Black Wing and Grace

In the end, it was decided that Citadel would move the furnace himself later.

There was no reason for Yujin to help with that, and honestly, he didn't particularly want to.

Give and take.

He had done what the blacksmith wanted. Now it was Yujin's turn to receive what he wanted.

"Wait a moment. I'll bring them out shortly."

Citadel had a burly look and a prickly temperament, but he was the kind of man who took full responsibility for every word he spoke. In a Tower where even NPC guards stabbed players in the back, anyone who could keep that much faith was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠worth keeping around.

"…If his skill were just a little better, I might've tried raising him."

NPCs grew, too. They couldn't use the Akasha System, of course, but as long as they were living, breathing beings, it was only natural they could hone their craft. Unlike players, who specialized purely in combat, NPCs often held considerable potential in the production fields as well.

That's why, in the first timeline, the ones building guilds scrambled to recruit artisans.

There was a saying for a reason: one well-raised ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠NPC was worth ten players. Of course, that didn't apply to Citadel.

"That guy's skill is too lacking to keep using him long-term."

The shop floor of Citadel's Golden Hammer was packed with F-grade trash. What was he supposed to do with someone that inadequate?

"There are a few decent NPCs on the upper floors anyway. Better to pick one of them."

If he made good use of his first-timeline experience, he could secure one or two artisans with real growth potential.

"I don't plan on founding a guild, but having people to support me would make things easier. That's a fact."

He was still fleshing out the vague plans in his head when the back door opened and Citadel returned.

"You're not late this time."

Going to fetch the furnace had taken forever.

"These were stashed somewhere close."

The very things Yujin had wanted most the moment he reached the 1st Floor.

"This is Black Wing [C]."

Citadel held out a long sword with a strained expression. From scabbard to hilt, the entire weapon was a muted, lusterless black — as if someone had cut a piece from the night sky itself. The overall form was simple, save for one place: the guard joining hilt to blade was unusual.

"Black wings."

It was shaped like an angel's wings, dyed black.

"That's why I named it Black Wing [C]."

As Citadel answered, Yujin reached out and took it. The weight was heavier than expected.

"It's forged from black iron, so it's quite heavy. Without a decent level, you'll struggle just to swing it."

That much seemed true. If Yujin hadn't obtained God-Dwelling Physique [S], he wouldn't have been able to lift it this easily.

"Aside from that one flaw, it's worthy of being called the finest of swords. Of course, for someone who took down an Earth Dragon, you should be able to handle it just fine."

Citadel spoke with a face full of pride. He wasn't wrong. In truth, Black Wing [C] was a famed blade hard to find an equal for on any floor below the 50th.

…This is the first time I've held it myself.

Honestly, it was outstanding enough to make him greedy. The Fire Dragon Blade [E] he'd picked up on the Tutorial Floor hadn't been bad for the early game, but it couldn't compare to this. And "true strength"?

So there's a seal on it.

Nothing surprising. Sealed items turned up in the Tower from time to time, and most of them boasted exceptional performance. Several of the weapons Yujin had used in the first timeline had been sealed items, so he knew the type well.

I really want to try it out once.

But…

"This isn't a sword for me."

"What?"

Citadel's eyes went round, as if to ask what the hell that was supposed to mean. So he'd gone and killed an Earth Dragon just to get a sword he wouldn't even use?

"There's someone this blade suits. Call it a bribe. I'm trying to get on their good side."

"What kind of lunatic—"

Citadel barked out a hollow laugh. Handing Black Wing [C] off to someone else? And not even on the upper floors — down here on the 1st Floor? If other NPCs heard about it, they'd point and whisper. Another sucker had shown up.

"You'd better think this through carefully. Black Wing [C] is no ordinary sword."

He knew. People who didn't understand might ask what was so special about a mere C-grade, but—

Getting anything D-grade or higher in the Tower is like plucking stars from the sky.

Skills, traits, items — all of them. How else would even Yujin have only managed to gather two A-grades before he killed the End? Down on these low floors, a C-grade item was practically an endgame piece.

Even so, Yujin didn't change his mind.

"The person already marked as this sword's owner isn't ordinary either."

Someone he needed to befriend badly enough to hand over an item of this caliber as a bribe. That someone was the Sword Duchess — the original owner of Black Wing [C] in the first timeline. From the moment she received it from Citadel as payment for a kindness, until the instant she died, she had never once let Black Wing [C] leave her hand.

"Who is it?"

Citadel asked. Yujin shrugged.

"There's someone. That's all."

Among the idiots, one of the more useful idiots. Setting himself aside, she was the greatest sword genius of them all — pure, noble, and willing to sacrifice herself for others. An idiot. Which was exactly why she had been forced to stop climbing on the 64th Floor.

This time, I will save her no matter what.

Then climb to the 100th Floor together, cut off that damned End bastard's head together, and stop the world's destruction together. Black Wing [C] was the foundation stone for that plan.

Yujin carefully stroked the black scabbard, then lifted his gaze to Citadel's hand. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Catching the look, Citadel made an ah face and spoke.

"This is the second thing you asked for."

Unlike Black Wing [C], it was quite small — barely palm-sized. Yujin smiled.

"So this is Grace [C]."

"Yeah. This is that Grace [C], you damn bandit."

Yujin listened to Citadel grumble as he accepted it. The complete opposite of the sword: a bracelet wrought in a radiant, beautiful white.

Getting this too… lucky.

Unlike the sword, this one was for him.

"How the hell did you even know about this?"

Black Wing [C] was one thing, but Grace [C] was also an item secretly passed down through his family. For Yujin to know about it as if reading it off the palm of his hand was less strange than downright suspicious.

"You don't need to know."

Yujin snorted a laugh and slipped the bracelet onto his left wrist.

For a still-low-level Yujin, it was exactly the item he needed. The description said "slightly," but the real effect was nowhere near that modest.

Whoooooosh—!

It felt as if a wind had begun to blow inside his body. A trickle of a stream became, in an instant, a surging river. The actual amount of mana that had increased was probably close to what he was feeling.

Good thing I asked for this one, too.

Grace [C], like Black ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Wing [C], hadn't been something first-timeline Yujin used himself. But he knew perfectly well how strong the effect was. Its original owner had been nothing special, so it was better that Yujin took it for himself.

He had gotten everything he came for.

"I'm heading out. Take care of the flame. Don't let it go out again."

Yujin turned without a shred of lingering attachment and waved a hand.

"H-hey? You're leaving already?"

"What, you want the two of us to hold hands and throw a celebration party?"

"That's not it, but…"

Citadel seemed troubled about simply sending his benefactor off like this. Yujin was not. He had a mountain of work piled up. Building rapport with idle chatter could wait until after he'd smashed the Tower to pieces and stopped the world's end.

"If the chance comes, let's meet again later."

Whether that chance would ever come was another question. Leaving Citadel's attempt to stop him behind, he walked straight out of Citadel's Golden Hammer.

Fresh air greeted him. He must have been inside longer than he thought; it had gotten a little stuffy.

"Huuup—!"

Taking a deep breath to shake off the lingering smell of iron, Yujin set off at once.

"Should I get Subspace first, or a horse first?"

Both mattered. Factoring in the route, though, Subspace was a little closer.

"That way, then."

He knew the path well enough to walk it with his eyes closed. Heading toward the main road, Yujin's eyes soon caught a massive number of people.

"There are a lot more of them."

The real influx of players had begun. Hundreds of idiots were milling around the boulevard, gawking like lost children. How many of them would survive this time?

If things go the way I've planned, a fair number should make it.

He wasn't working hard for their sake, but that would be the result. Watching the players amble about like neighborhood fools, Yujin quickened his pace again.

With this many kids around, how is there not a single useful one?

How nice would it be if the Sword Duchess appeared right in front of him? He could cut down the time and start building a bond from the early game, raising her as they went. But finding her in the vast expanse of Terra was like searching for a needle in a desert…

"Huh?"

Someone entered Yujin's field of view. Short bobbed hair and large eyes. A youthful face that looked barely twenty, and an expression wound tight with tension.

"The Sword Duchess."

Needle in a desert, my ass. He'd found her right away.

Watching her walk slowly alone through this strange place, warily scanning her surroundings, Yujin drifted toward her as if spellbound.

A little younger than I remember, but it's definitely her.

She looked like this now, but in about a year she would be shaking the Tower as a top-tier player, her name known far and wide.

Flinch—!

Had she sensed the man staring straight at her and closing in fast? The Sword Duchess shrank back and brought a hand to her waist.

A sword?

Probably an item from the Tutorial Floor's treasure hunt. Finding a sword even there… maybe she had been fated to become the Sword Duchess from the start.

"…Don't come any closer. If you keep approaching, I'll draw this."

Her stance was terribly clumsy. It was obvious she had never handled anything sharper than a kitchen knife. Even so, the keen edge of killing intent she gave off was more than enough to hint at her talent.

Yujin approached carefully, trying to ease her wariness as much as possible.

"Ah, I'm not a weird guy or anything."

In that moment, Yujin recalled a line once strongly recommended by those famous pickup artists of the past.

Alright. Let's go with this method.

Soften the mood with a compliment, then greet her naturally. It was the best approach Yujin could think of on the spot. After organizing the lines he needed to say in his head, he opened his mouth with a smile.

"You seem to have lost your beauty."

"…Excuse me?"

Ah, fuck.

That was not it.