Chapter 18 - Raphdonia (Part 2)

 

Back at the inn, I studied Erwena's drunken body.

Of course, the oath I had made to her sister had not been broken.

Although the oath of honor of a warrior means nothing to me, as to the shell of a warrior, but still.

"Ervena, strain a little more.

"Heh, but even if you say that...

Now I was forcing Ervena to stretch.

"Ahh!" My shoulder! It seems that my shoulder is about to fall off!

"Hmm.

"I... It has never curled like this! I swear!

"Are you sure?"

"Y-yes!" By the name of my clan!!

As soon as I relaxed my hand, Ervena immediately sank onto the bed.

It seemed that [Flexibility +4] wasn't a big deal. At least, that's how it was in the game.

"Is that all?"

— Yes. You can rest for now.

Dungeon & Stone was an unfriendly game; This was obvious just by looking at the statistics. [Constitution], [Spirit], and [Special Abilities] are the three main metrics. But if you click on the [+] button next to them, thousands of detailed statistics will open.

For example, if [Strength], a sub-attribute of [Constitution], increases, then the weight you can carry, the strength of your physical attack, etc., are adjusted.

[Flexibility?] This slightly increases dodge speed and critical hit rate.

[Vision?] Ranged weapons have increased range range and visible range of the character.

[Smell] became a factor in the presence of the corresponding special abilities, and [Accuracy] exactly corresponded to the name.

So, even if the [Constitution] stat remains at level 50, the character's abilities can be completely different depending on the details.

—…

FYI, this is something I found out on my own. This was information that neither the game company nor foreign users told me, so I had to do numerous experiments and create my own statistics, all just because I wanted to win this game.

Hell, I never imagined that this passion would turn into a venomous snake and bite my ass.

I'm starting to get angry again.

Again, I have been a real expert for 9 years. However, I was still unaware of the impact of some characteristics. A prime example was [Possession +7], written on an entity dropped by a goblin archer.

Everything about these statistics was a mystery, except that it was a sub-attribute of [Spirit] statistics.

"Ervena."

"You make me nervous when you sigh like that. Can you just not do this?

"Has anything changed since you came out of the labyrinth?" For example, something that keeps popping up in your head, a desire that's hard to get rid of, or something like that.

— ... Mmm, I don't know. Could be?

"What is it?" Tell me.

"Snacks...?" Yes, appetizers. Looking back, as soon as I came out of the maze, I bought a pile and ate everything...

— Did you usually dislike sweets?

"No, I did. However, I think this is the first time I've eaten so much in a day.

- I see.

Perhaps [Obsession] causes the desire to increase. That is why it did not have a special function in the game.

This made my head ache even more. It seemed that since the game was adapted to reality, additional features could be added to the detailed statistics. At least that was the case with [Flexibility].

As in the game, the more natural the body movements became, the easier it was to dodge the attack. With a fortunate combination of circumstances, it was even possible to perform an action that would otherwise be impossible and inflict a mortal wound. But is this the only thing?

Greater flexibility made it easier than before to penetrate narrow spaces and cushion the impact when landing. Such things were not obvious in the game. So in the future, I'll have to reconsider my leveling method by combining all of these factors.

"Uncle, I want to sleep...

Oh, did I let her rest for too long?

Her eyes were already half-closed. I wanted to check if there were any difficulties with using the active skill, how long it would take to use it again, and things like that...

"Good. Fall asleep.

"yes...

I blew out the fire and lay down next to Ervena.

Erven did not find it strange, and neither did I.

In the labyrinth, we showed each other all sorts of strange views. It was strange to feel awkward about it now.

*Snore!*

Even though I had slept for so long, my eyes closed again.

Tersia's words not to sleep with Erven came to mind, but...

Mmm, I don't think I should worry about that. Most likely, she didn't mean it anyway.

[07:35]

In the morning I woke up quite early.

Since I had practically slept for two days in a row, "early" was not quite the right word.

— Дядя, воды...

Ervena had just woken up too, so after washing our faces, we had a quick meal on the 1st floor. Then we went to Erwen. Since the city is very large, the road on foot took more than an hour.

"I'm glad that it's at least in the same region!

She was right. If it had been at the other end of the city, it would have taken a long time to get there, even by carriage. Rafdonia may have been called a fortified city, but it was actually absurdly large.

"You must be quiet here. Ok? The only one who knows about you is only my sister so far.

"Good.

As I waited in an alley three blocks from her house, Ervena dragged two backpacks with difficulty. These were the backpacks of the leader and the crossbowman, which attacked us just before the end of the 7th day.

Their weapons were sticking out of their backpacks, so they couldn't be closed.

"I'll hold it."

"S-thank you!"

She really doesn't know how to refuse. I swear, she wasn't like that at first.

"Weapons here, armor here, tools, and consumables are stacked separately.

"Good!"

When we got back to the hotel, we spent some time looking through and organizing our backpacks. It took about an hour, but since these were looted items, it was quite nice. Ervena and I sat side by side on the bed, looking at the things neatly laid out on the floor.

"Are you going to sell them all?"

"Except for the bare necessities.

"Then can I keep the leather clothes and belt you gave me?"

"It doesn't matter. If only you take them as a share.

"Then please!"

Having categorized what to sell and what not, we went out into the city again. With the exception of multiple items such as watches and compasses, we decided to separate expedition equipment and consumables such as potions and sell almost all equipment. It was better to exchange the equipment for money and buy something better than to continue using something that didn't even fit. And it wasn't something I couldn't afford now.

"There it is!"

The place we arrived at was a weapons store that Tersia had reported to Erven. A Japanese-style sword, two long swords, a crossbow, a two-handed hammer, two daggers and three throwing knives were put up for sale.

- The total amount is 350,000 stones.

I was a little worried as this place was introduced to me by someone I knew, but in the end I sold everything because they gave me the best price among all the other stores I went to for comparison.

"Wow...

As soon as we left the store, Ervena poured out the admiration she was holding back. I had a similar feeling.

"Uncle, is this a dream?"

Not counting the stolen mana gems, the money we earned solely by hunting for 7 days was only about 100,000 gems. But 350,000 stones?

Besides, the armor hadn't even been sold yet.

... Now I understand why these bastard researchers went berserk every time they encountered another person.

The equipment was money. A lot of money.

"Uncle, how much do I pay?"

Ervena's eyes shone with a thirst for money.

"Wait, we still have a lot to sell.

The next destination was an armor shop located a 10-minute walk away.

"There are 180,000 stones here.

Most of the items were armor, but the total cost was less than that of weapons. I heard that the price was low because it was harder to sell used armor, which seemed like a good enough reason to me. After all, we also sold it because it was so big.

"I'll sell it for that price."

"A tough person, just like a barbarian. Please come back the next time you have something like this. Then I will also give you a good price.

"Good.

Soon after, I went to a general store and sold a few items that I classified as unnecessary, and ended up with the impressive sum of 1.45 million stones. Well, not all of it was my money.

"Here. That's 45,000 stones.

"Huh?" Isn't that too much?

Not counting the leather clothes and the belt for 20,000 stones, I added exactly 7,000 more stones. Not because of her cute face, but because the ratio of mana gems belonging to the samurai and the Skinny was 9:1.

"I didn't know exactly how much they cost, so I compared them with the other two you gave me.

"Oh, I see! Thank you!

In total, after all deductions, my total property amounted to 1.4 million stones. It was a little, no, very exciting. I've never had that much money in the first round, even in a game...

It was a good start.

"Then, let's say goodbye here."

"Sorry?"

Why do you look surprised? The counting of money is over, so let's go our separate ways. I have a lot of work to do in the future, since my plans have gone awry thanks to you.

"Well, we can go to the central square together.

"Yes...

Suddenly, Ervena fell silent. As we walked down the street, we came to the central square, where the intersections are located.

"Huh?" There are suddenly a lot of people here.

Unlike when we passed by earlier, the crowd filled the square.

Half of them were soldiers, and the other half were criminals bound with ropes. Well, "criminals" is probably not quite the right word.

— Мм, хмм! Ух! Хннннм!

They were not violent criminals convicted of murder or arson. The crime committed by these people, who were now trembling with fear with a gag in their mouths, was tax evasion. In other words, they had no money.

There, a young woman in her 20s, a man who was probably the father, and an old man with wrinkled hands who probably lived his life more diligently than anyone else were all sentenced to death.

"We will begin the execution!"

When the tax collector shouted this, the soldiers thrust the man's head under the guillotine.

And...

*Colic!*

The man's head, severed with a terrible sound, fell into a wooden barrel in front of him. Some of the people in the nearby crowd soaked their bread with dripping blood and ate it hurriedly.

— !!!!

Ervena began to hiccup from the bloodshed that suddenly unfolded before her eyes.

"What is it! Why? Why do they dip their bread in human blood?

"There is a superstition that if you drink the blood of a person who has been executed by a tax collector, it will bring you wealth.

Ervena frowned as if she couldn't understand. To her, it seemed more shocking than cutting off someone's head.

— Ervena, how much is the tax payment for the 1st year?

- For otherworldly species - 700,000 stones.

- I see.

In the game, it was 600,000 stones. There was a slight difference, but still about the same.

"Still, you don't have to worry. Since you've earned all that money.

Hmm? Yes, but... It wasn't what someone who was sponsored by an older sister was supposed to say. Also, I wasn't going to save that money for taxes next year. The reason was simple.

— Ervena, how much tax is paid for the 2nd year?

- 800,000 stones. And there are currency exchange fees.

Taxes continue to rise until a certain number of years accumulate, which meant that now is the time to invest in yourself. The first year, when there were no exchange fees and taxes were relatively low, was the optimal time for rapid growth.

"Oh!" Help me...

"Shut them up properly!"

"Next month!" I can pay the money next month... Uh! Ugh!

In any case, I was glad. Humans are the living beings most dependent on visual information.

*Colic!*

Seeing it with my own eyes, everything became clear.

Return to the real world. Instead of such an unrealistic goal, you need to set clear intermediate goals and strive for them.

For example, assuming my lifespan is 90 years, if I can't find my way home and have to spend the rest of my life in that place, how much money do I need?

Well, I have to do some calculations.

To live in a house with a kitchen, receive medical care when needed, and be able to lead a leisurely life with three puppies after retiring at 50...

– 6th floor.

According to my calculations, I'll have to save a hell of a lot until I retire, so it should be at least the 6th floor.

Aha. So...

"Excuse me?" What did you just say?

"Nothing.

I have to get to at least the 6th floor. Will I be able to return home or not...

I'll think about that later.

***

[You have obtained 630,000 stones from Rank 6 Researcher Daria Vitember di Tercia].

[Equipment sold.]

[Equipment sold.]

[The item's overall level decreased by 43.]

[Equipment sold.]

[Equipment...]

[...]

[...]

[HINT: The total number of gems in the character's inventory is currently 1,403,520 gems.