"Belle, is there something special about Crete Hollow? The Ether concentration is already pretty high, but there are hardly any Ethereals around?"
Andrew was wearing a full set of armor and a tachi crafted from the materials of a Dullahan. The jet-black material was streaked with fluorescent green stripes, fused with refined iron to create the full set of gear that was Andrew's greatest achievement over the past three months.
To meet the system's standards for green-rarity equipment, an untold number of Dullahans had met a grisly end at Andrew's hands.
But it was all worth it. This proved that his idea of using Ethereal materials combined with forging techniques from the world of Monster Hunter to create brand-new equipment was completely viable!
And the fact that his first crafted set was only green-rarity?
Well, every great journey begins with a single step.
"The H.D.D. system hasn't detected any anomalous data. It's possible someone just cleared this area out recently and new Ethereals haven't spawned yet."
Belle, still controlling Eous, which was sitting on Andrew's right pauldron, said as she checked and analyzed the newly collected Hollow data from their surroundings.
"By the way, is this that armor you said you were going to make two months ago?"
Hearing this, Andrew immediately puffed up with pride. After all, what's the point of forging new gear if you don't show it off? It'd be like wearing the finest silks in the dead of night.
Though part of today's mission was to gather new materials and find the Ethereal Nicole mentioned, the bigger reason was to take his newly forged set out for a test run and draw some blood.
"Of course! What do you think? Pretty cool, huh?"
"Super cool! But I remember you were begging me to take you into the Hollows every single day to make this set. Just how many Dullahans did you have to hunt for it?"
"Can you remember how many slices of bread you've eaten in your life?"
Seeing Andrew suddenly strike a bizarre pose, Belle realized he was having one of his moments and ignored whatever he said next.
After having Eous jump down from his shoulder, Belle took a closer look at Andrew's gear. She had to admit, the armor looked fiercely cool on the tall Andrew.
The black and metallic silver complemented each other perfectly, while the inherent fluorescent green lines from the Ethereal material highlighted the divisions between them, giving it the sleek look of a personalized exoskeletal mech-suit.
Because the Dullahan's form was slender, the armor Andrew crafted from its materials was similarly form-fitting. On Andrew's lean but tall frame, it made him look even more statuesque.
Coupled with its slim, angular lines, it exuded a certain elegance.
The tachi on his back was the newly forged Dullahan Tachi. Fusing two of the creature's arm blades as materials brought it to the size of an Iron Katana, and the massive blade slung across his back gave him the aura of a master swordsman.
Adding to that, the words Andrew had just spoken, combined with his unique pose, gave him a kind of roguish charisma. For a moment, Belle was a little starstruck.
Too bad such a handsome face had to have a mouth.
"Ah, that felt good. I've been waiting to say that for so long."
Andrew, who was just having fun with a reference, had no idea what was going through Belle's mind. He turned back and saw her staring at him, a bit dazed.
Assuming she was just confused by his weird jokes, Andrew didn't think much of it. He scooped Belle up, placed her back on his shoulder, and started walking.
"Hah, don't worry about it. You know I'm not originally from New Eridu, so it's normal if you don't get some of the things I say. If you're interested, I can tell you all about it. It's a fantastic story."
Though slightly exasperated by Andrew's mouth, the promise of a story made Belle immediately forget her annoyance and her curiosity piqued.
"What is it?! Quick, tell me!"
"You're interested? Great."
Since the path to the high-energy target was almost clear of Ethereals anyway, and seeing Belle's interest, Andrew was in the mood for some storytelling. He cleared his throat and began recounting the tale with dramatic flair.
"Ahem, it all begins with the story of a rich young master bullying a poor but ambitious young man..."
——————
"Whoa! You jerk! That was total clickbait! You're the worst!! Ugh... but JoJo was such a good person, and you made him die at the end!"
The first part of JoJo, Phantom Blood, isn't very long, so it didn't take Andrew much time to give her the general gist of the plot.
Realizing she'd been tricked, an angry Belle started flailing her Bangboo's short arms, furiously thumping them against Andrew's helmet to vent her frustration.
It was hard to say if it was because Andrew's initial title had made her suspicious of JoJo from the start, or because of the heroic yet sudden sacrifice JoJo made in the end of his telling.
"Hey, stop hitting me! I'm not apologizing this time. Tell me, was any part of my description inaccurate?!"
Seeing Andrew's shamelessness, Belle couldn't help but tap his helmet a couple more times with the Bangboo's little arms. But honestly, with a Bangboo's strength, it was less like venting anger and more like a playful pout.
Seeing that her venting was fruitless, Belle huffed indignantly.
"It was accurate. Way too accurate. So accurate I'm speechless. When you get back, I'm definitely coming over to your place to freeload a huge dinner!"
"Haha, I'd be more than happy to have you. For me, even if you ate your fill, it'd be a flesh wound at worst. But remember to bring a portion for your brother. Can't have you feasting while he's stuck at home eating General Chop's ramen."
Before he could finish his sentence, Andrew stomped his foot, crushing a lone Electro Spiderling before it could leap. At the same time, he bent down and yanked out the gland it used for explosions just before it dissipated.
Although the two had been chatting and joking the whole way, Andrew's constantly scanning eyes and occasionally twitching ears showed he had never let his guard down.
All dangers were locked onto long before they appeared, and the moment they showed themselves was the moment they vanished from this world.
Sitting on his shoulder, constantly protected, Belle couldn't help but marvel at the sense of security Andrew gave to the Proxies who accompanied him in the Hollows.
"Speaking of which, the protagonist from that story, I usually call him the first JoJo, has many more stories after him. The later stories are about his descendants, and each one is more exciting than the last."
Hearing there was more, Belle's eyes instantly lit up.
"There's more?! Quick, tell me! I'm so curious."
Andrew reveled in the satisfying feeling of successfully getting someone hooked on something he loved. But at the same time, he eagerly awaited her reaction when she heard the plot of Part 6.
The last time he'd been this excited was when he recommended JoJo Part 3 to a friend, just waiting for them to see the scene of Avdol's first sacrifice.
-
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