Chapter 10

The day before the clan war, Hayato was on the second floor of the log house, generating elixirs while lost in thought. Most of his thoughts were worries about his predictions being wrong.

During the one-week preparation period, Hayato, as a producer, prepared various items. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that he had left nothing to chance. The problem was with the opposing clan.

The lack of information about the new clan was a disadvantage. He had only just obtained reliable information.

(They are almost certainly hunting beginners. Despite being able to aim for higher ranks, they remain at a low rank and dominate beginners and weak players. Did they save too much clan money?)

There are several ways to determine the opponent for a clan war. This time, Hayato chose a random match, which selects an opponent from clans of the same rank. However, even with "random," there are certain rules.

While the game company hasn't officially announced this, there is a rumor that in random matches, clans with similar amounts of shared money are chosen.

The winner of a clan war can take the shared money from the loser. If the shared money is transferred to personal ownership and set to zero before the match, the risk of losing is almost eliminated. If you win, you can gain the money, making it a matter of return.

It is said that to balance the risk and return, clans with similar amounts of money are matched against each other.

In this game, winning a clan war earns a prize. The prize amount is variable, reflecting the amount of shared clan money. Additionally, the prize has an upper limit based on the clan's rank.

Hayato had set the clan's shared money to an amount that would earn the maximum prize for their rank. This backfired, as the clan he was matched against, which was also hunting beginners, had a similar setting, leading to a perfect match.

(I messed up. In my previous clan, the leader handled such matters, so I just set it arbitrarily. I was still thinking like when I was in a higher-ranked clan. I didn't even consider a clan that hunts beginners until just now.)

This time, Hayato had a trial feeling. He wanted to gauge the strength of the NPCs, but he ended up facing a formidable opponent. Moreover, thinking the opponent was a beginner, he had skimped on the cooking. By the time he realized, it was too late to buy dragon bone meat from the auction.

(The beef I made for Esha has three stars. However, its effect lasts only fifteen minutes. It won't be enough for everyone, and even one person won't last an hour. There's a chance the opponent will underestimate us and not use dragon steaks, but it's risky to count on that.)

Just as he thought this, a rainbow light overflowed from Hayato's hands. This was the visual effect for creating the highest quality item.

"Seriously? At a time like this?"

When the rainbow light subsided, a high-quality elixir appeared in Hayato's hand.

(Finally got a 2% success rate. I haven't tried fifty times, so maybe I was lucky. Considering I got a strange opponent for the clan war, it feels like a wash. Anyway, I'll call Ash. I need to talk about tomorrow too.)

Hayato contacted Ash and asked him to come to the log house.

About ten minutes later, Ash arrived at the log house.

Hayato hadn't told Ash the details, only that he wanted to talk about the clan war.

It was 8 PM. In the first-floor shop, Hayato, Esha, and Ash were sitting around a table. Hayato served his favorite coffee and placed it in front of himself and the two others.

"You both have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

Hayato was satisfied to finally say a line he had always wanted to. The situation was not good, but he decided to face it head-on.

"The good news... meaning we'll eat all we want to prepare for tomorrow? Then, I'll start with the anmitsu."

"No, that's not it."

"Then the bad news is that we won't eat all we want? I'll be a little upset, then."

"Let's move away from the all-you-can-eat topic. I'll give you anmitsu later."

Ignoring Esha's enthusiastic pose, Hayato decided to get to the point.

"First, the bad news. Our opponent tomorrow is a clan known for hunting beginners. They are probably ranked B to C. They are quite strong. I had predicted an F rank, so I only prepared for that. I'm sorry."

Ash tilted his head at this.

"The items you showed me in the warehouse were prepared for an F rank, right?"

Hayato was surprised by Ash's puzzled tone.

"Yeah, but?"

"I didn't think we'd be fighting an A-ranked clan. Preparing so much food and medicine seems a bit odd."

"Is that so?"

"I also think so. Making a hundred bottles of melon juice? I can't even drink all of them."

"Well, I added a safety margin."

"Even half of that would make my stomach burst."

(Well, it's a game, so it won't burst, but overeating can cause status abnormalities, right?)

"True. Even the skewers of roc meat, there are fifty. Eight of us will eat them, but two per person is enough. And what about those five-star potions? It's like we're going to slay a giant monster."

"Well, there's no one who can use healing magic, so we'll rely on potions. I made more than usual."

"That's too much. Thirty per person is a lot."

"Twenty per person at least, so I made thirty."

Ash and Esha looked at Hayato with disappointment. Unable to bear their gaze, Hayato cleared his throat and tried to bluff.

"Well, more is better. More potions mean a higher chance of winning. Also, the food. The opponent might bring better food, so I want you to be cautious. And the equipment should be good. I want you to be especially careful, Ash, since you'll be in direct combat."

Hayato spoke quickly, but Ash looked even more disappointed.

"About the equipment you prepared."

"Ah, is it okay? I wanted to get quality five with some effect, but I ran out of time. Some have effects, so I don't think it's too bad... Is the reputation bad?"

"Quite the opposite. Why did you give us such good stuff? Now, the mercenaries are saying they want to join the next clan war if you make this for them. Quality three with effects was unexpected. Quality one or two would have been enough."

"Really? I thought it would look bad compared to Ash's equipment and the previous clan members' equipment."

"Were they all wearing legendary equipment? It's surprising you were kicked out in that situation—ah, no, I'm not insulting Hayato's friends. It's just that your sense of value seems off."

Hayato has never fought other players in a clan war, only once in a self-destruct. He has never fought monsters either. He went on hunts with clan members, but his role was to cook and improve drop item quality from a distance, not to fight.

Since Hayato has never formed a party with anyone outside his clan, his sense of value is quite skewed.

"Anyway, I'll try to correct my sense of value. So, will we be okay for tomorrow's battle?"

"If we lose, it won't be your fault. It will be our responsibility."

"Right. Master has done more than enough. The rest is up to us."

Hayato was relieved that there weren't more issues, but he still wasn't at ease. With time before the clan war, he considered preparing more items when Ash spoke up.

"By the way, what's the good news? This was bad news for you, right?"

"Oh, right, I forgot. I just made a high-quality elixir. Give it to your sister."

Hayato placed the five-star elixir in front of Ash. Expecting Ash to be happy, Hayato was worried when Ash didn't move.

"What? Isn't that what you wanted? Don't tell me you don't want an elixir now?"

Hayato's words made Ash suddenly stand up and hug him.

"Thank you...! Thank you, Hayato! This will save my sister!"

"Ouch, ouch, you're hurting me. Let go."

"Ah... sorry, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just be careful in the future. I'm more worried about Esha's reaction to seeing this."

"Right. Can I take it to my sister now?"

"Of course. Heal her quickly. In return, I'm counting on you tomorrow."

"Sure, I'll show you a stronger me than usual. See you tomorrow!"

(I don't know how strong Ash usually is, but he must be really happy. It's rewarding to be a producer in moments like this.)

Ash took the elixir, bowed to Hayato, and left the log house.

Hayato and Esha were left in the shop.

Esha rested her elbows on the table, interlaced her fingers, and placed them on her forehead, then took a deep breath.

"I don't want to hear it, but what's wrong?"

"Your perfect performance hit my sweet spot. I'm more motivated for tomorrow. I'll be 50% stronger than usual."

"Ah, okay. Then, can you go home today? Thanks for your hard work."

Hayato handed Esha the anmitsu and escorted her out of the log house, then locked the door.

Despite feeling a bit mentally drained, Hayato was glad to have motivated the two. He decided to log out early to prepare for tomorrow.