Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Rainport Bound
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“Damn… You’re saying all of these are spirit grass?”
“That’s right.”
“These are super rare, hard to come by… Mister, are you sure it’s okay to just hand them all over to us?”
“No point in me holding onto them.”
As you near the endgame in any game, there comes a point where character growth starts to feel stagnant.
Once your shard setup is complete and you’ve geared up with your final equipment, there’s nothing left to boost your specs.
That’s when the devs toss in some bonus items like, “Here, have this before you go.”
And that’s exactly what these spirit grass items in front of me were.
Spirit grass were herbs akin to the elixirs from wuxia novels—items that permanently boosted a specific stat by 1 the moment you consumed them.
Normally, you could only obtain them as rewards from late main quest stages or specific hidden quests.
That’s why players bothered taking the inefficient herbalism classes: they were one of the few reliable farming spots for spirit grass.
In the original game, though, stats gained from spirit grass in one playthrough didn’t carry over to the next.
Even so, the amount you could get per playthrough was limited, so people often saved them up to consume in later cycles.
Quite a few ended up quitting with a warehouse full of unused herbs.
Of course, there’s no second playthrough in reality, so that wasn’t my concern.
Anyway, the lacquered box contained five roots each of those precious items.
I suddenly felt like patting myself on the back for squeezing Grabner into my itinerary.
*Thud.*
I closed the box and tucked it into my bosom.
“What? Not eating them right away?”
“Just in case.”
“Save the good stuff for later, huh?”
“Most grasses don’t taste good anyway.”
I wanted to boost my specs right then and there as much as anyone.
But considering all the variables, it made more sense to hold off and use them strategically.
Situations like lacking just 1 defense to survive an enemy attack, or falling short by a hair on attack power to take down a boss.
In those moments, these spirit herbs could be the breakthrough.
For the future, it was best to keep them for now.
“Thank you. I’ll put them to good use.”
“So. Can you make it by 7 a.m. tomorrow?”
“…”
What, still not giving up?
Truth be told, I could go if I wanted.
Time wasn’t an issue, and accommodating Enedor’s preferences was no big deal.
However.
‘No reason to.’
The reason I’d gone along with Enedor’s special training without complaint wasn’t just politeness.
I’d hoped it would level up my blacksmithing proficiency.
In game systems, skills typically gained proficiency through repeated use. Naturally, I assumed blacksmithing worked the same.
But.
[Proficiency Level: 1]
Even after hammering metal for half a day straight, there was no sign of it rising.
‘There must be some condition to gain proficiency.’
Given my unique turn-based ability growth, I was certain blacksmithing proficiency wouldn’t rise through standard artisan training.
It was probably structured to gain experience only from crafting finished products with specific materials.
So there was no reason to waste time here.
As I hesitated, Enedor grumbled with a sullen look.
“Your face says your mind’s already made up.”
“…Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. You’re a warrior, not a smith to begin with. Just don’t go around saying you learned hammering from me anywhere. It’d tarnish my reputation.”
I nodded.
I’d never planned to become a smith anyway.
“By the way… It’ll take Elior quite some time to finish that remote contraption you mentioned.”
Enedor asked.
“Planning to stick around Grabner until then?”
After taking down the mid-boss yesterday, I had no more business in Grabner.
I’d already swept the market clean of useful items, and aside from the Demon God’s Dungeon, there were no decent dungeons nearby for grinding.
Twiddling my thumbs here until Elior finished the drone would be insanely inefficient.
“I’ll wrap up my business elsewhere, come back to link up with Elior, and then finish conquering the Demon God’s Dungeon.”
“Hmm. So this was just a detour, then.”
“Yes.”
“Got it. In that case, swing by again later, even if you’re leaving now.”
“To pick up Elior?”
“That too… but also that dronium ore you brought. Judging by the size, there should be plenty left even after making your remote gadget.”
Enedor flashed a meaningful smile.
“I may not be able to forge your sword… but with the leftovers, I could whip up something useful for you.”
‘Oh.’
An offer to craft a sub-item from the scraps.
Looking at cases like Work’s straight sword, whatever it was, there was no reason to refuse.
No, I’d welcome it with open arms.
‘Gotta come back after getting the Siren’s Song anyway.’
It even fit perfectly into my route.
“Understood. I’ll be back soon.”
With that promise to Enedor, we wrapped up all our business in Grabner.
Back at the inn, we started a late dinner.
Maybe because we weren’t far from the sea. The table was laden with seafood dishes Adelin supposedly loved.
The main course in the center was a large steamer of stingray chunks.
‘Why stingray of all things?’
It should’ve killed my appetite thinking of Porneius, but Adelin didn’t seem to mind.
As I sliced off a piece of fish and placed it on a plate, Adelin asked.
“No sauce on this one?”
“…”
‘Who do you take me for?’
Even if I like spicy food, I can tell which dishes it suits.
This was plainly steamed fish—dousing it in hot sauce wouldn’t make it tasty.
*Pour.*
As I thought that, Luna was already dumping sauce over the stingray.
One party member was a total glutton, apparently.
Gotta respect tastes, though.
After dinner, we headed straight to our rooms.
Adelin handled the bill, naturally.
“Haribal, Luna. You two know this?”
“Yes?”
“Instructors… don’t get paid as much as you’d think.”
Didn’t wanna know that. Noted.
Up in the rooms, it was time to divvy up the spoils.
Opening the box spilled out shards, as usual.
Plenty in quantity, but disappointingly no rares.
Instead, we got a good haul of equipment.
Normally, you’d cheer for gear over shards.
The problem was.
[Crystal Sword (IV)]
[Attack 29 / Defense -3]
[A sword condensed with the essence of crystal mines. Sharp, but fragile against impacts.]
‘…It sucks?’
The dropped gear was outperformed by Work’s straight sword.
Truth be told, crystal series gear wasn’t inherently bad.
Even factoring in the -3 defense, it had over twice the attack power of the Jester’s Sword.
If I’d gotten it before Grabner, I’d have snatched it up.
Work’s straight sword was just a ridiculous outlier.
Still, it had merits.
A sleek, beautiful blade.
Nobles could wear it ceremonially at the waist and draw aggro effortlessly.
‘Give it to Cecilia or Aren?’
But both had awakening main weapons.
‘Gotta keep it for now.’
At least the haul wasn’t a total bust.
[Demonic Staff (IV)]
[Magic 31 / Crit 3]
[Chance to trigger ‘Demonic Blast,’ pushing back the enemy.]
Luna’s main weapon dropped.
Especially Demonic Blast—perfect honey option for Luna’s ranged specialization.
I handed the staff to Luna, and she asked.
“Can I really have this?”
“Neither Instructor nor I use magic. And you were the MVP of this run.”
“No, I was.”
Hey now, read the room.
Luna clutched the staff to her chest.
“Th-thank you… I’ll treasure it.”
Her cheeks flushed bright red again.
Menhera treatment progressing steadily.
Last up were the greaves.
[Obsidian Greaves (IV)]
[HP 15 / Defense 15]
Solid defensive gear.
“Instructor, you take them. I got a sword, Luna got the staff.”
“Hm? Nah, I’m good.”
Adelin waved it off.
“I’m tough enough without ’em. Plus, they’re heavy and restrict movement.”
‘No agility debuff, though.’
I offered the greaves again, but she stubbornly refused.
“No way I’m stealing from my disciple as a master.”
She grinned and patted my shoulder.
“If you really want, get me better gear later. Wear ’em till then.”
Refusing even this?
No helping it.
I’d take them without complaint.
With distribution done, we spent our last night in Grabner.
⁎⁎⁎
Next morning.
The streets were noticeably less crowded than yesterday.
Word was, a ton of folks had grabbed pickaxes at dawn and rushed to the mines.
Proving it, the city’s buzz felt even higher despite fewer people.
Before leaving, we stopped by the workshop one last time to see Enedor.
“All set to go?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, we got weapons and finished prepping.”
During goodbyes, I showed him the Crystal Sword from yesterday, just in case.
Its performance was iffy for use, and lugging it around felt like baggage—maybe he could appraise it for sale.
“Hoh. Dungeon drop? Nice sheen.”
Enedor examined the sword and said.
“Perfect timing. If you’re not using it right away, leave it here.”
“Pardon?”
“No worries. You won’t regret it when you return.”
‘For reinforcement materials?’
No complaints.
Better in the empire’s top smith’s hands than rotting in my bag.
“Got it. Please take care of it.”
Leaving the workshop, I glanced at Elior’s lab.
Clanking sounds came from behind the closed door.
“Won’t see his face for a while. Skipping meals to tinker like that.”
Enedor tsked, but didn’t seem upset.
More like a craftsman proud of his immersed son.
So I skipped the goodbye.
Barging in now would just disrupt him.
‘Hope it’s done by next time.’
As we exited the city, a group of chatty guards and citizens ran up to thank us.
But the conquest wasn’t fully over.
Popping champagne early might draw blood, so I cautioned them appropriately.
“Don’t let your guard down. The Demon God’s threat remains, and his minions are still rampant.”
“As expected of the Dirge Sword…! So cautious!”
They took it differently than intended.
But good’s good.
At the station, a familiar face greeted us.
Rene.
For some reason, she wore a miner’s helmet and held a hammer.
What? Did she unlock a costume in the meantime?
That outfit was probably tied to my blacksmithing skill.
She glared at me sullenly.
I passed her naturally.
『You’re not seriously telling me to shear sheep with this, right?』
‘Work hard.’
I sent mental cheers and kept walking.
Thus, we wrapped up in Grabner and boarded the train to our next stop, Rainport.