Seeing Surtr's expression, Steven immediately knew that getting his hands on a weapon like hers was probably out of the question.
She definitely didn't seem like the type to give it up willingly.
Letting out a sigh of regret, he glanced at [Yamato] in his hands.
'It's fine. A little shorter is still great.'
Comforting himself with that thought, Steven went back to lying under the sun, waiting for his ride.
To be honest, the thing that attracted him most about Surtr was her sword.
It's not like he was checking her out or anything.
—Even though, admittedly, she was pretty easy on the eyes.
Meanwhile, Surtr, noticing that Steven had stopped asking about Laevatain, simply lay back down as well.
She showed no intention of continuing her journey anytime soon.
"Didn't you say you were a traveler?" Steven asked lazily. "I'm waiting for my ride—what are you waiting for?"
"Waiting to see when you'll eat. Got any more of those popsicles?"
The two of them lay around like lazy fish, casually chatting without even opening their eyes.
It was hard to believe they had just met—they talked like old friends who had known each other for years.
The reason?
Neither of them had any airs about them.
Both were laid-back and easygoing, which made their conversation feel effortless.
"You really like popsicles that much? Or don't tell me—you're traveling just to eat?"
"Ice cream works too. And honestly, you're not wrong. I have no idea why I'm traveling. Maybe searching for good food is as good a reason as any?"
Surtr curled up even further in her seat.
She was so small that she could completely nestle into the chair, looking like a red cat napping on a couch.
"Food isn't free, you know." Steven finally opened one eye to glance at her.
"You want some? Then what are you offering in return?"
She was acting like she planned to stick around, which was a little too casual, even for him.
"Hmm, true. But I don't have any money."
Surtr rummaged through her empty little pouch, confirming what was already obvious.
She didn't seem bothered by this fact at all.
"How about this? Is there anything you need done? Any enemies you want taken care of?"
She stretched lazily.
"I'm pretty strong. If I eat your food, I'll help you with something in return. That way, you're not losing out, right?"
Steven's eyes lit up at her words.
He immediately sat up, intrigued, and turned to look at her.
His excitement was obvious.
Surtr noticed his sudden interest and opened her own eyes, studying him carefully.
There was no greed or lust in his gaze.
Instead, it was pure curiosity—and oddly enough, his focus wasn't entirely on her.
"It's not 'anything' though." She tilted her head slightly.
"I have my own principles. Why don't you tell me what you need first?"
She waited for his answer.
After all, the popsicle he had given her was honestly one of the best things she'd ever tasted.
If it wasn't, she wouldn't have made this kind of offer.
Steven hesitated for a moment.
For once, a rare look of awkwardness and embarrassment appeared on his face.
"To be honest…"
"I want to touch your sword—Oh, wait, I mean, your staff."
Steven had an intense curiosity for anything that looked cool—just like a kid who loved toys.
Whether it was Kal'tsit's Mon3tr or the staff of the girl in front of him, he simply couldn't resist the allure of something that was both badass and practical.
"Huh?"
Surtr frowned, staring at him with even more confusion.
Was there something wrong with this guy?
Sure, Laevatain was undeniably cool and eye-catching, but shouldn't his main focus be on her, the beautiful girl wielding it?
Was his "preferences system" malfunctioning or something?
"I don't think that's gonna happen."
Shaking her head decisively, Surtr rejected his request.
"Laevatain is my partner, not just a weapon. It's always been by my side, and I believe it has a will of its own. How could I just let someone like you touch it so casually?"
Even though Steven didn't seem like the type to do anything weird with her staff, she still respected Laevatain too much to just hand it over.
"What a shame."
Steven sighed in disappointment.
"I wasn't just offering watermelon popsicles, you know. I also have strawberry ice cream, honey apple slushies… Looks like I'll have to enjoy them all by myself."
To prove he wasn't bluffing, he reached into his bag and pulled out a cup of strawberry ice cream, casually enjoying it in front of her.
Surtr's resolve wavered immediately.
Even though she had firmly rejected him, her tone had already hinted at one thing—
He needed to pay more.
And now, seeing the mysterious and delicious-looking ice cream in his hands, she hesitated even more.
It looked… even better than the popsicle she had before.
And what was honey apple slush?
Some kind of special flavor?
She licked her lips.
She wasn't even hungry, but her curiosity and craving for something new made her restless.
"Well... you don't really seem like a bad guy."
Surtr finally gave in.
"And knowing Laevatain's personality, it probably wouldn't mind being admired. If you're just looking, I guess… it's not totally impossible."
She stood up from her seat and moved closer to Steven.
Her eyes, however, weren't on him.
They were locked onto the ice cream in his hands.
Steven smirked.
He had predicted this outcome from the start.
Without hesitation, he pulled out the promised ice-cold treats and placed them in front of her.
"You said it yourself. No take-backs."
To Steven, spending a little EMC points to satisfy his curiosity was a small price to pay.
Pushing the ice cream toward Surtr, Steven eagerly rubbed his hands together and moved closer to the sword resting beside her.
"Be careful."
Surtr warned, still happily debating which ice cream to start with.
"Laevatain has its own defense mechanism. If you touch it the wrong way, it might—"
Laevatain had quite the temper.
If just anyone tried to touch it, they would be met with a vicious backlash—one of the reasons Surtr had no problem letting Steven take a look.
After all, Laevatain was no ordinary staff.
However, before Surtr could even finish her warning, Steven had already grabbed the hilt of the long blade and lifted it straight into the air.
The very next second, a raging inferno engulfed him entirely.
"Laevatain!"
Surtr let out a small gasp.
She hadn't expected him to be able to lift it at all.
Laevatain was far heavier than it looked, and lifting it so suddenly had likely angered the weapon itself.
What shocked her even more, though, was what happened next.
Before she could even tell Laevatain to extinguish its flames, Steven—completely swallowed by fire—simply took a sip of something as if he were having a casual drink.
Then, the flames gradually died down, revealing the boy's completely unharmed figure.
Surtr stared in disbelief.
Not only was Steven completely unburned, but he was also smiling.
With fire still dancing around his body, he casually swung the massive blade through the air.
'Damn.'
'This actually looked insanely cool.'
A blinding arc of fire streaked across the sky, leaving a stunning afterimage as if it had sliced through space itself.
Steven, on the other hand, didn't seem the least bit strained.
Sure, the weapon was heavier than he had anticipated, but…
Weight?
To Minecrafter?
That wasn't a problem.
As for the flames?
Yeah, they were hotter than regular fire—definitely something not to be taken lightly.
But Steven?
He had chugged a fire resistance potion before picking up the sword.
At this point, he had completely forgotten what the word "fire" even meant.
The only issue was…
If he had to drink a potion every time he wanted to use this thing, then that was gonna be a pain.
He swung it around a few more times, only to feel a violent tremor run through the blade, as if it was rejecting him.
Seeing this, Steven didn't force it.
Instead, he plunged it back into the permafrost beside him, letting it stand upright.
"It's a good sword. But it's not my bound equipment."
With his curiosity satisfied, Steven gave his final verdict.
"It doesn't feel as smooth to use as I imagined."
There was definitely some kind of power hidden within it, but since he couldn't access it, it was just a fancy-looking weapon to him.
Honestly?
Kinda flashy, but not that practical.
As the last embers of flame fizzled out on his body, Steven found himself appreciating his own weapon a little more.
At least [Yamato] didn't require him to chug a potion just to hold it, right?
And if you really thought about it, [Yamato] wasn't bad-looking either.
Sure, it was a little understated, but…
That was just part of its charm.
In the end?
Yeah. His own weapon was actually pretty great.
<+>
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