Chapter 32, Which One Should I Choose?

Translator: Lizz

 

In the battle with the ogre, Masato’s and Rika’s weapons had been completely destroyed.

 

Their armor had been left in terrible condition as well. They had been so badly damaged that buying new gear would have been cheaper than repairing it.

 

There was no doubt it would deal a heavy blow to their wallets, but they could not fight monsters with broken equipment. So the two decided to go shopping at a dungeon supply store for explorers in Tokyo.

 

The shopping trip, which had led to Rekka storming out of the house, had been planned to replace the tools of their trade.

 

Masato wore a simple outfit of jeans and T-shirt, while Rika wore a light cardigan over a tank top, along with a loose long skirt and sports sandals.

 

When the automatic doors opened and they entered the store, they split up. The weapons they were each looking for had not been displayed in the same area, so they chose to shop separately in order to use their time efficiently.

 

“I’ve already decided on a one-handed sword, but what about material…”

 

Rika was searching for a weapon to replace the sword that the ogre had broken.

 

She could have gone with dungeon iron again like before, but for exploration beyond the 6th floor, she still had some concerns about its durability and power. The ideal choice would have been to use cold stone or heat stone, the materials used in the Reika’s and Hinata’s weapons, but because they had to be imported from Taiwan, the price increased dramatically.

 

Still, their performance had been far too appealing to dismiss simply because they were expensive.

 

They had been durable enough to withstand the full-force swings of a Level 2 body without breaking, and their power had been more than satisfactory. More importantly, when using Swordsmanship skills, they slightly increased the rate at which attack power rose compared to normal weapons. She had not learned such a skill yet, but considering the future, it was certainly worth thinking about.

 

Since they could be used for much longer than weapons made from dungeon iron, they could even be considered a better bargain in the long run.

 

“Hmm…”

 

For Rika, a former high school girl, it was a considerable amount of money, making it difficult for her to make up her mind. She closed her eyes to push aside her hesitation.

 

She imagined the two of them exploring the 6th floor.

 

She cut down an orc that had crept up behind Masato, deflected a lizardman’s saber, and then sliced through its tough scales as if they were butter. She saw herself wielding a sword with a red blade, cutting down monsters one after another.

 

“Yes… It’s perfect. With this, I might finally be able to repay the favor.”

 

Although Rika had been saved by Masato’s Self-Recovery skill card, he hadn’t asked for anything in return. The debt she owed him had continued to grow, and she had no prospect of ever repaying it. Earnestly, she at least wanted to be useful during dungeon exploration.

 

That said, her partner’s opinion was important as well. If he wanted her to choose a different weapon, then she probably should. Thinking that, she looked around in search of Masato.

 

He was nowhere to be seen within her field of view. Rika started walking, intending to move to another floor.

 

She found Masato in an area where numerous knives were displayed on the wall. Something seemed to have caught his interest, and he remained standing there, staring upward without moving.

 

“Something troubles you?”

 

“I’m wondering if I should stick with knives or switch to a blunt weapon.”

 

Masato turned around as he spoke.

 

Since he had defeated skeletons and even the ogre using his bare hands and skills, he was wondering whether he even needed to buy a bladed weapon in the first place. A blunt weapon such as a tonfa might suit him better. Still, there was comfort in using a weapon he was already familiar with.

 

Masato wavered between the two choices, unable to make a decision.

 

“If you’re going to keep acting as our scout, I think knives are the better choice.”

 

“Yeah, that’s true…”

 

Light-weight equipment made it easier to move around and launch surprise attacks. There was no doubt that knives were the ideal weapon for that role, but there had also been plenty of situations where they felt lacking. Without factoring in skills, they didn’t have enough reach to cut through an orc’s fat, nor enough power to smash a skeleton’s bones.

 

In situations like that, Rika, as the front-line fighter, could simply cover for him. But he still hadn’t shaken the habits he had developed while exploring alone, and relying entirely on someone else didn’t sit well with him.

 

Masato crossed his arms and wrestled with the decision.

 

Watching him, Rika asked another question.

 

“Why not buy two knives and a blunt weapon?”

 

“The budget.”

 

He planned to buy this equipment by dipping into his savings, so the amount of money available was limited. On top of that, he had been instructed to refrain from dungeon exploration until the investigation and report on the special variant were completed. He wouldn’t be able to earn any money for a while.

 

He didn’t want to buy both weapons, since he wanted to avoid unnecessary expenses.

 

“It’s a tough choice, isn’t it…”

 

Of course, Rika was no exception. The moment she considered that her income would be cut off for a while, the dilemma she’d been struggling with earlier seemed much less important. She was beginning to think that a dungeon iron sword would be good enough after all.

 

“But it’s an important weapon that I’ll be entrusting my life to, so I don’t think I should compromise. Buying two types might be wasteful, but once I decide on one, I want to be particular about its quality.”

 

He was merely expressing his thoughts, but the words struck Rika deeply.

 

She felt ashamed of herself for having considered settling for less, and at the same time her respect for Masato grew even stronger.

 

“Y-You’re right!”

 

Part of her felt she might be letting other people’s opinions influence her too much, but she couldn’t think of any argument against what he had said.

 

“Right, right. Anyway, getting back to the subject, which do you think is better, Rika-san?”

 

The question suddenly forced a choice upon her. The first thought that crossed her mind was, ‘What answer would make Masato happy?’ But she immediately remembered what he had just said and corrected herself.

 

If it was something he would entrust his life to, then the choice should be based on practicality, not personal feelings. Since the question directly concerned Masato’s safety, she needed to cast aside any unnecessary emotions.

 

Once she thought about it that way, the answer was obvious.

 

“I think knives are better. I can make up for the lack of power and reach. Besides, if you use a blunt weapon, you won’t be able to use your skills.”

 

“I feel a little guilty about relying entirely on you though…”

 

The moment she heard those words, Rika took a large step forward, closing the distance between them.

 

Because of the difference in their heights, she had to look up at him.

 

She seemed excited, and her sense of personal space had gone completely out the window. The faintly sweet scent unique to a young woman teased Masato’s senses. Overwhelmed by Rika’s intensity, he found himself swept along.

 

“What are you talking about?! Rely on me! We’re party members, aren’t we?!”

 

“Uh, ah, right! We are!”

 

As Rika’s chest nearly brushed against him, he took a step back. But there was no escaping her enthusiasm. She immediately stepped forward again, and the distance between them remained unchanged.

 

“So, knives?”

 

“So, knives!”

 

“Then let’s buy them right away!”

 

The tension in her raised brows vanished instantly, replaced by a smile that bloomed like a flower.

 

Carried along by her enthusiasm, Masato picked up a knife.

 

The blade alone was about 30cm long, and was as black as if it had been painted with ink. It was made from a dungeon-derived metal called adamantite, famous for being usable under any conditions. It was heavy, but its durability was exceptional.

 

“It looks so cool!”

 

“Yeah. And it’s practical too. I’ll go with this one.”

 

“What about your armor?”

 

“I’ll probably stick with dungeon iron. Adamantite is just too heavy.”

 

With that, Masato began selecting gauntlets, boots, and a breastplate as well. The total cost ended up being enough to buy an inexpensive used car.

 

If he hadn’t been confident that they would soon be able to explore the 6th floor, he probably wouldn’t have considered spending that much.

 

The reason was simple: the earnings from the 6th floor were on an entirely different level.

 

The first 5 floors consisted of forests, grasslands, and ruins, but the 6th floor was a vast wetland. Powerful and diverse monsters appeared there, including orcs, kobolds, lizardmen, and bipedal frogs known as frogmen. The dangers were greater, but so were the rewards.

 

The reason lay in the materials those monsters dropped.

 

Lizardman scales could be used to make armor, while frogman oil served as a raw ingredient in beauty products. They were highly effective and extremely popular, thus possible to sell for a high price.

 

With the weapons they had invested in, earning money efficiently was far from impossible.

 

For those reasons, they were able to take the plunge and outfit themselves with brand-new weapons and armor.