CH 110

Having finished gathering information, Walm was about to take the first step into the inner city. He joined the line to the gate, which was used as a checkpoint. The line was short, and even if the person waiting in line were children, it was not that long enough to make them lay down their limbs on the ground and look up at the sky in boredom.

Finally, it was Walm’s turn, and the guards’ gazes were pouring into him at once. Thinking that it was like immigration checks at airports in the previous world, he didn’t get overwhelmed. Even more when there was no need for a passport, passing the metal detectors and X-ray machines for security checks. If such a thing existed, Walm would be genuinely surprised, but there was nothing to be guilty of, other than the weapons and hands that had tasted human flesh and blood.

“What’s the purpose of your visit?”

“Well, it’s a labyrinth city. I came to dive into the labyrinth.”

“You don’t seem to have a tag of the Adventurer’s Guild.”

“I’m a mercenary, not an adventurer.”

“Where did you come from?”

Disgracefully, Walm seemed to be under suspicion. However, because he did nothing wrong, he answered confidently.

“Dalimarx”

“Dalimarx…? Ah, there was a battle the other day.”

“Since the war ended in a short period of time, I guess, he came here because he was having trouble with food?”

The guards exchanged opinions about Walm’s true identity, as if to say that he was unprincipled. Unlike some demon mask that loved blood and malice, Walm was nowhere unprincipled. He wouldn’t tremble any time at any place, without care of the situation.

In fact, Walm was a down-to-earth person, though he himself would never self-proclaimed so.

“Seem like a mercenary fellow you can see from time to time. Alright, you can pass through.”

“One small silver coin. Bad coins are not accepted.”

“Glasses of ale just for passing…”

When Walm lamented over the harsh world, a painful counterattack came from the guards.

“Stop nagging. Want me to check everything from underwear to food on hand and add tax, huh?”

“I don’t mind, but only dust and dirt will come out, you know?”

The guard checked the small silver coin he received with his naked eyes, rubbed them with his fingers, and put them away in a small bag.

“Hurry up. Don’t get in the way of others.”

With no witty words from the guards, Walm was chased away and proceeded to the main street based on the information he had gathered.

Now, his first purpose was to buy and sell goods obtained on the battlefield, but it wasn’t easy to find a well-known store behind an alley.

The shop Walm visited was the one usually visited by novice to mid-level adventurers and mercenaries. It was information obtained by lightening the drunken adventurer’s mouth with ale. The shop didn’t seem to only have swords, but a wide range of items other than weapons and armor. Pushed the door aside and stepped inside. The brass store doorbell that had been nailed resounded inside the store, announcing Walm’s existence to anyone inside.

Swords and spears were without saying, but there were also a plenty variety of striking weapons. The armor also varied from leather to metal, and there were items with unfamiliar designs and old-fashioned items. Probably, items from the labyrinth.

Walm approached the man who was seen as the owner who boldly leaned his elbows against the counter. Noticing Walm’s approach, the man finally straightens his posture.

“What do you want?”

“I want to sell weapons”

“Is it that long sword on your waist?”

Walm denied the words of the owner who probed through the scabbard.

“No, not this. Anyway, I’ve a decent amount, can I put them here?”

“Sure?”

In front of the merchant with a dubious expression, Walm lined up the weapons he pulled out of the magic bag. The magic bag was something he wanted to hide. However, he didn’t want to carry a large number of weapons around the city, and no matter how much he looked like a mercenary or an adventurer, he would definitely be stopped by the patrol guards.

“Well well…”

The color of the swordsman’s eyes changed as the weapons were pulled out of the magic bag one after another. There were no boorish questions about magic or the magic bag, and he just checked the construction and materials of the items.

“Doesn’t seem to be a labyrinth item, huh?”

Some of the spearheads had deformations in the join and nailing parts that fixed them to the handle. Because Walm separated the metal spearhead and the wooden handle in a hurry.

“Looks like you collected them on the battlefield, and only those in good condition.”

“Can’t you buy it, if it’s something picked up on the battlefield?”

“Nah, whether it’s from a labyrinth or a battlefield, weapons are weapons. I’m not interested in where you got it or who looted it. Quality is everything.”

“That’s a good mindset. Then, can I sell this too?”

Walm put a small bag in the corner of the counter that was filled with weapons. Inside were rings, bracelets, and necklaces Walm collected from the corpses of mercenaries. The mercenaries seemed to be not that confident if they didn’t wear all of their possessions, so they carried precious metals in all sorts of shapes. In short, Lucky for Walm.

Still, as expected of Walm, even if it took time and effort, he recovered them without dropping their fingers or arms. He had no intention of humiliating them even after they died, more so when there would be a chance of them turning into undead if treated carelessly. The only things he overlooked were the gold teeth and artificial eyes that would damage the corpse during the retrieval if any.

Goods with high both in quantity and quality. It didn’t look like a clearance sale of vegetables. So, until the appraisal was completed, Walm decided to look around the store.

The first things that caught Walm’s eyes were battle axes and maces made from monster bones. They had been polished and dyed as black as tar. As far as Walm knew, bones were processed and used for daily necessities, so it was hard to imagine that they would be strong enough to be used as weapons.

In order to get an answer, Walm must ask the owner, but the owner was diligently assessing the items he brought in. There was one employee in the store who was dealing with a group of adventurers. He couldn’t ask anyone to tell him.

“Well, what should I do?”

Walm, who was wondering whether to go out of the shop for a while to casually ask about the identity of the surface paint, discovered a bottled liquid somewhere under those weapons.

「Dark Slime, for maintenance and repair」

Such was what was written there.

“Oh, a kind of slime huh?”

Walm had seen slime before. It was omnivorous and preyed on moss and insects.

In Walm’s hometown, water bottles and water jars were waterproofed by mixing boiled slime with tree sap and some chemicals. Based on that, even if all effect was unknown, at least it seemed to have the effect of increasing the preservation and strength of bones.

The bones are used only for striking weapons…  does it hinder sharpness or it’s just that difficult to process?

The durability was unknown, but the price written on the price tag was quite cheap compared to metal. For a former commoner with little money to make it as their first weapon, would probably be a good option.

In fact, one of the adventurers in the shop was also carrying a black mace on his back. Overall, their equipment was poor no matter how Walm looked at it, probably, they were those called “country’s bumpkins” or “greenhorns”.

“Wild boar skin armor and bone mace huh? I also want to use metal once in a while, you know.”

“Don’t be silly. You’ve broken your blade so many times. Also, bone isn’t that bad. I mean, it’s fine as long as it’s not a stone, right?”

“Well, you broke the spear last time. You’re too rough at handling your weapon.”

“At the very least, make it something from a Horned Grizzly’s horn. This is the thighbone of an Orc. Those foods. Even the labyrinth goblin’s is a little more decent than this.”

“Don’t look over here. I won’t lend you my spear.”

“Nope, I won’t lend my sword either.”

Walm regretted eavesdropping on the conversation. It seemed that the financial situation of the adventurer who seemed like a “greenhorn” wasn’t that good. The young man, who looked resentfully at his companion’s equipment, looked at the weapons piled up on the counter and let out a sigh.

“Haaa, it’s just not in my hand. My hand just for, a bone, huh?”

In the end, the young man left the store as if he was being dragged by his companions.

Walm frowned at the indescribable bad aftertaste. Regardless of his state of mind, thanks to their efforts and Dark Slime, he was able to kill time until the shop owner’s assessment was completed.

The amount of money presented was appropriate, and Walm accepted it without hesitation. Three small magic silver coins, two large gold coins, and one small gold coin in a coin bag.

Leaving out the shop, he muttered.

“I guess, this must be that a lot of money…”

If ordinary people lived modestly, that amount would ensure their living for several decades, but it didn’t reach the amount Walm used to get the eye medicine sold by the healing magician at Kopetsk City. For still wanting to dive into the labyrinth, how greedy he might look if compared to those who somewhat equipped themselves with little money? Even so, Walm must dive into the labyrinth no matter what.

After all, no time to waste for the decaying eyes. And thus, Walm prepared himself to dive while impatience feelings rushed in him.