"No way… Radiant Solreia, you're the key to defeating the beetle emperors?" Pepper mutters.
"This is huge…" Bilac adds.
"Sure is, Bilac-neesan…" Aitouil agrees.
After the meeting with Weissash, the trio returns to the rest room. Pepper pulls Radiant Solreia, a unique legacy weapon from the Radiant Series, from his inventory, placing it for all to see. Its sky-blue design, cloud-like white wing patterns, golden lightning bandages, drill-like spikes, and raptor-claw toes scream unique craftsmanship.
Trying to equip it, Pepper hears a "bzzzt" sound effect—stat requirements unmet: Level 40, Strength 85, Technique 70. "It's screaming 'go full muscle-brain,' but thanks to the collar, I can hit the level cap and equip it… though I need points in Agility and Dexterity too," he sighs. As a Backpacker, Agility and Stamina are vital, bolstered by skills like Body Purge (halves durability for agility) and Over Top Beat (doubles Strength and Agility for 3 minutes, with heavy drawbacks).
"For now, let's head to Eiko Saisho's Dead Volcano Lake for Bluelet Rock and the Gear Mechanism Weissash mentioned. Bilac-san, can you hold the Radiant Series and Solreia?" Pepper asks.
"Got it, leave it to me. Also, take me along. Seeing the Radiant Series got me curious about its final form," Bilac replies, eager to witness it as a blacksmith succeeding her father.
"Alright, Aitouil, Bilac-san, let's head out once ready," Pepper says. Bilac stores the gear at her forge, Aitouil hides in Pepper's cloak, and Bilac returns disguised as a fur coat clinging to him. Using Aitouil's gate to Thirdrema's back alley, Pepper activates Over Top Beat, blazing through the city in a black streak, passing the gate to Dead Volcano Lake in two minutes. With one minute left, he moves far enough to wait out the skill's debuff and recast timer, then proceeds on foot.
Eiko Saisho's Dead Volcano Lake offers two routes:
Navigate the ancient mine tunnels inside the volcano to reach the area boss, Raging Mountain Goat-Deer Dickhorn (gazelle head, buffalo horns, goat fur/body), on the other side. Climb the mountain, circle half the crater, descend, and face the boss.
The climbing route seems faster, but it's a trap. The mountain's slopes host Brookeslumber, pelican-beaked, ostrich-bodied monsters. They stalk players relentlessly, capture them, carry them to the crater's edge, and drop them into the lake for an unavoidable fall death. With high speed, endless stamina, and tanky health, these monsters hunt in packs of five or more, making escape futile for early-game gear. Spotting them equals death.
Thus, the "proper" strategy is the safer tunnel route, navigating the labyrinthine mines to reach the boss.
"Up close, this mountain's massive—2000 meters high?" Pepper marvels.
"Always huge…" Aitouil says.
"Damn right," Bilac agrees.
At the base of the once-active volcano, the trio gazes at its towering form, sharing their awe.
"So, Pepper, what's the plan? Hunt Bluelet Rock in the tunnels?" Bilac asks.
"We can mine later. The Gear Mechanism is unique, so let's find it first," Pepper replies.
"But we don't know where it is, and the boss didn't say," Aitouil notes.
Likely Weissash's hint to figure it out himself. Pepper, however, has a hunch. "I've got a lead on its location. Let's climb while I explain."
With his cloak fluttering, Bilac as a fur coat, and Aitouil tucked under his arm, Pepper begins the ascent.
"Normally, you'd hide something in a dungeon's deepest trap-laden chamber. But a skilled pioneer would find it eventually. She—the creator—likely considered that," Pepper reasons, stepping firmly up the slope, piecing together the woman's mindset who crafted the flight solution.
"Dungeons get conquered someday… it's fate," Aitouil muses.
"So where'd she hide it, Pepper?" Bilac presses.
"Records from the Library clan say this volcano once spewed lava and ash, blanketing the region. If I were her, I'd hide it on the crater's inner wall," Pepper deduces.
"Inside the crater!?" Aitouil gasps.
"It'd melt!" Bilac protests.
Aitouil's shock is understandable, Bilac's objection logical. Nature's unpredictable; even modern tech can't fully predict eruptions. Hiding it there risks permanent loss.
"Exactly, Bilac-san. She likely planned for the worst: if evil found the other components, leaving only the Gear Mechanism, she hid it where only the worthy could reach," Pepper explains. "An active volcano's toxic gases, lava, and ash make it nearly inaccessible. If someone reached it, a trap would drop them into the volcano, destroying the mechanism to keep it from the wrong hands."
Her resolve: if misused, her dream dies with it. "She'd rather it be lost than fall to evil," Pepper concludes.
"Makes sense… I'd do the same," Bilac admits.
"She had a Vorpal soul…" Aitouil says, hinting at a noble spirit.
The meaning of "Vorpal soul" remains unclear—perhaps courage or honor? Pepper shelves the thought, focusing on the climb to the silent crater's edge, once filled with lava, ash, and gas.
Consider Every Possibility
Radiant Solreia: A unique legacy gauntlet from the Radiant Series, found in a hidden room's box in the Ancient Iron Ruins. Weissash notes it can function without all three components but is dormant, awakenable by a massive attack from Tyranid Giraffa and Kaiserion Caucasus. Its design blends Genesis GaoGaiGar's Spiral and Straight Gao legs with Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap's Pegasus Boots, recolored in sky-blue.
Brookeslumber: A pelican-beaked, ostrich-bodied monster in Eiko Saisho's Dead Volcano Lake. Always in packs of five or more, they relentlessly chase players like police dogs, carry them to the crater's edge, and drop them into the lake for instant fall death. Escape is nearly impossible, making the climbing route a death trap. Modeled after Looney Tunes' Road Runner and Pokémon's Cramorant.
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