Magic Item Shop

Cain returned to his room and changed out of his training clothes, quickly washing the sweat from his body. He put on a white travel robe, a single bracer, and a simple sword belt, then draped a cloak over himself. Instant Void hung at his waist, while the stone sword was strapped to his back.

As Cain came downstairs in his neat white outfit, Roxy's gaze fell on the stone sword on his back, and she blinked.

"Cain, aren't you going to get a different sword? That stone sword really doesn't look very reliable."

"Mm, well, they all feel about the same to me."

"Equipment is an adventurer's second life. Let's go to a magic item shop."

Cain looked at Roxy's suddenly serious expression and nodded helplessly. They had earned plenty of Asura Gold Coins now, so improving their equipment was necessary.

The two walked side by side through the soft snow, looking like two plump penguins beneath the falling flakes.

They first went to the Adventurers' Guild, because Roxy and Cain had discovered that magic item shops were not open at dawn...

"Yo, Roxy, Cain. You're here early."

"Uh, why are you guys here...?"

Cain and Roxy blinked as they looked at Zoldat, Mia, Rina, and the others in front of them, their mouths twitching.

Zoldat smiled faintly and threw an arm around Cain's shoulders.

"We're an adventurer team now, Cain. Didn't you and Roxy join us?"

Seeing Zoldat smile as if they were already close friends, Cain curled his lip and casually waved a hand.

"Teacher Roxy and I are just nominal members. Of course, we'll definitely contribute, but today we wanted to conquer a dungeon by ourselves."

Roxy blushed and nodded slightly, wholeheartedly agreeing with Cain's words.

Conquering a dungeon together was a great chance to build their relationship... No, it was a great opportunity to teach Cain about dungeons.

"I see. Then could you take us along?"

Is this guy deaf? I said I wanted to conquer a dungeon alone with my teacher.

Cain narrowed his eyes at him. Zoldat's mouth twitched, and he quickly waved his hands. He had no desire to be sent flying again during Cain's training.

"No, don't get the wrong idea. It's not like we insist on interrupting your time together. It's just that there aren't any B-rank dungeon commissions left. They're all A-rank dungeons now. Wouldn't it be dangerous for two people to take them on without support?"

"W-What do you mean, time together?! We're master and student, so please don't say things that make people misunderstand..."

Roxy's face turned bright red as she gripped her staff. Zoldat, Mia, Rina, Thea, and Bruce instinctively exchanged glances, then looked at the pair with kindly smiles.

Seeing their smiles, Roxy pursed her lips and looked at the silent Cain.

Cain, say something! Don't just stay silent! Doesn't that mean you're admitting it?!

Cain raised a brow, wanting to say something, but after thinking it over, he felt Zoldat had a point. There were only him and Teacher Roxy. If they entered a dungeon and stepped on some teleportation trap that separated him from her, he would definitely get lost immediately. That would put him in a very passive position.

"O-Okay. We're on the same team anyway, but please, please split the reward evenly."

Roxy sighed helplessly, nodded slightly, and looked seriously at the others. Setting the terms first could avoid unnecessary disputes over dividing the profits.

Of course, she and Cain did not need that sort of arrangement between themselves.

And while Roxy did not think there were any Magic Beasts in a dungeon that could threaten Cain, who was a Sword God, an A-rank high-level dungeon might contain magic teleportation traps or other trap formations that forcibly dragged people elsewhere.

Roxy knew that although her disciple was absurdly strong, he had an absolutely terrible sense of direction and could not do without her guidance. If he got lost, he would most likely be unable to even leave the dungeon.

"No problem! Little Sister Roxy, handsome little Cain, please take care of us!"

Mia, Rina, and Fira approached with sweet smiles and light steps. Roxy was actually older than all three of them, but as long as they did not call her a child, she did not particularly mind being called little sister.

After all, who did not want to be called younger?

The three were the team's priests and magicians. Of course, Teacher Roxy alone was much stronger than all three of them combined.

Cain thought this as he gave the three a slight nod in greeting. He stood beside Roxy, moving a little closer to her. Though the three wore gorgeous clothes and their deep, ample cleavage was eye-catching, Cain's gaze remained calm as it swept past them.

Heh, pink skeletons and Teacher Roxy are simply not comparable.

He did not know these three, while Roxy was both his important companion and his mentor. Naturally, he still had to be polite, but only to the extent courtesy required.

The three women's smiles twitched slightly. As expected of a lolicon. Did mature older-sister types like them instantly fail to interest him...?

Zoldat exchanged a look with the dwarf Brook beside him. They nodded and smiled faintly.

At least they had confirmed that Cain was not the fickle sort. They had once had a flirtatious male teammate who got two female magicians pregnant and then ran off with them, severely damaging the team's strength.

Zoldat still remembered that vividly, which was why he disliked adventurers who were couples.

Of course, the two in front of him were exceptions.

"This is an A-rank dungeon commission."

"Red Dragon's Grave."

Cain raised a brow slightly. The first time he had come here, this seemed to have been the A-rank dungeon he saw. It looked like it was quite difficult, since the commission had remained up even after several days.

"Yeah, with our strength, it would probably be very difficult..."

Zoldat looked slightly amused as he continued.

"But with Cain and Roxy, it should be easy, right? After all, our god and archbishop are amazing adventurers who can even slay a Red Dragon."

Cain and Roxy's faces reddened slightly at that.

What the hell were this archbishop and god nonsense? Neither of them had ever admitted to it.

At that moment, Roxy broke the silence first.

"Ahem. Anyway, Cain needs a new set of equipment. Could you recommend a better magic item shop?"

Since it was an A-rank dungeon commission, conquering it with Cain alone carried risks. Taking it on as a group was not necessarily a bad thing, and the reward for completing an A-rank dungeon was considerable. It was just a shame that she would lose a good opportunity to be alone with Cain and teach him more about adventurer knowledge.

"A magic item shop? I know a few good ones. Of course, I'll recommend the best one."

This time, Zoldat spoke first.

"Oh? Do they have a magic item that can keep someone from getting lost? Let me clarify, though. I never get lost."

Mm, at most, he took the wrong road.

The others looked at Cain with strange expressions.

This idiot disciple of mine... Isn't he just admitting he has a terrible sense of direction?

Roxy covered her forehead and gently tugged Cain's sleeve with her small hand, signaling for him to stop explaining. He was only making it worse.

"Uh, yes!"

Cain's eyes lit up slightly.

"But none of the magic item shops I know have one."

Then that means there isn't one...

The commission had been accepted in advance by the Thunder Adventurer Group. After spending a little over half an hour making sure they had brought everything needed for the dungeon, they took Cain and Roxy, who had been waiting on the benches for over half an hour, toward the center of the Ranoa Kingdom.

It was nearly five o'clock. The sun slowly rose over the horizon, and a faint morning glow illuminated the surrounding streets as the group entered the magic item shop Zoldat had recommended.

Cain and Roxy both fell silent as they looked at the dazzling array of magic items inside.

It had to be said that although Zoldat looked like an unapproachable playboy, the place he recommended was quite good.

"Hello, adventurers. This is the Neris Magic Item Chain Store. What magic items would you like to buy?"

Roxy's eyes widened slightly.

"It's actually that old-established magic item store? I never expected there to be a branch here as well."

"Y-You have a good eye, little la... ma'am. The Neris Magic Item Workshop is a famous old magic item manufacturer in Sharia Magic City. Not only do we sell magic items, we can also customize magic item equipment."

The rabbit-eared female clerk said this with a smile.

She was about to call me little girl, wasn't she...

The corner of Roxy's eye twitched slightly.

"Hmm, this place looks pretty good." Cain curiously examined the numerous magic items on display, along with the exquisite longswords and daggers mounted on the walls.

Seeing their reactions, Zoldat smugly rubbed his nose and said, "This is the biggest and most comprehensive magic item shop around. I guarantee that aside from the main store in Sharia Magic City, the magic items here are the best and most complete on the entire continent."

Of course, they were expensive too.