NOVEL NEXT Chapter 80: Pay2Win
After around ten minutes of a meticulous plant control and spending almost a quarter of Liz's mana, we managed to renovate Megumin's stable, I mean, house. The run down house is now a brand new two story house with a beautiful garden at the side of it and all sorts of living flowers as decoration.
"Whoa! Kazuma nii chan, awesome!" Komekko exclaimed in excitement. "Come on Liza chan! Let's look around the house!"
Komekko dragged Liz's hand and they both ran back into the house. Beside me, Hyoizaburo and Yuiyui looks overjoyed after seeing the state of the house.
"Good work Kazuma!" Hyoizaburo gave me a thumb up. "As expected of my daughter's fiancee! Now we don't have to worry about spending money to renovate the house!"
"Ara, you say that as if we have any money to renovate the house," Yuiyui commented with a smile. "But thank you, Kazuma kun, if there's anything non monetary we can do to pay you back, please let us now,"
"There is one thing," Megumin kicked me in the shin. "Get your mind out of there Megumin, it was a joke," I turned to Hyoizaburo. "Hyoizaburo san, follow me,"
With that, I led Megumin's father to the back of the house. The rest went through the front door to look around the house.
"So, Hyoizaburo san, I heard you're a magic item artisan," I asked him.
"You're well informed Kazuma, I am Hyoizaburo, the Number One Magic Item Maker in Crimson Demon Village," he made a few poses as we walked towards a brand new attachment in the building. "Is there something you want me to make?"
We walked into the back door, revealing a vast empty room with absolutely nothing inside it.
"This is your new workshop. Since I'm not sure what kind of equipment you're going to need, I'm just going to give you this," I took out a pouch of money and handed it to him. He peeked at the contents of it and grinned a little. "You are to buy equipment only, okay, do not use the money to make anything, just fill up this room with everything you need."
Hyoizaburo shook my hand. "It's a pleasure doing business with you, Kazuma,"
"The pleasure is mine, now go, show me how fast a Crimson Demon can shop!"
Just like that, Hyoizaburo left the room in a hurry.
Okay, hear me out. Megumin already told me that her father is extremely talented, but due to his Chuuni all items he made has extreme drawbacks. However, I have a suspicion that the Chuuni side of him has nothing to do with the drawbacks.
Instead, the Chuuni part of him is the one that makes him lie about him giving the item a drawback. Perhaps his magic items are so powerful that it actually needs a drawback.
So, I decided to see if I can get him to make some extremely useful items but with drawbacks that aren't really that big of a deal.
A door that led back into the house slammed open, revealing Komekko and Liz running out of it.
"Whoa! What is this place?" Komekko ran around the empty workshop in excitement. "So big! This must be the indoor playground!"
"Otou sama! There you are," Liz pulled my hand a little. "Are you busy? Okaa sama and the rest are preparing dinner,"
"Don't worry, I'll be there, you go on ahead Liz," I told her.
---
It was evening.
Hyoizaburo has returned through teleportation, carrying all sorts of magical equipment. Some I've seen before like stone cutter, all sorts of hand held tools, and anvil. Some I've never seen before in my life, like an odd looking table with intricate magic pattern, a bunch of orbs, and… is that the crafting table?
All in all, I'm investing around ten million Eris on my father in law.
"So, is this everything you need? Hyoizaburo san?"
"This is all I need Kazuma, now, with proper ingredients I can make you the best magic item ever!"
I nodded in approval. "Great! Now, let's talk about what magic item to make…"
…
We sat down facing each other on a small coffee table. Right in front of us is a piece of paper, listing off ideas that I could use to make the magic item.
"Okay, hear me out… How about, a hand held weapon that shoots out magic, but constantly drains the user when using it,"
"Interesting… Then what kind of magic does it fires?"
"Pure piercing power, kinda like Light of Saber, but for piercing,"
Hyoizaburo looked down in deep thought. "Hmm… I might be able to make one…"
"But there's a catch right?"
The man raised an eyebrow before nodding. "Yes… if used repeatedly the weapon will overcharge and might blow up. It will continuously draw mana from the wielder to keep it fully loaded. The weapon is more dependent of the mana density and not mana quantity of the wielder."
"How deadly will it be, in the hands of a common mage?"
"It can shoot around twenty rounds before overcharging. It will also be incredibly draining as a common mage only has the mana capacity of fifty shots. At that point, the weapon must not be touched as it will consume the user's vitality."
"Alright, make that, it'll be a hit, trust me."
I wrote 'Magic Blaster' in the piece of paper.
"Okay, next idea, a ring that can turn the user perfectly invisible, remove the scent, sound, and practically undetectable. However, the user will lose all senses but their touch until the ring is removed. How about it?"
Hyoizaburo grinned at that. "That sounds like a perfect catch for an amazing item!"
I wrote 'Hyper Realistic Invisibility Ring' in the piece of paper.
"Okay, next idea, pair of see through goggles. However it is permanent and it can only see through the one kind of material it was set on. So, if the owner set the material to… say… wood. It can only see through wood and nothing else."
"Not bad, though I fail to see the purpose,"
"Trust me, it'll sell like hotcakes."
I grinned as I wrote 'The See Through Goggles' on the piece of paper. To all of you perverts out there, this one's for you.
"Finally, a magic item that can turn hp damage into mp damage, however, the user cannot use any spells when wearing this item."
"What kind of magic caster would use a debilitating item like that?" Hyoizaburo asked. "There's nothing cool about not casting spells."
"You know, Crusaders and Warriors are a job that exist, right?"
"Ahh… I see…"
I wrote 'Magic Shield' into the piece of paper when the door that connects this room to the rest of the house opened.
"Otou sama, Ojii sama," Liz peeked out of the door. "Dinner's ready."
---
After a very nice and harmonious dinner consisting of Yuiyui teasing Megumin endlessly. Hyoizaburo talking with me about a long term contract. Liz and Komekko playing with Darkness and Aqua, it's time to go to sleep.
"Listen, Hyoizaburo and I are all heavy sleepers, so you don't have to worry about being too loud, okay? Oh and whatever you do, do not pull out!"
That's what Yuiyui told me before she locked Megumin and I in the same room. My girlfriend could only groan in frustration and slight embarrassment. She then jumped on to the makeshift king sized bed I made during the renovation.
"What's with the door locking?" Megumin said. "I mean, if we weren't in a relationship already, then I can imagine why she would do this but…" she put a hand over her face. "Aaah! I already told her you're planning to propose! What else is she on about?"
I chuckled a little as I lay down beside her. "I think your mom is just excited to see you have a boyfriend," I told her.
Megumin turned towards me. A blush still visible on her cheek. "Also, how exactly are you planning the marriage? I mean, sooner or later you're going to have to talk to the village chief, which means, Yunyun will be the first to know about it, right?"
I grinned at that."Whatever is in your mind is too boring and too mundane for my taste. A village wide wedding? Pfft, pathetic,"
"I'm supposed to be looking forward to this, but I feel incredibly worried instead. Ne, Kazuma, at least give me a hint, what are you planning for our wedding?"
"It will be awesome and unforgettable. A fitting wedding for any Crimson Demon out there."
Megumin sighed in defeat and looked up to the ceiling.
We didn't say anything for around ten minutes. Simply enjoying each other's presence. Sleeping together with a girlfriend in her parent's house, not once in my hikkineet life have I ever thought of this happening to me.
'Ah… Paradox sama… Thank you for changing my fate.'
Soon, I felt Megumin shifting closer towards me. "Ne Kazuma… Do you think, do you think everyone's asleep?"
"Your mom knocked everyone but Liz unconscious with a sleeping spell. Apparently, Liz's magic resistance is too over powered."
The girl clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Aah… we can't even do it in the dream because Liz can enter our dream…"
"Don't worry, I already told Liz that we won't be sleeping here."
Megumin blinked a little after hearing that. Then a bright smile appeared on her face. "You mean, you've set this place as a teleportation point?"
"Teleport!"
---
The next morning, Megumin, Aqua, Darkness, and I decided to take trip around the village. Liz and Komekko said that they're going for an adventure, just the two of them. At first, I was just a little bit worried, but then I remembered that Liz is literally stronger than the entire Fantastic Dreamer combined.
For breakfast we decided to visit the only cafe in the village, the Deadly Poison Cafe. The one Megumin visited frequently after she 'defeated' Yunyun in a battle during her school days.
A man wearing a chef uniform greeted us the moment we stepped into the terrace. It's still early so the shop isn't all that crowded. But it seems like a nice place.
"Welcome! Welcome to the Crimson Demons' number one coffee shop! Isn't this Megumin, Hyoizaburo's daughter and her teammates as well! I heard of your amazing performance the other day, it was magnificent!"
"Thank you, Katageru san,"
"So, what would you like to order?"
"Let me see the chef's recommendation,"
The shop owner handed us the menu and we sat down on one of the table.
"Ne, Kazuma," Aqua held up her menu and whispered closely. "I think there's something wrong with this cafe… They're selling Demon Stew and Sacrificial Lamb…"
"Those are goat stew and lamb sandwich," I told her. "By the way, I have Fire Demon's Broken Loaf Seal (a loaf of bread with lots of strawberry fillings) and the Dragon Blood Cocktail (dragon fruit juice). What do you like, Megumin, Darkness?"
"I'll have…" Darkness paused for a moment. "Demon God's Sacrificial Lamb Sandwich… that's a regular lamb sandwich, right?"
"Gaea's Forsaken Pancakes with Death Slime Blessing (blueberry pancakes) and the Water of Youth (lime water cocktail)," Megumin said.
"Umm, I don't know what any of these says so I'll just buy the most expensive thing here, the Experience of Lifetime Latte and the Olympus Mountain Cake."
I was about to call the waitress when that word stood up to me. "Hold on, Latte?" I grabbed the menu and thanked but also cursed a certain goddess. "Twenty five million Eris!?"
"What!?" Darkness grabbed the menu and looked at it. "Experience of a Lifetime Latte… In sponsorship with the Morning Angel Coffee," she turned to Aqua and smacked her head with the menu. "We are not spending twenty five for a drink!"
"But it says that whoever drinks it will gain an experience of a lifetime!"
"You're spending your life adventuring!"
Beside me, Megumin has already called the owner.
"What will it be Megumin san?"
"Umu, we have Demon God's Sacrificial Sandwich, Gaea's Forsaken Pancakes with Death Slime Blessing, Fire Demon's Broken Loaf Seal, Olympus Mountain Cake, and four Experience of a Lifetime Latte,"
"Megumin!" Darkness exclaimed.
Megumin ignored her and continues. "That is all,"
The owner wrote something on his list. "That would one hundred million and twenty five thousand Eris,"
"No, hold on, Kazuma, stop her!"
Okay, I don't think Megumin is a type who would just waste money around without a good reason to. Now what would be her reasoning behind this?
"You can't accept that you're weaker than your daughter huh?"
"...yes,"
"I understand, you want to protect her rather than her protecting you."
"It's okay… right?"
"Like I said, we have too much money to spare,"
"Darkness, prepare the bill,"
Darkness looked at me for a moment before sighing. "I understand, if you say so…" she took out a huge sack of money. "But I still think this is unnecessary expense, we're already powerful enough as we are right now."
"That's arrogance Darkness, we don't know what the future might hold."
With that, we paid the bill and waited for our food.
…
After waiting in silence, our drinks arrived. Four mithril bottles on a silver platter. "Here you go customer, four Experience of the Lifetime from our Business Partner, the Morning Angel Coffee," he said.
We all looked at the bottle in front of us. A bottle of coffee has never felt so intimidating before. I mean, these worth almost as much as our mansion! Just a drop of it is like, a million Eris of wasted money.
"Okay everyone," I decided to make a speech. "If we don't glitch out our stat after this, I'm filing a complaint to my goddess," I uncapped the bottle, revealing a golden liquid inside it. I gulped a little before slowly drinking it.
Goddamn it was the most delicious thing I've ever had. It was the most perfect coffee ever. From its taste, smell, and texture, it was perfect in any shape, way or form. I almost thought that the taste alone would make up for its price, but…
"Aah… So good!!!" Aqua exclaimed before slamming down her empty bottle. "Kazuma, we have more money right? Let's drink it again!"
"No Aqua," Darkness said halfheartedly while putting down her empty bottle. "We shouldn't waste our money for frivolous things like this. Even if… It was the best drink I've ever had…"
"It's not fair," Megumin said. "Why does it have to taste so good? Aren't most magical elixir supposed to taste awful and deadly and will probably kill you if you're unworthy?" she put down her bottle and looked at me. "There's no challenge at all!"
"Megumin, just getting enough money for one of these is a challenge on its own," I told her before taking out my adventurer card. Everyone also did the same thing, eager to see just how powerful they've become.
Okay, if I wasn't OP before, I am definitely OP now. I'm level sixty four, just a little below Liza chan. My intelligence and luck stats glitched out and the rest of my stats are beyond human. I also got another forty skill points to spare which I'm going to pour into Magic Item Crafting and Blacksmith.
"Amazing… With just a drink…" Darkness turned towards me. "Kazuma san, I'm level sixty two, my strength and vitality stat won't show up,"
"Whoa! Another forty skill points!" Aqua exclaimed. "Kazuma, what should I learn next? Ne, Kazuma?"
On hindsight, I shouldn't have bought Aqua anything. Her stats are already capped until she gets more believers. Goddammit…
I turned towards Megumin and saw her staring at her card with a satisfied and relieved look on her face. "What's your level Megumin?"
Megumin showed me her card with a smug grin on her face.
'Nice'