Standing once again at the entrance of the blacksmith's shop, Ryuto's heart raced like a child about to receive a long-coveted toy. Taking a slow breath to calm himself, he stepped inside with deliberate composure.
The blacksmith was no longer behind the workbench. Instead, he leaned lazily against a shelf, enthusiastically introducing weapons to a customer.
But the moment he spotted Ryuto and Asuna entering, he abandoned the player mid-sentence and walked over, leaving the other man frozen in awkward frustration—not sure whether to leave or wait.
Ryuto, in high spirits, found the scene amusing and quipped with a grin,
"Hey, Uncle, are all your NPCs like this?"
The blacksmith knew it was a joke, yet he still replied with complete seriousness.
"Of course not. I'm a special case. I'm an artificial intelligence. I stay here in the Town of Beginnings to recommend the most cost-effective weapons to new players."
Ryuto gave an "ah, I see" nod, ready to respond further, but the blacksmith had already taken him straight to the workbench.
A heavy curtain covered the large table, faint wisps of cold air drifting from beneath it. The blacksmith stepped forward and lifted it with care.
Encased within thick, crystal-clear ice was a pitch-black spear.
The spearhead was pure black, but its blade shimmered silver-white, with a transparent crystal embedded in its center.
A cluster of delicate, pale-pink blossoms—identical to the flowers of the Tree of the Night Sky—hung from the tassel. A golden pattern spiraled from the spear's crescent blade, winding up the shaft to the tassel, faint silver light flowing along its curves.
Ryuto fell in love at first sight. Reaching out, he touched the ice, and it shattered instantly.
When his fingers wrapped around the shaft, he could feel its intricate lines and an unusual texture—neither metal nor wood—breathing with a subtle sense of life.
He gave it a few practice swings. Smooth, balanced, alive in his grip—it was perfect.
Item Information:
Type: Growth-Type Magic Weapon
Attack: 200-210
Durability: 570
Weight: 60
Skill:Life Recovery – Active/Passive
Passive: When HP is below max, restores 1% HP per second while holding the spear.
Active: Activates the Life Source within the spear, instantly restoring 30% HP. (After using Active, the Passive effect is disabled for 1 minute.)
Seeing the blank Name field, Ryuto knew it was time to christen his new weapon.
His gaze lingered on the soft pink blossoms at the tassel. In his past life, he'd been a young man with a taste for the poetic. Sifting through his memory for words that evoked the beauty of flowers, one perfect name came to him.
"The Meaning of Flowers."
He spoke it aloud, and the name appeared in elegant script on the spear's information panel—not in Japanese, but in English. It dawned on him that his excitement had made him blurt it out in English, and the system had registered it as such.
That was fine by him. The phrase had a charm that Japanese simply couldn't match.
Content with his purchase, Ryuto and Asuna stocked up on supplies and set out for Ulu Village.
Two days later, in the labyrinth area near Ulu Village—
A massive stone gargoyle charged at Ryuto. He showed no panic, spinning The Meaning of Flowers in a fluid arc, the pitch-black spear forming a swirling halo of darkness around him.
The gargoyle's colossal fist came crashing down from above. Ryuto pushed off lightly with his toes, slipping under the blow and springing onto its thick arm.
In a flash, he ran along the limb, flipped over its shoulder, and stabbed deep into its back. A critical hit.
The lumbering creature hadn't even turned when it reached behind itself, trying to swat him away. Ryuto kicked off its back, using the recoil to yank out his spear mid-air, flipping back to a safe distance before landing.
Seizing the moment, Asuna darted in from the front. The gargoyle's hands were still behind its back—leaving it defenseless. Her blade struck clean.
With a guttural boom, the stone giant shattered into pieces. A loot window popped up, displaying the experience and Col gained.
Asuna sheathed her rapier. Ryuto twirled his spear with a small flourish, then said with a slight pout,
"Asuna, our level's way above the first floor's monsters now. The exp gain is basically nothing. Let's take the next two days to rest before tackling the next strategy run. Work and rest in balance, right?"
Before she could respond, a system window appeared before Ryuto:
[Starnight Swan is about to hatch. Please pay attention.]
Ryuto had almost forgotten about the egg. Back when he found it, he'd casually told Asuna it was just tossed into his inventory and hadn't been touched since. If today's system window hadn't popped up, he might never have remembered it existed.
He opened his inventory and withdrew the egg. The once-dull cloud patterns at its base now glistened faintly, while the star-shaped markings higher up pulsed with an increasingly intense light.
The glow grew so strong that Ryuto and Asuna had to shield their eyes. When it finally faded, they lowered their hands—only to see a small bird-like creature before them.
It was about the size of a sparrow, with a head and wings as black as midnight, but its chest was a pure snow-white sprinkled with tiny golden flecks. Its jet-black tail feathers shimmered with intricate patterns, and its silver-clawed feet rested gracefully on the ground.
The little bird's beauty immediately captivated Asuna. She reached out to hold it, but with a gentle flap of its wings, it darted onto Ryuto's shoulder, completely avoiding her grasp.
"Why… it doesn't seem to like me," Asuna said with mock sadness.
"It's normal to be wary right after being born," Ryuto replied. "Once it gets used to you, it won't avoid you anymore."
Even as he spoke, another system window appeared before his eyes:
[Would you like to form a Familiar Contract with Starnight Swan?]
Without hesitation, Ryuto tapped OK. A status window for the creature opened:
Name: ———
Race: Starnight
Talents:
[Stiff Bubble] – Starnight familiars live year-round in mineral-rich valley mines, feeding on starlight grass packed with metallic essence. The bubbles they produce carry a petrifying effect. (Effect: Temporarily immobilizes the target. Duration depends on target's strength.)
[Gift of the Stars] – Transfers the starlight stored in its body to the target, healing them. (Effect: Instantly restores 30% HP.)
[Astral Descent] – Envelops an area within 1 kilometer in a field of starlight, transforming it into the Astral World. (Effect: Distorts light, disrupts vision, induces hallucinations.)
Ryuto whistled softly. "Three strong support skills… This little guy might make our next boss fight a lot safer." Then, with a sigh, "Though… so much for my plan to take two days off. His level's too low—I'll have to train him first."
He tilted his head toward the bird. "By the way, you don't have a name yet. Your feathers shine like the night sky's stars… How about I call you Nova?"
The bird gave a cheerful cry, clearly approving of the name.
With no time to waste, Ryuto and Asuna resumed their journey, fighting monsters along the way while familiarizing themselves with Nova's abilities.
—
Three hours later, they found a quiet, secluded spot to rest. Ryuto took out some white bread Asuna had baked and paired it with fresh cream from a quest reward.
"Mmm… Asuna, your cooking skill's gone up again," he praised between bites.
"As long as you like it, Ryuto," she replied with a small smile.
Still determined to win over Nova, Asuna pulled some starlight grass from her inventory and offered it. The bird arrogantly turned its head away, refusing to acknowledge her.
Undeterred, Asuna patiently coaxed him. Nova eyed the grass for a long moment… then finally gave in to the "smell of temptation."
He had probably intended to take just one bite—but one bite became many. As he ate, Asuna gently reached out and stroked him. Nova merely shook his wings and kept eating. Gradually, his guard dropped, and Asuna succeeded in lifting him into her arms.