New City!

◈

A few days after leaving Kellion.

Luna-noona and I arrived at a city with another Adventurer’s Guild besides Kellion.

A city that was the second most popular choice for adventurers leaving Kellion.

The so-called blacksmith’s city, Gallio.

Unlike Kellion, which was surrounded by many prairies and forests,

Gallio was a city located in what’s known as a rocky region with many mines around it.

By the way, the reason most people come here after leaving Kellion, the city known as the beginner’s city, is equipment!

The equipment sold in Gallio is made directly by the dwarves living there, so the quality is good.

It’s said that people usually use weapons bought in Gallio for their entire lives!

That’s why most people come to this city to get weapons they’ll use for a long time.

That was the explanation I heard from Luna-noona while traveling.

Luna-noona knew about Gallio partly from stories she heard in Kellion, but…

She said she had diligently researched it because she thought she would finally be leaving with companions.

It’s a sad reason considering Luna-noona’s past… but now I’m here!

Luna-noona and I stared blankly at Gallio’s city gate.

We could tell just by looking that Gallio’s walls were of better quality than Kellion’s.

Not only was the material quality better, but there was something… a sense of density and visible sturdiness that conveyed the feeling of, “I am a wall made with great care!”

It gave us the impression from the start that we had indeed come to the blacksmith’s city.

Hehe, though I’m a healer… should I get a better spear for support purposes here?

Well! First we need to enter the city!

“Let’s go in! Luna-noona!”

“Y-yes! L-let’s go in!”

Since we had already arrived, I got down from Luna-noona’s back and we walked together.

“S-so this is Gallio… Wow…”

It was Luna-noona’s first time in Gallio, just like me.

So Luna-noona and I looked around curiously.

The sound of hammers—king-kang-kong-kang—filled the air, and there were more dwarves on the streets than in Kellion.

Plus, the equipment of passersby who looked like adventurers seemed well-maintained and shiny,

and because there were many mines, people carrying pickaxes who clearly looked like miners could be seen everywhere.

“It really feels like a blacksmith’s city.”

“Y-yes! I-it’s amazing!”

“Luna-noona, let’s go to the Adventurer’s Guild first and sightsee later slowly!”

“O-okay! L-let’s go, J-Jin-sang!”

After asking a passerby for directions, Luna-noona and I headed straight to the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild! I am Dendeli, the receptionist at the Gallio Adventurer’s Guild! I see you’re newcomers. Did you come from Kellion?”

As soon as we entered the Adventurer’s Guild and approached the reception desk, the receptionist greeted us.

“Yes, we just arrived!”

“T-that’s right! We j-just arrived!”

“I see. Ah, could you show me your adventurer licenses for verification?”

Luna-noona and I presented our licenses together.

“Mr. Jin-sang and… Ms. Luna. Both of you are C-rank. Confirmed!”

After getting our licenses back, the receptionist immediately explained to us:

“Here in Gallio, there are many tough monsters like golems compared to Kellion. So I recommend getting new equipment beforehand. As the name suggests, the blacksmith’s city of Gallio has many craftsmen, so you can get high-quality equipment.”

It felt like listening to a sales pitch.

But if the receptionist is saying this, it must be basic and important information, right?

“Of course, if you don’t have enough money to buy equipment, I recommend ore collection quests! It’s not monster subjugation, but you can earn enough funds to buy decent equipment in a short time.”

“Excuse me…”

“Yes! Do you have a question?”

“You speak very fluently. Is there a particular reason for that?”

There’s no way she’d say all this without me even asking if there wasn’t a reason.

“Of course there is! I’ve seen people from other regions try to hunt golems as usual, only to have their equipment damaged, and then struggle to get new equipment many times!”

So she’s seen it happen many times, almost like a rite of passage.

“That’s why the Adventurer’s Guild provides this guidance to adventurers who are new to the city.”

“Because if you don’t provide guidance, people complain?”

“You know it well!”

As I thought.

Complaints must be troublesome and annoying.

“U-um, J-Jin-sang.”

“Yes? What is it, Luna-noona?”

“W-well… shouldn’t we s-show what the G-Guild Master g-gave us?”

“The Guild Master? Ah.”

Come to think of it, we had a letter of recommendation from the Guild Master.

I showed the letter of recommendation to the receptionist… Ms. Dendeli and said:

“We received this. Should I show it to you, Ms. Dendeli?”

“What is it? Ah, this is… a r-recommendation from the Kellion Guild Master! Wow! You must be very capable adventurers! Guild Masters don’t usually issue recommendation letters except to truly reliable adventurers!”

“Ehe, hehehe, we are pretty capable!”

After all, we were the main figures who stopped the Monster Parade!

“We even defeated an Ogre Champion!”

Though it was a massive group effort.

“Wow! An Ogre Champion? Really?”

Ms. Dendeli was very surprised.

…Hmm, my conscience is bothering me, so I should be honest.

“We defeated it together with the Guild Master and other adventurers! It was truly a victory built on the trust between adventurers! Ah, but it was our Luna-noona who took the Ogre Champion’s head!”

“J-Jin-sang!?”

“Ooh! That’s amazing! And you’re only C-rank…”

“Well, even if she landed the final blow, it was a victory we all achieved together.”

“That’s a nice story! Ah, I’ve confirmed the recommendation letter. Mr. Jin-sang and Ms. Luna, with the credit of this recommendation, you can take B-rank quests if you wish.”

“Yes!”

After getting the recommendation letter back from Ms. Dendeli, I asked her:

“Ms. Dendeli, are there any good restaurants around here?”

It’s standard procedure to find delicious places when visiting somewhere new.

“If you’re looking for a good restaurant, walk about 5 minutes to the right after leaving the Adventurer’s Guild. There’s a place called Hokhwae-jeom. I recommend their rock grill.”

“Oh! Thank you!”

“Not at all! I hope you have good adventures here in Gallio as well.”

“Yes! Luna-noona! Let’s go eat first!”

I might be fine, but Luna-noona must be very hungry after running continuously during the journey.

“O-okay! L-let’s go!”

“Go, go, go!”

“G-go, go!”

◈

Luna-noona and I finished our meal satisfactorily at the restaurant Ms. Dendeli recommended.

“Wow~ The rock grill was delicious.”

Rock grill wasn’t about eating rocks but grilling meat using the heat from stones heated in fire.

“Y-yes! It was r-really delicious! I d-didn’t expect they’d h-have carrots too!”

We ordered the basic rock grill, but when the server saw Luna-noona, they informed us that carrots could be added as well.

Of course, Luna-noona immediately ordered extra carrots and ate them both with the meat and grilled by themselves.

“Maybe it’s because there are many adventurers here too, like in Kellion.”

Looking around, I could see several rabbit beastkin with different fur colors than Luna-noona.

“H-hehe. L-let’s come a-again next time!”

“Yes! Let’s do that!”

Luna-noona looked very satisfied after eating the delicious food.

Her ears were twitching up and down.

…So cute!

Since we’d eaten a good meal, Luna-noona and I looked at various equipment while touring the weapon shops.

“Wow, that’s expensive.”

And I kept expressing similar sentiments of “that’s expensive” as we walked around.

That’s because even a basic longsword was priced at 30 silver.

They were selling it for a price equivalent to about 300,000 won.

No, in Kellion, the price of a regular longsword was 5 silver.

Why is it 6 times more expensive here?

“J-Jin-sang! Look at this! It’s an e-enchanted magic sword!”

“Oh, really? What is it?”

“I-it’s this!”

“Wow, this is a magic sword? The effect is… when you put mana into it and say the activation word, a fireball shoots from the tip of the blade. Ooh!”

With this, couldn’t I use magic too?

Normally I use a spear…

But I could have a fireball hidden as my secret weapon!

Hmm~ that’s nice?

Let’s check the price…

Oh, shit.

Very very expensive.

It’s ridiculously expensive.

I could afford it, but I didn’t want to pay such a price.

Besides, I use a spear anyway!

Yes! I don’t need it!

“Let’s look at something else, Luna-noona!”

“O-okay!”

While visiting various weapon shops, Luna-noona and I saw many different weapons.

Like a dagger designed solely for toughness.

Armor that guaranteed durability but was extremely heavy.

A collapsible spear with adjustable length that looked like it belonged in a martial arts movie.

Our goal was just to look around, but I mentally bookmarked the last one because I wanted it.

Before we knew it, it was getting dark as we walked around just to feast our eyes.

“Ah, shall we find an inn?”

“Y-yes. Let’s do that!”

Luna-noona and I decided to enter one of the inns we had seen while touring the weapon shops.

Fortunately, there was no “Sorry~ We only have one room left~” development.

“Then noona! From tomorrow, our strongest combo’s quests begin!”

“Y-yes! J-Jin-sang! G-good night!”

“Yes! Good night to you too, noona!”

And after entering our respective rooms.

“Heh, hehehehe… hehehahaha!”

I laughed while slightly lowering my volume just in case.

Ah! Finally…! This moment has finally come!

Finally…!

I couldn’t help but feel moved.

I couldn’t help but be deeply touched.

By the fact that I was alone again.

While traveling with Luna-noona, I was in great agony.

And no matter how painful it was, I had to endure it.

But!

Now that things are like this, I no longer need to writhe in agony!

Yes!

I!

Finally!

At last!

Can have my happy-happy time all by myself!

Uahahahaha!

When we had to sleep outdoors, Luna-noona was right next to me, causing me so much agony!

Yahooo!

I have plenty of material!

Today is a partyyyy!

And after having a super happy-happy time, I slept comfortably with a refreshed feeling.

I… wasn’t pent up at all!