[Repairable Equipment]
[★★★ Sage’s White Staff] [-1,080 Gold]
[★ Ragana Tomahawk] [-290 Gold]
[★ Goblin Scimitar] [-380 Gold]
[★ Odongnamu Shield] [-100 Gold]
[Total Cost: 1,850 Gold]
The total gold required for repairs was 1,850 gold.
[Attention]
[Considering that clearing a dungeon once yields around 400 gold, this was quite a burdensome expense.]
Well, no wonder the users were upset.
The repair fees were ridiculously expensive.
Somehow, I could understand the users’ frustrations.
[Please select a hero to participate.]
[Available Heroes] [0/1]
[★★ Wandering Swordsman] Lv. 24
[★★ Goblin Sentry] Lv. 19
[★★ Dwarf Shock Trooper] Lv. 1
[★★★★ Rose Fairy] Lv. 20
I pressed ‘Confirm’ and the heroes came to mind.
I took a moment to organize my thoughts.
This was a method I could use alone.
While regular users evaluated heroes based solely on their star ratings, I could listen to their lives and stories and choose directly.
I felt something like a sense of duty.
“Hm? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Dulv caught my gaze and asked.
“No reason. I just feel like something good is about to happen.”
I smiled softly and chose Dulv.
[Selected Hero]
[★★ Dwarf Shock Trooper] Lv. 1
I should give my friend a small chance.
[Starting repairs!]
[Estimated completion time] [6:27]
Thud!
A flash of light enveloped Dulv’s body.
“Oh? The repair is starting? What’s this?”
“What? You really chose him? Like you actually listened to us?”
Gobori and Rose were surprised.
Bathed in light, Dulv slowly moved toward the forge.
“What is this! Could it be that I was chosen? The user picked me? For what reason?”
Dulv shouted in panic.
I waved my hand with a sly smile.
“That’s what we said. Our user is quite easy to talk to. It’s time for you to work up a sweat again. Good luck!”
“Ha…! Thank you! Thank you! I will repay your kindness with my utmost effort! Thank you!”
Dulv shouted into the air.
Seeing him like that made my heart tighten.
How frustrated he must have been all this time, forced to work as a two-star shock trooper he didn’t want to be, enduring unwanted treatment and pain.
I just hoped my stage would become a chance for many heroes.
I waved to Dulv.
***
Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal being struck echoed inside the workshop.
‘Shall I head out again?’
By the time I returned from the dungeon, repairs would probably be finished.
[Lv. 23: Outskirts of the Green Village of the Evergreen Forest]
Thud!!
The place I entered was a field with trees cut down.
I followed the golden markers step by step.
“Wow. This is really amazing. At first, I thought it was a coincidence. But isn’t our user actually listening? How do they pick exactly the right hero and send them off? Incredible, really.”
Gobori, walking alongside me, said.
Rose fluttered her wings excitedly and added, “Right! Usually, no matter what you say, they just misunderstand. Like if you say ‘Give me this item,’ they recommend something completely different. Isn’t this just the same?”
“Well, maybe they chose Dulv because he was the only hero left. The elf is training, and the beast is unusable. So the dwarf got picked!”
“Exactly. There’s no way they understood what we said. I cursed so much! If they actually heard, that’d be creepy, OH!”
“Condolences in advance.”
“Shut up! That’s creepy! Look at these goosebumps!”
Rose and Gobori chatted.
Ah, so heroes who are training or beasts can’t be used for repairs.
That’s why they didn’t appear on the list.
Still, it was a relief that they understood that.
There was no way anyone would figure out that I was the user of this party.
“We’re here! Ugh, just let me skip this already. They always make us watch every cutscene. Let’s go!”
Rose pointed at something.
There was a village elder standing in the field.
“Do you see it? The once-beautiful forest is suffering because of orcs who know nothing about coexistence.”
I approached the elder, and the story began.
“Skip! Skip!”
“You can do it, skip! You want to, skip!”
Gobori and Rose shouted at the empty air.
Of course, I wasn’t going to skip.
I smiled faintly and asked the elder, “Where’s Dolores? Did the orcs catch her?”
“She’s off duty. And please don’t ask personal questions. It messes up my lines.”
“Ah. Sorry.”
I scratched my head and backed away.
How stingy.
They really didn’t like personal questions.
“Please protect our forest. Stop the orcs who are destroying it. I beg you, heroes!”
The elder bowed his head and pleaded.
Though I knew it was just acting, his voice struck a chord.
“Graaah!”
“Kaaah!”
As soon as the speech ended, the orcs appeared.
The elder was at a loss for what to do, but
‘Huh?’
He suddenly disappeared.
Like with Dolores, it seemed unnecessary to protect while fighting.
Then it was time to fight again.
I drew my sword and charged at the orcs.
[Lv. 23 Orc Scout defeated.]
[Lv. 23 Orc Scout defeated.]
Taking down five of them wasn’t difficult.
Gobori’s bomb slingshot was a great help.
[Mission Clear!]
[+430 Gold]
[Pet Bonus!] [+70 Gold]
[Pet Bonus!] [+50 Steel Shards]
[+1 Common Card]
And just like that, I cleared the dungeon.
Thud!
Back on the stage again.
[Estimated completion time] [3:16]
Clang! Clang!
The sound of hammering iron still echoed in the workshop.
‘Did it really take only three minutes for a dungeon?’
Repairs needed another three minutes.
“Anyone uncomfortable anywhere?”
I asked Gobori and Rose.
“Nope!”
“I’m fine.”
“Kyuk!”
Even Junior answered.
[Lv. 24: Shallow part of the Evergreen Forest]
Thud!
The next dungeon was in a shadowy forest.
Though there was an orc ambush, [Lv. 24 Orc Scout defeated.] [Lv. 24 Orc Scout defeated.]
It wasn’t that hard.
We cleared them lightly and returned to the village.
“Thank you, heroes! Thanks to you, the raids have decreased! Now we can sleep peacefully!”
“All thanks to you heroes! The orc numbers have dropped a lot! Thank you!”
The villagers cheered.
I had killed more than 50 orcs, so it was no wonder the numbers were down.
[Mission Clear!]
[+440 Gold]
[Pet Bonus!] [+60 Gold]
[Pet Bonus!] [+40 Steel Shards]
[+1 Common Card]
Cleared the shallow area as well.
Without rest, I headed to the next dungeon.
[Lv. 25: Deep part of the Evergreen Forest]
“Hero! I have a request! Please gouge out the eyes of the orc that killed my father! I want to overcome my fear by looking at the orc’s eyes! Please!”
As I entered the dungeon, a child made a plea.
‘They needed orc eyes to overcome fear?’
I fought and defeated the orcs first.
When I tried to pluck out an eye, “Brother! Stop! You get the quest item after clearing the dungeon! Stop it!”
“Eek! Don’t pull it out, idiot!”
Gobori and Rose were horrified.
It seemed I didn’t need to do it myself.
[Orc’s Eye acquired!]
I handed the eye to the child.
“Wow! Such a beautiful eye! Thank you!”
Their response… was not quite what I expected.
But I just let it slide.
It was probably acting as well.
[Mission Clear!]
[+450 Gold]
[Pet Bonus!] [+50 Gold]
[Pet Bonus!] [+40 Steel Shards]
[+1 Common Card]
Cleared the third dungeon.
Thud!
“Oh! You’re back? The equipment has been repaired cleanly! The Anvil of Valhalla felt a bit awkward at first, but I think I’ll do better next time! Here, take it!”
Dulv greeted me as I returned to the stage.
The dwarf who had been gloomy just moments ago now looked quite bright.
[Repair completed!]
[★★★ Sage’s White Staff]
[★ Ragana Tomahawk]
[★ Goblin Scimitar]
[★ Odongnamu Shield]
I received the repaired equipment.
“You worked hard. It’s perfect, isn’t it?”
“Ha ha! Hard work? It’s just a hobby of mine. You all worked hard though. Looks like you fought non-stop… Got anything to leave with me? If you need, I’ll fix anything! I can’t just rest, you know! Hah!”
Dulv looked at the air hesitantly.
‘Did he want me to give him something to repair?’
I smiled and manipulated the screen.
“Exactly. The user knows best, right?”
[Repairable Equipment]
[★★★★ Uruk Slayer] [2,090 Gold]
[★ Heater Shield] [-230 Gold]
[★ Folding Knife] [-120 Gold]
[Total cost: 2,440 Gold]
Yikes.
I left out the Uruk Slayer.
The higher the grade, the more expensive the repairs.
I left the Folding Knife and Heater Shield for repair, and equipped the Odongnamu Shield and Tomahawk.
The Sage’s White Staff…
“Oh!”
I dragged it from the screen and handed it to Rose.
Rose flapped her wings happily after receiving the staff.
“Awesome! This is exactly what I wanted! Now I’m complete! Haha!”
[★★★ Sage’s White Staff]
[+30% Attack Power, +20% Healing Power]
I checked the staff’s stats.
[30% attack power, 20% healing power.]
Quite decent healing power.
I stored the remaining Goblin Scimitar in the warehouse.
[Starting repairs!]
[Estimated completion time] [3:56]
“La la la! La la la!”
Dulv sang as he disappeared.
‘Was it really that good?’
Everyone chuckled at the way he wagged his behind.
[Lv. 26: Shadowy part of the Evergreen Forest]
Thud!
Back to the battlefield.
“Orc thigh bones are said to be very hard! I want to craft weapons from them! Could you get one for me?”
[Lv. 27: Bleak part of the Evergreen Forest]
Thud!
“Orc tusks are a symbol of warriors! But they’re scary… Could you get 30 tusks? I’ll reward you handsomely!”
However…
The villagers’ requests became more and more bizarre.
Starting with eyes, then bones, now tusks?
I didn’t understand why they wanted these things.
[+300 Gold acquired!]
By the time I achieved the fifth goal, ‘Hmm.’
I felt a little bored.
Like endlessly following Dolores down the sewers.
“Sigh… I’m not some errand boy. Why do they keep asking me to bring things? Such strange people.”
I muttered, exhaling.
“Well, you’re not one to talk, trying to pull out actual eyeballs.”
“Ha ha! That’s how normal dungeon quests go. Still, it’s lucky to get everything in one dungeon. If you’re unlucky, you have to grind the same dungeon repeatedly. This is pretty neat, yep!”
Rose and Gobori replied.
Trying to pull out the eyeball myself…
I was reflecting on that too.
Anyway, I thought I’d be sent back after getting the rewards.
Boom!
An explosion rang at the village entrance.
“Good heavens!”
At the same time, the elder who hadn’t been visible appeared.
“The orc main force has appeared at the village entrance! Help us, heroes! There’s no one but you!”
The elder shouted with a desperate face.
Boom! Boom!
In the distance, a group carrying red flags approached.
Orcs armored with steel helmets and gear.
Unlike the usual scouts, these ones looked serious and well-prepared.
An orc wearing a horned helmet shouted.
‘Was he the leader?’
The scruffy beard made him look like a bandit.
“Kaaah!”
“Kaaah!”
Other orcs roared.
I swallowed hard and gripped my sword.
Just as I steadied myself to engage, [Mission Clear!]
[+430 Gold]
[Pet Bonus!] [+70 Gold]
[Pet Bonus!] [+50 Steel Shards]
[+1 Common Card]
Thud!
‘Whatever.’
I was returned to the stage.
It felt like these moments always ended strangely.
“Oh! You’re back? The battle was awesome. Here’s the equipment you left. I paid extra attention, and I think it turned out well. Take a look!”
Dulv ran up to me.
He seemed to have developed a taste for repairing.
[Repair Completed!]
[★★ Heater Shield] [Great Success!]
[★ Folding Knife]
“Huh?”
But something strange was there.
The Heater Shield I had left with Dulv.
Something was floating next to it.
[The repair of the ★ Heater Shield is astonishing!]
[The grade will increase until the next destruction!]
Strange text appeared on the screen.
‘A repair was astonishing?’
The grade would increase until the item breaks again?
[★★ Heater Shield]
[+50% Defense (+30%)]
The shield Dulv returned was upgraded.
Shocked, I looked at Dulv and asked, “What is this? What did you do?”