After finishing my shopping at the "Green Valley" store, I made my way to Maurice's shop at a leisurely pace. I had a three-hour window, but could only spend a maximum of two hours there. It was important that I remember the shopkeeper's name, or it would be awkward. The village elder had mentioned that I could get a discount if I mentioned his name, but forgetting it would mean missing out on any special greeting. So, what was his name again?
"Ah, I remember now. Carh...Carkhein!" I muttered as I approached the shop. Suddenly, I heard a loud noise coming from inside, followed by a massive figure tumbling out of the entrance. He was unrealistically huge - even larger than anyone I had seen on the internet. His height alone could qualify him as a giant, standing at over 2 and a half meters tall. Not to mention his width; he wasn't chubby by any means, as it appeared that his entire body consisted of bulging muscles. I couldn't help but wonder if he was one of the best monster hunters in the area. However, it turned out that he was not.
"Oh," he said upon seeing me. "Young man, did you call me?" He squinted at me.
"Oh, sorry about that. I just arrived in the village, and the village elder recommended your shop, saying that if I mention his name, I could receive a discount. I was trying to remember your name, so I walked around repeating it," I explained, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Why are you so shy? Come on in," he said, beckoning me inside. I couldn't deny that his appearance was somewhat intimidating, but since this was the only shop for adventurers in the village, and I had already arrived, I had no choice but to suppress my inner fear and step into the shop.
Entering the shop, I noticed huge shelves with various weapons and clothing. And looking where Karhein was standing, I saw all sorts of things. There were small firewood, dried and dried food, tents, and sleeping bags. Looking further, I noticed something resembling a musket in the corner of the room. Seeing me examining the musket, the shop owner turned to me.
"Looks like you're interested in it," he said with a smile. "Not everyone can appreciate its beauty," he continued, savoring the smoke of tobacco from his pipe. "I got this item from the city of 'Iron Gnomes' about twenty years ago. I went to the main workshop of that city to visit my grandfather. Although you wouldn't think so, I'm a quarter gnome. That's why they allowed me to take this item. Unfortunately, it's difficult to use, especially for hunting. One shot and you can attract all the monsters nearby to yourself. The sound is not that loud, but you will definitely be heard at a distance of about 30-40 meters. And you need gunpowder for it."
After his words, I looked at the musket a little more and was about to turn away from it when Karhein turned to me. "But according to my grandfather's stories, this item called a musket is so powerful that even demons can't defend against it if attacked suddenly. The musket shoots further than a bow and faster than a crossbow. And its penetration power is terrifying. My grandfather said they also have a rifle, which can shoot farther than 2,000 meters. But only a few shooting masters are capable of such a feat in that city. Rifles have shown themselves best against demon armies. Once demons wanted to capture the city of 'Iron Gnomes,' but they were stopped by the masters of that time. There were only about five of them, but they destroyed all the generals and their deputies. There was no one left to command the army, so they retreated. You know, you're the only one in the village who paid attention to the musket. Maybe you'll be able to master this weapon. I'll give it to you for free, but you'll have to buy bullets and gunpowder, just like that. Will you try?" he said with a smile.
"Will you seriously give me a musket??? Of course, I'll take it," I almost shouted. I always preferred to fight from afar rather than up close. Why take unnecessary risks when I can defeat an enemy without even approaching them?
"You'll always have to buy bullets from blacksmiths, but you can make gunpowder yourself as long as you have the ingredients. I have enough bullets and gunpowder for about fifty shots. So, 50 bullets will cost you 25 copper coins, and gunpowder for 50 bullets will cost you another 50 copper coins, so it'll be 75 copper coins in total. Will you pay now or take something else from me?"
"I'll pay now, but I also need to buy training equipment for learning magic and basic warrior skills. What do I need to learn to use the musket?"
"Well, you'll need beginner-level armor, a training sword, a mage's cloak, beginner-level shield, a training magical wand, and magical expendables. I'll sell them to you at my introductory price. As for using a musket, people who use them are called musketeers. They can also be magical musketeers, combining multiple professions like knights. Since you'll need to defend yourself in close combat, you should be an excellent warrior, and you can use magic to increase the damage and range of your bullets. Of course, if you can't become a mage, that's not a problem. You can also kill demons and monsters with regular bullets, but you'll need to approach closer and aim for the head. However, not all demons can be killed with a regular bullet; you'll need to treat them with holy water. As for training, it's best to go to a training ground."
"Thank you for the advice, Karhein. I'll take everything you recommend," I said, already thinking about where I could go for training. Considering that musketeers are gnomes, are there any human marksmen?
"That'll be 2015 copper coins from you. I'll gather everything for you now," he said, moving away from his desk towards the things I needed."
While he was gathering my items, I imagined my money pouch and took out 15 gold coins, 50 silver coins, and 15 copper coins, which I immediately placed on his table. By the way, it was surprising that despite his build, he sat at a small table. Maybe it was because his father was half a dwarf, because it was clearly not comfortable to fit behind such a table. As I was contemplating all this, Karchein approached me and laid out all the items on the counter.
"Well, that's everything, kid. Here's everything you need, and a gift from me," he said, pointing to a small stone. "What you see here is called a summoning stone. Unfortunately, it only works with a 10% chance. If you can summon anything, you'll be in luck. Even if you summon some insect, it will be considered your summoned creature. Although you won't be considered a summoner, as you'll have to take care of it all the time. You could say you'll be a one-time summoner. Even if it's a fly, it's better than nothing. You can use it as a scout. As they say, 'Don't go in the water if you don't know how to swim.' "
Saying all this, he put the coins in his pouch without looking. "Thank you, Karchein," I said respectfully as I bid him farewell. He helped me a lot. To be honest, I never liked close combat in games. If there's a chance to fight at a distance, I'm all for it. After putting all the items on the table in my inventory, I left. Before leaving, I heard Karchein say, "Kid, if you have anything to sell, come to me. I won't cheat you on the price. May the luck of the dwarf and the strength of the hammer be with you."
That's how I finished my shopping at "Morris's shop." I stocked up very well, considering that one day at the tavern costs only 10 copper coins with two meals a day, so I could live there for about six months without working. But considering that I would have to buy bullets, gunpowder, potions, and tablets, I would probably have to look for a job. Thinking about ways to earn money, I arrived at the tavern and immediately disconnected from the game.