Chapter 16 - 16: Preparations for the Wave (1/2)

Requirement for Rope Shield has been released

Requirement for Pikyu Pikyu Shield has been released

Requirement for Wood Shield has been released

Requirement for Rock Shield has been released

Requirement for Butterfly Shield has been released

Requirement for Pipe Shield has been released

ETC...

Rope Shield

Equipment Bonus: Skill - 「Air Strike Shield」 <Unmastered>

Pikyu Pikyu Shield

Equipment Bonus: Beginner Rank's Weapon Repair Techniques I <Unmastered>

Equipment Bonus: Lumbering Techniques I <Unmastered>

Butterfly Shield

Equipment Bonus: Paralysis Resistance (Small) <Unmastered>

Pipe Shield

Equipment Bonus: Skill - 「Shield Prison」 <Unmastered>

ETC...

It had been eight days since then.

After parting with Oyaji, we journeyed to the new village.

The village's name was Riyuuto. It seemed like a good, operational base for adventurers. But since there was only one Inn, the fee was one silver coin for a single night.

Since there was no pharmacy store, I had to sell cheaper medicine directly to the villagers in order to compete with the imported remedies from the castle town.

To compensate for this, the medicine I sold was subpar from its usual quality.

By the way, my notoriety had spread quite far. When I first I arrived, I had to punish quite a few morons with my infamous 'Balloon Release'.

And that's the gist of it.

Thanks to the monsters around town, the medical herbs, and the lumber, I was able to absorb them all and create multiple shields. I also learned a lot of new skills and techniques.

There were also various stat increases, but I won't go into that since it's such a hassle.

”Wait―!”

Raphtalia began chasing the porcupine-like monster who, upon realizing its disadvantage, fled the battle.

Raphtalia's level had raised considerably. I was now at Lv 20 while she was at Lv 25.

... By the way, I was still fighting in my ordinary clothes.

And since I had yet to take any damage, not to mention all the monster attacks seemed weak and feeble up until now, this incident became a real head scratcher when I thought about it.

Yet it served as a painful experience for me.

Overestimating my defense, I went into battle with a weak shield, and it hurt like hell when I had taken a hit.

Astonishingly, I had received some small scratches from this Porcupine's ambush attack.

”Ouch, that hurt quite a bit. It's been awhile since I last felt like this.”

I promptly smeared the wound with a 'heal pill' to prevent the bleeding.

That needle sure stung when I got hit, naturally.

I've already forgotten about these sort of sensations ever since coming to this world and receiving the shield's protection.

”Like I said before, it hurts, right? Naofumi-sama should just give in and buy some equipment already.”

”Nope... It was only because I was using a weak shield.”

Since when did Raphtalia start calling me 'Naofumi-sama' instead of 'Goshujin-sama”?

Well whatever. It wasn't a big deal, and it had a nice ring to it.

Anyways, my shield could cover up my whole body. So it wouldn't make much sense to also wear individual pieces of protective gear.

Just in case, I had always defended with the sturdiest part of my shield, and I hadn't received a single injury up until now.

So this is my very first time experiencing damage. That's all there is to it.

I watched the Whetstone Shield's auto-polishing at work. It really was quite a convenient shield, one that I always used.

The polishing time period was 8 hours. There'll be no effect if I pulled any weapons out beforehand.

The only drawback was that while in use, my SP won't recover since I'll be continuously drained.

”Air Strike Shield!”

It's the first skill which I learned. It summons a shield within a range of about five meters.

But it served no purpose if I was alone.

It felt like everyone was forced into having a specialized role.

I focused my mind, imagining the dėsɨrėd location to call forth my Air Strike shield; this mysterious ward which will vanish once its duration time is over.

Alright, just a little bit more.

The porcupine stumbled in surprise due to the sudden appearance of my conjured shield.

However, it immediately regained its balance and resumed its escape once again.

Kuh... And here I thought that five meters was more than enough distance to catch up with you; this one was surprisingly fast at fleeing.

Guess I'll have to use this.

”Shield Prison!”

A skill which allows me to summon an enclosed cage anywhere within a six meter radius.

This time around, I'll be dropping it directly on my target, the porcupine.

Although this skill was intended for protection, it could also be used as a restraining device to trap a target inside.

Indeed, it was both an offensive and defensive skill.

”Kii!”

No longer able to escape, the Porcupine rampaged inside 'the Shield Prison'.

Its duration period was 15 seconds.

During that time, Raphtalia rapidly approached the 'Shield Prison'. Then right as its effect had ended, she pierced the Porcupine with her sword.