Chapter 25

When I sent a message to Rin-chan and Toka-chan to let them know we had joined up, I received a reply saying it was fine not to return for lunch. I just wanted to check on the progress because I was worried about whether Toka-chan could properly wear the equipment, but if they met up without any issues, there was no need to interrupt the stream.

"Restart will be around two o'clock, so if you're free, come back and watch."

"Scukuna-sama will be waiting for you."

‘Good job’

‘Good job’

‘Good job’

‘Good curry’

I cut the stream as the comments flowed through. I didn’t know this before, but the recording crystal shattered with a 'ping' sound when I logged out. It seems it disappears like this...

"Phew..."

"Good work."

"No, no, Toka-chan, who came from Trillia, must be more tired, right?"

"I rested a bit at the teahouse."

That’s right, I forgot.

"But why did you interrupt the stream? Showing off new equipment would be a good opportunity, wouldn’t it?"

Toka-chan’s question was valid, and I myself felt it was a waste, but this was based on a warning from Koneko-maru.

"He said it’s better not to stream it."

"Hmm... As a creator, it’s a chance to raise awareness, so it must be something that needs to be hidden even at the cost of that opportunity."

"I guess so."

The first reward from the named monster I defeated, the "Solitary Red Wolf Aria's Soul." This item, "Soul," is equivalent to a rare drop from a named boss monster, but it drops with certainty only on the first defeat. In particular, since Aria was a solo-named monster that only solo players could challenge, all the rewards went to me. I entrusted everything to Koneko-maru and had him make a set of armor.

"Well, let’s just go and see. He said he’s at Dueris’s workshop, so let’s go there."

"Understood!"

☆

"Hey, thanks for coming."

At the workshop in Dueris, Koneko-maru greeted us with a smile.

Koneko-maru is a member of the clan "Dragon's Fang." I don’t know the exact scale, but it seems to be a large clan with branches in each town and facilities available based on player progress. The place we visited was a facility for production players, and it was large enough for several players to produce simultaneously.

"Well, my production doesn’t take up as much space as blacksmithing."

Koneko-maru led us to a room for the handover of the equipment.

"Still, I didn’t expect Toka-kun to come as well."

"Huh, do you know Toka-chan?"

"No, not really."

"Ah, well, Toka-kun is also a streamer, so I just know him from his streams."

"I see."

I nodded in agreement with Koneko-maru’s reflective and heartfelt words. Toka-chan, too, is in a position known to many.

"Alright, let’s cut the small talk. Let’s take a look at the equipment first."

As Koneko-maru said this and operated the menu card, something wrapped in a large cloth appeared.

"I can confidently say this is a masterpiece among the equipment I’ve made. This is the 'Red Wolf Outfit - Solo' made from the materials of the Solitary Red Wolf!"

With a swish, the cloth was pulled away, revealing a mannequin and a set of equipment.

If I had to describe my first impression, it would be a Japanese style. Not a quiet and calm kimono, but more like the image of a yin-yang practitioner.

The base color is black, and over it, a crimson kimono, made from Aria’s materials, is layered. The sleeves are cut short to avoid hindering movement. While a traditional kimono is not divided into top and bottom, this outfit is intentionally designed with a separate top and bottom. The bottom is particularly short for ease of movement, and the top is thin, tied around the waist.

The feet are clad in crimson tabi socks and black geta sandals. The sandals have additional straps on the heels to ensure they don’t come off during use. The hands are equipped with gloves, but they are thin, not armored like gauntlets.

Finally, a hair ornament with a moon-colored gemstone at the center, made from a crimson metal, which beautifully matched the gemstone reminiscent of Aria’s eyes and the crimson metal.

"Wow... It’s so cool."

"I’m glad you think so. I originally intended to make armor, but after discussing with my wife, we decided on this design."

I inadvertently blurted out my thoughts, and Koneko-maru reacted happily. Right, Koneko-maru is a blacksmith who makes light armor. This is more of a cloth outfit, but it might be categorized as leather armor in the system.

"The red was closer to a rusty color, so it ended up being a more subdued outfit. The black cloth and fibers used as the base are from the Dark Wolf, a monster that appears around the fifth city, Griffith. While it’s not as high-quality as Aria’s materials, it blends in very well."

Koneko-maru said this with satisfaction, then manipulated the menu card to send me the proof of materials used, the equipment, and the leftover materials. I quickly checked to ensure the numbers matched.

"Then, which materials will you give me..."

"Ah, that can wait. Can you try the equipment on first? It was made for you."

"Ah, okay."

His words had a pressure that I couldn’t resist. I selected the equipment from my inventory and equipped it. The ability to equip armor with just a button press is a truly convenient system.

The Red Wolf Outfit replaced my iron plate armor and chain mail. The first thing I felt when I put it on was its feather-like lightness.

While the iron plate armor was also a reinforced leather outfit and relatively light, the Red Wolf Outfit was even lighter compared to the linen clothes and pants I initially wore. The size seemed to be player-dependent, fitting my avatar perfectly.

"Yeah, it suits you very well. Even though it’s a custom-made outfit for you, it fits so naturally."

"Yes, it’s very beautiful!"

"R-Really? I’ve never worn anything like this before, so it feels a bit strange."

Praised by both of them, I scratched my cheek. I’ve always prioritized ease of movement over appearance.

Incidentally, Rin-chan is more like me, but she doesn’t buy her own clothes. They are all custom-made. On the other hand, Toka-chan is a fashionable girl who buys clothes within her allowance, which is quite substantial.

"Still, what materials did you use for this hair ornament?"

As I showed off the equipment at Toka-chan’s request to see it from different angles, she suddenly asked. Indeed, this hair ornament, the "Moon Camellia," contained elements not found in other equipment. There was no metal or gemstone-like material in Aria’s materials. Even if it was prepared as a head accessory, I had never seen or heard of a crimson metal.

"Actually, there’s a bit of a special story behind it... Would you mind looking at the name of the equipment?"

"Red Wolf Outfit - Solo." I had noticed this when I equipped it, but this equipment is actually divided into two parts. The name below the neck is "Red Wolf Outfit," and the name of the hair ornament is "Moon Camellia - Solo." So, the name Koneko-maru called it is derived from this.

"Actually, this hair ornament was naturally created when I selected the 'Solitary Red Wolf Aria's Soul' as the material."

According to Koneko-maru, he initially made a proper head accessory like a helmet. Additionally, he used the "Set Production" function, which sacrifices the versatility of the equipment to enhance its performance.

"Set Production" is a method to boost the performance of equipment by creating a set of all five parts. The advantage is that you can create stronger equipment, but the disadvantages are that you need a large amount of materials at once and that you can only equip and unequip the set as a whole, reducing versatility.

However, when he used the "Soul" as a material, the completed equipment was divided into two parts: the "Red Wolf Outfit" and the "Moon Camellia - Solo." The "Red Wolf Outfit" became a "4-piece set," and the "Moon Camellia - Solo" became a separate, interchangeable accessory.

"Personally, I think the 'Soul' is more present in the hair ornament than in the 'Red Wolf Outfit' made from Aria’s materials. The crimson metal is called 'Hihiirokane,' a legendary metal. Of course, there’s no way to obtain it, and it’s currently just an item mentioned in NPC stories, like the orichalcum used in Sukuna-kun’s accessories."

He pointed to the "Proof of a Solo Named Monster Slayer." I think it was written that it was made of orichalcum. It was said to be granted by a god, but it hasn’t helped me, so I forgot about it. However, it might be quite durable.

"Well, there are only three precedents for production using the 'Soul,' and one of them is unknown. So, it’s practically only two examples to worry about."

"Indeed. And the one with an unknown maker...?"

"The owner is clear, but the maker is unknown. That player is also elusive."

His answer was convincing, but I somehow felt that Koneko-maru was being vague.

In any case, the answer to Toka-chan’s question is clear. Next, it’s time to check the performance. Without suppressing my excitement, I called up the detailed equipment screen from the menu. The performance introduction will be in the next part. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.

For the appearance of the equipment, I thought it would be similar to a yin-yang practitioner when I searched for it. It’s a crimson kimono modified for ease of movement.