To Our Future
I had heard the price was high, but I didn’t expect it to be this high. No wonder most adventurers are stuck at level 15.
I had also heard that nobles and wealthy merchants control the profits, making the gap between the rich and poor extreme. But this was beyond what I imagined. The next weapon after iron costs this much…
Even if I poured all my money into it, I could only afford a sword with a mediocre length, something made with leftover materials or a knife for skinning.
It’s like going to buy a luxury watch with my bonus, only to find the price was so high that I can’t even touch anything beyond the cheapest model meant for commoners.
I don’t want to be stingy with a weapon I’m trusting my life with. I gave up on black steel and asked the weapon shop owner to write a letter of introduction to a blacksmith.
I had three letters of introduction written to different blacksmiths. I ordered only ten stick shuriken from each blacksmith. Despite being sharp iron rods, I was still ripped off.
Since there are no machines, the quality completely depends on the blacksmith’s skill and motivation. Shuriken sticks are simple, but their length, weight, and balance all affect how they feel when used.
I can’t memorize the quirks of every shuriken stick, and I might need to throw one in a hurry. I asked the three blacksmiths to make them as similar as possible.
I’m thinking of requesting mass production from the blacksmith shop that had the most consistent quality. Custom-made items are ridiculously overpriced. They’re just sharp sticks, and they charge so much for them.
But now I’m in trouble. I didn’t expect black steel weapons to be this expensive. I thought it would be like the price of a small car, but it’s more like a luxury car.
Shuriken sticks are expensive too. Looks like it’s going to be a long road ahead… My excitement’s dropped, and it feels like I’m stuck in the same place.
I’ve earned a lot of money, but it’s not enough to change my situation. It looks like my life will stay the same for a while.
As I was thinking about all this, a brilliant idea suddenly came to me.
Kongming, it seems like the day I stand by your side is near. My brain is terrifying. Hahaha!
While patting myself on the back in my mind, I burst into a loud laugh, and by the time I arrived at the inn, Gonz and the others were drinking at the guild tavern, so I ordered some food and sat down at a table.
While chatting, I waited for Gonz’ drunken mood to improve. Once he was feeling good, I brought up the topic.
“Boss Gonz. Al, Kimon, I gotta talk to you about something important.”
“Yo! What’s up, Yajin? What’s this important talk?”
“Hmm, something important, huh?”
”…”
Kimon silently nodded, signaling for me to continue.
“So, Bosses, how ’bout we try busting through the level wall?”
When I said that, the faces of the party members changed. The tension rose, and the air became tense.
“You serious right now?”
“Dead serious.”
“Then what about weapons? We don’t have that kinda cash. Even I can’t pull it off without blacksteel gear. If this is some joke, you’re not walkin’ it back.”
The level wall had been a sensitive topic for Gonz, who had been stuck for so long, and his eyes became steely.
I told them about the time when I was ambushed by eight adventurers and ended up escaping to a goblin settlement, where a convenient fight broke out between them, allowing me to collect a large amount of weapons.
Gonz and Kimon were shocked, but Al didn’t change his expression. He must have gotten the information from the guards, the slums, or the townspeople.
“Yajin, I get that you made a killing. Still, it’s not enough to buy blacksteel weapons for four people, right?”
“Wouldn’t even cover one.”
“Are you screwin’ with me?!”
Agitated, Gonz slammed his hand on the table.
It was around midday, an awkward time, so there were few customers, but when Gonz snapped, the others quickly left the store.
It wasn’t a secret or anything, but it was more convenient with fewer people around. By pure accident, the others were cleared out. I silently thanked Gonz for losing his temper so clearly.
“Calm down, Gonz. And Yajin, I’m sure you have a plan, right?”
Al managed to calm Gonz down. As expected of someone who’s secretly called the beast tamer.
“While it’s not enough to buy blacksteel weapons yet, I pulled in a good chunk of change. If we save up a bit more, we’ll be able to afford one.”
“So what? One weapon won’t do us any good!”
“Nah, nah. Thing is, we don’t really need more than one.”
“Huh? What the hell are you talkin’ about?”
“In our party, the only weapon with real punch is Boss’ axe.”
While Gonz looked confused, Al’s expression suddenly changed as if he’d realized something.
“I get it now! Yajin is a scout, his main weapon is a knife, so his attack power is low. I fight defensively, drawing enemies in and controlling the flow of the battle. My attack power is also low. Kimon uses a bow to target vital points. A strike to the eyes or other vital spots can pierce even with just iron. Our party relies almost entirely on Gonz for attack power. So we don’t need to equip everyone with black steel weapons. Just Gonz’ is enough!”
“Exactly.”
“So, what does that mean?” Gonz tilted his head and asked.
“If you gear up with a blacksteel weapon, Boss, even a rank-four monster will go down in one hit.”
“I see. If my strike lands, the others won’t even need to attack. That’s why only my weapon needs to be blacksteel.”
“Exactly.”
“Then don’t go spoutin’ nonsense, say that from the start. Leave it to me. I’ll drop it in one blow. Gahaha!”
Gonz started chugging down his ale in high spirits. It seemed like he was on board with the plan.
Although he was fired up, what about Al, the brain of the party?
Just as I was thinking that, Al said, “Nice catch, Yajin.”
“Normally a plan like this wouldn’t work, but Boss Gonz’s base stats are on a whole different level.”
“Our party’s attack power is low across the board except for Gonz. Even if we force it and buy blacksteel for everyone, there’s no telling how much difference it’d actually make…”
“And that’s not all. If we break past the level wall, we qualify as rank-five adventurers. Once you hit rank five, the pay for each job jumps way up. We’d be able to afford blacksteel for everyone in no time.”
“Breaking the level wall is risky. But still… I can’t—no, we can’t just rot away in this town forever. I thought I’d given up on ever ‘breaking the level wall’ a long time ago. Doesn’t sound like me… but my blood’s starting to boil.!”
“We’ll hash out the details later. For now, let’s drink! To our future!”
“To our future!” We all shouted.
Thus, we decided to fight monsters ranked 4, literally higher-tier monsters, to break through the level wall.