Paradigm Parasite

Chapter 4: "Weapons Shop"

Castle town of Shudras.

The population is estimated to be around 100,000.

The first thing you see is a town of stone houses. The goblins call it "downtown".

The houses are lined up one by one and narrow streets surround them.

From a bird's-eye view from the small hill on which I am currently standing, the town looks like a meshwork.

The exception would be the large street running through the center of the town. I hear it is called the "Boulevard".

It is said to be a pathway for large scale material transportation and for marching across the mountains.

Next is a row of well-made houses at the back of the downtown area, along the mountainside from the foot of the mountain.

This one seems to be the residence of a man of high rank or a man with money. This area is called "Upper" or "Noble" Town.

Further in, or should I say higher up? ...is my destination, Shudras Castle.

Again, it is more like a cave than a castle carved out of the mountain.

If you go straight up from the main street extending from the downtown, you will hit the main gate.

Unlike the gate, the gate guard and the guards inside are apparently elite.

It is said that they will attack anyone who approaches the gate without any reason or anything suspicious without question.

The owner of the memory had been inside only once.

He had entered through the main gate when he brought in the spoils of war from the invasion of the Great Forest where the elves lived, and went down to the underground treasure hall.

I know the route, so just going there is not a problem.

However, I cannot say anything about security.

The security was lifted at that time for the transportation, and since a lot of time has passed, the inside may have changed a little.

After entering. Maybe I should ask someone inside.

And before entering...

"I'm hungry."

Let's put something in my stomach.

The first thing I did when I got down to downtown was to head for a restaurant.

I heard there was a bar, so I went into the nearest one. There were quite a few customers, and the seats were almost half full.

I sat down at the counter, ordered some meat dishes and sake, and waited. Within a few minutes, the food came out.

It was as fast as any beef bowl restaurant.

The food was not as good as at a beef bowl restaurant.

There was something that looked like grilled bacon, some kind of leaves, and a soup with vegetable scraps.

The sake was some kind of lukewarm shochu.

It tasted bad, but thanks to my body's filter function, I could eat it without any problem.

It tasted bad, I had to have another one. At any rate, I continued to eat it without drawing attention to myself.

Maybe I would have this feeling of tastelessness even if the food was good.

I felt a little sad thinking about it.

I drank more alcohol, but as expected, I didn't get drunk.

The hypothesis that poison does not work is probably correct.

Having had a full meal, I paid my bill and left the restaurant. I was not full, but hunger was far away.

I heard that the fare was 2 shill 50 cals. A shill is a silver ball. A kal is a copper ball. By the way, gold is gol.

After leaving the restaurant, I walked up the street.

The streets are not particularly unusual, thanks to the memory of what I took from them.

On the way up, I find a store that sells weapons and tools.

The store is located near the border with the upper part of the town, rather than near the foot of the mountain.

It looks like any other house in the area, but there is a plate with a picture of a sword carved on it hanging next to the entrance.

I took one look at the plate and went inside.

The inside is not much bigger than the bar I just entered, and it is divided in the middle by a counter.

In the corner of the room, there are several empty barrels with a large number of swords and spears stuck into them. I take a look at them, but they are all rusty and look like they are not sharp enough.

On the other hand, the items displayed behind the counter are all well cared for and look expensive.

Particularly expensive looking are the objects on the wall. Four swords. Two spears. One bow.

All of them are slightly shiny.

Is this that thing?

It was in Rothfeld's knowledge. It was probably a "enchanted weapon" or "magic tool".

They come out of dungeons and the bodies of large monsters. It is a weapon with special abilities.

According to my knowledge. A bow that can produce an infinite number of arrows, a sword that prevents wounds from healing, armor that increases physical abilities, etc.

These are extreme examples, but the point is that they are very beneficial to those who equip them.

Naturally, as usual, they are expensive.

Currently, I have 7 gol, 57 shill, and 33 kal.

I guess I'm relatively well-off.

First of all, let's ask him about the price.

"Weapon on the.... wall. How much."

The goblin shopkeeper takes one look at me, then clicks his tongue and points to a weapon on the wall.

"First of all, this straight sword is an efficient sword that does not weigh the user down. The price is 10 gol.

Next is a sword that slightly increases the user's physical ability. The price is 22 gol.

Below that is a sword whose blade glows for a moment, blinding the opponent, and once used, it cannot be used again until a short time has passed.

Another is a sword that slightly restores the user's physical strength just by holding it, for 6 gol."

I can buy a sword that restores physical strength, but I don't need it. This body doesn't seem to have anything to do with physical strength.

Next, i points to a spear.

"Next is the spear.

This is a spear that can create a little wind when it attacks. The previous owner used to aim it at the face and frighten them with a blast of wind to the face. 25 gol.

This is, uh... It's the same as the sword you just saw. It's a weightless spear. 13 gol."

Sounds somewhat random, doesn't it?

Finally, I point to the bow.

"The last one. It's a bow that shoots arrows where you want them to go. By the way, each arrow costs 10 cals."

The owner looks at me with a look that says, "You're just messing with me, aren't you?"

As I had expected, it was expensive. I don't have enough money on hand.

I'm sure I'm not mistaken in feeling like I'm being watched.

Thinking about the future, I'd like to stock up on at least one thing if I can....

"Do you have any other magic items?"

"What is your budget? I don't want to show you something you can't afford."

I envy you that you are allowed to behave like that to your customers.

In Japan, you'd be fired in some cases. Oh, he's the owner?

"About, Five gol.."

"Five gol.... You're an orc, right? You've got a lot, huh?"

Orcs and trolls are less intelligent, so few of them can handle money, and it is said that those who have money are rare because their reward is basically payment in kind.

The shopkeeper looks at me as if he is trying to estimate my value.

Oh, I know this one. It's the same look as the guy who bullied me in junior high school.

His eyes are mean, as if he wants to hit me over the head with a kick in the teeth. Before I died, I was mugged if I kept quiet.

It made me a little angry because it stimulated my trauma before I was dead.

Let's go with that.

I slam my hands on the counter. The owner of the restaurant is a little frightened and backs away.

"This is my money! This is my money!"

I take the initiative and pretend to be pissed off to cover it up.

These people will go to any length when they take advantage of you.

They get angry when they feel uncomfortable, and everyone does it. My father, my homeroom teacher in the third grade, etc.

After that, I continued to rant at him for a few minutes about things like "screw you" and "do you think I'm stupid?" I continued to yell at him for a few minutes.

The owner pulled back his mocking expression and apologized profusely, saying "I'm sorry, I'm sorry".

He was completely cowed. He was pathetic. He was just like me before I died.

When I stopped screaming, the owner pulled out a wooden box from under the counter.

I opened the box. Inside were several ornaments, including a necklace and a wristband.

"Weapons might cost a little more, but you can get one for five gol."

He lays out the items, looking at my face.

"First of all, this necklace, if you equip it, it will slightly increase the speed of magic chanting."

I don't need it because I don't have much power for magic.

"This one is a necklace that slightly increases your arm strength."

All I've been seeing for a while now is only a slight effect. I don't need this one either.

"This is the bracelet that dims the user's noise.

This bracelet slightly improves eyesight, and that's about all you can get for five gol."

I don't need a necklace that increases my chanting speed.

The increase in arm strength is also subtle. By process of elimination, it comes down to sight or sound reduction. Which should I choose?

As I was wondering, I suddenly noticed something in the box.

Perhaps noticing my gaze, the shopkeeper pulls out a ring.

"Oh, that's not magic equipment. It's a cursed equipment."

Cursed equipment? Rothfeldt didn't remember that.

"It's basically the same as magic equipment, but if you use it, you'll be cursed.

The ring has to be worn on the finger for it to be effective. It is said that if you put it on, you can cast magic without chanting and the effect will increase. But at the cost of losing the ring, the curse of the ring will cause the finger to disappear after one shot. In addition, the curse will also increase the pain."

The item that is so powerful but comes at a steep price is cursed equipment? It seems to be called something else on the human side.

It's useful. This looks pretty useful.

"Ring, how much?"

The owner looks surprised.

"Hey, did you hear what I said? I'm telling you that if you use it, it'll blow your fingers off. There were a few idiots like you who were blinded by the effect. They fired one shot and came back to return it."

"I won't return it, sell to me for 1 gol."

The owner sighed and put the ring on the counter.

"....All right. Do what you want. So? You want just this one?"

I was torn between either of the two bracelets, but I decided to go with the reduced-sounding one.

I pointed to the bracelet and placed the 6 gol. on the counter.

The shopkeeper confirms the price and then offers the item.

I put the ring on the pinky finger of my right hand and the bracelet on my left wrist.

Having finished with my business, I bade the owner a quick farewell and left the store.

Leaving the store, I turned my attention to the castle.

But, cursed equipment...?

I lightly touch the ring. It feels like a normal ring to the touch.

In terms of pain, it's not a problem, since I'm pain-resistant....

I wondered if it would stick to my finger if it was shredded. That was my only worry.