New chapter of Ordinary Person is out! (2/3 chapters)

 

 

Chapter 78.1 – Interlude: Shield

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I don’t have confidence in my own physical abilities. That’s why, even though I thought it might be good to have one, I’ve held off on purchasing a shield. After all, it’s bulky.

Ever since dungeons appeared, you can’t open the internet without seeing ads for shields and knives. Due to the increased demand, production numbers have risen, and both have dropped in price compared to a little while ago. The popular price range is between 5,000 to 20,000 yen. There are various sizes, but even a transparent polycarbonate riot shield, like what a riot police would carry, 90 cm by 50 cm, costs less than 10,000 yen. It’s lightweight, and while it doesn’t offer bulletproof performance, it’s said to be durable. They even have them at the Guild.

So, I know about them, but walking around a dungeon with that thing in hand… is impossible for me… That’s why I ended up with a style more like a special forces unit or assassin.

“Hey, Sofia.” (Kouta)

“Yes, what is it?” (Sofia)

“What’s it like using a shield?” (Kouta)

From there, Sofia’s explanation began.

Blue Shield

Best matched with blue armor. With this, you too can be a heavy infantryman.

Attack Power: 5

Defense Power: 10

DEF: 0

MDEF: 1

It was surprise after surprise from the very beginning. I was surprised a shield had attack power, but more than that, I wanted to say, aren’t “Defense Power” and “DEF” the same thing?

“Wait, hold on Sofia. Why do DEF and Defense Power exist separately?” (Kouta)

“Ah, that’s because there’s a difference in whether it applies to the whole body or not.” (Sofia)

“Is that so?” (Kouta)

“Yes. DEF attached to something like gauntlets affects the whole body, it even applies to shields and weapons. However, the Defense Power of a shield does not apply to the whole body.” (Sofia)

So that’s how it is… Then jeans would be properly classified as Defense Power 1, I suppose. From now on, I’ll try to understand things properly.

“If DEF applies to shields too, then when you block with a shield, is it something like DEF + Defense Power that determines how much defense you get?” (Kouta)

“Yes, exactly. But just like with weapons, sometimes you can parry, so it’s not completely a raw number either.” (Sofia)

That makes sense… That’s probably why they’re curved and all.

“Now that my level has gone up, maybe I should try using one too.” (Kouta)

“With your combat style, Kouta-san, it might actually just get in the way.” (Sofia)

“Knew it? I kind of figured… But when you’re standing firmly in front of me with a shield, Sofia, I feel really secure, and it stabilizes the party. So, I thought, maybe I should try too.” (Kouta)

“You need to know the drawbacks of carrying a shield as well, Kouta-san.” (Sofia)

The drawbacks of shields, as explained, were as follows…

Depending on the enemy’s firearms or weapons, the shield’s strength may be insufficient and become useless. Also, in cases where a sword or spear gets stuck into the shield and makes it heavier, there may be times when you’re forced to let go of it.

She also explained that having one arm occupied, and the creation of blind spots, were further disadvantages.

“I see~. When you see someone else using it, it looks really convenient, but there are drawbacks like that too, huh~.” (Kouta)

“Yes. Especially dungeon-born shields are heavy, so there’s also the danger of reduced agility. It might even cancel out your strengths. So, after all, I cannot recommend it to Kouta-san.” (Sofia)

“Are commercially available shields lighter?” (Kouta)

“Yes, they are. Transparent polycarbonate ones and duralumin ones with bulletproof glass in the viewing window are quite popular. Duralumin shields are fully bulletproof.” (Sofia)

“Hee~.” (Kouta)

That sounds nice… I wonder if I can manage one now?

“But when appraised, they’re evaluated as having only Defense Power of 3 to 5, so whether they’re actually useful is questionable. Beyond the third floor, they might not be effective at all.” (Sofia)

That’s useless! It’s less than half the shield Sofia has…

“Practicing handling it also sounds tough… maybe I’ll give up.” (Kouta)

“That’s exactly it! When I thought I needed to practice and asked, Emilia kept poking me endlessly with a wooden stick! It was terrible, Emilia was! If I protected my head, she’d hit my legs, and if I guarded my legs, she’d go for my head! In the end, I charged at her with the shield!” (Sofia)

After that, she kept telling stories of how Emilia gave her a hard time. Even though she was puffing her cheeks and complaining, Sofia somehow looked like she was having fun.

 

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