"A hundred?! You an we have to defeat that many?!"
"Since it's for two weapons, double that—two hundred."
"Either way, that's too many. Are you sure about those numbers?"
Even though defeating the earth dragon was already a life-or-death struggle, hearing that they’d have to face flying dragons—equally troubleso, if not worse—over a hundred tis made the Duke widen his eyes and shout.
"Well, if we don’t do at least that much, the mory Stone’s effect won’t activate."
But that’s just how anti-specialty weapons have to be made. Once crafted, anyone can wield them to unleash their full power. The problem lies in the arduous process required to imbue them with their special effects—a hurdle that can’t be skipped.
"If you want to make hunting wind dragons or flying dragons even slightly easier, changing the weapon’s materials is one approach. For long-term considerations, upgrading the mory Stone with anti-dragon properties to a mory Gem—or even higher, to a Master Gem or Celestial Gem—would help. Then, boosting the class of the fire-attuned Spirit Stone would make the fights even smoother."
Anti-dragon weapons—or rather, anti-specialty weapons—have their attack power determined by the rank of their base materials. For instance, if you replace the materials of a greatbow with higher-quality ones, its effectiveness against dragons skyrockets. Swapping the core material from ancient tree trunks to dragon bones, or using orichalcum or crimson tal instead of mythril—there are plenty of ways to upgrade the weapon’s potency.
"If our house had legendary materials like those, we’d have used them long ago."
"Right."
As is common in gas, the rarer the materials used for a weapon, the stronger it becos. In fantasy stories, this is practically a fundantal trope.
If we followed real-world physics, a weapon’s performance would depend on its structure and materials. But this is a world governed by stats and levels—values that defy scientific explanation.
Best not to dwell on that.
Even if I listed off rare, near-mythical materials, the Duke could only shake his head helplessly. You can’t give what you don’t have.
For enemies weak to fire, fire-attuned Spirit Stones are used in anti-specialty weapons. These stones also have class rankings, from Class 1 (lowest) to Class 10 (highest). Naturally, the higher the class, the harder they are to obtain.
"By the way, out of everything I’ve ntioned, is there anything you can’t prepare?"
"No, nothing. We even have Class 2 Spirit Stones, so it shouldn’t be a problem."
"Wait, Class 2 won’t cut it."
Class 10 materials, of course, can only be obtained by venturing into the highest-difficulty dungeons on the central continent.
Spirit Stones are crystallized manifestations of elental energy, used to imbue weapons or magical tools with their respective attributes. They start appearing in dungeons of Class 3 and above—Class 3 dungeon boss chests might yield Class 1 or 2 stones, while Class 4 dungeons drop Class 2 or 3. Alternatively, there’s the Spirit Corridor, a special dungeon where spirits are said to gather. Using mining tools or skills there can yield Spirit Stones as well.
But the bottom line is: with the materials the ducal house currently has, the anti-specialty weapons we’d craft wouldn’t et the firepower needed for the flying dragon dungeon. I’d assud they’d at least have Class 3 materials.
"...Is it really not doable?"
"No, it’s not. To be blunt, while flying dragons might be manageable, we’d be lacking against wind dragons."
I’d finished explaining the strategy to fulfill the Duke’s request: a party of two tanks, two healers carried on their backs, and two aerial-attack specialists. But now, at the execution stage, the material ranks available for crafting the necessary gear fell short.
"Class 2 wind and fire Spirit Stones won’t suffice."
If they had ancient Elder Treant wood and mythril, I’d assud equivalent Spirit Stones would exist too. Well, they do exist—just not at the required strength. The gap between Class 2 and Class 3 is significant.
"Class 2 elental attack power is a 30% boost, sa for resistance. Class 3, however, gives 60%. That difference is critical."
Assu a knight’s base stats (without EXBP) at Class 4, Level 100.
Aerial specialization: 30%
Dragon specialization: 50%
Elental specialization: 60%
Specialization effects stack additively, totaling 140%. But elental specialization is unique—hitting a weakness doubles its effect. So, attacking a wind dragon (weak to fire) would bring the total to 200%.
This is the frawork I’d envisioned for the weapons. A mythril-and-ancient-wood greatbow would be Class 5, with an attack power of 320. Fully upgraded, it could reach 500. Whether the ducal house can supply the materials and funds for that is uncertain, but it’s necessary.
Mixing in the "Mark of the Weak" would ensure the upgrades succeed without breaking the weapon. The final product?
Greatbow of the Flabound Weakling 100Attack Power: 820 (slightly low for Class 5—greatswords or hamrs could exceed 1000).
Add a physical attacker with full stamina investnt (400), and the raw attack power hits 1,220. Factoring in skills and other modifiers (set aside for now), this is the baseline. Against a wind dragon’s defenses, sustaining this damage output consistently would be impossible—most attacks would barely scratch it.
This is where specialization matters. A 200% boost turns 1,220 into 3,660—enough to deal aningful damage. But with Class 2 Spirit Stones, the bonus drops to 60%, crippling the output.
A 60% reduction ans roughly 700 less damage—a loss we can’t ignore. More attacks needed → longer fight → greater strain on tanks and healers.
"I see… That big of a drop?"
"I’m curious how you derived those numbers, but we’ll leave that for later. If Libertus is correct, we must avoid this reduction. The sa applies to armor. Hesitating on upgrades would be counterproductive."
After scribbling calculations on parchnt and presenting a rough damage estimate, Claudie nodded in understanding, while the Duke grimaced.
"More damage taken ans more burden on the fighters. Logical. But we can’t give what we don’t have."
"Are Spirit Stones that hard to secure?"
"Yes. We’re not hoarding or being stingy. High-quality ones are simply scarce. We buy them whenever found, but it’s never enough."
Ah, so that’s why he’s scowling. Claudie figured it out instantly, and the Duke sighed heavily.
"Even the ducal house can’t buy them? Is logistics that bad?"
This world’s supply chains are wildly uneven. So things are oversupplied; others, desperately lacking.
"The eastern lord dominates mineral trade. Any notable ores end up in his hands."
"Ah."
The eastern Duke—nicknad the "Aardvark Duke"—was infamous for his gem obsession. If it sparkled, he had to have it.
Of course he’d monopolize Spirit Stones, using his influence to strong-arm rchants.
The ga’s lore ntioned this. And now he’s interfering here too.
"Guess we’ll have to start by gathering materials."
"About that… Libertus, could you handle the gathering?"
"? I’m just a commoner kid, not even an adventurer. Officially, at least."
The world’s harsh, but I do need to fix this.
"We’ll pay you."
"Hmm… Money’s not the issue here."
"…Right, I gave you funds earlier. Then how about non-monetary compensation?"
"Such as…?"
Solving the Duke’s problems would likely benefit in the long run.
"Don’t push your luck."
"I know. But, hypothetically… Could you secure land where I could freely create dungeons?"
"Right after the Stampede? Impossible."
"That’d make gathering Spirit Stones way easier. Was hoping for permission."
But I do need to stake my claims. If I’m going to tackle more dungeons later, having my own dungeon-building space is essential.
Legally, you can’t just make dungeons. Motchi’s an exception.
"That simple, huh?"
"Well, with the right setup, you can optimize a dungeon for Spirit Stone farming."
The key to efficient gathering is patience and ingenuity. How you streamline collection in dungeons makes all the difference.
"Is this sothing we could do too?"
"Sure. It takes know-how, though."
The Duke’s eyes sharpened. Claudie sighed audibly.
Lotus’s question made it sound easy—but it’s not. Still, if asked whether it’s possible, the answer is yes.
I called it "simple" because the prep is the hard part.
But if it ans getting rare Spirit Stones reliably…
"How?"
"Kids don’t work for free, you know."
The Duke’s scowl deepened.
After the Stampede, leasing land to a kid for dungeon experints would be scandalous.
But I’ve got my own agenda. No holding back.
"Also, I never got paid for the anti-specialty weapon intel. I ca up with the idea because you asked, and now you want more? How’s that fair?"
"…You planned this far ahead?"
"I didn’t expect the Spirit Stones to be lacking. Thought the weapon talk alone would suffice."
I’ve already compromised plenty. If I back down now, I’ll get walked over.
"Duke, he’s right. His knowledge is logically sound and unprecedented. Expecting it for free is unreasonable."
With Claudie—my guardian—backing , the Duke groaned.
"…Fine. Private land’s off-limits, but I’ll arrange dungeon-creation rights through the Adventurers’ Guild."
"Sowhere discreet, please."
"Fine."
The Duke’s endorsent ans the Edelgard House would oppose if I cause trouble—but I’ve no ill intentions.
"Now, about that ‘easy’ Spirit Stone thod…?"
"There’s a dungeon called the Spirit Corridor—no monsters, just mining for Spirit Stones. I know how to make one."
"What kind of convenient dungeon is that?!"
In the ga, I fard it endlessly. But to the Duke, it must sound unreal.
"Claudie, have you heard of it?"
"No, this is my first ti."
"Really?"
Even the "Living Legend" doesn’t know? Then almost no one does.
In the ga, it was easy to find…
"Alright, here’s the explanation: To reach the Spirit Corridor, you just need a spirit to take you there. Simple, right?"
"……"
"Uh… Not clear enough?"
"No, I expected sothing convoluted. This is too straightforward."
"True. I thought it’d involve so perilous journey, but spirits dwell in nearby forests. Doesn’t sound too hard."
"Ah, but you’ll need at least a mid-tier spirit."
"That’s not simple?!"
His perfect straight-man retort ca as I casually dropped the catch.
If only he’d added a codic gesture—it’d have been flawless.
Maybe the Duke’s got a knack for cody after all.
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