Chapter 15

Even if the glow of the guild card in his chest changed to that of a polished stone, Node's daily life remained unchanged.

In other words, it was all about making money.

It had already been two months since the deadly battle (which was more of a massacre) with the Rock Wolves. Node was living his days as a Stone Rank adventurer, fulfilling his duties.

If there was a slaying request in the east, he would go there; if there was a gathering request in the west, he would head there. He would hand over half of the request rewards to the household expenses, and the rest would be saved. The money saved was mainly for emergencies, but recently, he had started feeling the inadequacy of his hardened leather armor and was considering updating his equipment.

"Still, I think you'll receive another promotion request in the not-too-distant future. Wouldn't it be better to prepare early?"

Elsa, a member of his party, responded to Node's consultation in this manner.

She was enjoying a meal at the guild's attached tavern after completing a request.

With her rich, crimson hair hanging down, she skillfully parted it to keep it from falling into her stew, which was her dinner, and quietly ate the food she brought to her mouth with a spoon.

Her attire, befitting an adventurer who had just finished work, was strict. She wore a sturdy-looking armor made of black, glossy plates.

This armor was made from the fur of the Armor Wolf, the leader of the Rock Wolves, whom Node and Elsa had fought in the promotion request to become Stone Rank adventurers two months ago.

While the Rock Wolves' armor was generally a dirty gray, Elsa's armor had a magnificent appearance, almost indistinguishable from polished black iron.

Its defensive capabilities were also impressive. While the Rock Wolves' armor was comparable to hardened leather, the Armor Wolf's armor had the strength of a light metal armor, yet it was as light as hardened leather.

Seeing Elsa's black, shining armor, Node regretted a little that he had sold some of the Armor Wolf's materials to her.

As if sensing this, Elsa smiled smugly, placed the spoon she was holding back on the dish, and puffed out her chest to show off her armor.

Her crimson hair formed a gentle curve.

"So, what are you actually going to do?"

After finishing her meal, Elsa asked again, ale in hand.

Node explained his thoughts.

"Still, I need to save money. I want to avoid buying store-bought armor."

"In that case, it's 'custom-made.'"

There are two ways to purchase armor or weapons.

One is to buy ready-made armor from an armorer's shop, and the other is to have a custom-made armor made to your specifications.

The former is called 'store-bought' armor, and the latter is called 'custom-made' armor. Generally, store-bought armor is cheaper to buy, but there is a way to get custom-made armor at a lower price.

This is commonly known as the 'bring-your-own-materials' method.

In simple terms, it means bringing the materials needed to make the armor you want and having it made for free, minus the cost of the materials. Elsa's black rock wolf armor was also made using this method.

However, this method only allows you to get a cheaper price for the same armor as the store-bought ones—essentially, armor that the shop owner is used to making. If you add custom requests or bring in rare materials, the production cost will increase. However, if the materials are rare, they won't be sold in the store, so there's no difference from a custom-made armor.

The materials for Elsa's black rock wolf armor, the fur and armor of the Armor Wolf, were rare, but the production method was the same as that of a regular Rock Wolf armor.

Elsa had it made as light armor to suit her fighting style, which added a bit to the labor cost, but it was still cheaper than buying a full set of armor.

After sipping her ale, Elsa listened to Node's thoughts.

"I'm thinking of making scale armor."

"Scale armor? That sounds good. But it's made of metal, right? Are you going to mine it?"

To this, Node prefaced his explanation with "No," and continued.

What Elsa imagined was metal armor. Scale armor is made by sewing small metal pieces onto fabric, and it is called scale armor because the metal pieces look like scales.

However, what Node was planning to make was scale armor. The only difference between the two, which have the same name, is the material: metal pieces or real scales.

When thinking of scale armor, the first thing that comes to mind is armor made from dragon scales, but these are called dragon armor. Next, one might think of armor made from wyvern or drake scales, which is indeed a type of scale armor but is distinguished as dragon scale armor.

Node explained this to Elsa in detail, but unfortunately, she seemed uninterested in such topics.

She sipped her ale, looking at Node with a bemused expression, and urged him to continue.

"So," Node continued.

The scale armor Node was planning to make would use materials from lower-rank monsters.

The materials mainly came from reptile and fish-type monsters, which were within the capabilities of a lower-rank adventurer like Node.

Moreover, monster scales, when processed, could show a strength comparable to metal.

Wearing scale armor over chainmail would result in (relatively) cheap and durable equipment.

Node explained this to Elsa.

He had learned this knowledge from the armorer when he consulted with him. Node found the conversation about materials and armor very interesting, but unfortunately, it didn't seem to resonate with Elsa.

After explaining this, Elsa finished her ale, placed the cup on the wooden table, and extended her hand, palm up, as if asking for something.

"If you already have a plan, you must know the necessary materials."

This gesture was asking for the materials.

Node nodded knowingly, took out a notebook from his pocket, opened a page, and handed it to Elsa.

Elsa, her face slightly flushed from the alcohol, leaned in to read the contents.

There it was written:

Scales of the Water Fish

Tough Skin of the Great Serpent

Large Scales of the Great Serpent

Scales of the Poison Serpent

Plated Scales of the Fish Dragon (metal can be substituted)

§

"Hmm..."

Elsa let out a troubled sigh after reading it.

"Isn't it going to be tough to gather all of these?"

Node had also thought this.

The scales of the Water Fish and the skin of the Poison Serpent were still relatively easy to obtain.

The plated scales of the Fish Dragon were difficult to obtain, but they were listed as additional armor for important parts and could be substituted with metal. If they couldn't be obtained, it would be expensive but possible to get them (though this would deviate from the goal of getting cheaper armor).

However, the remaining materials, the tough skin and large scales of the Great Serpent, were problematic.

The Great Serpent is considered one of the tougher monsters among the prey of Stone Rank adventurers. Although it doesn't fight in groups, it is said to be stronger than a pack of Rock Wolves.

The most troublesome thing is that the Great Serpent lives deep in the swamps, which are difficult to fight in.

The tall grass in the swamps makes it hard to see far, and the wet terrain hinders the movement of heavily armored adventurers.

The Great Serpent, being a snake, moves by slithering on the ground, making it hard to spot in the swamps despite its large size. Its discovery is more troublesome than its strength.

However, the key to the armor of this scale armor is the tough skin and large scales of the Great Serpent.

The plated scales of the Fish Dragon would be used for the breastplate, while the main armor would be made from the materials of the Great Serpent, as explained by the armorer.

Node had also asked if the relatively easy-to-obtain scales of the Water Fish and the Poison Serpent would suffice, but they would only provide a defense level similar to hardened leather. The fine scales are needed for the lining and joints to allow for movement, but the main armor, which needs to withstand direct attacks, requires tough materials.

Node and Elsa's party lacked a scout.

They were trying to develop their skills, but they were still basic and far from professional.

Fighting the Great Serpent in this situation would be very troublesome.

"Why not save up and buy a new store-bought armor?"

Elsa knew that Node was short on money (or rather, wanted to save money), but she still made this suggestion.

While the performance of scale armor was slightly lower, there were better armors than the current hardened leather armor available for purchase. These armors would be suitable for Crystal Rank adventurer requests.

It would be faster to solve the problem with money rather than a troublesome hunt.

The issue was that if the problem were to be solved with money, the necessary budget would be more than three times as much.

In the end, Node postponed the decision about the armor and headed home that day.

§

A few days later.

"Hey, Node."

As Node, who had come to the adventurer's guild early in the morning to accept a request, was about to start, someone called out to him.

Turning to the voice, he saw a familiar face.

"Genius, it's been a while!"

It was Genius.

Node, Genius, and his companions had fought alongside goblins in a long-term herb-gathering request, and their friendship had continued since then.

" Haven't seen you around lately? On a long expedition?"

"Yeah, we took on another long-term request."

Genius and his party had all been promoted to Stone Rank adventurers. They had worked together on several requests when they were Slate Rank adventurers, but since their promotion, they hadn't seen each other much.

Genius and his party had been in the western part of the kingdom, taking on slaying and gathering requests.

"Are you alone today?"

"Yeah, the others have some business. They're taking a break for about half a month. But—"

It's rare, right? Genius laughed, and there were no signs of his usual party members.

Genius had come to the capital to become adventurers with his childhood friends from the countryside, aiming to make a name for themselves.

These childhood friends, who had known each other for years, were a typical party of adventurers who fought with well-coordinated teamwork.

However, even they didn't always act together.

Each member of the party had their own activities.

Some adventurers belonged to other guilds, while others had side jobs to earn money.

In some cases, being an adventurer was the side job.

Moreover, being an adventurer was very tiring.

Life-threatening battles and dangerous gathering activities were mentally exhausting, more so than physically. After long-term requests, it was not uncommon for adventurers to take a break to rest.

In fact, it was rare for adventurers to take on new requests immediately after a short or long-term request with only a brief rest.

Node belonged to the rare category. Even when Elsa, his party member, was on vacation, he took on requests almost every day.

He did take the minimum necessary rest (having a home in the capital helped), so he only received a bemused look from Elsa, but it was not recommended behavior.

Of course, if Node had enough money, he wouldn't be pushing himself like this...

According to Genius, the healer, Riesz, had started training to improve her healing magic and was undergoing training as a priestess at a temple in the capital, which would take about a month. The party had planned their break around this schedule.

The spear user, Geigos, intended to focus on training to improve his skills. The archer, Almina, had returned to their hometown for her brother's wedding, and the scout and guerrilla fighter, Shino, was on vacation in the capital.

Genius had originally planned to train to improve his sword skills, but—

"I just don't fit well with training. I thought I'd take on a request to move my body."

That's when he saw Node and decided to call out to him.

Node, who had been listening, casually asked what request he was planning to take. Genius replied—

"I haven't decided yet, but I actually need something from the swamps... I was thinking of planning a trip there with the rest of the party."

Hearing this, Node decided to talk about his own situation—about making armor. He suggested they take on a swamp request together.

"I see... If Shino were here, we could avoid a surprise attack from the Great Serpent."

Genius nodded after hearing Node's proposal.

"So, what's your business, Genius?"

"Ah... well, you see..."

Genius, who was hesitant, confessed with a bashful smile.

"I want a crystal flower... a pink one."