Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Crossing the Border Region (2)
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Among the adventurers in Dram City lately, there was a lot of talk about a certain street vendor.
"Pretty girls doing the hawking? But it's a weapon shop?"
"Yeah. And they say the skills are pretty good too."
"No way, if the skills are that good, why hire pretty girls..."
"Who knows. Anyway, go check it out sometime."
Ken's street stall hadn't started out famous like that.
At first, naturally, no one was willing to entrust their weapons to some unknown guy.
But drawn by their beautiful appearances, some ended up handing over their gear on impulse.
"Y-Yes? W-Weapon repair?"
The adventurer Ruan flushed red and panicked as a golden-haired beauty grabbed him while he was walking by.
"You're an adventurer, right? How about it? Isn't your sword starting to dull? Our boss is incredibly skilled! Since you're our first customer, we'll do it at this opening special price!"
The bright smile from the girl came with a price much cheaper than the nearby smithies.
'...Well, at least I get to chat with a cute girl.'
He had to get it repaired soon anyway, so Ruan approached the stall as if entranced.
There sat a chubby guy who looked far less reliable than expected.
'...What, just some no-name kid.'
Of course.
No way a guy hiring beauties to hawk for him had real skills.
Still, it was just a weapon repair, so Ruan handed over his gear for a bit of fun.
Ruan was a C-rank adventurer from Dram City, a common sight there.
His main sword wasn't some legendary blade, but the one he'd recently acquired was a pricey enchanted item.
Handing something like that to a rookie felt iffy, so he gave him his backup dagger instead.
He'd judge based on how he handled the dagger repair.
"Alright, please wait just a few minutes."
The man took the dagger and pulled out a hammer with practiced ease, making Ruan raise an eyebrow.
"A few minutes? That's all?"
"Yeah, it doesn't look too badly damaged."
'Sloppy work, as expected.'
Even as a C-rank, Ruan had nearly five years as an adventurer.
He'd used plenty of repair shops, and fast ones were never thorough.
Usually just the types who did half-assed jobs for pocket change.
'Figures.'
Ruan glanced uninterestedly at the girls hawking, not expecting much.
There was a scary-looking guy and a fancy one doing it too, but judging by appearances, it seemed targeted at female adventurers.
Still, the other three women were definitely stunning.
'This is eye candy.'
Just exchanging a few words while they smiled and urged him to get a repair.
For Ruan, who lived among rough adventurers battling monsters day in and day out, that alone lifted his spirits.
Even if the repair was just okay, he figured it was worth the price.
And sure enough, not long after...
"Here you go, all done."
The man finished hammering and handed back the repaired dagger.
"Ah, thanks..."
Ruan reached for it casually but froze in shock midway.
"W-Wait! This is the dagger I gave you, right?"
"Huh? Yeah... Is something wrong?"
"Wrong? It's practically brand new!"
The crude dagger, caked in monster fluids and dirt with chipped edges all over, now gleamed with a perfect blade.
No scratches on the flats that had been there before.
It even seemed sharper and shinier than when he'd bought it.
In just a few minutes.
Even the better craftsmen in Dram City couldn't match that speed and quality.
"H-Hey! Can you do my main weapon too?"
"Sure. Oh, enchanted weapons cost more, though. That okay?"
"D-Doesn't matter! Just please do a good job!"
The enchanted longsword he'd scrimped on meals to buy.
A recent battle had scratched the rune design, weakening the enchantment's power.
He'd drowned his sorrows in booze for days over it.
Proper repair smiths charged too much for his income, so he'd been stuck using it damaged.
But Ken's price was still cheaper than those experts.
And after seeing the dagger...
Ruan swallowed dryly in anticipation.
And as promised, a few minutes later...
"No way..."
Ruan's eyes bulged as he hefted the repaired weapon.
The rune design was perfectly restored.
A quick swing to test showed even stronger output than before.
He had no idea what the guy did, but it felt less like a repair and more like an upgrade.
"Glad you like it. If you're okay with it, could you tell your party members?"
"Y-Yeah! Thanks! I'll come buy weapons next time too!"
Ken waved to his satisfied first customer, thinking to himself.
'Mana conversion really is convenient.'
A normal repair couldn't have achieved that without materials.
But he wrapped mana around dulled edges, generating matching material to fill the gaps.
For the enchanted weapon, he'd even reinforced the mana stone a bit.
Repairs that would've been physically impossible became feasible with mana conversion.
"How was it? Happy customer?"
Emily, who'd brought the first one, approached with expectant eyes.
"Seemed pretty pleased. Not sure how many more that'll bring."
"I knew you could do it, Ken!"
She beamed at the positive response.
And contrary to Ken's expectations, word spread fast starting with Ruan.
"They completely repair weapons?"
"Totally! Not just repair—they make 'em like new!"
"And cheap too?"
"Plus the hawkers are cute."
"Watch out for the girls, though. Some guy tried hitting on one and got wrecked."
"Wrecked? An adventurer?"
"Yeah. Iron Arm Branki got floored with a punch."
"B-Branki's an A-rank!"
Word spread quickly among gossip-loving adventurers, and before long...
The stall bustled with crowds.
"Hey, line up! No cutting!"
"Eek! Sorry! Sorry! Wasn't trying to! Don't hit me!"
"Don't touch me. I'll cut your wrist off."
"J-Just tapping your shoulder... Eek! Sorry!"
"Rafne! I said no hitting customers!!"
The hawking worked not just for the girls—Siegfried and Adrian drew crowds too.
"Need a weapon, miss?"
"Y-Yes? A weapon?"
"Yeah, how about this mace for a beauty like you?"
"B-But I'm a mage."
"Suits a magical girl like you perfectly."
"H-Hwah. I'll take it!"
Female adventurers lined up as Adrian flashed his princely fatal smile.
And Siegfried...
"H-Hey! Again! I'll beat you someday!"
"Instructor Siegfried! Teach me the sword!"
Somehow, male adventurers he'd dueled and beaten swarmed him.
Siegfried drew his black blade from his waist and said,
"My strength comes mostly from this sword."
"Ooooh."
"That glossy black! Where'd you get such a magic sword?!"
"Ken Fine Stein over there made it. His repair skills are top-notch too."
"Damn, take my money! Whole wallet!"
"Me too! Gimme one like Siegfried's!"
Ken's shop boomed successfully, always packed.
And the one suffering most...
Ken Fine Stein hammered away, face pale as a ghost.
'R-Requests won't end.'
Days of adventurers flooding in for weapons or repairs.
Money was great, but handling it all solo left him wishing for ten hands.
Many were pricey, complex enchanted weapons.
His crafting skill proficiency soared.
Amid endless repairs and crafting...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Skill acquired through repeated, rapid high-level weapon repairs and crafting. Acquired skill: Swift Crafting. 'S-Swift Crafting?'
Not a repair skill, but the name suggested speed boosts for crafting.
With time critical, Ken checked it immediately.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ⚡ Swift Crafting: Skill – Acquireable only by those with Mana Conversion. 💨 Description: Instantly craft weapons from the category by consuming mana. 'I'm saved!!'
Ken cheered inwardly at the description.
Its power was secondary; in this backlog crisis, instant crafting was an oasis in the desert.
'Swift Crafting!'
Without hesitation, Ken activated it to produce weapons.
Massive mana drain from his body as it began manifesting desired weapons from his category storage.
"L-Look at that!"
"No hammering even?"
"Magic! He's a magic craftsman now!"
Thanks to the skill, he cleared the backlog in a flash.