Chapter 7

When I looked at the request boards posted by rank, I saw that F-rank mostly consisted of requests from around the town and material collection, while requests for hunting started from E-rank. Moreover, most of the low-rank requests were ongoing, and didn't need to be taken to the board.

After greeting Clada and her group and making a promise to go out together next time, I left the guild early.

I aimlessly wandered around the meat shops and vegetable stands, had lunch at a nearby stall, and then visited a weapon shop.

It was because I love weapons. I had even chosen the Berserker class.

Excitedly entering the shop, I saw swords, spears, and armor displayed in a narrow space.

However, there didn't seem to be anything that caught my eye.

"Welcome. Oh, I haven't seen your face before, have I?"

The man in his twenties sitting at the counter called out to me, who was troubled by the lack of suitable weapons.

"I just registered as an adventurer yesterday..."

"Looking at your outfit... Are you a mage? We don't have many weapons for mages... Maybe you should go to a magic equipment shop? If you can use anything, it would probably be a dagger."

Remembering that Clada and her group used daggers for skinning, I asked if he could show me a dagger suitable for skinning, and he brought out a few types.

"If you want to use it for a long time, I recommend the one on the far right. It costs two silver coins, but it's sturdy and easy to use."

Relieved that it wasn't too expensive, I bought the recommended dagger and asked for the location of the magic equipment shop. Since it was nearby, I thanked him and headed there.

...I've never done a magic job before, can I even do it? I've never even used a healing spell...

While thinking about this, I entered the shop with a staff symbol as instructed, and saw staffs, robes, and spellbooks neatly arranged.

"Welcome, are you looking for something?"

The female clerk who greeted me had short, light green hair, pointed ears, and was wearing a black robe. She looked like a mage elf, but also like a little girl.

"...Just to let you know, I'm older than you, human. I just grow a bit slower! I'm a full adult, you know!"

The clerk, who seemed to notice my skeptical look, warned me. ...Did she see through me?

"No, no, that's not it..."

I tried to explain, feeling a cold sweat on my back.

"Alright... So, what are you looking for? Do you need something?"

"I want a spellbook... I'm a healer, but I don't know what spells I can use."

Hearing this, the clerk pondered for a moment and placed three spellbooks on the counter.

"These are the spellbooks for healers. They are beginner, intermediate, and advanced. There are others, but they are expensive. The beginner costs 10 silver coins, the intermediate 50 silver coins, and the advanced 2 gold coins."

From my earlier market research, I knew the general prices. One copper coin was worth about 100 yen, one silver coin was 10,000 yen, and one gold coin was 1,000,000 yen. They were 100 times the value, and there were also platinum coins, but they weren't commonly used.

...Even so, 100,000 yen for the beginner and 2,000,000 yen for the advanced... It's expensive, but I still have about 20 million gold left. Considering the future, it's not a bad investment...

"I'll take all three."

My words made the clerk's eyes widen in surprise.

"You're quite bold for a young one. ...What's your name? I'll ask."

The clerk, who had a childlike appearance but a proud attitude, puffed out her chest and I told her my name was Toya.

"Toya, huh... I'm Natalie. The Sage Natalie. Worship me."

I snorted and placed the amount of gold on the counter, and Natalie squinted at me.

"You have a dimensional storage, don't you?"

I tried to play it cool, but I was a bit wary that she saw through it. However, Natalie didn't seem to mind.

"You don't need to be so tense. It's a rare skill, but not unheard of. Look, I have one too."

She took out a blue potion bottle from nowhere.

"I'm not called a Sage for nothing. My dimensional storage can hold up to 5,000 kilograms."

I was speechless at Natalie's boastful words.

Clearly, the materials and equipment in my dimensional storage far exceeded that. I had various weapons and armors, and 99 of each type of ingredient. I decided to keep that to myself...

I put the three spellbooks I had already taken into my dimensional storage without hesitation. I looked at other items like staffs and robes, but didn't find anything I wanted. When I told Natalie I was leaving,

"You seem like you'll grow into a capable person. If you have any questions about magic, come to me. I'll teach you step by step... of course, for a fee."

The little girl's grin made me smile wryly.

"I'll come if I need to."

I left the shop with those words.

Eager to read the spellbooks, I headed straight back to the inn. On the way, I stopped at a stall near the adventurer guild.

"Hey, thanks for yesterday. I'm here as a customer today. Give me three."

"Ah, it's you from yesterday! Then, three skewers for 6 copper coins, but I'll give you a discount, so 5 copper coins. I'll cook them right now."

I handed the old man 5 copper coins, and he cheerfully dipped the skewers in sauce and started cooking. The smell of the sauce cooking began to spread.

I swallowed hard and waited for them to be done.

"Here, take them."

"Thanks, old man!"

I took the three skewers and headed back to the inn. When I went to the back to the animal pen, Kokuyou, who seemed to be in a bad mood, lifted his head.

"Kokuyou, you seem upset... I bought some skewers."

When I offered him a skewer, he bit into it. I sat next to his pen and took one out to eat, and Kokuyou had already finished his. He made a "Buruu" sound, asking for more. I sighed and handed him the last one, which he bit into again.

"You're a glutton..."

After petting Kokuyou's neck as he ate, I told him, "We're going on an adventure tomorrow," and he looked at me and made a "Buruu" sound.

I entered the inn from the front and told Lami, who was cleaning up, that I was back, then returned to my room. I placed the three spellbooks on the table and started reading from the beginner level.

The spellbooks started with how to sense magic, then listed the spell names, effects, incantations, and visualizations. Not only healing spells, but also attack spells for the four basic elements were written, and I read them with great interest.

"I have to be able to do healing spells to handle the requests starting tomorrow..."

As I turned the pages, the information seemed to naturally flow into my head, and I felt as if I had been able to use them all along.

"What... is this..."

After finishing the beginner level, I continued to the intermediate and advanced levels.

"Trouble... I can probably use the advanced ones already..."

When I imagined channeling magic into my hand, my palm began to glow white.

'Advanced Healing'

When I cast the advanced healing spell, my right hand shone brightly, and I lost consciousness.