082. Party Launch Ceremony (3)
082. Party Launch Ceremony (3)
Utopia.
The ideal world.
A dreamlike place that doesn't exist in reality.
That name felt a little more meaningful to me than to anyone else.
'Well, this world is literally utopia for me.'
Honestly, no matter how hard I worked in the world I originally came from, I doubt I could've ever made it on my own.
That world wasn't exactly kind to an orphan without a college diploma.
But this place is a game world where effort is rewarded in kind.
Things I'd never even dreamed of before I transmigrated here were possible.
'Not that everything's all dreamy, though.'
A world fated for destruction.
There's a lot to prepare and a lot to push through to protect that ideal.
Choosing a party name right now just means I've barely taken the first step.
Still, I got kind of sentimental, feeling like I'd finally taken a real step forward.
"Alright, our party's name will be Utopia."
And so, our party's name was decided as Utopia.
*
I left the party registration and reserving the dungeon we'd be tackling tomorrow to Shin Se-hee.
"Hoobae, so is the party launch ceremony over now?"
At Im Ga-eul's question, I shot a glance toward Shin Se-hee.
She caught on quickly and called someone on her phone.
A moment later.
Knock knock knock─
The door opened with a polite knock.
Shin Se-hee's secretary came in, pushing a cart with several boxes on it.
Thunk.
Thunk.
Thunk.
White boxes were placed in front of each of us.
"Hmm?"
"What's this?"
"Boxes...?"
Puzzlement clouded the party members' eyes.
Ahem.
Shin Se-hee cleared her throat from behind, drawing attention.
"First, these are various potions and basic gear you'll use for tomorrow's dungeon run. I also included emergency supplies, just in case."
Inside the boxes, things were neatly packed: rope, a lighter, flashlights, sleeping bags, then all kinds of potions, monster perfume, first-aid medicine, bandages, and more.
I picked up where Shin Se-hee left off and spoke up.
"Put these in your Subspace Tattoos. They're for emergencies, just in case."
I stored the box in front of me in my Subspace Tattoo.
Maybe because it was compressed as much as possible, it fit in comfortably even with Moonlight already in there.
Following my lead, the party members put their shares into their Subspace Tattoos too.
And three boxes still remained on the table.
"Uhm, and... consider these a token of thanks for joining my party. As a way of saying I'm counting on you from now on..."
I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
"First, Kang Do-hee."
I slid the medium-sized box out of the three toward her.
"Ahem."
Kang Do-hee accepted the box with a conflicted look, as if she wasn't used to receiving presents.
"Open it."
"Yeah. O-okay."
Rustle.
She opened the elegantly wrapped box.
The moment she confirmed what was inside, Kang Do-hee's eyes flew wide open.
"Uh...! This is!?"
An unusual type of shoe: long black socks with pristine white insoles attached.
In truth, it was a shoe with hardly any special function to speak of, aside from being exceptionally comfortable and almost weightless when worn.
But I was absolutely certain this was the best gift for her.
'Because it's Kang Do-hee's affection item, after all.'
This girl despises wearing anything complex or heavy on her hands and feet in the first place.
"Speed Star...!?"
Kang Do-hee's usual calm expression was gone; she shouted with a shocked face.
She took off her shoes right then and there and put on the new ones.
Thump. Thump.
She hopped in place.
"...This is insane. How did you get these? They normally sell out the moment they release..."
Kang Do-hee looked at me with eyes clearly full of excitement.
"They had a restock the day I went, and this one pair was still left. You like it, right? I got it because I figured nothing could beat this for you."
"...Your cooking and your naming sense are both mediocre, but these are definitely... I'll take good care of them."
Kang Do-hee turned her head away and answered in a small voice.
This girl has to tack on a jab even when she's happy.
Let's really settle this during the Personal Combat Class.
Next, I pushed a small box toward Im Ga-eul.
"...Huh? Hoobae!? I already got a highest-grade Magic Stone—"
Im Ga-eul hadn't thought there was a gift for her too and waved her hands in a fluster.
"That's a necessary condition to activate your ability, sunbae. Your core is literally Magic Stones to begin with. Magic-Stone-Rack sunbae."
"...Eek!?"
"Here. Does it make sense to walk around without a single secondary weapon to protect yourself, Support or not?"
"B-but I have no talent for weapons...!"
I know.
Im Ga-eul is a top-tier pick as a Support, but her secondary weapon is genuinely tricky.
Because no matter what you hand her, she can't even bring out a tenth of its performance.
That's why, when I found this item, I felt a jolt run through me.
"...What's this? Judging by the size, a dagger?"
Im Ga-eul examined the box before lifting the lid.
"...Gloves?"
They were leather half-gloves.
The kind where your fingers stick out when you put them on.
"I-I can't even fight hand-to-hand, though...?"
She looked up at me with a baffled expression.
"I'm not having you fight hand-to-hand, so just put them on. And you have a Magic Stone on you, right?"
"Ah, yeah. I've got it."
Im Ga-eul pulled on the gloves with a dubious look and clenched and unclenched her hands.
Snikt!
"Whoa!?"
Slice—!
In that instant, the box placed in front of her was cleaved apart as easily as tofu.
"W-what the—!"
Im Ga-eul's green eyes went perfectly round, unable to hide her panic.
I looked at her and tugged the corner of my mouth up.
'I never expected to find a piece of the Squinting Mastermind Set there.'
Out of all the items Support Im Ga-eul could use, it was a heavily concept-driven one.
Originally, it was an item you could only get from the gacha.
The Squinting Mastermind Set.
A weapon used by the sort of narrow-eyed character in novels or comics who always wears a sly smile.
'Thread.'
In other words, these were gloves that could produce Mana threads with cutting power.
It's also simple to use—you just swipe your hand at a target to attack them.
'Well, the attack power isn't high and the trajectory is simple, so it's a total no-go for a Damage Dealer.'
But for a Support or Healer loaded with Mana, there's no better weapon out there.
Im Ga-eul naturally has narrow eyes, and since she draws and burns the Mana from Magic Stones, she has enough Mana to back it up.
There was something oddly moving about seeing her pull on those leather gloves and produce threads.
'Ahh, this really is picture-perfect.'
Clap clap clap─
I applauded.
Then the other party members joined in with applause.
At that, Im Ga-eul's face flushed bright red.
She must have realized the weapon she'd just put on was straight out of a middle-school edgelord fantasy.
"H-Hoobae, I-I'm fine without something like th-this!"
"Later on, if I find the one-eyed blindfold and cloak, I'll definitely get them for you."
"Hoobae!!!"
That's your karma, Im Ga-eul.
Accept it with gratitude.
'I'll have to complete the full Squinting Mastermind Set for her later.'
I smiled as I inwardly entertained a thought that would horrify Im Ga-eul if she knew.
So I shut Im Ga-eul down by asking if she had any weapon she could use if she didn't wear those.
Now the biggest box remained, last of all.
I held this out to our Tank, Gukbap.
"Huh...? Me? Didn't Shin Se-hee not get one yet?"
"Fufu, I already received mine, you know?"
At Lee Yu-ri's question, Shin Se-hee proudly pushed out her chest.
A bright red butterfly shimmered at her chest line.
"I already received my gift—an item I'm perfectly delighted with. Now, Gukbap. Please open it quickly."
"...Ah, okay."
With that, Lee Yu-ri opened the box, almost as if she were being hurried along.
And what appeared was a large silver cross.
"Hmm? What's this? Is it a secondary weapon for me too...?"
Lee Yu-ri remarked at the unexpected object, and I answered her.
"Your shield from now on."
"...This is a shield?"
* * *
When Jin Yu-ha first said this was a shield, Lee Yu-ri thought he was messing around.
'...This is a shield?'
A giant cross, about as tall as a person.
If it were a weapon you grabbed by the shorter cross end and swung, that'd be one thing, but as a shield, its form was completely unintuitive.
"There's a handle in the center of the cross, right?"
At Jin Yu-ha's words, she turned her gaze toward the center.
Sure enough, there was a handle attached, just like the one on the shield she used.
"First, want to grab the handle there?"
Lee Yu-ri wrapped her hand around the handle in the middle of the cross.
The grip fit her hand perfectly—the sort of feel that told anyone this was an expensive item.
But still, she had absolutely no idea how she was supposed to block enemy attacks with this.
A shield's purpose was to block or deflect enemy attacks.
But this shield was far removed from that intent.
Sure, you could probably use this cross-shaped frame to block attacks to some degree,
but if an attack came through the empty space, your body would be completely exposed.
"There, you see a button at the top of the handle?"
Examining the upper part of the handle, she saw the small button Jin Yu-ha mentioned.
"Try pressing it."
Click.
Then.
Hummm—
A translucent barrier unfolded with the sound.
The barrier spread between the cross's frame, taking on the same rectangular shield form she'd been using all along.
"...!?"
"It's a Mana Shield. Basically, any damage to parts outside the frame itself recovers with ambient Mana, so you won't need frequent repairs. And the shield's own defensive power is better than the one you were using before, too."
"...Ah."
"And this happens to be the perfect shield for you. You know why?"
She couldn't not know.
Lee Yu-ri immediately grasped what Jin Yu-ha had been thinking when he gave her this present.
Because beyond the translucent shield,
she could see Jin Yu-ha's face.
"Your main defensive techniques are basically deflecting or dodging enemy attacks. With this, you can see the enemy's attacks even if the shield blocks your vision."
Ah.
Really...
'...If you're giving me even something like this, what on earth am I supposed to do for you in return?'
Lee Yu-ri looked at Jin Yu-ha with trembling eyes.