BXBX NOVEL Vol. 2 - Chapter 65 - Shopping
At the end of April, I was summoned to the Butler's office. The conversation was about the results of Mash's Appraisal ceremony.
Mash had a Talent for spearmanship, Spearman.
Viscount Carnell was pleased to hear that his child had no talent, but Allen was very glad to hear that his brother had one.
The messenger told my parents that I was doing well too. I thanked the Butler profusely for that.
Allen was walking the streets.
"You."
(Hmm?)
"Oh, hello."
I was approached on the street by a face I know from somewhere.
"Thank you for that time."
"No, no, I'm glad you're okay."
It was a merchant I helped out of the city before. He bowed deeply to me. As a grown man who was bowing to a young boy, he attracted a lot of attention.
Since I've been on hunting duty, I've saved several merchants and travelers, like him. Adventurers are not so active in the winter. I have saved several adventurers as well.
About once a month, the Eagle would find someone who requires help.
It is also the job of the hunting guard, so I actively help others. If I need to use the Grass of Life, I grab the leaves and use them. It consumes five E-rank magic stones, but I don't think it's a waste.
"Oh, there you are. Allen."
I was approached by someone else while the merchant was helping me.
An adventurer with a sword on his hip with two female adventurers beside him approached me.
"Oh, Raven and Rita and Milsy."
"All right, let's eat first."
"Yes."
It was just before noon. I was invited to lunch, so I went along. The four of us went to a restaurant on the main street.
(Come to think of it, this might be the first time I've ever been in a restaurant in the city.)
I spent all my time working as a manservant and hunting, and did little else. I've never played in the city. I've been in the city for almost a year now, and there are so many stores and places I've never used or visited.
"You are still collecting, right?"
As we waited for our food, Raven handed me a small bag.
"What? Are you sure?"
"Sure."
I opened the bag. There were about 100 E-rank magic stones inside. They give me exactly 100 every time, so I'm sure there will be 100 this time as well. This is the 5th bag. Thanks to this, the number of E rank magic stones I have has increased considerably. I put the magic stones away in a jute bag.
Raven also found out a while ago that I belonged to the Granvelle family. I don't know how he found out though. I've also helped a few other adventurers, so I guess that's how he found out.
Even after they know, I still see them when I have business, like today.
"So, why did you call me?"
I hadn't told him what I wanted yet. When I went to the inn where Raven was staying, he wasn't there, so I asked the receptionist at the inn to give him a message and tell him to come to the square in the center of town today.
"I'm thinking of hunting a little farther away from the city. So, I'd like to know the characteristics of C-ranked monsters and how many of them appear at once."
"""!!!"""
Raven and two others were surprised. The food arrived. It was a delicious meat dish that cost a few silver coins.
"Do you understand what you are saying? Even a C-rank adventurer can die if he's unlucky."
"Yes, I do. That's why I'd like to know any information you have about those magical beasts."
When I met him before, he told me that adventurers have different ranks. They start at rank E, the same rank as the monsters, and go all the way up to rank S. Basically, magical beasts of the same rank are difficult to defeat. If you're unlucky, you might even die.
Allen can't become an adventurer at the age of 8. He is thinking of being an adventurer if he quits being an adventurer. He doesn't need this information in a hurry, but he wants it just in case.
Raven and his friends are also C-rank adventurers. Last December, when he was injured, Raven and his friends were attacked by armored ants, a C-rank magical beast.
Allen decided to change his hunting targets from D-rank to C-rank magical beasts.
The reasons being:
-The number of Goblins has decreased dramatically.
-My level has risen, making it difficult to level up.
-I'll be 9 years old next month, and my status suppression will be released a little (from 0.8 to 0.9 times of my original status).
I have a good stock of E-rank magic stones that I have received or hunted, so I should be able to afford it even if I lose some of my summons by changing targets.
-Strengthening is now level 5.
Not long ago, I heard the Knight Commander report to Baron Granvelle at dinner that the damage caused to the people by Goblins had been reduced by half in the past six months.
It's not that there are only Goblins between the city and the White Dragon Mountains. Perhaps there are other causes, but Allen has hunted more than 10,000 Goblins in nine months.
Lately, it has been taking longer and longer to find the Goblins. Now that I've accumulated some magic stones, it's time to try for the next rank.
While eating at the restaurant, he asked about the C-rank magical beasts, making notes in his Grimoire.
After the meal, I went shopping. To protect myself, I went to buy protective gear for the first time in nine months.
"Welcome."
I wanted to ask Raven for some recommendations, so the four of us went into the store. The owner looked at us as if we had children with us, but we didn't care and went about our shopping.
"What do you want?"
"Something that won't interfere with my mobility."
"Well, no armor then. Some light and durable clothes."
While Raven was consulting with...
"Doesn't this look good on Allen, Milsy?
"Uh-huh."
Rita brings me a pair of shorts. She adjusts them to Allen's and checks the size of the clothes. She feels something like a big sister picking out clothes for her cousin.
(Hmm, looks like a kindergarten or elementary school uniform with shorts in winter.)
"How much is this?"
I value performance over appearance. Rather, I only look at performance.
When Allen was Kenichi, what he was looking for in equipment was defense. In some games, there are various kinds of resistance, such as magic resistance, debuff resistance, and so on. I've never wanted anything from my armor other than defense and resistance. I've never cared about how it looks. Especially in online games, there were often services to decorate your equipment, but of course I never used them.
If a stuffed animal is the most powerful piece of equipment, I would wear it without hesitation.
Mobility is also important as I plan to continue to hunt on the move. I consider it to be more important than defense. What is more important than defense is experience efficiency.
"Two gold pieces."
"I'm thinking of spending around 5 gold coins for my gear."
That's more than half of my money.
"Whoo, so much money!"
"If so, check these items."
-Death Spider Cloak....5 Gold coins
Color: Light Brown, Low Breath Resistance, Various Resistance Improvements
White Bat Hood....6 Gold Coins
Color: White. Medium Breath Resistance
(Wow, that's around the price point.)
"I'm pretty sure that C-ranked monsters don't use Breath, right?"
"Well, yes. I don't see any magical beasts on the way to the White Dragon Mountains. Considering the cold weather and the encampment, wouldn't a cloak be better?"
Raven gives us the right advice. The cloak is better than the resistance, he said. The more expensive the cloak, the better the protection, but functionality is also important, so I follow his advice.
"I'll take this cloak, then."
In this way, preparations were made to defeat the C-rank magical beast.