather, she's so versatile, you can expect great things from her in every aspect."

"Th-That's not… uhm… H-Haru? What's with that face…"

"That's a 100% pure lovey-dovey face."

"My Sora-san is invincible!!!!!"

"…………………………………………………………………………………………"

"Sorry I got carried away DON'T HIT ME."

"There, there."

"Ah, haha… Thanks for the meal."

"I'm not going to tell you the impossible and say 'stop flirting,' but at least get some work done, okay?"

"Sorry I'll get serious DON'T GLARE AT ME."

—And so, thusly, harmoniously.

For over thirty minutes after the boss fight. We were still on the fortieth floor, sitting in a circle of four, enjoying some clan bonding time while we ‘worked.’

Apparently, everyone had already been contacted, but as someone who had heard the story directly from the strongest and supreme tag team, I was adding some supplementary information. While getting excited about the latest topic, what exactly were we all busily doing….

"…Seriously, you pulled way too many on a whim. This is never going to end."

"I'm sorry. I'll give you any good stuff I find, so please forgive me."

Just as Tetra complained.

It was none other than the endless inspection work on the mountain of prizes that had poured out from the three hundred gacha pulls I had spun on sheer impulse and excitement.

Of course, in line with the estimated less than one percent probability of a ‘hit,’ ninety-nine percent of them were ‘misses’—however, the prize pool of the Key Tree gacha, which can be challenged using PARLs, contains many special items even among the misses.

Most of them are materials from common enemies that appear on the maze path, like [Goblin's Rough Bone] or [Key Tree Echo's Knotted Branch]. Since they come from enemies you can't encounter outside, they're valuable in their own right… but their quality and rarity are what you'd expect, so they're misses.

However, for example…

"Oh, this is pretty good…?"

The marble I just picked up from the miscellaneous pile would be in the ‘small hit’ category.

[Tree Crystal's Treasured Drop: Magic Gift]
A fragment of blessing seeping from the spiritual power of the great Key Tree.
Perhaps it is the will of green life to bestow power upon weapons born from the same womb.

・Weapon Blessing: ‘Lightning Enchant’

—And so, that's how it is.

This is one of the reasons players are so excited about the maze's ‘rewards.’ The Key Tree armaments in the grand prize category come with customizability.

And with this, you can do all sorts of interesting things….

"Alright, one dual-enchant is complete."

For example, it's possible to add a lightning attribute to the [One-Off Desire], which originally had a weak fire attribute. It's not limited to attribute enchantments; there are also simple ‘Attack Power Increase’ or ‘Durability Increase’—and even unique ones like ‘HP Drain’.

Including the random specs of the base Key Tree armament, the possibilities are endless.

"It's a total rabbit hole…"

"Most gamers would get hooked. —Here, found a boss material."

While complaining, it seemed Tetra was enjoying it in his own way.

He casually tossed over another small hit, a material from a powerful Key Tree boss enemy… This was probably from the [Ikurepasu Sarifan] we fought on the thirty-second floor. It was a single, decaying, tattered button.

That one was a mystery too… a giant flying cloak, what kind of being was that—

"…But still. Having two part-time Magic Crafters in the party really changes your adaptability in a broader sense, in terms of convenience or what have you, doesn't it?"

As I was reminiscing about the strangely eerie appearance of a past floor master, Kanata, who was peering at my and Tetra's sorting work with Sora, murmured as if newly impressed.

There's a reason for his tone, which sounded as if it were a ‘luxury.’

Simply put, ‘part-time Magic Crafters’… that is, players who primarily engage in combat content while also having mastered [Mako], are quite a minority in terms of the overall ratio.

"I'm less than a novice, though. I'd be too embarrassed to call myself a Magic Crafter yet."

"And yet you gave your partner such a wonderful gift."

"Please don't tease me about that, it's endlessly embarrassing."

That wasn't false modesty in the slightest. Tetra was just jumping in because he had keenly spotted an opportunity to tease me.

Sora-san is blushing next to me. So cute.

Anyway, it's a fact that the population of warrior/magic crafters is small. Having two part-timers in the party like this is undoubtedly a ‘luxury’ in the eyes of the world.

Well, it can't be helped. It's because there's a problem with the system side of granting the [Mako] skill.

"You'll have to choose who you grant it to carefully, senpai—they'll become the ‘grandchild’ of the famous [Milmarinus, the Aquamarine Fairy], so it's a lot of pressure for the receiver too."

"I know… damn, telling me that after giving it to me was an act of terrorism on her part."

"Senpai. Do you know what ‘common knowledge’ is? It's something that basically everyone knows."

"I'm sorry."

And so, that's how it is. Just as I, the ‘child’ of [Milmarinus, the Aquamarine Fairy], am the only one, the ‘child’ I can newly choose is also just one.

The ceremony to grant the [Mako] skill is something each individual can only perform once.

Furthermore, unless you are recognized by the system as having reached at least the level of a master, you cannot learn the special skill for granting it, [Assign]. In other words, it's impossible to mass-produce Magic Crafters carelessly… so it's understandable that part-timers are rare.

If you're not someone who can master it, you'll cause the lineage to die out.

I was granted the skill on the premise that I could ‘help out a bit during events.’ Of course, Nia was aware of this reckless act, so while I verbally express a lighthearted attitude, in reality, my heart is filled with a mountain of pressure.

The reason I'm seriously honing my skills whenever I have free time is because of that.

I'll work hard, moderately hard, as the ‘child’ of the current sixth seat.