As they journeyed back to Wonderelle along the road, Daisuke stole a g the hulking nun effortlessly bearing the lighter Amara on her back. As fatigue crept in, Daisuke couldn’t help but curse his chivalrous obligations for shouldering the heavier burden.
As he mused about being strangled by Mana if she could hear his ihoughts, Gloria began to speak, her voice breaking the silence. She unraveled the shaman’s sinister schemes—from calcuted kidnappings, alliances with bandits, to the twisted psychological ditioning of his offspring to nurture evil inations.
“But that monster made a crucial mistake,” Gloria remarked, the disapproving furrow in her brow softening. “It allowed the toddlers to remain with their mothers. Despite the circumstahe girls did everything in their power to shower them with love and affe and instill in them a sense ht and wrong.”
Daisuke’s expression darkened as Gloria informed him that the shaman had cimed sole authority over fathering the children based on his supposed superior DNA among the goblins. As for the nun herself, her fi stemmed purely from her healing abilities—she was tasked with the responsibility of tending to the girls and aiding them through childbirth.
Despite the uliions, one nagging question still lingered in Daisuke’s mind. “Mana was selected to be another host, right?” he inquired, his brow creasing with curiosity. “Then, out of all the others, why was she the only one who lost her leg?”
Gloria pursed her lips, pting the uling notion. “From what I uand, when Mana and her panions were initially fronted by the goblins, she mao defeat many of them, including a revered champion among the tribe.
Now, this is merely specution on my part, but it’s possible that the monster couldn’t trol the goblins through reason alone. Given their wild and uncivilized nature, a degree of violend savagery may be necessary to maintain the power dynamic.”
Daisuke felt a lump form in his throat as Gloria searched for the right words to vey the grim truth. “It’s possible that her leg was offered to the tribe as a tribute to pacify their wrath,” she said, her tone heavy with sorrow.
A brief silence lingered befloria shifted gears, iing a note of hope into her words. “However, I’ve heard whispers of skilled bcksmiths capable of crafting prosthetic limbs from metal. With such advas, Mana’s life as an adventurer may still be well within reach.”
Daisuke’s lips curled into a faint smile, his gaze drifting tana’s peaceful visage resting on his shoulder.
It wasn’t long until the t walls of a familiar town materialized in the distahe weling sight of Wonderelle brought a sense of relief, a bea of safety after their harrowing ordeal.
After leaving the unscious adve the monastery and being reassured by Gloria that they would be thhly looked after, Daisuke bid her farewell and promptly took his leave.
***
It had been nearly a month since Daisuke st graced the town’s cobblestoreets, hopelessly ensnared ihroes of a perilous adventure. If he had failed to escape the dungeon’s clutches, would anyone in this bustling town even notice his absence?
As he surveyed the busy pza—people flickering in and out through the teleportation gate, pyers bellowing requests for party members, and merts’ caravans flowing ceaselessly in and out of town—he couldn’t shake the weight of his deep-seated pessimism.
When was the st time I got a prht’s rest in a fortable bed? He pondered inwardly. It feels like ages aght after that dungeon escapade, I pretty much made a beeline for Elmridge Vilge. My iory’s bursting with loot I haven’t had the ce to sort through yet. Might as well take care of it all before retrieving Zephyr. First up, a visit to the apothecary.
Daisuke sneezed and shivered as he walked down the busy avenue. “Now that I think about it, my birthday was just st month in October,” he muttered to himself. “Which means we’re only a month away from wihankfully, it doesn’t snow in these parts, but I still o e up with a pn before it gets unbearably cold. Sleeping outside won’t be an option anymore if I ’t afford lodgings. Ah, the struggles of poverty.”
Daisuke was jolted back to reality by the sharp ctter of something striking the cobblestoreet behind him. At the very st sed, he mao nimbly sidestep an ining rickshaw taxi—a makeshift vehicle drawn by hand with two wheels.
In that suspended moment, time seemed to slow as his gaze locked with the womaed in the passenger’s seat. Her captivating jade green eyes and refined features peeked out from beh the folds of her hooded cloak. Beside her, a man exuded an icy demeanor, his cloak veiliravagant armor and a gleaming sword at his side.
Disregarding the driver’s disgruntled scowl as they passed, Daisuke pressed on toward the apothecary. Outside, a foldable wooden sigled amidst a charming garden beed passerby.
Instead of a door, a pair of curtains partially obscured the interior. The air was rich with the fragrance of herbs, spices, and floral inse, a stark trast to the sterile st of hospitals.
Speechless, Daisuke ehe shop, his eyes aglow with wonder as he absorbed the surreal atmosphere. Sunbeams poured in through gss windows, casting a goldehat danced upon an array of gss bottles and vials, each taining a unique spectrum of colors.
Wooden shelves, stretg tall, proudly showcased potions, pnts, and tris of all kinds. Above, shrubbery adorhe ceiling like celestial clouds, while scattered mana crystals sparkled like stars in a distant gaxy.
Mesmerized, Daisuke approached the ter, his gaze darting around the shop like a child in an amusement park. A patient old woman with snow-white hair gnced up from returning a book to its shelf, him a warm greeting.
“Ohyah?” she excimed softly, her eyes flickering open slightly as she observed him. “A new faust be a fresh adventurer.”
“How could you tell?” Daisuke asked, intrigued.
The woman’s smile deepened. “In Wonderelle, there are only four apothecaries, all owned by my siblings and me. We share the medical histories of our ers, ensuring any one of us respond in the event of an emergency.”
“That expins it. But still, remembering everyone’s faces…”
The woman chuckled lightly. “After years in medie, you pick up a few tricks to enhance memory.”
“Makes sense,” Daisuke nodded, impressed.
“Now, how may I be of assistaoday?”
Daisuke was about to respond when a holographiu materialized before him. Like your typical RPG, it dispyed the familiar options to buy or sell and a prehensive list of all the items avaible for purchase, along with their respective prices.
He couldn’t help but feel flicted about the sudden shift from a ventional social iion to a streamlined, self-reguted process. Yet, he couldn’t deny the efficy it brought to the transa.
He had a strong feeling he could choose between this method and having the woman aid him personally. But sihe menu was already opened…
________________________________________________
[Vitaberry] - 3 Gold | Owned: 12
[Gathered from the Vitality Tree, Vitaberries serve as the key ingredient in craftih recovery potions.
Item Effect: Replenishes 150 health
Cooldown: 20 Seds]
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[Small HP Recovery Potion] - 7 Gold | Owned: 18
[A potion brewed by biniia Flowers and Vitaberries. Its restorative potency varies depending on the tration grade.
Item Effect: Replenishes 450 health
Cooldown: 20 Seds]
________________________________________________
[Medium HP Recovery Potion] - 10 Gold | Owned: 0
[A potion brewed by biniia flowers, Vitaberries, and Bloomwhisper Herbs. Its restorative potency varies depending on the tration grade.
Item Effect: Replenishes 1,500 health
Cooldown: 20 Seds]
________________________________________________
[Etherberry] - 3 Gold | Owned: 8
[Etherberry bushes require plenty of water and moonlight to grow, and it is rumored that exposure to mana supposedly helps to accelerate their growth to maturity. Etherberry are a crucial po in the creation of mana replenishing potions.
Item Effect: Replenishes 150 mana
Cooldown: 20 Seds]
________________________________________________
[Small MP Recovery Potion] - 7 Gold | Owned: 14
[A potion brewed by bining Lunarfrost Lily aherberries. Its restorative potency varies depending on the tration grade.
Item Effect: Replenishes 450 mana
Cooldown: 20 Seds]
________________________________________________
[Medium MP Recovery Potion] - 10 Gold | Owned: 0
[A potion brewed by bining Lunarfrost Lily, Etherberries, and Bloomwhisper Herbs. Its restorative potency varies depending on the tration grade.
Item Effect: Replenishes 1,500 mana
Cooldown: 20 Seds]
________________________________________________
[Antidote] - 5 Gold | Owned: 7
[A bitter herbal remedy that induces a chill ihroat when swallowed. bining a careful blend of curative pnts, it swiftly ralizes various poisons, providing instantaneous relief.
Item Effect: Cures poison
Cooldown: 10 Seds]
________________________________________________
[Burn Heal] - 12 Gold | Owned: 5
[A healing brew, cocted from a careful blend of five ingredients, with the Lunarfrost Lily as its core element. Upon application, it s the affected area in a cool, soothing aura, swiftly redug infmmation and expediting healing.
Item Effect: Heals burn wounds of any degree and replenishes 450 HP.
Cooldown: 20 Seds]
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[Antarctic Balm] - 13 Gold | Owned: 0
[A soothing oihat bhe skin with a refreshing ess upon application. Specifically formuted to provide targeted relief from paralysis and stun, swiftly rest mobility and crity.
Item Effect: Cures Paralysis and Stun
Cooldown: 10 Seds]
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[Resonance Herb] - 15 Gold | Owned: 0
[Harnessing the essence of essential oils, potent herbs, and pureed mushrooms, this herbal remedy serves as a powerful antidote for sile restores vocal resonand corrects the flow of mana.
Item Effect: Dispels silence
Cooldown: 10 Seds]
________________________________________________
[Dowher] - 17 Gold | Owned: 0
[This mystical feather, obtained from the mighty Griffin, carries the whispers of the wind’s gentle erosion.
Item Effect: Dispels petrification.
Cooldown: 10 Seds]
________________________________________________
[Omni-Remedy] - 25 Gold | Owned: 0
[An unparalleled elixir crafted from a fusion of rare flora and fauna. It possesses the ability to effortlessly cure all manner of status ailments aore band vitality to those in need.
Skill Effect: Cures all status ailments
Cooldown: 60 Seds]
________________________________________________
Daisuke’s brows furrowed, a sheen of sweat breaking out on his forehead as he browsed the list of ridiculously overpriced ables. But this btant case of highway robbery wasn’t a monopolistic ploy orchestrated by this old woman ahree siblings.
No, these infted prices were, in fact, programmed into the game by its developers. It was a deliberate tactic to elevate the value of the healer css and iivize pyers to incorporate them into their parties. However, only a few pyers showed any i in assuming the role of a healer due to the stri rules aions associated with the css.
Firstly, they had to select a patroy and locate the corresponding church to begin their journey. Only after enduring a series of demanding initiations and trials in the form of quests would they earn the coveted title and blessings of a healer.
After earning this privilege, pyers were obligated to devote several hours each day to prayer to maintain their divine powers. Failure to do so resulted in the loss of these abilities, ating a repeat of the initiation process.
Additionally, they were required to tribute to society by perf daily acts of kindness. It could be as simple as assisting the elderly with their groceries to feeding a stray Bearhound. Yet, these prerequisites were undeniably time-ing, especially for a css with almost zero bat capabilities.
As for the NPC healers—quite frankly, they didn’t really trust the pyers and seldomly agreed to join their parties. sequently, many pyers found themselves left with no choice but to purchase the exorbitantly priced items, despite their reluce to do so.
Skimming over the remedies for status ailments such as Blindness, Curse, Frostbite, and Bleed, Daisuke scrolled down to the bottom of the list where something intriguingly different caught his eye.
[Repel Inse] - 20 Gold | Owned: 0
[A sack taining a repulsive brew of ingredients that acts as a natural deterrent to keep most monsters away.
Skill Effect: Repels most monsters
Duration: 2 Hours]
Daisuke rubbed his in ption. Most of the potions and antidotes I have are from monster drops, so I’m pretty fident I’ll e across a few of the other items if I keep hunting.
But I have a feeling the Repel Inse won’t be as easy to e by, if it even drops at all. It might be wise to grab one or two just in case. Hm… He g the 3,568 gold in his iory.
Twenty gold is quite a hefty price, especially since I ems from several other stores too. Alright, let’s sell off some of these monster drops and then see where we stand.
“Oh!” the woman’s eyes widened with surprise as Daisuke selected all the relevant items and pleted the sale. “These are incredibly rare materials,” she mused, her tone filled with awe. “And they’re in pristine dition, too. Thank you very much for your business!”
Daisuke’s lips stretched into an unusually wide grin, his eyes obscured by the shadow of his bangs as he eained a vivid fantasy.
In his imagination, Wallet-kun had morphed into a voluptuous woman. She was hot and bothered, radiating an irresistible allure as she struck a seductive pose. She was a skimpy outfit that left little to the imagination, bursting at the seams as the 315 gold s he just made began to overflow.
“I-Is there anything else I assist you with?” the woman stuttered, visibly uled by the youth’s peculiar expression.
“R-Right! Sorry about that,” Daisuke said apologetically, his hand instinctively moving to tousle the back of his head. “I’ll take two Repel Inse, please.”
