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Chapter 4: Party Up?

The Next Morning

After breakfast, they eagerly waited to be summoned by the king. But of course, nothing was going to happen so early in the morning. Judging from the position of the sun, it must have been around ten o'clock when they finally came to get them. They headed out with excitement fluttering in their hearts.

"Welcome, Heroes," spoke the king.

Inside the audience chamber, twelve men and women dressed like adventurers had been gathered. There were even a few that looked like honest-to-goodness knights. The king's assistance was really amazing.

The heroes bowed in greeting.

"As promised, we have gathered companions to follow you on your journey. They are all eager to make your acquaintance."

'This is perfect!' There were just enough people here for each of them to get three companions, with nobody left over.

"Now, future heroes of this country. Choose the one you wish to serve."

'What?' After thinking about it for a few seconds, it made sense. Obviously, the heroes couldn't force them to party with them.

One by one, the adventurers briskly crossed the room and gathered into groups in front of each of them. As for the final tally...

Ren: 5 followers.

Motoyasu: 4 followers.

Itsuki: 3 followers.

Naofumi: 0 followers.

"Wait a minute, Your Majesty!" Naofumi called out. 'What's going on?'

The king didn't seem quite sure how to respond. "Hm. To be frank, I never imagined something like this could happen."

"He isn't very popular, is he?" Even the minister threw him under the bus Just then, a robed man whispered something to the king.

"I see. So there was that kind of rumor..." the king replied.

"Did something happen?" Motoyasu delicately tried to break the tension, but it was too late.

Naofumi feared that he upset the people somehow. 'What the hell did I do?!'

"Apparently, a rumor has been circulating around the castle that out of all the Heroes, the Shield Hero is the least acquainted with the ways of our world and the weakest."

"What are they talking about?!" Naofumi shouted. "Except for maybe Ren and Possibly Itsuki, we have about the same level of experience being here!"

"In legend, it is written that the Heroes are ones with a deep understanding of the inner workings of this world. If I am not mistaken, that does not apply to you?

Motoyasu nudged me with his elbow. "Guess they were eavesdropping on our conversation last night, huh?"

'Wait. Was he talking about the fact that I'd never played a game like this before? That was the reason nobody wanted to join me? Hell, that bogus legend actually mentioned that? Even if I didn't have a game similar to this world doesn't make it so I can't learn the rules. Who cared if shields sucked in a few shitty games? This wasn't just a game, it was reality!' "If that's the case, why was I chosen in the first place?"

The king shrugged indifferently.

'Seriously...' He turned to the Sword Hero. At the moment, he was the closest person he considered an ally. "C'mon on, Ren! You've got five followers. Can't you convince some to help me out here?"

Ren's followers, men included, shrank back behind him like frightened children, while Ren scratched his head nervously. "I'll try, but I can't force them." He turned to them. "I'll leave behind anybody that doesn't think they can keep up with me." However, even in the face of such cold words from their lord, none of Ren's followers so much as moved a muscle. "Uh... I'm not sure what else to do, Naofumi."

Naofumi groaned. 'I shouldn't have expected much leadership skills from a high school student.' He turned to the other hero. "What about you, Motoyasu? Can you do anything?"

The Spear hero was obviously reluctant. "Well... Like Ren said, it's not my decision to make." Incidentally, every single one of Motoyasu's followers was a woman. It seemed he was genetically predisposed to having women flock to him no matter where he was. "It's not my fault these lovely ladies want to help me succeed."

'Just great...'

Itsuki seemed genuinely troubled by my situation, but didn't want to reject the companions that had chosen him, either. "I do think it would be best if we each had three followers, but... forcing them into it against their will would be terrible for morale."

Everybody in the room nodded at Itsuki's reasonable words.

'God dammit!' "I have to set off on my journey alone!?" 'All I have is a shield! How am I supposed to get any stronger without companions!?' He growled to the other companions. "Fine! I guess this is how it is then. I don't need you." He pointed to Ren's companions. "I don't need any of you." He pointed again to Motoyasu's women. "I'll find my own companions." He turned to the king. "If I'm gonna be adventuring on my own, I should have more money in case I have to buy whoever I find new equipment."

"That only seems fair," commented Ren. Naofumi smiled at Ren. It seemed as if the young teen was the only one trying to support him.

The king frowned. "Certainly someone is willing to go with the shield hero?"

No one moved. Motoyasu shrugged. "Oh, well. We tried." A red haired girl was about to move before she was wrapped in a big hug by the Spear hero, cutting her off. "Don't worry girls, there's no need give up your security. I suppose we should just give him our best wishes."

Naofumi rubbed the temples of his head in frustration. "Maybe I can hire mercenaries or join another group," he mumbled.

The king glanced at the Spear hero's group before breathing a sigh of regret. "Very well. Naofumi, from this point on you are to scout suitable companions on your own and bolster your ranks. Because of these decidedly unique circumstances, I will make a special exception just this once and increase your aid for the month over that of the other Heroes."

"Thank you, your Majesty!" It was a sound judgment. If nobody here wanted anything to do with him, then he just had to go out and find some people that did.

"Then, I shall distribute the funds." At the king's signal, they were presented with four heavy, moneybags. As promised, mine was slightly larger than the others.

"I hereby bequeath 1200 silver coins to Naofumi, and 600 silver coins to the other Heroes. Use it to equip yourselves, and then begin your journey!"

"Yes!" And so, their audience with the king ended. Everybody filed out into the hall, and began their self-introductions.

Naofumi made quick goodbyes and made his way to the front gates of the castle.

The spectacle that greeted him when he crossed the drawbridge from the castle into the town nearly blew him away. Though he had caught a glimpse of it through the window yesterday, seeing it up close really drilled in the fact that he had come to another world. Wooden signboards hung over stone streets and storefronts, and delicious smells wafted through the air. It really made quite an impression.

'So... I'm adventuring in a new world. Crap. What do I do first?' After a few minutes of thinking, he decided to learn more about this place and gain the bare essentials: food, shelter, and equipment. The others seemed to go on information from their games, but he decided to get first hand accounts too. With knowledge comes power, so he needed all the knowledge he could get.

30 Minutes Later

Naofumi has been walking for a while through the market district. Since leaving the castle, he's realized his immediate problem. He couldn't read any of the store signs or any of the local writing. He tried asking for directions but he was getting a few wary looks. Was it because he was a stranger? Possibly. Naofumi stopped walking and looked at a shop with a conspicuously huge sign, emblazoned with nothing but a sword. 'Thank whatever God that they use pictures.' He found a place for equipment.

Opening the door, he could see that the walls were covered with weapons from floor to ceiling. Without a doubt, this was an honest-to-god weapon shop. And not only that, it looked like they also dealt in armor and useful tools for adventurers.

"Welcome!" the shopkeeper bellowed out a greeting as he entered. His enormous, muscular frame was exactly what you'd expect from the owner of a weapon shop.

But that was great! He would have been a little disappointed if he had ended up being some sleazy ball of grease. This really was another world. "So this is a weapon shop...?"

"Ah, a new customer! The fact that you came in means you must have an eye for quality!"

"I actually stopped by because I'm looking for equipment, and I saw the big sword on your sign," he pointed upward.

He laughed. "Can't say it's bad advertising." The shop owner got a good look at Naofumi. "You're not from around here, I presume?"

He was right. To the people of this world, his clothes must have seemed otherworldly. Anybody judging him by his appearance alone would think he was a total weirdo. 'Maybe that's why I was getting those strange looks from before.' "I'm actually one of the heroes this Kingdom summoned for the waves."

"You're a hero?" The shopkeeper stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. "No offense, but I don't see much."

Naofumi grumbled. He didn't need to deal with more people like those at the castle, so he had to nip this one in the bud. "I literally got summoned here yesterday. I'm still trying to understand the rules of this place." Of course, even if he didn't want to admit it, he probably did look pretty weak. 'That's why I want to get stronger!'

He nodded back. "I'm just saying, if you don't load yourself up with quality equipment nobody will take you seriously."

"That's probably true..." Naofumi sighed. 'Just walking around with a shield won't do much.'

"I didn't start the rumors, but the word getting around is that you're the failure of the four Heroes."

"Urk." He could feel his cheek twitching. 'Fuck those volunteers at the castle. How did rumors about me spread so fast?' He tightened his grip. "For the record, I'm the Shield Hero, Iwatani Naofumi. I'm not weak, but I if I'm going to make any progress saving this land from the waves, I'll need to get the right supplies. I'll be getting into a lot of dangerous situations from here on out, so I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other." He figured it would be best to introduce myself properly and clear up any misunderstandings.

"Naofumi, huh? Well, if you're already planning on becoming a repeat customer then I think we'll get along just fine. Nice to meet you! Name's Erhard."

'At least this guy was giving me a chance.' "Do you have any recommendations on what I should get?"

"That depends on a few questions. What's your fighting style, who are you fighting, and what's your budget?

"I see..." Naofumi had to think for a moment. To be honest, he hadn't thought of that. Naofumi brought up his status and looked over his information.

Name: Naofumi Iwatani

Class: Shield Hero

Level: 1

Equipment: Small Shield (Legendary Weapon), Other-world Clothes

HP: 22

SP: 10

Attack: 1

Defense: 35

Agility: 9

Items

Skills

Magic

Help

'Now that I look at my stats, it is very concerning. With only one attack power, I'll think about fighting monsters after I get a party member. It'll be inefficient for me to deal damage.' "What kinds of monsters are outside the town?"

He thought for a moment. "If I recall correctly, there shouldn't be anything too dangerous in the fields. Mostly it's just balloons, shrooms, and some small mammals. If you're going up against those, you'll want defense against their piercing teeth."

"That's good to hear. What you have in mind?"

"I have some gambeson armor in stock. I just have to get you fitted."

Naofumi raised a brow. "Gambeson? What's that?"

"In layman's terms, it's layered pads of cloth and leather."

"How much is it going to cost?"

"I'd say... 50 silver coins."

'50 of my 1200 silver coins...?' Naofumi couldn't help but think about the cost for lodging over time. 'Maybe I should consider camping.' "I suppose I can do that."

"Understood! Wait there moment." Erhard left the counter and wandered around a bit, before finally returning with the measuring tools and a pile of weapons from various sections of the shop. "So, kiddo. Before I get you fitted, I thought I'd show you some weapons. Do you have any particular weapon type?"

Naofumi looked at them, knowing that he couldn't use them effectively. 'Maybe I can get one for self-defense.' He sighed. "Not really. I've never actually held a real weapon before in my life."

"In that case, I'd recommend a short sword made for novices." He lined up a selection of swords on the counter in front of him.

'Maybe I can be like Link and Ren and have a sword and shield?' thought Naofumi.

"All of these come with a coating of BloodClean already applied."

"BloodClean?"

"It's a special coating that makes blood and gore slide right off the blade, to preserve cutting ability."

"Woah..." Now that he mentioned it, Naofumi was pretty sure I'd heard something in his world about blades wearing down after being used to cut meat a lot. 'Basically, he was saying these were all swords that never corrode?' "Amazing..."

"From least to most expensive, we've got iron, magic iron, magic steel, and mithril. You might think they're a bit pricey, but I can guarantee their performance."

"Interesting." 'Did the durability of the weapon vary by material?'

"We've got even better weapons in stock, of course, but these are the ones for beginners."

It made perfect sense that a weapon shop in the capital of a major country would be well-stocked. "Maybe... the iron sword?" He gingerly wrapped his fingers around the hilt and picked it up. There was a hefty weight to it, like he'd expect from a weapon. Compared to his shield, it was surprisingly heavy. 'Would I really be able to fight monsters with this...?' *CRACK!* "Ow!" Suddenly, he felt a shock like he had been struck by lightning, and the sword snapped out of his hands.

"Oh?" Erhard was looking back and forth between me and the sword with looks of wonder on his face. "What happened?"

Naofumi bent over and picked up the sword again. It seemed perfectly normal. 'What was that before? Was it just a fluke?' CRACK! "Ouch!" 'What the hell? Is he playing a prank or something?' Naofumi glared at him for an answer.

Erhard just shook his head and shrugged. He was clearly just as confused as him. "Didn't it just fly out of your hands on its own?"

'That's impossible.' Naofumi stared at his palms in disbelief. As he did, a message appeared in my field of vision.

Legendary Weapon Rule Violation: Contact With Unauthorized Weapon

'Wait, what?' He quickly pulled up the Help menu and consulted the user's manual. 'There has to be something in there about... aha!'

A Hero can't fight with anything other than the legendary weapon in his possession.

'Seriously!? I couldn't use anything to fight except my shield!? These rules are bullcrap?' Naofumi took a breath to calm himself. "Umm... sorry, but apparently this shield is the only weapon I'm allowed to have." He raised my head and smiled bitterly. 'I really need to find some companions.'

"Really? Could I have a look at it?"

Since he couldn't take the shield off as far as he knew, he held out his entire shield arm for Erhard. It felt a little silly, but there was no way around it. He muttered something under his breath, and a small ball of light flew toward my shield and burst apart. "Hmm. At first glance, it's just a normal small shield. But there's something strange about it..."

"Ah, you can tell?" Naofumi was painfully aware that it was just a small shield. Even the status magic said so. 'There has to be some amazing quality or ability for it to be a Legendary Weapon.'

"See this jewel fixed in the center here? I can feel powerful energy radiating from it. I tried examining it with appraisal magic, but I wasn't able to see much. Even though there should be a type of magic, I can't identify it." Erhard gazed at me and thoughtfully stroked his trademark beard. "It really is interesting... ahem. Anyway, if weapons are out, how about some protective gear?"

"Yeah, okay. That sounds good." Erhard went to grab materials. Against his better judgment, Naofumi risked picking up a gray shield from a shelf. Looking at his small shield, he muttered. "What makes you better than any other shield?" When he tried to put the shield back before he might get zapped, he accidentally tapped it with his Small Shield. As if responding to his question, the gem of his shield glowed.

Weapon Copy activated.

You have unlocked the Iron Shield

You have unlocked the Red Iron Shield

You have unlocked the Pink Iron Shield

You have unlocked the White Iron Shield

You have unlocked the Brown Iron Shield

You have unlocked the Blue Iron Shield

You have unlocked the Sky Blue Iron Shield

There were more variants, but Naofumi ignored them. He was focusing on the fact that the Legendary shield can transform into other shields. Looking back at Iron Shield, he wondered how to bring it up. By the image of his mind, his small shield transformed into the Iron Shield. "Amazing!" 'Who knows what else this shield can do.'

Erhard came back a looked at Naofumi who now had his own Iron Shield. "How did you do that? You're not stealing from me, are you?"

Hearing the accusation, Naofumi immediately answered. "No, sir. I swear I'm not. I just learned one of the shield's magic skills you talked about before. Apparently, it can copy any shield that it touches."

He raised a brow. "Really, now." He walked up to Naofumi and examined the copied Iron Shield. "It seems you're right." Erhard gave him a stern look. "Now, I don't suppose you're just gonna try and copy the rest of my shields for free."

Naoufumi's eyes widened. "I wouldn't do that to you!" He started. "You're one of the few honest people that's trying to help me. I'd gladly pay you a portion that the shields are worth."

He nodded and accepted the hero's honest response. "I'll tell you what, since you're a hero, and none of my shields are leaving the store, I'll let you copy them for a quarter of the cost. Deal?" He held out a hand.

Naofumi quickly grabbed and shook on it. In the next half-hour, he gained the Round Shield, Buckler, Knight Shield, Copper Shield, Bronze Shield, Steel Shield, Gold Shield, Leather Shield, Magic Silver Shield, Heavy Shield, Iron Shell Shield, Magic Shield, and so on. He soon learned that some shields had special abilities. 'Is the Iron Shield and Iron Shell Shield different?' The Magic Shield says it can convert magical power in to a shield. Looking over his status, he realized that each unique shield he unlocked granted him several passive bonuses to defense and other skills. "This is great!"

"That should be it, ah wait a moment lad." After saying so, Erhard went to the back of the store. Naofumi heard the sound of him going upstairs, and there is a lot of clanking going on. Erhard returned after a while. "Thanks for waiting. This is a shield that is rare in this country." It looked quite boorish. However, the shield that Erhard brought also has a strange luster to it.

Tapping his Small Shield to it, he activates Weapon Copy.

Iron Meteorite Shield

Ability Unsealed...Equipment Bonus: Skill [Meteor Shield]

"Iron meteorite?"

"Yeah, this shield is made of an unusual ore that fell from the sky. It's a display product of Zeltbull. A prototype of the iron meteorite series."

"I see. Hm? Display product? Why do you have it?"

"It's from back in the day."

"Uh-huh." He wondered why this article is not for sale. Naofumi changed his shield to the Iron Meteorite Shield.

"Ooh," Erhard speaks in surprise.

By the time he was done copying shields, he had spent 250 silver. 'Thank god for those hero discounts.'

"Let's see... you already have your shields covered so there's no need to worry about that." He laughed. "And since there's no point in splitting your budget between weapons and armor anymore, you should be able to afford something pretty nice." Erhard started pointing out various sets of armor on display. "As I mentioned before, gambeson should do well with most monsters." With measurements taken, the shop owner, displayed the complete outfit on a mannequin.

Naofumi walked over to the armor he had recommended and touched his hand to it. He felt the smooth fibers of the padding.

Gambeson

Defense Up, Small Piercing Resistance

"How much did you say it was?"

"For you? I'll knock it down to 75 silver coins."

Naofumi was glad that it didn't cost too much. "Okay, I'll take it."

"Wonderful! I'll even throw in the innerwear for free!"

Erhard's generosity rendered him speechless. He handed him the 75 silver coins for the gambeson.

"Would you like to wear it out?"

He nodded. "Sure."

"Okay then, right this way." The shop owner gestured to a changing area.

Guided to a room at the back of the shop, where Naofumi changed into the innerwear and gambeson, placing his original clothes into a bag the shopkeeper added.

Seeing the Shield Hero in his new armor, he grinned. "Gahaha, it's not much, but you definitely look a little sturdier now!"

"Thank... you?" He was pretty sure that was supposed to be a compliment. Naofumi asked about camping materials to help save him money on shelter and the written language to get around better. Unfortunately, Erhard didn't have much in that department. What he could do was point out a wares shop and library that he's been to before. In much better spirits than before, Naofumi left the shop giving him thanks and promising to come back again. Outside, Naofumi took a breath. 'Maybe this won't be so bad. I got some new skills, new equipment, and an ally.' Naofumi never noticed the eyes watching him greedily in the shadows.

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