Chapter Ninety-Seven: A Day at Liz’s Weapon Shop

Deep breath—not to breathe fire, of course—Lanser calmed his nerves. He knew this was undoubtedly a sinister scheme fueled by Renhua’s twisted sense of humor. Determined not to let her plan succeed, Lanser resolved to keep his composure. Yet, to achieve this, he needed to divert his attention appropriately.

“Let’s see what exactly exploded,” he muttered, opening his backpack to inspect the spoils.

“Dragon Scale x10”

“Dragon’s Reverse Scale x1”

“Dragon Blood x1”

“Dragon Meat x1”

Lanser knelt again. There wasn’t a single piece of equipment—only fragments from that creature. Dragon scales and blood were S-rank materials, but they could be substituted. The only truly valuable item was the reverse scale, though Lanser recalled he had already shattered one himself. Still, since this was a game, he didn’t dwell on it; after all, it was a good item.

But what use was dragon meat? Lanser couldn’t understand—was it meant for cooking? At the thought of ingredients, a sudden realization struck him. Despite his bizarre drop rates, those mostly applied to forging materials. This ingredient, however, was quite rare—an S-rank food item.

“Finally, not just materials,” he sighed in relief. The most important thing was that if he told others his haul was all materials, he’d be laughed at. At least this was some consolation.

Watching Lanser clutch the piece of meat with a blissful expression as if he’d found a rare treasure, Liz suddenly thought her earlier worries about the fool might have been in vain.

“Nana~ Look, an S-rank ingredient~ Not just some material!” Lanser coquettishly paraded in front of Liz, proudly showing off.

“Yes, yes—” Liz, seeing Lanser slip into his silly mode, had nothing more to say and continued ascending. Since they’d even defeated a dragon, naturally they had to check for ores. They eventually found several quest-related ores and a few pieces of “Ice Crystal Stone.” Though it had no special attributes, jewelry made from this material was strikingly beautiful and possessed decent stats—beauty being the main appeal.

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Before nightfall, Lanser decided to search for more valuables. Of course, he wouldn’t descend like Kirito had. That guy had already been taken out by Lanser, and if he respawned, who knew how long it would take. To avoid being blamed, Lanser thought it best to desist; after all, increasing affection wasn’t limited to just one method.

Though these were Lanser’s self-justifications, the real reason was that a certain glutton’s stash had run dry. Now, eyes gleaming red, she fixed her gaze on the raw dragon meat in Lanser’s hands.

Lanser and Liz returned to the plaza on that level, where a crowd of players had gathered.

“What’s going on?” Lanser edged closer to look. Fortunately, he habitually wore a cloak outdoors, which saved him from trouble.

“Emergency notice from the FFF Guild — Our guild leader has been missing for several days. This morning, an associate vaguely saw the leader teleport away with a woman. For the Blood Covenant, we hereby declare this person wanted starting today.”

A large poster was plastered on the wall, listing various rewards: information on the leader’s coordinates, delaying him to buy time for other guild members, and rewards for capturing him. The list was extensive. Though it sounded exaggerated—after all, the leader was a frontline commander—two things were clear: first, Lanser would never resort to killing; second, because he himself had broken the rules he’d set, he felt guilty even if resisting. Hence others dared to publicize the manhunt so openly. Thankfully, Lanser’s appearance remained a secret; few knew the truth, and others had simply grabbed a blurry screenshot from a boss guide showing a swift movement. Upon seeing the photo, Lanser promptly changed his entire outfit to a different set. Though it lacked the usual stats, it served well to conceal his identity. The style was vastly different: his usual gear was sleek and monochrome with no extras, whereas the new set was silver-white armor with a high collar obscuring most of his face. Adding a headpiece, he transformed from an aggressive player into a defensive one.

After the announcement, the crowd lingered briefly before dispersing. The FFF Guild never encroached on leveling spots belonging to solo players or smaller groups and often helped others in the wild. Thus, everyone treated this incident like a routine “meeting,” watching with a spectator’s amusement.

Lanser pondered how to resolve this predicament. He had presided over many “pyres” before and had no desire to end up on one himself. Yet, he forgot that the first quest he received on the mountain wasn’t for skill upgrades. Now, a unique skill appeared in his skill bar—Berserk. Like Kirito’s dual swords, it wasn’t an ordinary skill. The difference was Kirito didn’t know its origins, but Lanser did.

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Lanser donned his blacksmithing outfit again and stood at the forge. However, he didn’t use the forging method Liz had helped Kirito with in the original story; he didn’t want others to think he was emotionally unstable. Still, he was earnest, melting down the ore Liz had highly recommended into an iron ingot, then hammering it repeatedly. He then took another ore he had prepared beforehand—a core from a fire-element monster—and fused it directly into the ingot. Having fought Kirito outside, he knew Kirito’s weapon preferences. Instead of a typical Western sword, Lanser chose a katana as the prototype. When the slightly curved blade took shape in his hands, he knew the weapon was nearly complete. He melted dragon scales into the hilt, which was made from the same materials he used.

When Lanser joined the blade and hilt, a burst of light filled Liz’s forge. He knew it was a success. Though not a magic sword, its attributes surely surpassed those of ordinary S-rank weapons.

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The pure white blade was entwined with crimson threads, resembling cracks. The entire katana resembled a volcano ready to erupt—frozen in ice but poised to erupt at any moment.

Lanser smiled faintly, knowing he had succeeded, not only completing the weapon but noticing Kirito still wielded his “Black and White Dual Swords.”

As everything inside the room stilled, Kirito suddenly burst in, worried sick over his weapon. Upon seeing the sword in Lanser’s hand, his gaze locked onto it, unwilling to look away.

Like teasing a cat, Lanser waved the weapon up, down, left, and right. Kirito played along, mirroring the movements. Liz, Asuna, and Sachi, who had arrived, all facepalmed in helpless amusement at Kirito’s behavior.

When Lanser finally handed the weapon to Kirito, he regained his composure, first inspecting its stats with satisfaction before noticing everyone’s gaze. Embarrassed, he scratched the back of his head and looked at Lanser. “Lanser, you made this? The name is up to you.”

Lanser’s expression instantly froze. He knew he had no talent for naming things. He remembered once nicknaming a night owl, only for it to vanish the next day. He decided to leave this task to someone else and looked at Liz. “Liz, it’s your turn.”

Liz was startled, then pointed at herself in confusion. “Me?”

Lanser nodded, and Liz recalled Lanser’s final battle with the dragon, especially the moment he shattered the reverse scale with a single strike. After some thought, she said to Kirito, “Let’s just call it ‘Reverse Scale.’”