Chapter 60

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As promised, here’s chapter 60.\n

Next chapter will be Cyro’s.\n

But before that, expect illustrations of the novel that he has compiled.\n

Now without further ado,\n

Enjoy the read.\n

Yours truly,\n

\n

—

Smithery

“So, what kind of equipment is Sacrificial Misanga?

It caught my interest, so I ask Sherry.

“It’s an equipment that may receive enemy’s attack in your stead.”\n

“May receive?”

Does it have certain chance to proc?

“Basically, it activates against strong attacks, when there’s a clear difference in your strength and your enemy’s strength. Therefore, it activates more on higher floors. It’s hardly seen activating on lower floors.”\n

“I see.”

So then, is there certain condition for it proc?\n

For instance, when the attack is expected to reduce more than half of remaining HP?\n

Or when the attack is expected to reduce HP down to 0?\n

It’s undoubtedly a useful equipment.

“It receives the attack in full, without passing any pain on to the user. It’s, however, disposable. When it substitutes for you, and receives the attack, it breaks thereafter. For this reason, people who engage in close quarters combat rarely use it. It is preferred more by Wizards, and those who visit labyrinth once in a while.”

Well, it’s only logical for it to be disposable.\n

An item that can invalidate an attack, and not still be disposable, would be broken.\n

Oh well, it would be a waste to confirm the condition for it to proc, if that’s the case.

“How about someone like Roxanne, who’s expert at dodging, equip it?”\n

“No, master should be the one to equip it.”\n

“It would be a waste on someone like me, who keeps receiving enemy’s attacks.”\n

“I heard of a story once, about how a Misanga saved its user’s life. Master, you have to equip it no matter what.

Roxanne insists.

“I understand. We are yet to make it.”\n

“Umm… I’ll do my best.”\n

“I have trust in Sherry’s hands.”\n

“It’s believed that success rate is high, if Master Smith is skilled.”

I heard it earlier.

“Is that so?”\n

“It is believed that success rate is high, if Master Smith is skilled. The great scholar of the past, however, found no difference when he conducted experiment.”\n

“Really?”

Sherry replies to Roxanne.\n

The great scholar of the past has already conducted an experiment in that regard, it seems.\n

I’m not sure anymore who’s right.

“So, it’s a useless equipment?”\n

“It’s not useless just because it’s disposable. Misanga is the cheapest equipment in an armor shop. Because it doesn’t have any defensive capability, it’s not sought after much.”\n

“then there’s no regret even if it breaks?”

When a Sacrificial Misanga receives an attack, it breaks.\n

No matter which equipment you attach Sacrifice skill to, it’ll break upon receiving an attack.\n

It’s a waste attaching Sacrifice skill to a valuable equipment.

“It’s the simplest of accessories. It’s made of no more than one thread. For this reason, it’s the first thing a Master Smith makes for practice purpose.”\n

“Practice? Why don’t you make one too, Sherry?”\n

“Thank you. However, like I said earlier, Misanga don’t sell for much in armor shops. Were Master Smiths to buy thread from the guild, they would actually be incurring loss. Therefore, they visit labyrinth instead to hunt Green Caterpillars for thread. One in the morning and one in the evening, they make Misanga as part of their training.”

They can’t make Misanga in bulk due to limited MP.\n

For this reason, they make one in the morning and one in the evening.\n

At the same time, they hunt in labyrinth to level up.\n

It seems to be a good training regimen.

“Because we had to sell Copper Swords of Obstruction, I need another sword to replace it. Can Sherry make one?”\n

“Umm… I’m sorry. I don’t know how it happened last time, but it’s not possible for now. I first need to practice making Misanga, and then gradually move to more difficult items.”\n

“I see. So it’s unreasonable to start making difficult items from get go.”\n

“I’ll try my best to be of help to you as soon as possible.”

Just because you’ve become a Master Smith, doesn’t mean you can make anything, it seems.\n

Is low level the issue? Or limited MP?\n

Because I have set Gained Experience option to 20x, Sherry will level up quickly.

“Don’t worry, you have already succeeded in fusing Monster Card once. Let’s go to a weapons store, and buy a sword.”

On our way back from Merchant Guild, we enter a weapons store.\n

I look around for swords.

I can’t afford to carry Durandal around with me all the time.\n

Because I’m not a Wizard openly, I can’t carry a wand around either.\n

Another sword is a must.

Because I would rarely use it in action, should I just go with a Copper Sword?\n

Or should I go with something that looks nice because I’ll be carrying it around?\n

Without Appraisal, I can’t even tell an imitation sword from a real one.

Next up from Copper Sword should be Iron Sword.\n

Would an Iron Sword do?

Iron Sword | Two Handed Sword\n

Skills: Empty | Empty

Iron Sword | Two Handed Sword\n

Skill: Empty

While looking around, I see an interesting Iron Sword.\n

It has two empty skill slots.\n

Which isn’t found on many.

Every Copper Sword I saw had only one skill slot.\n

Which means Iron Swords can have a maximum of two empty skill slots.\n

Just like Roxanne’s Scimitar, which can have up to two skills attached to it.

Scimitar | One Handed Sword\n

Skill: Empty

Out of curiosity, I check one out.\n

It has one empty skill slot.\n

That’s only the first. There are many others.\n

Two seems to be the limit for Scimitar too.

Steel Sword | Two Handed Sword\n

Skills: Empty | Empty | Empty

Is Steel Sword next up from Iron Sword?\n

Steel Swords seem to have a maximum of three empty skill slots.\n

There’s a Damascus Steel Sword too, but it’s kept in the innermost part, not on display in the shop front.\n

Is this the best item of this shop?

I check it out from distance. There’s no empty skill slot on it.\n

It’ll be pretty expensive from the look of it, and there’s no empty skill slot either, so it’s of no use to me.\n

Do I go with Iron Sword after all?

There’s no need to make a quick jump to top tier weapons.\n

For now, I would just attach a suitable skill to a passable weapon. When I no longer have any need for it, I would simply sell it.\n

When there’s a successful bid for Monster Card, I would have to sell some spare sword anyway.

I bought a Copper Sword and an Iron Sword.\n

Both have empty skill slots. That goes without saying.\n

The Iron sword, in particular, has two empty skill slots.

Having two of the same item saves space in the Item Box. Unfortunately, I realized that after having bought the swords.\n

In the Item Box, same items can be stacked in the same spot.\n

For Copper Sword and Iron Sword, however, I have to use two different spots.

Well, because I’m not short on space anyway, I don’t particularly mind.

“Is Steel Sword better than Iron Sword?”

After we were out of the store, I ask Sherry.

“Yes. The order is copper > iron > steel.”\n

“Because steel is made from iron?”\n

“Eh?”

Sherry suddenly comes to a halt.

“Eh?”

Oh shit! Did I say something weird again?\n

It’s a relief that I wasn’t heard inside the store.

“Err… is steel really made from iron?”\n

“It isn’t?”\n

“Normally, iron and steel are both dropped by monsters.”\n

“Is that so?”

Surprisingly, Sherry’s eyes aren’t cold this time.

“The great scholar of the past left the technique of making steel from iron. The technique, however, has been lost with time. There is no way of making steel from iron now. Do you know how to make it?”\n

“No, I don’t really know the method.”

Steel is made from iron after all.\n

I’m safe.\n

I’m glad I’m safe.

“Is that so? Still, steel can be made from iron after all.”\n

“Also, is Damascus steel the same?”\n

“Can it be made from iron?”\n

“Probably. It’s only speculation.”

It might be different in this world, so I can’t say with certainty.

“Damascus steel is dropped by Lem Golem.”\n

“Is Damascus steel better than steel?”\n

“Yes. It’s next only to Orichalcum.”

Orichalcum?

“As one would expect.”\n

“Do you know how to make it?”\n

“Not even in my imagination.”

It’s a legendary metal after all.\n

It might not even exist on earth.

It’s a relief that next up from Damascus steel isn’t depleted uranium.\n

Actually, Orichalcum might be depleted uranium itself.

“Is that so?”\n

“The weapons store didn’t have any Orichalcum Sword.”\n

“It can only be obtained through auction or connections. It can’t be bought from an ordinary weapons shop.”

It might even be the best item of the whole auction.\n

As one would expect of Orichalcum.

Later, we went to hunt Green Caterpillars on floor 2 of Vale town labyrinth, to stock up on thread.\n

We will try to make Misanga before dinner.

“Well, I’ll start then.”

Sherry has a thread in her hands.\n

She places the thread between her palms, and casts Create Armor.\n

While reciting the incantation, her hands start glowing.\n

Just like during Monster Card Fusion.

“I see. So it’s made like this.”\n

“It’s my first time seeing someone make an equipment.”

Roxanne is impressed as well.\n

The light finally subsides.

Misanga | Accessory

A Misanga appears on Sherry’s hands.\n

The skill seemed similar to those heard of in magical stories.\n

Just like Monster Card Fusion, it consumes MP.\n

The materials are converted directly into equipment through magic.

“Is there no possibility of failing when making accessories?”\n

“If you don’t first gain experience by making simple items, you’ll fail in trying to make difficult items, even if you’re skilled.”

Sherry answers.\n

Her remaining MP seems to be adequate.\n

That’s expected, considering she’s Master Smith Lv6 now, unlike last time.

“Is that so?”

I receive the Misanga.\n

Although it was made through a skill, it’s only a braided thread.\n

Plain.\n

Should I wear it on my wrist or ankle?

“A Master Smith is considered successful only when they can make a Sacrificial Misanga from a Misanga on their first attempt.”\n

“Really?”\n

“That’s just a popular belief among Master Smiths, nothing more.”\n

“Popular belief?”

So it’s like that.\n

Unfortunately, the Misanga Sherry made just now doesn’t have any empty skill slot.\n

In other words, she can’t make a Sacrificial Misanga from this Misanga.

According to what Sherry said, a Master Smith is considered successful, if they can make a Sacrificial Misanga from a Misanga on their first attempt, and aren’t considered successful, if they can’t make a Sacrificial Misanga on their first attempt. However…\n

However, what if they first make one with empty skill slot, and then make Sacrificial Misanga? Would they be considered successful in that case, if they make a Sacrificial Misanga on their first attempt?

If not, Sherry would be called a failure.

Sherry isn’t a failure.\n

She is absolutely not a failure.\n

Sherry is so cute, she can’t be a failure.\n

Sherry is undoubtedly an excellent Master Smith.

“Even Monster Card Fusion isn’t successful every time for a Master Smith. To make a Sacrificial Misanga from a Misanga on first attempt is purely luck. It has no relation whatsoever to whether a Master Smith is successful or not.”

If a Master Smith had 100% success rate of making equipment with empty skill slots, their Monster Card Fusion success rate would be 100% as well.\n

Because fusion would be successful, if they make such an equipment.

That fact, however, isn’t known to other people.\n

Because that fact isn’t known to them, they don’t realize how absurd it is for a Master Smith to successfully make equipment with empty skill slots 100% of the time.\n

Every Master Smith probably has certain success rate of making equipment with empty skill slots. I’m, however, not concerned about that.

“Because this is the first equipment Sherry made, I’ll have this for myself.”\n

“But it’s only a Misanga, it doesn’t have any defensive power.”\n

“It’s useless?”\n

“No! Umm… thank you. If you wear it, I’ll be really happy.”

Sherry lowers her head.

Still, that popular belief is unsettling.\n

If someone says ‘I’ll curse you,’ you would be worried, even though you know there’s no such thing as curse.\n

If you’re alone in the dark, you would be afraid of ghosts, even though you know there aren’t any.

Let’s hope we can get a Misanga with empty skill slot, before we get Caterpillar Monster Card.\n

So I thought, even though I know that a wish rarely comes true.\n

Is it really useless?

I wrap the Misanga Sherry made around my right ankle.\n

I tie a bowknot, to make it easy to untie.

Kaga Michio | Male | 17 years old\n

Explorer Lv 33 | Hero Lv31 | Wizard Lv33 | Monk Lv32\n

Equipment: Leather Boots | Misanga

If it could have the skill attached, it would receive enemy’s attack in my stead, giving me a shot at victory.

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