Kaouron Hill

After arranging with Jiang when to visit his workshop, Zhang Ruofeng carried the equipment he had bought and headed to the cake shop where he had agreed to meet the goddess Fura and Xin Mu. In this world, Magic Stones could be used as an energy source, so there was surprisingly a wide variety of baked treats. And since the towns and countries near Orario produced plenty of wheat and livestock, cakes and cookies weren't very expensive. Even a poor adventurer like Zhang Ruofeng could afford to eat at a roadside shop like this once in a while.

"Are they not here yet?" Zhang Ruofeng entered the shop and looked around. A few customers sat scattered about, but he didn't see either of the two women he knew. Without dwelling on it, he found a seat.

"Are you by yourself?" A woman dressed as a maid came over to ask. Zhang Ruofeng looked up and saw that the female adventurer was a demi-human—a catgirl. Demi-humans really did have a beauty all their own. As he watched the catgirl's ears twitch now and then and her tail sway behind her, he thought silently that such dreamlike creatures were beyond anything he could have imagined in his own world. He also thought of Heluo, the Guild receptionist who handled things for him and Xin Mu. She seemed rather hot-tempered and got angry whenever she saw him, but there was no denying that her white hair, pointed ears, long white tail, and strikingly valiant looks made the werewolf receptionist very beautiful. Still, Zhang Ruofeng suspected that the novelty of demi-humans might have made him rate her more highly.

"Sir, it's rude to stare at the waitress!" Zhang Ruofeng snapped back to his senses at the warning. He hadn't actually fixed his gaze on her, but he figured she'd dislike him even more if he argued, so he could only offer an awkward apology.

"Sorry, sorry. It's my first time here. Your uniform is really pretty." Zhang Ruofeng spoke offhandedly, then looked at the menu the maid had just placed on the table. "I'll have a glass of iced lemon water. I'll order something else when my companions get here."

"Certainly!" Zhang Ruofeng was a little curious about why the catgirl, who had seemed so aggressive just moments ago, had suddenly lost her swagger. But he had already spent a lot of energy talking with the craftsman Jiang, and he was tired, having been mentally drained to begin with. He didn't think much of it and gazed out the window.

Although that man had worn him out, there were plenty of benefits to making friends with a craftsman. Becoming a craftsman in this world seems to require more than just being good with your hands. Zhang Ruofeng recalled what he knew. To become a craftsman, it seemed one had to develop an ability—a special skill that only appeared after leveling up—which allowed one to make weapons and equipment with better usability and durability. Otherwise, ordinary gear couldn't keep up with increasingly powerful monsters, and low-level equipment would eventually become a burden.

That guy was about as strong as me, and he even seemed a little stronger. Zhang Ruofeng recalled testing Jiang while joking around with him. Though his mental state was poor, his physical abilities hadn't weakened much. So was Jiang's strength a testament to his skill as a craftsman, or did he also have great potential as an adventurer? After all, he'd said he'd been an adventurer for only a little over a year. If Zhang Ruofeng didn't possess the skill "Knowledge of the Otherworld Adventurer," one that even the goddess had never seen before, he could never have kept up with Jiang, could he?

The drink he'd ordered arrived. The catgirl waitress set down the glass, seemed to sneak a glance at Zhang Ruofeng, then walked away. He frowned slightly and touched his face, but there was nothing unusual about it. He felt his chin and hair, then sighed softly. He'd forgotten about that. His beard grew slowly, but half a month was still enough for some stubble to appear.

"My hair's gotten a bit long, too. I should get it cut when I have a moment." Zhang Ruofeng ruffled his hair absentmindedly, but didn't pay it much attention. It'd be great if I could get Jiang to join the party, but the pressure of going into the Dungeon with members of another Familia would be enormous. And that guy really isn't very reliable, either. The more he thought about it, the more of a headache it gave him. There were simply too many complications and uncertainties involved.

"Ding." The bell above the door rang, and Xin Mu and Fura entered the shop, which was called "Kaouron Hill." Seeing Zhang Ruofeng staring blankly out the window, they simply sat down with smiles. They'd both seen his talent for zoning out plenty of times before.

"Hm?" Zhang Ruofeng came out of his reverie at the sound of their laughter. He watched Fura grin as she stole a strawberry from Xin Mu's cake, then frowned slightly. "How long have you been here?"

"How long?" Fura popped the strawberry into her mouth. "About fifteen minutes, I'd say. You zone out all the time, so why are you so surprised?"

Zhang Ruofeng didn't see it that way. Normally, he would have noticed the two of them sitting across from him no matter what, but today he hadn't sensed them at all. The side effects of running out of magic really were frightening.

"Ruofeng, what did you do?" Xin Mu still wore her usual cold expression. In one swift motion, she plucked the cherry off the goddess's cake and popped it into her mouth without changing her expression. "The waitresses have been sneaking glances over here for a while."

"Ah, maybe it's because black hair is rare here." Zhang Ruofeng answered casually. He usually didn't pay much attention to things like that, and he was exhausted today, so he hadn't given it much thought. "My beard's grown out, too. I'll get a haircut this afternoon." He pointed to his hair; his bangs and sideburns had grown quite a bit.

"Mm." Xin Mu responded, then immediately went back to eating her cake.

"Hm?" Zhang Ruofeng had spent quite a while with Xin Mu and could usually tell when she was unhappy, but he had no idea what had happened. What was wrong? Did Xin Mu dislike his hair being short? He couldn't help wondering.

"Looks like you really aren't yourself today." Fura twirled the fork in her hand and spoke calmly. Zhang Ruofeng wasn't usually this slow on the uptake, but today he was acting like a block of wood.

"One of those waitresses—a catgirl—seems to be looking at you strangely." Fura's tone was somewhat teasing. Zhang Ruofeng grew even more confused. "Did you go and flirt with her or something?"