55 – You Want to Be My Partner – 5

Gi-jun had various things to prepare before setting off on the expedition.

Equipment, camping gear, food, and even potions in case of an emergency.

Among them, the most important was the shield.

His signature technique, Moonlight Blood Fangs, was only complete when two shields were gathered; he could not hold out with just the King of the Well forever.

And when the topic of shields came up, there was something he naturally ended up looking at…

—Could this head somehow be remodeled into a shield?

“This…”

[Purified Head of the Knight of Bloody Thorns (Unique)]

[Durability — 8,123/10,000]

[Attack (U)/Defense (U) — 75/99]

[Purified Head of the Knight of Bloody Thorns (Unique)]

[Durability — 8,123/10,000]

[Attack (U)/Defense (U) — 75/99]

Its grade was on par with the King of the Well, and its maximum durability reached a whopping four times that of the King of the Well.

It even had both attack and defense stats, and at high levels too—a type of item that was unexpectedly rare to see.

For Gi-jun, who wielded both attacks and defenses utilizing shields, it could be called the truly perfect equipment.

“If only it weren’t a head…”

—I know, right…

Worrying over it as it lay before him, Gi-jun eventually resolved to take it to a craftsman famous in Turis.

Since the lord had even broken off the horn on his own head and given it to him, he wondered if it might be possible to combine it with the head to create a good shield.

“Since we’re on the subject, should I ask where I should go… Now, the next thing.”

Next was the armor, a piece of equipment just as important as the shield.

Gi-jun, who had jumped into the battle of Turis in a state no different from having starting equipment, had fought while wearing various things during the battle, but after it ended, he ultimately returned to being a man with only a single suit of cloth clothing; even when going to the dungeon with Tolchi, he had merely protected his lower body, which was difficult to block with a shield, with leather pants, and had no decent equipment.

Though he could not know for sure, if not for the shock absorber (R) he had possessed since the beginning, his body would have been covered in minor wounds.

—Take this, contractor. Since I slept hugging it last night, it seems the purification is finished.

“No wonder something hard kept bumping against my back… Oh.”

Gi-jun let out a low exclamation of admiration as he lifted the breastplate, which now radiated a sophisticated black luster, unlike before when it had spewed a completely black and gloomy energy.

Originally, a hideous engraving had been embossed on the armor, giving it a bumpy and bizarre feel, but whatever method Lucy had used, all of them had disappeared and the surface had become smooth.

It looked unexpectedly cool that only pure white burn marks remained where the engravings had been, as if to show they had once existed there.

[Purified Grim Reaper’s Breastplate (Unique)]

[Durability — 5,500/5,500]

[Defense (U) — 70]

[Option — Inflicts ‘Death Sentence (U)’ on the enemy with a low probability when allowing an attack.]

[Equip Requirement — Strength, Endurance, Mana at Rare grade or higher]

[A breastplate imbued with the power of a fairy who guides those who have met death to the underworld. It was strengthened by being filled with a more evil power, but by purifying it with pure light spirit power, the curse was erased and the essence of the equipment was restored to the greatest extent possible.]

[Purified Grim Reaper’s Breastplate (Unique)]

[Durability — 5,500/5,500]

[Defense (U) — 70]

[Option — Inflicts ‘Death Sentence (U)’ on the enemy with a low probability when allowing an attack.]

[Equip Requirement — Strength, Endurance, Mana at Rare grade or higher]

[A breastplate imbued with the power of a fairy who guides those who have met death to the underworld. It was strengthened by being filled with a more evil power, but by purifying it with pure light spirit power, the curse was erased and the essence of the equipment was restored to the greatest extent possible.]

“Lucy, you’re the best.”

—Of course, since I’m the contractor’s spirit!

Lucy put on airs to her heart’s content, but he could fully understand her now.

For she had reborn what was originally a cursed item he could not even wear into a precious mid-to-high rank Unique artifact!

It seemed that the durability and defense had also decreased as the abilities it originally possessed were shaved away, but it was still of an outstanding level.

Gi-jun transferred the shock absorber to the inside of the armor and tried putting it on.

Perhaps because its grade was so high, even though he just put it on over ordinary cloth clothing without any under-armor, it fit snugly on his body without any discomfort.

Perhaps because it automatically came with a size adjustment function, the sense of stability was no joke.

“This somehow… feels like I’ve entered a warm hot spring.”

—Hehe, that’s because it was exposed to my light plenty and has embraced the light.

—Kee, keeeet!

There was Lucy boasting, and Ur, who cried out loud while wagging his tail, as if Gi-jun looked cool wearing the armor.

Gi-jun smiled, feeling reassured just by adding a single piece of armor.

Of course, it could not compare to full plate armor, but both in the tutorial and here in Leta, the armor components making up plate armor were often treated as multiple parts merged into one.

For example, the breastplate (cuirass) that Gi-jun had obtained this time actually included the fauld and tasset, which protected the waist and thighs, meaning that wearing this single piece allowed him to protect his chest, back, abdomen, and waist, as well as the upper part of his thighs.

That was why in Leta, this was collectively referred to as upper body armor, or upper armor—and since other armor parts were treated as bundled in the same way, it could not be said that achieving full plate was completely out of reach.

‘With the reward money I obtained this time, wouldn’t it be possible to custom-order the remaining parts at least at Rare grade?’

It was fine to only wear the upper armor, but once he put on armor, he could not help the urge to complete a full plate from welling up.

Should he run over immediately and place an order if the lord introduced a good blacksmith shop?

However, having obtained one piece of Unique grade, he naturally wanted to match the rest to Unique grade as well, but no matter how much money he had, to craft Unique grade, unless he procured the materials himself—.

—Knock, knock

Just then, hearing someone knock on the door knocker, he hurriedly put on his mask and opened the door to find Unica standing there.

“What is it?”

“I heard you are looking for a craftsman. I will guide you to the finest blacksmith shop in Turis.”

To be sure, he had asked the lord to introduce a blacksmith shop.

To be precise, because the lord could not possess a Letaphone since he was not a summoned person, Gi-jun had contacted the Letaphone of the intelligence soldier (a summoned person) whom the lord always kept by his side as a communication channel with the summoned, but why did Unica come in person when they could have just told him the blacksmith shop?

“It hasn’t even been a few minutes.”

“Do you not know my race? I am a Monoceros-kin, and among them, of the Currus clan, who are famous for being the fastest.”

“I had roughly guessed that since the lord mentioned Monoceros.”

Monoceros meant ‘one horn’ in Greek, matching the meaning of Unicorn—and since the word ‘Currus’ mentioned by Unica meant ‘horse’ in Latin, it would not be unreasonable to view her as a humanized form of the horse-shaped unicorn that Gi-jun knew.

He resisted the urge to look at Unica’s legs for no reason.

He had merely thought that if she possessed a muscle structure similar to a horse, her leg strength as well as her running ability would be considerable, but even so, it was rude to stare at a woman’s legs.

“Although I am practicing for combat for now, my father said that the only times the lord steps onto the battlefield are when the territory is in danger of destruction or when the country is in danger of destruction.”

It seemed it was no use.

As if she had seen right through what Gi-jun was thinking, Unica answered immediately, and then added, ‘Ah.’

“Please forget that I just said ‘father.’ When acting as a butler, I should use the title of Lord…”

“You spoke as the successor, so I don’t mind.”

“Thank you for understanding. …Still, I must get a grip.”

Bowing to him, Unica muttered softly to herself, then steeled her resolve, raised her head again, and spoke.

“Then, I will take you to the blacksmith shop.”

He wondered if she was taking him to the blacksmith shop that supplied the lord’s castle, but that was not the case.

The reason was that although the blacksmith shop under contract with the lord certainly had guaranteed quality, they specialized in producing mass supplies rather than crafting a small number of masterpieces.

“There is a blacksmith shop that you cannot enter unless you raise your contribution points in Turis above a certain level. Of course, there is no place that Sir Jun, the hero of Turis, cannot go.”

“So there are entry conditions.”

He had hoped for a blacksmith shop hidden in an alley, known only to those in the know, where a suspicious old man hiding his past silently pounded his hammer.

However, thinking about it calmly, there was no way a place with a skilled blacksmith would not be rumored about.

A blacksmith shop known only to those in the know was simply an insignificant blacksmith shop.

“Welcome, Lady Unica.”

“We welcome you as well, Sir Jun. We have been waiting for your visit.”

Sure enough, a scene that directly contradicted Gi-jun’s imagination was waiting for them.

A sophisticated exterior, neat employees welcoming customers, and an interior space overflowing with cleanliness!

Whether because the shop displaying weapons for sale and the workshop were separated, the sound of hammering faintly echoing from far away gave a fitting impression!

Entering the stylish shop that seemed better described as a department store rather than a blacksmith shop, Gi-jun felt momentarily confused.

“Just tell us what you are looking for, and we will bring it to you immediately. Of course, custom orders are also possible.”

“I want to make a shield…”

Gi-jun hesitated, unable to bring himself to finish the sentence.

It was because he could not bring himself to ask if it would be possible to make one since he had brought the Dullahan’s head, which had insanely great performance, as a material.

“If the order is complicated, you may fill out an order form.”

“I will write it down for you, so please tell me, Sir Jun.”

Gi-jun nodded and with difficulty explained the shape of the shield he wanted and the materials he had brought.

The hand of Unica, who was writing it down, stopped several times in the middle.

“A shield to hold in your right hand… you say? You wield two shields?”

“A Du-Dullahan’s head.”

“The horn that my father broke off for you. With the Dullahan’s head…”

If anyone had looked at Unica from the side, looking as if she might cough up blood at any moment while filling out the order form, they would have thought she was transcribing the Necronomicon.

However, accepting the completed order form from Unica’s trembling hand, the employee examined it with an unexpectedly serious expression and nodded.

“I heard that you were often seen striking or slamming enemies with a shield. That made me wonder, but I never expected that you would wield a shield in each hand. The training must have been extremely arduous, so you are amazing.”

“It wasn’t easy.”

Although Gi-jun’s Dual Shield Mastery was, of course, an insanely great skill, it was not easy to understand it without even seeing it, but indeed, this blacksmith shop’s employee’s level of comprehension was different from the start.

Seeing Gi-jun smiling and nodding in satisfaction, Lucy let out a sigh.

—I’m worried because my contractor is such an easy man…

—Keeeee…

The employee, who was examining the order form seriously, nodded several times and spoke.

“In my personal opinion, the crafting itself seems possible. A purified Dullahan’s head, a Monoceros’s horn… both are top-grade materials. They also seem to harmonize unexpectedly well.”

“Really? With a Dullahan’s head?”

Unica, who reacted with instinctive disbelief, shrank back as she received both Gi-jun’s and the employee’s gazes at the same time.

The employee smiled gently and nodded.

“Of course. It is just that a Dullahan’s head is difficult to leave intact, but as long as it can be preserved by purifying the curse, it becomes an incomparable material. I heard that the flame of a Flame Human contains the power to burn away evil, and it seems that is indeed thanks to that.”

The employee continued, adding a remark that mercilessly pricked Gi-jun’s conscience.

“However, prior to crafting the shield, a magical catalyst to alter the properties of the material is required… We will have to hear the details from the Meister, but since there is no way to obtain it in the market, it seems it would be fastest for you to get it yourself.”

“I will find it.”

To be honest, since he had not expected much, it was very joyful news.

I’m sorry for looking down on you just because it’s a clean blacksmith shop!

I will also apologize for lowering my expectations just because there wasn’t an old man silently pounding a hammer in the corner…!

“So, you say a Dullahan’s head came in?”

“Meister?!”

Just then, the husky voice of a man was heard from below.

Looking down instinctively, Gi-jun saw a dwarf about 130 centimeters tall, looking as if a human had been scaled down directly—a dwarf whose entire body was covered in muscles as hard as stone!

“I am the Meister of this Glitter Workshop, the dwarf Glittertoss Temor. Are you the one who brought back a Dullahan’s head fully intact?”

To betray his expectations all this time, only to attack him with an orthodox dwarf at the last moment!

The very dwarf he could not find in the tutorial no matter how hard he looked!

Gi-jun nodded, holding back the tears of deep emotion that felt on the verge of flowing.

“Yes, I would like to request its crafting.”

“Ha, you’re an interesting fellow. Your mask is interesting too.”

Tossing out sharp words, the dwarf reached out to him without pressing any further on that matter.

While breaking out in a cold sweat inside, Gi-jun obediently took out the Dullahan’s head and the Monoceros’s horn from his inventory and handed them over.

Receiving them, the dwarf sent away the employee who was flustered in front of the Meister, telling him to greet other customers, and sat down in the seat himself to begin examining them carefully.

Then.

“A spirit…”

He muttered softly.

Gi-jun felt his heart drop.

“No wonder they harmonize so well. You’ve completed the primary processing excellently.”

Chuckling, the dwarf Glittertoss opened the air and put in the Dullahan’s head and the Monoceros’s horn.

Then, seeing Gi-jun’s eyes widen, he let out an exclamation of understanding.

“There are parts to be adjusted before starting the work in earnest, so don’t be surprised and leave it to me.”

“No, it’s not that… An inventory? Are you a summoned person?”

“I was a summoned person. Now, I am what you call, yes, an NPC.”

Glittertoss explained with a bitter smile.

“If you were a summoned person and accepted the system’s recruitment to join as an NPC, a few privileges of being a summoned person remain. Though those privileges are merely things like the inventory or Letaphone. Was that helpful?”

Come to think of it, Biche was also an NPC, but she naturally used the inventory or Letaphone.

Wasn’t Viv also an NPC?

Gi-jun smacked his lips bitterly and reflected on his ignorance.

“I apologize. I still have much to learn, so please forgive my rudeness.”

“A warrior only needs to be good at fighting. Don’t worry about petty matters.”

Tapping Gi-jun’s shoulder, the dwarf added in a light tone.

“I will organize and let you know the other items you need to obtain later. However, right now is impossible. It will take at least a few months no matter how fast it is.”

“As expected, using it for this expedition was impossible.”

“If you want a shield that looks similar to that, I will lend you a suitable one for now.”

Saying so, the Meister brought out a heater shield of a size similar to the King of the Well, and its grade reached as high as Rare.

Although it was a pity that it did not have separate attack power, that was originally normal for a shield.

“Next is armor, what, full plate? Unique is impossible. Even if you bring all the materials, it will take several months. Instead, the remaining parts can be completed with black iron at Rare grade…”

The Meister finished the calculations on the spot and fitted the remaining parts of the armor to Gi-jun.

A helmet that amply covered even his mask.

‘Shoulder guards’ that included shoulder armor (pauldron), elbow guards (couter), and arm guards (vambrace).

‘Lower armor’ that included thigh guards (cuisse), knee guards (poleyn), and greaves.

Gauntlets lined with leather and covered in metal to allow easy movement of the hands and feet, and even battle boots.

Finally, it was complete with the under-armor made of cloth and leather to be worn underneath the armor.

For the record, all of them were Rare grade.

“For all of this—just give me 2,500 gold coins.”

“Understood.”

“What did you say?!”

Although it was an act that took away almost all the gold coins Gi-jun had received from the lord this time, he willingly paid since he thought it was a gain if he could buy Rare grade with money, and Unica was startled.

She was not startled because it was too expensive, but the opposite.

“It’s a Rare-grade full plate! 2,500 coins would be a massive deficit.”

“It wasn’t a full plate. Besides, it was an item left neglected because exactly the breastplate part was destroyed and it was returned. Isn’t it great that someone who needs it has appeared like this?”

The dwarf Glittertoss smirked at the horrified Unica and responded, then examined Gi-jun’s appearance as he dressed in the armor.

Gi-jun, whose entire body was armed in black armor finished with the magic metal black iron, giving off a color and luster similar to the breastplate he had originally been wearing, was indeed the very image of a cool black knight that seemed to come out of a story.

It would have been better if he were not holding shields in both hands, but if Gi-jun raised his renown with those two shields, wouldn’t the day come when even that would be accepted as cool?

‘No, as expected, is that not it? How on earth does he fight with two shields, I’m dying of curiosity.’

That day, Gi-jun paid an additional 500 gold coins to prepare camping equipment, and completed the preparations for the expedition by perfectly preparing ingredients as well as potions.

It was the next day that the self-healing party set off on the expedition.

* * *

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): Ruins? Expedition?]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): …You’re going with a thief this time, right?]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): Then that’s fine, but wait. How many women are in the party?]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): Don’t make me laugh, that’s all a trick. It’s definitely sticky and dirty feelings wrapped up as respect…!]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): The bitch who clings to you pretending to be innocent is the most dangerous, do you know that? If you don’t, remember it!]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): Hm? Why are you so nervous? There’s no way you’d get done in at any ordinary ruins. Whose disciple are you anyway?]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): A memorable ruin? Other than the one I explored with you for four years? Mmm, there was a slightly unusual case.]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): You know, there are cases where NPCs are involved in ruins. This is unexpectedly a huge headache.]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): No, it’s not just that, there are cases where they completely set up house inside the ruins, you know? Yes, like a village.]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): But you never know when they will become enemies. So remember, if they are suspicious, smash their skull first.]

[Biche♥ (Dimensional Waiting Room): Good luck with the expedition! Watch out for women!]