"Phew…"
Kurose Akira let out a long breath as he sat back on the sofa in the guild hall.
With a single thought, he awakened Nata from the Soul Crystal Sphere where she had been resting.
After such a long period of slumber, her soul had grown far more stable under the crystal's nourishment than it had been before. Even so, if she was to exist completely—and permanently—in this world, another solution would still have to be found.
"Mr. Kurose Akira~"
Nata's voice was soft and sweet as she greeted him with a gentle smile. Behind her, her dragon tail swayed happily from side to side, as though celebrating their long-awaited reunion.
"You slept for quite a while. How do you feel?" Akira asked with concern.
"Mmm~ I feel wonderful," Nata replied, a faint satisfaction coloring her tone. "At the very least, for the next year I won't have to worry about my soul dissipating."
"Don't worry. Once I finish dealing with the matters in the Star Kingdom, I'll devote myself fully to finding a way to stabilize your soul," Akira promised solemnly.
Nata's soul was somewhat unusual. At the moment, she could not be reborn through a new body. Her soul had to be completely stabilized first.
"Thank you, Mr. Kurose Akira." Nata smiled warmly, her voice filled with gratitude. "Oh, right~ I recently recovered some memories I had forgotten. They aren't about the exact location of the Black Radiant Dragon's Heart Scale, but they might still be useful to you."
Akira's eyes flickered with curiosity.
"Oh? Let's hear it."
Nata nodded and began recounting what she remembered.
"After we obtained that Heart Scale that day, the Red Dragon clan's chieftain—my father—studied it day and night. From it, he managed to uncover certain pieces of information."
"What kind of information?"
"The Judicator who slew the Black Radiant Dragon also suffered severe injuries during that battle," Nata explained. "The armor she wore, which was embedded with Sun Sacred Stones, shattered during the fight. Its fragments scattered across the world."
She continued,
"One fragment of a Sun Sacred Stone fell near our Red Dragon tribe. My father recovered it and secretly stored it away."
Akira blinked in surprise.
"And how exactly did he learn that?"
To think that someone could deduce details of that ancient battle directly from the Black Radiant Dragon's Heart Scale…
Nata habitually settled herself in Akira's lap before explaining further.
"The Heart Scale doesn't only carry a dragon's power—it also retains a portion of our soul. My father happened to specialize in researching that type of magic, which allowed him to extract some vague information from it."
"I see…"
Akira nodded thoughtfully.
Compared to the Sun Sacred Stone itself, what intrigued him even more was the magic the Red Dragon chieftain had used—magic capable of interpreting information contained within the Black Radiant Dragon's Heart Scale.
"A Sun Sacred Stone is an invaluable treasure~"
Nata gently caressed Akira's cheek, her voice soft.
"It probably wasn't taken by the black dragons. When you have some free time, I can take you to search for it. What do you think?"
Akira smiled faintly.
"Sure."
His fingertips lightly brushed across Nata's soul form. Compared to Loserine's complete soul, Nata existed only as a fragment—fragile, delicate, and in far greater need of care.
After their brief conversation, Nata returned to the Soul Crystal Sphere. Her soul still required a long period of nourishment and recovery.
Once she was gone, Akira remained seated quietly on the sofa, calmly organizing the items in his backpack.
At that very moment, a private message appeared silently on the interface.
[Red: Your equipment has finished being forged.]
"Thanks."
Akira sent a quick reply of gratitude and opened a trade request with the other party.
But then another message arrived.
[Red: Wait a moment. There's something I need to remind you about.]
Akira paused slightly.
The message made him recall what had happened the last time Red forged Lucia's Oath Sword. That incident had resulted in an accident that elevated the weapon from Elite quality all the way beyond Legendary.
Could it be… another piece of good news this time?
"Please go ahead. What is it?"
[Red: Actually… the bracer you gave me failed during the forging process. Because of the violent power of the two elemental crystals, the equipment couldn't withstand it and shattered into pieces.]
"???"
Akira's brows knitted together instantly.
"And the two elemental crystals?"
[Red: They're still intact.]
"If it failed, then it can't be helped," Akira replied. "I still have another piece of equipment that can hold two elemental crystals. Could you help me socket them into that one?"
He didn't blame Red at all.
After all, he had been extremely satisfied with the Oath Sword's unexpected upgrade before. Equipment forging always carried a chance of failure—there was nothing unusual about that.
But Red responded again.
[Red: This mistake was mine. I happen to have a piece of equipment that I replaced some time ago, and it's also suitable for embedding elemental crystals. I took the liberty of socketing your crystals into it instead. I hope it can make up for your loss.]
"Huh?"
Before Akira could even react, the other party sent the equipment through the trade window, waiting only for him to confirm the transaction.
Akira's hand hovered in midair for a long moment, unable to press the confirmation button.
Because…
[Phoenix Bracers (Legendary): Bracers imbued with the aura of an Immortal Phoenix. Grants the pseudo-forbidden magic—Phoenix's Kiss! Embedded with a Blazing Flame Crystal and a Thunder Crystal. Increases Fire Element power by 120%! Absorbs 50% Fire Element damage! Increases Lightning Element power by 120%! Absorbs 50% Lightning Element damage!]
"Legendary equipment?"
Akira stared at the Phoenix Bracers Red had sent, shock flashing through his mind.
The value of this item definitely exceeded 1,000 gold coins.
Granted, it had most likely reached Legendary rank because it contained two elemental crystals—but even so, the previous Crimson Flame Bracers would never have reached Legendary quality even with two crystals embedded.
"This… is too valuable," Akira said to Red.
Even without the elemental crystals, Red's Phoenix Bracers were worth several times more than the Crimson Flame Bracers. They were likely only a single step away from Legendary rank to begin with.
[Red: It's fine. This equipment has been sitting unused for a long time on my side. Giving it to you can simply count as compensation.]
"Unused for a long time?"
Akira frowned slightly at the message, confusion stirring in his mind.
Anyone possessing equipment that close to Legendary quality would almost certainly belong to a guild ranked B-Class or higher. Such a guild would naturally have a large number of adventurers.
So why would equipment like this be considered unusable?
Shouldn't any mage specializing in fire or lightning elements be able to wield it and unleash tremendous power?
But Red had already said as much. At this point, refusing would only be awkward.
"…Thank you."
[Red: No need to thank me. If you obtain any good equipment in the future, please let me handle the forging again. I've noticed that the items you bring are always high quality—it helps me raise my forging level quickly.]
"No problem."
Akira agreed without hesitation. From his perspective, the arrangement was beneficial as well.
The moment the trade was completed, a pair of crimson bracers engraved with the image of a phoenix appeared in Akira's hands…