Chapter 16

The conditions for the Rope Shield have been unlocked.

The conditions for the Piqupiqu Shield have been unlocked.

The conditions for the Wood Shield have been unlocked.

The conditions for the Rock Shield have been unlocked.

The conditions for the Butterfly Shield have been unlocked.

The conditions for the Pipe Shield have been unlocked.

etc...

Rope Shield

Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Skill 'Air Shield'

Piqupiqu Shield

Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Basic Weapon Repair Skill 1

Wood Shield

Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Logging Skill 1

Butterfly Shield

Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Paralysis Resistance (Small)

Pipe Shield

Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Skill 'Shield Prison'

etc...

One week and one day later.

We headed to the village as the old man at the weapon shop had told us.

The village is called Ryuto Village. It seems like a good place to set up base, with only one inn that costs one silver coin per night.

A merchant who buys and sells items stays here every two days, which is a great location.

There is no apothecary, but the villagers want medicine, so we sell it cheaper than the apothecary in the town below.

We made sure to warn them that the quality was poor before selling it.

By the way, my bad reputation has spread, and when I first came to the village, I had to punish a few people with the balloon punishment for being mischievous.

So, after that,

As a result of absorbing various monsters, herbs, and other minerals and wood into my shield, I learned many skills and abilities.

The status buffs are numerous, to the point where it's a hassle to count them all.

"Wait!"

I chase after a mountain porcupine-like monster, the Yamaara, which realizes it's at a disadvantage and tries to escape, along with Laftalia.

Laftalia has been leveling up steadily, and I am now level 20, while Laftaria is level 25.

She's growing faster than expected.

...And I'm still fighting in my cloth clothes.

It's starting to make me wonder if I'm really that weak, considering I haven't taken any damage until now.

However, I did get hurt once.

I underestimated my defense and used a weak shield, and I was in pain.

This time, I got a minor injury from the Yamaara's surprise attack.

"Ow, that hurts. It's been a while since I felt this."

I run while applying a healing salve to the bleeding wound.

It hurts when you get pricked by a needle, right? Normally.

I had forgotten about it because the shield had been protecting me since I came to this world.

"That's what I've been saying, Naofumi-sama. You should buy some equipment."

"No... It was because I was using a weak shield."

At some point, Laftalia started calling me by my name, Naofumi-sama, instead of 'master.'

I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

But it's fine.

It seems that my shield is a full-body suit shaped like a shield, and I don't really need to hold it.

The shield part is the hardest, but I hadn't taken any damage until now.

This is my first time experiencing damage.

The effect of the whetstone shield is, as expected, to automatically sharpen itself.

The sharpening time is 8 hours, and if you pull it out before that, it has no effect.

The downside is that it uses SP constantly while in use, and it doesn't recover on its own.

Ah, let me review the list of skills I've learned.

"Air Shield!"

This is the first skill I learned. It creates a shield within a 5-meter range.

Yeah, it's not very useful on its own.

I can only use it to stop someone temporarily.

If I concentrate and imagine where I want it to appear, it will appear. It's a mysterious shield that disappears after the effect time is over.

It's better if there's a battle cry.

The Yamaara stumbles in surprise at the shield I created.

However, it immediately regains its composure and resumes its escape.

Damn... I thought I could catch up in 5 meters, but it's a fast runner.

There's nothing I can do.

"Shield Prison!"

It creates a cage made of shields around a 6-meter range.

This time, I targeted the Yamaara and activated it.

It seems to be a skill that protects the target, but it also has the effect of restraining anyone who enters it.

Yeah, it's a defensive skill that can't be used offensively.

"Kee!"

The Yamaara, with no place to run, thrashes around inside the Shield Prison.

Both effects last for 15 seconds.

During that time, Laftalia approaches the prison and stabs the Yamaara inside as soon as it disappears.

"Kee!?"

"We did it!"

Laftalia grabs the Yamaara and comes back.

"Good job!"

EXP 48

Not bad.

The prey can be absorbed into the weapon just by defeating it, but it's more beneficial to divide it into parts. I didn't know this until recently, but I discovered it over the past week. The Balloons, Mush, and Egggu were made of their entire bodies, so I didn't realize it.

I immediately dissect the Yamaara and separate the needles, meat, skin, and bones.

Each part can be used as material, so they're not to be underestimated.

I've been absorbing some of them into the shield.

The bone materials require bones from multiple monsters, and the skin materials have equipment effects that boost stats, provided you meet the tree and level requirements.

The meat is for cooking. The categories are becoming clearer.

I'm looking forward to the needles. I already have the Yamaara Shield.

The conditions for the Animal Needle Shield have been unlocked.

A shield made of animal needles. Needle shield... I'm curious about the unlock effect.

Animal Needle Shield

Not unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Attack Power +1

Special Effect: Small Needle Shield

Yes! Attack power up!

Yeah, I know. It's just +1.

I don't know what the special effect, Small Needle Shield, does, but I've found a way to get an offensive shield.

With this as a starting point, I can focus on items that seem to connect to the tree, and I can start attacking.

The defense is a bit lower than the mineral shields, but it should be fine.

"How about it?"

"Yeah, it seems to increase attack power."

"Good job. By the way, what about the defense?"

Laftalia seems puzzled by my injury.

"Moderate, I guess."

"Is that so... By the way, could you please sharpen my sword?"

"Alright. Let's head back to the village and take a break from hunting."

"Yes!"

I change the shield to the whetstone shield and insert Laftalia's sword.

Sharpening...

Our levels have been rising steadily, and thanks to our diverse money-making efforts over the past week, we now have 230 silver coins.

The medicine sells well, and thanks to the skill buffs from the shield, we've been able to do a wide range of business, such as logging and mining.

The problem is that it's becoming like my online game play, where I'm spreading myself too thin.

Well, if I focus solely on making money, this is what happens.

It's a waste of time in terms of getting stronger, but it's necessary for survival.

"Let's head back to the town and get Laftalia new equipment."

"...Naofumi-sama?"

Hmm? Laftalia is giving me a spine-chilling smile.

"It's very kind of you to buy me equipment, but please consider your own attire first."

"Is something wrong with it?"

"Your outfit is almost the same as the villagers, except for the shield."

"Hmm... I don't really need it... A few changes should be enough, right?"

Grip!

Laftalia grabs my shoulder and gives me a threatening smile.

"Didn't you get hurt just now?"

"I was using a weak shield for the unlock condition... I'm still fine. Besides, if you get new weapons, we can go to better places—"

"Naofumi-sama? If you keep playing around, you'll die."

"Die!?"

She's threatening me with a spare sword.

The slave restrictions should prevent her from hurting me.

"...It's time to reconsider your equipment. The deadline is approaching, isn't it?"

"...Yeah."

That's right.

Thinking about it, the wave of calamity could come in a few days.

I need to get stronger before then.

It's true that my current outfit, which is not much different from the villagers, is a bit worrying.

My means and goals have been reversed.

"Sigh..."

I wanted to increase my attack power a bit more.

"Let's find equipment for you first."

"Yeah, let's buy equipment and use the remaining money to get you a new weapon."

"Okay."

It sounds good to say we're getting used to each other, but she's becoming more brazen...

I want to remind her of the difference in our positions, but she's recently become strong enough to not violate the rules I set.

To put it bluntly, she's become a troublesome slave.