Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

Chapter 143 Buying Equipment

"Unbelievable, such methods are truly horrifying."

The one who understands it most deeply is undoubtedly Rijrud. With his magic eye, his observation is undoubtedly more profound. Rudeus's actions just now were practically instinctive. This is something only a mature swordsman can do, yet he did it so easily.

"Too cunning, Rudeus. When I get back, I'll ask Yue Ren for help too."

"No!"

It was Raji Rudd who refused.

Why?

"If we follow the logic of the Yue people, Rudeus's swordsmanship was weak to begin with, so those memories forcibly elevated his swordsmanship. But Alice, you are different. Your swordsmanship already has its own habits and methods. At this time, rashly accepting a completely different swordsmanship is most likely to cause confusion and a decline in strength."

In the realm of swordsmanship, Alice is like a beautiful painting that has just been planned and is ready to be painted. At this moment, she receives the "transmission of skills" from Yue Ren, which is equivalent to forcibly changing all her previous efforts into a completely different form. The final outcome will probably be to destroy her.

In contrast, Rudius was like a blank sheet of paper with a few random strokes, which was then painted by the Yue people in their own style, instantly increasing his value several times over. So, in essence, it was a case of making use of waste.

"No, I need to find the Yue people to help me when I get back."

Rudy tried to persuade the girl, but she wouldn't listen. Her unusual emotions left him somewhat bewildered, wondering what was wrong with her this time.

Only the girl knew how much that scene had affected her. She thought that the only thing she could do to help Rudeus was now being easily surpassed, which was why she was acting so unreasonably.

It is a fear of being left behind, masked by an inability to express oneself and a volatile temper.

That day, they killed more than a hundred Parks coyotes.

The group divided the work, skinning the animals while clearing away the enemies that surrounded them.

Rudeus lost interest in melee combat after killing about twenty of them with his sword, because he found that magic was the most effortless way to deal with these enemies.

The memories of the Yue people did improve his understanding of swordsmanship, but they did not improve his physical fitness. Because of the Laplace factor, he was also unable to generate battle qi, which caused him to be exhausted like a dog by the end of the fight. On the other hand, Alice was still able to kill one person with one strike as if nothing had happened, which also suppressed his arrogance caused by the sudden increase in strength.

He estimated that if he were to fight Alice now, he could probably last for more than ten minutes, but if he couldn't win quickly, Alice would be able to easily take him down when he ran out of energy.

Although there was some regret, Rudy felt that he was already very good. He was satisfied with his close combat skills, and at least he didn't have to worry about being easily killed by some little Karami in close combat.

Speaking of which, Brother Yue's swordsmanship style is different from the three major styles of this world. It focuses on attacking weaknesses, but if you had to compare it, it's somewhat similar to the Sword God style. However, since Brother Yue is from another world, he probably uses Earth's swordsmanship. Does Japan even have such a swordsmanship style...?

With the monsters gone, Rudeus prepared to return with the fur while his thoughts wandered far away.

"Wait, burn the body before you leave."

Just before they started moving things, Rachel Rudd suddenly said this.

"Set it on fire? Or roast it?"

"No, Parks coyotes are hard to eat; just burn them and bury them."

With Rijerud's explanation, Rudy learned that monster corpses in the wild needed to be properly disposed of. It was said that if the corpses were left unattended, other monsters would eat them and increase their numbers, causing monsters to gather around.

However, if the corpse is buried deep in the ground, it seems that it will turn into a zombie coyote and be resurrected due to the accumulation of magic power.

To avoid these situations, the process must be carried out by burning first and then burying.

At that moment, Rudy suddenly had an idea.

"We didn't handle it like that during our trip, did we?"

"Quantity, if there are only a few, it's fine."

That seems to be the case.

Although the exact number is unknown, such a large number of corpses could potentially become a source of infectious diseases.

There was no reason to refuse, so Rudius burned the corpse to a crisp. After all the furs were taken, the sun had already begun to set.

On the Yue side, making full use of his strengths, he took on the tasks of blacksmithing and gathering medicinal herbs, and even had time to go to the shopping street to buy a few books of poetry after finishing the tasks.

If you're planning to become a bard, you should at least know a little about it, right?

When Yue Ren saw the way Rudy and the others looked when they returned, he couldn't help but laugh.

These guys are really up to something every day. Yesterday Rudy had a long face, and today it's Alice instead. It's so interesting.

Alice, upon seeing Yue Ren, immediately came up to him, fawning over him and acting cute, leaving him completely bewildered.

The specific reason was only revealed during the meal, which almost made Yue Ren burst out laughing on the spot. The little girl's self-esteem should not be underestimated at all.

However, it is indeed a problem. If left unchecked, it will cause the girl's stress to increase dramatically in the long run.

However, simply sharing memories like Rudeus would not work. Not to mention that the girl is a real thirteen-year-old child, and whether her mind can withstand such an impact, as mentioned before, the most likely outcome of violent transmission would be that it would cripple her swordsmanship.

After much thought, Yue Ren felt that he could try a different approach, such as sending her to a viewing event, similar to how a genius can be inspired by a masterpiece and have their talent further developed.

But he still needs to think carefully about how to achieve that level.

So she agreed to give Alice a few days to prepare, during which time she would complete the next phase of cultural learning tasks assigned by Rudy.

Alice excitedly agreed, expressing her gratitude to the Yue people with sparkling eyes, which was truly heartwarming.

Three days later, "DeadEnd" quickly rose to Rank E.

Since they finally had some extra money, the group decided to buy their usual clothes and armor.

The most important thing, of course, is clothing.

Alice moved very quickly.

Since her criteria were "lightweight, easy to move in, and durable," she simply bought a pair of not-so-fashionable trousers.

At this point, Rudius's mischievous side came out, and he tried to recommend the light pink dress placed in the corner of the altar to her.

As a result, Alice showed a clear expression of disgust.

"...You want me to wear this kind of outfit?"

"Having at least one would be nice, right?"

"Rudius, you should also buy yourself a more masculine outfit."

So the blond kid was almost forced to wear a fur vest that made him look like a bandit, and his newly formed plan to dress up as a doll was shattered.

On the other hand, Rijerud didn't have any special needs, while Yue Ren bought a set of adventure outfits commonly seen on this continent to use as a change of clothes.

Although he possesses "Floating Light," it's only used to defend against attacks. He doesn't have the ability of Gojo-sensei to continuously use "No Limits" 24/7, so his clothes and everything else still get dirty.

After buying the clothes, the group headed to the armor shop.

Alice has not suffered any serious injuries so far, and Rudeus can use healing magic, so even minor injuries can be healed immediately.

Therefore, Rudy originally thought that armor was unnecessary. However, Rijkaard argued that real combat is ever-changing, and it is necessary to have an extra layer of protection without affecting the outcome. Moreover, Alice's combat experience is still limited, and she may suffer fatal injuries due to adapting to combat or momentary carelessness. Therefore, armor is still indispensable.

The squad leader, who thought it made sense, led the way into the armor shop.

This armor shop looks quite large.

Even so, Rudius still felt it was a bit more vulgar than the shops he had visited in the Kingdom of Asura.

Upon entering the store, the abundance of goods was refreshing, and Rudy noticed that the displayed items were priced higher than those at the stall.

The prices at the traveling merchants' stalls are cheap, and you can occasionally find some treasures.

However, places with formal stores tend to have more stable product quality, a wider variety of products, and, importantly, a full range of sizes.

After all, two of the team members are children's sizes.

"Since it's protective gear for the heart, you should choose the best possible piece..."

"Now, we are choosing the breastplate for Alice. There are various types of breastplates for women, depending on their bust size."

Alice tried on the breastplate, which fit her perfectly, and asked Rudeus for his opinion.

As a seasoned pervert, the latter certainly wouldn't miss such an opportunity to observe closely. However, he still followed Brother Yue's advice and, while watching, tried his best not to make his expression lewd.

This change brought a slight smile to the faces of the Yue people behind them.

"A size bigger would be better."

Why?

"Because we are in our developmental stage now, if the size is just right, we won't be able to wear it for long."

"They're very loose to wear."

"No problem, no problem."

Alice complained under her breath as she carefully selected equipment to protect her various body parts.

Through recent battles, she has learned which areas are prone to injury. Joints and vital organs are of course the parts that must be protected, but what about the head?

While heavy armor can reduce speed, the head is still a vital area, so it would be better to wear some kind of armor.

Rudeus recommended various styles of full-face helmets, but Alice showed obvious disgust.

"How lame."

She simply refused, as young people these days seem unable to appreciate such taste.

"It's okay if you don't have one you like. If all else fails, I can tailor-make one for you."

He picked up the somewhat rough armor on the table, glanced at it a few times, and, confirming that there was no technical sophistication to replicate, put it back in its original place.

"Brother Yue, you can even manufacture equipment?"

"To be more precise, my main job is a swordsmith, but I also helped make protective gear and other things for my partners later, so I have some experience."

"I was shocked! I couldn't tell at all that it was a mistake!"

"Then what's the point of us choosing equipment?"

Alice pointed out the key point.

Upon hearing this, Yue Ren nodded slightly, continuing to examine the artwork on site.

"Crafting equipment also requires raw materials. Although I can be exempted from labor costs due to my status as a teammate, you still have to find the materials yourselves. Also, I usually make custom-made, high-quality items, which have quite high requirements for materials."

"At this stage, if you want my weapon, the material should at least be a dragon's tooth."

In fact, given their current situation, they could easily get any weapon from the Yue Ren territory, but he didn't want these two to develop the bad habit of getting something for nothing, so he still had to put some restrictions on them.

Furthermore, Rudeus, as a mage, possesses the "Arrogant Water Dragon King," and Rijrud has a gun formed from his own body. The only one wielding an ordinary weapon is Alice, whose short sword from Lokishi's father is sufficient for now. As for more advanced weapons, we'll discuss them when she becomes stronger.

"Then isn't that a complete no-go? We still have to pick and choose the helmet, everything."

"If you don't like the style, we can make some protective gear for you using the shells of giant tortoises when we get back. That should be enough."

"That's what we'll do then!"

Ultimately, Rudy made the final decision.

In his opinion, since Yue Ren was willing to make such a promise, he would definitely not disappoint them. After all, it had been like this every time they met. In addition, with his gentle and peaceful personality, Rudeus felt that meeting him was their good fortune.

However, they did not leave immediately, because Rudeus, as a magician, also needed a robe.

It was Alice who first brought it up. Rudy himself didn't really care, but eventually, he couldn't resist the girl's insistence and asked the boss about it.

The result was that the old man who owned the armor shop quietly opened a cabinet.

"These are robes worn by the Lilliputians."

The closet was filled with colorful robes, each with a subtle difference in style.

There are five colors: red, yellow, blue, green, and gray. They are all quite pale colors. Rudy understands that bright colors are not a good thing in the wild, as they make you a focal point, which means there will be more danger.

These are lessons learned by our predecessors through their lives.

"What differences would there be between different colors?"

"Monster hairs were added during the weaving process, so it also has a little bit of magic resistance."

"Red is fire, yellow is earth... so what about gray?"

"It's just ordinary cloth."

I see, no wonder only the gray color is half price.

"Rudius, you should wear blue!"

Alice unfolded the blue one; the style was rather novel.

"Well..."

Rudius hesitated, after all, in close combat, he could use the blast to send himself flying.

This makes his clothes get dirty very easily, and blue is very prone to getting dirty.

"Kid, what kind of magic tricks can you use?"