Read Novel Full Chapter 272
Chapter 272
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Chapter 272 – An Unexpected Arrival
“It’s a pretty small town, huh?”
“Haha, well, it’s nothing compared to Rosberia. But it’s the most important town to me.”
“I see.”
Lodge must have nerves of steel.
Even though we were flying through the air, he chatted casually the whole time. This dwarf’s head isn’t normal.
After we landed somewhere suitable, Lodge headed straight for a clothing and shoe shop, saying it was precisely the time to stock up.
For my part, I headed for the Hunter’s Guild, wondering what to do with the mountain of meat I had.
After all, this is where you come when you’re stuck.
“Amanda-san! You like meat, don’t you? It’s incredibly delicious meat.”
“You really do appear out of nowhere… Is that the unicorn meat you brought last time? If so, I’d love some. Eating that stuff really improves my skin~.”
She said this while rubbing her cheeks. However, I honestly couldn’t tell a difference in Amanda-san…
However, the young receptionist beside her nodded, so perhaps the idea that the meat is good for beauty is actually true.
(Hmm, did I mess up the meat selection?)
I had that thought, but I had absolutely no intention of taking it back, so I showed her the huge chunk of meat instead.
“It’s a different kind of meat today. It’s from a dragon-type creature, so it’s definitely delicious. But I have a lot of it. Could I at least leave it in the training grounds?”
“…Huh?”
“Well, if I leave it here, maybe people who want it will just take it themselves.”
Amanda-san’s face looks scarier than ever, though.
I’ve never seen anyone use the training grounds in Bezart. There’s no need to glare at me like you’re on the verge of dying from stomach pain.
“Before that—”
“Huh?”
“What kind of meat did you say?”
“Wha—!? D-dragon meat, but…”
“Th-that means, re-re-re—”
“Re?”
“Re-rejuvenating meat?”
“””(Gulp!)”””
No, no, I don’t know.
Apparently, dragon meat is believed to restore vitality to the body. It’s not just delicious, but also quite popular as ‘rejuvenating meat’ among men and women alike.
But it’s expensive and only available in a few places, so it’s usually considered a food for the wealthy, she explained with great fervor.
The girl next to her and I were both dumbfounded.
Since I had heard about the effects of “blood,” I could understand why such stories circulated.
“There’s quite a lot, so you can eat as much as you want until the meat spoils, right? If you have a place to put it, that is.”
With Yagov-san’s single command, the Hunter Guild’s training grounds were opened to the public.
Honestly, the guild’s training grounds aren’t that big, so if people really went all out, they would overflow. Still, more and more people gradually showed up, happily taking the meat home. It really felt worth bringing it all.
Potta-kun’s mom borrowed a huge basket, but it’s not like the amount would decrease that easily anyway.
“By the way, what about that map you brought? It’s so popular that even townspeople who aren’t hunters come to peek at it. Those three, for instance, never seem to get tired of studying it.”
My storage capacity had finally decreased enough to stop draining my magic, so I left the scene to Amanda-san. She was gazing at the mountain of meat with a rather lecherous look. Suddenly, she looked at me as if testing something and said that.
By “those three,” she must have been referring to Zink-kun and the others.
People’s thoughts vary when looking at the map. If they ask for help, I help within my means when they want to do something.
I thought that was my way of repaying Bezart. But those three, huh…
There’s no point in overthinking it now that they’re not here.
I simply conveyed that it was the best outcome, then headed to Paisa-san’s place.
After giving him the most useful remaining daggers and meat, I grabbed a stone jar and hurried to May-chan’s house.
Apparently, May-chan’s mom knew about “Dragon’s Blood” when I gave her a bottle of it as a souvenir. She was thrilled to study it further.
Apparently, “Dragon’s Blood” is used more often in alchemy for making potions, but Bezart doesn’t have any alchemists.
Here, if they have it in stock, they’ll provide me with a restorative tonic that helps eliminate fatigue. I couldn’t be bothered to take it all the way to a stranger’s place.
After handing over what I had to give and distributing the meat, I wandered aimlessly down the main street and ran into Lodge, who was leisurely eating skewered meat at a food stall.
We headed straight to the church. After I told Sister Maryse about the prayer request and other matters, the little old man standing beside me nodded slowly and looked surprised.
It was evening, so it was crowded. After seeing Lodge line up for prayer, I whispered my request to Sister Maryse, thinking, “This is where my job starts.”
“Sister Maryse. What should you do if you don’t want to show the judgment result? You see, my companion is a dwarf.”
Being a dwarf excuse was a bit forced.
But I wanted to avoid having Sister Maryse and the other church officials present, so I made up a flimsy reason.
Everything, including the bonus from divine protection, would be reflected on the obsidian tablet. If things went well, the level 10 Blacksmith skill would show up exactly as it was.
Even outside the small town, this would be an astonishing accomplishment that would spread like wildfire.
Regardless of whether we believe the church, the best option would be to choose one where no one sees the result.
Maryse-san responded to my proposal, though she seemed reluctant.
“Truthfully, since something happening to a sacred artifact would be disastrous, the rule is that someone from the church must be present for the ‘status check.'”
“…”
“But, since people often mention wanting to hide their abilities, depending on the offering, we can keep the door open and watch from outside. I mean, what is the church thinking, making such backdoor rules?”
“Hohoho… In that case, could we request that arrangement this time?”
As long as it’s run by humans, even if it’s a church, that’s just how the world is.
The way they put it probably makes it sound like a rule imposed by the Papal State, with no real benefit for the people.
Well, that works out nicely. I show her the generous offering of meat and say, “Amanda-san from the Hunter Guild said it has rejuvenating effects.” Maryse-san nods deeply, as if to say, “Leave it to me.”
Besides the old priest, the church is full of nuns.
It looks like Bezart’s church will be on my side if anything happens now.
―Divine Communication―
(Can someone please raise Lodge’s blacksmithing skill to level 8 without using any blessings?)
(Hmm…)
Whether it succeeded or not.
Lodge himself wasn’t sure yet. He tilted his head as he walked toward me.
He then followed my lead and grabbed the handle of the obsidian plate. Maryse-san and I watched him.
Lodge stared intently at the results of the obsidian plate, hidden from outside view, and twitched in reaction at a certain point.
Then, he slowly turned toward me, grinned, and showed his teeth.
▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽
The four of us laid out the various meals that I had received in exchange for distributing the meat. Then, we ate freely and carelessly.
Can you believe it? Today, we had grilled fish for the first time in ages.
Despite my modesty in saying my house can wait until last, Zeo is still swamped building shelves for the material warehouse, so the small boat construction has stalled.
I wonder if I could build a sunken hearth someday. Or, if I really put my mind to it, I could explore the sea.
As I thought such thoughts, I watched the dancing sparks and Lodge eating his meal beside them, laughing heartily.
If I set my sights on it, I’ll reach Level 10 in no time.
This fact brings me both genuine joy and envy, leaving my feelings incredibly complex; yet, the man himself remains completely unchanged.
He tore into the meat with gusto and gulped down alcohol as if washing it down.
“What matters isn’t just gaining the skill, but what you achieve using it, right?”
When I congratulated Lodge immediately after leaving the church, he replied matter-of-factly.
He was absolutely right; it’s a perspective typical of the people of this world.
However, knowing about bonus stat points and various ability values, I couldn’t simply nod in agreement.
I used 500 skill points, the amount needed to go from Level 6 to Level 8.
Thanks to my class buff, I could easily skip the toughest levels, 9 and 10. Even knowing I have my own strong advantages, I still…
I couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.
The level 8 to 9 zone? Even with monsters conveniently possessing skill level 5, you only gain 2-3% per day.
And let’s be honest: Leveling up from 9 to 10? Even if I focused solely on grinding, it would take years.
Lodge had the groundwork, yet he still reached level 10 easily. This makes me wonder why the inhabitants of this world don’t aim for efficiency.
Maybe they’re not keen on monster hunting because it carries the risk of death.
Or perhaps it’s because they’re recommended to party up to spread that risk.
It could also be because the number of strong hunting grounds is limited and their locations aren’t known.
Several factors have likely contributed to the current situation.
(Back when maps existed, were people reaching skill level 10 commonplace? Were there also plenty of people aiming for multiple pinnacles?)
I have no idea what it was like in Zeo’s era, let alone earlier.
However, I’ve learned that power-leveling at this base lets anyone safely boost their abilities.
I’ve also learned that no one else seems to use such a forceful method.
(He’s a true craftsman, unwavering in his dedication…)
With these thoughts in mind, I took a small sip of the wine I’d received as a thank-you gift.
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