38, Forging Flames and Fairy Gates

It seemed the magic cast at the entrance to the pirate's treasure was still active. How convenient... the Final Terminal.

"Phoebe, are you okay...?"

"Y-yes... it was extremely hot, but I'm alive..."

I confirmed Phoebe's safety. Unlike during the battle with the giant centipede, she showed no signs of burns. Thank goodness.

On the anvil lay a sword made of translucent red crystal, light enough to wield with one hand. It had taken shape as a falchion.

Somehow, I managed to stay upright and successfully repaired the Fairy Gate Key.

**Fairy Gate Key (Fire)**

- **Attribute:** Fire

- **Status:** Attack Power +5, Magic Power +30

- **Special Effect:** MP Tank (400/400), Equipment Restriction: Fairy Blessing

- **Special Skills:** Fairy Fire Gate, Blade of Flame

The key, repaired with the help of Lena and Phoebe, is shaped like a falchion. While its physical blade lacks sharpness, its enchanted edge can incinerate many things. Additionally, it serves as a key that connects to the fairies' homeland.

**Special Effect: MP Tank (400/400)**

This weapon can store MP, allowing for a maximum of 400 to be accumulated. It can be used simultaneously with the owner's MP when activating special skills.

**Special Skill: Fairy Fire Gate**

This skill expends all MP to unleash the power of fire from nature through the Fairy Gate. The more MP consumed, the greater the fire's strength and range. The MP used for this skill comes only from the owner's MP and the weapon's MP tank.

**Special Skill: Blade of Flame**

Infuses the blade with fire magic. Each attack consumes 3 MP from the MP tank.

I examined the repaired Fairy Gate Key. Its stats are entirely magical, with special abilities limited to the Fairy Blessing restriction and the MP tank. The tank's capacity exceeds my current maximum MP, and the presence of special skills intrigues me…

Fairy Fire Gate—an attack that utilizes all my MP—this is indisputably a powerful ultimate skill.

I received a notification: *"The subclass of Fairy Gate Apprentice has advanced to Fairy Gate Engineer. Consequently, the recipe for the Fairy Gate Key has been updated."*

Ah, I've just acquired the subclass apprentice…

"What is this MP tank? It's about the same as one advanced magic class! And the fairy gate—if we use up all of Lena's MP and the MP tank, the power will be insane."

"Hmm, this is quite an impressive weapon… The gear from the number quest is completely unbalanced."

The leader casually comments on the performance of the fairy gate key with a discerning eye, while Rhea steals a glance at what the leader is assessing… So she can eavesdrop, huh? Is it because they're on the same team? Just how much does Rhea know?

"Hey, Phoebe… Was the previous owner of the fairy gate key a guy who referred to himself as 'I'?"

"Yes… it seems Lena heard him too. He was a strong swordsman we knew, the fairy in charge of the fairy gate. When he helped us escape…"

It appears that the unknown male voice I heard just before finishing up was also audible to Phoebe. Given the emotion behind that voice, when the damaged fairy gate key was pierced by the giant centipede, his life was already…

"What was the fairy's name?"

"His name was Caleb, a red-haired fairy who helped countless people with their troubles."

Caleb… if I were to write it in kanji, it might be 火光.

"Then let's name this sword 'Hikage'… I've definitely received the swordsman's will."

Holding the sword and naming it… With Archie, the shovel, in my right hand and Hikage, the falchion, in my left. The appearance is a bit… no, it's quite odd, but this will do just fine.

"Hey, Lena, dual-wielding is a skill that really takes time to master. If you're not serious about becoming a true dual-wielder, I recommend alternating your weapons instead."

"Is that so...? Well, with Firelight, the basic attack relies on the Fire Blade skill, which consumes MP from my tank each time. Using my trump card, the Fairy Fire Gate, reduces its power, so it's not really suitable for regular use... it truly is a card meant for critical moments."

Additionally, the Mana Protect Jacket I'm wearing adjusts its defensive capabilities based on my current MP. If I use the Fairy Fire Gate, which consumes all my MP, my defense would drop to zero—a classic double-edged sword.

Caleb left this for me, so I'll put it to good use.

"Speaking of which, Phoebe, can we reach your homeland using Firelight?"

"…No, to get to my homeland, it isn't enough to have just one key. We need three keys and a large magic circle. Besides, by the time we gather all the keys, we'll likely encounter the monsters that attacked my hometown... but I think we can manage. So let's create the other two keys first! With your current skills, Lena, you should be able to craft them from scratch!"

"I see, so we need three... the security is pretty tight."

As I pondered Phoebe's words, a system screen materialized before me.

'Third Quest

Lies, Fairies, and the Key to the Fairy Gate

Success Conditions:

Use Firelight at the magic circle in the Spirit Ruins to reach Phoebe's homeland, or find some other way to get there.'

**Failure Conditions**

- Create three or more types of fairy gate keys.

- Travel to the fairy homeland with other players.

- Inform Phoebe about the Number Quest.

**Forced Termination Conditions**

- Death of Phoebe.

**Success Rewards**

- Guarantee of survival for some fairies known to Phoebe.

**Failure Penalties**

- None.

**Special Notes**

- By using fire light on the magic circle located at the innermost wall of the Soul Earth Ruins, you can be transported to Phoebe's homeland.

- Additionally, Phoebe's presence is mandatory for traveling to and from her homeland; one cannot change the restart point upon death until specific conditions are met.

The system screen notifying about the Number Quest lacked an option to refuse, unlike the First and Second quests. Moreover, Phoebe's statements seem contradictory. The Number Quest suggests that one can reach Phoebe's homeland with fire light alone.

It's unclear if Phoebe is lying or simply misinformed. I hope for the latter. Yet, Phoebe is terrified of the monsters that attacked her homeland and fears engaging in combat with me. This fear may lead her to fabricate stories to buy time to grow stronger.

Also, failing to act together with other players is part of the failure conditions; borrowing the powers of Lily and the leader in Phoebe's homeland appears to be off-limits, unless one is willing to forfeit the success rewards.

The success reward hinges on the survival of Phoebe's acquaintance. Given the circumstances, giving up isn't an option. What is this absurd number quest? The success guarantee is merely a vague assurance of survival for a select few—and the real concern is the specifics. No matter how many times I read it, the conclusion is clear: if I die in Phoebe's hometown, she'll be left behind, never to see me again, and everything will come to an end!

"Hey, Lena! Phoebe is worried about you!"

At the leader's voice, I glanced around. Phoebe was looking at me, her expression filled with concern. Did I look that terrible? The leader and Rhea wore serious faces. Could they have sensed, through their seasoned experience, that I was facing a number quest?

"Um, I'm just really hungry…"

"Ah, right. We should get lunch soon. I'll log out then… If there's anything I can do to help with your personal quest, let me know."

He agreed with my comment about hunger as he logged out, but his final words hinted that he realized I was caught up in a number quest.

"I need to eat too… Good luck, Lena."

Rhea logged out as well. I returned to Lily's home and was about to log out when Phoebe called out to me, stopping my finger just before it pressed the logout button.

"What's wrong, Phoebe?"

"Well… what happened? I can't believe you'd show such a face just from hunger. I mean, Lena isn't in a situation where she's experiencing extreme starvation, right?"

In reality, thanks to my parents, I've felt hunger before but never extreme deprivation.

"Did I really look that terrible...?"

"At the very least, it was a face that only appears when something serious is going on."

Well, my leader and Rhea saw right through it, so maybe I'm just easy to read? But if I tell Phoebe about the Number Quest, I risk triggering the failure conditions. Every previous Number Quest was rated by percentage; even a small hint could increase the failure rate, and probably lower the survival chances of someone Phoebe knows. Since the success rewards are so uncertain, it's hard to say for sure...

"I'm sorry, but I want to talk, I really do, but I can't… There are too many unknowns, and I don't want to give you any wrong information."

"...I understand. Please let me know when you're able to share."

I feel a twinge of guilt as Phoebe looks at me with trust in her eyes.

"Yeah, see you later."

With that, I logged out... What am I supposed to do about this Number Quest? Completing the success conditions is easy, but it goes completely against the goal Phoebe set.

There's a chance that my relationship with Phoebe might crack... I wish I could talk about the number quest, but if I do, I might meet the failure conditions and lose the rewards – fewer fairies saved... If that happens, Phoebe will surely regret what she heard, right?

I'm not sure how much I can tolerate failure conditions... I need to choose, I guess? I just don't know. Confused about what to do with the sudden number quest, I headed to eat lunch.

After I finished, my sister, Yuna, grilled me with questions. "So, what happened? You looked really troubled. What kind of crazy number quest did you get?"

"Well, I'll tell you about the number quest if you promise not to say anything to Phoebe. But how did you know?"

"I won't say anything. I'd rather avoid a sibling fight... And it's pretty obvious just by looking at your face."

Nodding, Yuna listened as I explained the situation with Lily's absence and Rhea's presence, along with the details about the third quest. I was overwhelmed with confusion, but I managed to get the information out.

"A number quest that goes against Phoebe's principles... that's tough. There might be no penalty for failure, but essentially, it's like Phoebe's acquaintances are taken hostage... For you to keep a secret, brother, that's such a risky number quest."

"Well, I don't usually keep secrets, so I'm not confident I can hide this... but I want to help Phoebe's acquaintance. So if possible, I'd like to keep the information about the number quest from her."

Damn, if the reward for success were negotiable, I'd gladly share everything with Phoebe…

"Hmm, at first I thought it would be better to tell Phoebe everything to avoid straining our relationship. But if I'm helping her acquaintance, it's crucial to first get Phoebe on board. If she suggested making three keys, I need to show her there are other ways so that she's truly convinced..."

"It's tough... Phoebe has fought monsters that attacked her homeland using her own strength, and she's worried about the risk of losing... Judging by her tone, she might even be reluctant to return to her hometown with her current abilities."

Hearing this, Yuna frowned deeply.

"Then it might be better to compromise. Even if we went to Phoebe's hometown without meeting any failure conditions, the inability to change the restart point from my home if we die means it wouldn't be a fight she could handle alone. Frankly, that's not a challenge for someone focused solely on production skills."

That's right, that could be the biggest issue. The leader has proven their strength through quests and has a skill level that doesn't seem typical for an intermediate production class, but it's still just that—intermediate. I can't afford to be overconfident.