Mr. Nobu’s Otherworld Chronicles Chapter 42

After leaving Adventurer Guild, I headed off to the 『Shut-in Lamia』.

"Sefi-saan, I'm heere."

I opened the lock on the back door and informed Sefi-san of my arrival. Since there's no one on the table.
And there Sefi-san is.... Sleeping so peacefully.
Oy, shopkeeper! What about your jooooob!

...Pinch.

I pinch her nose hard and wait.

"Fuwaaaan, what what wat."

"Good morning. Shopkeeper-sama, pray do tell what happened to your work?"

"A-araaaa, n.o.bu-chan, welcome back. Errr, well, today you see. I was just making potions that went out-of-stock earlier you knoow? I-I'm telling the truth you know. Then I ran out of high quality containers, and thought that's it for today..."

Sefi-san seems to have noticed my ever so slightly reproachful eyes as she said that apologetically. We've still got a lot of low quality containers though! Well, since Sefi-san owns this store, I don't mind her doing as she pleases, but she can be way too free.

"Here, I'll let you have the containers and Peach Powder (the raw ingredients for Peach-flavored Potion, called 『Catalyst』) I made during my quest."

"Nn geez, n.o.bu-chan you're too serious. Still, it's now really easy to make them thanks to the Peach Powder. You can even store them for a long period of time, what a woonderful invention. I've been getting lots of demands from Alchemist Guild to teach them about it though."

"They're still at it huh.... And after I've given them my firm refusal too."

Since the Peach Powder is my creation, they will never get a yes even if they come to Sefi-san. The top bra.s.s of Alchemist Guild can't stomach the fact that only I can make it.
They had come to me many times over, but they wanted to monopolize the stuff while acting with very obvious condescending att.i.tudes. Even after I firmly declined, that guildmaster and the biggest alchemy shop in this city keep coming back. And they even put their sight on Sefi-san even though I had told them only I could make the thing, more reason to detest them. They must think that they can't pressure me into telling them since I'm not a guild staff. Maybe I should dump my stock on everyone but those guys once I can ma.s.s produce it.

"We should make preparations if it looks like it'd get worse. I'll ask Master for help as a last resort."

"I'll be counting on you if it comes to that. I'm sorry."

"Please don't mind about it, even Master told me, 『That'd get us deal with those guys directly, so it'd really help, I don't mind giving a hand』. Oh right, I'm here for another matter. Sefi-san, do you have any plan tomorrow night?"

"I'm free you knoow, what's the matter? Are you gonna visit this onee-san?"

"That sounds stimulating, but no, I'm planning to throw a party at the Flame Dog with everyone who has been taking care of me, you see."

"My! Party!! Yes of course, I'm coooming. I'm gonna be taking 『Nyanbell-tan』, 『Chief > Perry』, and 『Flavor of Waist』 from our store's winery. n.o.bu-chan's gonna bring snacks with you too right?"

Is that really winery, something that sounds obviously j.a.panese was in it... They sound expensive from their names though. Snacks that go well with them huh. The hurdle has just been raised.

"Yes, I plan to go to the dungeon to gather ingredients after this. Mushroom stuff on 2F and meat stuff on 3F I think."

"Nfuuu, that's greaat. But you shouldn't overwork yourself sin

ce you just came back and all okay."

"Yes, I'll be sure to return once I get enough. Well then, see you again tomorrow."

"Yeees."

Now then, gotta get some ingredients. Even though I've been getting better drops thanks to 『Treasure Hunter』, Eggplant Mushroom is still hard, being a rare drop. Nevertheless, I might as well give it my all preparing the best feast everyone will ever have.

Now then, I'm here at Dungeon 2F.
Fortunately, thanks to Otherworlder's level, I've got an abundant of usable mana. This time let's test out physical reinforcement through Mana Clad and ways to maintain it.
Oh right, I still can't unsheathe Lunar Cat even now.
Too many things I want to do that I can't. I finally got my hand on a katana and I can't even draw it out.
It didn't budge an inch even after putting all my strength behind it. I wanna see how the blade looks like.
I tamper with Lunar Cat while thinking such.

FWOP

HA!?
I got it ouuuuuuuut!!??
The vivid ripple pattern on the blade that slid out without tiniest bit of resistance fascinates my heart.
Even though I've seen some in museums, unlike when they're locked behind a case, the beauty of the blade seen from a close proximity coupled with the sense of weight really can't be beaten.
But how was I suddenly able to draw it?

Differences from last time.
1. Inside a dungeon
2. There's only me + Tama-chan
3. I'm currently invoking Mana Clad

I tried to deactivate Mana Clad and sure enough, the katana stayed tight in its sheath. Next I tried to gather mana in my hand and drew it out, I did.
Apparently, you can draw the katana only when you have a certain amount of mana gathered in your hand.
And from the sensation of mana flowing from my hand to the blade, it seems to be a requirement to normally wield it too. When I tried landing a blow with the back of the blade on a Lostshroom, the monster disappeared into particle of lights without Unslash showing its effect.
Regarding Gifts, I recall the stuff Boss-san told me in pa.s.sing.
When people with Blessing or Protection create equipment, there are cases where the equipment get innate buffs called Gift. As Gifts have no buff limitations like with standard Enchant magic, having one is an advantage on its own. Gifts also generally have unique abilities peculiar to them apparently.

Lunar Cat's Gifts are Regeneration, Hardening and Unslash.
Since this katana's performance varies depending on users according to explanation by Discerning Magic Eye sensei, maybe these abilities showed up when I took the katana in my hand. And someday, it will further grow up? More companions that will grow up with me along with Tama-chan now. I can't wait to see what will happen.

Hardening makes it hard for the blade to get chipped, and even if it did, Regeneration would restore it. What a combo. Its sharpness is something else too, truly fit to be my main armament.

But there's something that's bothering me.

Compared to swinging an iron sword, it feels more difficult or rather, kinda odd. I've got no choice but to get used to it, but it really bothers me not knowing the reason why.

Afterward, I went on to exterminate Lostshrooms with 『>』 while occasionally trying out the katana amidst the blaze.
Glory not to the Netori Demon (Sou Sou) and the Best Trapmaster (Koumei). After repeating enough blazes that the Tortoise Sh.e.l.l Man > and Whip-loving Blazing Old Man (Kougai) would have given me their commendation, I got myself eight Eggplant Mushrooms!
Along with a mountain of various mushrooms! I froze all of the poisonous mushrooms, turned them into powder and stored them in an over-engineered spiral cork-locked container.

Tettere~♪ Acquired t.i.tle 【Mold Destroyer】

Mwoo, I even got such a dangerous sounding t.i.tle!?

【Mold Destroyer】
t.i.tle given to exterminators of fungi. Each and every acts you do give additional damage to fungi.
Pay attention as it will also kill good germ.

Oh good it wasn't Kabi*ra. I'm gonna go and destroy all the persistent mold in the bath. I've got no bath though... Let's search for the next prey while thinking fondly of my future bath.

I've got enough vegetables, next, meat. Meat meat vegetable meat meat muscle nanodesu.
There are monsters that drop pork meat on 3F, you see.

The name of that monster is 『Louivu Pig』. Yup, sounds real expensive.

The drops are varied too, changing depending on which part you cut off of the monster. Well, this time I'm prioritizing on quant.i.ty so anything's fine. If I'm allowed to wish, I'd like to get a lot of shoulder tender to make tonkatsu.

These monsters stay in a specific place, it's relatively easy to encounter them. However, then why aren't there more pork at the market you ask. It's partly because of the low drop rate, but the biggest problem is the size of those Louivu Pigs.
One of them is big enough to cover the entire half of a small room. You'd want to have enough firepower to kill it in one blow before it could charge at you as usually, there is no escape.

Well, I'm doing it the unconventional way though!

Oh there it is, there's one occupying the room at the corner (it's taking half of the room for itself though.)
And the moment I stepped into the small room, it deemed me to be an intruder in its territory, snorted and got ready to charge at me.

"Stone Wall!! x5"

With a satisfying rhythm, thick walls of stone are forming to encase the Louivu Pig.
Oh yeah, Stone Wall is a modified magic too but I forgot to think up a chant for it.... Eh what a pain, this is just fine.

BAM!!!
BAM!!
BAM!
BA...

Oh, it's about to get knocked out soon.
When I undid the Stone Walls, there laid a pig that stubbornly knocked its head out on the wall.
I learned of this when I took the quest to acquire pork meat, Louivu Pig won't stop its rush until its enemy has fallen once it starts. After trying to naively face it head on, I noticed this when I was scurrying to escape and made a Stone Wall.
Thus afterward, I let them knock themselves out like this and leisurely deal the killing blow afterward. Thanks to that, Ohat-san and Donur-san sometimes issued a personal quest to me to gather ingredients.

Right after I stabbed Lunar Cat on the crown of its head, it disappeared and left behind about 3KG of meat.
This is... Aww yeah! Got shoulder tender in one hunt!
Let's make tonkatsu~♪ Along with cutlet sandwich~♪
Rib meat and skewered meat sound good too. Hamburg steak is also a good idea if I got meat from the leg.
Now then, let's go hunt more and more.

Oh wonderful shoulder tender♪ Cooked with fin, pork loin♪ Accidentally cooked together with giblets, and hind mea~at♪
Not to forget leg meat, hambu~urg♪

I proceed on the meat hunt while humming unconsciously. Everyone, look forward to the tasty stuff!