Serin, the Monster Hunter of the Ikaya Mountain Range.
She admired the bow her new Master had made for her.
[ Ikaya, the Snowbound Tracker ]
It had a white bowstave made from White Scale Wood, Twin-headed Wolf hide wrapped around the stave, and a bowstring made from the Twin-headed Wolf’s tendon.
Its appearance was just like.
‘Ikaya…….’
The bow she had used back then, when she had been called the Monster Hunter.
It looked remarkably identical to Ikaya, the bow she had named after the mountain range.
And it was not merely similar in appearance.
The tension she felt when she drew the bowstring.
The grip of the leather-wrapped handle.
Everything resembled Ikaya, the weapon that had once been hers.
Of course, she had been involved in designing the weapon from the very beginning, but even so, she had not expected such a perfect weapon to be created.
And Ikaya was not all.
‘The dagger is also similar to the dagger I used.’
If there was one difference, it was that this dagger had been made from the fang of the Twin-headed Wolf.
The dagger she had used had been made from the material of an even stronger monster.
However, that could not be helped.
Aside from that, it was identical to the dagger she had once used.
He had even made not only her weapons, but also her armor to resemble what she used to wear as closely as possible.
After watching him make the weapons, she had understood that her Master’s skill was exceptional.
But this was a different matter.
There had been no need for him to go so far as to care about the design for her sake.
The fact that he had still paid attention to the design exactly as she wished meant.
‘Was he being considerate?’
Was this not consideration for her, who had been summoned to an unfamiliar place and assigned a duty?
The short recurve bow, the dagger carved from a monster’s fang.
Even the armor made like cold-weather clothing according to her request.
All of it was perfect.
It felt as though she had returned to the days of her prime.
The days when she had been active in the Ikaya Mountain Range.
Once she thought that.
“I will carry out my duty at once.”
Her motivation surged.
Her Master had done this much for her. She could not simply remain still.
Despite her Master’s attempt to stop her, she immediately ran toward the hunting ground.
As soon as she arrived at the hunting ground.
THWACK-THWACK!
She began firing arrows and clearing away the monsters nearby.
No, arrows were too precious to waste on monsters like these.
She could not waste arrows unnecessarily and ask her Master to make more for her.
SLASH!
So she began swinging her dagger.
Even that alone was powerful enough that the monsters collapsed, dying terrible deaths with screams the moment her dagger so much as grazed them.
After she cleared the monsters in the hunting ground in an instant.
[ Your level has increased. ]
A level-up message appeared.
If her level had risen, that also meant her Master’s level had risen.
“I have cleared them all, Master.”
She hoped this would be of at least some help to her Master.
Even after that, her hunt continued.
Whenever monsters appeared in the hunting ground, she entered and defeated them without a moment’s rest.
Then, in the middle of that.
Her Master called for her.
“Serin, could you come here for a moment?”
“Yes, Master.”
What could it be?
Had something displeased her Master?
Worried, she went to find him.
“This.”
“What is this, Master?”
Her Master held something out to her.
Its identity was.
“It is a scarf.”
“A scarf……?”
“You said you had lived in a cold place. The Three-tailed Fox hide you brought back happened to look just right, so I tried making one.”
“But…….”
“I made it more as an ornament, so it does not have any defense, but it should still be fairly useful. You do not have to wear it if you do not like it.”
It was a scarf.
A scarf made from the hide of a Three-tailed Fox.
The Three-tailed Fox.
Its name sounded somewhat grand, but in truth, it was a lowest-grade monster that could only use a little sorcery.
As such, the scarf’s performance was not particularly high, but.
“……Thank you, Master.”
The moment she wrapped the scarf around herself.
For the first time in so long, she felt warmth.
Not physical warmth, but emotional warmth.
A true warmth she had scarcely felt even when she was alive seemed to flow from this scarf.
At that moment.
She made a vow.
“I will do my utmost! Master!”
“Oh, there is no need to go that far. You must be hungry, so let us go eat.”
This time, she would do her utmost.
No, she would risk her life and do her utmost for her Master.
No matter what happened, she would protect her Master.
***
Thanks to Serin, my level rose quickly.
How quickly?
Her hunting speed was so fast that the hunting ground’s respawn rate could not keep up.
In other words, it could not match the speed at which monsters were created again.
And that was not all.
[ Goblin Saliva ][ Kobold Claw ]…….
Since she defeated so many monsters.
Serin brought back an enormous number of monster materials.
“This really is automatic hunting.”
My level rose and monster materials were obtained even when I stayed still.
Mining and Logging had at least been bearable, but if possible, I had never wanted to hunt.
That problem had been resolved perfectly.
On this pleasant day, I wondered what I should make first.
[ Three-tailed Fox Hide ]
Then one of the materials she had brought back caught my eye.
It had not been included in the armor, so I had not made one.
But she had said that she used to wear a scarf in the past.
Considering that she had been active in a cold snowy mountain range, that was only natural.
That was why.
“Should I make one for her?”
The thought came to me.
It was not that difficult anyway.
I immediately began crafting.
Naturally, there was no item such as a scarf in the Codex of items I could make.
[ Using the Special Crafting skill. ][ Please draw the blueprint for the specially crafted item. ]
So I began Special Crafting right away.
Creating the blueprint was not that difficult.
In the case of weapons or armor, I had to design the blueprint carefully while considering the center of gravity, the structure of the human body, and other such factors.
But a scarf did not require that kind of precision.
I roughly drafted a blueprint while thinking of scarves I had looked up online.
[ Blueprint drafting failed. ]
A message I had never seen before appeared.
Blueprint drafting had failed.
“What are the standards for this? I entered something almost identical to an existing product, so does it make sense for the completeness to be this low?”
I found it strange and asked Ember.
-It is because your Wisdom and Intellect stats are too low.
-Also, as you said, it was affected by your use of an existing product’s design as-is.
“……Am I not allowed to do that?”
-Special Crafting is, as the name suggests, special crafting.
-If you attempt mass-production-style crafting in that manner, it deviates from the purpose, so failure is inevitable.
That was the answer I received.
So this time, I began drafting the blueprint with greater care.
I recalled the original appearance Serin had told me about and modified the scarf’s design so that it would suit her better.
Then.
[ Blueprint complete. ]
Fortunately, I was able to complete the blueprint without issue this time.
After that, I selected the Three-tailed Fox Hide as the material.
[ Crafting begins. ]
CLANG!
I immediately began crafting.
Thankfully, it was not particularly difficult, so I was able to finish making it quickly.
[ Crafting is complete. ][ Crafting Evaluation: A ][ You have obtained ‘Three-tailed Fox Fur Scarf’. ]
I was able to make the item.
However.
“A-grade…… That is a little ambiguous.”
It was an item I intended to give to Serin as a gift, and giving her an A-grade item felt disappointing, so I began crafting once more.
This time, I paid special attention.
Fortunately.
[ Crafting is complete. ][ Crafting Evaluation: S ][ You have obtained ‘Three-tailed Fox Fur Scarf’. ]
I was able to make an S-grade scarf.
When I checked the item information, it had no attack power or defense since it was neither a weapon nor armor.
[ Three-tailed Fox Fur Scarf ]Form: NecklaceGrade: SRequirement: Serin, the Monster Hunter of the Ikaya Mountain RangeDescription: A warm fur scarf made using Three-tailed Fox Hide.Ability: Evasion Lv 2
“Oh?”
Still, it had one ability attached.
Evasion.
And level 2 Evasion at that.
At this level, it seemed fairly useful in actual combat as well, so I was quite satisfied.
After that, the scarf I had made first became awkward to keep.
Even though it was A-grade, it was still an item with ‘Evasion Lv 1’ attached.
It felt like a waste to throw it away.
“Should I try selling it?”
So I put it up on the Awakened Exchange.
There was no such item as a scarf on the Exchange, so the market price was ambiguous.
Even if it was called a scarf, its item type was Necklace, so I listed it at a price similar to necklaces with level 2 abilities.
After that, as soon as Serin arrived.
“……Thank you, Master.”
I handed her the scarf.
However.
“I will do my utmost! Master!”
Her reaction was beyond what I had expected.
I had not thought she would like it that much.
Seeing her so happy made me feel strangely sorry for Serin.
I did not know the details of the assistant system, but from what I had heard, it seemed to be a system that summoned the souls of people with exceptional power from other dimensions.
She had not been summoned to the place where she had lived, but to a completely different environment, and then she had been given a duty. How unfamiliar must it have felt?
Since I had at least made equipment similar to what she had worn, I hoped she would regain even a little emotional stability.
In that sense.
“You must be hungry, so let us go eat.”
I decided to prepare a proper meal for her, who had suddenly ended up in a position not unlike a foreign worker.
“Is there anything you want to eat?”
“Anything will be fine. In the snowy mountains, it was difficult to start a fire, so I sometimes tore into frozen meat.”
“Not something like that. Something proper. I have to eat too anyway.”
“In that case…… may I ask for a bowl of warm meat stew?”
“Stew?”
Stew, a Western soup dish.
While I wondered what I should order that would be similar to stew.
“Oh, this should be good.”
I was able to choose a menu item on a delivery app that suited it perfectly.
Not long after, the doorbell rang.
“Now, now, let us get everything ready!”
“Master, this is…….”
“Ah, this must be your first time seeing it, right? It is called braised short ribs. It is a little different from stew, but it should be delicious!”
The menu I had ordered.
Braised short ribs had arrived.
Since my appetite had grown, and since I did not know what she might like, I ordered as wide a variety as possible.
Soy Sauce Braised Pork Ribs, Gochujang Braised Pork Ribs, Soupy Braised Short Ribs that looked similar to stew because of its broth, and even Braised Beef Short Ribs.
“Thank you for the meal!”
With those laid out before us, we began eating in earnest.
The salty Braised Pork Ribs went perfectly with a bowl of rice.
Braised Pork Ribs had originally been a dish too expensive for me to order by myself.
I had wondered who would order something like this for delivery, but I had never expected that I would be the one doing it.
As I was eating, I saw Serin hesitate for a moment before carefully lifting her spoon.
What she chose was, as expected, the Soupy Braised Short Ribs.
It seemed to be because it looked similar to meat stew.
Then she carefully took a spoonful of the broth first.
“……!”
Her cold expression changed as her eyes widened in admiration.
Immediately afterward, she picked up a rib and ate it.
“Master, is this truly meat stew? How can meat be this tender? On top of that, the rich seasoning has seeped all the way deep into the meat!”
“It is delicious, right? Try the others too.”
“Thank you for the meal, Master!”
Amazed by the taste of the braised short ribs, she began trying not only the Soupy Braised Short Ribs but the other kinds as well.
Thankfully, it seemed she had used chopsticks before, because she handled them without hesitation.
She marveled at the taste of the Soy Sauce Braised Ribs.
She struggled with the spiciness after eating the Gochujang Braised Ribs.
Watching her enjoy the taste of braised short ribs made me feel rather proud.
However.
‘……She eats better than I expected.’
She had clearly said that she did not particularly need meals.
Yet her chopsticks would not stop moving.
At this rate, there would be nothing left for me to eat, so I also focused on the meal.
“Whew, that was good.”
“Thank you for the meal, Master!”
We were able to finish eating quickly.
Come to think of it, Serin’s expression seemed considerably brighter now.
I had thought of her only as a coolly aloof beauty, but I had not expected her to like food this much.
Then again, no one could resist thick, tender braised ribs.
After finishing the meal.
Out of habit, I checked the Awakened Community without thinking.
[ Breaking news! Breaking news! Breeeaking news! ]
[ The fur scarf Golden Ash is wearing hahaha ]
[ Wow, can Steel Hammer make accessories now too? ]
[ This is insane. It really is being sold by Steel Hammer? ]
[ This is seriously huge, is it not? ]
“……Huh?”
In the Awakened Community.
The ‘Three-tailed Fox Fur Scarf’ I had just put up for sale was causing an uproar.