Preparation

When I told Rusell that our ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠party had finally decided to take the commission, he looked ready to leap for joy.

"Thank you. Truly, from the bottom of my heart — thank you. I know this was no easy decision."

"Not at all. You did say you'd provide us with proper support."

"Of course. Just as I promised, you'll have everything you need."

Then I laid out my conditions.

"Even so, I don't think we can start the job the moment we receive the equipment. We'll need time to get used to it, and there's a great deal of other preparation to take care of."

"As long as you've accepted, I'm satisfied. Though if you take too long, I'll be in a difficult position myself..."

"It won't be that long. About a month after we get the gear should be enough."

"...A month should be fine. You'll certainly need time to get comfortable with new equipment."

A month after receiving the gear. Unlike me, whose Strength sat at 40, Na Seoyun was at 33 and Nam Eun-ju at a mere 29.

Even now they were recovering bit by bit — Nam Eun-ju hovering around 14, Na Seoyun around 17. Nam Eun-ju's hard work had paid off, and the fact that their reduced Strength had been so low to begin with meant they were climbing back at a rapid clip.

I'd taken my time, helping with odd jobs and training at a leisurely pace, so it had taken me over two months just to get back to around 35. These two, I intended to drill hard. Between the time it would take to have the equipment made and the extra month we'd been granted, they should recover well enough.

I negotiated with the village chief and settled on heading to Tidrind Castle with the party in about four days.

Over those four days, I put Nam Eun-ju and Na Seoyun through the training program I'd planned. When I caught Ha Yoo-jin watching them, I figured I might as well include him too — so I ended up drilling all three at once.

On top of that, Nam Eun-ju still had the weakness of not knowing how to properly use her physical stats, so stacking that on top of the previous training produced a truly hellish schedule.

"...I feel like I'm going to die, Shin-hoo oppa."

"You still have to do it."

"...I know, but..."

After teaching them the Strength training methods, I put the other two through their paces to drill the techniques into their bodies, while putting Nam Eun-ju back through the regimen I'd taught her before.

She was already in the middle of Strength training, so she looked genuinely miserable — but she never pushed back against my instructions.

Even just saying that much was unusual. Nam Eun-ju wasn't the type to complain about hardship, so the fact that she was saying it at all meant it really was that brutal.

"Hyung, do we really have to do this?"

"You'll be glad you did. Having more Strength never hurt anyone."

"Hah... hahh! Hahh..."

Na Seoyun said nothing at all, quietly repeating every drill I assigned her.

There was nothing particularly special about Strength training.

At their current level, the modern method of progressively increasing the load was efficient up through the 20s. It could even work into the 30s. Once Strength climbed higher than that, though, it was a different story.

Once you crossed into the 30s, you started needing loads measured in tons, and at that point the whole setup became so cumbersome that you switched to other methods.

Using mana to put strain on the muscles. Training equipment enchanted with gravity magic. And the most efficient — and most insane — method of all: using mana to tear your own muscles apart and rearrange them. That last one was so dangerous, with such severe side effects, that almost nobody actually used it.

In the end, gravity magic was the most common approach, and enchanted equipment was expensive. Which meant the rich got stronger, earned more money, and the whole vicious cycle of the wealthy growing wealthier — and more powerful — became reality.

Agility and Stamina at least had alternative methods. Strength had none.

This was a method I'd learned from someone who'd acquired Strength training as a skill, and past a certain point, those absurd methods really did seem to be the only options.

Later on, you raised your stats through hunting more than actual training. As your achievements stacked up and your rank rose, your physical stats would naturally tick up one by one in the middle of a hunt.

Sooner or later, hunting was the only real answer.

Meanwhile, Joo Ha-yeon spent every day in Prayer, working to raise her Divine Power stat, and Na-yeon spared no effort in increasing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her mana and deepening her bond with her spirits.

Whether it was the Tower itself or having me as their instructor, every member of the party was diligent.

Which was the right way to be.

When the day's training ended, I held individual meetings with each of them in turn. I intended to have their equipment custom-made, so I needed to hear their requirements. Ideally, they'd speak directly to the craftsman about gear they'd be using themselves — but they lacked the experience, so that wasn't a good approach yet.

I'd take their opinions into account and make the requests myself.

Time passed, and those four days were gone before we knew it.

Over the four days, the three of them had fully internalized the training methods. When the time came, we followed the guide the village chief had assigned us into Tidrind Castle.

Even with the massive amount of experience we'd gained from the last hunt, we still weren't at a high enough level for Area 25.

Which was why a message I hadn't seen in a while was there to greet me. It hadn't actually been that long, but it felt like it.

"This is the place. We had to ask the lord himself just to get a reservation."

The man guiding us was Drener, the same one who'd come looking for us back in Monus Village.

He'd already been well-regarded, and bringing us in had only raised his standing further. I'd heard he was now all but the village chief's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right-hand man.

Those four days hadn't just been for getting the party ready. Rusell had needed the time to make arrangements of his own. This was the result.

Murkus Blacksmith.

A first-rate smithy run by an outstanding blacksmith — one that had been thriving even in my first life. It would still be going strong years from now, but even at this point, Murkus was already among the very best.

Getting our gear commissioned here, of all places...

In my first life, I hadn't even been able to afford a single ready-made piece from this shop. Things really had changed.

I felt the gulf of years as I stepped inside.

The entrance looked like any ordinary storefront. But from somewhere in the distance, the sound of a hammer striking metal drifted through, faint but growing.

"Welcome to Murkus Blacksmith. Is there something I can help you find?"

"We have a reservation. Under Rusell of Britus Village."

"...Ah. The custom armor order..."

He looked at our party with open surprise.

We were wearing gear that might as well have belonged to beggars, yet he treated us with perfect courtesy — clearly a well-trained clerk. And now he was being told these same people would be spending thousands of gold. On top of that, they'd used the lord's connections to jump the queue, pushing Murkus's other work aside. The clerk's manner grew even more deferential.

"He's been waiting for you. Please, follow me."

He opened a door at the back of the shop. As we passed through the connecting passage and drew closer to the other building, the clang of hammer on steel grew steadily louder.

"Here we are. Please wait a moment."

He went inside, and before long he emerged with a man who looked to have just entered middle age.

"Welcome. I am Murkus."

Knowing we had a connection to the lord, he was exceedingly polite.

"We've come from Britus Village. I'm Drener. I'm here on behalf of Village Chief Rusell to commission equipment for these people."

"I've heard. What kind of equipment are you looking for?"

I stepped forward as the party's representative and explained what we wanted.

This was top-grade gear, so it would at least come with a lightening enchantment. That much was a given, given their connection to the Magic Tower. I described each party member's characteristics and ran through the full list of equipment we needed.

Every single item on that list sounded like money evaporating. At least two thousand gold. That was my estimate.

Murkus wrote down every detail. My requirements were more meticulous than he'd expected, and he seemed to realize we weren't just here on a connection — we actually knew what we were doing. He even started double-checking my specifications with care.

Going through the process, I was reminded all over again that this man was first-rate.

"So, Yoo Shin-hoo and Nam Eun-ju would like steel armor with only a light lightening enchantment. Na Seoyun and Ha Yoo-jin would prefer relatively light gear. Na-yeon and Joo Ha-yeon want protective pieces covering the vital points, plus chain mail. For weapons: Nam Eun-ju, a sword and shield. Na Seoyun, a single longsword. Ha Yoo-jin, throwing daggers, and..."

The list went on and on. Once you got past the general picture and into the details, reciting it all took an age. Na-yeon and Joo Ha-yeon were planning to stop by the Magic Tower and the temple on this trip as well, to pick up robes, clerical vestments, staves, and the like. Na-yeon already had a staff, but Na Seoyun and Joo Ha-yeon didn't.

Na Seoyun was a Magic Swordsman, so she wanted a bracelet-type simplified staff rather than an actual staff — but unfortunately, we couldn't get one here.

I'd heard there was no craftsman, no alchemist with the technique to make one. I would have liked one myself, so it was a bit of a shame, but there was nothing to be done.

It looked like we'd have to wait until the Middle Floor.

After that, we each had our measurements taken, then headed to the temple together.

The one who received us was an elderly priest.

"Welcome. May the Goddess's grace be with you. ...Hm? There's a cleric among you. I can sense the Goddess's presence."

He seemed to have felt Joo Ha-yeon's holy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠power. I had none, so he apparently hadn't picked up on me being a cleric. He didn't seem to be a particularly high-level priest.

"A cleric, and yet that attire... how did you... are you a wandering priest?"

"Yes, I'm Joo Ha-yeon, a wandering priest. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"To meet a sister who trains in the lowest places for the sake of the world — I'm truly delighted. What brings you here?"

Drener stepped in.

"These are the people who have agreed to take on the investigation commission for Britus Village."

"...The Britus Village investigation?"

The priest looked thoroughly surprised. The Britus Village investigation commission was apparently already a fairly well-known story.

Well-known enough that even a priest had heard of it.

"Yes, that's right. Which is why we've decided to provide them with equipment. The priestess here seems to have little desire for material things, given her devotion to the world — but the commission is difficult enough that she's agreed to accept our support."

"...I see. That must have been a hard decision. Then of course we should help."

Every temple was saturated with holy power and possessed holy water. Because of that, robes and staves made at a temple came with the ability to amplify holy power. Some were even soaked in holy water to raise the quality of the equipment itself.

And they were priced accordingly.

Following Drener's request, the old priest brought out the finest equipment they had. Upon inspection, it was confirmed as Rare-grade.

The performance was solid, too.

Two pieces of Rare-grade equipment. The robe was 300 gold, the staff 500 gold. An insane price. You could kit Nam Eun-ju out in a full set for less than 500 gold. That was how steep the prices ran for mage and cleric gear.

The moment we purchased those two pieces, the old priest who'd been chuckling away bowed so deeply his back bent. It wasn't even his own money, and Drener's hands were still trembling as he handed it over.

The robe we bought for Na-yeon at the Magic Tower afterward wasn't cheap either — 250 gold.

The gear we'd commissioned at the blacksmith would take more than two weeks, so we could only stay at the castle for a day before heading back to the village. We'd driven the gnolls out, but we still had to keep guarding the village just in case. The finished equipment would be sent to the village from here.

I sent the others off to look around the castle and took only Ha Yoo-jin back to the temple.

When we arrived, the priest looked puzzled.

"Hm? Weren't you with the group that was just here... Why are you here alone... ah, not alone, I see. Ahem. I'm sorry, but we don't do refunds."

He seemed to have noticed Ha Yoo-jin holding my hand a beat late. He was a priest with holy power, so he'd managed to spot Ha Yoo-jin even with his passive skill active — just belatedly. Without holy power, he probably wouldn't have noticed at all.

"That's not why we're here, Father. I don't have any holy power myself, but I am a cleric. I came because I'd like to use the prayer room."

"...You're a cleric as well? Heh. Two wandering priests... how remarkable. The prayer room, you said? Of course, I'll open it for you."

"Thank you."

The old priest actually looked apologetic for not having recognized me earlier.

I led a bewildered Ha Yoo-jin to the temple's prayer room.

Before the altar. I walked up to it, and the skill shop opened at once.