The following morning, Daggers prowled the streets. Partially, this was to guard the city, but his real intentions lay elsewhere—updating his armor. He wanted to purchase new equipment that was stronger than his current set. For one, long years of use had left them in tatters, which currently didn’t inspire much confidence given there was no knowing what might happen during this journey.
If he revealed this to Lloyd, he’d likely cast buffs on Daggers’s armor while in battle, which would make his equipment much sturdier and more effective, likely even more so than anything he could find in a shop. However, Daggers didn’t want to hold the white mage back any more than he already had. While Lloyd himself was completely oblivious, his buffs—and all his spells, really—were so creative and high-powered that the average white mage certainly wouldn’t be able to pull them off.
Lloyd was so strong, even an S-rank adventurer like Daggers wanted to leave everything in his hands.
“Really, the guy shocks me every time. But I can’t just depend on him forever...” Thus, Daggers had spent the last few hours walking through town in search of armor. There were multiple equipment shops, but none sold what he needed the most, a broad shield.
Or rather, it was because his shield was so essential that Daggers had yet to make a decision. While there were multiple weapons shops, none sold any shields that felt right, which was why he had yet to make a purchase.
He sighed. “I’ve checked every shop on the map, so what do I do now? I’ve got to buy a shield one way or another...”
Daggers continued to walk the streets, trying to recall which weapons shops had the best shields to offer. That’s when he caught sight of one that looked ancient. Its structure was wooden and dilapidated. “Hmm, this one’s not on the map, but...”
The place was in such shambles, he wasn’t sure whether or not it was open. However, it had still caught his attention. Maybe this was where he could find a hidden gem.
“Well, I’ll go in if they’re open, and just head back if they’re closed.” With both anticipation and anxiety in his chest, Daggers approached the shop. “H-Hello...?”
The interior looked just as ancient as the exterior did. But surprisingly enough, the shelves were lined with wares—ones that seemed to be kept in better condition than anything he had found in the other shops. They had weapons for a wide range of prices, and Daggers was shocked by the variety. He couldn’t help but feel that if it wasn’t for the ramshackle exterior, this place would be booming. Its wares were of excellent quality.
“They’ve really got a great selection...” muttered Daggers as he roamed the shelves.
That’s when an old man appeared from the back. He had to be the shopkeeper. “What d’ya want?”
“Oh! Um, I’m just here to check out your weapons.” Was that bad? wondered Daggers in a panic. “Is that...okay?”
“Oh, sure. I thought those buggers were back again, but you don’t look like ’em.”
“I’m just here to check out some weapons.”
“I see...” With that, the old man disappeared into the back again.
Did that mean it was okay to look around? Daggers wasn’t sure, but he continued to search through the weapons—specifically, the shields—regardless. “These really are excellent.” He couldn’t help but feel like something was off. With a selection as good as this, shouldn’t the outside reflect that?
“Hey, gramps! We’re back!”
A group of obvious good-for-nothings came waltzing inside. “You a customer?” There were about a dozen of them, and given their equipment, they didn’t seem to be adventurers. “Huh? No effing way. You buying weapons at a dinky shop like this?”
“I am. Is that a problem?” Daggers scratched his head. Why else would he be here?
“Ha ha! Is this guy for real? At a shop like this?! You must be some bottom-of-the-barrel adventurer, I bet!”
The whole group snickered. Naturally, this ticked Daggers off, but they were still inside someone else’s shop. Violence would only cause trouble for the owner.
Plus, he knew that laying hands on these guys now would mean his defeat. Thus, Daggers held back his anger.
But unlike Daggers, someone raised his voice. It was the old shopkeeper. “Is that you lot again?! I told you to never show your faces here again, didn’t I? I ain’t selling you my weapons, and I ain’t backin’ down either!” shouted the shopkeeper, his face crimson.
“Whoa there, gramps. I see you’ve got some energy today.”
“I’ve got no business thanks to you buggers! Even my regulars ain’t coming anymore!”
“I’m glad to hear that!” The group was still sneering. Meanwhile, the old man was furious.
“I see...” But this conversation was enough for Daggers to get a good idea of what was going on. “Are you guys land sharks?”
“Hey there, buddy. You’ve got the wrong idea. We’re kindhearted adventurers.”
“You guys are adventurers?”
“Yup, so listen up! I’m Galland, an A-rank adventurer! There’s not a single man in town who doesn’t know my name!” said the man, hubristically introducing himself. The other adventurers looked like they couldn’t be any higher than C-rank.
“Huh, so you’re pretty famous.”
“Yup! I’m leagues above a noob adventurer like you!”
Galland’s group was cackling. For a moment, Daggers contemplated revealing his rank. He eventually concluded that would be pretty lame, and opted to keep his mouth shut. “And why’s an A-rank adventurer messing with a shop like this?”
“Ha! I’m sure a lowlife like you wouldn’t understand, but things get complicated when you get to my level! Understand?”
I “wouldn’t understand,” but I’m supposed to understand? This guy is obnoxious, thought Daggers, doing everything he could to hold himself back.
Seeing this, Galland and his crew were convinced that Daggers was incapable of fighting back and continued with their taunts. “Galland, of course this guy wouldn’t get it. He’s an adventurer shopping at a place like this.”
“Yup, this guy’s gonna be a low rank forever! He doesn’t even own a weapon!”
“Hey, you’re right!”
Thus, Galland’s crew continued to rile up Daggers, but it was the old shopkeeper who fought back. “And you lot call yourselves adventurers?!”
“We do. So what?”
“I ain’t got no clue which shop gave you this quest of yours, but aren’t you embarrassed to be acting like this given your rank?!”
So, this was a quest from another shop, one almost certainly meant to financially ruin this one. Daggers wasn’t sure what that could possibly accomplish, but that revealed something. The Adventurer’s Guild would never sanction this quest, which meant this had to be a black one.