When Altaïr and the others saw Nymera again, she looked a full shade darker, thinner, and more haggard.
Even during the hunt for the Chaotic Gore Magala and the string of high-intensity missions to purge infected creatures, she had endured plenty of rough meals and nights in the open. Yet the change after these past few days was especially stark. She looked utterly drained, as though she had been wrung dry and left to wither.
The faintly smug expression on Maki's face as she led Nymera back made it clear that the special training had produced gratifying results.
According to Maki, Nymera still had a long way to go before she reached Maki's level, but she was just about passable now.
That probably counted as praise, right?
—--
Either way, once back home, Nymera devoured a meal of Yomogi's delicious homemade Bunny Dango, scrubbed herself thoroughly in the bath, and holed up in her bedroom, intent on sleeping for two full days and nights.
—--
Yet dawn had barely broken when Isis dragged her from her warm bed.
Half dragging and half carrying Nymera from the bedroom, Isis planted her beside the dining table. Nymera's mind was a complete blank.
Who am I? What time is it? Was being hauled off for special training by Lady Maki nothing but a terrible nightmare?
"Ahem, Nymera, there's something we decided on our own without asking you first. I'm sorry!"
Isis braced both hands on the table and bowed in solemn apology.
"Huh?" Nymera jolted awake, her mind clearing a little. "What is it?"
"All right, stop bowing like that. You're scaring her." Altaïr tapped Isis on the shoulder with a hint of exasperation, then looked at the uneasy Nymera. "Relax. It's nothing scary."
Hearing that only made Nymera more nervous. "That's not reassuring..."
"Actually, we had a new weapon custom-made for you just before you left for your special training." Morgan was a straightforward man who disliked beating around the bush, so he continued bluntly, "The Workshop sent word that it's ready. Isis woke you so you could go inspect it."
"A new weapon? What kind of weapon?" Perhaps because of her recent exhaustion, Nymera's mind was still rather foggy.
"A Light Bowgun made from Chaotic Gore Magala materials," Altaïr said with a smile. "My new Armor Set used quite a few Gore Magala and Shagaru Magala materials, leaving some of the Chaotic Gore Magala materials unused.
We thought it would be wasteful to leave them sitting around, so we asked Mr. Hibasa whether he could put them to use.
There weren't enough of those materials to forge a weapon outright, so Mr. Hibasa suggested using the Gore Magala materials from our later Hunt as the base for a Gore Magala Light Bowgun, then reinforcing it with the Chaotic Gore Magala materials.
According to him, the result is an exceptionally powerful Bowgun."
Once Nymera understood the situation, helplessness crossed her face. "Didn't I tell you there was no need to worry about me? I don't need a weapon upgrade yet..."
"That way of thinking is the problem," Morgan interrupted. "If you want to keep hunting alongside these two, then by the time you realize your weapon can no longer keep up, they will have left you far behind.
You have to seize every chance to grow stronger and strive to surpass them just to have any hope of keeping pace."
"But..."
"I know what you're going to say." Morgan cut in as soon as Nymera opened her mouth. "Mr. Hibasa told us that Chaotic Gore Magala materials are better suited to a Light Bowgun, so we decided to use what remained to forge a weapon for you.
So don't worry that this was unfair to me. If the materials had been better suited to a Heavy Bowgun, I wouldn't have held back either."
"Exactly! You're far too considerate, Nymera!" Isis chimed in. "Ever since we met, you've never used materials from the team's Hunts to craft equipment for yourself, have you?
The same goes for your only Doom Armor Set. You practically Hunted that Doom Estrellian by yourself, and you even gave Altaïr your share of the Arbiter Estrellian materials.
And it has been the same ever since. Glavenus, Lagiacrus, Shen Gaoren... You let us take the materials every time."
Nymera opened her mouth, but for a moment, words failed her.
She had never seen it as generosity or excessive politeness, nor had she ever felt shortchanged. The four of them simply had different attitudes toward growing stronger.
Altaïr had the clearest goal and pursued it more relentlessly than anyone.
Isis wanted to prove herself and refused to lose to Altaïr.
Morgan also wanted to prove himself, though his reasons were a little different from Isis's...
Nymera alone had always taken a relatively passive approach. Had her hometown not still needed her help, retiring early to sell Bunny Dango with her mother might have been a good life too.
She had never been particularly competitive. If her companions needed something, she was happy to let them have it.
Altaïr saw right through her and smiled. "You told us before that you wanted us to pull you forward. Isn't this exactly what we're doing?
First, we'll upgrade your main weapon. Then we'll find a suitable target for a new Armor Set. Don't let yourself fall behind.
Or are you saying you're perfectly comfortable in your current Shell Set?"
Nymera's expression changed. "On that point, I humbly beg for everyone's assistance."
"Pay more attention to your options from now on. Once you have a target in mind, tell us right away. I can't promise anything about a more dangerous target, but if we're careful, the four of us should have little trouble with Monsters that have a 7★ Danger Rating." Altaïr laughed.
Beside them, Isis offered an excited suggestion. "Kirin! What about Kirin? Gael has used that set. She said it performs very well, especially with Elemental Ammo!"
Having once had the honor of seeing the famous Kirin Armor, Nymera's expression changed. "Kirin is a sacred beast. We should refrain from offending it."
The Armor Set might not reveal more skin than the Shell Set, but it was on another level when it came to sex appeal.
Nymera was no Fashion Hunter who prioritized appearance above all else, but given the choice, she still hoped her next Armor Set would look a little more conservative.
"What a shame..." Isis looked disappointed.
Armor design had to suit the wearer too. Kirin Armor would look odd on someone like Isis. Nymera, on the other hand, was beautiful and had a great figure. She would look amazing in a Kirin set...
"All right, Nymera can decide what Armor Set she wants later. First, let's go to the Workshop and collect our new equipment. Mine should be nearly finished too."
After that, Nymera obviously could not return to bed.
After finishing Kamura Village's characteristically light breakfast, the group headed to the Workshop, where the forge fires burned day and night.
—--
At the sight of them, Hibasa broke into a smug smile. "There you are! Both pieces of equipment are among our Workshop's finest work.
The Light Bowgun or the Armor Set, which would you like to see first?"
"Let's see the Bowgun first," Altaïr answered before Nymera could, earning a speechless look from her.
"All right, follow me." Hibasa led the group into the Workshop's inner room.
A slender Bowgun, platinum-white and black, rested on the workbench, seemingly just assembled.
"Fäulnis/Vertu. That's her name." Hibasa made no attempt to hide his pride. "She's a general-purpose Light Bowgun compatible with nearly every type of non-elemental Ammo.
Her power is first-rate and her ammo capacity is fairly average, but neither of those is the crucial point.
Her greatest advantage is support for firing and reloading many types of Bowgun Ammo while moving. She can also Rapid Fire four types: Normal Ammo,
Pierce Ammo, Spread Ammo, and Exhaust Ammo.
Impressive, isn't she?"
"She truly is..." Nymera gently ran a hand over the ornately styled Bowgun.
Nymera might not have been driven by an intense desire to grow stronger, but what Gunner could turn down such a beautiful and powerful Bowgun?
"Oh, right. Perhaps because the materials themselves hold the Chaotic Gore Magala's endless resentment, she rejects other living things to some extent, causing problems such as disrupted energy transmission.
She won't jam, but the disruption may throw a shot slightly off course. If the wielder carries the Frenzy Virus, however, the rejection vanishes and she becomes even easier to handle. (No Frenzy infection: -20% Affinity; Frenzy infection: +10% Affinity.)
Any interest in becoming infected? We've already refined a high-quality Wystone, so it's quite safe."
"I'm fine." Nymera pulled a Wystone from inside her collar and held it up. "Actually, I became infected during the fight against the Chaotic Gore Magala. I thought it might come in handy someday, so I kept a trace of it and never cleared it completely."
"Oh, perfect!"
Altaïr, Isis, and Morgan could only stare at them in baffled silence.
What was wrong with the people in this village?