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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Runein (4)
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"Th-this is way too big."
Staring at the hammer that was as massive as she was, Cheisi desperately searched for an escape route.
"...Do you have any other weapons?"
"Of course. But if you want something else, you'll have to pay more."
"How much more?"
"Well, the cheapest ones start at 300 coins?"
It looked like there was no way around it.
Cheisi blanked out for a moment.
300 coins. Not an amount she could scrape together right now.
That means I'd have to hunt a hundred slimes and twenty-five poison needle goblins.
Dante patted Cheisi's shoulder encouragingly as she stared blankly at the hammer.
"Check the stats first. I bet you'll change your mind."
"...Okay."
Cheisi took the hammer from Dante.
"Ugh..."
It was heavier than she'd expected. She could barely lift it with both hands using all her strength.
Cheisi set the hammer down for a moment and checked its stats.
⚔ ITEM: DANTE'S SPECIAL HAMMER ⚔
A very large and heavy iron hammer. Loaded with unnecessary decorations.
Grade: CommonDurability: 511/511Restriction: Lv. 3+ users only💥 Attack: +51🛡️ Defense: +10
Special Effect: Attacks deal area damage equal to 10% of attack power to surroundings.
"...Wow."
The stats were impressive enough to draw genuine admiration.
-Attack and defense both in the double digits, plus a special effect.
-Compared to that dagger << what even was that?
As the viewers said, these stats were incomparable to the measly attack power 5 dagger she'd been using.
In the end, it seemed a weapon's appeal came down to the numbers. Cheisi felt herself warming up to the massive, mind-numbingly huge hammer.
If the stats are this good, maybe it's worth trying it out...
"...Can I swing it?"
"Go ahead."
Dante pointed to a training dummy in the corner of the smithy.
Cheisi lifted the hammer with all her might and brought it down on the dummy.
KABOOM!
Her eyes widened at the huge sound and the rising numbers.
Damage ten times that of her dagger, slamming into the dummy in one thunderous blow.
The sight captivated her.
"...I-I'll take it."
Cheisi gripped her new weapon.
It was heavy, but the damage was undeniable, and it even had defense stats. For now, it didn't seem like a bad choice at all.
Though she'd need to test it in real combat to judge properly.
Then, the smithy door swung open.
"...He's back again."
Dante clicked his tongue at the newcomer, who strode boldly up to him without a care.
"...Huh?"
Cheisi panicked at the sight of the intruder.
It was a knight clad head to toe in black armor. Taller not just than Cheisi, but even than Dante, who had overwhelmed her at first.
White eyes gleamed sharply from the knight's black helmet.
Exuding an aura like a demon king, the knight rumbled in a deep, gloomy voice.
"I saw it from afar."
The knight pointed at Cheisi.
Before she could respond, the knight spoke pleadingly.
"You gave that girl a weapon. Give one to me too. This is my fourth request."
"No. My weapons aren't that easy to get."
"Why give one to her then?"
"Because she's strong enough to wield it! If you want one, grow stronger and come back."
As Dante finished, the knight looked up at the sky and muttered.
"...Level 3?"
He was clearly checking a quest.
"...I'll make a quick exit."
Cheisi decided swiftly.
This wasn't an NPC. NPCs had nicknames above their heads, but the knight had none.
Which meant he was a player. The first one she'd encountered.
But he was too extraordinary to get involved with.
"W-well, I'll be going then."
Cheisi tried to flee the smithy.
"Wait. Stop right there."
She failed.
The knight's white eyes glared sharply at her.
"You...how are you already level 3?"
Just the question turned the atmosphere hostile in an instant. Cheisi sweated bullets as she answered.
"I hunted...?"
"You didn't die in the tutorial?"
"N-no, I didn't?"
"You didn't die?"
Suddenly, the knight's eyes blazed intensely.
Cheisi's tail stiffened naturally under his glare.
"...Cleared the tutorial without dying."
The knight took a step toward her.
Cheisi instinctively flattened her ears and looked up warily.
The knight stared silently for a moment, then spoke earnestly.
"...Can I add you as a friend?"
It deflated Cheisi, who had been on high alert with her tail straight up.
— Viewerlololololololol— ViewerCan't resist friend request from a pro gamer lol— ViewerWhat even lololol
She hadn't seen that coming at all. Cheisi flustered for a second before pulling herself together.
"...It's possible, but...does that even exist?"
"I believe it does. Excuse me for a moment."
The knight touched her character.
"I hereby welcome this one into my knightly order."
⚙ NOTIFICATION ⚙Friend addition feature available from level 10.
"Wha...?"
The knight's eyes wavered at this unexpected hurdle.
"C-can I go hunt now...?"
"Wait. Your name. At least tell me your name."
Cheisi hesitated, then answered.
"I'm Cheisi, the streamer broadcasting on Abyss."
"Abyss?"
The knight blinked.
"I've heard of it. An internet streaming site, right? So you're streaming now?"
"Yes. You can watch on Abyss."
"Got it. I'll check it out later. I have a feeling I'll see some high-level combat."
The knight nodded, his voice tinged with anticipation.
"If I reach level 10, will you add me as a friend?"
This player was dead serious about the friend add.
Cheisi replied in a slightly drained voice.
"Sure... I'll add you."
"...Really?!"
The knight's eyes lit up.
"Wait there. I'll come back after hitting level 10!"
And with that, the knight dashed off like the wind.
Cheisi realized he was heading toward the slime habitat.
"Guess he's off to level up."
— Viewerlololololololol— ViewerConcept legendary— ViewerKinda cool tho??
The knight's presence seemed to impress the viewers.
Cheisi gazed in the direction he'd vanished for a moment, then moved on.
"...Let's go level up too."
Five coins jingled in her pouch—the leftovers after buying the weapon.
"I do have some money left..."
A use for it came to mind.
Before heading to the goblin forest, Cheisi stopped somewhere and spent all five coins.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Revenge match.
In this forest grudge fight pitting her 1 against 2, Cheisi was clearly at a disadvantage.
"...Hah."
At this rate, she'd lose for sure. Cheisi was reluctantly coming to terms with it.
"Keeek! Too slow!"
The purple goblin's mocking voice pushed her patience to the limit.
Fine. This unfavorable situation was entirely the fault of this wretched weapon.
"It's so uncomfortable...!"
Cheisi wailed, hammer in hand.
"It's utterly unusable! Attacks are too slow—it doesn't hit! Damn it!"
The feared drawback had reared its head. The hammer's weight hampered her attacks severely.
Even swinging it down with full force, the goblin was long gone from the spot.
Cheisi could feel how stupid her attacks looked. And now the goblin was mocking her too.
"And it's so heavy I can't dodge properly!"
She couldn't move freely with the hammer. She could barely parry attacks, and the defense stat mitigated damage, but it was still a losing war of attrition.
— Viewerlolololololol— Viewerlolol calm down— ViewerJust land one hit. One hit.
"I can't land that one hit...!"
What good was high damage if she couldn't land it?
Cheisi glared at her hated new weapon, then stowed it in her inventory.
"No more hammer."
She drew her familiar dagger.
"Daggers are right for me after all."
— ViewerDagger over hammer after all— ViewerDagger has no defense tho ok?
"It's fine."
Cheisi had already given up on using the dagger against goblins once before.
But things were different now.
"Kieek! Die!"
Cheisi parried the charging dagger goblin's attack.
She blocked it, but without the hammer's defense, her HP drained noticeably.
But Cheisi had a way to recover HP.
⚔ ITEM: RED SLIME POTION ⚔
A low-grade potion refined from red slime droplets.
Tastes like sin.
Grade: CommonType: Consumable
Restores 100 HP on use. Up to 5 per battle.
Potions bought from the adventurer guild with her remaining coins.
And they were fulfilling their role perfectly.
Block with the dagger, dodge the club.
Carve out damage windows to stack hits on the dagger goblin.
The HP loss from blocking was burdensome, but the red slime potions covered it adequately.
Cheisi's strategy was working.
— ViewerShe's gonna get it?— ViewerFr potions solve it...
Her potions were depleting slower than the dagger goblin's HP.
"Kieeek..."
The dagger goblin let out a resentful screech as it dissolved into white light.
⚙ NOTIFICATION ⚙Gained 200 EXP.
Her HP was at about 50%.
Even using all her potions, she'd lost half her health to succeed.
Gurgle? Gurrgle!
But the twin goblin still stood before her, unscathed since she'd focused on the other.
Cheisi didn't panic. She had a surefire counter for 1v1.
She pulled out "that."
⚔ ITEM: GOBLIN POISON NEEDLE ⚔
It had paled in the 1v2 ambush against level 5 goblins, but in 1v1...
Especially against a level 4 twin goblin.
The combo of fast dagger strikes and slowing poison needle was divine.
Grr..."
Cheisi painted the slowed twin goblin like a canvas with her dagger.
⚙ NOTIFICATION ⚙Gained 150 EXP.
The battle ended at last. Cheisi looted the spoils and checked her EXP to level up.
"...Still a ways to level 4."
350 EXP gained.
900 needed for level up—barely halfway.
"Instead of hunting more goblins, I'll stick to these guys."
She settled on a plan. Better than chasing five singles—this was faster and gave more EXP.
Risky even with potions, but reliable returns.
"...First things first."
She wanted more potions. That meant money.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"I want to sell the hammer."
"What?!"
Dante's bald head gleamed in bewilderment at Cheisi's words as she arrived hammer in hand.
Shiny as could be.