I came to the reception desk and just as I came close the people in uniforms left. I guessed that their age is similar to mine, so maybe they were students from a knight school or something. When they left our turn came in and I registered as a participant. They told me that the competition will be in four days time. We are supposed to come here and get our number in the waiting room.

With that out of the way I wanted to look for a new weapon. Those mad boar’s swords are good but I need a stronger weapon. With that in mind I visited some weapon shops but they didn’t have better ones in the normal ones. After a series of failures I decided to go to more expensive weapon shops. The weapons there were expensive but they had better quality as well. I looked at some of them and one of them caught my attention.

It’s a great sword that is almost the same height as me. It’s surface is black and it’s blade crimson, it looks similar to the katana that I wielded in my memory. I quickly appraised it.

[Growing Great sword]
[Quality]:B
[Ability]: [Growing]

[Growing]: The weapon have the ability to grow/change.

I didn’t know why but this sword seemes to have some type of connection with me. When I looked at the price of it I was shocked. It costed a whole 140 gold! I didn’t have that much gold on me so I would need to gain it first.

I started at it for a while and just as I was about to leave the store clerk spoke to me.

[Excuse me, are you interested in this sword?](Clerk)

[Well yes but unfortunately it’s too expensive.](Satoru)

[Really? Then I can sell it to you for 100 gold coins.](Clerk)

[I could buy it for 50 gold coins.](Satoru)

The clerk’s brow wrinkled but I didn’t really care. If he lowered the price then that means that it isn’t popular or it has a flaw.

[90 gold coins.](Clerk)

[60 gold coins.](Satoru)

[85 gold coins.](Clerk)

[65 gold coins.](Satoru)

[80 gold coins.](Clerk)

[70 gold coins., I won’t pay more.](Satoru)

[Alright alright you won, seventy gold coins it is.](Clerk)

His tone was a little displeased but what mattered to me the most was my success. When he handed me the blade I also payed him. When I stored the great sword in my item box the shop clerk also told me something more.

[This great sword is unique, you know that right? It can grow if you beat strong monsters with it. Also it can’t be enchanted, thanks for the purchase, bye.](Clerk)

After saying that he quickly left and when I exited the shop I couldn't help feeling that I got cheated. Well even if I did I still got the sword, maybe it’s fate that I found it? I don’t know but it feels familiar for sure. With that out of the way I took Lisa with me and went in the direction of the dungeon. The closer I was the worse that bad feeling became. When I arrived in front of the dungeon I was sure. This capital will soon experience a dungeon break.

The feeling this time is quite intense so I knew that it would be very hard to clear it. I went straight to the guild as it was near the dungeon. They probably built it here so the adventurers could immediately react if a dungeon break occurs. When we entered the guild I could see many adventurers there. There were so many adventurers even though it was in the middle of the day, that could be considered amazing.

I noticed the quest board and sighed, there weren’t practically any quests. The only ones that were left were B rank ones. After seeing the quest board I went to the reception to ask something and left the guild. Even if I could do a B rank quest I didn’t even enter the dungeon so I would need to go from the first floor.

[It’s amazing.](Lisa)

[What is?](Satoru)

[There are so many people even at this hour, it’s nothing like in Leridge city.](Lisa)

[The festival probably has some influence on that but I wouldn't be surprised if there were this many adventurers. The dungeon here is A rank after all.](Satoru)

[A-an A rank? So the last boss is an A rank monster?](Lisa)

She asked me with a worrying expression.

[Yeah, a genuine A rank monster, also this capital is going to experience a dungeon break soon.](Satoru)

[A dungeon break you say?!](Lisa)

This time her voice was stiff.

[Yep, so it’s gonna be a hard time for the capital inhabitants.](Satoru)

[But how do you know?](Lisa)

[I guess it’s one of my hidden abilities?](Satoru)

[Isn’t it a convenient one?](Lisa)

[I think so too, anyway do you want to enter the dungeon with me or go do something else?](Satoru)

[I want to enter with you, I don’t have anything else to do anyway.](Lisa)

[Okay then, follow me. We will go straight to the upper floors.](Satoru)

We entered the dungeon and began to run. On the way down I also appraised the monsters appearing in the dungeon. The upper floors had low level goblins and such but from twenty sixth floor the monsters suddenly got stronger. Their levels and their ranks raised which was weird but I didn’t mind it. If someone stepped there after defeating the twenty fifth floor boss they wouldn’t last long though. On the thirty sixth floor the monsters that appeared were already C ranked.

We stayed on the forty first floor where most of the monsters are slightly stronger than the variant turtles and grinded for a while but because we had to go down so many floors a lot of time passed. I only managed to level up 20 levels or so. We left the dungeon and went back to the inn we stayed at and after eating went to sleep. On the next day Lisa went off to the dungeon and I decided to find a herb shop in anticipation that I could buy seeds of herbs from it.

I walked into the market. There were many shops around and what I mean by many was a lot. I guessed that there are more shops here than in a shop center. After walking for a while I finally found one. Upon seeing the shop’s appearance I didn’t know if I want to go in or not. The whole building looked old, like very old. It couldn't compare to the shops next to it. I still decided to go in, the shop’s appearance didn’t matter if the goods were good.

Upon entering I could see bags of herbs everywhere. I approached the counter but I didn’t see the shopkeeper so I asked.

[Is anyone there?](Satoru)

[I’m here!](???)

[Where are you? I can’t see you.](Satoru)

[Down here!](???)

[O-oh sorry, I didn’t see you.](Satoru)

[Hoop, No problem, all new people react like that, I’m Elk. What do you need?](Elk)

He said that after jumping on a seat. At first I didn’t notice him because he stood behind the counter and because he’s short I couldn't see him at all. It says that his race is a gnome so that’s probably his race’s characteristics. I didn’t make him wait and said what I want.

[Do you sell herb seeds?](Satoru)

[Yep I do, along with many other herbs.](Elk)

[How many types do you have?](Satoru)

[Well I have many seeds of herbs such as herb grass, magical herb grass, stamina herb grass, paralyzing grass, poison leaf, magic lotus and mandrake. All of them are improved by me! As long as there is sun and good ground you can plant them. As for the harvesting you must harvest it without the root as the herb will regrow.](Elk)

[Okay then, I will take a bag of seeds for each type.](Satoru)

When I said that he looked at me with confused eyes.

[Do you also want the mandrake seeds?](Elk)

[Yes, is there a problem?](Satoru)

I didn’t know why would he suddenly raise a question like that. Are mandrakes useless or something?

[No, there isn’t. People usually don’t by mandrake or seeds of it. Although mandrake is a cure all ingredient they aren’t all that popular.](Elk)

[Why?](Satoru)

[You would need dragon blood to complete the potion and dragons aren’t that easy to beat. That’s why people almost always don’t buy it. People who buy mandrakes have the other ingredient or have people who will deliver it to them. Basically mandrake is useless without the dragon’s blood. There is also a legend that somebody mixed mandrake and ancient dragon’s blood to create an Elixir.

They say that Elixir can save someone on the brink of death, regrow limbs, cure all status effects, curses, illnesses and even make you a little bit younger. But till today no one proved that the legend is true, there isn’t anyone who is capable of fighting an ancient dragon and even if there was someone who could I doubt that someone could even beat it.](Elk)

[I see, then do you know where I can meet a dragon?](Satoru)

[Well they say that the boss of this dungeon is supposed to be a dragon but there hasn’t been anyone who have fought it while I was here.](Elk)

[I see, thanks for the information.](Satoru)

[You sound like you are going to fight it, anyways here are the seeds. It will be three gold coins for everything.](Elk)

[Who, knows. Here you go.](Satoru)

I payed him for the seeds and stored all of them into the item box. After leaving I walked in the direction of the dungeon. I bought some snacks on my way because I was still a little hungry, even after eating breakfast. I first activated my map skill to see where is Lisa, but I easily found her. She didn’t even enter the dungeon, just as I wondered why didn’t she enter I saw some group of guys near Lisa.