Chapter 42: Items Obtained. Night Meets the Girls
Sitting in his otherworldly home, Shinji had Night on his lap as he reviewed the spoils from his battle with the Orc King.
[Orc King’s Meat: Meat of the Orc King. A high-quality delicacy that has long been sought after by kings and nobles alike. However, because the Orc King himself is considered a rare, calamity-class existence, his meat is said to be nothing more than a mirage. Consuming it grants unparalleled energy.]
"Hey... hold on a second."
Shinji’s eyes narrowed.
Just reading the description, this meat was clearly something special. Extremely rare, and now he had it in his possession. The fact that he killed such a "calamity-class" monster in one strike with the [Absolute Spear] was a little surreal.
As for that "unparalleled energy" part... Shinji hoped it referred to stamina or strength. Still, the mental image he got was a bit too wild for his liking.
"...Whatever. As long as it tastes good, that’s all that matters. Now, what else..."
Next, he pulled out the massive sword and armor the Orc King had used.
[Orc King’s Sword: The colossal sword of the Orc King. An ultra-heavy blade impossible to even lift with ordinary strength. It isn’t particularly sharp, but it crushes its target with overwhelming weight and sturdiness.]
[Orc King’s Armor: Armor worn by the Orc King. Ultra-heavy and impossible to wear with ordinary strength. Made for the Orc King, so humans can’t use it. Highly durable and impervious to common weapons. Best recommendation: melt it down and forge it into something new.]
"...I don’t know. Hard to use as is..."
That was Shinji’s honest impression. Compared to the [Absolute Spear], this gear felt... impractical.
But then, he casually lifted both the colossal sword and the armor—one in each hand.
"Uh... wait, seriously?"
The fact he could lift both so easily was proof his current strength had grown absurdly high. If he didn’t restrain himself, a single casual swing might literally kill a normal person instantly.
Shinji sighed and moved on to the remaining items.
[Magic Stone – S Rank: A rare mineral obtained from magical beasts.]
[Orc King’s Hair Brush: A rare item obtained from the Orc King. Gentle on any hair, it nourishes and leaves it glossy. Works even on thinning or bald heads, revitalizing dead follicles and regrowing hair. Because of its effect, it’s sold for astronomical prices among nobles suffering from hair loss. However, it only appears once every several thousand years.]
"I... I don’t even know what to say anymore."
The Magic Stone was straightforward enough. He finally had an S-rank one, which confirmed the Orc King was an S-class monster.
But this world’s ranking system was confusing. If an A-class monster had higher stats than this S-class one, wouldn’t that technically make it stronger?
Whatever. The stone could be sold later.
The real problem was the brush.
Seriously... a magic hair brush?
For nobles or anyone losing their hair, this thing would be priceless. He could already imagine the insane bidding wars over it.
"What even is my life anymore..."
"Woof?"
Night tilted his head at Shinji, curious.
"It’s nothing... actually... wait."
"Woof!"
An idea struck him.
He began brushing Night’s fur with the [Orc King’s Hair Brush].
Almost instantly, the pup’s dark fur became shinier, smoother, and softer—so much so that it practically radiated an irresistible charm.
"Feel good?"
"Wooof."
Night leaned into the brushing, tail wagging lazily, clearly enjoying every second.
Shinji grinned. "Not a bad item at all. Though... imagine if I used this on Matsuda..."
He pictured his pervy friend suddenly having silky, model-like hair.
"...Yeah, no. Forget it."
He decided to check his status next. After defeating such a powerful opponent, his level should’ve gone up.
But...
"Huh? My level didn’t rise?"
No notification. No stat increase. Nothing.
"Wait... just throwing the spear doesn’t count for experience? That’s... seriously annoying."
Still, he decided to let it go. If that’s how this world’s mechanics worked, he’d just have to fight properly next time.
"Woof!"
Night barked as if agreeing with him.
Later, Shinji carried Night back into the hidden room of his house.
"Woof!"
"Calm down. You’re about to meet everyone."
When he entered the main room, he was greeted by... a familiar scene.
Tamaki was sprawled on the floor completely naked, her clothes tossed aside. Himari was outside practicing with her katana, while Mei was nowhere in sight—probably in the kitchen as usual.
When Tamaki noticed him, she yelped, scrambled to her feet, and bolted while covering herself with her clothes.
Sighing, Shinji spoke.
"Everyone, gather in the living room. Now."
As the master of the house, his word was law.
Almost instantly, a presence appeared behind him.
"Did you call, Master?"
It was Mei, smiling faintly with her eyes still closed.
Himari entered next, sword in hand.
Finally, Tamaki arrived, looking furious and embarrassed.
Shinji nodded once everyone was present.
"Good. I want to introduce the newest member of the family."
He held Night up for everyone to see.
Mei simply nodded, unfazed as always. Nothing seemed to impress her.
Tamaki, however, stiffened like a cat confronted by a natural enemy.
Night jumped down from Shinji’s arms and approached her slowly.
"Woof!"
With each step, Tamaki backed away nervously. By the third step, she turned tail and ran from the room, defeated.
Night looked back at Shinji, who sighed.
"Night, bad boy. You need to get along with the girls, not scare them."
Night whimpered apologetically.
"I’m not mad. Just apologize later, okay?"
"Woof!"
Night nodded eagerly.
Meanwhile, Himari had been staring at the pup intently.
The two locked eyes for a long moment.
Finally, Tamaki, now crouching in the hallway, muttered dramatically, "Did... did a dog just defeat me...?"
But then, Himari drew her katana and pointed it at Night.
"Don’t think you’ve won. I won’t fall so easily. Maybe you’ve won this battle... but not the war. I am my lord’s sword. I won’t let a dog take my place. I’ll become stronger—just you wait."
"Woof!"
Night barked confidently, as if accepting her challenge.
Shinji blinked. He hadn’t expected Himari and Night to become rivals so quickly.
This... might get interesting.