kscans

Chapter 8 - Companions

On the first floor of the log house that served as their base, in the area meant to be a shop, Hayato, Esha, and Ash sat in chairs, drinking coffee.

The chairs they sat in, and the table they surrounded, were all furniture that Hayato had created with his Woodworking Skill. While the quality didn't change their appearance, he was a production player who cared about the details. Everything was matched in the highest quality, five stars.

Surrounded by this top-quality furniture, Hayato explained the situation to the other two.

However, because of the AI Protection security system, he didn't mention hiring NPCs or that he wanted to win the Clan War for the prize money. He simply told them that he had left his clan because he was a production player with no combat ability, and that he was looking for people who would fight alongside him.

He then explained that, for now, it was just the three of them, Esha, Ash, and himself.

"I see. Judging by the materials for the equipment you showed me earlier, I assumed you were in a clan with some seriously strong members, but you were kicked out."

"It wasn't so much being kicked out as it was leaving on good terms."

"You think so? I suppose that might be true, considering they gave you money and items, but from an outsider's perspective, it looks the same as being kicked out, you know."

"With all due respect, I believe so as well. They threw you away because you were no longer needed."

"Could you please choose your words more carefully. They hurt. But, just as my former clan leader said, I have absolutely no combat power. I was a burden to the clan, so it's not wrong to say I was kicked out."

Esha and Ash sighed almost in unison.

It wasn't to mock Hayato. If anything, they both had expressions that seemed to say, "What are you talking about?"

"It might be true that you don't have any combat power, Hayato. But calling you a burden is just wrong. To be blunt, I think any clan that would kick you out is already done for."

"What do you mean, done for?"

"That clan is aiming for the top ranks, right? They kick you out to bring in someone with more fighting power? From my position as the leader of a mercenary group, that's the worst possible move they could make."

According to Ash's explanation, it was a bad move because there was no way a team's coordination would work well after a sudden member change, and also because there was the issue of whether you could even trust someone you just brought in.

The Clan War was a ten-versus-ten team battle. A single person carried a decent amount of weight. You didn't just fight one-on-one all the time. The basic strategy was to use tactics to constantly create an advantageous situation. In a battle like that, bringing in some unknown person, no matter how strong they were, would never make the team as a whole stronger.

"But I told you earlier, right? In our last match, I ended up one-on-one with an enemy. They said the clan barely managed to win."

"It's their fault for leaving you, a production player, all alone."

"Huh...? If you mean they should have assigned someone to guard me, wouldn't that just make me even more of a dead weight?"

"That's true. But victory isn't decided just during that one hour of the Clan War. The preparation for a battle is what's important. From what I've heard, you were making all sorts of preparations before the fighting even started, right? Getting potions and food ready, maintaining weapons and armor, and even researching the opponent, weren't you?"

"Well, I guess I did things like that. Once the Clan War started, I was useless since I couldn't contribute to the fighting."

"Whether you're useful in a Clan War is something that should be considered from a broader perspective. Besides, you said it was a narrow victory, but you knew beforehand that the opponent's skill composition was focused on infiltration, didn't you? Didn't you prepare an item to counter them from the start?"

"You figured it out. I did prepare something, just as a precaution. I didn't want to use it, though."

The item he had used was a last-resort self-destruct item. It was an item that dealt his own HP as damage to the opponent. Of course, the opponent's defense would reduce it, but Hayato had judged that an infiltration-type player would prioritize mobility and have low defense. He had prepared it beforehand, thinking he could at least force a tie.

His thinking had been spot-on. As a production player, Hayato had barely invested any points into HP, leaving it at the minimum of 25. But the same was true for his opponent. And that opponent was equipped with low-defense gear. The encounter ended in a tie.

However, even if it was a self-destruct item, any item that could deal damage irrespective of skills was expensive, and its materials were inevitably expensive as well. It wasn't wrong to say that if Hayato had possessed combat power, he wouldn't have needed to use it.

"Your old clan was called 'Kokuryu,' was it? Sorry, but I don't think they'll be able to climb any higher than their current rank. The clan members' vision is far too narrow."

"For you, Master, this is a classic 'serves them right' situation. I could eat three bowls of rice on this alone."

"...Hey, you two. You might be trying to console me, but could you please not speak so badly of my former clan members? It's true I might have been kicked out, but they're still my companions."

Hayato placed his "Adamantite Knife - Extreme" on the table. Esha and Ash looked at the item's stats and were astonished.

"This knife in front of you might be nothing more than data, but—"

"Sorry, nothing more than what? I couldn't quite hear you."

(Ah, AI Protection. Now that I think about it, the word 'data' is probably blocked too... I wonder if 'item' will get through?)

"Ahem, this knife is just an item. It's true that it has unbelievable stats, but I wouldn't sell it even if someone offered me a billion G. Besides its performance, it holds memories for me."

Crafting this knife required rare items.

Adamantite, a highly valuable rare ore. A Behemoth's Horn and Kraken Ink, which could only be obtained from rare monsters. And a branch from the World Tree, which could only be acquired after completing an Elf quest many times over. These were all things that were almost never put up for sale, and just gathering the materials took an incredible amount of time.

"I made this knife over and over because I wanted to see what kind of effect it would have, and I was only able to gather the materials thanks to my old clan members. They didn't even understand its value, but they worked hard with me for my sake. When we were trying to find a rare monster, we'd stake out its spawn point for hours. There were other people after it too, and sometimes we had to fight over it."

Looking back now, he sometimes wondered why he had done something so grueling, but for Hayato, it was a fun memory. It was true he had been kicked out of the clan. But that didn't mean the memories of that time had faded.

"We may have parted ways, but I still think of them as my companions. So, I'd like it if you didn't speak so badly of them. Of course, I appreciate your concern."

Having said that much, a thought occurred to Hayato.

(What am I even saying to a couple of NPCs? Did I just get super preachy? Well, maybe it's because they're NPCs that I was able to say it... this is getting really embarrassing.)

Just as Hayato was wondering how to break the silence, Ash stood up and bowed his head.

"I'm sorry. It doesn't feel good to have your companions spoken ill of. I apologize. Please, forgive me."

"No, no, no, you don't have to go that far! Please raise your head! I forgive you, I forgive you!"

Hayato panicked, not having expected an apology in that manner.

Hearing his words, Ash raised his head.

"It's true, similar things happen in my mercenary group. Just because someone leaves the group doesn't mean they're not a companion anymore. We're comrades who've entrusted our lives to each other. It would suck to have them badmouthed."

"Yeah, that's about it. So you don't need to apologize anymore."

"Understood. Then from now on, you can count on me as your companion as well. I'll do my best."

Ash said with a smile, then sat back down in his chair.

(He seems so pure. And this feels like something out of a coming-of-age story.)

As Hayato was thinking this, Esha stared at him.

"Master's profound generosity, and the sheer scale of his character, I, Esha Crown, am deeply impressed. You are truly my master."

"I don't recall becoming your master, but if that's how you feel, then I'm happy."

"Yes. And that display of manly friendship with Ash-sama... what can I say, it's my absolute favorite thing."

"You can keep that sort of thing hidden. Also, could you not give me a thumbs-up? Anyway, with that all sorted, I'm counting on you both from now on."

Esha and Ash both nodded.

Hayato was pleased to have found some pretty good NPCs to be his companions. But there were still only two of them. He renewed his resolve to find more strong-looking NPCs to join them in the future.