Chapter 8

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 8

Chapter Title: Runein Village (5)

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Dante looked stunned when he heard she wanted to dispose of the hammer he'd made himself.

"May I ask the reason?"

"It's too heavy. It's inconvenient for combat."

"...I see. Well, there's no helping it then...."

Dante handed the pouch of coins back to Cheisi.

"I'll return all the money. Sigh, disappointing a customer weighs on my heart."

"The weapon itself was still good. Someone else could put it to better use."

Dante's weapons were genuinely excellent. Two-digit attack and defense stats, plus minor special effects to boot. Even Cheisi, flustered by its size and weight, had been tempted for a moment by that damage output.

But ultimately, it didn't match her combat style at all—that was the problem.

"So you'll keep using that dagger as your weapon?"

When Cheisi nodded, Dante's expression hardened.

"I can't bear to see you wielding that trash... Let me reinforce your dagger for you. I'm doing it to make up for disappointing you, so don't feel burdened."

With that, Dante vanished somewhere, then returned holding a yellowish parchment.

"Do you know about inscriptions?"

Cheisi glanced at the parchment in Dante's hand.

It looked like a magic scroll etched with letters, at first glance.

"It's a way to strengthen gear by engraving special ancestral inscriptions. See these letters engraved on this hammer?"

Dante fetched a massive hammer that resembled a blacksmith's tool.

Strange letters were carved into Dante's hammer—letters Cheisi couldn't comprehend.

Dante gazed at them for a moment with nostalgic eyes.

"They're from the blacksmith I admired as a child. I've never once regretted engraving them."

"What do they mean?"

"Haha, I don't really know myself."

Dante scratched his bald head sheepishly.

"But when I wield this hammer, it feels like that blacksmith is guiding me. That's the reason for engraving inscriptions."

Cheisi took the parchment from Dante. She could feel the texture of aged paper, marked with traces of time everywhere.

"Engraving this onto a weapon will make it stronger."

The parchment was scribbled with unknown letters in a chaotic mess. Their meaning was impossible to guess; all she got was an impression of geometric disorder.

Cheisi checked the parchment's information.

"Attack +35...?"

Cheisi was startled by the surprisingly high value.

It was comparable to the hammer's attack power. And this was for a dagger that could strike at high speed. The value of +35 attack was even greater.

The viewers were shocked by the unexpectedly high attack value too.

Dante alone seemed to maintain his composure amid it all.

"Just a heads-up: once an inscription is engraved, it can't be removed."

Dante warned Cheisi in a stern voice.

Once engraved, it couldn't be erased. That meant she couldn't change the inscription on a weapon later.

Cheisi realized the inscription system was truly a double-edged sword. It offered a massive immediate boost, but if she found a better inscription later, she couldn't replace the old one—stunting her growth.

"Of course, that dagger's worthless anyway, so this inscription should be fine."

"Yeah... you're right."

Dante was spot on. She wouldn't use a +5 attack dagger forever. She could engrave it now, use it, and toss it later.

Cheisi decided to engrave the inscription on her dagger.

"What do you say? Shall I do it?"

"Please do."

Dante stepped forward.

"Alright. Order accepted."

Dante placed the dagger on a flat surface and laid the parchment over it. An aura like the forge's flames enveloped him, and with scorching smoke, letters began etching into the dagger.

Cheisi saw the geometric pattern from the parchment now perfectly replicated on the dagger.

The engraving process was complete.

Cheisi took the dagger back and checked its info.

The attack power had skyrocketed.

With its weak attack compensated, hunting would gain serious momentum now—not to mention the durability hitting four digits.

She wanted to test the dagger's performance right away. Cheisi strapped it to her waist, thanked Dante, and left the smithy.

Her test subjects, of course, were the goblins.

Hihi!

A small green goblin in the forest growled metallically from its throat as it eyed its target.

The goblin's target was a pointy-eared catgirl with red hair fluttering in the wind.

Hihihihi!!!

The girl in the thin robe wore a relaxed smile even as the goblin charged.

But when the goblin raised its club toward her, she gripped her dagger and unleashed two silver slashes.

Hihik....

The goblin collapsed, dissolving into white particles.

Cheisi stowed the goblin's loot in her inventory and moved on.

"Next!"

A goblin wielding a poison needle rod was her next opponent.

Cheisi elegantly dodged the now-familiar poison needle and closed the distance.

Kieeek....

Three strikes later, the goblin's health vanished in a flash, turning to light particles.

"Next!"

Cheisi prowled the forest without pause.

After hunting two more goblins, she finally spotted her target.

"Kieek! Human!"

Guruk! Gurruk!

Two purple goblins.

"There you are."

A grin curved Cheisi's lips.

The goblin duo that had taken five potions to fell. Perfect opponents to test her upgraded dagger.

"Let's see just how much stronger it's gotten."

Cheisi addressed the viewers as she initiated combat.

"Kiek! Die!"

The goblin's dagger clashed against Cheisi's. After successfully blocking once, she exploited the opening to land a solid hit on the Dagger Goblin.

Its health plummeted instantly.

"Whoa."

Cheisi let out an exclamation.

The damage had shaved off 30% of its health.

The output was monstrous. At this rate, four strikes would finish the Dagger Goblin.

The viewers now watched her fights with total ease, no tension left. The gap between Cheisi and the goblins was that visible.

Cheisi swiftly finished the Dagger Goblin. With the last one down too, she noted she hadn't used a single potion bought with the hammer sale money.

The dagger's attack power and her quicker movements had turned the potion-guzzling Twin Goblin duo into an easy no-potion kill.

Still, she had taken some health damage, so Cheisi popped one potion.

It felt like chugging a cool soda.

"...I'll grind to level 4 like this."

Cheisi wiped her mouth and set off.

Moments later, she downed another goblin pair.

A cheerful chime accompanied the message.

It was the exact message Cheisi had been waiting for.

"...Level 4!"

Cheisi cheered, tail swishing happily.

Her level had finally risen. Just one more to level 5.

"One more level and I can eat the fish!"

"Of course I gotta pick up the quest too. I'm curious what it is."

She was curious about the quest from Boatman Adin too. But her desire to hit level 5 and eat fish burned stronger.

However, there was a big hurdle.

Cheisi checked the EXP needed for her next level up and was stunned.

"3000...."

3000 EXP. The number had jumped again.

But EXP wasn't all she needed to gather this time.

It was a level-up condition she'd never seen before.

"Yeah. Looks like to reach level 5, it's not just EXP—you have to hunt specific monsters too."

It seemed they wouldn't let her level up just by grinding EXP anymore.

"Guess I just gotta hunt it then."

But she wasn't too worried. She had potions, a strong dagger, and plenty of time to prepare. No matter how tough, persistence would bring it down.

Cheisi stretched, rolling her shoulders.

Even in VR, roaming the forest ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and battling goblins had left her body a bit fatigued.

"Phew."

She sat on a stump for a short break. The chirping bugs and fresh forest scent revitalized her weary body.

In this brief moment of leisure, Cheisi checked the stream overlay and jolted in surprise.

50 viewers. It had swelled from 20 somehow.

No wonder the chat felt lively—more people were typing now.

"For the fish, I'll grind straight to level 5!"

Cheisi declared cheerfully to the viewers.

"R-Really...?"

Cheisi faltered, reading the chat.

She'd never thought of it that way. Her voice more relaxed?

But the viewers felt so.

Maybe her tension had eased without her noticing. That thought crossed her mind.

At the same time, she felt good thinking she'd improved a bit as a streamer.

Then, a cheerful sound she'd never heard before rang out.

"Wha—huh—eh...?!"

Cheisi was speechless at the message on her stream overlay.

A donation. She'd seen plenty as an Abyss viewer, but receiving one herself was a first.

Her brain short-circuited.

"Th-Thank you...!"

Snapping back via chat, Cheisi regained her wits.

"R-Reaction! I'll do it!"

Donos required reactions.

Streamers' reactions were part of the fun for viewers—some even donated just for that.

"B-But what should I do...?"

She had nothing prepared.

She'd never imagined getting a dono. No prep, and it hit out of nowhere.

Wracking her brain, Cheisi spotted the donor's message in chat.

Her golden eyes shook wildly.

Her lazily swishing tail froze.

And so, the red-haired catgirl halted completely for a moment.