Chapter 267: Afterglow of a Hero

"Pioneers" blessed by the Divine Era are prone to rapid, drastic improvements in ability compared to other humanoid races.
And even if they die, they simply transfer back to the last place they rested and move around as if nothing happened.
Furthermore, while there are individual differences, some sleep for weeks on end, while others take no rest at all beyond a short nap.
And though they may seem deathless, there are times when, one day, they simply vanish.

From top to bottom, that's the "Level-Up System," the "Respawn System," the "Login/Logout System," and "Retirement."
I see. Pioneer players are more unstable organisms than a heat haze…

Sunraku: "So basically, the very position of 'player' was baked into the world's setting."

Not just as ordinary inhabitants of the world, but the setting explains why players themselves grow abnormally strong, why they're active at weird times… Hmm.

Sunraku: "Was this really worth making into a whole setting…?"

Honestly, I don't think anyone would care even without a setting like "they're organisms with that kind of ecology." No… in this case, is the distinction there precisely because of Project One and Project Two, which draw a clear line between players and NPCs?
A numbered designation is a marker given to things that, despite their differences, are linked by the same purpose or use. In other words, Project One and Project Two may differ in content, but there is a strong possibility that their ultimate goal is the same.

The footage I found beneath the Ruins of Lost Glories, Wethermon the Tombguard and Setsuna of Bygone Days, the journal left in Ruluiath, the mysterious "Ω"… The rough skeleton is starting to come into view, but there's not enough to put flesh on it yet.
Is Bahamut the key after all? A lot of info comes from Unique Monster-related stuff, but in the end, the main focus—the center of the story—really is the Unique Monsters…

Sunraku: "Come to think of it, where are the other two?"

Emul: "Akitsu Akane-san said something about 'testing out how her leg feels' and ran off, wa. Psyger-0-san woke up once, but she's sleeping now, wa."

Logged out, maybe? Eh, whatever. For those two, it might've just been a defensive battle, but I've still got other business.
I've got stuff to do after this anyway, so I'll just pull an all-nighter. Maybe crack open another energy drink…

Sunraku: "Alright then, shall we go?"

Emul: "Are we going to visit Aydward onii-chan, wa?"

Sunraku: "Just dump him in a potion bath or somethin'. Yeah, that too, but there's another reason I went out of my way to pick a fight with Goldhuneenay."

Overcoming Lycagon’s Contusion. Gaining a way to overwrite one curse with another and cancel them out, in order to save Netherlight-kun, who's on a bullet train straight to vendor trash.
I've secured the items I need for that. And there's a bonus extra on top. So, including that, it's time for some good old fun with weapon crafting.

In Rabituza, the Rabbit Palace, there are two blacksmith workshops. One is Bilac's workshop—lately, since she acquired Ancient Craftsman, it's been getting an increasingly sci-fi flavor.
And the other is the workshop of the Rabbit Palace's master, Vysache. It's not opulent, yet every single tool feels as if it has a life of its own… And Vash was there.

Vash: "Oi… Ya came."

Sunraku: "Got interrupted one way or another, but Goldhuneenay's 'curse'… I've definitely got it right here."

What I pull out is a palm-sized crystal containing a purple liquid.
Item name: Composite Crystal: Goldhuneenay Cursed Poison. Adding the already stupidly long monster name made it even longer, but it's solid proof that I succeeded in collecting the "curse."

Sunraku: "And one more thing…"

During that stalling game where the odds were heavily stacked against me, I wasn't just purely focused on dodging. I was aiming to flick her forehead whenever I got an opening, and I was flailing around trying to see if I could at least rip out the fangs of those annoying dragon snakes.
Well, the results speak for themselves. But I did manage a few successful attacks, and thanks to all that flailing, I discovered something.

Sunraku: "Those four snakes Goldhuneenay had with her… This was stuck in the back of one of 'em."

Thanks to that, I ended up having to sacrifice an arm, but I recovered it through sheer stubbornness and guts. Though, categorizing this thing… the name is way too long…

Sunraku: "Uh, let's see? The name's 'Decayed Areadbhair'… Wh-Whoa!?"

Grab.

With a movement so fast I'd swear he'd used some kind of teleportation magic, Vash seizes my arm—and the rusted greatsword I'd pulled out. Was that Shukuchi? That's gotta be Shukuchi.

Sunraku: "Uh…?"

Vash: "Ohh… so that's where ya were… Dul Dauna…"

His usual easygoing attitude is completely gone. As if he'd aged decades in an instant, Vash stares intently at the rusted greatsword.
It reeks of having tripped a flag. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about this person called Dul Dauna, and I didn't get this through any kind of special event, either.

Well, I mean, I guess it was Unique in the sense of being special, but all I did was sprint at full tilt like a treadmill runner across the back of a dragon snake that was charging like a roller coaster, and yank out the thing that was stuck in it… And thanks to that, I couldn't move and got my arm chomped off by that upper-right bastard.

When I checked it out, it turned out to be a rusted, decayed piece of junk with no particular effectiveness against Goldhuneenay or anything. So it was basically a joke.
No way, I thought—a sword stuck in a way that totally looked like a holy sword or something, and it's vendor trash? Hahaha… And then Vash gives me this reaction. Guess losing an arm was worth it after all, Areadbhair-kun.

Sunraku: "Uh… so is this somethin' connected to you, Aniki?"

Vash: "……………Nah. At this point, it's just a blunt piece o' junk."

If it were really nothing, you wouldn't be making a face like you're swallowing back a mouthful of words, y'know… In dating sims, specific motions or expressions are often directly tied to flags, so I'm pretty sharp about this kind of subtle emotion.

Sunraku: "It's a greatsword anyway. If you want, I don't mind leavin' it with you, Aniki."

Vash: "Oi, oi… ain't you all grown up and thoughtful now, huh… But nah. That this thing—lost without a trace—is sittin' right here now… that's what ya call 'fate.' Which means this here's somethin' you oughta be usin'."

Sunraku: "Huh…"

Is that how it works? Man, what's going on? The RNG goddess has been smiling way too much lately. There's gotta be a backlash coming. The Fever Rule, wasn't it?

Vash: "This here's somethin' a pal of ours used, way, way back… long, long ago… T'be precise, it ain't a greatsword."

Now that he mentions it, it is weird for a greatsword. Well, actually, a lot of real historical greatswords were slender, not the "basically just a slab" types you see in games. But this rusted blade is different from those in some other way.

Vash: "This here's… a giant's spear. The tip of it, that is. Some idiot broke it off and used it as a straight sword, though…"

A giant's spear… I see. So that's what was bothering me. It wasn't a greatsword—it was the tip of a spear with messed-up proportions. Wait, hold on—just the blade alone is over a meter long, y'know? Even if it's a sword-spear type, that means it was two, three meters long… And with this width, was it a normal spear size? Wouldn't that make it like five meters long?

Vash: "It ain't from the Divine Era. Ain't somethin' the world gave birth to, neither. It was definitely held, carried, and swung by somebody… Those kinds o' things… we call ’em Gratefuls."

Sunraku: "Gratefuls…"

Yeah.

Can I save the analysis for later, please?!

Sunraku: "…………"

Pencilgon: "Uwah, there's a dead fish here."

Sunraku: "Shut up, you parolee."

Pencilgon: "It's just bail paid later, that's all!"

Oikatzo: "Isn't that bad in a whole bunch of ways…?"

Alright! After a fun, fun enemy battle, it's time for a fun, fun, fun, fuuun PvP battle. Strange, isn't it? Even though I'm full-diving and supposedly can barely feel anything on the physical side, the taste of energy drinks still lingers on my tongue.
Even though I mixed it with milk…

[Prime Areadbhair: "Dragon, die-die-attaaack!"]
[Dragon Snake: "I may look like a dragon, but I’m just a reptile, y’know."]
[Prime Areadbhair: "Wait, what."]

[• Dul Dauna of Areadbhair]
["of Areadbhair" is part of his full name. For the naming rule, see Inventoria.]
[Long ago, after the Divine Era ended but before the modern age.]
[He was one member of a mixed-species party that rose up to kill the dragon race (fungi), who had declared themselves the supreme race and committed every kind of atrocity.]
[He was a gentle person, but he also had a rough-and-ready side: he snapped his spear because it was "hard to use" and turned it into a sword.]

[In truth, this character is little more than flavor for Vash (meaning a MacGuffin that doesn't really matter to the Unique Scenario), but after a span of time both short and long, the sword made from his spearhead found its way back to his friend.]

[What's the difference between these?]

[• Legacy Weapons]
[Weapons from the Divine Era. Relics—and foreign objects.]

[• Gratefuls]
[Weapons used by those worthy of being called heroes. Even second-hand goods gain value depending on their wielder.]

[• Wished Weapons]
[Details remain hidden for now, but they are crystallizations of wishes—solidified power that leaked out.]

[• Divine-Demonic Sword Antinomy, Twinface Armor]
[[───Deleted───]]