New chapter of Ordinary Person is out! (3/3 chapters)

 

 

Chapter 66

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

I had planned to send Haruka-kun to the dungeon exit and then return to the second floor right away. But I decided to stop by the guild once. The reason being was we needed to cash in and split the drops. I had completely forgotten.

“Sorry.” (Kouta)

“It’s fine, really, don’t worry about it. I forgot too.” (Haruka)

We brought the drops to the buyback counter.

“Oh? That’s rare! Calling it a day with this?” (Reception Onee-san)

It was the usual Onee-san. Maybe because it was around lunchtime, the guild was a bit more relaxed. Even so, there was still a high number of people there.

“No, it’s just that my partner looks sleepy, so I thought we’d settle up for now. More importantly, isn’t it rarer for you, Onee-san? You don’t usually handle buybacks, right?” (Kouta)

“That’s right! I’m bad at math! I’d really prefer if they sent someone else, but I can’t exactly say that out loud~. Ah! That’s right! Kouta-kun, ‘Kokimaru’ just came in! Fresh stock today!!” (Reception)

“Eh!!?” (Kouta)

At Onee-san’s words, I couldn’t help but raise my voice and for good reason. Among the recent global development race, this ‘Kokimaru’ was considered the greatest achievement.

It is said to be created with the full strength of Japan! It’s a masterpiece created from knives dropped by goblins, combined with Japanese swordsmithing and research results. Even Haruka-kun, who looked sleepy just a moment ago, now has an expression like his drowsiness blew away.

“From now on, it should be supplied pretty steadily! Though because of that, ‘Goblin Knife’ prices are probably going to go up. Ah, but don’t worry, the buyback prices are planned to rise too!” (Reception)

“Actually, for us who already own some, the buyback prices going up is more important.” (Kouta)

“True that! Ah, right now there are several ‘Kokimaru’ lined up in the shop.” (Reception)

“…Hm? Wouldn’t one sample be enough?” (Kouta)

“Unlike things that come straight out of the dungeon, items made by human hands don’t have consistent quality. It’s not just the stats but things like the curvature and length of the blade vary too.” (Reception)

“Um, is it okay if we go check them out first?” (Kouta)

“Of course! I’ll handle the calculations. But don’t forget to come back and receive your payment, okay?” (Reception)

Leaving only a reply behind, we left the Onee-san and headed to the shop.

Usually, the JSDF personnel who guard the shop entrance are standing near the doorway, but today they’re positioned in front of the counter. Showing off their assault rifles like that is probably a way of saying, “We’re on alert”.

Fortunately, people hadn’t started gathering yet.

We headed straight to the ‘Kokimaru’ display and asked the shop Onee-san to show us.

‘Kokimaru’ is a katana. When Japan began dungeon exploration, it had already become clear that guns had little effect on monsters, and that they interfered with leveling up. So, the current Prime Minister, Asou-san, called upon dojos across the country, saying it was a chance to make a name for themselves, and encouraged them to join the JSDF.

Thanks to this, warriors were gathered to form units that don’t use guns, and now they protect Japan from dungeons and monsters. Most of them came from kendo or kenjutsu dojos, and to make full use of their skills, swords were necessary.

Well, technically, people from kendo backgrounds can’t really handle real swords. At first, swords were consumed like water, almost like art pieces, and production couldn’t keep up. That’s when the country poured research funding into it and had swordsmiths forge sturdy swords using materials from the dungeon.

And what resulted from that was ‘Kokimaru’. Apparently, when appraised, it automatically displays as ‘Kokimaru’. By the way, these people are kind of seen as outliers. They haven’t gone through proper military training. They enter dungeons relying solely on individual skill. For that reason, they’re strong but hard to manage. On top of that, they aren’t good at group tactics.

From among such people, Japan’s strongest, ‘Kamiizumi Nobutsuna’, emerged. Of course, this person is a sword master. Since someone like that used it, ‘Kokimaru’ became a weapon recognized around the world.

“…Hey, Kouta. Is this really a katana? It looks more like a single-edged sword.” (Haruka)

While I was holding and admiring the ‘Kokimaru’, Haruka spoke to me.

That’s a rare and tactless thing for Haruka-kun to say.

“What are you saying? This is what’s called a chokutou, a more practical, straight sword. It’s the kind of sword used in things like the Korean campaigns. It’s completely different from the art-piece-like swords that were popular in the Edo period. Those were ornamental weapons born from peaceful times.” (Kouta)

Still, this sword has a slight curvature. That must be the swordsmith’s obsession with cutting performance. I kind of like that kind of thing.

 

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