Request for the Capture of a Nine-Tailed Fox

The Orc Chieftain wasn’t much different from the Orc Elite Warriors.

The Orcs were ganging up.

They rushed in all at once,

But Americano slashed them all.

Defense was meaningless.

Her [Slash] split the Orcs in two, along with the axes they tried to block with.

The Orc Chieftain knew how to use Sword Aura, but was struck down by Americano’s axe and [Executed].

He was a field boss, but unfortunately, her [Execution Sword] had broken through all of the Orc’s defenses and reached instant-death damage.

A boss that lived near the beginner village was no match for her anymore.

A moment of relief made her dizzy.

She staggered.

“Ugh…”

“O…o…”

She gripped her axe, thinking they were coming again, but

“Orcs!!!”

“Orcs!!!!”

They ran away.

The Chieftain and the Elite Warriors were annihilated.

The remaining Orcs began to flee.

Soon, silence fell.

An empty village.

Stagger.

Thump.

She lost consciousness.

‘I’m going to die.’

Americano collapsed.

Silence descended on the village.

In the dead of night, the moonlight shone on her.

A small shadow stealthily appeared beside her and examined her.

Blinking its golden eyes, it cried.

“Meow.”

“It’s night.”

She regained consciousness.

The moon was up.

Judging by the moon’s position, she must have been out for a short while.

She touched her head.

Her head was still throbbing.

‘So it wasn’t enough to kill me?’

Even though it was so cold and painful, it wasn’t enough to kill her 100 points of health.

“Hoo…”

A faint breath rose and then fell, swept away by the night wind.

She was resting when.

Rustle.

A sound came from behind the hut.

It wasn’t an Orc.

It was a much smaller creature.

It was the sound of something walking on four legs, and it reminded her of a cat.

She opened her eyes slightly and saw black.

Its tail was wagging.

There really was a cat.

‘It’s the cat I saw last time.’

A black cat.

Golden eyes.

As the cat was examining her body,

“Gotcha.”

She grabbed it.

The cat was startled and jumped up, but she caught it in mid-air.

She unequipped her armor and hugged it tightly.

The reason she took off her breastplate?

Because the breastplate was hard.

She belatedly realized that the cat had its claws out, but now that it was being held, it was quietly nestled in her arms. The cat must know a good chest when it sees one.

She lay on the ground and stroked the cat for several minutes.

The wind blew.

“Ugh…”

It’s cold.

Her body had cooled down in the meantime.

She put the cat down.

She got up and put her breastplate back on.

The magic imbued in the breastplate warmed her body. She was glad she had put a [Heater] on the breastplate.

She sat there for a few seconds.

“Meow.”

“….”

She had prepared fish in her Inventory for this moment.

She put it in front of the cat and watched it eat. The cat looked around cautiously and then ate the fish.

‘Ah, it’s eating.’

There was nothing special about it.

It was just a cat eating fish.

Still,

‘Cute.’

She couldn’t help but stare.

It was comforting.

The cat finished the fish and turned around, and she got up.

“Meow.”

“….”

The cat called to her.

She waved to the cat and returned to the village.

The next day, at noon.

“You’ve used it roughly.”

The dwarf said, looking at the broken sword.

On the way back from the mountain to the village, she had accidentally picked up a broken sword.

It wasn’t entirely by chance, since she had retraced her steps to get it.

“I didn’t expect you to bring it back like this in less than a day. What is this? Did you hit it against another sword or something?”

“I blocked an axe.”

“I see you’ve been catching Orcs.”

The dwarf clicked his tongue and handed back the broken sword.

“There’s no way a sword I made could be sliced by a crude Orc axe. I don’t know how many you fought, but no sword will last if you use it like this.”

“Even if I use a better sword?”

“Do you think a sword will be fine if you hit it against another steel sword?”

In games and comics, there were often scenes of swords clashing.

But in reality, if your sword and your opponent’s sword were made of the same material, one of them would break.

Even if it didn’t break, the damage would be significant.

“Of course, I’m not saying you should cherish your sword and hurt yourself. A sword is ultimately a consumable item, so use it well and replace it when it’s about to break.”

“….”

“Of course, that doesn’t mean you can use your sword like that. Imagine your sword breaking in the middle of a fight. There aren’t many catastrophes as common as that.”

“….”

She had nothing to say.

The dwarf clicked his tongue.

“I don’t usually give advice or criticize the Hero, but I have to say this. If you want to use your sword like that, go to the instructor and learn the Mana Blade Skill. Then you can have fun hitting and fighting with swords, depending on your abilities.”

“….”

“Understood?”

“Yes.”

[Equipment Enhancement] made more of a difference than she thought.

She knew from the beginning that it would increase durability.

But,

The [Beginner Village Steel Sword] broke after cutting down a few dozen Orcs and clashing with axes,

While the [Enhanced] [Training Supply Sword] had only a few nicks, even after going from the 1st floor to the 25th floor of the Tower and exploring the field.

The difference was significant.

So, should she keep using [Enhancement] on her swords?

‘But it’s difficult because of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians.’

If she used it for too long, a chill would seep in.

Using Magical Power made her cold.

It was already costly to [Enhance] her body.

‘I chose it, but I don’t know why I chose this hardship.’

She admitted that it was good, but it made the player suffer.

She sighed inwardly. She would probably choose something like Nine Yang Severed Meridians or Nine Yin Stamina again in the next Rebirth.

Anyway,

She bought a few more [Weapon Shop’s Signature Sword].

She handed the money to the dwarf and suddenly asked.

“Do you know anything about Gumiho?”

“Gumiho?”

“Yes.”

“I know them.”

She flinched.

“You know them?”

She had just asked on a whim and didn’t expect any clues.

“When making a Magic Sword, the fire must also be special. Any blacksmith would want the Foxfire that Gumiho emits.”

“Ah… I see.”

“As it happens, Gumiho lives on Mount Gurumi. I put in a request, but I haven’t heard back yet. I even handed over an empty Fox Orb… Haa… I shouldn’t have given it away so easily.”

“….”

Americano didn’t bother to mention that she had it.

“How did you find out that there was a Gumiho? Did you find any traces?”

“I did find traces.”

Then the dwarf went inside the store and came out.

He placed an axe on the counter.

She recognized it right away because she had used it yesterday.

“That’s an Orc axe, isn’t it?”

“Yes, take a good look.”

The dwarf picked up the axe and infused it with Magical Power.

Blue flames erupted from the Orc axe.

Whoosh, whoosh.

Every time the dwarf swung the axe, blue flames traced its path.

“The effect is similar to a normal Sword Aura.”

He swung it a few times and said.

“The Orcs can’t use this good stuff. Did you know that the axes used by the Orcs near Mount Gurumi are all Magic Swords these days? The Orc blacksmith must have captured Gumiho and is using her as a furnace. I feel sorry for Gumiho. If it were me, I would make the best Magic Sword, but they’re just making this kind of thing.”

The dwarf shook his head as if he felt sorry for Gumiho.

“It’s best not to tell anyone. I’m buying up all the Orc axes, so there are hardly any people who know about it, but the fewer competitors, the better.”

“Then why are you telling me something so important?”

“Hmm…”

The dwarf seemed to find it strange too, and said “Hmm.” before opening his mouth.

“I trust my judgment.”

“….”

It must be the [Charm] and [Title] effects.

“Anyway, I’m telling you this because I trust you. Hmm, how about taking on a request?”

He took out a piece of paper before she could answer.

“I’ll write you a request form. Then the Hero Guild will recognize your achievements. The guy who took the request before was probably after the empty Fox Orb, so he paid for the orb, but he hasn’t come back.”

“….”

“I can tell by the condition of your sword. Your skill in killing Orcs is excellent. I trust your skills and entrust you with this request.”

He quickly wrote a request form.

[Gumiho Capture Request]

[Rank] [S]

[Content] [Gumiho lives on Mount Gurumi in the west. There is a high possibility that Gumiho is captured in the Orc Village, so safely capture Gumiho.]

[Reward] [Fox Orb]

“You can keep the Fox Orb if you capture her. I’ve attached the Fox Orb information, so take a look.”

She read the information in the [Reward] section of the request form.

[Fox Orb]

[Grade] [Rare ~ Legendary]

[Content] [An orb containing the essence of humans. Swallowing the orb can increase your stats and grant you some of Gumiho’s abilities, depending on the grade.]

[Acquisition Example (Stats)] [One or more of: Spirit, Magical Power, Luck, Charm, Aptitude]

[Acquisition Example (Skills)] [Polymorph, Necromancy, Precognition, Clairvoyance, Energy Drain, Charm, Heal, Growth Acceleration, Telepathy, etc. have been reported]

“….”

She was speechless after reading the acquisition examples.

Polymorph?

Necromancy?

What?

As befitting the highest Legendary grade, there were more than one or two skills that sounded like cheats.

“Tempted?”

“You’re giving me this?”

“You’re the one who’s going to suffer. If I can get Gumiho in exchange for providing information, I don’t care about that orb. It would be shameless to ask for that too.”

The dwarf’s expression soured.

“Oh.”

He held out his hand.

“Give it to me. I almost got shameless.”

“….”

She returned the request form.

And he scribbled a few times with the pen.

The [Reward] section had increased.

[Reward] [Fox Orb, Hero Cooperation Contract, 10000 Gold]

Hero Cooperation Contract?

“What’s this?”

“It’s exactly what it sounds like. If you bring me Gumiho, I’ll take responsibility for making your weapons. I’ll only charge you the price of material for all the weapons I make for you in the future.”

It was quite a tempting offer.

If she caught Gumiho, the dwarf would make Magic Swords in the future.

Being able to buy Magic Swords at cost price was definitely a profit.

“Didn’t I tell you? Swords are consumables. Magic Swords are no different. Do you know that famous clans all have exclusive blacksmiths? I can’t be your exclusive blacksmith, but I promise cooperation equivalent to that.”

If she succeeded in the request, he would become Americano’s blacksmith.

He would only charge the cost price for making Magic Swords.

He coaxed her by saying that he would make them for free if she provided the materials herself.

It wasn’t a bad deal.

But,

“It’s okay.”

She refused.

“…Am I lacking?”

“It’s not that. It’s just that it seems like a hassle to come here every time. Clans have exclusive blacksmiths, so they move around together, but…”

Americano stared at the dwarf.

“You wouldn’t follow me if I told you to come, would you?”

“Ahem…”

The dwarf couldn’t refute, as if he had been hit where it hurt.

“Supply is ultimately about how smoothly you can receive it. In that sense, I’d rather not receive a reward that I’ll only use a few times in my life.”

She would only regret it later.

‘I should have gotten as many Magic Swords as possible!’ She didn’t want to ruin the fun of the game by being obsessed with money.

“I didn’t consider your position.”

The dwarf took the request form again.

“Then what reward do you want to receive? Tell me. I’m willing to be your blacksmith. I’ll grant you almost anything.”

“Then…”

Americano raised her index finger.

“Give me one Magic Sword for free when you make it.”

“Hehe, that’s cheap. I’ll throw in three swords and a Skill Book for change.”

“Skill Book?”

“Didn’t you know?”

The dwarf crossed his arms and puffed up his burly muscles.

“I’m the blacksmith instructor of Gospel. Blacksmith Skill Books are originally only sold to blacksmiths, but I’ll give you one specially.”

“What kind of Skill is it?”

“Well, it’s a simple maintenance Skill, so don’t feel pressured and take it.”

The dwarf offered a handshake.

“I’m Gusta. Nice to meet you.”

After leaving the weapon shop,

On the way to the hunting ground.

Ting.

A message came in.

[by. Tang So-hye] [New information has arrived.]