1,929Thanks everyone. I didn't expect anyone to care or read this right now with the next season so far away. I promise to get to the point of the fanfic as soon as I can, but I made up my mind to start from the beginning, so I can shape the characters more. Will try to update regularly.
"Talking"
"Thinking"
[Status Magic or other reference to a system or power]
...
"Umm" The red headed beauty in Motoyasu's party rose her hand. "Sir shield hero. If you are in such need, I would be willing to join you." Naofumi was going to be very agreeable to that, however
[Alert! Danger Imminent!]
"My [prophecy] was alerted to her offer!?"
Naofumi stopped to actually look at the women.
"Red hair, beautiful, only asked to join my party AFTER I received a large amount of money."
Naofumi was torn. Desperate for an ally, but wary of betrayal. He switched to his [Glass Shield] and activated [Inspect]. Others around him watched him switch shields, grabbing their attention.
[Name: Malty S Melromarc]
[Race: Human]
[level: 5]
[Unable to display further info due to level gap]
Same last name as the king, that basically proves it.
"Enemy Sighted."
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to decline." He said quickly.
Many people began to become confused, Malty herself seemed downright offended.
"You know, despite my beauty, I'm still a capable fighter. I'd be of great help!"
Naofumi glanced around the room.
"Not good..."
Having just declined a party member after complaining about a lack of party members made Naofumi seem insincere. It might even make it look like he was fishing for the extra money.
"Gotta call her out now."
"I was not doubting your ability, but my own. I have nothing but a shield. The idea of protecting royalty at level 1 is simply more daunting a task than I believe myself capable of, sorry."
"O-oh. Is that so..." She was stunned yet again and now all 3 heroes and their parties were eyeing Malty.
She had to recover quickly "Oh, I didn't consider that. I simply wanted to do my duty and help the cardinal heroes. I-"
Motoyasu cut in "You're a princess?" His eyes sparkling with joy.
"Then why not simply tell us?" Ren however, wasn't just letting the fact she hid that information slip away.
"Oh. Like I said, I have a duty to help you and I didn't want to be treated like some burden to be protected.`` She turned to Naofumi.
Naofumi had to admit she could manipulate with the best of them... However...
"Then why not ask to join when he asked for help? Why wait?" Itsuki seemed to want an answer, but had other concerns.
"Yes."
Naofumi had them turning on her, but Itsuki unfortunately continued, "More importantly though... Naofumi. How did you find out she was a princess? It's that shield, isn't it? You changed to it right before you declined"
"Leave it to the bowman to have sharp eyes... unless he's reading my mind..."
"Yeah, this shield has an ability called [Inspect]. With this, basic information is easily obtained. Such as her full name" Motoyasu and Itsuki looked mad again. Yet another thing he has on them and they can't have it because they refused to be cooperative.
Ren thought a moment before he spoke "That [Inspect] skill, you didn't use it on us, did you?"
"Of course, I did." Naofumi answered immediately. "I have to do whatever I can to try and catch up to you three."
Itsuki was even angrier now, "What did you see when you used it on us?"
Naofumi knew what he was really asking. "Name, race, stats, level and class... Don't be so angry I still can't figure out what you can do with 'that' so you still have an advantage on me".
Motoyasu and Ren both seemed very interested in what 'that' was.
"And you expect me to believe that?" Itsuki asked.
"Believe whatever you want. By the end of the day, I'm probably still gonna be level 1. You definitely won't be. You have plenty of advantages on me without 'that', let it go."
Naofumi felt this was the best chance he had to leave. Now Ren and Motoyasu will pester Itsuki about his secret, leaving all 3 parties stuck waiting. As he left, he felt anxiety hit him again. He needed gear, he needed allies, and he needed a way to level up.
He switched to his [Map Shield] wandering around town half embarrassed going from business to business asking for directions. He needed 3 locations; the guild hall the advisor spoke of, a blacksmith for armor, and a shop that dealt with magic. Seeing an anvil on a sign he felt he could not be mistaken.
"Welcome to my shop! What is it you're looking for?"
The man was fit, even in his early 40s. Shaved head and large arms were his most noticeable features. One look around told Naofumi everything he needed. This place definitely had what he was looking for. His eyes leapt from one thing to another.
"Ahem!"
The blacksmith was expecting an answer, but Naofumi was temporarily swept up in the moment.
"Ah, sorry." He approached the counter.
"I'm Naofumi Iwatani, The Shield Hero. Today's my first day on the job."
The blacksmith brightened a bit at that, "Is that right? Well, it's not every day a legend in the making walks through my door. Any idea on what you're looking for?" Naofumi eyed the room.
"I need armor and a weapon, but what kind..."
[Attention Warning]
[Legendary Heroes cannot equip any weapon other than their legendary weapon]
"...Fuck." Naofumi took a short moment "So there's nothing on these walls I can wield?"
[Menu Notice]
[Unable to respond]
Naofumi quickly swapped to his [Computer Shield] and repeated the question to himself.
[Menu Notice]
[Only shields are capable of being wielded]
"Did your shield change shape?" The blacksmith muttered.
Naofumi asked 2 more questions to himself then responded. "Hmm? Yes. It's the most basic function of this shield, but I think I just found another..."
He turned back to the blacksmith "Hey old man, what's the going rate of that shield?"
The blacksmith was a little annoyed and a bit confused, "I ain't old! That shield... why do you wanna know? Isn't your shield the best of the best?".
Naofumi knew he should shoot straight with him. Switching to the [Glass Lens Shield] he inspected 3 pieces on the wall that caught his eye.
"Yup, this shop has great merchandise. Gotta stay on this old man's good side."
"...I know what I'm about to say is probably gonna get you all riled up, but hear me out okay?"
The shop owner narrowed his eyes a bit and gave a look of 'go on then'.
"It seems that I can't equip any weapon in here, my shield won't allow it... however It can allow me to... copy your shields here. I just gotta hold them for a moment. Would you allow me to copy them? You'll still have them to sell to someone else later, so no loss really."
The old man was about to flip his lid, but thought about it. The kid didn't have to shoot straight with him and now he'd be wise to the other heroes trying that kinda crap..., but he also can't agree to that for nothing.
"I'd still like something with my time and effort... How about 50 silver per copy?"
Naofumi knew he could haggle it down, maybe as low as 20 silver per copy. For now, it was fine. He had plenty of shields already. "That's fair".
He swapped to his [Glass Lens Shield] and used [Inspect] on every shield in the room. By the end he had very little Sp left. He never realized that even non-combat skills cost resources. Finally, he chose a single shield and lifted it up.
.
[Copy Success]
[Meteor Shield] (Locked: Higher level required)
+10 Def, +8 Mdef
[Hate Reaction] Draw ire from nearby foes. They will focus you, but are more aggressive.
.
This thing was better than any shield he had. Naofumi paid for the one copy. He also walked through how armor works mechanically, before he purchased a simple armor set. Worried he'd need the money for his future companions. Still, he was down 125 silver already. He thought about keeping his clothes in his backpack, but realized that he really couldn't wear his backpack with his armor on. So...
[Storage Shield]
+1 Atk
[Ability: Inventory] Allows the storage of items equal to 50 lbs. + 1 lbs. For each level you possess.
.
"Wow, that's the first attack bonus I've found. If only I could bank enough attack to... bank..." He pulled out a silver coin and inserted it into his shield.
.
[Silver Coin Shield]
+1 Def, + 1 Mdef, + item drop rate increase (small)
[Unique Ability: Silver Safe] Can store and retrieve silver coins. Limit 250 Silver coins + 3 for each level you possess.
.
[Silver shield]
+1 Def, +1 Mdef, +1 Agi
Additional defense against fiends +3
.
Naofumi was getting used to the shield. He was now beginning to predict the type of effect it could have. He already had an idea what a copper coin would give and...
"Item drop rate!? Does that mean...?"
He swapped to his [Computer Shield].
[Menu Notice]
[You have a second menu reserved for dropped items from foes slain by either yourself or party members]
"Mastering [Silver Coin Shield] is my next priority after [Prophecy Shield]."
Naofumi eventually pulled himself away from his menus long enough to continue his task. He wandered around the city a bit before finding the guild hall. It was a large building with many colorful folks entering and exiting. It seemed to have more doors than walls and the whole place felt like he was still outside. As he entered the establishment, he eyed the people. Most of them were seasoned adventurers, but what that actually translated into in terms of level he didn't know. He figured the gap was too large for [Inspection] to work. He found a desk and a receptionist and waited in line behind the current customer.
"This is ridiculous. Contact the lord that posted the job. I've completed my task. I need that money!"
Naofumi was surprised to see this kid, probably younger than Itsuki, was here turning in a quest. Naofumi became more confused at the kid the longer he observed him. He had no weapon and his clothes seemed very plain. Dark outfit with a large coat and there were straps that looked like they could hold something, but they were all over his clothes, they were all empty though. There was also the conversation.
"You know the procedure, right? For a monster suppression quest, we need a distinguished piece from the kill to verify the job is complete. That is guild policy."
"So, I get nothing for the job? Y-you know why I can't just hand over material like that?"
"I know your case is special, but all the same it is policy... I'll inform a higher up and they may be able to verify the kill with the lord, but even so, until that's confirmed I can't issue you any reward".
The kid looked like he was on the verge of tears, but held himself together. "Please do, miss".
He left the counter and nearly ran into Naofumi as he bolted for the door "Trying to get somewhere secluded before crying? A kid like that kills monsters for a living... Might have been a low enough level to read his info..."
"Next".
Naofumi perked up and stepped forward. "Hello. My name is Naofumi Iwatani, I'm the shield hero".
The receptionist was now giving him her full attention. "Ah I see, so you'd like to register with the guild and view available quests?"
Naofumi let out a small sigh. "Register maybe, but more importantly I'm looking for party members".
She seemed genuinely confused. "Oh, but... were the hand pick adventurers not to your liking?"
Naofumi sighed again, but louder "I'm sure they are all more than adequate, but unfortunately not a single one wanted to throw in with me". Naofumi saw it in her eye. It was a look of 'of course'.
"Well, you can ask around, but after the heroes drafting most parties are full. I'm sorry."
Naofumi wasn't giving up so easily. "I'm sure with a guild this large you must have 'undesirables'? 'Problematic' people? I'm not exactly swimming in options here".
"Ah". The receptionist shuffled through some of her paperwork. Naofumi honestly couldn't tell if she was really trying to help him or not.
"...There are 2 options for you..." She looked up nervously. "I have a list here of people who tried to register with the guild, but were turned down for one reason or another. Some people on here might help, though they're not the best options obviously and even so it would take me time to track down their location or have them show up..."
"How long?"
"Any in the city? Tomorrow at the earliest, however the farther away they live the longer it'd take to get them here. If they're even interested-".
Naofumi cut through the crap "So that option is slow, the choices are bad, and they might just flat out refuse? So, what's this other option?"
The receptionist pulled out a small map. She lightly circled a location with a red pen and gestured to Naofumi to take it.
"This is the location of a... recruiter of sorts. I don't know the quality of the options, but... They will not refuse you."
Naofumi took the map, but questioned her tone. "This is faster. This will have results. Why even tell me that other option?"
The receptionist puffed out her chest and put on her bravest face. "If you weren't a hero, if you weren't here to fight the waves... I'd never have stooped so low as to give you this information. Please make the right choice. I'll be here if you need me".
Naofumi now had a bad feeling about this. He gave her a worried look before leaving. He noted where it was, then fed it to his shield, hoping to receive a new shield, probably a better map shield.
[Location and mapping data received]
[Map has been updated]
Naofumi checked his [Map Shield] and sure enough, the whole city was revealed. It even had the names of certain shops that were on that map. "Note to future self, always snag a map". He continued down smaller streets and back alleys. Naofumi was a little concerned how out-of-the-way this 'recruiter' was. He came to rest in front of a huge series of tents. "A damn circus?" He had no time to doubt. He walked up the biggest tent and pulled back the cloth to enter.
"Welcome! Welcome! I didn't expect my first customer to show up before I could even unpack~"
Naofumi spun on his left heel to face the voice. Somehow this short fat man sneaked up behind him in a mere moment.
"And he even hid from my [Minimap] skill!?"
Naofumi didn't know how to approach him. He decided to switch to his [Glass Lens Shield] and use [Inspect] subtly while he spoke, "Yes, hello. I was in the need of party members and-"
[Unable to display further info due to high level gap]
"oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck."
"Ah~ A shield that morphs? You wouldn't happen to be the shield hero, would you?" He was smiling and in a generally cheery mood, but Naofumi could not take that as genuine.
"I-I am. My name's Naofumi Iwatani. I'm having difficulty finding allies and was recommended this... place. What actually is this?"
The small man's grin became wider and he spoke, "Ah~ it's so good for a hero to visit my humble business. Heh, I assure you that you'll have no issue finding allies here."
He walked past Naofumi and motioned him to follow. As they entered the tent, he continued. "Mine is a business as old as time. One held responsible for all the greatest civilizations and their monuments... Slaves, I'm a slaver my boy".
Naofumi froze on the spot.
"Well, shit."
"I'm going to stop you there." The man spun back to look at him.
"I believe I've wasted both of our time. I was not told of this. If-If I was told about this before I would not have come here". Naofumi did not wait and began exiting the tent at a slightly elevated pace.
"Hmm... That's too bad. We could have had a great business relationship~. Though I'm sure you'll be back. You have the eyes of a great customer".
Naofumi slowed to listen to his last words, but did not stop. As soon as the man was done talking Naofumi sped back up.
"I'll just go fight the weakest mob now and gauge my needs accordingly."
He was rationalizing, he knew this. He ignored everything else and quickly made it to the gates. As he exited the capital city, he just began thinking other things through.
"I'm going to need camping supplies when I travel out. Food, cooking supplies, bed roll."
He sighed yet again "The more realistic parts of this are a pain".
As he looked out over a field full of bouncing balls, he thought his actions through.
"While I want to master [Prophecy Shield] as soon as possible, I can do that tonight. For now, my [Silver Coin Shield] is needed for the drop rate, but even before that..."
Naofumi changed to his [Glass Lens Shield] and used [Inspection] on a ball.
[Name: Nameless]
[Race: Balloon]
[level: 1]
[Hp: 21]
[Mp: 11]
[Atk: 8]
[Mag: 4]
[Def: 6]
[Mdef: 7]
[Agi: 10]
[Number killed: 0]
"Well, I have better stats, but how do they actually work? Does higher defense mean I can't deal damage at all?" He switched to his [Silver Coin Shield]. He then slowly approached one off from the group and swung at it.
Clang!
"Sparks? Does that mean- damn!"
He was not perturbed. He put everything he had into his next hit. The balloon went several feet before bouncing back at him
"No sparks, that meant I hurt him, right?"
He swapped back and checked
[Hp 20/21]
That however did perturb him. "If I put everything I have into every punch, it'll take 20+ to kill one of these guys... Assuming they're all Level 1... And how much EXP are they worth? And How much do I need to level even once?" He had to make concession.
He switched to his [Storage Shield], the only Attack bonus he had. Before he could react though, the balloon shot out and bit his neck.
"I'm done f-for...?"
Clang!
"Heh, guess we both suck!" He stuck with all his might. As he and this damned balloon struck one another Naofumi was just wallowing in his disappointment.
"Get isekai'd as a legendary hero, battling a fucking orange balloon like it's my reoccurring rival? How lame am I!?".
As he continued, eventually the Balloon didn't bounce back.
[EXP +1]
"..."
He exhausted himself on the balloons, even resorting to using his [Battery shield]'s 1 energy to recover a tiny bit of stamina. As he went, he was wearing himself out big time. He stopped when he saw a red Balloon. If it was just as strong as an orange balloon, he might take it. If it was even a little stronger though, not a chance. He tried to use [Inspect], but he was out of Sp. He looked at his EXP earned.
"Just 7 EXP!? At this rate I'll still be level 1 by the end of tomorrow!"
He looked up to the sky in annoyance and saw the waning sun. He was about to head back to town, but he realized that once he was back in town, he'd have to stay at an inn. As a level 1 he'd be an easy target... He stuffed his [Silver Bank] full, that being 253 Silver. afterwards, he eyed his remaining 622 silver.
"This is a lot of money that I can't secure... and it's the only real advantage I have..."
He thought about burying it somewhere and using his only location flag on it, to recover it later. It just seemed like too much work.
As he returned to the inside of the city, he wished he actually stopped one Balloon early. Just walking was hurting like hell now. He used his [Map Shield]'s [World Map] to locate the closest Inn. Luckily it was also a tavern.
"Some tropes are a blessing"
As he walked just inside the door, he wished he chose a different place.
"Oi, That you Naofumi?" Itsuki beckoned him over to his table.
"Yeah. Please tell me they still have a room open here?"
"So what level are you?" Itsuki asked in a bragging manner.
Naofumi was annoyed, he just ignored his question to ask his own, but he was too tired for manipulate people now. "Level 1, Like I told you I would be."
Itsuki's grin grew "Wow, really? I nearly got to level 3, but I had to assist my party, so I couldn't focus on leveling today"
Every word that left his mouth had hit Naofumi the wrong way. "Probably using his evil psychic powers to learn how to get to me" He thought walked past his fellow hero and approached the innkeeper.
Itsuki was quite mad about being brushed off, but let it go seeing how rough Naofumi looked. "I'd like a room and a cheap meal."
The older lady faintly smiled "Of course, however it is our policy to not allow eating in the rooms. Much harder to clean".
Even the small stuff was against him. "That's fair, how much?"
The old woman was already preparing the plate and grabbed a key as well. "That'd be 1 silver". Before he grabbed the plate, an idea formed.
"Excuse me? Ma'am?"
"Hmm?"
"I was wondering if you happen to have a gold coin, copper too. It's a 1 to 100 conversion, right?"
"I actually do have a little gold, how much are you wanting?" He got lucky. He imagined most shops didn't deal in gold at all.
"6 gold and 100 copper, please." He began counting out the coin.
"That'll be 602 silver, counting the meal and room" He carefully handed her the coins, after all it was a large amount. Maybe it'd be too much for the old lady.
"No need" She snatched it up and handed him his tray of food with his key and coin on it. "No need to dote on me young man, I've got some years left".
"Finally, normal banter" "Sorry, didn't mean anything by it". She simply smiled softly.
He quietly ate his food, wanting nothing more than to sleep. He inevitably thought about the bed and how it had better be more than some damn straw. He finished as quickly as he could and went upstairs to the room that matched the key. As he entered the room he wanted to leap with joy at a normal bed, but he hadn't the energy. Before I crash... He fed his shield a gold coin, and copper coin and some leather from the balloons he killed.
...
[Copper Coin Shield]
+1 def, + item drop rate increase (small)
[Unique Ability: Copper Coffers] Can store and retrieve copper coins. Limit 600 Copper coins + 5 for each level you possess.
...
[Copper Shield]
+1 def, +1 mdef
Additional defense against lightning +1
...
[Gold Coin Shield]
+1 str, +1 mag,+1 def, +1 mdef, +1 agi, + item drop rate increase (small)
[Unique Ability: Golden bank] Can store and retrieve Gold coins. Limit 10 gold coins + 1 for each level you possess.
[Ability: Gamble] May remove the last damage a target received. Can only target someone else. There's a 50% chance you will receive that damage.
...
[Golden Shield]
+2 def, +3 mdef
...
[Orange Small Shield]
+1 defense
...
"Yup. Now I have 3 drop rate increasing shields!... Not that it matters if I can't kill anything." He couldn't rouse his spirits. Placed his armor in storage, swapped back to his [Prophecy Shield] and fell face first into the bed. It was one of the best sleeps he'd had in a while. And the best he'd get for quite some time.
[Alert! Danger Imminent!]
He was once again alerted by this damn shield. "Apparently, it's an alarm clock shield!"
"This is the city guard! Open up at once!"
"WHAT!?"
He ran over to the door and opened it as quickly as he could. "Is there a problem? We heroes aren't strong enough yet to-" as he opened the door the guard rushed in and grabbed him.
"Shield Hero! You are under arrest! You will come with us immediately!"
.
[Author notes]
You can guess what happens next, but take note of a major change. Naofumi never trusted Malty, so this isn't a betrayal. Meaning that even though She will make things hard on him, he doesn't really develop trust issues.
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