Vending Machine - 136 - Weapon Shop (Patreon)

Gumihou: Some general cleanup

"So, have you been eating these things lately?"

A monster had been climbing over the sharpened log fence when it was shot by Shui’s arrow. Ramis grabbed the monster for a closer look. It was one of those odd little humanoid radish creatures with little white feet growing out of its oddly muscular body.

“That’s right. The veggie monsters here tasted pretty good. The stronger they are, the better they tasted.”

I thought the people here had been eating crops or vegetables grown in their fields, but it turned out that they had been hunting down vegetable-type monsters. With the gate closed against intruders, only small, light-footed monsters would still climb over the gate, but they were generally vegetable-type monsters with limbs.

It looked like these plant monsters really tried their best not to damage the wooden structures. They did not try to drill through or break down the walls, just climbed over the fences with their surprisingly nimble limbs.

“Since there are lots of wood here, I don’t have to worry about running out of arrows,” said Shui who was perched on top of someone’s roof.

Indeed, there was a large pile of arrows next to Shui. They were all provided by the weapon shop for free, and she could shoot at monsters without worrying about her pile shrinking.

“Shui, here are some more arrows,” said a man. He was pretty muscular with long, tied back hair. His most prominent feature was the magnificent moustache on his face.

“Thanks.”

“Oh, you’re that brute strength girl who carries around a strange box on her back?”

“I’m Ramis!”

The weapons dealer probably said that without any ill will, but Ramis was obviously offended. It was not like she did not enjoy having super strength, but it was probably not a nice thing to be called ‘brute strength girl’.

“Ou, is that so? Apologies, Miss Ramis. I see you don’t have a weapon, do you fight with your fists only?”

"Yeah, that's right."

"What a waste of your incredible strength... I've got it. Come to my shop. I'll help you pick out a weapon."

Oh, she is being invited to a weapons shop? Despite having been in this other world for a long time, I have never been inside a weapons shop yet. Honestly, I’m really looking forward to seeing this staple fantasy world setting.

“Eh? It’s fine, I don’t need any weapons.”

What? Why not? I really want to have a look at the weapons and armour of this world.

“Ahh, why not just have a look, Ramis? I’ll go with you,” a voice suddenly chimed in.

It was Hyurumi. She had been busy messing around with the teleportation circles since yesterday. I wonder if it was alright now?

“Is the circled repaired, Hyurumi?”

“There was not much to repair since there was really nothing wrong with it in the first place. We just have to wait for the magic power to replenish itself in a week. Anyway, why not take the time to check out the weapons shop? We could also restock on potions and look at some armour too.”

Excellent job, Hyurumi. Keep it up.

“Hmm, I guess my boots and gloves are wearing out. I guess I should get them replaced.”

"That's right. You've been using those since before you met Hakkon, right? You've saved up quite a bit of money, so why don't you equip yourself with something better?"

Now that I’m looking closely, the iron reinforcement parts on the gloves were worn and deformed. I guess sine it’s Ramis, the wear and tear would be incomparable with other hunters.

"I like these, and they were pretty expensive," Ramis said as she studied the gloves and boots she was wearing.

"Miss Ramis, if you don't find any weapons or armour you like at my shop, how about I upgrade those gloves and boots for you?"

The old man had leapt down from the roof to study Ramis’ gloves and boots said with a grin.

"If that's the case, I might take you up on it."

"Alright, then follow me. You too, flat-chested one."

"Who are you calling flat-chested!"

Apparently, this old weapons shop owner tended to speak his mind without thinking.

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“Well, what do you think of my shop?”

The ‘shop’ in question was a little larger than the other log cabins within the settlement. Moreover, rather than a cabin, it was more like a huge box mad with logs. The roof was completely flat, no slop at all.

"Come in, come in."

After stepping through the door, there was no doubt that we were in a weapons shop.

Weapons lined the walls. There were spears, axes, swords and even some curved swords and katanas. The elderly couple that watched the place wore uniforms that looked similar to Japanese clothing. So, I guess there’s a country here that resembles ancient Japan.

There were also armour lining one of the shelves too.

This is it. An alternate fantasy should be about weapons and armour. This is the kind of shopping scene that should be introduced right at the beginning of a ‘game’. Still, a vending machine has no need for equipment.

I wonder if I could force myself into that giant armour… wait, if I, a vending machine, put on armour… my products wouldn't be accessible!

"Oh, they even have gauntlets."

“Ou sa! We have all kinds of weapons and armours especially created for martial artists. What do you think of these spiked gauntlets?

The old man pulled out a pair of atrocious looking gauntlet bristling with spikes everywhere except for the palm. While it does look strong, it really doesn’t suit Ramis.

“Hmm, it looks like it could hurt Hakko. Also, these looks like it would break easily,” said Ramis as she poked at one of the spikes. “By the way, is this striped cloak some sort of armour?”

The ‘striped cloak’ was a hooded cloak with alternating yellow and green stripes. It would probably be quite noticeable under any circumstances even without the unnecessarily flashy hues.

“Oh? That one is great for its, uh, water-repellent function. It doesn’t let in any water through. It’s also resistant to heat and cold, with other outstanding features… it’s just a bit flashy… some magic tool maker created it, but, well, it’s not very popular…”

I have a feeling that anyone who wears this garish looking cloak is just asking to be teased.

Ramis was stroking the sleeve of the cloak for a bit before putting it on and twirling on the spot. “What do you think, Hakkon?”

Hm? It looks surprisingly good on her? I supposed Ramis is the type who would look good in whatever she wears.

“Thank you very much”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Ye-es”

"I see... Hehe, thank you."

She took the cloak off and put it away. However, from the way she kept looking back at it, she would most likely return to buy it later.

The old man was looking through a box in a corner of the shop. Whatever he was looking for, he didn’t find it and eventually turned around at us.

“Miss, I want to check your strength. Please wait a moment,” said the old man before he disappeared to the back of the store.

Meanwhile, I studied the racks and shelves of weapons. Enjoying myself like an excited boy. I could study these for hours.

I think if I could sell weapons through vending machines, it would be a great hit with hunters. However, the weapons should be limited to a hunter’s abilities since it would be troublesome for them to get weapons that they could never use.

That said, why aren’t there any vending machines for swords and maces in Japan?

If only it exist, I would definitely make the travel to go and see it and buy all of its products. That way, I could transform into a high-quality vending machine that could control weapons through <Telekinesis>.

“What’s in here anyway? A bunch of random weapons?”

“Hey, there’s something written here. It says that it’s a clearance sale.”

Inside the box, large wooden crate rather since it was large enough for me to fit in, were various types of weapons all haphazardly thrown in.

Excitedly, I begin to wonder if there might be some unexpected treasure in there. After all, one of the most common tropes when it comes to fantasy world transmigration.

“I can’t feel any magic at all. These are all worn out things.”

“Well, I bough these used from a hunter after all,” said the old man as he pushed the box away. The huge box moved easily thanks to the wheel attached to the bottom.

Hm? He’s now putting several round stones on the table. They were all the same shape and size, but their colours were different.

“Now, these are a type of magic tools. They aren’t very heavy until you grip them in your hands. It gets heavier from left to right, this is one way to we measure strength.”

Oh, these are pretty interesting. I wonder how heavy these baseball-size stones could get?

“Measuring stones, huh? You have some rare magic tools here.”

“So, the flat one knows them? You’re quite the expert, eh?”

“Enough with that! I’m Hyurumi!”

“I- I understand! Um, it’s Hyurumi, right? I’ll remember it, so please put that away!!” The old man ducked as Hyurumi grabbed hold on a nearby sword and pulled it out from its scabbard and began walking menacingly towards him. It was his own fault, so I don’t plan to stop her.

“Hey, hey, so, do I just pick one up?”

“Y-yes, pick up the one on the far left first,” the old man said quickly, eager for a change of subject.

Hyurumi clicked her tongue and sheated the sword.

“Hey, this one’s light.”

“Wow, you picked it up really easily.”

None of them look heavy at all… are they really heavy?

“Would Hyurumi like to try it too?”

“Fine, let me have it… woah!!”

The moment the ball dropped into her hands, she had to grab it tightly, her entire body appeared to have collapsed as she struggled to keep herself upright. Her legs, no, her entire body was shaking like a newborn fawn.

"R-ramis, take it, take it!"

"Okay~"

Ramis easily picked up the ball with one hand and placed it back on the table.

So, it was really that heavy? Hyurumi was sweating a lot and was now swinging her arms, as if trying to get more blood into her fingertips. Looks like it was not some kind of an elaborated joke. She really did have a hard time with the ball.

“Hmm, looks like this is too easy for you. Could you pick up the second ball from the right?”

“Sure, there we go.”

When Ramis easily lifted that ball with one hand, the old man’s mouth dropped open so wide that it looked like his lower jaw had unhinged. "W-what? Isn't it heavy for you?"

"It's a bit heavier than before, but it's still much lighter than Hakkon."

"That thing weights more than me… interesting~ right, right, then please pick up the one on the far right. Go on, go on!” the old man was really excited now.

“Ah, this one is about the same weight as Hakkon.”

That baseball size ball is as heavy as me? Woah, leaving aside lifting me with one hand, she could even swing me around as a weapon instead.

“This is truly incredible! I knew she was something special after seeing her carry an iron box around, but I didn’t know she was this amazing! I’ll definitely make the best gear for you, miss!”

For a moment, I thought I could see flames springing up around the old man. Looks like he had found a challenge and his motivation just went through the roof.

"I heard that you’ll be around for a week, yes? I’ll definitely get it done by then, so look forward to it!”

"H-hey, old man! What happened to us picking out weapons and armour?”

“That… hm, just take whatever you like on display here. Half off!” with that, the old man ran disappeared to the back of the shop.

Was there a workshop there? It looked like he won’t be back anytime soon.

“I guess, we should just pick out something and leave the money somewhere,” said Hyurumi with a shrug.

So, after selecting the weapons and armour that they wanted, the girls left some coins on the table and left.

It was an unexpected turn of events, but I'm looking forward to seeing Ramis' custom-made gear in a week.

[Gumihou: Goodness, I wonder what the old man would make?]