Izuku left Mei after a while of hashing out some details on what he wanted to be done first, a small chunk of [Enhanced Steel] in his hands, his 10%.
He wasn’t even really sure what he could do with this amount. Was there really anything he could do with it? Not him specifically, he didn’t have a craftsman class, but like, what could he have done to a chunk of [Enhanced Steel] that was smaller than an Apple?
Maybe he should just sell it to Mei? There was nothing in the contract he had just signed that said he couldn’t, and honestly, she seemed pretty desperate to use as much of the material as she could.
She had said that their deal was created because it was beneficial for business, which it technically was, but Izuku could recognise the need to become better in his class. He had made some pretty stupid mistakes back when he started for the same reason, and the scars he still had the first few fights he had ever had as a [Fighter] were proof of that.
Craftsman classes had a slightly different growth system to combat classes, but they still needed to perform ever more difficult challenges that lined up with their class to get the majority of their XP. While it technically was possible to reach Level 100 just by forging things of [Enhanced Iron] quality, it would take far longer than most people’s lives were.
To continue to grow in level, people of any class needed to do more and more challenging things. If he was right about how desperate Mei was to get her hands on some [Enhanced Steel], then she probably had plateaued at her current level.
So not only was he going to be getting free gear, but he was also helping her improve in her own class! It wasn’t just a nice thing that everyone should be doing, it would also make the gear she made for him even better as she improved!
Pocketing the small chunk of [Enhanced Steel], Izuku rested his hand on the pommel of his current sword as he walked. Specifically his current sword. He and Mei had decided on what he would be getting out of their deal first.
A new sword, and some metal shin plates. Crawling through the [Hidden Rat Den] had shown that his current armour offered little to no protection for his lower legs, something he wanted to rectify straight away.
But honestly, Izuku was way more excited for the sword. His current one was hard-earned and well-forged, but it was still only a mundane [Iron Sword]. To go straight from the lowest tier metal sword there was, to a [Enhanced Steel Sword] forged by a proper [Magic Smith]?
It was almost unheard of, and Izuku knew just how good a deal he had gotten out of Mei.
“Mei, why is there a contract sitting on the table that says some adventurer is going to give you [Enhanced Steel] for free in return for free gear?”
Mei looked up as Otto entered the forge area, her contract with Izuku in his hands. She smiled. “You said I couldn’t work on it until a maniac trusted me with some! So I found a maniac!”
There was silence for a moment as what she said seemed to sink into Otto’s brain. A sigh escaped him as his shoulders sagged. “God damnit Mei, I leave you alone for one day!”
Mei’s smile grew wider as she hammered some of the [Enhanced Steel] into the shape of a blad for Izuku. “I’m not apologising! I followed your rules! Any lawyer would take my side in front of a magistrate!”
Otto seemed conflicted, glancing between her and the work-in-progress blade, before letting out another sigh. “Alright then. I’ll… I’ll leave you to it. You make sure to honour this deal as best you can though. This is lucrative in a way I’ve never seen before.”
Mei nodded, but Otto continued. “I’m serious, Mei. This deal you have? If you piss this kid off or don’t fulfil your end of the deal because you got too worked up in a side-project, you’re going to lose him to the next [Magic Smith] with big dreams he finds.”
Mei pouted. “Otto, it’ll be fine! I promise! This sword is for him! I’m focusing on his projects first before using the rest! Trust me, alright?”
Otto looked at the blade she was working on, before grabbing his forging gloves from the wall and walking over. “Alright then, I’ll trust you with this. You want me to give you some pointers? I’ve been working with [Enhanced Steel] longer than you have.”
Mei perked up, her smile growing as she nodded. “Yes! Let’s make this sword our best one yet!”
Reaching the front of the Dungeon again, Izuku found himself feeling even more nervous than last time as Sir David Shield himself approached him.
He seemed to notice how uncomfortable Izuku was because he smiled and held his hand up, waving to Izuku. “Hey there, squirt. You ready to go into the dungeon again? All rested up?”
Izuku nodded robotically, and David laughed. “I’m guessing that you’re still a little nervous. That’s fine! I get that I’m a pretty big deal to you young adventurers and that it will take a while before you get used to treating me like your regular guard. But I’m sure we’ll get there eventually!”
Izuku stood upright as David said that, putting a wobbly smile on his face. “Yes sir! I’ll do my best!”
Facepalming, David chuckled. “I’m sure you will. Now, I have a quest for you today as well, if you’re willing to go a little further into the dungeon than you did yesterday.”
That caught Izuku’s attention immediately. His nervousness seemingly forgotten a smile flew onto his face as he leaned in. “You do? What do I need to do?”
David laughed. “Good to see that you're still enthusiastic, kiddo! Basically, I need you to get me some of the green mushrooms that grow in the Warp Chamber for Floor 1. You do know what a Warp Chamber is, right?”
Izuku nodded. “Yep! It’s the room after a Sub-boss or Boss fight where you can leave the dungeon without having to go all the way back up! Is it true that they didn’t exist until the dungeon was beaten for the first time?”
David shrugged. “Not sure, there aren’t really any written records from that long ago. The Demon King wasn’t a fan of the dungeon but wasn’t able to destroy it, so ruining all records of it was the best he could do.”
Clapping his hands, David continued. “Anyway! I need you to get me at least 15 of the [Greater HP Mushrooms] from the Floor 1 Warp Chamber so that my daughter can practise making potions. I’ll give you 5 silver for the lot.”
Izuku’s mouth dropped open as he gasped. 5 silver for such a simple task? “I’ll do it! Does this quest have a time frame I should be worried about? Might take me a while to get past the Floor 1 Puzzle Chamber.”
A smile grew on David’s face. “I’m sure it won’t give you too much trouble. You seem like a smart kid, so you’ll probably figure it out quickly. I won’t give you any clues though, no cheating!”
Reaching into his pack, David rummaged around for a short while before handing a small green mushroom to Izuku. It was forest green with bright blue dots over the cap, the dots softly glowing even in the daylight.
“There isn’t really a set time frame, but I would like them sooner rather than later. That right there is what you’ll be looking for. They grow in most floors Warp Chambers, and Floor 1 is one of them. All you have to do is clear the first floor and you’ll get to them!”
Izuku nodded to David, a smile growing on his face as a ‘ding’ hit his ears, his menu popping up.
Mushroom Collection!
Retrieve [Greater HP Mushrooms] for [Sir David Shield]!
Rewards: 5 Silver per Mushroom | 50XP per mushroom | 100XP for completion
Izuku swiped away the menu, happy now that the quest had created itself in his list. David nodded as he saw the screen pop up, even if he couldn’t read the words on it. Waving Izuku through, David smiled.
“Alright then, you’re all good to head on in I think! I will say though, if you plan on doing daily runs like this you should look into getting some better gear. I’d suggest the Hatsume forge, they do good work.”
Izuku blinked at that. His smile grew even wider. “Oh wow! I already have a deal with them for gear! But to hear you suggest them makes me sure I made the right choice! Thank you so much, sir!”
David smiled as Izuku rushed past, waving to him. But as Izuku pressed his hand to the door of the Dungeon, disappearing in the swirl of light, he didn’t see the look David gave him as he moved past, his face scrunched up in thought.
Izuku moved through the first two rooms of the dungeon much faster this time.
The goblins went down just as easily as they did last time, even more so now that he was two levels higher than yesterday’s fight with them. He also tried out his new [Ratbone Dagger] but didn’t really notice the increased damage. Rats already died to one hit.
He hadn’t got a level up from the goblins and rats this time, and he received no XP from uncovering the [Secret Rat Den] again. Luckily, his crawling wasn’t for nothing. There were 25 copper coins, just like last time, but there was also a lump of brown cloth.
“Identify.”
25 copper coins
Currency
Rat Leather Cloak
A small, tattered cloak made out of [Leather]
15% resistance to all Rodent attacks
Izuku couldn’t help but smile as he stuffed the cloak into his pack, crawling his way out of [Secret Rat Den]. Wiping the mud off of his knees as he exited, he flung the cloak around his shoulder, tying it around his neck.
He didn’t feel any different, but when he opened his menu to check if it was working, it reported back that he did in fact have the 15% resistance to Rodent attacks. He thanked the dungeon, patting the wall next to the doorway, and moved on, a grin on his face.
‘Floor 1, get ready to be beaten!’
thanks