Chapter 5

After checking my status, I return the monocle to the lady who guided me and thank her, then begin browsing the shop.

The shop handles all payments through the license card. While you can deposit Japanese yen, you can't withdraw it - it's an electronic money system with a fixed exchange rate to Japanese yen. It's a setup that gives Japanese people peace of mind, unlike cryptocurrency which fluctuates wildly.

The weapon sales method seems similar to how firearms are sold in America, according to what I read online.

In Japan, it might be comparable to a jewelry store?

Weapons and items are lined up in showcases and on walls, with staff positioned carefully to prevent theft. The entrance is guarded by Self-Defense Force personnel, making it so secure that no one would even think of attacking this place.

The swords on the walls and decorative items in the showcases are priced from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of yen - obviously out of my league, but I'll take a look anyway.

I might have let out a strange sound, but please ignore that.

Finally, I found what I was looking for.

At first glance, it's just an ordinary knife. But this 'Goblin Knife' is supposedly exceptionally sharp. The reason is still unknown - is it the material, or something else? Experts like swordsmiths say the technique is quite crude, which explains why dungeon-produced items fetch such high prices.

This is the cheapest item in the shop - the 'Goblin Knife' I'm looking at.

They don't just sell dungeon items as-is. They've taken knives picked up from dungeons, sharpened them, wrapped the handle with a grip, and added a cover (sheath) before selling.

The grip is apparently repurposed from materials used in baseball bats or tennis rackets. I read this online too.

"Hmm..."

I'm hesitating.

The tennis grip is quite soft and easy to get used to. The baseball grip seems a bit harder.

The price card shows the appraised effect is ATK 7 for both. The leather-gripped version is ridiculously expensive, so it's between these two.

I'm going to be trusting my life to this, so I can't compromise. In the end, it comes down to preference and intuition.

I choose the knife with the softer tennis grip.

This alone costs 15,000 yen. I could cry.

But in videos by explorer 'Maru-san', he demonstrated that it's completely different from a normal knife in sharpness. So I'll accept it as a necessary expense.

After spending a long time looking and choosing the knife, I casually look up and spot a green poncho.

The kind you wear over your shoulder.

DEF 5

MDEF 5

57,000 yen

I could buy this by using all the money from the smartphone my father promised as a school entrance gift (now outdated), combined with the pocket money I've carefully saved.

I can afford it, but...

For an ordinary person like me, it's a painful choice. Of course, I'll have no pocket money left, and this is the money my father scraped together after I insisted. I can't afford to fail here...

But then I remember my original goal.

I came here to change myself.

On my first day, I've used up all my funds. There's no going back now.