Utopia

A ideal place that doesn’t exist in this world.

The name resonated more deeply with me than with others.

‘Well, in a way, this world is utopia to me.’

Honestly, I think it would have been difficult to find contentment no matter how hard I tried in the world I originally came from. That world isn’t particularly kind to an orphan without a single university diploma.

But this place is a world where effort is rewarded as it should be in a game. Before the transmigration, things I never even dreamed of were possible.

“But that doesn’t mean it’s just like a dream.”

A world destined for destruction.

To protect that utopia, there’s much to prepare for and much to overcome in the future.

Choosing a name for the party now is just the beginning.

But now, it feels like we’ve taken a proper step forward, and I’m feeling quite sentimental.

“Yeah, let’s name our party Utopia.”

And so, the name of our party was decided as Utopia.

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I left the registration of the party and the reservation of the dungeon we’ll conquer tomorrow to Sin Se-hee.

“So, is this how the party inauguration ends, junior?”

I glanced at Sin Se-hee at Lim Ga-eul’s words.

Quick on the uptake, she quickly sent a message on her phone.

And then, a moment later.

Knock, knock, knock—

With polite knocks, the door opened, and Sin Se-hee’s secretary came in with several boxes on a cart.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

White boxes laid out in front of each of us.

“Huh?”

“What’s this?”

“Boxes…?”

Doubt filled the eyes of the party members.

Ahem.

Sin Se-hee cleared her throat from behind, gathering attention.

“First, these are various potions and basic equipment for tomorrow’s dungeon conquest. I’ve also included emergency supplies just in case.”

Inside the boxes were neatly arranged items ranging from ropes and lighters to flashlights, sleeping bags, various potions, monster repellents, first aid supplies, and bandages.

Following Sin Se-hee’s instructions, I opened my box and placed its contents into my dimensional tattoo. Despite already containing a moonlight, there was still plenty of space left, perhaps due to its compressed nature.

The other party members followed suit, each storing their share into their respective dimensional tattoos.

And then, there were still three boxes left on the table.

“Um, and… this is, well… a token of gratitude for joining my party. It’s a symbol of trust for the future…”

I scratched my cheek sheepishly.

“First off, Kang Do-hee.”

I handed her the medium-sized box among the three placed on top.

“Ahem.”

Kang Do-hee, seemingly unaccustomed to receiving gifts, took the box with a hesitant expression.

“Go ahead, open it.”

“Alright, I got it.”

Rustle.

She elegantly unwrapped the box and her eyes widened as she inspected the contents inside.

“What…!?”

Long black socks with white insoles, a peculiar type of shoe. In truth, apart from excellent comfort when worn and being almost weightless, it was difficult to find any special features about the shoes. However, I was confident that this was the best gift for her.

“It’s an affinity item for Kang Do-hee, you see.”

After all, she’s the type who detests wearing anything complicated or heavy on her hands or feet.

“Speed Stars…!?”

Kang Do-hee exclaimed with a surprised expression, which was quite rare for her calm demeanor.

She removed the shoes she was wearing on the spot and put on the new ones.

Swoosh. Swoosh.

She jumped up from her seat.

“This is insane! How did you get these? They usually sell out as soon as they’re released…”

Excited, Kang Do-hee looked at me with eyes filled with gratitude.

“I went there the day they came in, and there was one left. Do you like it? I thought there wouldn’t be anything better for you.”

“Your cooking and naming skills might not be great, but this is definitely… Well, I’ll put them to good use.”

Kang Do-hee turned her head and said in a low voice.

A guy who always adds a little something extra while pretending to be indifferent. Let’s see you in anti-personal combat class.

Next, I pushed a small box towards Lim Ga-eul.

“Huh? Wha- Junior!? But I already received the highest-grade mana stone…”

Lim Ga-eul didn’t think there would be a gift for her, so she waved her hands in confusion.

“That’s a prerequisite for activating senior’s abilities. Besides, seniors can’t use mana stones as weapons.”

“Huh!?”

“Here you go. Even if you’re a support, does it make sense not to carry at least one auxiliary weapon to protect yourself?”

“But, but I don’t have any talent for weapons…!”

I know.

Lim Ga-eul, as a support, is a high-priority pick, but she’s really picky when it comes to auxiliary weapons. Even if you give her something decent, she won’t be able to perform even 10% of the weapon’s capabilities.

So when I found this item, I felt a thrill.

“What’s this? Looks like a dagger from the size.”

Lim Ga-eul examined the box and then opened the lid.

“Gloves?”

It was a leather half-glove, with the fingers protruding when worn.

“But I can’t even do martial arts…?”

She raised her head with a bewildered expression.

“I’m not planning to teach you martial arts, so try wearing it once. And you have a mana stone, right?”

“Oh, yeah. I do.”

Lim Ga-eul put on the gloves with a skeptical look and clenched her fist.

Patch!

“Wow!?”

Swoosh—

In an instant, the box in front of her was sliced as cleanly as tofu.

“W-what is this!?”

Lim Ga-eul couldn’t hide her astonishment with wide eyes filled with green light.

I looked at her like that and smirked.

“I didn’t expect to find one of the Shadow Eye Blackout sets there.”

An item among the ones that support Lim Ga-eul could use, quite conceptual. It was originally an item that only came out through gacha.

The Shadow Eye Blackout set.

A weapon used by characters in novels or comics who always laugh nonchalantly in the presence of danger.

‘Shadow’

In other words, it was gloves capable of extracting mana threads with cutting power.

Since you can simply swing your hand towards the target to attack, it’s easy to use.

‘Well, it’s not particularly powerful, and its trajectory is simple, so it’s not suitable for dealers.’

But there’s no better weapon for a support or healer with a lot of mana.

Lim Ga-eul, who is originally useless with weapons, and can use mana from mana stones, is also backed by enough mana.

The scene of her putting on the leather gloves and creating the thread had a touching feeling to it.

‘Yeah, she sure looks like a character from a drawing.’

Clap, clap, clap—

I applauded, and the other party members joined in.

Then Lim Ga-eul’s face turned crimson.

Seems like she realized that the weapon she wore was something straight out of a fantasy mix of a second-year middle school student. (Chūnibyō)

“Huh, junior, I can’t have something like this, seriously!”

“If I find an eyepatch and a cloak later on, I’ll definitely give them to you.” (Megumin is that you? LoL)

“Junior!!!”

That’s your assignment, Lim Ga-eul. Accept it with joy.

‘I’ll have to perfectly match the Shadow Eye Blackout set later on.’

I chuckled inwardly, thinking about how Lim Ga-eul would freak out if she knew.

So after driving Lim Ga-eul away with the question of whether she had any weapons she could use if she didn’t use that, there remained the largest box.

I extended it towards our tank, Soup.

“Huh…? Me? But Sin Se-hee hasn’t received hers yet, right?”

“Hehe, I already got mine.”

Sin Se-hee proudly extended her chest as if to boast. A bright red butterfly glimmered from her chest.

“I already received a gift that I really like. Come on, Soup. Open it.”

“…Uh, okay.”

With that, Yoo-ri reluctantly opened the box.

And what appeared was a large silver cross.

“Hmm? What’s this? Is it like a secondary weapon…?”

Yoo-ri spoke about the unexpected item, and I replied, taking her words into consideration.

“A shield you’ll be using from now on.”

“…This is, a shield?”

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When Yoo-ri first heard Jin Yuha call it a shield, she thought he was joking.

‘…This is a shield?’

A huge cross almost the size of a person.

It was a weapon whose form didn’t quite fit the definition of a shield, unlike if it were a weapon you swung by holding the short end of the cross.

“Doesn’t the center of the cross have a handle?”

Turning her gaze towards the center at Jin Yuha’s words, indeed, there was a handle attached, just like the handle of the shield she usually used.

“Anyway, want to try holding onto that handle?”

Yoo-ri placed her hand on the handle in the center of the cross. The grip felt snug, clearly indicating it was an expensive item.

However, she still had no idea how she was supposed to block enemy attacks with this.

If it was called a shield, it should be used to block or deflect enemy attacks. However, this shield was far from fulfilling that purpose.

Of course, with the cross-shaped frame, she could probably block some attacks to a certain extent, but if an attack came through the empty space, her body would be fully exposed to it.

“Hey, do you see a button above the handle?”

As she inspected the top of the handle, she saw a small button as Jin Yuha mentioned.

“Try pressing it.”

Click.

Then…

Whoosh—

A translucent barrier unfolded with a sound.

The barrier spread between the framework of the cross, transforming into a shape similar to the rectangular shield she used before.

“…!?”

“It’s a mana shield. Basically, the durability on the side opposite the frame is replenished and repaired frequently with the surrounding mana, so you won’t need frequent repairs. And the shield itself should have better defense than what you used before.”

“Ah…”

“And, this is also the optimal shield for you. Do you know why?”

Of course, she did.

Yoo-ri quickly understood why Jin Yuha had given her this gift.

Beyond the translucent shield…

She could see Jin Yuha’s face.

“Your main defense technique is usually about deflecting or evading enemy attacks. With this, even if you cover your vision with the shield, you can still see enemy attacks.”

Ah.

Truly…

“…If he’s giving me something like this, what am I supposed to do?”

Yoo-ri looked at Jin Yuha with trembling eyes.