Craftsmen Incredulous

Two weeks have passed since my bombastic encounter (physically) with Fierce God of Fist-Sensei.
I have been visiting the place once every two-three day to work out and have sparring matches with Sensei ever since.
My current goal is to last 10 seconds.
...Usually I could exchange blows for twice or thrice before finding myself getting blown away out of the blue. Gununu.

I'm trying to burn Sensei's motion into my brain every time we spar.
Everything happens instantaneously so I have to put all my focus into observing him or I can't even so much as perceive it. Missing my chance means I've wasted that session.

Then I try to mimic Sensei's martial arts move using the motion I barely managed to observe as a reference.
Of course that's impossible with just my power of observation alone, so I have Menu correct me as I go.
I can't even get the straight punch perfectly imitated right now but it'd be nice if I can get more moves to mimic one of these days.

Just like how you can cook without Skills, I'm sure martial arts can be recreated too. Hopefully.
Unlike Swordsmanship, Spears and such, Kempo and hand-to-hand combat fit snugly with my Mana Control, no harm learning them.
Thus how my physical power up training goes these days, it's barely even started yet I think it's going swimmingly.


On the other side, the weapon making process is progressing well, I would sometimes drop by the workshop and get asked for opinions which they then implement.
For example, when I showed the broken prototype, there was a concern of the handle having the same thickness wouldn't last long even if it was made from adamantite.


"Uumu, I suppose we should make the handle thicker to increase durability."

"Ain't no chance, any thicker and thing's gonna be unwieldy. Without a proper grip, it's gonna slip right off even with Kajikawa's absurd strength."

"Ah, no, I'll manage..."

"Don't be absurd. That's like sayin' ya can hold and swing around that oil-filled drum with one hand. Keep the handle this thick and just hold back whenever ya make the thing explode, that's the most realistic solution."


What's the point of changing the material if we do that.
If this weapon can't be made sturdy enough to be swung at full force without worrying about durability, it's just gonna break again when I come face to face with powerful enemies.
...I'm not big on flaunting my power though, can't be helped.


"Hm? Kajikawa, what you gonna do with that drum...!?"


I wrap the aforementioned drum with mana and lift it up with one hand.
It's a bit tough with my base specs, but a bit of energy buff and it's a cinch.
Then I swing around the drum. Yup, I should be fine if this is how it's gonna feel like.


"Err, I think I can manage this just fine, what do you think?"

"What are ya, a monster!? I only said that as a joke, why'd ya went and done it!"

"...Seriously what the hell are you...?"


Gen-san and Higuro-san are taken aback.
...Why do I get called a monster whenever I demonstrate Mana Control anyway.
That term is reserved for beings like that Black Dragon I saw at the prairie or Alma's parents I'm sorry I'm just joking.


"W-well, that settles the grip problem."

"Umu! You can absolutely swing and make it explode all you want! Fuhaha!"

"But that means we gotta order more adamantite ingot to cover the increase, thought you'd wanna know."


I-it's gonna get more expensive again huh.
No wait, I guess we've brought the main material ourselves already. Expenses for the service and adamantite themselves shouldn't be that high.


"I'd like to order more stuff once this weapon is done, are you up for it?"

"Mumu!? Have you already thought up the next weapon you wish to create?"

"Yea. In fact, I've got heaps of things in mind, you won't be looking for job for a while."

"Fuhaha! What a delightful news! Would you mind giving a rough idea on what kind of objects you wish to produce?"

"Yeah. Like say..."


I listed out my ideas on magic tools and weapons.
Julian looked as jovial as ever at first, but the more I enumerated the more twitching his smile became.
Hmm, guess they're too hard...?

<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
"...My customer, a word if I may."

"Go on."

"You are positively dreadful! What is up with all those devilish ideas of yours!? They are very much on par with hero's weapons!"


Well I mean, I hail from the same land as the past heroes after all.
I got to see Julian looking agape for once. That's probably the same reaction most people have after seeing your weapons.
Alma, Reina and Hiyoko who were watching us from behind put on dubious looks on their faces. It's nothing suspicious I swear.


"...What did you order?"

"We're talking about Kajikawa-san here, it must be some wantonly ludicrous weapons for sure."

"Unlike the romance filled hero's weapons, the stuff I'm asking all have practical uses though."

"They may be highly powerful indeed, but every single one of them requires the usage of disposable elemental mana stones. The average magic tool stores likely won't be willing to undertake this request..."

"How about you then? Can't it be done?"

"No, they are intriguing. Allow me to take a stab! However each and every one of them will demand a hefty sum, just thought you wanna know."


...Figured. Feels like my share of cash is mostly getting funneled into magic tools and weapons.
Personally, I'd like to put it toward food and ingredients instead...


"Oh yeah, the weapons and armor you lot ordered are all done, give 'em a spin. Lemme know if they don't fit right."

"Oh, finally!"

"The fur coats made from those Unique Monsters' mats are gonna be way hot in this season though."

"Right, yes. I suppose they will have to wait until it's cold outside."


I asked Thunderclap Byakko's and GoldSilver Wolves' fur be turned into coats instead of torso armor.
Skinning that splendid fur felt like a waste so coat it was, but since it's summertime right now, into storage they go. Gonna wait till winter.


"So how do those Platinum Cock's gloves feel?"

"They're so smooth I was afraid they'd slip right off but they actually fit so well in my hands. The size is just right too."

"Turning those feathers into fiber was a toughie ya know? I may have the right Ability from my Skill, but the work took stupidly long still."


Thanks to the feathers used, the gloves are as comfortable in hands as they are durable.
Unlike with gauntlets, these don't obstruct my fingers, they're super nice.


"Got your dagger done pretty well if I do say so myself young miss, whaddya think?"

"I-it's so good! The blade looks like it's crackling and all too!"

"Cause it's made from a lightning elemental magic beast's mat yeah. Whetting that stuff was some scary experience..."

"Higuro-san, so you were in charge of whetting. I can see it's been honed really sharp!"


<<[Lv1 Lightning Tiger Dagger] ATK+185 Confers additional lightning damage on attacks. It has a slight self-repair ability however currently even a chip takes a long time to repair.>>


Oy oy, this thing's got an even higher base ATK than a mithril dagger.
Then there's the lightning element, not to mention it's still at Lv1 meaning it can grow further.
...Equipment made from Unique Monsters are all way strong.
When can I get my weapon I wonder~. Eh, in another week? Oh okay then.


We dropped by a magic tool store in the town to fetch pearl earrings we left there for enchantment.
They look the same as ever but they've got a super good effect added now.
Which took a lot of money. Not sure if 200000 en is expensive or cheap, considering.
...My sense of value has really warped these days.


<<[Earrings of Magipal] [Automatic MP Recovery] Enchantment, wearer automatically recovers 1 MP every 2 minutes.>>


Yup, your MP recovers by 30 every hour wearing these. They're super handy stuff.
MP recovery potions are expensive so constantly having your MP recovered is so nice. You can purchase 20 vials of MP recovery potions with the price of this enchantment.


"The enchant effect is nice and all but more than that, they look really good on you."

"Yup yup, they're not really catchy, more tasteful and really add to Alma-san's charm."

"...Thank you."


It seems Alma isn't used to getting praised for her fashion, she looks slightly bashful and happy.
There's only a limited way to be fashionable in this adventuring business after all.
On the other hand, she can't walk around comfortably in casual attires during holidays because she's too attractive.


Guess now the only thing left to do in this town is to wait for my weapon.
Now that I've got Fast Travel, we can fetch it anytime.
Meaning it's about time to travel to another town.

But y'know. There's nowhere in particular I wanna go to.
Guess I can ask for the girls' opinions on this.

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