Chapter 219: “Shadow Moon, something like that” |
“For the time being, the new traits added to Blanc are… [Carapace], [Horns], [Metamorphosis] and [Blood Curse]… Hmm, this seems more like something a vampire would have. Oh? If she turns this off, wouldn’t Blanc be able to recover satiety with regular meals?”
“Really!? Well, it doesn’t really matter much since Lyra-san delivers tarts for me.”
“Do you think she heard that and will deliver some?”
“…Is that a no?”
“Well, it’s fine.”
Lyra seems to have a sweet spot for Blanc.
However, unfortunately, those traits are highlighted in red, indicating that they cannot be turned off. Truly a curse.
Upon reflection, this trait alone, [Metamorphosis], should have been on since before, and despite trying to switch all the on/off settings without specifying, it remained on. It was evident that it couldn’t be turned off.
Also, I noticed at this time that even [Metamorphosis], although the text color is not red, cannot be turned on/off. It remains on at all times.
“Oh? That sounds kinda cool.”
“…It’s not a big deal; I have a curse too.”
“Huh? Does the Demon Lord have one? The Evil King doesn’t.”
“Not telling.”
For now, it seems the trait transference was successful.
However, in terms of stats, there’s hardly any change, and although LP has increased slightly, considering Blanc’s maximum LP, it’s within the margin of error.
No, rather, perhaps this level of increase is the original specification, and it’s just a rarity for two calamity-grade pieces to be used as a material.
Lyra’s stats have also increased slightly, but compared to mine, the result is quite subdued.
“For now, having just the carapace doesn’t mean much. Maybe it’s better to wear the clothes that our Queen Arachnea wove. Hey, if you were wearing high-ranked clothes, would they tear during [Metamorphosis]? If they’re unbreakable, would you automatically die from the pressure?”
“Uh…”
It’s probably unlikely to mean death, but if damage is taken as a result, it might be possible.
“It’s a bit troublesome if my clothes tear every time. And, I’m naked now! I didn’t realize, but it’s actually really embarrassing! I can’t go home like this!”
“I have arranged clothes, so it’s okay. But more importantly, wouldn’t it be better to add something like [Armor] or [Scales] for small damage reduction and strengthen the armor?”
“Oh, if that’s the case, let me give you this. It’s a prototype I made…”
Lyra took out a beautifully designed full-body armor with a shiny white and black metallic luster from her inventory.
“Is this mithril and adamas? The adamantite armor you used earlier was like this too, but how do you have so much adamas? And there’s still mithril left!”
“I got this after that! Anyway, with this, the defense and design are flawless, right? Well, I don’t know if the design will be reflected, though.”
When I appraised it, it was indeed a high-ranked armor that focused on covering essential points with adamantite on a mithril base, balancing magic affinity, defense, and lightness. The quality was labeled as ‘Excellent’.
This is not commonly seen in games, but it’s a frequently seen indicator in VR direct sales.
“Is this ranked like vegetables are…?”
“Oh, you noticed? I think it’s probably like that. If so, it would be Excellent, Good, Fine, Regular, from the top. There might be some rank like ‘Special’ at the very top.”
“There might be ‘Inferior’ at the bottom too. I’ve seen that word on a corpse I appraised before.”
“I see. Well, probably something like that.”
“So, isn’t this a pretty amazing armor? Is it okay to give it away?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I have the finished product. Actually, I intended to make this a final product, but it became a bit heavy with too much adamantite.”
With increased STR and VIT, the issue of equipment weight can be resolved.
If that’s the case, using the armor Lyra made might be tough for someone who doesn’t have it as easy to gain experience points as me.
Well, it should be fine.
“Then, I’ll leave it to you, Stanisłav.”
Blanc’s traits now include [Armor], [Magic Silver], and [Adamantite]. Apparently, mithril is equivalent to magic silver.
“Should I try metamorphosing this too? Alright!”
“Stop! Blanc-chan! If you metamorphose now, the carapace will turn off, and only the armor will be on! If the armor doesn’t cover important parts, it could be a disaster!”
“Whoa! That was close!”
What are the important parts that the armor doesn’t cover? What is its purpose?
I thought so, but the Mithril Golem and Adamashroud lined up at the edge of the square seem to lack a specific location, particularly the part resembling a vital point for a human, which would be the abdomen, is left unguarded.
In any case, whether it’s armor or carapace, since it’s systemically considered as Blanc’s body trait, it doesn’t change the fact that she’s naked in any form.
But, in any case, being cautious is not a bad idea.
Unlike Lyra and me, Blanc seems to undergo a complete metamorphosis, so paying attention to her attire is important.
“Anyway, since it’s troublesome, how about absorbing everything else that seems absorbable and then casting Metamorphosis later?”
“Oh, that’s a good idea. I can only offer the current armor, but do you have anything else?”
“I don’t have anything special. Blanc, do you have anything?”
“Huh? Hmm, the insect category is filled with beetles. Maybe Giant Corpses for emergencies when you need to grow larger?”
Not a bad idea.
While there are drawbacks to becoming larger, Blanc’s subordinates, the Laestrygones, can truly transform into a giant. It might be possible to coordinate and fight together.
“Okay, let’s throw that in and try the metamorphosis. Since clothing is already a hassle, hide somewhere and metamorphose. To individually turn on the traits—”
As long as she doesn’t turn on the giant form, she won’t become significantly larger. Using large magical beast fur stored in my inventory, a makeshift tent was set up, and Blanc transformed inside it.
The giant form experiment can be done later.
“It looks like that. Like changing into a swimsuit at a beach without beach houses.”
“I’ve never experienced that, but I sort of understand.”
Is there even a beach like that nowadays?
And after a while, Blanc, who came out of the tent, had an appearance like that of a rival hero.
The overall silhouette hasn’t changed much from earlier.
However, the base color is now platinum, with a matte texture and a faint metallic sheen.
A polished black metal armor covers various parts of her body. The overall color ratio is about 1:2 white to black. Gold is also used for decorative trim and accents. What is the material of that armor?
“…Ciao!”
“Huh? Oh, Ciao?”
“Why the sudden greeting?”
“I don’t know, just felt like it! Ah! It feels amazing! Right now, I feel like I won’t lose!”
This is bad.
Probably, some percentage of Giant Corpse’s stats were added. According to my appraisal, the VIT value is unusually high, so the influence of the mithril-adamas armor might be there too. It’s the exhilaration accompanying a rapid increase in stats.
This might be a case to send an email to the operation team for correction.
“Well, if you really want to rampage, turn on the giant form and play with Ururu over there.”
After cooling her head for a while, it should be fine.
Blanc’s durability alone is approaching that of the rare when she was newly appointed as the Demon King. It’s likely because she used materials with high durability like armor and giants. With this, even if they spar a bit, there probably won’t be any casualties.
“While Blanc is playing, let’s go over the overall information for a bit.”
“That’s fine, but why the sudden interest?”
“Actually, while I was producing idols in Wells, Blanc’s giant army attacked the royal capital—”
“Wait, hold on, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Are you talking about another game? A baseball game?”
“You’re unusually slow to catch on. So, let me explain from the beginning—”
Reluctantly, I explained everything to Lyra, although there was no need to explain up to ten.
“Oh, okay, got it. In other words, that saint was Rare-chan’s doing. If I didn’t know, I might have moved things around. I see. It makes sense. We might need to have a meeting soon.”
The invasion of Shape by Blanc was already conveyed before starting this transformation experiment.
Since it was only about things done in other countries, all that’s left is to hear about Lyra’s movements and decide what to do with Pearl.
“I haven’t really done anything special. Well, I’ve been doing some thief stuff, but now it’s mostly about Shape. I’ve had some interaction with Wells, but the path is narrow, so I haven’t done much. Pearl is the same.”
“What about Portree?”
“Well, the coronation of the new king is done for now. I kind of sympathized a bit, or well, for now, I’m supporting and cheering him on like normal. He had a talented younger brother, but he didn’t want to inherit the family business. However, since inheriting the throne as the eldest son is a tradition, the younger brother wouldn’t become king, so he played around in the castle town, escaping reality.”
“Hmm. I don’t really get it.”
“…Yeah, probably. Well, after all the royal family members were killed except for him, he was shocked but decided to prepare himself and assume the throne. After that, he pushed forward.”
The talented younger brother, who had been diligently serving in the palace, died, leaving only the ordinary elder brother who escaped from the family because he disliked being the heir. It’s quite an ironic story.
At the time when I gave instructions to Deas, there was no specific mention of keeping the royal family alive, so he was just exceptionally lucky. Or maybe unlucky.
“I see. If he’s made up his mind as a dropout, he might be willing to seek power if we subtly manipulate him.”
“…A dropout.
But well, undoubtedly, that might happen. I think he’s probably feeling a sense of helplessness by now.”
I don’t know where Lyra is sympathizing with the new king, or rather, the prince. At least, Lyra is neither ordinary nor a dropout. There seems to be no common ground.
Moreover, if he is dissatisfied with his lack of power as the heir, he should have worked hard to acquire the appropriate strength. Escaping reality after putting in as much effort as possible is allowed only to those who did their best but still fell short.
From what I’ve heard, he doesn’t seem to have put in that much effort.
However, in this game, perhaps because of the long lifespan of elves, they don’t take actions to elevate themselves too much. Due to the excessively long time constraints in life, they can achieve reasonable results by acting normally. That’s why there is a strong tendency toward seniority in this society, and it’s difficult for newcomers to surpass their elders in strength. The tradition of inheriting the throne as the eldest son probably also comes from there.
In such a society, the younger brother who was born later realized he was more talented than his older brother, and that might have been a bitter realization.
But still, abandoning responsibility and escaping to the castle town to play around is something I can’t understand.
“So, what will you do, Rare-chan?”
“I would like to see him become the Spirit Lord. But first, he needs to accumulate enough experience points for that. Maybe after the new king establishes his personal Royal Guard. Once the Guard is formed, we can create a bonus stage near the capital…”
“I’ll take care of that part. I want to give some work to the acquired magical creatures as well.”
“Oh? Then I’ll leave it to you. Fortunately, I can also transform into something more human-like now. Once we know the new king has accumulated enough experience points, I’ll sneak into the palace and subtly persuade him.”
“…Be careful, okay?”
“About what?”
Even though I have spent a considerable amount of time as the Demon Lord in this game and have not slacked off at strengthening myself, be it in this transformation incident or in general, there’s no way I would lose to just a High Elf. Even if Portree’s new king becomes the Spirit Lord, I’m not weak enough to be affected by a novice Spirit Lord.
With the effect of my Extreme Beauty, I also have confidence in the high favorability from NPCs at first meetings. There’s no way I could fail.
“Well, um, hmm… Okay, let’s do this. When you go, I’ll come along too.”
“Huh? It’s fine, but…”
If Lyra faces an opponent she can’t handle, having her around won’t make much of a difference.
But if it makes them feel reassured, they should do as they please.
Being nearby might allow me to assign her some minor tasks or make use of her conveniently.
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