NOVEL NEXT Picking A Quest
After asking directions from a few adventurers and spending a mile walking, we finally arrived at the most recommended blacksmith shop, called Anvil Works. I opened the door allowing them to go in first. Weapons and armors were decorating on the walls, a few daggers on the tables, and a staircase going up to a second floor.
"Wow... this place looks like an armory for a kingdom," Yomi commented impressed with all the weapons on display and wondering what was on the second floor.
"Yeah, that's the plan I was going for when I decorated the place," A large old man, possibly in his late 40s with a small goatee told them behind the counter. He puts down the dagger he was cleaning and took a good look at them, especially the hooded figure, for a few moments before saying, "Welcome to Anvil Works, my name is Stark and I'm the owner."
"Hello/hi/good morning." We greeted him at the same time.
"The first floor is normal weapons and armors. The second is more expensive and has more exotic types. If you want a customized armor or weapons, you can ask me, but it'll take some time." He said before going back to cleaning the dagger, though he kept an eye on them.
We started walking around picking up a few weapons or shin guards trying them on seeing how they feel. Kanae moved on to the armors section with an excited gleam in her eyes, but it died when she saw them. A few mannequins were displaying both men's and women's armor that covered the important parts of the body.
"You know, I expected most if not all the women's armor to leave a lot of skin exposed or covered very little." Kanae pouted, her fantasies ruined when she spotted the armors covered more than she thought. She wanted to see skimpy armors like in the anime Bikini Warrior.
The owner gave out a disapproving huff but stayed quiet that those types were in the back. It's annoying when they want something "sexy" instead of something that would protect them from being stabbed or gutted.
"It's not practical to wear very little in battle without adequate protections..." Celestine started to say before stopping with a light flush on her cheeks when I raised an eyebrow at her. I didn't have to save anything about her clothes when we first met nor her "shield maidens" uniforms. It didn't have any "adequate protection" when it could be easily removed by anyone.
"Wouldn't it be better to wear less so you wouldn't be hampered by your clothes by having spells integrated into the armor?" Yomi asked curiously.
"Yes, it is possible, but it is very expensive and it needs special materials for it to work."
"It was mostly geared towards boosting morale in the male troops at first before it was discovered to be distracting towards the enemy combatants," Kalawarna added her input, lightly remembering it. "Nowadays, it's mostly for fan service and to boost sales for anything."
Kalawarna lightly tapped on an iron breastplate not impressed when it received a light dent in it before she smoothed it out without anyone noticing.
Celestine stared at the wooden and metallic bows, while Kanae tried talking to the owner to see if he had any revealing armor in the back. Yomi simply stared at everything and followed behind her ashikabi as he walked.
We soon went upstairs to look at the exotic weapons and split up going towards different sections. I already knew that most if not all the weapons and armors were inferior to the gacha items I could receive, but I didn't know by how much after looking around. Not to mention if I had a blacksmith, they could enhance some of my gacha equipment.
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Regular:
•Horn dagger Lv 1/1 [20 Dmg] (90,000 E)
• Iron Fan Lv 1/1 [10 Dmg] (150,000 E)
Gacha:
• Titanium Vest N Lv 1/10 [+15 Def] (75,500 E)
• Frost Iron (Staff) N Lv 1/10 [+15 Frost Dmg] (250,000 E)
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Yomi let out a slight gasp of surprise when she noticed a pair of sky blue chakrams amongst some weird swords, shields, maces, and many more. She picked them up getting a good grip and started to gently play around with them. It felt right for some reason, too bad she couldn't throw it without damaging the walls. When she noticed the price of 10 million Eris, she felt sad for a moment before her eyes fired up, determined to gather enough money to buy it.
We soon left the store without buying anything much to the owner's disappointment. After that, we bought a lot of stuff from a couple of different stores nearby, a few that sells clothes, some accessories, and some camping supplies needed in the wilderness amongst other important things. Which reminded me, I need to visit Wiz's shop alone tomorrow since I don't know how they will react to Wiz being a litch.
It was also worth it to watch them change into different outfits, especially the lingerie. I didn't know this world had such a diverse selection and they bought a few.
Thankfully while I waited for them, I experimented with [Random Stat] on the clothes and small pieces of cheap jewelry. Luckily, I bought more than enough jewelry that was destroyed when I tried to add more than one attribute to an item or to put a certain attribute that couldn't contain it.
After many failed attempts, I finally created the [Anklet of Humble] which barely helped to reduce Celestine's [Flawless Appearance] trait so she can show her face without people trying to worship the very ground she walks on or worse.
After 2 more hours of shopping, we arrived back at the guild a few hours after 12. Once we walked in, I noticed everyone was staring at us for some reason. They were giving me envious/hated looks which were weird. I figured it was thanks to Celestine since she had her hood off, but I was kinda right and wrong.
"Um, Mr. John, sir? Can I speak to you privately, for a moment?" A male employee with a name tag named Cole asked me. He was an older gentleman in his mid-thirties wearing the guild uniform.
"Yeah, sure," I said nodding and walking with him to a corner. "What's this about?"
"It's nothing serious," He reassured me, "It's just a bill for the bed you broke last night and the replacement." He said giving me a bill for 150 Eris with a knowing look on his face as I froze realizing what those before looks meant.
I should have figured it was since there was housekeeping, but it honestly slipped my mind. I paid him the amount required, feeling very embarrassed that everyone in the guild and most likely the whole city knows what happened last night. I need to find a way to get my mansion back so I don't have to deal with this.
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*Quest Received*
[Complete any 15 Quests]
Reward:
- X1 Mansion
- X15 Gacha Tickets
- 100,000 Eris
- 10,000 XP
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Well... that was convenient. Or should I say obviously since the mansion is a part of the system. I guess I just needed to really want it for the quest to appear. I'll think more about that later as I moved my attention back to the present.
Just as I was about to leave, he leaned in hands clasped, and whispered to me, "Please teach me your ways. If not, then at least tell me how to get a girlfriend. I've been friend-zoned by every girl I liked my whole life, holy one. Please you're my only hope."
Ouch, that's... relatable. I guess I could, it would be a good idea to have friends in the guild so I pondered for a few seconds wondering how to answer him. I thought about what my dad told me to be a macho man with big muscles that the ladies will love me and to drop and give him 50. My mom was less helpful by saying that I need to be a bad boy with a sweet side that they'll only see or something like that.
I don't know if it'll help but I told him this, "I could only say is be yourself and try to find someone with similar interests. While trying to genuinely improve yourself is fine and all, trying to forcibly change yourself just for a girl who doesn't like your 'true self' is a really bad idea. That's all I got."
After that, I left him alone pondering over my words as I rejoined my group not telling them what that was about. We ignored the heated conversations mostly about if what happened last night is true and Celestine's sudden beautiful appearance.
When we went up into our rooms, it was a little awkward when we saw the maid finish putting on the new bedsheets. She blushed scarlet, not daring to look at any of us as she scooted by. We were watching her leave until Kanae had to tease her by saying, "Thank you for cleaning up after us. We might need a new bed ready for tomorrow too. He's insatiable after all."
"I don't think the four of us are enough. Be careful, he might set his claws into you, too." Kalawarna easily added.
"Yeah, he kept on going and going all night long," Yomi said adding fuel to the fire, remembering what happened last night. Celestine didn't say anything, but she didn't have to with the blush on her face as evidence.
The maid looked at them then at me, trembling and squeaking in fear when I raised my hand to cover my face. She then disappeared in a flash and the last thing we saw was the back of her skirt going down the stairs.
I sighed feeling a headache coming on thinking that I'll have a nickname like an insatiable perverted beast or something in less than an hour if I don't have one right now. I glared at them and Kanae simply gave me an innocent look while Kalawarna was grinning. They high-fived each other when my focus was elsewhere.
After putting the clothes away, we went back down to the quest board looking for a simple quest that could be easily completed in a few days. The ones on the bulletin board were :
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- Kill 5 Giant Frogs or 10 Baby Frogs
Time Limit: 3 Days
Location: 15 miles north outside of town near the farmlands
Kills per Frog:
• 150 XP per Giant frog
• 50 XP per Baby frog
Rewards:
• 500,000 Eris
• 5,000 Eris per extra frog
• x 2 Gacha Tickets
• 10,000 XP
(Accept/Decline)
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– Cut down the evil trees corrupting the forest.
Reward: Dependent on the amount turned in.
EXP per Tree killed: 1,200
Reward:
• x 10 Gacha Ticket
(10,000 Eris-?)
(Accept/Decline)
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– Help me look for my pet wolf, Yuu.
Reward:
• 10,000 Eris
• x 1 Gacha Ticket
• 2,000XP
(Accept/Decline)
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– My son's swordsmanship lesson
Location:
*Requirement: Rune Knight or Sword Master.
Reward:
•100,000 Eris
• x 5 Ticket
• 20,000 XP
(Accept/Decline)
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– Recruiting subject for magic practice
Location: Magic Tower
* Requirement: High HP or strong magic resistance…
EXP per Test: 10,000
Reward:
•5,000,000 Eris
• x 15 Gacha Tickets
• 100,000 XP
(Accept/Decline)
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-Gather 10 Lilac Silverleaves
Location: Near the eastern edge of the forest
EXP per plant: 100 XP
Time limit: None
Rewards:
• 1,000 Eris
• x 1 Gacha Ticket
• 500 XP
(Accept/Decline)
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According to the guild's recommendation, the frog extermination quest is useful for beginners to get used to killing things without freezing up in fear which could prove fatal in battle.
Well, the smaller frogs are easier to battle but are harder to hit and unlike the giant frogs, blunt attacks are effective thanks to them being smaller. The adventurers are somewhat safe since the smaller frogs don't cause too much damage from their tongues or weight.
Giant frogs on the other hand are a little more problematic since they can swallow a person whole, but they can be dealt with by using bait. They don't like anything with metal, so they would leave you alone if you had some equipment. It was a foe that all adventurers knew how to battle against unless they were dumb enough to go out without armor or bait, but no one is that dumb.
After looking it over, I took the frog extermination and the plant gathering quest from the board since it could be easily completed in one day.
As for the forest one, it could be done if I have a lot of explosives or start a forest fire, but I don't think it would be contained in a small area. Not to mention I might pay fines for starting a forest fire so that one is out. The other quests, I'm not going to do it.
"Who wants to do what?" I asked thinking of them all doing both quests to raise their levels. It wouldn't be hard to get them at least to level 5 or more.
"I want to do the frog extermination quest so I can show a certain someone that I know how to use a scythe." Yomi instantly decided, looking straight at Kalawarna.
"That's fine with me since I'm not doing the herb picking quest. I can sit back and just watch." Kalawarna said, looking at the quests. She had her pride as a fallen angel and she didn't want to dirty her hands by picking up some plants.
"I can do the herb gathering quest. It sounds easy enough and I could have John with me alone in a forest," Kanae said batting her eyelashes while grabbing my arm and pushing her breast up against me.
"Can we do it tomorrow in the morning? I don't feel comfortable doing it right now," I told her. I was a little worried, remembering what happened the last time we were in the forest, causing Kanae to pout at her missed opportunity. "What about you Celestine? Which one do you want to do?"
"I think I have to keep an eye on Yomi and Kalawarna so they won't start fighting each other instead of actually doing the quest." She paused for a moment, "Or having to rescue them from getting eaten when they get too confident."
"Like that'll happen./ Not in a million years." Yomi and Kalawarna denied that last part and ignored how the first could actually happen without any supervision.
"It's fine, John. We can do both at the same time since the herbs are in the area near where the frogs are located." Kanae said trying to reassure him, which it did but not by much. She took the quests from me and walked up to the reception desk.
"John, you can't let one bad experience hold you back from moving forward. We're both stronger and you have more allies to rely on." Celestine said grabbing my hand and giving it a soft squeeze.
I looked into her eyes, seeing the care in them with the rest joining in either by agreeing and slapping my back or patting my shoulder awkwardly. "Thanks, guys," I said and walked up and waited with Kanae. The other three were instantly swarmed by many male and female adventurers yelling over each other to be heard.
"Hey beautiful, why don't you join us? We'll help you kill those frogs no problem!"
"No no! Join our group! We'll give you the best equipment available for a small fee of course. It's a small one so don't worry about it and sign this very not suspicious contract. We'll shower you with all types of pleas... I mean treasure! Y-yeah, treasure!"
"Don't listen to those filthy pigs... Join our all-female group! Please join, there's not that many female adventurers that sign up and are actually competent."
"Get back you heathens! How dare you try and touch our blonde elf goddess. We beseech you, please let us help save you from that savage. We need you to lead us through these troubling times, your godliness."
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(Kirigaya Saito POV)
"You will have the honor to bear my children, sluts!! Enjoy it!" He accidentally yelled out what he was thinking when things were calming down.
Everyone froze at that and slowly turned around with fire in their eyes to look for that one person who spoke. No one noticed the heavily sweating fat guy way in the back since he was fully covered in crappy armor. Kirigaya Saito, a delusional NEET, who isekai'd here by Aqua, rapidly pointed to another unlucky armored covered figure who ran when everyone glared at him.
He sighed in relief as everyone dispersed, letting him leer at all the females and give a malicious look at John, the side character. He can't wait to NTR that bastard with his cheat. All he needs to do is level up a few more times before he could use his [Absolute Hypnosis]. Stupid stingy goddess couldn't give him, The Main Character, more than one cheat even if he asked his cheat be that he can get more than one cheat. He'll get her and see who has the last laugh when she's under him squealing like a pig.
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I felt something revolting staring at me before it disappeared when I turned to look at the source. On the outside, I shrugged my shoulders turning back around when I didn't find anything while on the inside I kept my guard up. I pondered for a moment wondering if Aqua ever sent any delusional or creepy NEETS here. Knowing her and her luck, it was possible. With that thought, I started making plans to keep my waifus safe.
After waiting in line for a few minutes, Celestine, Yomi, and Kalawarna arrived just as we were next. "Good afternoon Luna. We want to do these two quests," Kanae told her, handing the forms to her.
"G-Good morning. Let's see... frog hunting and herb gathering quests. Just you both?" She asked, face slightly red not looking at any of us. It seemed that she also heard about that rumor.
"No, we're splitting up, to do both quests," Kanae corrected her pointing towards us then the other three in the back.
"Ahh, that's fine then. Here you go," She said stamping the quests and putting them in the in-progress pile. "Don't forget to be careful out there it's the frog's mating season. They're pretty aggressive and more numerous right now."
"Thank you and we will."