The slimes on this level were very peculiar creatures indeed. For one they are slow to move, meaning they will crawl at a snail’s pace when they are moving. But they also tend to jump out at you to attack when you’re not noticing. That’s the annoying thing about them. You can be minding your own business and not notice a slime because it is moving so damn slow. And it will just jump out at you from nowhere. While the slimes were a stronger creature than wolves, they were much less dangerous. This is because of one particular fact - they never travel in groups and are almost always alone. Ignoring the fact that a bunch of them almost killed me back at the forest, they were usually lone creatures who would hang out alone.
Slimes are a very mystical creature which would only spawn on certain levels of the dungeon. They are in fact an endangered species and their numbers are dwindling as we speak. This is due to again their nature of being alone, this means that reproduction is not exactly at the top of their minds. Also they communicate through vibrations in the air, so not exactly a very effective form of communication. But because of that we humans are able to detect and hear them from afar. That’s the one good thing about it. However they rarely do communicate so they still take us by surprise most of the time. They are like annoying pests instead of dangerous monsters. Slimes attack through their whole body. They will either do a simple tackle attack or a full body slam. There is nothing in between. It is all or nothing for them. Slimes are nocturnal creatures, they usually come alive at night and sleep in the morning. However sometimes they are active in the afternoons as well. Therefore it was no surprise I was attacked at mid day during my time in the forest.
Just then, my train of thought was interrupted by another adventurer. He was walking past me when he suddenly stopped and walk backwards. He introduced himself as Accel. Accel has been in this town for the past three years now and he is looking to move on soon. But he needed a companion, preferably someone with magic skills to scale the upper floors with as he was a warrior. Talk about a perfect match, because I too was looking out for a warrior to team up with. Accel readily shook my hand and partied with me. We clicked on the friend icon in the status window and tapped on party. We have teamed up! The system proudly proclaim. We decided to stop by a weapons shop to buy new equipment for Accel. He needed to upgrade his weapons as he has been using them for the past two years. They have become brittle and soft and would likely break at any moment. Hence he needs to make a trip there in order to replace them.
I scurried along with Accel to the weapons shop. This would be our first time shopping together, how exciting. It was also my first time in a weapons shop in this dungeon, so I was very curious to see what there was on offer. Unfortunately as a magician, the weapons shop was not for me as I was not a warrior. They sell swords and shields, while also selling stuff like armour and bags. The latter of which I guess is the only thing that applies to me. Accel brought me to the biggest weapon shop in the town of Aventidor. It was grand, with huge crimson flags showcasing the logos and signs of the shop. It was called the Humble Weaponry. I’m sure it was anything but. As we entered the Humble Weaponry, I was in awe. There were rows upon rows of swords of every kind stacked up against the walls. It was a magnificent sight. You could almost find every legendary sword here unlike the library which was limited in its books. It was something of every warrior’s wet dream. The shop was also majestic, with decorations of animals like deer heads that looked like they were centuries old. Even the checkout booth was sophisticated in its very own right, with it made up of marble and white flowers which signified purity.
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There were multiple floors to the Humble Weaponry. The first floor was for swords, while the second were for shields and the third and beyond was for miscellaneous items. We mainly went on the first and second floor only today. We walked around the store with wide open eyes, taking in the atmosphere as we surveyed the various swords on offer. One of them catches the eye of Accel, it was a new polished sapphire blue handle and pointy end with a huge price tag. It almost cost as much as a house in these areas! I gasped when I saw the price but Accel seemed unflinched. He must be rich, Edward thought. Accel calmly touched the expensive sword with his bare hands, swinging it around occasionally to try its durability and precision. Sure enough, he decided that this would be the sword of his choice.
“But, but are you sure Accel? This thing cost almost as much as a house in Aventidor!”
“Hahaha. Don’t worry about it! I can settle it easily.” Accel laughed with confidence.
Still it was an exorbitant amount of money to pay for a single sword. I never got to know the source of funds that Accel had access to in order to buy this sword. Maybe I will find out in the future if he has some kind of trust fund. If that kind of thing even exists in this world that is. Accel happily carried his newly found sword to the second floor where the decision became much more paramount. This time the shield is supposed to be much more important than the tool that you kill your enemies with. Buying the wrong shield would mean the difference between life and death after all.
Still the collection of shields there was stunning. They were brightly lit and they had shields of all kinds. You would be absolutely spoilt for choice in a place like this! The amount of shields were equivalent to the number of books in the vast library. With so many options to choose from, it is easy to get confused and second guess your choice. Nonetheless Accel looks unfazed. He took up shield after shield and tested their endurance and durability. Unlike the swords where he could just pick anything he liked. This one was a more crucial choice. He finally settled on a grand round shield which was half the price of the sword. Expensive still but more reasonable and more powerful than the sword.
“Great choice!” Edward complemented him.
Accel turned around and smiled at me. “Now let’s go to the counter and settle the bill. Our total should be one and a half house equivalent.” He says playfully, as if the money never mattered at all.
Accel tapped on his status window and unveiled a huge bag of Durins. It was the most enormous bag of anything I have seen since coming to this dungeon. But I couldn’t wait to ask Accel how he got his hands on such a large pile of Durins. It was enough to last someone for a very very long time. Paying at the counter was relatively straightforward. The cashier was friendly and kind. Attending to our queries with professionalism and ease. She made us feel confident about our purchase. She even told us there is a money back guarantee in case the sword and shield ever broke. That’s nice, it would be very useful. And you can apply for that at any of the affiliated weapon stores in the upper floors as well. Talk about neat!
Accel immediately equipped the sword and the shield from his inventory. He swapped out his old weapons for them. Then he sells them for a pittance back to the cashier, who only offers him two Durins for a highly damaged sword and shield which looks way past their prime. Edward and Accel exited the Humble Weaponry with renewed confidence and hope. Hopefully their weapons will bring them great success in the days ahead. Edward then brought up the magic shop near the alleyways. They would then make a quick trip to it. There, there was a mountain of magic books available for their perusal. It was a much better collection compared to the generic magic books at the library. I was almost salivating at them when I reached the store. That was how good they were. I read each magic book with curiosity and interest. They were all widely different with space-time magic among the more obscure magic elements. I could not wait to dive deeper into them. And luckily the shopkeeper seemed happy that a customer was happy as well.