121-S010 Tommy Fishing (1)

That day, while I was resting in my room after returning home from my master's place, there was a knock at my door.

I opened the door, thinking that there should be no one coming to visit me, and found Toya standing there.

"Huh?　You're back?　You went fishing, didn't you?

"Yeah, just now. So, I've taken care of Tommy and brought him a souvenir. Here.

In the bucket that Toya held out to me, there were two very nice landlocked salmon.

They're frozen to a crisp, but...

"Wow, that's amazing!　It's not easy to catch fish this size!

The normal size is about 20 centimeters. But the landlocked salmon that Toya caught was 1.5 times that size. It's got a nice body and looks very tasty.

I like it. It must have been a good catch.

If you caught it, does that mean the hook worked?

Thankfully, yes. But I'm not sure if the hooks were good enough. ......

Toya nodded, but smiled.

If you're willing to share two fish of this size, you must have caught a good number, right?

I don't know.　You caught them, didn't you?

We did catch some, but they were so easy to catch. Of course we caught them, but Haruka and the others caught them too easily. In a way, it's not enough for those who like fishing.

You mean you don't need any skills to fish? That might not be fun for some people.

There are fishermen who enjoy playing with the fish and don't care about catching anything.

Some fishermen release their catch and don't take it home.

I'm the type of fisherman who eats what he catches.　I'm the type of fisherman who eats what he catches.

How dangerous was it?　Is it enough for me to go?

"There was no danger this time, but it doesn't change the fact that I can't take him out easily. Tommy is free to become an adventurer and go at his own risk, but not if we take him with us.

Toya smiled a little, as if troubled.

After all, I can't trust my life to someone else's, can I?

I don't want to die for the sake of fishing, and I don't think Toya and the others will sleep well if I die.

Even Haruka, who seemed a little cold to me, doesn't really seem like that kind of person.

I guess I'll just have to be strong enough to not slow them down.

"Hey, Toya, what do you think I should do to become stronger?

"Hmm?　Are you going?　In Tommy's case, muscle strength is not a problem since he has the skills and forges every day. The rest is endurance, agility and fighting experience. Well, why don't you start by running every day?

I heard that Toya and his friends try to run a long distance before breakfast almost every day, except on rainy days.

Haruka's policy is 'just survive', so they focus on escaping rather than on killing the enemy.

But I've never escaped before!　Hahahaha.

"Well, does that mean you're strong?

I asked Toya, who was smiling cheerfully, but his answer was a bit unexpected.

No, no. We just stay away from anything that looks dangerous. It's best not to get into a situation where you have to run away, right?　Always fight only those who are lower in rank. It's like bullying the weak.

Hahaha ....... But you still make a lot of money, don't you?

I'm not sure what to make of this. Perhaps that's Haruka's policy.

If you simply want to be safe, you can work in the city or collect medicinal herbs, but you can only earn enough to live on.

I didn't make much, but the first job I took was still a good deal.

Even so, it's hard to keep up with my gear when I'm staying at this inn.

On the other hand, Toya and his friends have been staying at this inn since the beginning, and they are well equipped and are adventurers. .......

What do you think?　I'm not in trouble with money now, but ...... of course it was hard at first.　My first weapon was just a stick.

"Oh, really?

Just a stick?　Really?

You fought demons with a club?　What kind of challenger are you?

Yeah. I couldn't afford to buy a real weapon. Looking back, was that the most dangerous time?　...... No, not really. For what it's worth, Haruka acts with a huge margin of safety.

If you think about it, everyone starts out with only 10 large silver coins.

In the event that you're not sure what to do, you can always ask your doctor.

I think it's great that Haruka managed to get by and stabilize her life right away.

She's a bit on the cautious side, but it's working out for her. ......

You mean you're not in any danger?

...... No, not at all. We've fought some tough enemies. I think Nao was the one who was in the most danger.

Is that so?

Yeah. I'm the one who stands in the front, but I'm a strong character, right?　On the other hand, Nao is an elf. If you want to compare them only in terms of physical sturdiness, you can use the same method as I did.

If we compare only physical strength, it seems that Natsuki and Yuki are probably better than Nao. In terms of race.

At the time, he only suffered a broken arm, but if the timing had not been right, he could have been in serious danger.

I guess being an adventurer is not an easy business.

It's not an easy business.

Then I added running to my daily routine.

The way I ran with my shortened arms and legs was not very cool, but I agreed with the opinion that "running away is the most important thing", so I kept on trying.

Occasionally, I would meet Toya and his friends, but their speed was much different.

Even though they seemed to be running lightly, their pace was very fast and they were easily left behind.

It's true that if there's such a big gap between them and me, I'm completely slowing them down.

Haruka and the others wouldn't be able to accept the fact that I'd be too slow to escape in case of an emergency.

As a rough guide, they say that I should be able to run a full marathon at an Olympic level, but that's quite absurd. There's no way an ordinary person can do that.

--I thought about it, but Toya and the others say that they have enough strength to fight even if they run at that level, so I can't complain.

In addition to training my running legs, I also worked on my fighting skills.

I didn't take any offensive skills, and I'm a complete novice, so I chose a battle hammer as my weapon, since I could use my strength and blacksmithing skills a bit.

As a dwarf, I had a hard time deciding between the axe and the battlehammer, but my master told me that the battlehammer was easier to handle than the axe, so I decided to go with the axe.

First of all, the battlehammer has the advantage of being durable and almost maintenance-free.

You can wash and wipe it lightly after use, and it will not break even if you hit the ground or a rock by mistake. And it is effective even against hard enemies.

I've heard that a goblin is not a problem even if you just swing it with force, so it's perfect for me.

What's more, the best factor in my choice was that my master said that he could help me with the battle hammer.

Since then, I've been learning how to use the battle hammer from my master during my lunch break, and I've been doing it without fail.

I'm trying, but after a certain amount of training, you want to actually fight, right?

But I'm not sure about going alone.

So, here I am, at Toya's house!

They moved in a few days ago, and I had asked them about the place before I moved out of the inn. .......

I asked them where they lived before I left the inn, but they said, "......, isn't this too big?

The place we were told was a huge lot.

It was a huge plot of land, and I could tell right away.

It was much bigger than the surrounding houses, and the houses on it were big enough, but compared to the land, it looked small.

This is the right place, isn't it?　Is it okay if I enter?

To prevent unauthorized entry, the site is tightly surrounded by a wall, and there is a magnificent gate at the entrance.

The gate is bolted from the inside, so you can't open it, and there is no doorbell, so you can't call out.

No, the door itself is like a steel fence, so if you stick your hand in, you can open the bolt. ...... Is this a good idea?

I'm not sure if this is trespassing or not.

In the event that you've got a lot of money to spend, you'll be able to take advantage of it.

I'm not sure what to do.　Then you can't blame them if they kill you. Seriously.

Well, actually, killing them can be troublesome, so unless you really intend to rob them and break in with a weapon, you'll only be seriously injured if you're unlucky.

I really don't know what to do. ......

It would be nice if you could leave the gate open or at least install a doorbell.

As I was peeking inside the gate, I saw a figure waving a sword in the distance.

Toya-kun!

I couldn't let this opportunity pass me by.

I grabbed the gate and shouted loudly, and Toya seemed to have noticed me and stopped his hand to come closer.

What's up, it's Tommy. Are you here to play?　You can come in now.

I smiled at him as he wiped sweat from his face with a hand towel.

I can't get in, it's closed. There's no doorbell. Wouldn't it be a problem if someone came to visit?

"Oh, sorry.

Toya unbolted the gate and invited me to enter the premises.

As I could see from the gate, there was a rather large house in front of me, but the rest of the place was a rather rough garden.

The view was not very good, so I was lucky to see Toya.

We don't have a lot of people coming to visit, but do we need a doorbell?

"I think so. Or should I call out at the gate?

Actually, you're the only one who's been to my house.

I'm sure you have more acquaintances than I do, but none of them seem to be the kind of person who would come to your house unexpectedly.

But that's the way it is, isn't it?　In this world, people basically work every day, and there are not many events like 'going to a friend's house for a visit'.

"So, Tommy, what do you want?　It's okay to say 'I'm here for fun', but it's usually work time, right?

"Yeah, I'm taking the afternoon off this afternoon. I'm taking the afternoon off today, and I was wondering if you could accompany me on my ...... impudent request to go kill some goblins.

Goblins ...... I see, so you're making an effort to go fishing.

Yeah. Of course, I also want to be able to defend myself a bit.

Of course, I also want to be able to defend myself a little.

But you know what? But you know what? Even if we say we're going out, we're really asking you to guard us, right?　It's not like we have any advantage in killing the goblins.

"Ugh ......, is that what you think?

I'm not sure what to make of that.

In the event that you're planning to go out and defeat the goblins, you'll want to do some research beforehand.

What I found out was that there was no money to be made from killing goblins.

Only magic stones are profitable, and they cost only about 250 rares.

In the early days of the game, but now, I don't think that killing goblins will do Toya and his friends any good.

So, what I'm saying is, "I'm afraid to go alone, so I'd like to go with you as an escort. So what I'm saying is, "I'm afraid to go alone, so I want you to escort me to Loja.

Normally, I would have paid her and asked her to escort me.

It's no good, right?

"No, I guess not. Normally, I wouldn't ask you to pay. We're adventurers.

Of course.

I'd feel bad too if someone said, "You're my friend, so make me a sword for free.

If you think about it, you should pay. Yeah.

Okay. Then...

"Fine. I'll go with you.

What?

I'll go out with you for free.

I was dumbfounded by what he said, but he repeated it again.