380 - Hammer, Anvil, and Enhancement Stone 5
380 - Hammer, Anvil, and Enhancement Stone 5
TL/Editor: raei
Schedule: 5/week
Illustrations: Posted in discord
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Setting aside Han Se-ah's careless boasting about mastering the new system, choosing which equipment to enhance was straightforward.
The melee weapon enhancement stone went to Katie's beloved sword, the ranged weapon stone to Grace's bow, and the armor stone to Han Se-ah's robe. Though "armor" enhancement stone wasn't quite accurate - "defensive equipment" enhancement stone would've been more precise.
The reasoning was simple. The gear that appeared with my body in the illustration was superior munchkin-type equipment compared to Magic Tower gear, so I excluded it from enhancement.
As a mage, Han Se-ah's power increased when she poured in mana, so enhancing the bow made sense. And for defensive gear, Han Se-ah got dibs since her shield magic was less potent than Irene's protective holy magic.
I could endure with my body, and Katie and Grace were agile enough to dodge most attacks. Irene could also deploy near-automatic protective holy magic with her incredible reflexes. Han Se-ah seemed pretty quick at casting shields too, but strictly speaking, her strength lay in precise control rather than reaction speed.
"Hmm, if I place this near the equipment like so...""It looks like drawing a magic circle. Place it in the exact position and mana flows out to enhance the equipment, right?"
"The light is... pretty..."
I thought it might be better to enhance Katie's armor instead of Han Se-ah's robe, since Han Se-ah and Irene were unlikely to be separated. But Katie herself didn't seem to like the idea. It wasn't that she was reluctant to enhance two items, but more like a kind of confidence that she wouldn't need to rely crudely on armor.
As a result, the heavy enhancement stones from the sack began to sparkle and beautifully tint the sword, bow, and robe.
Presumably they were arranging the equipment and placing the enhancement stones according to the system window's assist. I wondered if they'd heard from the stone dwarves how to enhance like this.
Was she planning to become the century's genius mage who insulted even goddesses by figuring it out just by reading mana flow, without even hearing an explanation?
At this point, I was considering whether I should break out the salty comments, when the enhancement of the equipment was completed with a flash of light.
"Hmm, it doesn't look any different on the outside."
"That's because the mana has just seeped in. And judging by how the stone dwarves take on commissions for special enhancement stones, we can probably enhance multiple times."
While Han Se-ah picked up Grace's bow to hand it to her, Katie swiftly grabbed her beloved sword from the ground and examined the blade from various angles.
The slightly longer-than-usual one-handed sword boasted a sharp blade gleaming under the light, but there was no noticeable peculiarity. Well, it would've been strange if a mere +1 general enhancement made an enormous difference.
Still, there must've been something tangible when actually wielding it. Katie rotated her wrist once and swung the sword through the air a few times, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.
"How does it feel?"
"It feels like it holds mana a bit more smoothly. And there's more... unity. It's not a huge difference, but I think I'd definitely notice it in a prolonged fight."
"Is that so? I haven't shot mine yet, so I'm not sure. Should we go to a cliff and do some target practice?"
It seemed the enhancement gave a mana-related buff since it couldn't provide something like +2 attack power. As someone who crudely poured in mana without a hint of subtlety, it was an enhancement I couldn't quite grasp even after hearing about it.
-We've done general enhancement, so should we hunt an ogre for special enhancement?
-Judging by her expression, she looks like a kid excited about getting a new toy, but watching her swing that sword is like seeing a work of art
-Call her a kid all you want, but if Katie went wild with just that sword, none of the viewers would keep their heads
-As someone who carries around a silver sword from the neighborhood blacksmith's clearance sale, I can't even begin to understand what they're talking about
-She's the Northern Duke's precious daughter, you idiots. The problem isn't Katie wielding a sword, but that just calling for daddy would land any adventurer in prison.
Swinging the sword through the air with a childlike, beaming smile, her movements are as graceful and beautiful as a sword dance.
At that sight, a bunch of defender wannabes popped up and took over the chat, but Han Se-ah's attention was focused not on the chat, but on her robe.
More precisely, on the system window informing her about the results of enhancing the robe.
"This... can't we enhance consumables? It would be nice if we could enhance consumables, not just equipment."
-For real, we finally got equipment enhancement content and this b*tch is trying to enhance a bomb
-Teacher, just quietly enhance our cute kid's equipment if you don't want to die
-She's a mage and an alchemist, but why the f*ck is her job Bomb Maniac
-I'm starting to suspect this b*tch learned Earth Control for mine laying
-Land for mine laying, wind for bomb dropping. Damn, she's hardcore
"No, I mean we could try enhancing potions or other things besides bombs."
[Han Se-ah the First scout donated 10,000 won!]
What potions did you guzzle on your way to the 50th floor, you conscience-less b*tch with a bomb fuse instead of hair
"Well, um, anyway, I was just considering if it could be used in alchemy too."
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Raei Translations
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We'd finished the enhancement tutorial, established a new base on the 50th floor, and received various requests from the increased number of mages. All that was left was to start exploring again from the 52nd floor towards the 55th.
As we strolled through the plainss, most of the viewers' idle chatter was filled with imaginings about the gimmick of this plains.
From speculations about military outposts or fortresses appearing since monster armies showed up, to talks about unrelated creatures like stone dwarves, harpies, and carapace bugs potentially appearing. Well, what connection did stone dwarves and harpies have to appear together anyway?
"There's a centaur unit nearby... they're galloping off somewhere. Probably heading towards other adventurers."
"Then let's go elsewhere. If they've made it this deep into the 52nd floor, they can probably handle it themselves."
However, as if unwilling to reveal the plains's gimmick so easily, nothing unusual appeared. As expected, the most common sight was the swift-footed centaurs, with the occasional goblin infantry blocking the path.
Not even a frenzied ogre, which we could at least exchange for a rare enhancement stone or magic tool, showed up. It was a calm, if not boring, situation, so it was only natural for viewers' imaginations to run wild.
And of course, such trains of thought were also emerging among our party.
"What's hidden in this plains, I wonder?"
"Who knows... Maybe there's some kind of hidden ruin, like the hidden spaces in the caves?"
"Or remember the full moon wolf? There might be another space, like a nighttime plains instead of a daytime one."
Since our goal wasn't making money but entering the 53rd floor and hunting rare frenzied ogres, we were trying to avoid fights with goblin infantry that were both troublesome and unrewarding.
As a result, we spent more time walking and resting at safe zones scattered throughout the plains than fighting. Of course, Katie seemed to feel a bit of regret at not being able to freely swing her enhanced sword because of this... but she looked happy when chatting, so I guessed it was fine.
The 51st floor plains, the Empire's adventurers and mercenaries, the temple and royal knights, ogres using frenzy, mages and stone dwarves' research - a storm of chatter that made me understand why they say when three women gather, they break dishes.
If there was any saving grace, it was that none of the three got excited enough to raise their voices or speak faster. From Irene's gentle voice, to Grace's clear pronunciation that made her sound like a radio host, to Katie's lively yet pleasantly chattering voice.
-Look at her filling the stream with her companions without saying a word. Trying to coast through both the game and the stream, huh?
-But they all have nice voices, so even if I don't watch the stream, I end up listening to the chatter
-For real, it's perfect to just have on in the background. Feels like listening to the radio
-Se-ah, Se-ah, have you thought about doing something like ASMR with the girls' voices? You've earned a lot of points, you know
-Is this the part where we're supposed to be surprised and ask "What about the voices...?"
"Hey now, coasting through? Call me a true leader who listens well to his companions' opinions. Besides, isn't it more beneficial to hear from current fantasy residents than my nonsense?"
The three continued their chatter on all sorts of topics, Han Se-ah filmed them while talking with viewers, and I pretended to listen quietly while web surfing.
However, as if reminding us that we were inside the Tower, a loud roar echoed from far away.
Graaah, grooooaaaaar---!!!
Naturally, only an ogre could make such a thunderous sound in this plains. The party, instantly battle-ready at the ear-splitting roar, glared towards the source of the commotion and picked up their pace.
"Judging by the howl, it's probably facing other adventurers, right?"
"Still, we should check it out just in case."
To try and snatch a kill under the pretext of helping adventurers who might be in danger.
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