Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Preparing Equipment Part 1

The next day, after having breakfast, I headed to a certain place.

The place was like an ordinary house in the back alley of the "commercial district". There was no signboard for the shop, and only those who knew about it could find the secret shop.

"Ooh, it's rare to see such a young one coming here."

When I opened the door of the shop and entered, there was a person wearing a robe who spoke in the voice of an old woman in front of me.

This is also just like the game... When I saw it on the game screen, I thought it was a horror game and screamed once, but I was able to endure it this time...

"Ho~ you're the second person who has broken my 'scare them as soon as they enter the store' strategy. You have quite the nerve, young one."

The person with a voice quality like that of an old woman laughed with a cackle while staring at me.

Since my height allowed me to see the face hidden under the robe, I was able to recognize her true appearance even though she was trying to pretend to be an old woman.

"...From here, your face is clearly visible, so you don't have to pretend to be a suspicious old woman."

"What?!"

In response to my words, the person in front of me reacted with a start.

"What do you mean? I am clearly an old woman, aren't I?"

"That's just your age, right? From here, I can clearly see your long ears that you're trying to hide."

As I said that, like adding insult to injury, the person in front of me started trembling violently.

Then, she suddenly threw off her robe, and a very beautiful elf woman appeared from inside.

"W-well, I'm still young by elf standards! I'm not an old lady, you know!"

"Then why were you dressed like an old lady?"

"T-that's because... in a shady shop like this, without even a signboard, an old lady seems more appropriate... I thought."

"Then you should have cast a recognition-inhibiting spell. If someone short like me comes in, they'll know right away, won't they?"

"Most of the people who come here are adults, and kids like you never come... so..."

As the elf woman started to cry, I began to feel like I may have gone too far.

This shop is one of the stores that can be used from the middle of the game in the game.

It is a general store that sells daily necessities, magic tools, weapons, and armor.

I visited today with the hope that I might be able to access it from the beginning of the game after clearing it once.

"Well then, what's your name? You'll be coming here often, won't you? I'm Cynthia."

"I'm Jin. Nice to meet you." 

We introduced ourselves and shook hands with each other, Cynthia and I.

"So, what brings Jin here? You don't seem to have any equipment, did you come to buy weapons and armor?" Cynthia asked.

"Well, yeah, something like that. I don't have much on me, so I'll be looking for something cheap," I replied.

"Cheap, huh? Well, we actually sell a lot of cheap items here," Cynthia said.

"I'm planning on earning more soon. I just left home yesterday and I'm still getting prepared. For now, I can only afford two gold coins," I explained.

After I said that, Cynthia nodded and went to the back of the store to look for equipment. A few minutes later, she came back and took out several pieces of equipment and placed them on the counter.

"You can have all of these for just one gold coin," Cynthia said.

In front of her were a set of armor, a one-handed sword, and a short sword.

"I thought I told you my budget," I said.

"Well, I thought I'd offer you some extra service since you seem like you could become a regular customer. Plus, I have a good eye for people," Cynthia replied.

"Well, if Cynthia thinks it's a good deal and I don't have much on me, I can't really refuse," I said.

In reality, I didn't want to spend much money at the moment. I came here hoping to buy either a sword or a waistcloth, but now I only felt grateful for the unexpected service.

I thought so and decided to try on the armor first to see if it would fit me.

The material was leather and upon appraisal, I found out that it was equipment made from the leather of a "Lizardman."

Lizardmen, being classified as dragon species, have equipment made from their material that has high durability and good breathability, making it possible to wear even in hot places.

"It's a little big, but it should fit me perfectly soon enough. Cynthia, I'll gratefully buy this set of armor and sword from you."

"Yes, it's good for me that the pile of items that were lying around in the warehouse has finally been sold."

We both smiled at each other, and I handed Cynthia the gold coins.

"Do you want to see other things too? Since I like Jin, I'll give you a discount if you buy more now."

"Is that okay? To give so much service to someone you just met today..."

"It's fine. This is my shop after all, and my intuition is telling me that investing in Jin is a good idea."

As I watched Cynthia say something incomprehensible, I remembered something.

During the game era, Cynthia's shop occasionally provided services.

It was usually after defeating a powerful enemy or accomplishing something...

Well, there's no point in thinking too deeply about it.

Although this place is similar to a game, I have already realized that it is not the game world.

If it were like a game, I wouldn't have been able to leave that house in the first place.

"Well, if Cynthia says so, I'll take her up on that offer."

I said that and decided to look around the shop.