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Currently we are earning money in the country called Wells, which is where Gil and MentaList were based previously. This country, like Hiers, is predominantly human, making it easy for our party of all humans to operate.

Now we are in the lounge of an inn in the city of Carnemonte, just three men enjoying tea.

Carnemonte is a relatively large city even in Wells, but it’s player-friendly due to the proximity of the monster zone. Despite being on the frontier, the city seems to have continued expanding, with multiple layers of outer walls, and the city is situated between these walls. We are in an inn in the outermost shell of the city.

Maintenance is over, so each of us has logged in and come out of our rooms.

“Hey Wayne, your equipment is getting pretty bad. Is that made of iron and monster skin or something? Somehow you’re still managing to keep up with that. Your player strength must have improved a lot, not just your skills and abilities.”

“Yeah, that’s right. It seems like I hardly get hit these days. The sword is just a raw blade, so the damage isn’t that great, but I cover for my attacks with magic, so if I could improve the sword, the DPS I deal would be more stable.”

“No, your equipment is shabby because Menta said to leave it for later. Honestly, looking like that, if you were active in another party, the members would be poached by others one after another.”

Wayne had complained several times, but MentaList simply said to leave the equipment for later and didn’t engage in the discussion much further.

In return, Wayne received plenty of support during battles, and if MentaList and Gil, who are his party members, say it’s okay, Wayne can’t really argue. He is aware that he is dragging them down, but at the same time, he feels that he is being lifted up in return.

“But seriously, what are you thinking? Tell me. It’s not like you’ve been letting Wayne wear shabby gear without any reason, right?”

In response to Gil’s words, MentaList finished his cup, stood up, and said, “That’s right. Let’s continue in my room.”

They brought chairs from Wayne and Gil’s rooms and gathered around a small table in MentaList’s room.

For Wayne, he would have been fine with a separate large room, but since Gil and Mentalist are not strapped for funds, a private room would be fine. Wayne has managed to pay his bills, but it will be difficult to maintain his standard of living if he does not shift his weight to earning funds rather than experience soon.

While MentaList mentioned it, Wayne realized that the current funds were prioritized over experience points in their activities. It might not be enough to catch up with Gil and MentaList, but at least they should have grown enough to fight alongside them.

“Now, by the way, let me confirm something. In the raid against the calamity, I missed collecting the metal chunks as drop items. I’ve already honestly informed the participating members, gained their understanding, and we agreed to no rewards. Is that okay?”

As Wayne, it was a bitter memory. If only we had collected those chunks before the calamity reappeared. Since the Hiers capital is already under the influence of the calamity, those metal chunks have probably already been collected by them.

“That’s right… I do feel sorry, though.”

“Well, it’s not just Wayne’s responsibility, right? By the way, Menta, didn’t you say you picked up a few of them?”

“I did. I still have them.”

Although I briefly considered sharing with everyone, those metal chunks belonged to MentaList, personally collected within the capital, not the raid drops. They should remain with MentaList.

“You’re quite shrewd or maybe just smart. So, what was that metal in the end? Magic iron or something? Were you planning to use it to make equipment for Wayne?”

“It’s something like that, but there’s one correction. This metal isn’t magic iron.”

MentaList took out a metal chunk from the inventory and placed it on the table. It had already been processed into ingots, and it was evident that it had undergone appraisal and refining at a blacksmith or similar place.

“I had this secretly turned into ingots at the city’s blacksmith. I was told it couldn’t be handled in the small towns I’ve been to before. Even in this city, it had to be taken to a well established blacksmith near the center for it to be acknowledged.”

“Seriously? What was it then?”

“It’s called [Adamas].”

Adamas. Wayne had heard of it before. It was originally a word mentioned in Hesiod’s Theogony, an ancient Greek text, likely referring to steel or something similar. The origin meant ‘unconquerable,’ and it was generally associated with a hard and durable material.

“How is it treated in this game? Gil, have you heard of it?”

“No, I haven’t. With the name, it’s probably something akin to Adamantite or Adamantium. Did that exist in the game?”

“It seems so. According to the blacksmith, it’s particularly hard and durable among normal metals, and its performance is significantly superior even compared to magical metals. He mentioned something like Orichalcum… It’s apparently somewhat inferior to materials with names like that. However, comparing it to Mithril, which has different applications, it’s hard to say which is better.”

They had researched quite extensively.

However, that meant it was a considerably rare metal.

And it was lying around in the middle of the royal capital.

“Seriously… The drops from the calamity are dangerous. If it became known that defeating the undead in the city center drops this metal, players might swarm the old Hiers capital.”

“It might… but I don’t intend to make it public.”

“…I see. Sorry, MentaList.”

“What do you mean?”

“Gil. Even though everyone agreed once, the fact remains that the calamity’s drops were lost due to my mistake. If it turns out that it was actually a valuable metal chunk, the consequences are uncertain. MentaList is worried about that, so they’ve been keeping quiet and only telling us.”

“Well… Sorry about that, MentaList.”

“It’s fine. If you didn’t intend to make it public, why bring it up now? You could quietly sell it. It’s not like anyone would find out.”

“I already know, but I thought about getting new equipment for Wayne and Gil with this. It might be troublesome if we put it on the market. Even if players won’t find out, NPCs buying it would definitely mark us. I’ve kept it quiet from the blacksmith who appraised it, and I’ll continue working with him in the future.”

“…What do you want to do, Wayne?”

To be honest, it felt awkward. There was a part of him that felt selfish for considering upgrading only his equipment, and besides, these were MentaList’s possessions.

However, MentaList was the one bringing it up, and Wayne’s subpar equipment was indeed hindering the overall party’s performance. Looking at it from the perspective of boosting the party’s overall strength, MentaList’s suggestion made sense. Also, considering the amount of metal Gil would need for their combat style, Wayne’s burden would be lighter. If Wayne refused, Gil would likely follow suit, stopping Gil’s upgrade.

Knowing the personalities of the two, MentaList had carefully considered the proposal.

“…MentaList, I’m glad you’re not an enemy.”

“I’m honored to receive your praise, Leader. So, is it okay if we proceed?”

“Yeah. Sorry, but please go ahead.”

Let’s change our perspective. Eventually, the goal is to defeat the calamity again. The raid members will be rewarded at that time. These metals are borrowed for that purpose.

“All right! Shall we go now? To that blacksmith.”

“Yeah, they’re probably eagerly waiting for us to show up. So, the sooner, the better.”

“Is that blacksmith so dedicated to their work?”

“No, Adamas seems to be rare even in this city. Opportunities to handle this much of it are apparently scarce because of it, so they’re quite eager.”

“So that was how it worked, I see.”