The creaking of the wooden door I am opening is making this opening of a door even harder to stay silent than normal. I can feel the cheap build quality as everything creaks under my weight.
Once the door had finally finished opening, I saw the room I will be staying in for the foreseeable future.
In front of me there was a single nightstand, a dresser, and a wooden bed. The room is made of dark wood and there is a very small window at the end. Albeit, this room is fairly bleak, it is not much of a step down from my previous lodgings. I guess it just doesn't have that "home" feeling.
I placed my clothes and books inside of the dresser. Once everything was neatly sorted, I sat down on the bed. Dust puffed out as my weight shifted the covers. It isn't even seven A.M. yet, so people are still probably asleep. I wonder how Biar and Reese are doing? I hope Terry will adjust to his job smoothly.
I sat quietly with my thoughts for a moment. Where do I go from here? According to Yimmie I have a high strength, but I have no idea how that correlates to monsters. For that matter, how do I make money in the first place? Do monsters burst into juns or something when they die? If they do, how much do they burst into?
Putting aside my worries, I began to unfocus my eyes.
"Status." My voice echoed around the empty room.
I saw my status screen open in front of me. The faint green light from this prism illuminated the room around me. After I brought the prism up, I released it. I repeated this action around 30 times.
"Magic is cool." I smiled. The green light gently illuminated the room as I stared at my stats.
Albeit I'm acting like a child that is enamored with their new toy, I can't help it. This is simply too intriguing. Summoning this prism is not draining, so I'm wondering where exactly the energy comes from. The prism isn't something only I can see since Yimmie was able to see it as well and I was able to see hers. I wonder how bright this prism actually is. Can I use it while moving?
I began to test my questions and discovered a few things. First: I cannot move once I have summoned the prism or else it will dissipate. I can move my arms and legs, but I cannot walk around. Second: The light from the prism is very faint. Even inside of the room while the curtains were drawn, it was hard to see the inside of the room, though the light was constant instead of wavering as a flame would.
After trying this new ability out several times, I feel like I have a solid grasp on how this ability feels and I can naturally handle it. I probably need more practice, but currently this ability isn't a big deal when it comes to my ability to adventure. I will push aside the practice for myself in the future.
I stood up from the bed and grabbed my remaining one thousand six hundred and eighty juns.
"Alright." I muttered as I placed my money back into its sack.
I stepped back out of my room, locked the door behind me, and headed back outside. It's time to shop for equipment.
The current time is about seven A.M. I don't have a clock so I don't know the exact time, but my biological clock is fairly accurate so I have no reason to doubt myself. I watched people as they began their days, opening shops and walking the streets. Eventually, I arrived at the market district. I've been here many times before, so I know about a store that should sell exactly what I'm looking for.
After walking down the street, I saw the building. The sign out front showed a picture of a backpack and a sword, so I can only assume it's a gear shop. I grasped my juns by my waist and stepped inside.
As I pushed the door open, a small bell chimed as the man behind the counter turned to look at me. "Welcome! What do you need?" The man smiled as he looked towards me.
Inside of the store on several racks there are various items including travel gear, backpacks, cooking supplies, and a large assortment of tools for camping. This shop is the exact place I need to stop by first.
The man behind the counter is notably plump. His skin is noticeably greasy and he is bald. Despite his lack of head hair, he has a big bushy beard. His clothes are buttoned up, but his stomach is bulging out enough to strain the buttons.
I stepped further and further into the shop as I looked around the shelves. "I plan on doing a bit of adventuring, so I need some supplies."
"Ah!" He clapped his hands together, creating a loud cracking noise. "A new adventurer! You're welcome to this shop! Take a look around, don't be shy!"
I took the shopkeeper's request and began to look around. I need a few items, so I pulled out a list I had prepared and began reading each item out loud.
"Let's see... I need a rucksack, a sleeping bag, a flint stick, a couple torches, some dinnerware including something to cook on, and some rope." I looked up from the paper. "Do you have pitons too?"
The shopkeepers eyes bulged as he watched me read off of my list. "A-aah I see you know what you're talking about…" He nervously smiled as he rubbed his hands together. "Yes. I'll help you get those items."
The shopkeeper waddled out from behind the counter and led me through the shop. Walking for any amount of time seems to be difficult for him as his breathing became heavy and labored with each step.
When we arrived at the back of the shop, he pointed to a shelf that contained multiple different bags. As he looked over them, he walked up to a specific bag and picked it up. "This rucksack is made of solid material! It will last under tough conditions for at least a year without major wear and tear! That's a guarantee your money back!" He slid his eyebrows up and down quickly as if to say "This is a good deal!" to me. "This rucksack also has a strap to place your sleeping bag on it and has plenty of storage space. It even comes with a flint stick like you wanted! I guarantee your satisfaction!"
"Alright! Let's get this then." I smiled.
"Very good sir! I'll bring it to the front."
The shopkeeper took the rucksack with him as he slowly waddled to the front.
"Alright..." He pulled out a handkerchief and began wiping away his sweat. "You said you needed a sleeping bag, some dinnerware, a few torches, and some rope and pitons? Do you want a hammer to go along with that?"
"Yes please." I nodded enthusiastically.
"Alright..." The shopkeeper walked back out from behind the counter as he approached a shelf in the center of the shop. This one was lined with different sleeping bags that were made of all sorts of different materials. The prices of some of them made my eyes bulge.
"This sleeping bag is well insulated." The shopkeeper said as he pulled a black one off of the rack. "It's not the softest one we have, but it will keep you warm in the cold and it will keep the bugs out." He leaned towards me and began to whisper. "In my opinion this is the best quality for price."
"I'll take your advice then!"
"Very good!" The shopkeeper gave me a toothy grin.
Once again, the shopkeeper took the items to the counter.
"Now about that dinnerware… Let's see…" He slowly waddled around the store as he caressed his beard.
The shopkeeper paced between aisles of items. At times he would stop, pick up something, inspect it for a few moments, and then return it. He stopped at a set of pans with a few bowls and some cutlery.
"Ah... This is perfect!" He declared as he held the set in front of me. "This set here contains four plates, four bowls, four sets of utensils, and a steel pan to cook with! This should work perfectly on your travels!"
I clapped my hands together to emulate the shopkeeper. "Add it to the pile!"
He smiled and seemed positively giddy. "You got it lad!"
The shopkeeper happily hummed as he brought the items to the counter.
"And your final items…" He motioned towards my list, which I handed him. "Some torches, some rope, pitons, and a hammer…" He read off. "How much rope do you need?"
After taking a moment to do some rough math, I decided on a number.
"At least fourty feet of rope. I also need four pitons as well. The hammer can be made of anything as long as it's durable."
"Wonderful. I'll have that settled for you as soon as possible. Come up to the counter while I get your materials sorted out!" The shopkeeper declared as he waddled away.
The back room door flew open as the shopkeeper walked up to it. I stepped up to the counter and began to wait. After a few moments, I heard the sounds of objects being flung around in the back room. I think I heard a cat scream, but I'm not quite sure. Eventually, the shopkeeper brought out the items I had requested.
"Alright! Let me just total up all of your items…" He pulled out a set of reading glasses as he looked over a ledger, mouthing out the math he was doing as he did so.
The shopkeeper looked gleefully at the listing of items that I had requested once he had finished tallying the total.
"I'll throw the hammer in for free." He declared as he slapped the counter. "Your total comes out to four hundred juns even!"
four hundred juns. A whole week of work in a single purchase. Not even having a life altering spell cast on me cost that much.
"All together this is four hundred juns?" I looked over each item slowly as I asked.
"Yes." The shopkeeper enthusiastically nodded. "Each item here is of guaranteed quality, or your money back… Except for the hammer of course since you got that for free! Haha!" He slapped his large belly as his laugh bellowed and echoed throughout the building.
This is a lot of money to spend all at once. Though I know I can handle spending this much, I also know that spending so much so quickly will only result in my ruin. I can't depend on this money forever so I need to stretch it out as much as possible.
I'm weighing my options.
"May I ask how often people come in to purchase things like this?"
"Agh..." The man scratched at the back of his head. "Well, usually people don't buy them all at once. Most new adventurers have barely even a single jun to their name. Four hundred juns is quite the sum for your average person so I can't be surprised when they save up for a while to purchase the items…" He continued looking over the ledger before he took a quick glance towards me. "No we do not do layaway either."
Maybe I overdid it on the saving? I'm sitting on over ten thousand juns in my bank account at the moment and according to what this man said, I am sitting on the equivalent of a small fortune. Perhaps I don't need to worry as much as I am.
After a bit of hesitation, I pulled out five coins out of my hip pouch and handed them to the shopkeeper.
"Here's the four hundred juns. Can I give you this extra twenty so that you have this delivered to room four on the third floor of the adventurers guild for me?"
"Certainly! I'll make the arrangements right now! Thank you for your purchase!" the shopkeeper said as he clapped his hands together and gave a big toothy smile.
Although I had just spent over a week's worth of earnings, I felt a sense of relief for having gotten the equipment I would immediately need for adventuring.
I examined the remaining juns in my hip pouch by putting my hand inside and feeling the value.
Twelve sixty left. I have more in the bank, but it would be irresponsible to spend more than what I have right now without any income.
The next order of business is to get some weapons. I have the adamantite dagger, but I can't rely on only that. It's too short range and I am not mobile enough to make effective use of it. I need another weapon that I can use for more general combat.
I began to search for a smithy.
After roughly thirty minutes of walking, I finally found what appeared to be a smithy. Smoke was billowing out of the top of it and I could hear the sound of clanking from inside. My stomach began to growl from hunger so I can surmise that It's now around eight in the morning. Normal people have begun to wander the streets.
I went inside of the alleged smithy. The dark wood door felt unnaturally sticky as I pushed in on it.
"Be with you in just a second! ♥" A familiar voice shouted out from the back.
Despite the sound of the voice, I went further inside. I slowly perused the interior. The walls held tools and equipment that had been made of various metals, glinting white or green. Swords, helmets, shields, and other instruments of violence were placed along walls and on display stands. The sound of a hammer against metal echoed throughout the building.
As I was looking at a green sword, the echoing stopped and I heard someone walking. Out of the side room, a man with a hunched back, one large eye, and an unforgettable face emerged.
"Hm?" They stopped as they looked at me. "You look familiar but I can't place you. You're a cutie though! ♥" He announced as he gave a toothy grin.
Oh no.
"How can I help you out, cutie? ♥" He ran behind the counter with unnatural speed.
This is the man that tried to do disgusting things to me while I was incarcerated seven months ago. This man is named Tunne. I will never forget the nightmares he gave me.
I did an about face and began to walk out of the shop.
"Oh no! Wait just a moment cutie! I guarantee my items are high quality and are well priced! No, don't go~!"
As I began to open the door to leave, a hand firmly grasped my wrist to stop me.
"Please? Pretty please? Pretty please with whipped cream on top?" The smell of garlic assaulted me.
"Please leave me alone." I requested as I pinched my nose.
"That voice… That cold dismissal of my affection... I recognize it…"
Oh no.
"You're the cutie from the prison cell all that time ago! ♥" He released me and clasped his hands together, hopping up and down in joy as he did so.
I have a dagger this time, I'm not afraid of you. Bring it on.
"I'm so glad you found my shop! I'll give you a special discount! I call it the 'cuties cut-off' discount!" He made extra effort to emphasize the name of the discount as he ran behind the counter.
Though I should forgive people if they're willing to change their ways. I think the Buddha said something like that once. Maybe it was Jesus. I'm not sure.
I held up my my dagger. "I need a weapon that I can use as my main item. I don't plan on using anything heavy or bulky yet, so a spear is out of the question. Do you have any recommendations?"
"Hm… A man like you…" He looked me up and down. His eyes were unusually serious. "I would say a steel broadsword would do the trick!"
"A broadsword?"
"Yes!" He bent down and began to shuffle underneath the counter. I could hear the sounds of objects scraping against the stone floor as they were moved around. "They're designed like a longsword but are intended to be used with only one hand. They're ideal for someone that plans to avoid attacks as opposed to withstanding them through something like armor."
What Tunne is saying makes sense to me. Ideally, I will avoid attacks instead of getting hit by them. I don't know how much armor costs, however, so I should learn that before I try anything else.
I wandered my gaze around the shop, eyeing the helmets that were hanging on the wall. "Do you sell armor?"
"Yes we do." He continued to shuffle underneath the counter. "I have all types ranging from basic leather to plate armor."
"How much is the plate armor?"
"A set of steel plate armor will run you... five thousand juns with my cutie cut off discount."
"...Nevermind."
"Have it your way!"
I can't just head out to adventure in my regular clothes but I can't drop that much money on a set of armor I don't even know if I can wear just yet either. What should I do?"
I looked around the shop as Tunne continued looking around under the counter. My eyes wandered from tool to tool before I finally spotted a mannequin that was wearing leather armor. "How much is a leather cuirass?"
"That would cost a hundred juns." He finally stood up, taking a long sword with a rather short hilt out. "The broadsword will cost you nine hundred juns. In total you would be paying one thousand juns thanks to my cutie cut off discount! Is that okay with you?"
A leather cuirass is superior to nothing. I also need something like a broadsword to fight with. I don't plan on using a shield since I like to keep a hand free, so this is probably the best course of action.
I pulled the coins out of my bag as I mulled it over in my mind. Eventually, I decided that this purchase was worth it. "Alright, I'll take those then. One thousand juns, correct?" I began to squeeze the coins with the concept of "one thousand" in my mind. Another aspect to the currency of this world is that one can condense money into larger amounts by crushing coins of a set value together. After a moment, a single thousand jun coin was left in my hand, which I gave to Tunne.
"Yes, one thousand juns." He took the money from my hand, his skin was oily and felt disgusting to touch. "Not only are you a cutie, but you also have deep pockets! I'm falling for you more and more! ♥"
Tunne deposited the coin into his register, causing a clinking noise to reverberate. When the register closed, Tunne pulled out a measuring tape. "Now that I've been paid, it's time to fit~ you~! ♥"
Oh no.
Tunne pulled out a measuring tape and licked his lips as he got very close to me. I am going to keep my hand on my dagger just in case.
After a measurement that took far longer than I felt was necessary, Tunne went into the side room and procured a leather cuirass for me. The cuirass fit like a glove while the broadsword came with a sheath and a strap to keep around my waist. Despite the person running the shop, I cannot deny the quality of the items here.
"Come again cutie! ♥" He called out as I pulled the door open.
I held back the vomit in my mouth as I exited the store. I felt the remaining juns in my side pouch. From my starting two thousand I had, I have reduced it down to two hundred and sixty. I have spent the equivalent of a month's work worth of money in less than three hours. I took a deep breath and rationalized it as a starting investment. I'll be alright. This is for my future. I'm not being stupid.
It's time to return to the guild. I bet there will be people there now.