Chapter 33: Getting Ready to Go

Kain took that statement to mean that Bea needed to consume brains that were still in a living host…

Although sickening, Kain did have to admit that this was quite convenient for his training plans. Bea can train her skills while also increasing her own SP and obtaining GP to use upgrading the system.

'Looks like I won't be able to spend that much time at home in the future,' Kain thought. Before beginning to pack another bag with all of the supplies he had lost previously.

Thankfully, the bruising around his ankle had pretty much healed and no longer hurt. 'Ah, the perks of having Spiritual Power. Although it wasn't a deep injury, it would have taken him at least a week to fully heal from it back on Earth.'

'It looks like I'm almost ready to go. However, there's still a couple more things I want to buy in the city.'

Kain had never had so much money to spare before, a whopping 22000 CD when combining his previous earnings working as a tutor with the 12000 CD he earned yesterday from selling the cougar parts yesterday. Previously, he hadn't been able to afford even the most basic soft armour. However, now he should be able to afford at least something. Maybe even one with decent quality or high quality if it's already used.

Making his way into town, Kain headed towards the commercial district. Due to a lack of funds, he had rarely come here, but now he was amazed at how many stores there were that targeted beast-tamers. Pharmacies, Weapons shops, Training Centers, and more.

Heading over to a local armory that among the local mercenaries was rumoured to have the most reasonably priced equipment ('thanks again Cherry for that information'), Kain hesitantly stepped through the door.

He could see a variety of weapons and armor in racks as well as all along the walls.

'Where do I even start?' He ended up pausing in stupefaction long enough that an employee thankfully took pity on him.

"Can I help you?" Asked a large older man with a long shaggy grey beard. 'He's likely a blacksmith?' Kain thought, looking at the man's red and weathered skin.

"Y-yes! I am looking for a suitable soft armor"

"Hmmm…" He said, squinting he already beady eyes while looking Kain up and down. "High schooler? 1-star? What's you budget" Kain nodded before answering with the total amount of his savings, you can't cheapen out on safety.

"Follow me" before leading the way towards a rack of soft armor near the front of the door.

"I'm assuming this is an armour you will be using to explore wilderness around here. Therefore , you don't really need one with cold-resistant insulation. Other special features such as being lightning or fire-proof are also not necessary, both of those attributes are extremely rare in our immediate surroundings. I would recommend you buy one of these 3" The Blacksmith said holding up a black, a brown, and a dark blue armor.

"This one," he large man said while holding up the black one, "is made from the hide of a bronze-quality Iron Ursa, offering exceptional defence. Although it is a quite heavy, most white-grade attacks, and even the average red-grade ones would find it difficult to penetrate it." Kain picked up the black soft armor and almost tipped over from the weight 'Can anyone actually wear this?!' This is likely only a high schooler of Bridge's size could wear.

Kain shook his head "it's too heavy for me. I fight using my agility more than raw strength"

"I figured," He said looking at Kain's leanly muscled arms. "These 2 may be more what you're looking for."

He then held up the brown armor. Looking closely, Kain could see that it had a slight green tinge as well as scales "Made from the skin of Bitter Ground Lizards, they are lightweight and durable, although not as protective as the previous one I showed you. Also, because they are made from Bitter Sand Lizards, they are resistant to corrosive poisons."

Bitter Sand Lizards are bronze-quality lizards that live in tunnels underground, typically in sandy desert regions. Their skin constantly secretes a mildly corrosive poison that makes all of the ground in an area have a slightly bitter taste. Although, most people just take the textbook's word for it and didn't actually taste it for themselves.

"Lastly," he said pointing to the blue armor, "this one is made from a bronze-quality Scavenger Shark. Therefore, it has a similar durability and lightweight as the brown armor I showed you, while also offering excellent water-resistance. You will feel just as light in the water as you do on land." Scavenger sharks are quite common bronze-quality beasts. Also, despite being sharks they rarely choose to hunt for prey, instead choosing to scavenge for food on the ocean floor.

"Hmmm…. How much do the brown and blue armours each cost?"

"The blue one is 19,000 CD while the other, because sand lizards are less common to find, will be 21,000 CD."

Kain's heart bled. Either one of them would end up bleeding majority of his savings. He once again realized how expensive the beast-tamer profession was.

However, he didn't agonize over his decision for long. There weren't many creatures with a corrosive type poison in the area and, given Bea's characteristics, Kain planned to do the majority of his hunting in and around the river. The fact that it was cheaper was also a nice bonus.

"I will take the Scavenger Shark soft armor!"