Chapter 13 (1/2)

-We Met at a Street Stall-

“h.e.l.lo.”

“Ho, Asagi. Do you need new weapons again?”

Chief Aragira was wiping his sweat with a towel as he came out from the back. He was as imposing as ever.

“Yes. I want new ones.”

“d.a.m.n it, you’ve only just bought some the other day!”

“But the thing is…I kind of ruined them.”

I went a little too hard out there in the woods. I had started sneaking up behind goblins I found, and stabbed them from the back…before I knew it there were chips and cracks in the blade. Had I fought a moment longer last night, things could have turned real sour.

“And I was just elevated to a ‘Crystal’ today, so I wanted a nice weapon to commemorate it.”

“What? ‘Crystal’? You’ve only just become an adventurer!”

“My level kind of just hit 20 after I killed some goblins. And the guild worker told me that I’ll be ‘Rank E from today.'”

“Ahh…well, don’t push yourself too hard, alright…?”

He seemed more exasperated than impressed. That’s odd…this seemed like a good time to congratulate me a little.

“So you want something to commemorate, eh…very well! I shall craft you a weapon!”

Yes! Chief’s weapons had an incredible reputation, and I had been hoping for this. While the price would be higher, so would the quality and sharpness, so I didn’t mind. I was starting to feel that my old weapons were not adequate anymore.

“Even so, you’re still a baby bird of an E Ranker. I can’t give you anything too special. You understand?”

“Yes, of course.”

He wasn’t being malicious by that. The thing was, even if I mowed down enemies with the finest blades, I would not receive experience from it. The enemies’ weakness, the parts that wouldn’t chip your sword when you cut it, such as the parts between bones, that was all information and experience that didn’t appear in your status. You would never learn what parts should be cut if you can ignore all that and cut through sh.e.l.ls and bones from the start. That’s what Chief was getting at.