Sealing Stone Fan

「Hmm… it seems you caught it.」

I dragged the nushi all the way to the plaza on the island.

「It’s quite large… this must be what they call the nushi, huh?」

「You did it again.」

Sheryl, who must have been watching all along, gave me a thumbs up.

I returned the thumbs up.

Since Sheryl is about the only one I can expect this kind of reaction from, I’ll enjoy it.

「It’s thanks to the fishing gear you two made!」

「I suppose so… hmm, it’s more in the realm of a monster fish now.」

「A boss enemy.」

True… being this big, it feels like something you’d fight on some map.

「I’m back… oh, Kizuna-san?」

Just as Shouko and the others returned, I showed them the nushi.

Or rather, I waited here to show off.

「I finally got it back!」

「I know you’d accomplish it eventually.」

「Whoa, you caught another big one, Onii-chan!」

「Yeah!」

I proudly showed Shouko and the others the nushi, the huge catfish, that I caught.

It was about 4 meters long. Extremely heavy too.

The giant squid was already a monster that could drag a ship, but the catfish was even harder to catch.

The criteria are unclear. I can’t quite accept it, but since I caught it, it’s fine.

I couldn’t help but smile.

「Now, time for the fun dismantling!」

I took out the dismantling weapon and used it on the catfish.

Using support skills… there was a squelching feeling… being quite slimy, it seems to require a decent amount of attack power.

…I should probably use Cerberus Slaughter instead. This one.

Also, even though it’s a fish, it seems to have some quirks when it comes to dismantling.

I’ll probably have to improvise based on experience.

Ripping it apart bit by bit… and…

「Dismantling, it was a skill that started being whispered about on the mainland, huh?」

「We were keeping it a secret, but it seems to be spreading?」

「Well, sort of. That said, I think Kizuna-kun is still among the top when it comes to the dismantling skill. Look, that huge nushi is being dismantled right before our eyes.」

「We see it happening normally, but you’re right…」

「I heard about dismantling Slime-type monsters and tried imitating it, but it was too difficult so I gave up. I can’t match a specialist.」

「Romina-san is that much better at making weapons, I think.」

「Haha, that’s a nice thing to say. By the way, what should we make with the nushi materials this time? More equipment for Kizuna-kun?」

「Hmm… I’ve already got various weapons covered… I wouldn’t mind having you make something, but I’m not sure how good it’ll turn out.」

I answered Romina’s suggestion while working.

「It’s possible to make a rough estimate. It’ll probably be a pretty unique weapon, but maybe even better than the current top-tier equipment?」

「In that case, instead of me, I feel like there might be someone more suitable. At the end of the day, I just want to go fishing.」

「You really are thorough. Lately you’ve been able to do more, so it’s not impossible to process it into fishing gear… but making such items would probably be a waste.」

So, as a result of the dismantling.

Giant Catfish Whiskers, Giant Catfish Fin, Giant Catfish Head, Giant Catfish Bone, Giant Catfish Heart, Giant Catfish Eye, Giant Catfish Mucus, Giant Catfish Liver, Top-grade Catfish Meat.

The material names were just straight up like that.

With the giant squid it was like ‘Water God’s ~’.

Well, whatever.

「So what should we make with these materials…」

As I was thinking that, I handed the materials to Romina while looking at everyone.

I got my revenge, so if she makes me some fishing gear with the leftover materials, I’ll be satisfied.

My Shining Lure is back, so I’m content.

「You already have one, right Sheryl?」

「Yeah.」

Sheryl already had the Ahab Spear made for her.

「By the way Romina, as a reference, who would you want to make something for?」

「Well… these interesting materials I get to work with every time are fun. I’m confident I can make good items out of them. Among Kizuna-kun’s companions, the one who seems most likely to bring out the material performance and suit the completed equipment would be…」

Romina’s gaze turned to Shouko.

「With these giant catfish materials, don’t you think the Japanese-style vibe would suit Shouko-kun?」

「What about me?」

Tsumugi protested.

「You want one?」

「Eh? Umm… it seems fun to use rare weapons!」

I don’t like having ‘seems fun’ as the criteria.

Or rather, since she’s my little sister, I feel like putting her last.

「Alright, let’s go with Shouko!」

「You’re so stingy, Onii-chan!」

It’s fine to be stingy!

In games, I prioritize those I’ve been with longer!

「The selection criteria seems a bit questionable, but are you sure?」

「Shouko has lent me equipment before too. I want to return the favor.」

「…I understand. I’ll do my best to meet Kizuna-san’s expectations.」

「Got it. Then I’ll start making the weapon right away. Let’s make a fan for starters… and if there’s any left over, I’ll make it into a haori.」

「Please do.」

So I handed the materials to Romina to have her make equipment for Shouko.

But… come to think of it, how is she going to make a fan or haori out of those materials?

If I think too deeply about it, I feel like I’ll lose.

Well, it’s a game, so I should probably just expect to get a unique weapon.

「Oh, that reminds me, I’ve seen people carrying the same weapons you guys have. I heard they were boss drops.」

「Then it must be an irregular way to obtain them.」

Catch the nushi lets you obtain boss drop items, huh.

Considering stat bonuses and such, having them made may result in better performance.

So in that sense, even the slow life group has a way to obtain good items, it seems.

And so Romina quickly made the items I requested.

「Here.」

She showed them to me.

Sealing Stone Fan
Seismic Haori

Two items.

And they even had +3 bonuses.

Quite formidable items, game-wise.

「Ah, these are amazing. Are you sure it’s okay for me to receive such good items?」

「Of course. You’ve done a lot for me after all, Shouko.」

「It’s great to be able to make interesting items like these. Much more enjoyable than mass-producing for the front lines. Good technical experience too.」

Is that how it is?

Well, I can understand the feeling of being able to make items out of rare materials.

I wouldn’t have skipped fishing either if I knew the nushi was there.

「Let me see… the fan seems to be an earth-attribute weapon.」

Shouko lightly waved the Sealing Stone Fan.

It seemed to produce a more powerful attack effect than before.

「It also seems to have a special effect. Something called the Sealing Blade, it seems.」

As Shouko fiddled with the fan, its shape changed along with a glow of light.

There was now a single sword.

A transforming weapon, huh.

「Catfish were believed to cause earthquakes. And the sealing stones that seal the catfish are said to be swords, so maybe that’s the gimmick.」

「Wow, what an interesting mechanism! I wish I had asked for one to be made for me too.」

「It seems usable not just as a skill, but as a weapon too. It has exclusive skills, an interesting weapon indeed. Though I don’t have much skill with swords…」

Shouko responded happily.

And then she reverted the sword back to a fan.

A portable sword is quite a stylish weapon, I think.

「The Seismic Haori simply has very high base stats. At least two tiers higher than the armor I’ve been using. It also has high resistance to earth attributes.」

「This should help with dungeon exploration.」

「Yes, I’m eager to put it to the test.」

It was great to see Shouko’s enthusiasm.

Without delay, after resting, Shouko and Tsumugi dove into the dungeon together.

Me? As soon as Romina made the Giant Catfish Fishing Rod for me, I started fishing too to test it out.

It became even easier to fish than before!

†

「Pen!」

The Peckles started biting again.

As the number of Peckles increases, trying to manage them would make the day go by before I knew it.

If I was going to dive into the dungeon, there’d be some Peckles that’s on a dangerous line.

Romina, Sheryl, and I manage them together, but sometimes we get too focused on our own work and almost forget about them.

What should I do about this?