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

 

 

Chapter 103

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

The equipment update was carried out with Haruka-kun at the center. As for me, all I did was change my shoes to boots.

 

Leather Boots

Boots boldly crafted from the hide of a bear.

DEF: 2

MDEF: 2

 

Where exactly the boldness lay, I could not discern. Yet, its performance was splendid.

I knew that the Norwegian dungeon was of the forest type. Thanks to that, expectations were mounting for the dungeon in Shizuoka. So abundant were the armors found in the Norwegian dungeon.

At first glance, this seemed like great fortune, but in truth it was not so. In contrast to the abundance of armor, weapons appeared only rarely in treasure chests, wholly insufficient. Knives and swords could not be adjusted for in Japan’s strategy. As a desperate measure, Japan chose instead to barter, offering spears and bows for trade.

Through this method, Norwegian armor came to fill the shelves of guilds in abundance. Norway, surely, must be most impatient for Shizuoka’s dungeon to begin full operation. Yet while we passed such peaceful days, the world outside was not tranquil.

The unthinkable occurred. No, it occurred because it was inevitable.

A strike.

Some may find the term unfamiliar. In Japan, where it is exceedingly rare, there was little occasion to learn of it.

It was a protest act, under the auspices of labor unions and the like, wherein those of the same profession demand improved working conditions from their employer. Chiefly, they protested by ceasing labor in unison, resolving matters through negotiation and agreement. And in such times, the penalty for betrayal was dismissal.

What was worse was the group that had risen in protest. Astonishingly, it was the Self-Defense Forces…

In Japan, strikes by public officials are not permitted by law. Though in many nations they are allowed, in Japan they are not! And yet, a strike by the Self-Defense Forces was carried out, centered here in Toyota.

Instantly, guilds throughout Japan fell into dysfunction. Alongside this, all economic activity was paralyzed. Year by year the dungeons multiplied, yet the number of Self-Defense Force members and applicants did not. The dungeon was an environment of extreme stress, for meager wages. The people distanced themselves from danger, while politicians acted only upon superficial reports. Now, the time had come to pay the price.

Foolish politicians screamed that it was illegal, only to have their heads blown off by security personnel. Three splendid blossoms bloomed. The burden fell with dreadful weight upon other public servants. Even a fool could see where the true root of evil lay.

Immediate legal reform or else countermeasures became a necessity. In this era, restraining the mass media alone could no longer halt the spread of information.

Japan was entering a new age.

 

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