Chapter 50: 50, Neige Flower The Frosty Staff of Infinite Possibilities
Special Skill: Yuki's Magic
Allows access to the following spells:
- Advanced Ice Magic
- Intermediate Thunder Magic
- Intermediate Earth Magic
- Intermediate Fire Magic
- Basic Holy Magic'**
Hmm, thanks to the cursed blood blacksmith, this weapon is simply powerful… or maybe Archie just seems less impressive now. Looking at it this way, the Lena-Phoebe Sword doesn't seem that strong either. I wonder if Lily was just being polite when she praised it back then.
"Um, Lena! Can I name this staff?"
"Oh? What name do you have in mind?"
"I want to call it Neige Flower!"
Neige Flower… I touch the system screen to name the staff.
"I can feel its immense power! With this, I can take on that guy…!"
Indeed, it is powerful, but that makes me want to strengthen my main weapon, Archie…
Speaking of which, I gained the skill "Modification" when I obtained the cursed blood blacksmith. Maybe I can use that to enhance Archie.
*Modification*
It allows you to strengthen equipment using corresponding facilities. The rarer and more items you use for the enhancement, the easier it is to improve performance. However, the difficulty of modification and the required MP increase, raising the risk of failure.
I check the details of modification: rare items, huh…
"Hey, Lena! You're playing again today!"
I hear Rhea's voice. Turning in her direction, I see her standing there, as expected.
"Brother? Are you really siblings? And are you a guy?"
"It just turned out this way with random creation. Inside, I'm Lily's older brother by a few years."
Uran tilted her head, prompting me to explain my appearance.
"Oh, I see, a random accident! In this game, the random generation usually creates cool or cute looks, but every so often, you end up with something that completely misaligns with your gender. And with no system to change your appearance, once you take on that form, it sticks... What a misfortune!"
It's quite a chaotic system, really.
"By the way, did you make a weapon for Phoebe? It looks awesome!"
"Yes! Now I can contribute even more in battles!"
Phoebe beamed with pride, and it was heartwarming.
"Oh, right! Rhea, do you know of any good materials for weapon upgrades? I want to strengthen Archie."
"Sure! For Archie's upgrade materials, you might want to look for Earth Dragon fangs."
"Earth Dragon?"
"Exactly! The Earth Dragon is the boss in the dungeon between Street Three and Street Four, known as the Dragon's Fortress. Defeating it guarantees a drop."
So it's a must-visit dungeon for traveling between Streets Three and Four... but if the drops are guaranteed, it doesn't seem as rare as I thought. Still, it might be worth going if I want to reach Street Four.
"Hmm, then let's go."
"Oh, I actually have some Earth Dragon fangs. If you want them, I'll sell you a few!"
Uran revealed a pile of Earth Dragon fangs, rolling them out with ease.
"Who would have thought that all those runs for the Earth Dragon's bow would actually pay off?"
…It seemed like there was no need to go after all.
"Lena, the recommended difficulty for the Dragon's Fortress is level 30, and the boss is level 35. It'd be better to buy it—at least if you're alone, but I'd advise against it if you're with Phoebe," Rhea said.
I checked my current level; it was 25… Yeah, buying it is a smart move. The Dragon's Fortress is definitely too soon for me.
"Um, Uran, how much are you selling it for?"
"How about 250,000 for both?"
"...Alright, I'll take them."
Most of the money I spent on crafting TT's weapon just went away, but I can attack without consuming MP. Strengthening my main weapon, Archie, is urgent; I need to make this purchase.
I handed over the cash and received two Earth Dragon Fangs.
"Alright, let's enhance it right away!"
"W-wait, Lena! I'm sorry, but I've exhausted all my magical power making the Neige Flowers, so I can't enhance anything right now…"
"Oh, my bad! I didn't consider Phoebe's magic… In that case, let's wrap up today's adventure and just have fun at the beach instead."
That's right, I hadn't thought about Phoebe's burden. While I could probably do it alone, it's clear that teaming up with Phoebe would yield better enhancement results.
I decided to save the enhancement for tomorrow and spend the rest of the day relaxing at the beach in the summer event area. Plus, I need to go deliver the cursed Battle Leg to TT...
"Yes! I want to play in the ocean! Even if I can't swim, floating in the water is so much fun!"
"Alright, let's deliver the gear to TT first, then we can have some fun. Sorry for intruding, you two!"
"Sure! If we get a chance to meet again, let's catch up, okay?"
"See you again, Uran! And you too, Rhea!"
I sent TT an email to meet at the entrance of the summer event and changed into my swimsuit with Phoebe. With Uran's voice fading behind us, we made our way to the summer event field.
After waiting a few minutes at the entrance, Rhea and Uran appeared—both in swimsuits.
"Huh? What's up with you two?"
"Well, I got dragged here by Rhea."
"Let's play, Lena!"
Rhea insisted, pushing two beach balls against my face as if to question our earlier farewell.
Is she seriously so free, being an idol? And who needs two beach balls anyway?
"Um, help me, Uran. She's pushing the beach balls way too hard!"
"I can't help you; Rhea like that is uncontrollable."
"I'll keep pushing the beach balls until you agree to play!"
"Uh, Rhea, can we take it easy? Lena seems to be struggling…"
I looked to Uran for support, but she just shook her head. Phoebe, tucked in Uran's pocket, was trying to intervene.
Suddenly, a magic circle sparkled, and TT appeared.
"Whoa, I'm dead, I'm dead… Getting surrounded by eight creatures underwater really does get you skewered! Sorry for the wait, Lena—did the weapons I requested get made... wait, what??"
"Wait? Is he the one waiting for you, big brother, TT?"
"Don't call me big brother, Rhea. You'll just create a strange misunderstanding."
Lily would probably be horrified if she heard that.
TT seems to have died and restarted, surrounded by eight enemies, and his death looked pretty gruesome... TT is frozen in shock...
"Hey, TT? You look like a pigeon that just got hit by a shotgun!"
"Challenge me, Lena! What are you doing with idol Rhea? Being called big brother—how frustrating!"
Oh, right. TT is a fan of Rhea...
Just then, a system screen appeared in front of me:
'You have received a duel challenge from TT.
Rules:
- Combat time: 3 minutes
- Format: 1 vs. 1
- Winner's reward: None
- Death: Not applicable
- Revival after duel: Yes
- Level sync: No
- HP visibility: Diminished during battle
Do you accept the duel?'
This is serious; he really wants to duel… But looking at the rules, it seems like even if I lose, I won't die or lose anything. He probably just wants to blow off some steam, and I can feel that fighting spirit from TT.
In that case… maybe I should go for it? It's just a duel after all. If it were someone I didn't know, I would have avoided it, but with TT, I don't expect any weird demands after the fight.
"Rhea, could you look after Phoebe?"
"Huh? Are you saying the duel will be like the one between Natalie and the leader?! With you and TT?!"
"Don't worry, it's not a fight to the death, Phoebe. It's just a typical scuffle," Lena reassured.
"Um, I really don't think fighting is a good idea!" Phoebe exclaimed, looking flustered. It seemed she was picturing a duel similar to the one that had taken place before, but surely, it wouldn't escalate to the epic battles between Natalie and the leader.
"Alright, I'll look after Phoebe. Don't worry, Lena; this is a safe zone, so she won't get hurt."
"Yikes!? P-Please be careful, Lena! No holding grudges!"
"It'll be fine. At worst, any grudges will disappear by tomorrow! And Rhea, please treat Phoebe gently!"
"Oops, sorry about that, Phoebe."
"It's okay, it didn't hurt, so I'm fine."
Rhea pulled Phoebe from her chest pocket, creating some distance, but she had gripped her a bit too tightly, so that was something to keep an eye on.
"Accepted the duel! The duel will begin in 10 seconds."
"Alright then, let's have a game fight after a long time, TT!"
"Sure! No killing, but I get to land one good punch on you, Lena!"
"DUEL!"
Just like when the leader and Natalie had their duel, they shouted "duel," and TT echoed it… is this a customary thing?
Suddenly, a barrier surrounded TT and me, and the duel began!
"Charge kick!"
From the start, TT lunges in close and unleashes a high kick aimed squarely at my face!
"Whoa!—" I quickly backstep to evade the blow.
"Triple kick!"
"Wait, weren't you supposed to punch!?"
"I'll save that for the finish!"
TT launches three kicks. I dodge the first but deflect the other two with my guard!
"Enough of this!" I swing Archie wide to attack, but he sidesteps effortlessly.
"Deer!"
"Ugh… it feels grotesque for just my legs to be so muscular!"
I see my weakness now. I've relied too much on Phoebe for support and neglected to develop my own supplementary skills and magic. The only MP-consuming skills I have are the Fire Blade of Light and the Fairy Fire Gate, which drains all my mana.
Using the Fairy Fire Gate at full mana on just TT would be overkill. I might need other skills that consume MP.
"Don't call me grotesque!"
I dodge another kick that slices through the air with a whoosh. It's scary; unlike a video game, the sight of his muscular legs rushing toward me feels incredibly intense.
"There!"
I crouch to avoid a high kick and jab Archie into TT's supporting leg! Suddenly, a familiar HP gauge appears above him… If I can deplete it completely, I win!
"Ouch?! You hit my shin! Shot Knuckle!"
"Ugh! Gah!"
TT, equipped with a knuckle duster, unleashed a wave-like shock from his fist that pierced into his own stomach. The force was enough to send Lena, with her small frame, flying, and I found myself slammed against a barrier! My HP dropped to half...
"Now, eat this! Jump kick!"
Without seeming human, TT leapt high into the air and launched a flying kick at me!
"Whoa?!"
I rolled to the side to dodge... damn it! I remembered Natalie saying that if I had to defend, deflecting was the best option, but I couldn't execute it properly!
"Alright! I'm going to sing you a song!"
As Rhea announced it, a passionate tune began to play, and she started singing!
"Woohoo!! My energy is skyrocketing!"
TT, pumped up by the song from his favorite idol, downed a vial of medicine in one gulp before roaring out. I had to regain my footing quickly!
"Tiger! Bear! Cat! Deer!"
TT's body swelled to that of a massive figure, about two meters tall, before he charged at me!
"Buster Knuckle!"
"Yikes?!"
That was clearly a strike I couldn't deflect, so I dodged instead.
"Buster Knuckle!"
"Whoa?!"
Another serious punch was hurled my way, and I had to evade with all my might. Given his enlarged size, his speed had slightly decreased, making dodging easier, but there was no doubt that taking a hit would mean instant defeat.
To be frank, there's no time for an attack, but TT is low on MP! The best moment to strike is when their MP runs out and their buffs disappear!
"Ugh…"
TT's body returns to normal—did they run out of MP or did their buffs wear off?
"That's it!"
I switch to Firelight and slash at TT with a sideways stroke! But TT bends backward to dodge the attack.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone