Chapter 68

"Next is Hagizawa, right?"

Hagizawa then looked exasperated.

Did something happen?

"I've been visiting research institutions every day, similar to school. The talks about points are also quite similar to what Sakae said. Basically, I need to study a lot, gather equipment, and do something like alchemy."

"Even though you can do things with your ability, it's better to have specialized knowledge, right?"

Hagizawa nodded.

"I want to take it easy by relying on my ability, but I can sense that I'll hit a wall somewhere. For lower-level abilities, there are things like making medicine or bombs, but I cover all of that. I also heard that if you can make something yourself, the points required will be cheaper."

"But when you made a bomb with mushrooms before, it wasn't that great, right?"

"Yeah, apparently if you use various materials to make something similar, the points required will be lower."

It seems there are various systems that exist as the rules of this world.

So, not everything relies on abilities.

"Seeing all sorts of things, and when I saw the recipes for rare materials, the points required were sky-high..."

"Same here."

Morishin also responded with an exasperated tone.

This must be a common issue for production-type ability users.

Still, the points required are sky-high.

"How much do you need to consume?"

"I stopped looking after seeing a weapon that required a million points to make one. I tried to enhance the best sword in the forge, and it was the same result."

"Wow..."

That's some serious inflation.

What kind of weapon is it?

"I thought we had become quite strong, but it seems we've just barely moved past the beginner stage. That's how it feels."

"We talk about preparing for emergencies, but with the current situation, we can't even touch the people in this country."

The gap is that big...

"But it was said to be quite excellent equipment, right?"

"It was excellent at that level. Considering the points required, it's not trivial. Now, we need to think about how to reduce the points consumed as much as possible."

It's a rather depressing situation.

"Maybe reducing point consumption will be a benefit when we level up."

"There are some, but I could see that relying solely on that for forging is not good."

"Hmm..."

There might be something that only ability users can understand.

In my case, I feel like my spatial awareness has become more acute, so it might be something similar.

"So, it's about gathering materials ourselves, collecting points, and making weapons."

"I'll contribute points too."

"Thanks. Still, you, Kousuke, will probably get requests from classmates and others."

"Yeah, I get a lot of requests for Japanese food these days."

"Maybe even more in the future?"

Well... everyone is starting their own lives, and if they ask me, I can get things from Japan.

I can imagine that the number of people who want things will increase.

"Still, I've been eating canned food for the past three days, so I think it's better to go out and level up."

"Then, shall we all go tomorrow?"

"Not a bad idea."

"Gauu"

"Kumako seems to be in good spirits."

"Gau gau"

Kumako started shadow boxing.

Hagizawa called out to her with a smile.

That's how the day passed.

The next day.

While I was about to go level up with Morishin and the others, Ramures-san called me over, saying there was an urgent matter.

"Hanebashi-sama!"

"You seem so flustered, did something happen?"

I tilted my head at his unusually anxious expression.

Did something happen, like to a classmate?

Oh no, I suddenly felt anxious.

"Could you please lend us your power?"

"Huh?"

We followed Ramures-san to a guild that the country had arranged.

"Thank you for coming, the otherworlders... Sakae and company."

Morishin is the one renting the workshop, and Hagizawa and I are treated as cohabitants.

Since we were going out together, Morishin would be the representative.

"Is something wrong?"

Morishin asked worriedly, and the guild representative smiled kindly in response.

"Please don't worry, nothing has happened to the other otherworlders."

"Then, what is it?"

"That's what I want to ask for your assistance with."

"What are you talking about?"

Hagizawa answered irritably.

Indeed, the content was vague and hard to understand.

What kind of help do they need?

"Right, let me think about how to explain this..."

At that moment, the gaze turned to me.

Or rather, to my waist?

He slowly pointed to the Metal Turtle sword at my waist.

"Right. What do the otherworlders... think of the Metal Turtle monster?"

"Extremely hard."

"Resistant to magic."

"High points."

"Expensive materials."

We told them what we thought.

That's the general image of the Metal Turtle.

"Mostly correct. Yes, it is the same for us... a monster that is impossible to defeat."

"Ah..."

A monster that can't be defeated?

No, no, it dies easily with my ability.

Ito, who had the Metal Turtle sword, could also defeat it quite easily.

"Indeed, high-level monsters like the Metal Turtle can be defeated by knights or mages with prolonged magic, but the effort is not worth it, and since they are harmless, they are usually ignored."

"Interesting..."

"I thought they would be targeted because their shells could be used as shields."

"Indeed, that point is not denied."

Not denied, huh.

I remember testing what would happen if I fought a Metal Turtle with a Metal Turtle sword.

The result was that it couldn't be cut from the front.

That monster is just too hard.

Ito defeated it by stabbing it from the inside.

"But it makes sense that it's too much for a regular adventurer..."

"So, what are you trying to say?"

"In a remote area of our country, a large number of these monsters have appeared and occupied a village."

The Metal Turtles have appeared and invaded a village...

Well, it's true that they would ignore barriers and just barge in.

The barriers would probably be ineffective.

"Are they harmless? Can't they just be ignored... or forcibly removed despite their weight?"

"When they are at a higher level, they attack at any opportunity. So, we discussed finding someone who might be able to handle them, and we heard that Hanebashi-sama easily defeated a Metal Turtle."

"I see. Indeed, Metal Turtles are Kousuke's specialty."

"Indeed."

"Gauu?"

"So, how did you defeat the Metal Turtle?"

The guild representative asked me.

"How? I just used my ability to send something inside the Metal Turtle."

I asked if there was anything I could break, and was handed a designated iron armor and sword.

So, just like when I defeated the Metal Turtle, I threw the sword into the armor at a dangerous angle.

The sword pierced the armor with a "crack."

"Wow..."

"It takes about five minutes to cast, so it's not practical in real combat."

"Still, it should be very useful for this problem. Could you... give it a try?"

At that point, Ramures-san advised us.

"The reward for success is well prepared. Specifically, 10 Rikus gold coins, half ownership of the monster's remains after defeat, free permanent residence in the village after reconstruction, and the provision of nearby minerals. By the way, it's a hot spring area, so there are good baths."

It's an incredibly generous offer.

So, they must be really troubled by the Metal Turtles in that area.