We were led to the director’s office. Facing what was clearly a high-end desk was a sofa. Being prompted to sit, I took the offer without hesitation.
Before entering the director’s office, I had already handed over my arrows, wallet, and belt to Tomokaze-san for appraisal, as well as to negotiate the purchase of materials from the Red Great Rat Snake.
“Shall we get straight to the point? I heard from Budo-kun beforehand, but regarding the materials from the Red Great Rat Snake, you’ll be keeping some of the meat and scales, and selling the rest—is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Back when Budo-san took the materials, I hadn’t specified how much to sell in my rush, so I sent him a message later. …Well, thanks to some other adventurers haggling, the purchase price has probably gone down a bit, but oh well. At the time, streaming took priority. No regrets.
“Understood. Here, take a look.”
Amagasaki-san handed me what was essentially a purchase appraisal sheet. Feeling a bit nervous, I took it and checked the amount. Considering I had risked my life, a decent payout wouldn’t be unreasonable…
Huh? Zero, one, two, three, four, five, six…!?
“Wait, Amagasaki-san!? What is this!?”
There had to be a miscalculation or a typo! I thrust the appraisal sheet at Amagasaki-san, expecting him to realize the mistake—only for him to casually drop an absolutely terrifying statement.
“Oh? Was it too low?”
“No, that’s not the issue! Why is it so high!?”
“Well… the materials from the Red Great Rat Snake are quite valuable. They are far superior to those from the Blue Great Rat Snake. The only unfortunate part is that the fangs and eyes were missing. If they had been intact, the price would have been even higher.”
…Oh yeah. Back then, in the heat of the moment, I had recklessly thrown my arrows and completely obliterated its head. I had no choice—otherwise, I would’ve died. But if the head had been intact, I could have earned even more, huh?
Wait a second. Didn’t I promise to share some of the materials with the other adventurers as part of their reward? Did that get accounted for?
“Just to confirm, the reward distribution to the adventurers who accompanied Budo-kun has already been handled, correct?”
“Of course. The upfront portion of the payment was two scales. That said, considering the sheer size of the Red Great Rat Snake, the deduction is quite minor. Congratulations, you’re rich!”
“…You know full well that in this line of work, money disappears fast.”
I shot Amagasaki-san a resentful glare, but he simply brushed it off with a relaxed smile.
Yes, being an adventurer means you can strike it rich in an instant—but expenses are just as high. Equipment is the biggest cost. Buying quality armor can easily cost ten thousand, even a hundred thousand. Even the secondhand gear I wore when I was a guy cost me fifty thousand. On top of that, there are consumables like potions. Some adventurers who delve into the more brutal dungeons can burn through a million in a single day.
“Well, well. Kihara-kun, you haven’t upgraded your gear since… your transformation, right? This might be a good time to invest in something better.”
“You’re not wrong.”
I looked down at my gear. The rental armor, which barely met minimum defense standards, was now in tatters. Encountering the Red Great Rat Snake had been an extreme outlier, but there was no way I could keep using this. Yeah, Amagasaki-san was right—I should buy some new gear.
Just as I came to that decision, there was a knock at the director’s office door.
From outside, Tomokaze-san’s voice called out. He must have finished the appraisal. With Amagasaki-san’s permission, he entered and placed the tray holding my arrows, wallet, and belt on the table in front of me.
…Wait. He was holding the appraisal report, but his expression seemed… off.
“Uh… so, the appraisal is done. George-san, would you like to hear the results in order from least concerning to most…?”
“What kind of suggestion is that!? You’re basically admitting that some of them are concerning!”
“Ah, well, I can say for sure that none of them are cursed. So don’t worry about that!”
…Well, since the wallet and belt were everyday items, it was a relief to know they weren’t cursed. Still, something felt off. But for now, I decided to let Tomokaze-san go ahead with his order.
“First, this. Item name: Red Serpent Belt. Its effects include automatic size adjustment and granting the wearer temperature resistance. But, just to be clear, that doesn’t mean you can walk through fire or survive being frozen solid.”
“So basically, if I wear it in summer or winter, I won’t get too hot or too cold?”
“Exactly. It would be handy for construction workers in the middle of summer. Also, since it’s a belt, it can be used like a whip.”
A simple but pretty useful item. I probably wouldn’t use it as a whip, but it seemed practical enough for everyday wear. …Wait, this was the least concerning of the three?
“Next, the wallet. Item name: Fortune Serpent Wallet. This wallet provides an unlimited supply of money.”
“…Huh?”
“If you insert a credit card, you can simply tap the wallet on any compatible terminal to pay. Even if you’re not using a credit card, money will be deducted automatically.”
“So it’s like a mobile wallet?”
“For cash payments, just wish for the amount you need, and it will provide exact change. If you’re overseas, it automatically converts to the local currency.”
“That’s ridiculously convenient.”
“Even without presenting a loyalty card, it automatically accumulates points.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Naturally, it also works for train stations and other IC card terminals.”
“This thing does everything.”
“On top of that, if stolen, it instantly returns to the owner. Also, only the owner can open it.”
“I’m not even surprised anymore.”
“And lastly, it grants the owner good fortune. Though, since ‘luck’ isn’t an actual stat, that part might just be superstition.”
Tomokaze-san ended his explanation there, but… isn’t this wallet insanely overpowered?
It looked like a normal snakeskin wallet, but for some people, this would be worth an absolute fortune. Infinite money, theft-proof, automatic foreign currency conversion—you wouldn’t even need a safe with this thing.
Alright, first thing later, I’m putting my Red Great Rat Snake payout in this wallet.
And now… the last item. The arrow.
Honestly, I already had a feeling. No, there was no doubt. This was the most insane one.
“Alright, last item. The arrow. I’ll read it out. Item name: Yadogi Arrow.”
…Huh? The name sounded kind of… weak. I mean, mistletoe? It’s just a plant that parasitizes trees, right?
For now, I held my tongue and let Tomokaze-san continue.
“This arrow aligns with its master’s will. If you wish for it to pierce, it will pierce. If you wish for it to repel, it will repel. If you wish for it to chase, it will chase. If you wish for it to explode, it will explode. This arrow returns swiftly to its master. It will never break, nor will it bend. The cost is proportional to the wish’s intensity. And it rejects unworthy bows without hesitation.”
…
W h a t t h e h e l l !!!
