Chapter 93
“H-holy crap… I’ve hit the mother lode . ”
While Tendo-kun was having a delightful smoke in the background, I was knee deep into the massive pile of monster bits he had handed over to me . This is some good stuff .
From skeletons to red dogs, to pawn ants to wild boars to those hopping monkeys . There’s tons of mobs I’ve seen and many that I haven’t . And here’s the really good part: scattered among the mob bits, I could see parts belonging to armorbears or knight mantises just sitting there like nobody’s business . These mid-boss tier materials will obviously, and dramatically improve the quality of my Rem .
“Wait, No, freakin… way, are those actual dragon scales!?”
The chain of happy surprises climaxed with the discovery of red dragon scales . Why dragon? They’re as big as my palms each, that’s why .
“It requires exceptional skill and experience to concoct medicines out of scales from a salamander . In return, the resulting product is extremely potent… huh, it, it really is from a dragon then . ”
And just like that, Intuition Pharmacy casually proved that what I was holding were indeed scales belonging to a dragon . I’m apparently not at a high enough skill level to use them in my meds, but just having them in my possession held a lot of potential value .
I only found 3 of these Salamander Scales no matter how finely I searched through the mountain of parts, but just these three are bound to yield tremendous effect . Heck, even if they don’t, they’d make for some rad accessories .
“Yeah, Tendo-kun definitely has some kind of Skill Eater and Upgrade-like skills . ”
The presence of dragon scales among his horde implies that he’s fought this salamander and beat it too . There’s no way he just randomly happened to pick these up .
The red of these scales match up with the red bastard sword that Tendo-kun had previously brought out . There’s a big chance that he constructed that sword using salamander scales . A salamander would obviously be able to breathe fire . And maybe not just breathe it but even create magic circles to rapidfire fireballs like a machine gun . There are fictions where dragons use fire like it’s an extension of their body, and who knows, maybe the dragons in this world are like mages and have a variety of different ways to use their element .
And having eaten such a fire breathing dragon, a salamander, Tendo-kun is able to also wield the same dominance over fire .
He leaves Yokomichi in the dust, practically . The latter was so proud just having that paralysis tongue from a boss frog, but Tendo-kun has the powers of a fucking dragon .
“Man, what if Rem’ll be able to use fire magic once I put these in… No, I’m getting my hopes up too much . I’ll be happy with at least fire resistance . . . ”
“Heeey Momokawa, whatcha up to∼” Rando-san called out to me . She must’ve gotten bored .
“I’m choosing the parts I’ll be using for a ritual . ”
“You’ve been at it forever dude∼”
“That long?”
“That long . ”
I guess I have been going at it for a while . The mountain of treasure in front of me was so enticing I’d completely forgotten about everything else .
“Need any help?”
Huh, do I? I mean, it’s not really something where more hands get it done faster and I do kind of want to examine every piece myself…
“Sure, Rando-san . Can you look through everything here and pick up the ones you think are good?”
“How am I supposed to know what’s good?”
“Well, I figured that you, as a geomancer, might notice hidden properties in some of these that I can’t . ”
“Oh, so you’re curious about my fashion sense?”
“Uh, sure, let’s go with that . ”
“Gotcha . Trust me, I don’t disappoint∼”
It might seem like I just made up a random reason and gave her some random thing to do, but I’m somewhat serious about what I said . It was thanks to my Intuition Pharmacy that I could confirm that the red scales belonged to a salamander . That being said, my ingredients based appraisal skill pales in comparison to Tendo-kun’s OP appraisal . And it’s not even all that informative to be honest .
I don’t think Rando-san just conveniently happens to have an appraisal skill of her own, but being an elemental mage, she might be able to naturally sense the mana of things . And if not, it’s always good to let another pair of eyes pass over everything lest I risk missing something .
“Hm, this color is good, but the design is ehh∼” Rando-san seemed to be taking this task with surprising earnesty . She was on her knees, looking through half of the total number of parts scattered on the grass . Doing it so seriously that―― wait, won’t I see her panties in that pose!?
“Yuck, this still had blood on it! Ew eww, Momokawa, get water∼!”
“Ah! Sure, here . ”
Oh shit, oh shit, I should’ve realized! The monster parts aren’t arranged on a table but scattered all over the ground, so of course you’d have to crouch or even just bend over then to have a good look . I have pants on so whatever, but the girl over there is wearing a skirt . And this isn’t just any girl, this is Rando-san, who makes it a point to wear her skirt incredibly short, perhaps even the shortest in our whole class .
M-Mu… Must . Not . Look .
“Ohh, this one!” Rando-san yelled . “It’s really nice∼ Momokawa, you like this one?”
“Could you please put the ones that catch your eye over there?”
“Sure thing, Boss∼”
Here I am talking to her calmly on the outside, but I’m finding myself completely unable to avert my eyes from Rando-san’s lower half . I bet she knows . I’m only taking quick peeks, but she has to know . I heard that girls have a sort of intuition about dirty gazes .
Which might just mean, she’s testing me . Yes, Rando-san is testing me to see how much of a gentleman I can be in this sort of situation .
Come on, I don’t need this . Don’t do this to me . I have literally zero resistance to girls, you know? You know that, don’t you? I see now, Rando-san is a truly devilish temptress . I can practically see her spaded tail wriggling out from under her skirt .
Ugh, not today… I refuse to fall victim to your voluptuous charm! (rip in peace)
“ ―― Phew∼ yup, that’s everything . We’re good, Momokawa?”
“Yeah, thanks Rando-san . ”
We’d finished going through everything . It was a lot of work, but fun work . Plus, there was Rando-san to chat with, which did technically slow us down, but it made the experience much more enjoyable .
The collection of parts I carefully singled out, in addition to the ones that Rando-san thought would look good, will be used in the ritual of Vile Mud Doll . I’ll of course be set up my Hexagram Eye with appropriate sacrifices at each point . But before that,
“Bathroom break . ” I said casually .
Let’s not beat around the bush . Did I see them? Yes, yes I did . Rando-san really needs some better defense . I saw them a few times actually .
They were leopard print .
“―― Hey you’re back . ” Rando-san welcomed me back . “You sure took your time . ”
“Sorry . ”
I really am . But if it’s the number two, then it kind of does take a while, am I right? And even if I’m doing it outside the fairy square, it takes some time to do the whole cleanup procedure .
Okay . I was worried whether I’d get to collect my secret ingredient this time, but that’s well and taken care of . Plus, I feel refreshed and ready to put my back into making Rem .
So I present below the lavishly chosen list of materials:
Greater Skeleton Bones
These bones are harder, glossier, whiter and tighter than the stuff from even a skeleton trooper unit chief . I don’t know what sort of high level skeleton these are from, but they’re awesome .
Bones of Different(?) Monsters
A selection of bones that Rando-san picked out for me . They seem OK, but I don’t sense anything special from them . Intuition Pharmacy doesn’t react either . I’m still using them, on the off chance that they do manifest an effect .
Basilisk Bones
Bones left over from the melted remains of the basilisk after the epic battle VS me and Rem . It’s technically boss monster parts so I’m using them .
Charred Goliath Meat
Sure, Tendo-kun beat this guy with one swing, but even Higuchi was afraid of it so I thought that it’s flesh, even if it’s well done, might hold some hidden potential . I swiped some in a cloth before we warped out of there .
Scales of Salamander
This Salamander is probably the most powerful monster I know about, and accordingly, its scales should become the most potent ingredient . I can’t think of a reason not to use these . Fingers crossed for fire resistance!
Armorbear’s Armor
How come there’s always an armorbear? I seriously don’t need it to become my recurring worst enemy, but I’ll admit that this shell will make for the best defense .
Knight Mantis Scythe
Rem used this very efficiently versus the Basilisk . Since I have one, might as well use it .
Goar Skin
Mei-chan beat some of these at one point, but skinning was a bit difficult so we had only collected their cores . Their skin isn’t as tough as armorbear armor, but they’ve got a decent defense rating . I know that they’re at least tougher than pawn ant carapace .
Bishop Bee’s Stinger
Another member of the [Chess Piece][Insect] family of monsters, one which I didn’t encounter in the insect cave . It’s probably going to be less effective than a mantis scythe, but it could make for an alright sub weapon .
Rook Spider’s Giant Claws
This thing was supposed to be the zone boss, I guess . Its parts are armorbear quality, especially this claw from it’s leg tip . I can’t say if it’ll become a weapon or defensive gear, but it’s worth trying out .
Great Boar’s Hooves
Really big and heavy these . If they go under Rem’s feet they’d make for devastating kicking attacks .
White Velvety Fur
Another Rando-san recommendation . She was describing them with jargon like Cashmere and what not, but basically, it’s very good fur . It’s smooth, soft and feels amazing on my hand . As for what monster it’s from: no clue .
Large Curved Horns
Another one of Rando-san’s top picks . A big and very shiny pair of horns that wouldn’t look out of place as niche room decor . Monster unknown .
Pointy Fangs
Sharp and pointy fangs from a variety of monsters .
Sharp Claws
Same as above, sharp and pointy claws from a variety of monsters .
Those are all the monster parts . I’ll also be using my blood and semen, pieces of mandragora and finally, core fragments .
Additionally, since Rando-san is a geomancer, I’m having her create earth using magic and using that as a base . The idea is that magic earth will have more mana infused in it as compared to earth dug up from the ground .
And with all that done, it’s now, finally, time to get Rem back on the team .
“Oh wow, that’s, something!” Said Rando-san, her choice of words leaving me wondering if she meant it positively, or if she’s super creeped out . I’ve got a lot of parts to use this time so my hexagram is accordingly large to accommodate . And with how I’m doing this smack-dab in the middle of the square, the Glamourettes sitting beside Tendo-kun have also been curiously glancing this way, though not going so far as to bother me .
Tendo-kun himself was in the middle of some serious contemplation, trying to decide whether he should have another cigarette or not . He took one out of the box, only to put it back inside, and had been repeating the action with a grim expression .
Alright, enough about the peanut gallery, let’s make some curses .
“Rise from chaos, bind in foul blood, stand on stained earth ―― Vile Mud Doll . ”
Oof, it’s really sucking the mana out of me . If I tried something like this a few weeks ago, I might’ve instantly collapsed from mana deficiency . I guess this is to be expected from so many high quality parts .
Uhh, crap, I’m feeling really faint… but, so, close…
“ ―― D-done, yes!”
Once the hexagram was completely submerged within the swirls of chaos, Rem emerged from within .
“Looks good… phew, welcome back to this side, Rem . ”
“Ga! Gigi, Guge, Goooh!”
“Ooh, that’s great Rem, you’re saying something other that Ga’s now . ”
Seeing Rem raising a battlecry while standing imposingly in the middle of the magic circle with the chaos now gone, I was impressed, despite myself .
I even had a bit of sand in my eyes, but I made sure to fully inspect Rem’s new glorious body .
On top of the, as expected, black skeleton base body, she has a set of tough shell-armor that looks more polished than ever before . Her face, that is, her skull is visible from the front with the head shielded with a helm, dark gray like armorbear armor, with those shiny curved horns decorating both sides, which made her look like a commander-class monster .
The rest of her black armor is just as impressive . It covers every inch of her base body with a mix of armorbear armor and goar skin . The full plate armor also has the red dragon scales sticking out of its breastplate, in addition to the white velvety fur circling the collar . It looks sleek, yet trendy . Gotta hand it to Rando-san .
And let’s not forget functionality . Rem’s right arm is fitted with a mantis blade, while the bishop bee’s stinger is hidden in her left palm . And on her back, (they might just serve like extra arms,) there are those super sharp rook spider claws, two of them, sticking out like spears . Finally, she has spikes coming out of her feet and tough hooves growing from under .
Wow . It’s like Rem got a ton of improvements all at once . I can’t wait to see how she does in battle .
“Uhh, yeah, Momokawa?” called Rando-san with a neutral expression, a complete contrast from me who’s been feeling way too much excitement than I knew what to do with, “It’s not very cute . ”
I mean, she’s technically a tool for battle so, I wanted to say in defense, but I only said, “Okay . ”
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