Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Mountain of Gold
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Our four-man party stared dumbfounded at the mountain of gold coins and artifacts piled up before us.
"So, this is... "
"...all from just twelve hours of work? Number one?"
"I never imagined making money could be this easy..."
No one could hold back their awe.
Not even me.
'We really raked it in beyond belief.'
I'd figured we'd earn gold coins easily with four people handling requests.
But not to this extent.
My companions' skills exceeded my expectations, letting us haul in far more than anticipated.
The gold coins stacked in front of us numbered at least two thousand.
Four times what we'd looted from the plunderers' hideout vault.
And that wasn't all.
'Add these in, and it'll be even more.'
The artifacts we'd received as request rewards—useless to us.
Selling them off would net us even more gold.
'Well, splitting it four ways means it's not an insane amount per person.'
Either way, we had enough to solve our urgent equipment issues.
I instructed the others to pack up the gold, then approached Lena.
"...Huh? Oh? Ah, you're here. Hold on. These requests..."
She looked just as drained as we were.
No surprise—handing out requests nonstop for twelve hours couldn't have been easy.
I grabbed her shoulders to clear up any misunderstanding.
"Lena, I think that's enough requests for now."
"...Huh? Oh, it's finally over?"
"Yeah, we're calling it here for today. You need to rest too."
"For today..."
Hard to tell if she was happy or not.
Lena gave a puzzled look before nodding.
"You're welcome anytime. Thanks to you, it finally feels like we're running a real operation."
"Really?"
Good—she meant it.
Her face was etched with exhaustion, but Lena smiled genuinely, clearly pleased.
I got it.
'The regular members here... their skills leave a lot to be desired.'
From watching her, Lena dreamed of expanding the Athis Request Office big-time.
But with the fixed members' mediocre skills, she'd naturally felt frustrated by the results.
This situation must feel like rain in a drought to her.
In that case.
"Then, one more favor."
Since we were already at it, I decided to toss her another task.
I'd planned to skip it out of concern for her condition, but she seemed up for it now.
"A favor?"
"Yeah. Could you gather any demon-related requests? Like trophy hunts or subjugation jobs."
"...Demons?"
Lena froze at the word.
But she quickly snapped back to professional mode.
"Demon-related requests... If I really push for them, I could probably round some up. Plenty of folks with grudges or weird collector fetishes. But why those?"
I debated for a second, then just told her.
We'd be working together, so no point hiding it.
"We're heading out soon to hunt demons. Outside Asteron."
"What?"
As expected, Lena's eyes went wide in shock.
"Outside? You sure I heard that right?"
"You did."
"You're serious?"
"Shouldn't be too dangerous. You've seen what we can do."
"..."
Lena clamped her mouth shut.
She'd gotten more than enough proof of our four-man party's prowess by now.
She was probably weighing the pros and cons of joining in her head.
Finally, she seemed to decide.
"I'll look into it. How much time do I have? How many requests do you need?"
"Hm, around twenty requests should do. Time-wise..."
Twenty requests.
Even for capable Lena, that wasn't something she'd snag easily.
Especially ones this specific.
It'd take a good chunk of time, no doubt.
But.
Tick-tock.
We didn't have the luxury to care.
I shifted my gaze from the clock to Lena quietly.
"By this time tomorrow."
The next twenty-four hours.
Lena was in for a hellish shift.
***
Late at night.
After selling off the artifacts and splitting the gold as needed, we scattered from Dmitri Square.
Hard request-handling grind over—finally, shopping time.
I paused by a restaurant window, eyeing my full reflection while lost in thought.
'What to replace first.'
Heading outside the district meant my current gear worth keeping was just the [Pendant of Holy Oil] from Lena's request reward.
And the luckily looted [Holy Staff].
Everything else had to go.
But I wasn't in a bad mood.
This time, I had decent capital to build a proper setup. And above all...
'This means I'm finally past the early game.'
Swapping gear marked entering mid-game.
Feeling oddly refreshed, I raised the [Holy Staff] in my hand.
"Guess I'll deal with this first."
It was one of the few usable items left, but it made the replacement list too.
Because we'd all mastered light magic form-shifting.
From now on, close-quarters combat with [Sword of Light] would be our mainstay, so a staff just got in the way.
But ditching it outright felt wrong...
'The effect is just too good.'
The [Holy Staff]'s perks were ridiculously strong.
Its +1 circle boost while equipped was potent enough to hold up even at endgame specs.
"Getting a weapon like this for free..."
As I marveled at my luck again.
"Ah, right—that'll work."
A perfect solution for my situation popped into mind.
I headed straight to a certain shop.
A roof like an inverted horned helmet, a sign with crossed hammers.
Rough-built exterior that screamed sturdiness on closer look.
And the signature sweltering heat and constant clang of metal on metal.
A smithy, through and through.
This was where I'd score my new weapon.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Past the wide-open door, a massive anvil came into view, where a female dwarf hammered away at quenching.
"Excuse me."
I greeted politely, since I had a tough request—but she was too absorbed to glance over.
Just endless hammer strikes.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
I watched the quenching for a good while.
Finally, she finished and turned my way.
"Customer?"
Unlike Barundel, her tone was curt despite being a dwarf.
With a big ask ahead, I decided to warm things up first.
"That's one fine sword. Razor-sharp—just looks like a masterpiece. You make it yourself?"
"...And?"
She eyed me like I'd spouted nonsense.
But I pressed on stubbornly.
Praise makes even whales dance, after all.
"Quenching like an art form. Lucky me, first smithy I hit is a gem like this."
Dwarves weren't whales, though.
"Get to the point."
"..."
The vibe sank colder; my affinity clearly tanked. I dropped the chit-chat and stated my business.
"Came for an inheritance."
Why a smithy, not a weapon shop.
No direct buys here, but they handled reinforcements and inheritances.
If I was right, I could inherit the [Holy Staff] onto a new weapon here.
In other words, use fresh gear while keeping the staff's effects intact.
Of course, it all hinged on the smith's skill.
Inheritances flopped often in the game too, so no guarantees today.
"Here's the item. Think you can do it?"
I handed over the [Holy Staff] carefully. She snatched it, inspecting top to bottom.
Touching, tapping, even sniffing it.
Gauging strength, materials for a quote, apparently...
'Does that really tell her anything?'
To a total normie like me in this field, it was just fascinating.
'Pros have their ways.'
Soon, she finished and spoke.
"What're you inheriting it onto?"
Positive sign—at least not a flat no.
I shared my idea.
"Possible on accessories like rings or bracelets? Belt works too."
"...Didn't you say weapon?"
"Figured as much."
...Damn, too bad.
A century later, maybe tech evolved for that.
Guess I'd settle for a light dagger then...
But then.
"If you want portability... hm, gloves could work."
The smith dwarf caught my drift and suggested first.
"Wait, gloves? That's doable?"
"Not for other weapons, but a staff? Sure. Grind it down, inherit—the effects should hold. Need top-grade leather, though."
"Huh."
Mind blown.
Gloves had the hassle of putting on and off, but portable as hell like accessories.
No issue casting spells in combat either.
Tech had advanced a ton.
No such weapon in the game.
'Sword in one hand, magic in the other—nice.'
I simulated it mentally; seemed solid.
No choice but to agree.
"Sounds good. Gloves it is."
"Materials upfront."
"Right now? How much?"
"200 gold."
"..."
Blown away. By the price too.
"What kinda materials cost that much...?"
"Told you—top-grade leather. Needs absorption, durability for combat use. And you're a mage, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then mana conduction too. That ain't ordinary hide."
"...Tch."
Bitter taste.
Thought I had plenty, but materials alone ate a quarter of my stash.
And this was just materials.
Finished product would tack on similar fees, no doubt.
Meaning tight budget for other gear.
'Why's building a cushion so damn hard.'
Sighing at the absurd inflation, but what could I do.
Handed the gold to the smith with a bow.
"Please take care of it."
"Come back in six hours."
"Got it."
Thud, thud.
Heavy steps out, unlike the way in.
Head swirling with money woes.
But.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
"Driving me nuts."
Even now, my heart raced.
At the thought of my new weapon.
What gloves awaited me?
"...I'm fully part of this world now."
Three months in.
Guess I'd adapted.