Author Notes:
Sorry for posting so late. I have… A few IRL problems and also kind of burnt out from writing. And to put the cherry on top, I have a Pre-University Course that I have to attend in a few months. To conclude it, I'm stressed AF. So I decided to focus on other stuff than writing. Like touching grass and watching "Canon Event" memes. All in all, that helps a little, but not too much.
Anyways, I might post CH 10 in a few weeks. And I'm still writing CH 11. If I can get it done before the course starts, I'll post it and "maybe" went on a indefinite hiatus for a while. In any case, thanks to everyone who decided to keep reading this dumpster fire, wet dream FanFic of mine. Hope you can keep enjoying it.
CH 9: Plants and Accessories
" Yawn* Seems like Ivaran has woken up before me." Tomori wakes up from his sleep. He changed his dagger to the revolver. He then goes to the bathroom to wash his face. After that, he wears his armor and heads out of the room.
He walked downstairs and went to the eating area. He picked up a plate and chose the food that he wanted to eat. After he finished choosing, he took a seat at an empty table and started eating.
"Seems like you have awakened as well, Blade Hero." Audrey said as she took a seat at the table that Tomori was sitting at with a plate of food on her hand.
"Just call me Tomori."
"Alright then, Tomori." Audrey said. "So what are we going to do today?"
"Hmm…" Tomori thought that it would be a good idea to do some trades. But then he remembered that she had given him a lot of gold coins for life. "Maybe I could do the trades to build up my reputation before the queen returns. Or maybe I could fix my reputation myself since the queen STILL hasn't arrived."
"So, what will we do?" Audrey asked?
Then, Tomori thought of a great idea. "Say, you said that you are an adventurer, right?"
"Yes."
"Can I follow you to the guild so that you can accept a quest for me?"
"Why can't you accept the quests yourself?"
" Sigh* The accusation, remember? And also, this country hates me." Tomori explained.
"Oh yeah, I forgot. And I wonder why wouldn't you leave this country if it treated you badly?" Audrey asked.
"It's because I'm going to be hunted by some religious nutjob for 'attempting' to escape my duties as a hero. So I'm waiting for the queen to return so that she can demolish all of this bullsh*t that's happening around me."
"I see…" Audrey can help him now by calling a few help from Armorian, but doing that could lead to war. So she threw the idea out the window. "Okay then, I'll help you out."
"Great! We'll depart to the Guild in Castle Town after Ivaran finishes with his shadow training."
"And here we're." Tomori said while his face was covered by a hood. Ivaran also covered his head with a hood. "Let's head inside."
The three of them went inside the Guild. Tomori tries to be as less sus as he could. Tomori then read the quest board.
"Hmm…" He plucked a paper from the board. "This quest here wanted us to bring dozens of herbicides to the Solime Village. Nothing could go wrong with this quest. The payment is also quite high."
Tomori handed the quest paper to Audrey so that she could accept the quest. She then returned back with the quest paper being accepted.
"Well… The problem is that I don't have any teleportation point that's closer to the village." Tomori explained.
"So, do we rent a carriage or do we walk there?" Ivaran asked.
"I have an idea. But first, let me craft the herbicides and store it in a crate."
"Ahh!!!" Ivaran is holding Tomori's body with his life on the line.
Right now, the three of them are riding Riri to the Solime Village. It takes them around a day to arrive there. So they stayed at a nearby village for a night and continued their journey.
"Stopped screaming, Ivaran. It's not that bad." Tomori said to calm him down.
"Can't we go slower?!" Ivaran asked.
"No can't do. We need to get there as soon as possible. And be like Audrey. She isn't even phased by this."
What they didn't know is that Audrey has faced something like this, but it's more terrifying than this.
"I can't believe that he managed to befriend a Spirit Beast. I think this is the first time that a Cardinal Hero has formed a contract with a Spirit Beast. Oh my, can't wait to tell Randy about this." Audrey thought to herself.
Riri then started running slowly.
"Tomori, I felt a life force from these vines on the ground." Riri said to him.
Tomori looks at the vines. It's slowly stretching forward and it never seems to stop. Up ahead, there's a camp with tall fences that's being covered by the vines.
"I wonder what would cause this." Ivaran said.
"I think I might know what happened here." Audrey said.
"Really? What is it?" Tomori asked her.
"I'm not sure if it's the same. How about we have a talk with someone in that camp? Maybe they know about it?" Audrey suggested.
"Okay then." Riri then rushed to the camp. When they arrived, all of them went down from Riri's body. "We have received a quest that said this village needs dozens of herbicides."
Then, an old looking man came near to Tomori.
"Oh, you're just in time. We need your help." He said to Tomori.
"Okay, but can you explain what happened here first?" Tomori asked.
"Oh, our village was suffering from famine due to the poor harvest. We seek help from the Shaft Hero. And he brings a seed called 'Miracle Seed' to us. It really helps us at first. However…"
"The 'Miracle Seed' turns into this mess?" Tomori said while pointing at the vines that's stretching forward. "What's this 'Miracle Seed' exactly?"
The old man explained that the seed is a master work of an alchemist from the past. And for whatever reason, the seed was sealed in a dungeon near the village. Past reports stated that the seed has grown large and the vines have overtaken the dungeon before.
"Hold on just a moment, if you already know this, then why did you use the seed either way?" Tomori asked.
But the old man can just look at the ground.
" Sigh* So had you asked for any help from the capital or something?" Tomori continued.
"Yes. But they said the heroes are busy as of now. So that's why we're using the herbicides to keep the vines away from here." The old man said.
"Heh! Too bad that I'm not a HERO that the capital can ask right now." Tomori thought to himself. "Can't you burn these vines?"
"We have tried everything that we could. But the vines still won't stop stretching."
"Is that so? And by the way, is there someone sick in that camp?" Tomori asked.
"Yes. Some of the vines even consumed some of the villagers."
"Hmm… Can I see them myself?"
"Sure, please follow me."
Tomori then follows the old man. Audrey also follows him as well.
"Ugh…"
There's a lot of people who have leaves sticking to their body. Audrey then went closer to Tomori.
"I think I know what this is."
"Really?"
"Yeah. The country where I'm from also has the same legends as this village. And I also know how to stop the vines from stretching further."
"I see… But first, let's handle these people first."
Tomori brings out two crates filled with herbicides. He then goes to the infected one by one so that he can heal them personally. As Tomori splashed the herbicide on their body, their body glows a little and the leaves start to withered and fall off from their body.
"Oh, I didn't expect that you're a healer as well." The old man said.
"I'm not a healer. But I have my own secrets to make people healthy. And the rewards please?"
The old man gave him a pouch filled with coins.
"AHHHHH!!!" An ear tearing scream can be heard from the village.
"And what's that?" Tomori asked.
"There are a few adventurers that wanted to increase their levels fighting the monsters inside the village. We tried to stop them, but they insisted on fighting the monsters there." The old man explained.
" Sigh* Monsters also come out from the seed as well." Tomori sighed as he can't believe that he had to handle this bullsh*t. "Considering waiting for the help that isn't going to come, how about me and my party handle this 'Miracle Seed' situation right here? But you need to pay for it."
"I understand…" The old man then gives Tomori another pouch filled with coins.
Okay then." Tomori turns to Audrey. He gave her a nod and both of them left the camp. "You guys, we're going to the village to take care of whatever comes out from the seed."
All of them get on top of Riri and she runs towards the village. Tomori also changed his revolver to the SoAII.
" Dual Blade!" The skill allows him to summon another weapon form that he has already mastered.
He summoned the revolver back to his left hand. The reason he does this is because the stats that he got when he uses Dual Blade is based on the original weapon. Since clearly that SoAII dominated in stats, he chose to equip it as the original weapon.
Blade-Volver II (Crimson) [Awakened[4[V[Great] Ability Unlocked:
Equip Bonus: Eyesight Up, Night Vision Up, Accuracy 10
Special Effect: Element Transmission, Howl of Wolf, Magic Assistance, Magic Bullet, Mana Bullet (Strong), Charge Bullet (Strong), Magic Attack Up (Strong), MP Consumption Reduction (Intermediate), SP Consumption Reduction (Weak)
Mastery Level: 100
Weapon Synthesis: Long Rope, Grappling Hook
Item Enchantment Level 15: Magic Attack 24%
Status Enchantment: 100 MATK
He also checked the SoAII stats.
Sword of Absorver II (Crimson) [Awakened[9[VII[Excellent] Ability Unlocked:
Skill: Reflect Blade, Switchblade
Special Effect: Element Transmission, Magic Unison, Howl of Wolf, Magic Assistance, Element Slash (Extra Strong), Element Slash Rush (Strong), Magic Attack Up (Extra Strong), Magic Defense Up (Extra Strong), MP Recovery (Medium), HP Recovery (Medium), SP Recovery (Low)
Mastery Level: 100
Accessory Equip Effect: Thousand Blades
Weapon Synthesis: Long Rope
Item Enchantment Level 25: SP 41%
Eclipse Minotaur Spirit Counter: MATK 100, MDEF 100
Status Enchantment: 100 MDEF
"Thanks to the ores that Audrey gave me, I can power up these weapons. And it's weird that none of the methods failed when I did it. I guess the Luck stats do contribute." Tomori stored the weapons on his waist.
"Okay then." All of them arrived at the village. Tomori saw a huge *ss tree at the center of the village. "We'll prioritise saving the adventurers first. Then we handle that tree, get it?"
"Okay!" All of them said. Riri then enters Tomori's body. All of them move out to save the adventurers.
"Ah!!!" An adventurer is about to be attacked by a plant monster. But Ivaran gets between them and blocks the plant from attacking the adventurer.
"Please get out of here!" Ivaran said to the adventurer.
"Ye-Yes!" He then ran off, passing both Tomori and Audrey.
" Sigh* Is it me or this country's adventurers are pretty hopeless?" Tomori then pulls his sword and revolver out. "Let's try this revolver out."
Tomori points the revolver towards the plant monster. Using the Mana Bullet (Strong) effect, he shot the monster.
Blast* Blast* Blast*
The shots hit the monster, but it doesn't deal as much damage that Tomori had expected. Rather, the revolver works more like a stun gun.
"Why do my low magic stats always make things not fun for me?"
Blast* Blast* Blast* Blast*
Audrey then blasts the plant monster using her revolvers. She clearly deals a lot more damage than Tomori. The monster then falls to the ground.
"Well, as expected. She's level 68. Of course her attacks deal a lot of damage."
Tomori then goes to the fallen monsters and absorbs its parts.
Weapon Form Unlocked!
Mandrake Sword [Normal] Ability Locked:
Equip Bonus: Plant Analysis
Mastery Level: 0
"Hmm… It has a Plant Analysis equip bonus. And the monster's name is…" Tomori opens up his status to check the monster's name.
Variant Plant
Mandrake
Flytrap
"Variant Plant is the name of that tree there. So that means if we destroy that tree, these monsters roaming around the village will die." Tomori turns to Audrey. "You said that you know how to stop it, right? Care to tell me how?"
"You just need to pour some herbicide on the tree. Then it will withered down and all of the monsters and vines will withered with it as well. I suggest that you should go there and pour the herbicide yourself since it is clearly more effective if you do it yourself." She replied.
"Gotcha. But there's a lot of plants here. Especially around the tree. We need to cut the numbers down first. Make sure you guys don't get affected by those plants." Tomori said to Ivaran and Audrey.
"Okay!" Both of them replied.
"Alright then. Let's do this, Riri." Tomori said to the Spirit Beast within his body.
"Okay!"
" Spirit Union: The Crimson Wolf!"
Tomori entered his Union Phase. Thanks to his enhanced senses, he is able to detect the plants around him. He then ran off to fight the plants.
Blast* Blast* Blast*
He shot the plants around him. Unlike before, the shots deal much more damage when he's in Union Phase.
" Tornado Edge!" He then uses the sword to activate a skill. The stunned plants instantly died from the skill. "Oh wow, I like fighting like this."
"Hah!" Ivaran bash his shield to the plant. For the past week, he had trained himself to use his shield offensively. He then kicked the plant so it would fall to the ground.
Blast* Blast*
Audrey then finishes off the fallen plant.
"Thank you." Ivaran said to her.
"No need to. We're a party, right? And also, I think it's better for you to use a sword with that shield. Or maybe I can lend you one of my Blast-Volver." Audrey suggested to him.
"No thanks. I'm a shielder. A shielder's job is to protect. That's what Tomori told me." Ivaran replied.
"If you said so. Then can you assist me?" Audrey asked.
"With pleasure." Ivaran then stood in front of her so that he could cover her from being attacked by the plants. A combination of a shielder and marksman should be feared.
" Blast* Blast* Strike Edge!" Tomori has gotten used to fighting with a sword and revolver. "Let's try this Charge Bullet effect."
Tomori held the revolver's grip tightly. The muzzle of the revolver then started glowing red.
Blast*
He shot one of the plants. The plant that got shot instantly exploded from the blast.
"It's too bad that it needed to be charged again. How about the Magic Bullet?"
Tomori quietly cast a spell. Then, the revolver's muzzle started glowing.
" All Low Chain Lightning V!"
Tomori shot the magic at one of the plants. The lighting travels through all of the plants that near the target. All of the plants fell to the ground.
"It seems like the spell is stronger because it has been concentrated by the effect. And the way has been cleared."
Tomori went closer to the tree.
"!!!"
The tree let out a screech. There's a rafflesia with an eye on the tree. The tree's leaves were covered with seeds. The vines around the tree started violently thrashing as its senses Tomori near it.
Blast* Blast* Slash*
Tomori started blasting and slashing the vines that tried to hit him.
"Tomori, below you." Riri said to him.
Tomori then felt vines start wrapping his legs. He tried to cut the vines. Another vines came to warped his right hand, preventing him from cutting the vines. The vines also warped Tomori's left hand. So now he can't blast the vines off. Few seconds later, his whole body was warped by the vines.
"Tomori!" Ivaran yelled as he bash the plants in front of him. He then turned to Audrey. "We need to help him!"
"No need to." She replied.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Just see for yourself." Audrey said to Ivaran.
The vines started wrapping Tomori tightly.
"Heh, you think you have won, plant?" The red particles that coated Tomori's body started glowing brightly. Tomori uses his strength to release his right hand from the vines. He cut the vines on his left arm. He then started blasting the vines that wrapped around his body. He gets closer to the tree.
"I knew something like this wouldn't even faze someone like you. General would be happy if one of the Cardinal Heroes is this strong." Audrey thought as she blasted the plants surrounding her and Ivaran.
Tomori pulled out a herbicide from his inventory using his left hand. He opened the potion's cork using his thumb and poured the herbicide onto the tree's roots.
"!!!" The tree let out a screech as it withered. The plants also stopped moving and fell to the ground. Few seconds later, the seeds started falling to the ground.
"We need to make sure that the seeds don't get near to water. Or it will grow again." Audrey shouted at Tomori.
"Got it! Unite Out!" Tomori turns off Dual Blade, which makes the revolver disappear. He then crafted a few large baskets. "Collect the seeds and store them here. After that, I TP us back to the camp. The villagers can clean this mess themselves."
All of them started throwing the seeds inside the baskets. Tomori took an opportunity to absorb one of the seeds.
Weapon Form Unlocked!
Variant Plant Sword [Normal] Ability Locked:
Equip Bonus: Seed Modification
Special Effect: Hook
Mastery Level: 0
"Hmm…" Tomori changed to the sword and inspected the seed.
Variant Seed
Propagation: 9
Production: 9
Vitality: 9
Immunity: 4
Intelligence: 1
Growth: 9
Mutation: 9
"I should check things tomorrow after I unlock the Plant Analysis ability." Tomori changed his weapon to the Mandrake Sword. After they finished collecting the seeds, Tomori stored the baskets inside his Inventory. He then teleported to the camp.
Tomori decided to stay at the camp for the night. Both him and Ivaran are already sleeping. Audrey, on the other hand, tries to contact her companion.
"Randy, can you hear me?" She said to the communication device.
"…Loud and clear. It's been almost four days since you left Armorian. What report do you have for me?" Randy asked her.
"Well, for starters, the Blade Hero has formed a contract with a Spirit Beast."
"Spirit Beast? Contract? I thought the Spirit Beast didn't get near humans due to them not having a strong connection with the Earth Vein. That's the reason why the Spirit Beast always chooses the elves as their contractor because their connection is strong with the Earth Vein." Randy said.
"I thought the same too. Which means this Blade Hero here is special. I saw it with both of my eyes. This guy here has the potential like the past Blade Heroes who fought alongside Armorian centuries ago." Audrey explained to him.
"I see… Seems like my instinct is correct on this one." Randy said. "Is there anything else?"
"Yeah. Apparently, the Blade Hero wanted his companion to have a class up. But this country wouldn't allow it."
"That's what I expect from Welle, the country that hated the Blade Hero for no reason at all. Have you suggested that he take a class up at another hourglass?"
"Yes. But he said that he will be hunted by the church if he gets out of this country."
"Darn it! If that's the case then, you have to deal with the church first. I would ask the Grand Armorer permission to send me and my squad to assist you, but the probability of war starting is also high." Randy said with an annoyed tone. But then he remembered something. "Oh yeah, I met with one of the royalty of Welle when we fought in a wave yesterday."
"What? Really?"
"Yeah. She said that she's going to meet the king so that he can lift off the unfair treatment to the Blade Hero. You can expect her to meet with the Blade Hero anytime soon. Okay then, I got something to do right now. Be safe there, okay?"
"I will." Audrey said.
"Alright then. Captain Randolf, over and out." The communication device turned off.
" Sigh*" Audrey sighed. "Maybe I can invite the Blade Hero to Armorian after this whole fiasco is over."
"Hmm? Is there someone there?" A voice said.
"Oh sh*t-" Audrey quickly hid the communication device. Few seconds later, Tomori comes over while rubbing his eyes.
" Yawn* Oh, it's you." Tomori said to her. "You haven't slept yet? It's pretty late now."
"I'm about to sleep now. Why do you wake up?" Audrey asked.
"I woke up to pee. When I wanted to go back to my tent, I heard someone speaking. I followed the voice and here I am. Who are you speaking to?"
"Myself! Yes, it motivates me to do things tomorrow." Audrey answered him.
"Oh…" Tomori thinks that's weird. But he ignored that weird behaviour. "Okay, I'm going back to my tent. Make sure you get enough sleep."
"I will."
Tomori then left Audrey alone.
"Ah… I almost got found out. Wait, that can be a good thing. Especially if he knows that I wanted to help him in the beginning. Oh well, I guess I have the right time to tell him."
Audrey then returned to her tent and went to sleep.
"Okay then, let's see if this works." Tomori changed his Mandrake Sword to the Variant Plant Sword. He applied some methods on the weapon.
Variant Plant Sword [Awakened[III[Normal] Ability Locked:
Equip Bonus: Seed Modification
Special Effect: Hook, Seed Modification Reform Up, Seed Modification Variation Up, Seed Modification Quality Up
Mastery Level: 10
Tomori then checks the seed stats that he pulled out from his inventory.
Variant Seed (Tomangerine)
Propagation: 9
Production: 9
Vitality: 9
Immunity: 4
Intelligence: 1
Growth: 9
Mutation: 9
Special Effect: Creation of Variant Seeds after drying, Range of Mutation Up
"Tomangerine? What's that? A tomato that tastes like an orange?" He thought to himself. "Let me tweak that a little."
Variant Seed (Tomangerine)
Propagation: 4
Production: 15
Vitality: 6
Immunity: 4
Intelligence: 1
Growth: 15
Mutation: 1
Special Effect: Fruit Quality Up, Fruit Taste Quality Up
Tomori makes a couple more seeds with the same modification. Ivaran then gets near Tomori, wondering why he is kneeling down on the ground.
"Tomori, what are you doing?"
"Oh, Ivaran. Nothing much. I'm just tweaking this seed right here to be safer."
"Really? Do you think that it will be safe?"
"I hope so."
"What do you mean by that?"
Tomori ignored him. He then dug a small hole in the ground and put the seed inside of it. He then closes the hole and pour some water on the ground using a vial of water that he pulled out from his Inventory.
"Oh!"
Slowly but surely, the plants started to branch out from the ground. It forms into a thick and short palm tree. A lot of Tomatoes are hanging between the tree's leaves.
"Never seen tomatoes grown on a tree like this tree before. Isekai are weird AF."
Tomori then plucks a fruit from the tree and takes a bite of it.
"Hmm… It tastes like a tomato and orange at the same time. Need to get used to this kind of flavour."
"W-What are you doing?" A villager asked as he saw the tree. A few villagers then started gathering around Tomori.
"I have reformed this seed so that it becomes safer than usual. But the downside is that you need to watch for it constantly or this plant here will withered and die." Tomori finished off the Tomangerine in his hand and gave some of the seeds that he had modified to the old man. "This could at least help you guys to fight off the famine. Make sure you take care of the plants properly. You can use the leftover herbicide if the plants start acting weird or anything."
"Thank you so much for your generous gift, Adventurer." The old man said. "May I know what your name is?"
"Me? I'm just a passing through adventurer that goes by the name Crimson Ridder. Remember that." That line sounds cool in his head. But not IRL. But it can boost his reputation up if the people know that he's the Blade Hero.
"Well then, Sir Crimson, is there any way that we can repay you back?" The old man asked.
"Meh. Don't need to." Tomori received a lot of coins from them and he also got a lot of those Variant Seeds. He doesn't need anything left from them.
"Still, you have done a lot for us. We can't let you leave without repaying you. Oh! How about…"
"Few baskets of those Tomangerines… Seems like we're on full stock of food for a while." Tomori mutters to himself as he, Ivaran and Audrey are riding Riri. "Eating the same thing everyday can get queasy. Maybe I can make something like a pie or pudding from these fruits."
"Where are we going next?" Ivaran asked.
"Hmm… Do you have any suggestions, Audrey?" Tomori turns to her.
"Well… There's a merchant town along this road here. There's also a Merchant Guild there. You might want to check that out." She replied.
"Okay then. You heard her, right Riri?"
Riri then followed the directions of the road that Audrey told. During that time, Tomori opened his status and decided to modify some seeds.
"Tomori, I saw something in front of the road." Riri said to him.
"Huh?" Tomori checks what's in front of him. Tomori has great eyesight if he focuses on what he's seeing. "That seems like a carriage. Why would it stop in the middle of the road? Riri, can you get closer to the carriage?"
"Okay." She then ran towards the carriage. As they get closer, Tomori can see there's a few armed guys surrounding a short fat man wearing quite fancy clothes.
"Can you stop now, Riri?" She immediately stopped. Tomori then gets off her body. As he does it, Ivaran and Audrey also get off her body.
"What's the matter?" Ivaran asked.
"Seems like those guys that surround the fat man were bandits." Tomori said to them.
"I see… Do you want to ambush them?" Audrey asked.
"That's the plan. But first, can you go inside me, Riri? Your big figure is going to make them notice you." Tomori said to his Spirit Beast. Riri then silently went inside his body. "Okay, Ivaran, do you know any spells that can make yourself invisible?"
"Yeah." He replied.
"Good," Tomori also has spells that can turn anyone invisible. But Ivaran's Dark affinity would be suited more for this kind of spell. "I'm going to confront the bandits. Both of you will be invisible while I'm doing that. On my signal, both of you engage those bandits? Is that clear?"
Both of them replied with a nod.
"Then let's get started."
Ivaran cast an invisibility spell on Audrey and himself. Tomori then walked over to the fat man and bandits. He changed his sword to SoAII and activated Dual Blade to summon his revolver. He covered his body with the cloak so that his weapons would be hidden.
"Look man, just give us the goods. If you do that, we will let you walk out here with your life." A bandit who seems to be the leader said.
"But I have already given everything to you!" The fat man replied.
"Heh! I know someone like you had something valuable hidden somewhere. Just hand it over while we're asking for it nicely."
"Umm… What's happening here?" Tomori said while he moved closer to the fat man. He softens his tone and makes an innocent expression to fool the bandits. "If this really works, then the bandits are dumb AF."
"Oh man, what a lucky day! To think that we caught another prey." The leader said.
"W-What?! Your guys are bandits?!" Tomori said while acting scared. "There's around 15 bandits. If they haven't had their class up, this would be a piece of cake.
"Hahaha! That's right!"
"P-Please don't hurt me! I'll give everything that I have right now!" Saying things like this makes Tomori cringe at himself. "Seems like being an actor isn't my thing."
"Seems like you know what situation that you're in. Take that guy's belongings." The leader ordered his henchmen to take Tomori's stuff. Tomori then charges his revolver.
"Hand me your stuff." The bandit who stood in front of Tomori said.
"Y-Yes! I will!" Tomori let his hands out from the cloak, showing both of his hands holding his weapons. He then pointed the charging gun at the bandit while smirking at him. "Just kidding~"
Blast*
Tomori shot the bandit. The bandit gets sent flying back by the blast. But it doesn't kill him. He just passed out.
"What-"
"Hah!" Ivaran then bashed his shield to one of the bandits, knocking him out instantly.
Blast* Blast* Blast*
Audrey then shot two bandits with her revolvers. The two bandits also get knocked out by the blast.
The bandits then regroup and pull out their weapons. Both Ivaran and Audrey regroup back with Tomori.
"Oh my~ Do you think I'm dumb enough to not recognise what bandits looked like?" Tomori said to the bandit leader.
"Do-Don't think that you already won! You just caught us by surprise! We have a class up bodyguard! Sensei, it's your turn to strike!" The leader said.
A man with a katana on his waist comes out from the bandit group. He then pulled out his katana from its scabbard.
"Oh, good to know! Low Lightning V!" Tomori uses Magic Bullet to shoot his spell using the revolver. It hit the katana guy and he fell down to the ground. Some of the bandit's face started to pale. "Okay guys, let's rumble!"
Tomori, Ivaran and Audrey rushed to the bandits.
" Tornado Edge!" Tomori uses his sword to attack the bandits.
"Argh!"
Some of the bandits fall to the ground after getting hit by the skill.
"Hah!" Ivaran blocked a few bandits' attacks.
Blast* Blast* Blast*
Tomori and Audrey use their revolver to shoot the bandits that Ivaran is holding with his shield.
"Come here you!" A bandit tried to attack Audrey.
She then stabbed the bandit's shoulder using the bayonet on her Blade-Volver and started shooting the bandit until he was knocked out.
"Grr!"
Clang*
Tomori and the bandit leader's swords clash with each other.
"Wait… That red sword… You're the Blade Demon?!" The leader shouted.
"Damn straight! I'm surprised that no one knows me considering that I'm the only person in this country that wears a lot of red clothing." Tomori muttered to himself.
"What are you talk-"
Blast* Blast*
Tomori blasted the leader using the revolver on his left hand. Tomori then blew the smoke that came out from the revolver's muzzle.
" Cough* Cough*" While he blew the smoke, he accidentally inhaled some of it. This is the reason why he doesn't smoke. Because he sucks at inhaling. "Okay, you all. Let's tie them up before they wake up."
Tomori pulled some ropes from his Inventory and all of them started wrapping the bandits one by one. Tomori also took the chance to take every piece of equipment that the bandits had. He also copied the Katana.
Weapon Form Unlocked!
Magic Steel Katana [Normal] Ability Locked:
Skill: Rupture Slash
Mastery Level: 0
"Seems like a defence ignoring skill. This could be useful later on." Tomori stored all of the equipment into his inventory.
"Thank you so much, Blade Hero. If it wasn't for you and your party, I wouldn't know what they would do to me." The fat man said.
"No biggies. But I hope you don't expect us to do this for free." Tomori said to him.
"Of course, I would gladly pay you." Tomori thought that the fat man would get mad at him. "However, may I ask what are you going to do with the bandits?"
"Before that, can I ask who you are?"
"Oh, my name is Centric. I'm an accessory dealer." The fat man said.
"Okay then, Mr. Centric, what are you doing here in the first place?" Tomori asked.
"I'm supposed to deliver an order of accessories to a customer. Then all of the sudden, these bandits came out of nowhere and demanded that I give all of my belongings to them."
"I see…" Tomori looks at the carriage that he rides. It looks like a normal carriage that anyone has. "Does anyone else know that you're going to deliver those accessories to a customer?"
"Wait, are you suggesting that one of my subordinates sell me out?" Centric asked.
"Let's ask the bandits themselves." Tomori then gets closer to the bandits that had been tied up. "Ivaran, can you give me your shield?" Ivaran silently hands over his shield to Tomori.
Clang* Clang* Clang*
Tomori hit the shield using his sword to make a clanging noise to wake up the bandits. Some of them wake up from the clanging sounds.
"Alright then, questions for you guys. Who the hell sends you guys to mug this gentleman here?" Tomori asked the bandits.
"As if we'll tell you that!" The leader said after he fully wakes up. "We never betray our client!"
"Seems like I was right. These guys were sent by someone. And I never thought that bandits have integrity in the first place. Or maybe they don't want to answer my question."
"Okay then," Tomori pulled a couple vials of water out from his inventory and splashed the bandits with it. "I guess you all can f*cking died." Tomori then charges his revolver.
"I know bandits like you guys know what happens if someone wet gets struck by electricity, right?" Tomori said as he pointed his revolver to one of the bandits that's soaking wet. All of the bandits started panicking. They know what's happening right now. "You know, I can give you guys 10 seconds to say whatever you wanted before I killed you off."
"Audrey-san, should we stop Tomori?" Ivaran asked the female marksman.
"No need to. He isn't going to kill them. He's just bluffing." She replied to him.
"Really?"
"I mean, have you ever seen him kill anyone before?" Audrey asked Ivaran.
"Not that I have seen him doing that in front of me."
"Well, you don't need to worry about it. Tomori doesn't seem to be a person who will kill everyone he sees."
"Yeah, I think you are right." Ivaran knows that Tomori's method may seem to be crossing the line, but he had never resorted to killing anyone.
"10… 9… 8…" Tomori started counting.
"Hey! You're a hero, aren't you?!" The leader yelled at Tomori.
"7… 6… 5…"
"You surely wouldn't commit murder, right?!""
"4… 3… 2…" Tomori readied himself to pull the trigger. "1-"
"It was Gibson! He's the one who told us to mug Centric!" The leader yelled. "He charged us 30 gold coins for the job and said that we can keep everything that the merchant has!"
Blast*
Tomori shot the charged blast at the sky. The reason he does that is because he can't stop charging the revolver.
"You know this 'Gibson' guy, Mr. Centric?" Tomori turned to him.
"Unfortunately, yes. He was my assistant in the Merchant Guild." Centric replied.
"Wait, that means you are the guildmaster at the Merchant Guild?!" Tomori exclaimed.
"Not the guildmaster, but I surely have an important role in the Merchant Guild." Centric explained.
"I see… Well, back to your original question, I can't give these bandits here to the guards. They likely would have arrested me instead of them." Tomori said as he scratched his chin. But he then got a great idea. He smiled wickedly, scaring off the bandits that were awake.
"Alright boys, bring all those goodies here." Tomori said to the bandits as they carried all of their possessions on their base near Tomori.
The great idea that Tomori had was to make the bandits lead them all to their base. As they got there, some of the bandits on the base tried to attack them. But Tomori and Audrey handle them pretty easily using their revolvers. Ivaran then went to disarm the bandits. After that, Tomori ordered them to bring out everything they had stolen to Tomori. Except for alcohol because Tomori doesn't drink.
"Hahaha! Look at all of this stuff! With all of this, I can either sell it or make use of them as materials for my methods." Tomori then let out a wicked smile, again.
"Is it me or are we ' the bandits' here?" Ivaran said as he watched over the bandits lift the crates.
"I know what you're feeling, but this is probably the best outcome. We stripped away all of their equipment. So it will take a while before they can rise up again." Audrey explained to him.
"I hope you're right about this."
Tomori then went over to Centric, who watched over the bandits carrying the crates with joy on his face.
"Well then, it's time for you to pay, Mr, Centric." Tomori said to him.
"To think even with all of this, you still don't want to do things for free. I'm impressed with your spirit, Blade Hero." Centric said while radiating the vibe of a person that Tomori didn't want to remember.
"Man, why does this guy right here remind me of the slave trader out of all of the people."
"Very well then, there's a lot of things that I can offer you, Blade Hero? What is it that you wanted from me?" Centric continued.
"What can you offer me?" Tomori asked.
"Maybe I can teach you how to craft accessories if you wanted to."
"Accessories, huh?" Tomori thought about it. The only accessory that he has right now is the Thousand Eye Ornament, which gives him the Thousand Blades skill which he can't use. The reason is that the skill SP cost is even higher than Demolition skills. Not only that, the skill range is super wide to the point that he is going to be hit by the skill itself. "I'm not essentially a great learner as I haven't had any experience with metalworking. Would you still be up to the task of teaching me?"
"Of course. No one started being good at everything they did. Experience takes time."
"I see… Well then, I guess I could take up that offer, Mr. Centric." Tomori said to him.
"Marvellous! And you're lucky that the place that I'm delivering my accessories are Miohus Village. I could use Mr. Terry workshop to teach you about accessories crafting." Centric said.
"Ah sh*t. What's my luck…" Tomori sighed. "Actually, I can teleport us directly to the Miohus Village."
"Oh wow, really?"
"Yeah. But your carriage can't be teleported. Oh wait, let me try something…" Tomori then got closer to Centric's carriage and held his sword in front of it. And to Tomori's surprise, the sword actually can absorb the carriage into his inventory. "Now I wonder what more abomination that this sword can absorb."
"Where's the carriage disappeared?" Centric asked Tomori.
"We heroes have an Inventory System. We can have an infinite amount of items inside our weapons. The only downside is that I don't know what the limit of items that I can store is and it's super hard to toggle the items due to me having a lot of different materials." He explained. "Why can't the weapons have a sorting system? It would make my life easier."
"I see… Being a hero has its advantages. As a merchant, I would like to have something like that as well. It would be easier to carry a huge luggage."
"I agree with you. But I don't think there's an Inventory Box somewhere around this world."
Audrey sweat profusely as she has that Inventory Box hidden by her poncho.
After the bandits finished giving Tomori all their possession, he teleported his party and Centric who joined his party to Miohus Village.
"Oh wow, we're really here in an instant." Centric said as he was amazed by it.
"Okay then, Imma put your carriage next to Terry's shop. So let's head there first."
All of them then walked to Terry's shop. As they arrived there, Tomori let out the carriage from his Inventory next to the shop. All of them then went inside the shop.
"Welcome! Oh, Centric! You arrived here earlier than usual." Terry said as he saw him.
"I got some help from this young man." Centric then moved to the sides, letting Terry see Tomori and his party.
"Ah, it's you." Terry said without any spirit at all.
Sigh*
Tomori just signed in disappointment.
"Actually, I was ambushed by bandits when I'm on the way here. They are the ones who saved me from them. If it weren't for them, the accessories you ordered might already have been stolen by the bandits." Centric explained.
"I see. Well then, can I have those accessories?"
Centric gets to the counter. He then put his sling bag on the counter. Terry checked what's inside the bag.
"Hmm… Okay. Here's the payment." Terry then handed over a pouch filled with coins to Centric.
"By the way, would you be kind enough for me to use your workshop? I have already made a promise to the Blade Hero to teach him how to craft accessories."
Terry looks at Tomori. He then turned back to face Centric.
"I guess I can. I don't have any order to make at the moment. But I need to make sure the Blade Hero doesn't break anything in my workshop. So I'm going to watch you teach him."
"Why did he assume that I'm going to break his stuff?" Tomori then turned to his party. "So, what will you guys do while I'm doing this?"
"I wanted to hone my shielding skills. Can I go to the forest near this village to train?" Ivaran asked.
"Yeah, you can. Just make sure that you won't get hurt while you train." Tomori said to him. Ivaran then replied with a nod. "How about you then, Audrey?"
"I'm going to the Inn first." She replied.
"Okay then."
Centric told Tomori everything that he needs to know on how to craft accessories. From the techniques to tools, everything was engraved inside Tomori's brain. It takes all of Tomori's will to not fall asleep during the lecture. Luckily, Riri is there inside Tomori to make sure that he won't fall asleep.
Centric then asked Tomori to make an accessory. Tomori wanted to make a ring as he thought that's an easy accessory to make. However, in order to make an accessory, you need to imbue magic to them so it would have an effect. And unfortunately, Tomori can't control the amount of magic he can imbue to an accessory. So the ring that he made ended up like this.
Azure Ring: Lightning Resistant Up (Large)
Quality: Crude
"The effect is good, but the quality is so sh*t that it will break the moment someone wears it."
Tomori could use EP to fix this problem, but it doesn't fix his magic imbuing skill.
"Hmm…" Centric inspect Tomori's ring that he just make. "From what I see, you didn't have any problems when you craft the ring. But it seems like you put too much magic into this ring, thus lowering it's quality and durability."
" Sigh* It's as expected. I don't have any experience with magic before. All the spells I learned will just exploded in my hands if I casted them." Tomori said as he sighed in disappointment.
"What do you mean by that? Back then, you can cast spells perfectly fine without any trouble." Centric said to him.
"Huh… I guess I could tell them. Riri, can you come out? But don't speak, just bark." Tomori said to his Spirit Beast.
"Okay." Riri then comes out from Tomori's body. Both Centric and Terry let out a gasp.
"Met Riri, the Spirit Beast that formed a contract with me." Tomori said.
"Wuf!"
"Spirit Beast?!" Terry exclaimed. "This is the first time I heard that a Spirit Beast chose a human as its contractor…"
Terry then gets closer to Tomori. He started to touch Tomori in various places.
"What are you doing?!" Tomori exclaimed as he was being touched by him.
"Hmm… Now I understand."
"Now I understand what?!" Tomori said as Terry finished 'molesting' him.
"It seems like your magic proficiency is almost the same as the elves. Maybe even stronger than the elves themselves. As expected from the heroes." Terry explained.
"So?"
"What I'm saying is that your body can't handle that kind of power. No matter how much you train to control your magic, you still can't control it. I guess it's thanks to the Spirit Beast that you can even cast a spell properly."
"I see…" Up until now, he has been able to cast his Lightning spells due to Riri's power. Without her, Tomori is only able to cast Support spells only. Now that he thinks of it, he wouldn't survive if it wasn't for the sword that stuck to his body. The very same sword that gives him a lot of trouble. " Sigh* This Cardinal Blade Weapon is really a double edged sword for me."
"So I can't really craft accessories like this, right?" Tomori asked.
"Yeah, but I think you can do something with ya Spirit Beast about this situation. I forgot what it's called. Ruin? Loosen? Revolution?" Terry continued to speak every word that rhymes with 'union'.
" Sigh* Riri." Tomori signals her to enter his body. He then chants quietly. " Spirit Union: The Crimson Wolf!" Tomori entered his Union Phase.
"Ah that's it! Union- What?!" Terry gasped as he saw Tomori in his Union Phase. "I thought that in order for a person to do that, they need to fully understand the Spirit Beast nature. How long have you been contracted to the Spirit Beast?"
"More than a week or so." Tomori said.
"A week?! When was the first time you did this Union thing?"
"Around a few minutes after doing the contract."
"Man… You're a weird fella."
"Rich coming from a guy who doesn't sell his stuff to a person he thought wasn't worthy of holding the stuff that he made." Tomori rolled over his eyes. "Anyways, let's try crafting an accessory when I'm like this. Can I, Mr. Centric?"
"Oh, yeah. Sure." So much had happened that Centric had just stayed silent for a while. "So what accessory do you want to make now?"
"Hmm…" Tomori thought about it. He then looked at his accessory that was attached to his sword gemstone. "I think I know what to make."
He took off the accessory from his sword and put it on the table. He then started inspecting the accessory closely.
"Yeah, I can do this."
He brings out some of his rare materials from his Inventory and starts working on his new accessory.
"I did it…"
Tomori said as he completed his new accessory. It's two red metal caps with shiny sparkles on the surface of the cap.
Shooting Stars Ornament
Quality: Good to Excellent
" Unite Out!" Tomori exits his Union Phase. He then felt very tired. This is the first time for a while that he was exhausted from Spirit Union. "I didn't know that imbuing magic into the accessory without ruining the quality and durability is this tiring."
Centric then inspected the new accessory that Tomori had made.
"This is a pretty good looking piece, Blade Hero. Though I don't understand how this design would attract the buyers."
"It's not for sale in the first place." Tomori takes the accessory and puts it on his sword gemstone.
Sword of Absorver II (Crimson) [Awakened[9[VII[Excellent] Ability Unlocked:
Skill: Reflect Blade, Switchblade
Special Effect: Element Transmission, Magic Unison, Howl of Wolf, Magic Assistance, Element Slash (Extra Strong), Element Slash Rush (Strong), Magic Attack Up (Extra Strong), Magic Defense Up (Extra Strong), MP Recovery (Medium), HP Recovery (Medium), SP Recovery (Low)
Mastery Level: 100
Accessory Equip Effect: Comet Wave Slash
Weapon Synthesis: Long Rope
Item Enchantment Level 25: SP 41%
Eclipse Minotaur Spirit Counter: MATK 100, MDEF 100
Status Enchantment: 100 MDEF
"Nice! An upgraded skill of Comet Slash. It means that skill will have a wider range compared to before and can hit multiple targets. The SP cost is pretty similar to Demolition skills as well."
Tomori put his sword back to his waist.
"If you practise even more, you could make better quality accessories in the future. I'm looking forward to that day, Blade Hero." Centric said as he patted Tomori's shoulder.
"Who do you think I am? Your apprentice?" Tomori thought to himself. "I guess that's all for accessory's making for today. I wanted to eat dinner and go to sleep."
Tomori stood up and left the workshop.
"Oh well, I guess I should go as well." Centric is the next one to leave the workshop.
The only one left in the workshop is Terry.
" Sigh* That Blade Hero… To think that a human like him possesses a strong magic power that the elves themselves. Such a shame that he can't control it without assistance from a Spirit Beast. I guess he's special in his own ways. But in no way I would let him touch my weapons."
Seems like Tomori isn't still worthy of handling Terry's weapons.
"Um… Ivaran?" Tomori asked him. Both of them are in the one of the room inside the Inn.
"Yes?" He replied.
"Why are your armor and shield so dirty?"
There's a lot of dark green and brown stain on Ivaran's armor and shield.
"Oh, I was ambushed by a group of monsters while training." Ivaran explained.
"So, you managed to escape the monsters?"
"No, I kill them off?" Ivaran boldly said.
"With just your shield?"
"Yeah. I took some inspiration from your fighting style and applied it so that I fight offensively."
"How can you take inspiration from someone who only uses a physical sword for around a month?" Tomori thought to himself. He knows that he's strong because of his high stats, his OP weapons and Riri. Not only that, apparently people in this country don't know how to fight properly. If he encountered someone as strong and skillful as Shina, he would definitely lose in a one-on-one duel. "I guess I need to actually learn swordsmanship from an expert if I want to improve. Sigh* What a pain in the *ss."
Tomori then lay down on his bed.
"Well then, I'm going to take a bath and head down for dinner." Ivaran said to Tomori.
"Mkay. I'm settled for today." Tomori pulled his blanket and went to sleep.
"Ugh… My head…" Tomori wakes up from his sleep. "Ow…"
He rubbed his head.
"I guess this is the consequence of sleeping too early… How many hours did I sleep for?"
Tomori wanted to get off from his bed. But he felt something warm next to his right arm.
"Huh?" He turned to the right and saw someone under the blanket. He lifted the blanket up. As he saw who's under the blanket, he put the blanket down back. He then leaves the bed and stands still beside the bed. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Tomori then rushed to Ivaran who's still sleeping.
"Ivaran! Ivaran!" He whispered loudly to him.
" Yawn* What is it, Tomori?" Ivaran said as he rubbed his eyes.
"Ivaran, did you let someone enter this room last night."
"Hmm… I did not." Ivaran replied. He's still sleepy.
"And how can you explain that to me?" Tomori points to his bed.
"Huh? Is there someone in your bed?" Ivaran asked.
"Yes! Can you check if you know her?"
"Okay…" Ivaran stood up from his bed and walked towards Tomori's bed. He lifted the blanket and his eyes widened. After a few minutes, he falls to the floor.
Thud*
"Ivaran!" Tomori rushed to him. "What happened?!"
Tomori roll Ivaran's body. And he saw that there's blood coming out from his nose.
" Sigh* You're not an anime protagonist, Ivaran." Tomori can't believe that the trope is real. "Oh yeah, I can ask Riri about it if she knows who that person is. Riri, can you hear me?"
Tomori waited for a reply from her. But it seems as if she didn't hear him.
"Riri, are you there? Are you sleeping or something?"
"Hmm… Yeah, I am." Riri's voice comes from the blanket.
"What?! Don't tell me that's-"
A girl around 150 cm with gray hair and red eyes peek outside the blanket. Not only that, she also has a wolf's ears and tails.
"What is it, Tomori?" The loli asked him.
"You're Riri?"
"Yeah. Who else could I be?"
"I think you should look for yourself…" Tomori brings out a small mirror from his Inventory and gives it to Riri.
"Hmm-What?! That's me?!" Riri exclaimed. "I look pretty cute though."
"What's with the change of personality? And wait a second…" Tomori looks at Riri's face. "Is it me or does her face look like mama's face when she was in her early teenage years??"
It's odd to Tomori that Riri's human form has a face that resembles his mother when she was a child.
"What? Is there something on my face, Tomori?" Riri asked him while raising her eyebrows.
"No. But… You realised that you're buck naked, right?"
"Oh yeah. I think I slipped off from your body while you're asleep yesterday. Let me return back to your body." Riri gets out from the blanket and walks towards Tomori.
Tomori instantly closed his eyes with his hand. "Don't get near me!"
"What's wrong? I'm just going to enter your body, Tomori." Riri said.
"I know, but not when you're naked!" Tomori was already deemed a rapist by this country. If someone sees this, that would concrete the fact he was indeed a rapist.
"There's nothing wrong with you seeing me naked, Tomori."
"Why do you think that's okay?!"
Then, someone comes inside the room.
"Hey, why are you guys shouting? You're going to disturb the other people-" It was Audrey. What she saw in front of her is Tomori closing his eyes with his hand, Ivaran lying on the ground while blood flowing from his nose and Riri who's naked. "Tomori?" Audrey said menacingly.
"Ah, what a pain in the *ss…"
Omake:
Inventory Limitations
"Ivaran." Tomori called his half-elf friend.
"Yes?"
"I always wondered what the limitations of my inventory is. Like, what kind of stuff that seems impossible to store but actually is possible."
"Why did you think of that?" Ivaran asked.
"I mean, I can insert a carriage into the Inventory. Which also means that I can absorb other stuff that's impossible to store. Like a house for example."
"Why do you want to store a house inside your Inventory?" Ivaran said while staring at Tomori like he's insane or something.
"Whenever you felt homesick, you can just pull your house from your Inventory. Simple as that."
"But would it not be practical? Like, isn't the house which is poorly structured going to break in pieces if you bring it out from the Inventory?"
"Hmm… You had a point. A house is too overkill. And also, the gemstone didn't react when I absorbed the carriage."
"What do you mean by that?" Ivaran asked.
"Usually, if I put a material of a weapon I didn't unlock near my gemstone, it would glow a bit. But it doesn't do that."
"Which means?"
"There's a lot of weapons that I have unlocked that came out of nowhere. For example," Tomori changed into his Pipe Sword. "This weapon here came out of nowhere when I absorbed a bunch of materials inside my gemstone. So that means there must be secret OP weapons that can be obtained through bizarre materials."
"So, how are you exactly going to achieve that?"
"Hmm… There's a lot of ways that I can do this. But the most bizarre materials I can think of right now is my *."
"… Your what now?" Ivaran is confused by what Tomori said just now.
"Yeah. If * isn't bizarre enough, then I don't know what other things are bizarre." Tomori then stood up. "Oh well, I'm going to the bathroom to test whether I'm right or not."
Tomori walked to the bathroom. Ivaran then look at Tomori's sword gemstone.
Glow* Glow* Glow*
The gemstone started glowing repeatedly, as if asking someone to stop Tomori from inserting that 'stuff' into the gemstone.
At that moment, the Holy Blade Weapon Spirit just saw the abomination that Tomori does to the sword. Luckily, this Omake isn't canon to the story. Tomori isn't crazy enough to do such a thing… Right?