159-143 New Equipment

After all the tasting, we headed out to get some food, and the results weren't too bad.

As usual, we caught a lot of ordinary fish with hair hooks.

We were able to secure a good amount of eels by setting more traps for them.

As for the sponges, which we had originally planned to catch with traps, we ended up catching them by hand.

Aside from small ones, large ones can be detected by [searching for enemies] with some effort, in fact. Unlike eels, you can catch them with your bare hands.

There was no need to make a troublesome trap for them.

I did not actively catch the giant salamander, but the selling price was high, so I caught it when I found it.

After a few days of relaxing and securing food, I came back to Raffan and found that the weapon I had asked Gantz to make was finished.

It was on schedule, but as usual, he worked fast.

The new weapons this time were Toya's sword, Natsuki's naginata, my spear, and Haruka and Yuki's small swords.

Due to the frequency of use and cost, the subweapons of each of them have not been changed.

Haruka's main weapon is a bow, but since it's not something that can be done by changing the material to Attribute Steel, I've decided to put it on hold for the time being and ask Gantz to continue considering it.

I've had a few of the arrowheads replaced with attribute steel made, so I think I can secure some attack power with those.

The balance should be the same as the current weapon, but check it out.

The small dagger is ...... a little thinner?

When Haruka received the sword, she compared it to the one she was currently using and twisted her head.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to do with your time and money.

I'm sure that's the one Tommy was working on. Attribute steel is stronger than magic steel or blue steel. Still, it's stronger than anything we've ever made.

On the other hand, mine and Natsuki's weapons are the same size, only lighter in weight. The strength is increased by the amount of material used, and the increase is greater than that of the small sword.

The weight of Toya's sword is also important, so we haven't changed it. It's a little bigger, but you can handle it, right?

Yes!　I can handle a little difference.

Yeah. It's natural to have a weapon you're good at, but if you can't fight with it, you're not a good adventurer. It's a shame for an arms dealer, but there's always the possibility of losing a weapon.

Gantz-san nodded deeply at Toya, who lightly waved the sword he had received and grinned.

As Gantz said, as an adventurer, you should always consider the possibility of losing or damaging your weapon.

That's why we have subweapons.

It's a big advantage to have a magic bag so that you can carry a decent weapon instead of an unreliable knife.

Well, if you have trouble with it, bring it back. I'll adjust it. Normally, we can't make any adjustments until after the alchemist has finished with the post-processing, but you guys--

"Yes. I can do it myself.

Haruka nodded in response to Gantz's gaze.

This time, Haruka and Yuki post-processed the weapon to complete it, but of course, if you adjust the weapon after this process, it will be useless and you will need to process it again through alchemy.

Normally, it would not be easy to adjust the weapon because it would cost money to do so again, but in our case, it is not necessary.

You may need to pay a little bit of money for the materials, but that's about the extent of it, except for the time and effort of Haruka and the others.

But you guys are the best in the city at weapons, I'm afraid.

Is that so?

Yeah. If you can afford it, you've got the best steel weapons in the city.

You can't buy better weapons than that, can you?

No. It's not that you can't get attribute steel, but it takes a long time for it to arrive even if you order it in this city.　--There's no one to buy it in this town in the first place. Even if you're dealing with Orcs, you're over-specified.

This time, the price we pay to Mr. Gantz is several hundred gold coins.

This is because we brought in a material called Attribute Steel, and if we had purchased it normally, it would have cost us well over a thousand gold coins.

It is indeed quite expensive. Even though weapons are more expensive than other things, it's enough to build my house.

But even so, if we can't buy more weapons, we'll have to go to .......

Can't you just go to another town and buy one?

Mr. Gantz smiles and shakes his head at my question.

It's possible if it's a special item, but it's unlikely to be sold normally. The most likely place is an auction, but it's pretty expensive.　You don't even use it, but the aristocrats will bid on it just to look good.

I don't know. ......

In the game, it's as if the most powerful weapon was sold in a store in the town at the beginning of the game. Rafan is the first town for us.

However, it would be more strange if the weapons available in different towns differed greatly despite the distribution.

Especially in a game where the king, the center of the country, sells only weak weapons, it is too strange.

"Is it so hard to get better weapons, Mr. Ganz?　You can bring in your own materials.

...... As a blacksmith, I don't want to say it's impossible, but it's not going to be easy. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

I'm sure you're frustrated that you can't say you can.

I'm not sure what to say, but I'll try.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it. Even if you have handled them, you are definitely a top-notch blacksmith.

--I wonder why he is in this town?

Why am I in this town? "Well, you can wait until you get it. You're a raccoon, aren't you?

That's true. I haven't even used this weapon yet.

As Toya said, we don't know how to get more metal than the Attribute Steel, nor do we know how to make it ourselves. There's no point in thinking about it yet.

"Besides, shouldn't you guys be improving your armor more than your weapons?　Why don't you put on some real armor?

Gantz pointed out, and we looked at each other's outfits.

It's just a simple piece of armor on top of normal clothes. At least that's what it looks like on the outside.

What Gantz is suggesting is that we should use full body armor instead of partial armor.

I'm not troubled by chainmail at the moment,......, but I don't want to make it harder to move.

In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a number of things you can do.

However, it is possible that by the time you are in trouble, it may be too late.

But chainmail has its weaknesses, doesn't it?　It is less effective against the bite and impact of thin fangs. And your arms and legs are unprotected.

As Gantz pointed out, chainmail is quite strong against slashes, but it is not very effective against attacks with thin weapons that pass through the chains, or blows from clubs.

The cushions under the armor can mitigate some of the blows, but since it is only cloth, it is vulnerable to piercing attacks.

Furthermore, the chainmail that I am currently using is of the vest type and only covers my buttocks in the back and my groin in the front. I have partial armor on my knees and shins, but I can't expect any protection other than that.

I can't get rid of the chainmail because of its ease of movement. ...... Is there any better way?

If you're willing to spend the money, you can buy new chainmail with attribute steel and make something to cover your arms and legs. In addition, the material of the armor should be changed, and the boots and gloves should also be updated.

In other words, chainmail with long sleeves and long pants.

Even though it is lighter than ordinary metal armor, chainmail is also metal. I'm not sure what to do with it, but I'm sure it'll be fine.

As for the boots and gloves, they are not particularly good and are used by ordinary adventurers. They are durable and easy to use, but they are cheap.

The same is true of the armor. It is made of cotton and linen and is quite ordinary. There is nothing special about them.

Boots and gloves are certainly something to think about.

"Armor, ......, is there any good material for that?　Alchemy?

I'll look into .......

I wish there was a material that was extremely shock absorbent.

Something that won't crack even if you drop an egg on it. And if it's comfortable to wear, that would be great.

It's still good for now, but I'm worried about the summer. The thinner the armor, the less cushioning it provides, and the thicker it is, the more heat is trapped.

I think it's better than plate mail, which would kill you if you were in the sun, but I still want to be comfortable.

"But, Gantz, isn't attribute steel not very resistant to rust?

Yuki was the one who raised such a question.

The chainmail I'm using now is made of white iron, which has properties like stainless steel, so I don't have to worry about it rusting even if I don't take care of it, but if it were made of regular iron, it would easily rust unless I oiled it.

And since the properties of attribute steel are similar to those of iron, it is said that rust will appear if left unattended, though not as much as iron.

There is a way to take care of it, but my recommendation is to coat it with white iron. It costs a lot of money.

It's like plating. No, it's more like a thicker coating than plating.

If the plating is too thin, the chains will rub against each other, and it will come off easily.

I think Toya should wear full body armor over her current gear, even if it's leather. You're a beast. You're a beast, you've got the physical strength to do that.　There's also the possibility that you might have to use your body to catch an attack.　Nao can't do that, right?

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who's a bit of a jerk.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that.　Of course.

I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've.

In fact, I'm not that weak. I'm not the type of person who can take an attack with my body.

"And that shield. You should get a new one. It's not very good, and it's getting old. It's dangerous.

I've been wondering about that lately.

Gantz's eyes lifted when Toya said something fluent.

And then the angry voice echoed.

"You idiot!　If you're worried about it, then deal with it!　You're a blacksmith too!

"Yes!　Sorry!

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with that.

No, I'm a customer. ...... Well, I guess it's uncouth to point that out.

We ended up spending the rest of the day discussing equipment and taking measurements.

The women had almost stopped growing before we came here, and I hadn't changed much as an elf, but the situation was a little different for Toya, who had become a beast.

He had only grown slightly in height, but his chest plate had thickened since the last time he had purchased chainmail, and his current chainmail had become a bit tighter.

I'm not Gantz, but it's true that you should deal with it, but since it cost more than 100 gold coins ...... and probably close to 200 for Toya's, he was hesitant to replace it in just over half a year.

It is true that even I would be very hesitant to throw away 2 million yen worth of clothes in 6 months.

It seems that they will take a trade-in, but since chainmail is made to fit the body, it is difficult to sell used items, and they will be heavily discounted.

But this is a matter of life and death. There's no need to save money on that.

I mentioned this to Toya later, but it seems that Haruka and the other three had said the same thing to him, and he regretted it, so I guess he'll be okay from now on.

However, the value of the new chainmail could reach 1,000 gold coins. In fact, the payment will not be that much because we will provide the material for it. ...... 10 million yen clothes...... No, are you sure you are okay with this?　I'll keep an eye out for it.

Save your money and die, because it's really pointless.