Since I didn't describe the heroines' appearances much, I have added them in chapters 3 and 4.
Aki: Ponytail
Maki: Short bob
(1/2)
I will insert three chapters each on 1/16 and 1/17. I apologize to those whose bookmarks have shifted!
The two people, after seeing my status and skills, were initially surprised but soon accepted it and clung to my arm again.
"Are you feeling reassured now?"
"Yes. With your current strength, Shota, you can fight without any problems even in the middle layers of the beginner dungeon!"
"I'm curious about how you grew so rapidly, but more importantly, I can finally accept that you defeated such a monster."
It seems they understood how strong I have become. With this, I can probably avoid worrying them over minor issues.
"Amachi-kun"
"Ah, yes, Branch Manager"
Hmm? The Branch Manager seems to have softened a bit?
"Yoko hasn't sent the details of the incident yet, but could you tell me what happened in the Heart Dungeon?"
"Sure."
It seems, from her earlier reaction, that the Branch Manager's perception of my strength had remained the same as before.
If she knew the status of the 'Golden Bug (Enhanced Form)' I defeated after a fierce battle yesterday—well, technically today—she wouldn't have been so rigid.
I told the Branch Manager and Hana about yesterday's events.
"A stronger rare monster? That does indeed take time to compile into a report. The meeting yesterday ended abruptly, so another one was scheduled for today. I expect the details will be shared then."
I see.
"And your handling of that rare monster was impressive. Not touching it and keeping your distance was the right move. While the drop from a cotton caterpillar is valuable, it's also known for being rare. Despite this, adventurers still visit, and the girls are used to dealing with such situations... It seems the business is doing well."
"About the reward..."
"The exemption. Understood. You can freely list them on the auction, but please inform me and the girls about what items you're listing from the Heart Dungeon."
"Got it. Then, let's get started."
With that, I laid out the items I collected yesterday on the table.
370 'Tiny Magic Stones'.
5 'Large Magic Stones'.
1 'Extra Large Magic Stone'.
330 'Cotton Caterpillar Silk'.
21 'Golden Seeds'.
6 'Golden Cups'.
2 Skill Orbs 'Adamantine Power'.
2 Skill Orbs 'Adamantine Wall'.
2 Skill Orbs 'Adamantine Armor'.
"...That's an insane amount."
"Wow, Shota."
The Branch Manager held her head, and Hana gave a small clap.
Even so, I discarded more than half of them.
"Maki, can you appraise these?"
"Sure. Let's start with the magic stones. 'Tiny Magic Stones' are 200 yen each, totaling 74,000 yen. 'Large Magic Stones' are 50,000 yen each, totaling 250,000 yen. 'Extra Large Magic Stone' is 300,000 yen, so the total for the magic stones is 624,000 yen."
"Only Shota can make this much from magic stones alone."
The 'Medium Magic Stones' that drop from 'Hobgoblins' and 'Murder Rabbits' are 10,000 yen each, but the higher tiers are indeed more expensive.
"Hehe, that's true. Next, the 'Cotton Caterpillar Silk'. After discussing with Shota, we'll list three sets of 10 and three sets of 100. Since they rarely appear individually, listing them in bulk might fetch a higher price. Let's start with 10 times and 100 times the unit price and see how it goes."
That would be 300,000 yen for three sets and 3,000,000 yen for three sets.
Yeah, not bad.
"About the 'Golden Seeds'. They might sprout, so Shota plans to grow them at home. Therefore, we'll hold off on listing them for now."
"Are you sure it's okay?"
"Well, I don't think it will turn out badly, so let's see how it goes."
"I'll follow Shota's judgment."
"Show us when they grow, okay?"
"Of course."
I'm not sure how to take care of them, but I'll plant about three in pots and water them once a day.
"Next, the 'Golden Cups'..."
"I don't have a taste for decoration, so let's start by listing one and see how it goes."
"Sure. Let's list one at 500,000 yen and see how it goes."
If it were a single item, it would be valuable, but it drops every time you defeat the monster...
"Wait a moment. Before listing, we need to check if there are any strange effects. Amachi-kun, can we have the Item Research Lab appraise one of these cups?"
"The lab? I'm interested too, so please do. Maki, hold off on listing until we get the report."
"Understood."
That's the item sorting. Next, the grand finale: the Skill Orbs.
"Let's start with 'Adamantine Power'. Based on Shota's personal testing, the effects are as follows:"
Effect duration: 30 minutes. Cooldown: 60 minutes. Strength approximately 2.5 times during effect. After the effect ends, 'Strength' is reduced to 80% for 5 minutes.
"The recoil is significant for sustained combat, but few adventurers engage in long battles. With breaks, the extended duration of the effect is a strong point. Given that it has a stronger effect than 'Super Strength' for a long period, I'll start the listing at 80 million yen."
"Oh, Maki, that's quite a conservative estimate."
"This time, we're listing two at once. Besides, compared to the last skill, the first two are more like an opening act."
While the first two skills are powerful, they are still inferior to the versatility of 'Adamantine Armor'. The latter is an invincible skill suitable for everyone, with countless applications.
"Next, 'Adamantine Wall'. This skill is similar to 'Adamantine Power', but 'Strength' is replaced with 'Toughness'. Given that 'Toughness' skills are generally inexpensive, I'll start at 10 million yen."
According to Maki, the first-tier 'Toughness' skill is 2 million yen, and the second-tier is 5 million yen. A significant difference from 'Super Strength'.
"Finally, the completely new skill 'Adamantine Armor', which is not in the database. Shota's experiments revealed that it has the effect of '50 magic points consumed. Invalidates the next attack once.'"
"An invalidation skill!?"
"Let's list one at 300 million yen. I think it's fine to list both at once."
"Understood. The next auction is tomorrow, which is perfect. It will attract a lot of people."
According to the Branch Manager, auctions are held every four days. Moreover, the one we participate in is not a national event but one of four regional events in Japan.
The auctions are held in rotation among the four regions, and top adventurers attend multiple auctions daily.
The scale and frequency are even greater than I imagined.
"About this invalidation skill, how powerful is it?"
"It blocked Aki's roundhouse kick, my stone throw, and my attack. These three were completely defended."
"Roundhouse kick...?"
The Branch Manager gave Aki a cold look, but Aki ignored it.
"Right... If it can block Amachi-kun's attack, it must have a significant effect. Even if we can't confirm complete invalidation, I'll note that it has been verified to invalidate attacks from adventurers with 'Strength' of around 300. This way, we won't be accused of false advertising."
In this way, the Branch Manager provided detailed advice on the auction items, making her seem much more reliable. I can understand why Hana and Yoko respect her so much.
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