Chapter 15
Following the directions I'd gotten at a shop for adventurers, I headed to a shabby little building in the entertainment district.
Inside, an old woman sat with a pipe in her mouth, filling the air with smoke.
I waved a hand in front of me, trying to fan the smoke away.
Wondering if there really were 〈Skill Books〉 in a place like this, I looked around.
Swords, necklaces, and magic stones were carelessly laid out on a counter.
And beside them, on a dusty bookshelf, I spotted the books.
They were thick, old books adorned with jewels.
There they were...! Those were 〈Skill Books〉.
There were no fewer than five of them.
“That armor's pretty flimsy. The Tattered Grimoire isn't a place for a rookie like you.”
The shopkeeper said bluntly.
She must have guessed my Level from my armor.
“I've got the money. Could I take a look at the 〈Skill Books〉?”
“Go ahead. A kid's grubby fingerprints won't change their value.”
...That explained why they were left lying around in this dusty shop.
I picked up one of the 〈Skill Books〉.
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〈Skill Book: Beginner Archery〉
【Market Value: 2,000,000 Gold】
You can acquire the 〈Beginner Archery〉 Skill Tree.
From increased Attack while wielding a bow to basic archery Skills.
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T-Two million Gold...
That was 500,000 Gold more than it cost in the game world.
The market values I could see using my Class were calculated from domestic transaction records in the game.
This price was probably calculated from domestic transactions, too.
The nobles' monopoly might have turned 〈Skill Books〉 into a privilege, driving up their prices across the board.
“I'll tell you now, that one costs three million Gold here.”
“Th-three million?!”
“Of course. I'm taking a risk here, too. The authorities turn a blind eye, but if the people higher up find out, I could be beheaded at worst.”
So much for a basic Skill Tree...
I currently had about 900,000 Gold.
Even if I managed to sell the 〈Mad Oni Shield〉, I'd only have around three million Gold in total.
There was no way I could afford a rare 〈Skill Book〉.
The second book was 〈Magic Power Boost〉, the third was 〈Surprise Box〉, and the fourth was 〈Elemental Guard〉.
〈Magic Power Boost〉 was the usual Skill Tree for increasing your stats.
Unless I had a clear vision of a highly specialized build that relied on Magic Power, there was little reason to acquire it.
Still, since death was the end in this world, some adventurers might take it to make life as a low-Rank adventurer more secure.
〈Surprise Box〉 was a Skill Tree whose selling points were its luck-based effects and wide range of tactics.
But unless you were playing for laughs, there was little reason to invest points in 〈Surprise Box〉.
In the game, you could take a chance against a stronger opponent and hope for a lucky break, but considering the death penalty, it wasn't worth the risk.
It would be fun, though.
But in this world, where death was the end, you couldn't make a luck-based gamble build.
〈Elemental Guard〉 was a Skill Tree centered on resistance to the four major elements: fire, water, earth, and wind.
There were other kinds of elemental attacks, so it wasn't a perfect defense, but plenty of attacks fell under those four elements.
It could be a powerful counter when the situation called for it, so it was the sort of Skill Tree you'd want one of your party members to have.
...But since many people didn't want to make their own character a specialist in such a narrow counter, it was an unfortunate Skill Tree in that regard.
Investing in this Skill Tree could also leave you short on offensive Skills and lacking in firepower.
It might be worth considering for a Class that specialized in defense but was vulnerable to magic attacks.
Though I could picture it getting pelted by Holy or Dark magic, which weren't among the four major elements.
...I wasn't going to buy any of these, but this shop had quite a few rare items.
I hadn't found the Skill Tree I was looking for, but I hadn't expected to in the first place.
Even just learning more about the place 〈Skill Books〉 held in this world was a major gain.
I could visit shops like this, or ask the shopkeeper to let me know if she found one.
I hadn't thought I'd be able to afford one at this point anyway.
I reached for the last book.
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〈Skill Book: Smoldering Fangs〉
【Market Value: 30,000,000 Gold】
You can acquire the 〈Smoldering Fangs〉 Skill Tree.
Keep your distance from anyone who possesses this Skill Tree.
Even the Reaper would keep its distance from the savage rampage of one who drags along a shattered body, lashes a torn tail through the air, and yet knows no end to their violence.
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I-It was there...!
Of all the countless 〈Skill Books〉 out there, most were monopolized by the nobles, leaving only a handful in circulation. I never expected to find 〈Smoldering Fangs〉 right away.
The essential Skill Tree for a Heavy Knight... 〈Smoldering Fangs〉, the Heavy Knight's tutorial—the one you had to get!
If I could get this, everything would fall into place.
“You're looking awfully pleased. You're a strange one to want something like that.”
“Um... Shopkeeper, this...”
The shopkeeper nodded slowly.
“Yeah. Fifty million Gold here.”
Her prices were merciless.
My shoulders slumped.
Well... I had expected as much.
〈Beginner Archery〉... 3,000,000 Gold
〈Magic Power Boost〉... 6,000,000 Gold
〈Surprise Box〉... 15,000,000 Gold
〈Elemental Guard〉... 30,000,000 Gold
Those were the prices at the Tattered Grimoire.
She was really squeezing every last coin out of me.
“...How can you keep such expensive items here without even hiring a bodyguard?”
I wasn't thinking of attacking her, but the question slipped out before I could stop it.
“If you think I'm weak, why don't you find out? I tossed out five guys just the other day.”
The shopkeeper grinned and looked up at me.
She didn't seem to be threatening me. If anything, she looked amused.
“I-I was just curious. ...Could you hold on to this 〈Skill Book〉 for me instead of selling it? I'll definitely come back with fifty million Gold. I promise I won't keep you waiting long.”
“And what's in it for me?”
“Well...”
From the shopkeeper's perspective, I was just another customer.
Naturally, she had no reason to give me special treatment.
On top of that, adventurers could die without warning at any time.
“Hmph. I don't dislike brats like you. Fine, I'll hold on to it.”
“Really...!”
The shopkeeper put her pipe to her lips and slowly exhaled.
“Five million Gold on top, though.”
I let out a deep sigh.
She had a truly relentless business sense...
It looked like I'd have to come up with a way to make money for a while.
If I went into the 〈Dungeon〉, I could earn more.
I had no choice but to do my best and hunt for expensive item drops.