S-Rank Weapon (1) – Astra's Blessing

After the rewarding settlement from Terra's adjustments was complete, the sunset that had painted the sky crimson faded away, and a dark night descended. For rest, tents were pitched where the forward base had once stood. Of course, I didn't forget to cleanse my body with a Spirit Pill before stepping inside. As for guarding against a possible second invasion…

Thud. Thud.

— Perimeter secure. The four golems that had helped me install the barriers, along with the dozens of drones Terra could now operate thanks to her restored computational power, were handling the watch in my place. Thanks to Winri the mechanical mage's modifications, both the golems and drones could absorb natural mana, allowing them to maintain a constant vigil for twenty-four hours straight unless they suffered combat damage.

"Haa… Today was really exhausting."

Having changed out of my combat uniform into comfortable clothes, I let out a long sigh and collapsed onto the simple cot. Naturally, it wasn't as comfortable as the beds in the academy dorms or the Ninth Punitive Force's quarters at the association. Still, after such a grueling day, even the firm mattress felt perfectly fine. Thinking that, I operated my smartwatch and began organizing the rewards I'd earned today.

The rewards listed on the holographic memo weren't as lavish as the ones from the previous achievement quest, but I felt extremely satisfied nonetheless.

"Kya… An S-rank item as a reward."

And not a random ticket, but a selection ticket. Staring at the selection ticket that somehow looked radiant even as plain text, I eventually pushed the memo aside.

"Let's try using the side dishes first."

An appetizer before the main course. I used the Rank Up Tickets first.

"Finally, everything's clean."

Talents: S, A+, A, A, A, A.

Skills: A, A, A, A.

Every time I opened the status window, the mix of B-rank and C-rank skills had felt off. Now that discomfort was gone. Of course, if I had to endure the inconvenience, it would have been better to use the Rank Up Tickets on more useful talents or skills. But was there really any need to spend points buying B-rank or lower abilities? With 820,000 points, I was only a little short of the minimum needed to purchase an S-rank talent. Besides, quests no longer gave anything below A-rank, and unless something special happened, there was no telling when I'd obtain another B-rank or lower ability. Using the tickets on my existing skills was simply the better choice.

…That was the reasoning I listed, but the real reason I applied the Rank Up Tickets to Insight and Transmission was something else entirely.

Once a skill reached A-rank, its effects changed or gained additions.

"The names stayed the same, though."

I chuckled at the minor downside and examined the new effects. Transmission had changed from "transports items you possess" to "transports items under your ownership," and the range had increased from 50 m to 1 km. With that kind of distance, I could now combine Clairvoyance and Transmission for long-range bombing snipes.

"Items under my ownership…"

Did that mean I could do what I was thinking? I sat up on the cot, planted my feet on the floor, and transmitted a rubber bullet from my inventory right in front of me.

Thud.

The rubber bullet dropped to the ground.

"Ah… so that's how it feels?"

I could feel my mana clinging to the rubber bullet lying on the floor like a pebble, and the method of using Transmission rose naturally in my mind, as if someone were explaining it. I activated Transmission again, this time targeting the rubber bullet that wasn't touching me.

Destination: my palm.

Pop.

With a tiny expenditure of mana, the rubber bullet appeared in my hand.

"Nice."

Before the rank-up, Transmission had required physical contact because of the "items you possess" clause. Now, as long as I held ownership, I could recall the item from anywhere within range even without contact.

"Whoa, this opens up all kinds of tactics and strategies."

Nodding to myself as various combat applications flashed through my mind, I returned the rubber bullet to my inventory.

"Insight's new effect is pretty straightforward."

Checking an opponent's total stats and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rank, huh.

"Can I use it on myself?"

I activated Insight on myself.

"…Not bad."

Even as I said that, the effect wasn't particularly useful. After all, every protagonist-level opponent I'd faced or named demon I'd fought to the death had higher stats than me. And I would continue to fight stronger enemies going forward. In that sense, the new combat-power meter on Insight was little more than a novelty.

"Well… at least my Spirit stat went up."

That alone made the skill worthwhile for helping control Demon Slayer (S). Satisfied, I closed the two skill windows and pulled the Point Shop, which I'd left open to the side, to the center. Without the slightest hesitation, I purchased two A-rank talents using the A-Rank Talent & Skill Selection Tickets.

Combat Sense (A) — Purchase complete.

Weapon Expert (A) — Purchase complete.

Combat Sense and Weapon Expert. As their names suggested, both talents provided corrections for close-quarters combat. The reason I'd bought close-range talents was simple: I now felt the need for them. Until now, long-range combat alone had been sufficient, but today's fight with Greed had made it clear. I could no longer rely solely on ranged combat against named demons.

Of course, when Demon Slayer (S) activated, I could sense the most efficient way to kill an enemy. But sensing the method and actually executing it were two different things; the body had to follow through. No matter how good the software, it was useless without matching hardware. So I'd purchased close-range talents to improve my body's utilization.

"Close-Quarters Master, huh…"

I immediately checked the talent.

"Simple, isn't it?"

Yet those simple effects were excellent. All physical stats +15, two passives for attack-path visualization and weak-point detection, plus the active skill "Now It's Close-Quarters Combat."

"Oh, this is good."

The effects were impressive enough to draw genuine admiration. The only downside was that even I, the user, couldn't use ranged weapons inside the zone—but the ability to turn a disadvantageous situation into an advantage in the right circumstances made that drawback negligible.

"Got myself a solid close-range talent."

Nodding in satisfaction, I closed the status window and switched the Point Shop from talents and skills to the item list. It was time to use the item selection tickets.

"Let's start with the S- Rank Item Selection Ticket."

The main course, the S-Rank Item Selection Ticket, would come last.

"…Just a little while ago, S- rank was still the main reward."

Time really had passed. Feeling a wave of nostalgia, I typed "S- rank" and "buff" into the search bar. My damage output was already sufficient, and I had Aegis for defense, so now I wanted buffs. I scrolled slowly and carefully through the items that appeared.

After some time, I finally found something worthwhile.

"Oh… this looks good."

"Whoa… the buff effects are insane."

Using the spear gave me personal buffs; planting it gave area buffs. The only downside was that the effects only applied within a 1 km radius of the planted spear, but with my Infinite Items, that was no problem at all. If 1 km wasn't enough, I'd just plant one every kilometer. Nodding to myself, I stored the spear in my inventory. Just like Aegis, its quantity changed to "9999+."

"Alright… now for the long-awaited main event."

The thought of finally obtaining an S-rank item—no, an S-rank weapon—made my heartbeat quicken.

"Huu."

I exhaled a hot breath filled with excitement and anticipation, then typed "S-rank" and "weapon" into the search bar. The previous S- rank buff items disappeared, replaced by S-rank weapons. But—

"Ah… what the hell."

The words that appeared in my vision brought my soaring expectations to a screeching halt, and they sank rapidly. It was only natural.

Cursed weapons that devoured or led their users to death. Mythical weapons that tested their wielders and were extremely difficult to handle. Aside from those—

"Unavailable, unavailable, unavailable… Wait, they're all unavailable?!"

Every single S-rank weapon was marked "Unavailable." I cursed under my breath and scrolled furiously, but no matter how far I scrolled, I couldn't find a single weapon I could actually use. Before long—

"Ah, this doesn't make any sense!"

I finally lost my temper and shouted. After venting for a while, I sighed.

"…Yeah, this is how it should be. How could I own duplicates?"

I accepted the "Unavailable" status. I reflected on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠how foolish I'd been to assume reality would work like a game. Letting out a long sigh, I stopped scrolling. Just as I was about to look at non-weapon items—

"…Wait a second."

Come to think of it, that weapon existed, didn't it? I typed the name that had suddenly come to mind into the search bar and hit enter.

Astra (S) — 50,000,000 Points

"…It's there!"

Fortunately, the weapon I was looking for wasn't marked unavailable. On top of that, it was priced at a very expensive 50 million points.

"…Ah, this isn't the time for that."

It was an item that could only be obtained in the very late game, and only through a hidden route, so it probably didn't have an owner yet. Still, just in case, I hurriedly purchased Astra.

A message appeared stating that the selection ticket had been used. Immediately afterward, an arrow radiating brilliant light materialized in my hand. The moment I grasped it—

A noble, beautiful voice echoed in my ears, accompanied by the ego of Astra. The light that had filled the tent vanished. Only then could I properly see the arrow's form.

"…Wow."

A gasp escaped me. The arrow looked as though it contained the entire universe. In the game, its appearance had been fixed, but the arrow I now held continuously changed—stars flowing and twinkling like a real cosmos.

"Ah, this isn't the time…"

Information. I needed to check the information. Still dazed, I quickly came to my senses and examined Astra's details.

The listed effects were fewer than those of other S-rank pieces of equipment, but they were by no means negligible. Even with the heavy reduction due to my current rank, all stats still increased by 50. Moreover, "Mimicry" and "Descent" allowed the arrow to transform into any S-rank weapon below the mythical tier, and even into the weapons of the gods themselves—provided I offered items as sacrifices. But with my Infinite Items, that downside meant nothing.

Just to be sure, I took an item from my inventory and brought it to Astra. The item was sucked into the arrow as though drawn into space.

Seeing the number rise, I grinned and opened my inventory wide.