Chapter 34: The smell of rusting iron from the second-hand shop
The profit earned from the flea market today was 2312 El, totalling up to 346,800 yen once the amount is converted to Japanese yen. Should I just start a light business in the flea market?! It wasn’t an amount of money that was measurable just by the degree of my feelings. Rather, wasn’t this the average level of monthly salary earned by a full-time working adult in the society? That was actually equivalent to my two months of income. Besides, most of the goods sold today were bought from the 100 yen shop so the total cost price was supposed to be less than 10,000 yen.
I hope it wouldn’t cause trouble for the others since everyone bought them at a really cheap price from me. I should be more careful in pricing all the items the next time. I would like to avoid being too conspicuous as much as possible——I have already tried my best in making Diana not that noticeable—–after all, the other world people are my fortune.
By the way, even though the profit received was 2312 El, it has dwindled down to 1800 El after stocking up on various things to be sold in auction.
The sum might not amount to much once converted to Japanese yen but, I might not have enough to purchase a decent weapon in spite of them being second-hand. As far as my research on this world goes, the amount needed to acquire an excellent weapon and armour here was the same as buying a modern day sword and a brand new warrior’s armour in Japan…………….Well, the blacksmith has forged each weapon by painstakingly striking them one by one so it was justifiable. Thus I came to the conclusion that second-hand ones would be my remaining options.
……Though, even if I might have given up on getting a brand new cheap weapon, I still have an incurable materialistic side…..
I don’t care even if they are used goods. I want an excellent one! Cheap but a still decent, second hand but still of a good quality! That’s my kind of philosophy!
“Here it is.” [Rebecca]
The second hand shop that we were guided to by Rebecca-san was located along the river, quite a considerable distance away from the main street.
The scale of the shop was exactly the same as the scale of a convenience store, with the armours casually arranged all over the place in the narrow space to the extent of encroaching the territory outside the shop. I wonder if I should call this a recycle shop or an old fashioned second hand shop.
This place did indeed give off a treasure trove vibe. This is it! This is it! I was looking for a shop like this! As expected of Rebecca-san! She’s so dependable.
“So, what’s your plan on the types of weapon? The fighting methods varies depending on the weapons you select and swords themselves are separated into different kinds too.” [Rebecca]
I see. Certainly even for swords, there are two-handed sword, one-handed sword, straight sword, sabre, katana, and rapier. Daggers are also a type of sword classification and there will be a problem concerning the style if you require a shield too. As I thought, I don’t think I want to be a two-handed sword wielder though………
But well, I don’t have much strength so I guess a one-handed sword would be the best bet. Having a shield might work too.
“True, a one-handed sword and shield will clearly be a more stable choice…..but, that is only if you are going against 『human opponents』. Depending on what Jirou is arming yourself for, let’s say if you were facing monsters or demon beasts or sub-humans, it would be advisable to go straight for simple offensive power.” [Rebecca]
Hmm. Demon beasts and sub-humans are classified as ‘wild animals’ while monsters were born from demon elements….no it should be ‘appearing from’ to be more precise. Certainly I was planning to buy armours to protect myself so it would be accurate to say I would be mostly going against demon beasts. That being said, thieves and bandits might be scarier in comparison….. Come to think of it, are there something like this in the vicinity of my mansion? This is just a what if story, isn’t it? I haven’t seen demon beasts or sub-humans before too.
Then, should I make the selections by taking other areas into consideration? I wasn’t going to jump straight into dungeon in particular (though I was curious about it). In other words, basically I should just focus on weapons against other humans but………..the possibility of the human opponents having the ability to fight back will be another separate story, isn’t it?……..
….To be honest, it sounds impossible. That being the case, rather than swords, weapons like bow and arrow that would less likely receive murderous counter-attacks will be much better.
Assuming that I have to fight against another human, specifically if bandits or thieves were to appear……
In a worst-case scenario, if we were easily defeated, Diana and Marina would be taken away as loots while I would be killed on the spot. If the only things stolen were physical items, then it’s a cheap price to pay but it might be better to assume the worst.
(Rinkage: ‘Serious battle’ = Original word is ‘Gachibattle’)
In conclusion. There was no need to buy armours here for the sake of fighting with real people. Maybe I should select my armours on the other side.
“Then I’ll try building up a set in the case of demon encounters. Well, it’ll be subject to the bargains I find here though. When it comes to fighting against demons, would a two-handed sword be better than a one-handed sword?” [Jirou]
“True. Not to mention, it’s actually unnecessary taking into account that Jirou’s starting sword fighting at this age. It would be hard to ‘kill’ with just a one-handed sword. Simply put, if the same standard of weapon is wielded by someone with the same standard of skill, the attack will be around three or four times different. That is the difference between a one-handed and two-handed sword. Since you do not need to put on so much killing force against a human opponent, a one-handed sword is usually sufficient. However, to damage a demon using a one-handed sword requires considerable skill.” [Rebecca]
I see.
Then let’s try looking for a two-handed sword!
“So Jirou is fine with two-handed sword. What about the two other slave-chan?” [Rebecca]
“Ah, I am planning to buy something for the two of them too of course. What does Marina prefer? Has Marina used any kinds of weapons before?” [Jirou]
“The Laundry-Drying Pole style!” [Marina]
“Nn? What is that?……Sasaki Kojiro?”1 [Jirou]
“I trained by myself using the laundry pole as a spear!” [Marina]
As expected of Marina. Wasn’t she just ‘playing’ sword fighting?
Well, Marina’s vocation is a ‘knight’……..so a spear should be just right.
“I have slight experience in using bow, goshujin-sama.” [Diana]
Certainly that is a staple weapon for elves.
The fun time in trying out all the equipment will begin now!
The rays of sunlight outside that entered the shop’s interior, provided enough illumination by itself for us to rummage through the goods inside. A man who appears to be the shopkeeper was sitting at the counter near the entrance doing bookkeeping. He raised his face and greeted us lightly upon entering before returning to his work again. He didn’t seem much like the proactive type when it comes to dealing with customers. Well, there were similar shopkeepers like this in the other world too so it was the same here.
In my opinion, in spite of the cluttered condition of the shop, I actually like shopkeepers who don’t say much. Although, after looking around, it appears to be a minuscule probability of me discovering a bargain here……..Almost everything in this place looks like garbage……But, I shouldn’t abandon hope before properly inspecting every single items here.
Besides, I currently possessed “The Mirror of Truth” as my cheat skill.
At the innermost corner of the shop, I spotted around 10 two-handed swords. There were a wide range of swords neatly hung up on the wall and there were also some that were strewn all over the ground, some labelled with prices and some without. The whole sight was a huge mess.
I shall examine one by one using “The Mirror of Truth”.
These were roughly the stats received starting from the relatively clean sword.
【Type】
Melee Weapon
【Name】
Two-Handed Sword
【Commentary】
A sword that can be equipped by those with melee combat profession
【Magic Properties】
None
【Spirit Blessings】
None
【Owner】
Lockfate Opossum
The shapes didn’t seem similar and the sizes were also subtly different. Nonetheless they were still displayed as either two-handed sword or Claymore. The performance must have been the same despite the appearance.
The name under the ‘owner’ category should be the name of the shopkeeper here.
These were the stats of a large rusted sword lying on the floor.
【Type】
Melee Weapon
【Name】
Claymore -1
【Commentary】
Rusty
【Magic Properties】
None
【Spirit Blessings】
None
【Owner】
Lockfate Opossum
The description was subtle.
According to Rebecca-san, we could remove the rust by bringing it to a blacksmith so it would be possible to repair it if I were to identity any good swords. Even if the current physical condition was bad, it wouldn’t be a problem selecting it so long as the base features are good enough.
I gave up on the two-handed sword section for the time being and decided to take a look at the selections of spear for Marina.
Among the assortment of cluttered short spears leaned against the wall, I discovered a lance that looks promising.
【Type】
Long-Handled Spear Weapon
【Name】
Ruined Purple Halberd -1
【Commentary】
Additional 『Ruined Purple』 curse will be added to the attack
Rusty
【Magic Properties】
Ruined B
【Spirit Blessings】
None
【Owner】
Lockfate Opossum
It looks good or rather, it looks like a strong weapon….
I was thinking of going for an ordinary spear but this is a halberd. The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike on the long shaft, also called a polearm I think? The handle was made of black wood while the tip was made of metal, the design looks like a combination of a normal spear and an axe. Although referred to as ruined purple, the colour of the tip was darkish purple, appearing considerably rusty at the same time. Colour-wise it might look good on Marina so this should be fine.
In addition to the rust, it was also quite heavy so it was questionable if Marina could handle it. I’ll just keep it in the meantime though. Since it wasn’t priced, I wasn’t sure if I have enough money to buy it.
“How is it? Did you find something good–?” [Rebecca]
“Well rather than a spear I think I found a good halberd. I haven’t located any good two-handed sword though. I’ll tentatively go through the selections of one-handed sword for now.” [Jirou]
Rebecca-san approached me with a metal gauntlet in one hand. It looks like a comparatively exaggerated gauntlet but I guess she’s buying it.
“Ah this? I was wondering what Jirou thinks of this one. The price is also cheap. Gauntlets are also important too, you know.” [Rebecca]
“Ah thank you.” [Jirou]
She seems to have selected a gauntlet for me.
Upon receiving it from Rebecca-san, I realized the weight was actually really light even though it was made of metal! The weight was probably around the same as titanium. However, it was enveloped by a pale shine so it shouldn’t be titanium. It appears to be of the same type of material as the guild card…….
Let’s appraise it immediately using ‘The Mirror of Truth’.
【Type】
Gauntlet
【Name】
Mithril Gauntlet +2
【Commentary】
The increased of high hit rate is added by the spirit’s protection.
【Magic Properties】
None
【Spirit Blessings】
High hit rate E
【Owner】
Lockfate Opossum
Oooh, that’s the first [+2] I’ve encountered! Or rather this was the first item that comes with spirit’s blessing. And what the heck, mithril!? So this was made of mithril. It was the same as the one found in games but this is certainly a fantasy world as expected. I would like to try making a mithril knife one day too.
Even if this was considered as light, it should still be around 100g or 200g……
But, seeing that the price was just 450 El with high hit rate as an additional bonus, there wasn’t any other options but to buy this!
Having said that, to what extent are these [+2] or [+1] valid…….? I wouldn’t be able to tell if it weren’t for the Mirror of Truth.
Should I just try asking about it?
“Rebecca-san, are there any weapons with additional special abilities? For instance, something like a cursed weapon……” [Jirou]
“Eh? Do you mean enchanted weapons? I don’t know if they are cursed but…..erm….that’s right. There are some that were already enchanted in advance but we wouldn’t be able to know actually without first trying out the weapons. There are times when they appear in certain trustworthy shops at an incredible price though…..at least I don’t think this is that kind of shop.” [Rebecca]
It didn’t seem like a usual case. No, if we try examining them thoroughly, there were actually a few times when [+1] popped out. Or could most [+1] be a simple miscalculation in terms of the capabilities? What if the highest one was +100……
Well, I guess I wouldn’t know without first giving it a try.
Anyway, I should try hunting for one-handed sword next. The numbers of one-handed swords appear to be higher in comparison to the two-handed sword, totalling to about 30 different ones. I should be able to find something nice from them.
I went over them thoroughly using ‘The Mirror of Truth’.
They were mainly common products or rusty ones with [-1]. The materials were generally steel I guess and the weight for each was about average. I supposed I shouldn’t treat them lightly even though they were one-handed swords. To be honest, judging from my physical strength, even if I were to buy a normal one-handed sword made of steel, it wouldn’t be possible for me to lift it up in long duration without using both hands.
After a while, I suddenly spotted a strange sword among them.
【Type】
Melee Weapon
【Name】
Rusty Sword -2
【Commentary】
The real appearance could be an excellent or a low-grade sword.
【Magic Properties】
?
【Spirit Blessings】
?
【Owner】
Lockfate Opossum
I know this one, I know this one.
In the case of game, it might be a legendary sword once you re-forged it, becoming something like a Dragon Slayer Sword. I’ll be buying this too.
Iya, a second-hand shop sure is fun. There was no trouble at all in choosing the items thanks to the appraising ability!
“Goshujin-sama, there seem to be several swords here too. They are not well-organized at all.” [Diana]
Certainly, it looks like a perfect representation of a disastrous scene with all the items tossed aside, cluttering each corner of the shop. There wasn’t really a specific corner for two-handed sword or one-handed sword then. That being the case, I have no choice but to search through the entire place with a fine-tooth comb.
“If this is how things turn out, it’ll be a round-robin! If there are any two-handed swords lying on the floor, bring them all to me!” [Jirou]
Thus, everyone went around, bringing what they found to me to be appraised one by one. I have initially expected the shopkeeper to say something about this but, he didn’t seem bothered at all, resuming with his newspaper reading after the bookkeeping.
In a sense he appears to be living in a carefree lifestyle. The feeling he had given off made me feel a little envious.
…….But anyway, that was quite a huge number of swords he was carrying in his shop.
Including just the one-handed swords and two-handed swords, there were nearly 100 of them in total. I wonder how many it would wind up to, if I were to include daggers as well.
“My liege! There is also another one on the table.” [Marina]
Saying so, Marina brought a long sword over to me. Speaking of which, I have not taken a look at the table yet. Superficially, the table appears to be filled with nothing but garbage though I guess there were more than just garbage there.
The blade of the long sword brought over by Marina has a narrow width, questionable thin hilt with rust all over the black blade. The workmanship of the sword appears to be concealed by a layer of rust as well, an overall condition that wouldn’t make one hold any expectation from. Since the hilt was thin and the blade itself was only about 1m in length, the weight seems just right even if I were the one to use it.
I will invoke the ‘The Mirror of Truth’ on it even if it might look like a fail product.
It should be ‘Long Sword -1’ to me at best but……..
—-It turned out to be an unexpectedly lucky find, more than what I had expected.
【Type】
Melee Weapon
【Name】
Jet-Black Heart of Blood Magic Sword -1
【Commentary】
A magic sword that has absorbed the blood of a thousand demon beasts.
A sword that can be equipped by those with melee combat profession.
Additional curse, 『Absorption』 will be added to the attack once it hits the target.
Rusty.
【Magic Properties】
Absorption C
Anti-Demon Beasts A
【Spirit Blessings】
None
【Owner】
None 2
Rinkage Footnotes
1. Sasaki Kojiro was a prominent swordsman during the Sengoku and early Edo period. His main weapon, a nodachi was called, “Monohoshizao 物干し竿” (The Laundry-Drying Pole). You can read more about him here.
2. Yup ‘none’ was stated under ‘owner’