kscans

Chapter 18 - Chimney, Hammer-sound, Muscles

“Whoa, this is getting me seriously hyped…”

After parting with Sora, I logged out for a break myself. Now, having returned to the world of Arcadia, I stood before a certain building, trembling with excitement.

Following the advice of the veterans I had met, I arrived at this very tasteful brick building—yes. It was a blacksmith shop, an indispensable part of any fantasy world.

The chimney, puffing out smoke, looked just right, and the constant clang, clang of a hammer hitting iron that echoed from within was endlessly cranking up my excitement.

“Here I go…!”

Still not quite used to the fantasy setting, I felt a slight sense of intimidation, but I pushed open the door, which had an “OPEN” sign hanging on it.

The door creaked with a somewhat old-fashioned sound, and as I stepped inside, I was greeted by a rugged counter, shelves, and various blacksmith products adorning the interior.

The sound of hammering continued, and there was no one who looked like a shopkeeper in sight. It seemed they were holed up in the forge behind the counter without anyone watching the shop.

I could call out… or rather, I’d love to take a look, but I didn’t want to interrupt their work. Since I wasn’t in a hurry, I decided to browse the products quietly until the owner came out—though if they didn’t show up in ten minutes, I wouldn’t hesitate to shout.

“As expected… these are a different league from the store-bought iron ones.”

The objects in this virtual world, a fusion of dreams and electronic data, possessed a presence no different from their real-world counterparts.

The various weapons and armor hanging on the walls and from hooks. Not a single one was the same, and they exuded an aura that the mass-produced store-bought items lacked.

And damn, they look so cool. The level of detail is insane. This will definitely make the store-bought stuff feel inadequate… what does ‘level of detail’ even mean?

“Is this, like, a sample…?”

Something I could touch—as I looked around, I found a straight sword that seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

Below the straight sword, which was lying on a simple rack, was a sign that helpfully read “FREE.”

In that case, without hesitation,

“Ngh……………… It really is different.”

I had been slightly worried about the STR requirement, but it seemed I met it, as the straight sword settled into my hand smoothly.

Compared to the iron sword I was using, its shape was a bit shorter than the orthodox design. But the feeling of… reassurance, I guess, that came from its small blade was on a whole different level.

The visual aspect probably played a large part. The gleaming, polished blade seemed to be made of a different material from ordinary iron, as it had a faint blue tint. From the guard that protected the hand to the pommel, it was a work of simple yet elegant craftsmanship.

But even setting that aside, there was something that was definitely being transmitted from the left hand that gripped it. Was this my avatar unconsciously reading the numerical stats set for the sword, or was it…

“—What, a customer?”

“Whoa…?!”

I had been half-entranced by the sword when a gruff voice suddenly pulled me back.

I almost dropped the sword, but I quickly placed it back on the rack and turned around to see a large figure appear from behind the counter.

He was huge. His height was only a little taller than mine, but his width, or rather, the mass of his muscles, was insane. I was certain that if he were to charge at me, I would be minced in one hit. He was a man like a rock.

His face, with a black bandana-like cap covering his head completely, had no wrinkles, but he didn’t look like a young man either.

He was a tanned, muscular, handsome middle-aged man.

“Haven’t seen you around.”

When I hear the word “blacksmith,” I immediately imagine a difficult, stubborn old man, but this muscular guy didn’t give off an obvious sense of severity. He just seemed like the type who was straightforward and didn’t show much emotion.

I collected myself after being momentarily overwhelmed by his appearance and deployed my customer-service persona, honed by my part-time job, to make a good first impression.

“My apologies for not announcing myself. I’m a newcomer who just arrived in town yesterday, and I was recommended to come here by some of the more experienced players.”

The shopkeeper stared at me, the polite young man, for a moment before plopping down on a stool at the counter and muttering, “You’re so formal.”

…Hmm, so he prefers a more casual approach. Well, I’ll adjust as we go.

“Well, whatever. What do you want?”

He pulled off his cap as if tearing it off and asked while wiping his sweat with a towel. Seeing his short-cropped white hair, I was strangely surprised, thinking, “So he wasn’t bald.” I summoned my current beloved sword to my hand.

“I bought this at the weapon shop in town, but I’ve earned a bit of money, so I was hoping to get an upgrade.”

In response, he silently held out a thick arm. As requested, I handed over my straight sword. He stared at the sword, which looked even more flimsy compared to his massive frame, and—

“It really seems to hate you.”

—he said, without much emotion.

“…Eh, h-hates me? Does it?”

I asked back, slightly flustered, but there was no reply to my words. The shopkeeper continued to examine my sword and spoke again.

“This is one of the mass-produced ones I sold to Ronna.”

“Oh, is that so… Who’s Ronna?”

“How did you use it?”

Ah, this is one of those people who does things their own way. From experience, if I don’t completely commit to being the listener, our conversation won’t go anywhere.

“Uh… how I used it. Well, just cutting things, normally.”

……………… Man, am I going to get yelled at for this?

“Um… l-like, throwing it, and stuff?”

“Throwing it.”

“…Yes.”

And then silence.

…………This is scary. When a guy with that build goes completely silent, the intimidation factor is off the charts.

“Kid.”

“Y-YES, SIR.”

“Swing it.”

He said, handing the straight sword back to me. Wait, swing it here?

“Um, but—”

“Just swing it down where you are. One swing, with all your might.”

“…………”

Hmm, I don’t get it. I don’t, but…

“……Understood.”

I don’t know why, but this kind of thing is exciting, isn’t it? An event that you would absolutely never experience in real life.

The development was too sudden for me to read the shopkeeper’s intentions, but this must be one of those “I’ll see what you’re made of” moments… there’s no way I’m not getting fired up!!

I don’t have any sword training, but I have enough experience to have slain three massive beasts. I believed I could at least look the part—

“HRAH!!”

I raised it slowly and swung down with all my might.

“…………”

The shopkeeper said nothing. Five seconds, ten seconds of silence passed.

“…………”

Feeling awkward, I released my stance. After a flourish of pointless but hopefully graceful and careful cuts, I sheathed the sword—or rather, since there was no sheath, I put it in my inventory. The silence continued.

One minute, two minutes. Just as I was beginning to suspect that he had fallen asleep with his eyes open, the muscular guy finally spoke.

“…A bundle of Glowbird tail feathers, and two chunks of blue iron ore.”

Just when I thought he had opened his mouth, this is what he says. I feel like lecturing him on the importance of context.

In the real world, I would have tilted my head and asked, “What are you talking about?” but considering that this world is a game, the meaning of the shopkeeper’s words was clear. In other words…

◇A quest has been initiated.◇

‘A Partner to Walk With’ ※Optional
・Great Winged Bird’s Tail Feathers 0/10
・Blue Iron Ore 0/2

—It was my first quest in Arcadia.