Chapter 8

A week had passed since then.

I was still operating in the vicinity of the castle.

"Hey, kid with the shield!"

"What!?"

I burst out of the castle, walking through the town in my underwear, and was stopped by the old man from the weapon shop.

It was partly because I was walking in front of his shop, but he seemed to have something to say.

"I heard you tried to rape your comrades, didn't you? Let me punch you once."

The old man, who had no intention of listening to my side of the story, clenched his fists in anger.

"You too, huh!"

Everyone seems to have no intention of listening to my story.

Sure, I might be an outsider in this world, unfamiliar with the norms, but I would never do something as despicable as forcing myself on a woman who doesn't want it.

Ah... I can see that old man's face turning into that bitch's face.

I could probably kill him right now.

I clenched my fist and glared at him.

"You... you..."

"What? Weren't you going to punch me?"

The old man loosened his grip and relaxed his guard.

"N-no, I'll let it go."

"Good, you just saved your life."

I have the confidence that I could punch someone to my heart's content, no matter how low my attack power is.

However, I convinced myself that it would be meaningless to punch him for no reason and decided to go earn some money for my future activities.

Beating up a few balloons might help clear my head.

"Wait a minute!"

"What!?"

As I was about to leave the castle and head to the grasslands, the old man from the weapon shop called me again.

I turned around and he threw me a small bag.

"You'll be looked down on in that outfit. Consider it a parting gift."

I checked the contents of the bag and found a slightly sooty cloak and some cheap clothes made of hemp.

"By the way, how much is it?"

"About five copper coins. They're clearance items."

"...Got it. I'll pay you back later."

I was thinking that moving around in my underwear was a bit much. I might as well take it as a business transaction.

"Make sure you come back. I only trust money."

"Sure, sure."

I put on the cloak and clothes and headed out to the grasslands.

From then on, I made the grasslands my base and started hunting balloon-type monsters.

"Yah, yah, yah, yah, yah, yah, yah!"

It takes about five minutes to take down one, but since I don't take any damage from bites, it's not a problem.

I spent the whole day fighting to vent my frustration and managed to collect a decent amount of balloon balloons.

Level up!

Level 2 achieved.

Conditions for Orange Small Shield and Yellow Small Shield are now available!

I spent the day preparing and doing reconnaissance.

By evening, I was feeling hungry.

Reluctantly, I returned to the town and visited the merchant who buys monster materials.

The plump merchant grinned at me as soon as he saw my face.

...He's clearly trying to take advantage of me.

I can tell just by looking at him.

A customer was there, selling various materials.

Among them was the balloon balloon I intended to sell.

"Let's see... I'll give you one copper coin for two of these."

He was pointing at the balloon balloons and estimating the buyback price.

One copper coin for two...?

"Please."

"Thank you."

The customer left, and it was my turn.

"Hey, I've got some monster materials. Can you buy them?"

"Welcome."

He was probably thinking I couldn't hear his "hehehe" at the end of his sentence.

"Let's see... Balloon balloons, huh? How about one copper coin for ten?"

One-fifth! How much is he trying to take advantage of me?

"Didn't you just say one copper coin for two to the last guy?"

"Did I? I don't remember that."

He continued to make excuses, saying something like, "We're in business, you know..."

"Hmm. Then how about this?"

I grabbed the merchant by the collar and pulled him close.

"G-g-what are you—"

"Buy this one too. It's in good condition."

Chomp!

I pulled the orange balloon, which was hidden under my cloak, and made it bite the merchant's nose.

"Aaaaaaaah!"

I pulled the balloon off the merchant's face and kicked him.

"Want me to drag you to the grasslands and have you bought there?"

I showed him the five balloons I had hidden under my cloak.

Yes, I realized that if I don't feel pain or itching from bites, I can pull them off and attach them to someone else.

It was a brilliant idea, and it was helping me negotiate.

Unfortunately, I have no attack power, so I can't really threaten him.

He would understand that if I carried out my threat, he would be completely devoured by the balloons, leaving no bones behind.

"I'm not asking you to buy them at a high price, but you need to buy them at market value."

"What will this do to the country—"

"What about the merchants who overcharge adventurers and end up with nothing?"

Yes, for merchants like this, trust is everything. If he treated me like this, he might get beaten up by ordinary adventurers.

And, of course, he might lose customers.

"Ugh..."

The merchant, who had been glaring at me with hate, seemed to give up and relaxed.

"...I understand."

"Ah, if you treat me well and become a regular customer, I can give you a slight discount from the market price."

"To be honest, I'd rather not, but the materials and money are innocent. It's a deal."

He seemed to understand that I wouldn't give up easily and bought my balloons at a slightly lower market price.

"Spread the word about me. Merchants who mess with me will face the balloon penalty."

"Sure, sure. What a troublesome customer, damn it!"

With that, I got my earnings for the day and went to pay the old man from the weapon shop for the clothes and cloak. Then I got some dinner at a restaurant.

However, for some reason, the food had no taste. At first, I thought it was a joke, but it seemed my sense of taste was off.

Inn? I don't have money, so I'll camp out in the grasslands. It's not a problem if the balloons bite me since I don't feel pain.

The next morning, when I woke up, the balloons were biting me like a bird burial, but I beat them to release my stress.

Earning some pocket money in the morning!

From then on, I learned how to make money without going all out in battles.

First, I found other items to sell besides the balloons' spoils.

These were herbs growing in the grasslands.

I memorized the herbs sold at the herbalist's wholesale store and found a shop that buys them.

When I picked similar herbs in the grasslands, my shield reacted. I gradually made the shield absorb the herbs I collected.

The Leaf Shield's conditions are now available.

I hadn't checked the Weapon Book yet.

I opened the Weapon Book and confirmed the lit shields.

Small Shield

Ability Unlocked! Defense increased by 3!

Orange Small Shield

Ability Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Defense +2

Yellow Small Shield

Ability Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Defense +2

Leaf Shield

Ability Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Gathering Skill +1

I rechecked the help section.

'Weapon Changes and Ability Unlocks'

Weapon changes refer to transforming the legendary weapon you currently have into a different shape.

To change it, place your hand on the weapon and think of the name of the weapon you want to change it into.

Ability unlocks grant the wielder permanent skills after using the weapon and gaining a certain level of proficiency.

'Equipment Bonus'

Equipment bonuses are abilities that can be used while the weapon is in a specific form.

For example, if a weapon has Air Strike as an equipment bonus, you can use Air Strike while it is equipped.

If a weapon has +3 Attack, it means the weapon has an additional +3 attack bonus while equipped.

I see, so by unlocking abilities, I can use the granted skills even if I change the equipment.

Proficiency is probably gained by using the weapon for a long time or in battles.

This world is so game-like.

Despite feeling frustrated, I was intrigued by the Leaf Shield's equipment bonus.

Gathering Skill +1

Probably a skill that gives a bonus when gathering herbs.

I don't have any money right now.

So, the only thing to do is to find items that are of high quality and require minimal effort to obtain.

I changed my shield to the Leaf Shield without hesitation.

With a swish, my shield turned into a green, plant-made shield.

...There was no decrease in defense. The Small Shield was too weak to begin with.

Let's try picking the herbs in front of me.

Snap.

A good sound, and I easily picked the herb.

Pah...

The herb seemed to faintly glow.

Gathering Skill +1

Aero, Quality: Average → High Quality, Herb for making healing potions

An icon appeared to show the change.

Wow... I can even see a simple explanation. It's more convenient than I thought.

After that, I wandered the grasslands, filling my bag with herbs, and the day was over.

Incidentally, the ability unlock for the Leaf Shield was completed quickly, either due to the gathering or the time spent in the changed form.

The other colored Small Shield series were also unlocked by the end of the day.

I returned to the town and had my bag of herbs bought.

"Hmm... Not bad. Where did you get these?"

"From the grasslands outside the castle. Don't you know?"

"Hmm... I didn't expect such quality there... I thought they would be of lower quality..."

We chatted while he bought the herbs. My earnings for the day were one silver coin and fifty copper coins.

It was a lot more than I usually earned, a new record.

Incidentally, while eating at the tavern, a few people approached me, asking to join my group.

They all had bad-looking faces, which was frustrating.

...Since that day, I can't taste anything.

I realized this was the umpteenth time I noticed my lack of taste while eating at the tavern.

"Mr. Shield Hero, please let me join your group!"

He spoke to me in a condescending manner.

Honestly, dealing with him was a hassle, but his eyes reminded me of that bitch, and I got angry.

"First, let's confirm the contract terms."

"Sure."

Irritating!

Calm down, if you back down here, they'll follow you everywhere.

"First, the employment type is a complete commission system. Do you understand that?"

"No, I don't."

I want to kill this guy!

"It means I'll distribute the income from our adventures among you. For example, if we earn 100 silver coins, I'll take the lion's share, at least 40%. The rest will be distributed based on your performance. If it's just you, I'll split it with you. If you're just watching, you won't get anything. The amount I give you will depend on my discretion."

"What? You could take it all for yourself!"

"If you perform well, I'll share it. If you perform well, that is."

"Alright, let's go with that. Let's buy some equipment."

"...Buy it yourself. I have no obligation to buy equipment for you and train you."

"Tch!"

He probably wanted me to buy equipment for him and then follow me around uselessly.

Eventually, he would run away somewhere and steal the equipment.

It's a dirty trick. He's the same as that bitch.

"Alright, fine. Give me the money."

"Ah, look, there's a balloon over there!"

Chomp!

"Ouch! Ouch!"

There was a commotion in the tavern because a balloon had sneaked in, but it wasn't my problem. I quickly pulled the balloon off the idiot who was making a fuss and left the tavern after paying for my meal.

Honestly, are there no decent people in this world?

Everyone is only thinking about using others for their own benefit.

Anyway, I gradually saved some money and, before I knew it, it was the second week.