“Dried meat, water, salt, and some vegetables would be good, but I can’t carry much...”
I stood in front of a stall and contemplated the food I needed for the expedition. I didn’t really know. Adventurers in this world had magical bags called tool bags that could largely ignore storage limits. However, I couldn’t use them, as a dud. The amount I could pack into a bag or large backpack was limited.
“Hey, kid, you gotta buy something or move along. I have other customers.”
The stall owner was annoyed with me for pondering all of this in front of his stall.
“Ah, sorry. I’m heading north for a quest and want to buy food. What vegetables would be good to take?”
“What’s this, kid? With your strange outfit, I thought you were from the Alchemy Guild, but you’re an adventurer? North, you say? Towards Monesia Village?”
“That’s right. I’m going to eliminate humanoid species around Monesia Village.”
“You should’ve said so sooner! It’s two days by carriage to Monesia Village. That means at least four meals. How about these?”
The stall owner selected a bundle of thin, dried black meat, a small jar filled with dried fruit, and a bag of beans.
“This should last a week. You have to buy water and salt separately.”
The quantity was manageable. I doubted that it would last a week, but I decided to trust the stall owner. I purchased the food and thanked him. Next, I needed to find water, salt, and camping tools. Speaking of camping, I needed a fire-starting kit. Did they have that here?
Walking down main street, I headed to an adventurer’s tool shop. It was the same shop from a few days back where I had been accosted by a trio of adventurers. Despite that unpleasantness, I remembered that Ashley had mentioned its diverse selection and recommended it for its quest tools. I entered and approached a male employee arranging the merchandise.
“Excuse me. I’m looking for a fire-starting kit. Where are they located?”
“Welcome. Fire-starting kit? You mean, like kindling?”
“No, I don’t need wood to burn, but the tools that start the fire.”
“Tools to start the fire...? I’m sorry, but we don’t carry such tools.”
“Oh? You don’t have flint stones?”
“Flint stones? I’m sorry, but I have no idea what that is.”
“I see. Thanks, anyway.”
This was unexpected. Then I realized that residents of this world can use magic. They don’t need flint stones for fire-starting.
I left the employee to examine the various tools displayed. Their arrangement confirmed my guess was right. For nighttime lanterns, there were magical light types and candle types. I couldn’t produce magical light or fire, so these were useless to me. I’d have to rely on the tactical light attached to my firearms for nighttime illumination.
Carrying water would be challenging. I needed to carry a sufficient amount beyond what my current canteen held. The store had leather bags and canteens perfect for this, but they were huge and obviously designed for magical tool bags with expandable storage.
While my avatar outfit was warm enough, and I wouldn’t need a blanket for sleeping, I had nowhere to carry a pot for cooking. I wasn’t skilled at cooking—I mostly ate out or had convenience store meals back in Japan, and I rarely cooked for myself. I’d have to make do with the jerky from the stall. I purchased all the necessary tools needed for the multi-day carriage journey. I then returned to the White Flower Pavilion of the Labyrinth to finish my preparations.
After having a light meal in the first-floor dining hall, I returned to my room and opened the TSS. While gathering travel tools was important, I also needed to decide which firearms to use against the harpies. I also needed to think about how I should present myself to the temporary party I’d be joining.
From the TSS inventory, I selected the firearms I thought would be most effective against the flying humanoids. First, I chose an anti-aircraft firearm. Since I didn’t know the harpies’ flight altitude or speed, I opted for something with a wide range of coverage. I chose the Type 99 short rifle as my main weapon. Known in the West as the Arisaka rifle, this bolt-action rifle was used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. It had a five-round capacity and a range of about sixteen hundred yards, requiring the bolt handle to be pulled for cocking, ejecting spent cartridges, and loading the next round.
The ammunition used was a standard cartridge, with a precise specification of 7.7 × 58mm rounds. In VMB, firearms’ attack power was determined by the ammunition used, rather than the firearm itself. The combination of a bolt-action rifle and 7.7 × 58mm rounds offered top-class rifle attack power in VMB.
Even though the capacity was limited to five rounds, and you had to manually load each round, players enjoyed the cocking action and loading process of such bolt-action rifles. The challenge of dealing with the gaps during cocking and loading was a test of player skill, making the Type 99 short rifle popular among players.
The main reason I chose this firearm for anti-aircraft shooting was its sight. The iron sights, consisting of two reference points—the front sight at the muzzle and the rear sight on the barrel—were equipped with an anti-aircraft sight on the Type 99 short rifle. This aided aiming at airborne targets. Although hitting a flying harpy with a single shot wouldn’t be easy, it was far more economical than spraying bullets with assault rifles or submachine guns.
I planned to keep the Five-seveN as my secondary weapon. Its twenty-round capacity was appealing, and with the Type 99’s high power, a maneuverable secondary weapon was preferable. I selected a silencer attachment and stored it in my waist pouch for easy access.
I also packed a combat knife for close combat, along with several special grenades in a dedicated pouch.
With my expedition load-out complete, I chose a new avatar outfit. I figured a fur-hooded Napoleon coat could serve as a blanket substitute for sleeping. The long coat would also cover and conceal the magazine belt and holster. While I’d have to carry the Type 99 short rifle in a shoulder sling, it would probably appear to people around here as a long staff with metal fittings. Now that I was properly outfitted, I changed from avatar customization to underwear and turned in early to be well rested for tomorrow.