Chapter 189 – Part 1

Translation: Charlotte
Editor: Weasalopes

When I logged in it was just 6 am.

Well, I was awake until pretty late the night before.

I summoned Bunraku and got him to make a simple meal out of jerky and bread.

After finishing my meal in a bit of a hurry, I recalled Bunraku.

The beach was close to the port towns.

It wouldn’t take too long to walk there either.

I summoned Volff, Helix, Ninetails, Tigris, and Loewe.

I would probably switch them out again soon, but I summoned them just in case.

Just having them summoned contributed to their experience gain, after all.

「Well, let’s get going.」

Whispering to myself, I arrived at the port town Regia.

There I found some meat.

There was enough flour and seasoning too

Nias could catch more fish in the sea.

What I had to stock up on were vegetables.

The town was bustling from the morning.

There were no shopkeepers yelling in the streets, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were.

I found a player-run stall and bought some vegetables.

While I was at it…

I looked around for weapons, armour, and tools too.

I was mostly concerned about my Needlefish Spear.

It had a high piercing power, and it was light and easy to use, but it tended to break way too easily.

Could I get a proper light spear…?

It looked like the answer was no.

I realised I could tell apart the different kinds of spears without using【Appraise】.

The long spears would be difficult to use.

「Huh? Is that you, Keith?」

As I was looking for spears in a weapons shop, I heard a voice.

Who was it?

I felt like I’d seen that face before…

Wait, not the face.

The armour.

A fishing net was over his shoulder.

A Fisherman?

「Sorry. My name is Muneo. I’m one of the fishermen you fought against at the tournament.」

「Ah, one of the three players fighting in the front?」

「That’s right. I was the one at the lowest level.」

Ooh.

It was tougher to recognise him without his helmet.

His build looked normal.

But it was not so with his equipment.

He had a harpoon in one hand.

It looked like a good, light weapon, but the tip was made of metal.

It looked like he would have a good knowledge of the place.

We moved into an alley, and chatted for a bit.

「Natural materials for a spear or a harpoon?」

「Yeah, Needlefish Jaws are too brittle.」

「Ah, you have a good point there… Swordfish are definitely the most popular option.」

「Do you have anything else in mind?」

「Hmm… Not really, at least for now. They’re really one of a kind, even compared to beltfish or sawsharks.」

I knew it.

Nias’s spear definitely seemed very popular.

I would love to get more.

「You know how I could get more of those? I would love to have even just one more.」

「They are super popular, though… I think Jouji and Jirou had one each?」

Oh!

I had to press him further.

「Wait. Speaking of which, you came here to hunt in the coast, yes?」

「Well, more or less. I wanted to train some skills.」

「How are your titles doing? Have you gotten Sea Monster Vanquisher?」

「I got it pretty recently…」

「Alright…」

Muneo suddenly started whispering.

Huh?

「Are you free after this?」

「Huh?」

「I might be able to make something happen for you.」

It didn’t feel too suspicious, so I tagged along.

Where were we headed?

A wharf extending into the sea.

The smell of the sea was everywhere in the port town, but it was even stronger at the wharf.

Small boats lined my right and left.

But I didn’t pay much attention to them.

We were heading towards one of the bigger boats.

Inside were two other players.

They were all fishermen.

None of them were wearing armour.

One of them was even shirtless.

They looked like sailors through and through.

「Oh! If it isn’t Muneo!」

「I got him, Jirou!」

Muneo got on the boat and greeted everyone.

There were actually two more players in the boat.

「Oh, Muneo! Hate to rush, but let’s get going!」

「Ah, but before that, it looks like you brought a strange person with you?」

Their gazes fell on me.

「Huh?」

「What?!」

「As you all know we’re going to clear the island. I don’t think we’re going to be able to do it on our own, but with him…?」

They looked at one another.

「Good point.」

「No complaints about his fighting power.」

「He’s stronger than all of us combined, after all.」

They nodded at one another.

「Ah, but are you sure he’ll be able to do it?」

「He’s already gotten the Sea Monster Vanquisher title. Right?」

Muneo looked at me.

Yep.

I replied with just a nod.

「Wait. What about【Swim】and【Dive】?」

「Ah.」

「Did you forget to ask him about that!?」

Jirou lightly slapped Muneo’s head.

If he had a paper fan, he probably would have used it to hit Muneo.

「I do have【Swim】and【Dive】though….?」

「What?!」

「Ah, umm, that’s great.」

Jirou put Muneo in a head-lock.

It really looked like they were glad to have me on board.

I was grateful for the opportunity to chat too.

Apparently, a new cave was found on an island in E2. They called the island the “Demon Island”.

The challenges in the cave had not been cleared yet.

Apparently, two routes had to be cleared simultaneously in order to clear the branch as a whole.

That was the reason Muneo talked to me in the first place.

With their team on one side, and myself in another branch, we could theoretically clear the branch together.

Well, that was their plan.

But there were some difficulties in putting it into motion.

There was that underground lake in the cave, after all.

I did have a pretty vivid memory of the place.

「Is your DEX stat and【Swim】level at 20 or more?」

「Yep.」

「What about your DEX stat and your【Dive】level?」

「It’s somehow at over 20.」

「Great. That’s perfect!」

Muneo suddenly looked very excited.

All while he was in a head-lock.

Muneo lightly beat the top of his head, and then let him go.

「Would it be okay for us to work together here? Of course, we’ll be sure to make it up to you.」

「Sure.」

Why not.

I was honestly interested.

I formally introduced myself to everyone.

They were all part of the team I fought at the tournament.

Three fishermen, Jouji, Jirou, and Muneo.

A Treasure Hunter girl named Suzuran.

A hunter named Kunou, and a sorcerer named Mikhailov.

Everyone else beside the fishermen were using bows.

They also went and gave me the reward beforehand?

It was this:

【Material】Swordfish Horn　Raw Material　Grade C+　Rarity 4　Weight 0+

The horn of an Assault Swordfish, which grows out from its head.

The tip is sharp, and suited to piercing.

It is quite sturdy.

While we were waiting to depart, I quickly fashioned it into a spear.

Well, I just cut down a Hell’s Latch and stuck the tip into it.

I used【Shape】on obsidian rocks to keep the tip in place.

That was all.

【Weapon: Spear】Swordfish Spear+　Grade C+　Rarity 4

AP+15　M・AP+0　Power 3　Weight 2　Durability 200

Attack Hit Rate Increase [Slight]

A spear with a Swordfish Horn as its spearhead.

There is no blade and therefore cannot be used for cutting.

The shaft is a Capture Rod of Torture, and so does not contribute to magic casting.

It is light and easy to handle for its size.

While slight, it has a slight boost to accuracy.

Oh!

It looked like a good item.

I pulled up a Needlefish Spear to compare.

【Weapon: Spear】Needlefish Spear+　Grade C+　Rarity 5

AP+23　M・AP+0　Power 0+　Weight 1+　Durability 100

Causes continuous damage upon piercing [Slight]

A spear with a spearhead made out of a Needlefish Jaw.

It cannot cut like a knife, and the blade is brittle.

It is light and easy to handle for its size.

Has high piercing power, and can deal additional damage upon piercing.

Yep.

Beyond its low durability value, the Needlefish Spear just looked very brittle.

For the time being, I could use them alternatingly?

Depending on the situation, I could swap with Nias’s spear too.

We left at 8:10 am.

I changed up my Summon Monster team for the occasion.

Helix, Obsidian, and Heather to watch the skies.

Along with Ninetails and Nias.

Well then, should we get going?