Fist King - Chapter 1 - Episode 22: A Fighter's Day Off ③ Graduating from the Steel Sword

Fist King: I Will Save the Earth from Zero in Another Reincarnation, Starting from Real World

A Fighter's Day Off ③ Graduating from the Steel Sword

When I arrived at the weapon shop I had looked up beforehand, I was told to show my ID or Guild Card at the entrance, so I presented my Guild Card.

The Clerk who received my Guild Card suspected it was a fake, so I immediately called the Guild.

Just then, Shimizu Harumi answered the phone. I handed my smartphone to the Clerk and let him talk, and only then was I finally able to enter.

(Well, that's how a 12-year-old is treated...)

As I thought this and looked around the shop, I saw a large, bear-like man watching over the entire store.

Weapons were propped up against the walls, and guns were displayed in showcases.

(Hmm, there's only iron and steel stuff...)

I wasn't interested in guns, so even looking at swords, daggers, and maces, they weren't much different from what I already had.

Just as I thought I'd picked a bad shop and was about to leave, a low voice stopped me.

"Wait, kid."

"Huh?"

When I turned towards the voice, the bear-like Clerk was coming towards me.

Looking at the Clerk up close, he was even bigger than I had imagined.

"Show me your hands and your weapon."

"? Here you go..."

I handed over the steel sword from my back and held out my hands.

The Clerk carefully drew the sword from its sheath and began examining the blade.

"This is..."

The Clerk said that, then sheathed the sword and began staring at my hands.

A thick hand, about two sizes larger than my palm, held mine.

"Kid, what's your name?"

"I'm Satou Kazuya. And you?"

"I'm Sugiyama. Excuse my rudeness; you seem to be a proper customer."

"What do you mean by that?"

Without answering my question, Sugiyama-san returned my sword.

Afterward, he led me further into the back, past the shop counter.

Beyond a single door, various weapons were displayed.

There were swords I could wield with one hand, like the one I currently had, and even large two-handed ones over a meter long.

"Oh, is this the real shop..."

"Indeed! Only true customers whom I've recognized can enter here!"

I said that with emotion, and Sugiyama-san spoke proudly.

"Your hands are those of a fighter. You haven't just been using a sword, have you?"

"You can tell?"

"However, you've overused your sword. It's almost unusable."

"Is it that bad..."

"Look closely."

Sugiyama-san told me to hand him the sword again.

When I received the sword, I drew it from its sheath, and he explained, looking at the sword, so I could understand.

"This part is warped, isn't it?"

"It certainly is..."

"This is what happens when you overuse a sword. At this rate, it's only a matter of time before it shatters."

"I'm glad I came to buy one today."

"Can I dispose of this sword?"

"Yes, I don't need it anymore."

Sugiyama-san heard my words and took the weapon further into the back of the shop.

Meanwhile, I decided to look around the shop.

(This shop is a hit!)

Even just a quick look at the items in the shop told me they were of high quality.

The passion and thoughts of the creator were conveyed through the weapons.

I picked up a sword that caught my eye and confirmed that my feeling was not mistaken.

(It's light and easy to swing. Yet, it feels like it won't break at all.)

While I was lightly swinging the sword, Sugiyama-san returned and smiled as he watched me.

I was moved and instinctively spoke to Sugiyama-san.

"This sword is amazing."

"Isn't it? It's one of my proudest creations."

As I looked at other weapons, I noticed a weapon pushed into a corner of the shop.

When I reached for it, Sugiyama-san stopped me.

"Don't bother. That's just a staff."

"It's just a staff..."

"Besides, you're not the type to fight with magic, are you?"

"Which sword will you choose?"

"No, next, I'll use a staff and magic."

"Is that so!?"

Sugiyama-san was surprised by my words, and taking advantage of his momentary confusion, I picked up the staff in front of me. It was incredibly heavy.

It was so heavy that I couldn't support it with one hand, so I instinctively used my Physical Ability Enhancement.

The staff, when I held it, was shaped like a metal bat, about a meter long, and dark gray.

(Is this really a staff?)

Sugiyama-san looked at me with a troubled expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Kid, you're holding it the wrong way."

A staff is usually held by the thicker end, with the thinner, pointed end facing the opponent.

However, the staff I was holding now had a thick part that seemed impossible for my hand to grip.

Sugiyama-san sighed and took the staff from me, returning it to its original place.

"This is something I made as the flagship product of this shop."

"You keep making flagship products?"

"..."

The shop had been around for a long time, and its website stated it had been more than 10 years.

Perhaps he continued to make that shop's flagship product as a bestseller.

Curious about who would buy it, I asked Sugiyama-san.

"What kind of people buy this staff?"

"No one has ever bought it! No one shows any interest..."

Sugiyama-san said this with a hint of anger, then quickly became dejected.

"So, this product has been here for over 10 years, then..."

"Twenty years."

"Huh?"

"I made this staff 20 years ago."

"Then it's old, isn't it..."

"That's not true!!"

Reacting to the word "old," Sugiyama-san picked up the staff.

Then, he presented the staff to me as if to show it off.

"This is made entirely of Mithril, and I haven't neglected its maintenance for a single day!"

"I-is that so..."

Sugiyama-san began passionately explaining the appeal of this staff.

○

This staff is made solely of high-purity Mithril, which improves magic efficiency.

Other staves have decorations like rubies and sapphires to easily increase magic efficiency.

However, they are inferior to Mithril, so if you master this staff, you should be able to use strong magic efficiently.

○

"Then why don't magic-users buy this staff?"

After listening to Sugiyama-san's machine-gun talk, I simply wondered that.

If Sugiyama-san's explanation was true, there was no reason for a magic-user not to use this staff.

Sugiyama-san, upon hearing my question, clearly lowered his tone and began to speak.

"Most magic-users don't train their bodies, so they can't wield something like this..."

"I see."

"In that case, I'll buy this staff."

"Are you serious, kid..."

I was convinced by Sugiyama-san's words and decided to purchase the staff.

(I can wield this, and since I want to use magic from now on, there's no reason not to choose this weapon.)

I conveyed my intention to Sugiyama-san and asked for the price.

"By the way, how much is it?"

"Ten million..."

"Huh?"

"Ten million!"

The first time, Sugiyama-san's voice was too quiet to hear, so when I asked again, he shouted it angrily.

Since I had 10 million yen in my backpack, I opened my backpack and handed 10 bundles to Sugiyama-san.

"Here you go, it should be exactly enough."

"Are you serious?"

"I will master this staff."

"I-I see."

To use magic, I first needed to raise my staff proficiency, so I made one request to Sugiyama-san.

"For now, please wrap some non-slip cloth around the thin tip."

"This isn't a bat, you know..."

Perhaps my request was unexpected, as Sugiyama-san, looking perplexed, took the money and the staff and went into the back of the shop.

Just before he went into the back, Sugiyama-san told me to wait 20 minutes.

During that time, being bored, I looked around the shop and found two items of interest.

(Is it these? What should I do...)

I began to seriously ponder while looking at a small knife and another item.

(I'll buy the small knife, but this one...)

I knew that in this world, there were almost no skill acquisition restrictions based on profession or weapon restrictions for skills.

So, if I bought the item in front of me and could learn a skill, it would broaden my strategic options.

While I was thinking about that, Sugiyama-san returned from the back.

"What's wrong?"

"No... just a little..."

"Hmm? You want this?"

When he handed me the staff, I looked closely and saw that Sugiyama-san, despite complaining, had carefully wrapped cloth around the thin tip of the staff.

Sugiyama-san confirmed what I was looking at.

"As a service, those two combined can be 10 million."

"Hmm..."

After more deliberation, I once again handed 10 bundles of money from my backpack to Sugiyama-san.

Sugiyama-san happily accepted the money.

"What do you want to do with these? Wrap them?"

"Please wrap the small knife as a present. For this one, can you put it in something I can carry on my back?"

"Alright."

He replied lightly and took the two items, going into the back once more.

After receiving the items from Sugiyama-san, I left the shop.

As I was leaving, Sugiyama-san told me to bring the staff in occasionally for maintenance, so I decided I would.

Looking at my watch, it wasn't even 12 o'clock yet.

(I have free time...)

For now, everything I wanted to do today was finished.

Since Ōta Mao told me not to go hunting, I had a lot of time on my hands.

(Shall I go to school!)

Thinking that, I called the school and was connected to my Homeroom Teacher.