The Hero's Shopping Spree
"Sisyphus, look at the quality of these clothes. The mainland is really something else. The texture is just incredible." Cassandra was bustling through the marketplace, touching every piece of merchandise in sight.
"You only ever wear that robe, so why do you need all that?"
"You never know when the occasion to wear something beautiful might arise. You have to buy things when you see them."
"Can't you just use your prophecies to figure that out?"
"Honestly. You're just trying to embarrass me because I haven't been able to prophesy lately, aren't you?"
"You know me well." Sisyphus ruffled Cassandra's robe.
"Stop being so mean. Since we've been recommended a shop, we might as well go shopping. It'll help us prepare for our quests, too." As she suggested, Sisyphus had been looking for the shop Socrates had mentioned. It would certainly be helpful for taking on future contracts.
"Have you decided to take that Minotaur King quest?"
"I'm thinking about it." It was a business trip request to the Cretan city-state. In the original myth, it was the story of Theseus, who broke through Daedalus's Labyrinth to slay the Minotaur.
"Sisyphus, don't you find it annoying to get caught up in another country's politics?" Clea asked.
"Is it a political request?"
"Yeah. I looked into it, and it turns out that quest is part of a treaty signed because a prince from that city-state died in an accident here in Athens. It seems Athens has to dispatch a certain number of hero parties every year."
"So that's the situation."
"The city-state's Labyrinth is famous. Crete is even called the Labyrinth City. It's a place where countless magical beasts lurk, making it a training ground for heroes, but it's just as often their graveyard."
"I've heard of it, too. They say the Minotaur King living in the deepest part has never been wounded by any hero. He's so strong that he just throws every hero he sees. They say if he ever gets out, it wouldn't just be a disaster—it would be a catastrophe."
"It seems it became a general quest because the Sigma party, who were supposed to be dispatched this year, suddenly refused. Since the rank has been lowered, they need many more heroes to meet the treaty's quota."
"In reality, it's just a way to balance national power. Even if heroes wander freely, keeping them in one place for a long time is profitable. So, this quest is essentially a migration application."
"That explains why Socrates's expression was so sour when I asked him about it." Sisyphus understood the situation.
"But that's only if you can't slay this Mino-whatever and get stuck in the Labyrinth, right?"
"Right?"
"If you slay it and come back, that's the end of it."
"That's... right?"
Why was everyone so worried about such a simple problem? If the beast was that strong, it would probably drop some decent traits. Since it was supposedly strong, maybe it would even drop some high-performance muscle supplements.
"I think this is the place." The three of them entered the shop recommended by Socrates.
"...Welcome. Buy something or don't." A clerk with hair hanging down like a spider's web and hollow, listless eyes greeted them without stopping his weaving.
Despite the clerk's state, the shop was filled with what were clearly top-tier goods.
"My goodness. Everything I saw outside was junk compared to this." Cassandra's eyes widened.
"Sisyphus, look at this. It's the Orb of the God Scamandros. There are only twelve of them in existence. It's an artifact that would make any mage lose their mind."
"Sisyphus? Ah, so you're the one." The clerk pulled a few garments from the display and tossed them at Sisyphus. "Try these on."
"I didn't come here to buy clothes."
"They're woven from magic linen that blocks annoying curses and poisons below the Hero rank. I don't show these to just anyone, so try them on. And you, young lady, try this on." The clerk tossed something at Clea as well.
Sisyphus was suspicious, but he decided to try them on at least.
"Wow, honestly, I hate to praise you, but you really were a noble, weren't you? I've never seen anyone look this good in a chlamys." Cassandra marveled as she adjusted Sisyphus's attire. A neat, noble-style formal garment draped over him.
"Are you telling me to cover up my 'Fred' and 'John'?"
"If you pull here, it secures it. It won't get in your way even if you draw your weapon at any time."
"Hmm, convenient."
It was certainly a shop worthy of an Athenian guild's recommendation. They were selling some truly significant items.
"S-Sisyphus. Do I look weird...?" Clea emerged after changing. She had preferred loose-fitting, modest chiton, but now she was wearing an outfit that clung to her body, leaving her thighs exposed for ease of movement.
'Aerodynamic, huh?' To Sisyphus, it looked easy to run in.
"Isn't this the kind of thing courtesans wear...?"
"It suits you well."
"Really? Heh." Clea bowed her head, scratching her cheek with both hands.
"That's the same material, too. See the mana-thread processing in the fibers? It has a function to store excess mana when you release it."
"Wow. Is this Greek high-tech? This is amazing... I want a set, too."
"Body."
"Yes?"
"You have to show me your body if you want me to tailor clothes for you. At least your face."
At the clerk's words, Cassandra jumped in surprise and clutched her robe shut. "No way! Do you think anyone can just see my body? This is a national treasure-level secret!"
"Suit yourself."
"Ugh! Why are you only like that with me? I want to wear pretty clothes too!"
Sisyphus pulled Cassandra away. "It looks like equipment for high-level heroes. I appreciate the recommendation, but I don't have that much money."
"It's one gold coin for everything."
"It only costs that much?"
The knots at the waist were clearly made of bronze and gold, and magic had been applied to them—it was shockingly cheap. Sisyphus was dumbfounded.
"If it's one gold coin..."
He had already accepted another quest since the Minotaur King quest wasn't settled yet. It would cover not just his gear, but Clea's as well. It was worth the purchase.
"I'll take it."
"Yep. Thanks. Come back again. I'm Arachne the tailor. Someone like you could even get custom work done."
Sisyphus left the shop after finishing the payment. Since they had new equipment, he decided to handle a quest right away.
"Wolf pack appearing in the northeast, extermination quest. Why is there a quest that's so timely?"
"Athens is a big city. They say the more people live here, the more magical beasts appear."
"Looking at the bulletin board, it seems like the beasts are almost permanently stationed here."
"They're probably clearing out the surrounding forests and mountains to open up roads, so there are a lot of them. Let's go quickly. It'll be fun." Clea took the lead, excited.
When they arrived at the scene, a party was already engaged in battle.
"Man, they're tough today!"
"Woof woof woof woof!"
"Hey, move aside! I can't tell which one is the wolf!"
A group of five heroes was surrounding a single wolf, swinging swords and spears. To be precise, one person was fighting one wolf.
"Is that dog a hero too?"
"Maybe he gained a trait that turns him into a dog. Looks like he had bad luck while hunting wolf beasts."
"It's a dog-eat-dog world."
Heroes were always getting annoyed by those traits or powers when fighting beasts. No, wait—didn't they say some heroes actually fought beasts specifically to target those traits?
"Let's start. Clea, lure the wolves."
"Okay."
Flash! With a spark, Clea disappeared. Soon, the trees in the forest began to rustle, and a chaotic noise started to erupt.
"Wait, what is that party doing right now?"
"Hey, you guys! Don't get in the way of someone else's hunt!"
"They're only pulling one at a time. They're going to get swarmed!"
Sisyphus ignored the shouts of the other party and looked around. He found a rock about five meters wide, and flash! He lifted it in one go.
"Whoa."
"What, what kind of guy is that?"
Sisyphus said to Cassandra, "Weight increase."
Cassandra drew a magic circle. Creak! The rock's weight multiplied in an instant, so much so that Sisyphus's feet sank into the ground.
—Bark bark bark!
—Bark bark bark bark!
The howling could be heard. It meant Clea was bringing the wolf pack.
"Uh-oh, they're swarming over there!"
"Those guys are crazy. Get ready to run!"
Throw
"It's been a while since I've done this."
The moment the wolves came into view—
—Whoosh! Thud!
"Yelp!"
Whirl, the rock flew through the air due to the recoil and landed back in Sisyphus's hand.
"One down."
—Whoosh! Thud!
—Whoosh! Thud!
—Whoosh! Thud!
"Yelp!" "Yelp!" "Yelppp!"
The wolf beasts, jaws agape, fell one by one. The hero party that witnessed the scene had their jaws drop in return.
"What the hell is that...?"
Flash, sparks flew.
"Hup!"
Clea kicked the face of a wolf leaping behind Sisyphus, sending it flying.
"You've got talent."
"Phew, I guess this is my true calling."
Before long, the forest fell silent. The extermination of the beast pack was over in an instant.
"Do we just need to pull out the fangs?"
"Yeah. We have to bring both. They'll count two as one beast."
"This one seems to have lost one."
"That's a shame."
"Tsk."
The Sisyphus party left the scene, having finished the extermination with ease.
"Woof woof." The dog hero barked at them.
"Extermination of wolf beasts confirmed. A total of 72. Here is your reward." Sisyphus, who had reported the extermination to the guild, tilted his head at the pouch dropped in front of him.
"Five gold coins and twenty silver coins? Why is it so much?"
"Emergency quest bonus, first-time quest bonus, rapid extermination bonus, and the Athens Wolf Day event is currently underway, so that's why."
"I see."
They were lucky. It was a quest that wouldn't have even earned a single gold coin originally, but their pockets were suddenly heavy.
"Sisyphus, we've earned a lot of money, so we're going to a good inn, right?"
"Hmm."
Right, they still needed to save a lot, but since the income was good for the first day—
"Let's go somewhere that serves meat."
"Yay!"
"Don't 'yay' me, hurry up and prophesy. We need to know where Olympus will appear so we can prepare."
"I know, I know. You're so impatient."
The Sisyphus party left the guild in a cheerful mood.
"Did you give them a good reward?"
"Yes. They took it without suspicion. To exterminate a whole pack of wolves in a single day—it was an unbelievable record."
"And you gave them the 99 percent discount at the shop?"
"Of course. You can't beat our clerk's salesmanship."
"Good. Make sure to provide full support so that this great hero stays in our Athens for as long as possible."
"Of course. Since he's a noble person whom Chiron himself gave the Omega to, we at the Eranoi will serve him carefully so he doesn't feel burdened."
After they left, Socrates and the guild master nodded at each other, celebrating the success of their operation.