'Bah, do you like that equipment?'

　Mr. Linial seemed to be unable to be discerning, as expected.
　Baa nodded dully as he brushed the dust off.

It's quite something. I'm sure the artisans in this city wouldn't be able to make it.

　Linial-san's gaze turned to me.
　Both of his eyes were wide open.

''...Great, Lelius.''

　It wasn't so much that I was awesome as it was that this profession made up a good portion of it, but it was better to keep it a secret.
　There's no way to know about skills, that's what this world is all about.

　Any ability that would override that would be dangerous just to have.

''Would you like to try that on?''
Yes.

　I put on the armor Baa handed me.
　It's the type of clothing that you put inside.
　At first, I thought it would be a little tight, but when I put it on, I was able to wear it so that it stuck to my body.

　Most importantly, they are not too tight, even if you move your body.
　Normally, protective gear is something that inhibits movement in some small way.
　This is why I was surprised at this armor, which does not make you feel that at all.

''It's really easy to move,''
That's right. They're made from the skin of a dragon called a rubber dragon. Stretches well, doesn't it?
Yes.
That's not the only thing that surprises me. Do you know the nature of the demon called a rubber dragon?
No, I don't know.
Their skin has the ability to fend off attacks. You can use it to mitigate attacks. It's especially strong with slashing attacks. That's why your clothes shouldn't let half-hearted claws and blades through.

　That's nice.
　Some demons have weapons.
　Especially humanoid goblins, because they have a habit of finding something they can get and wearing it.

And they also have a little bit of slime liquid mixed in. They have perfect resistance to physical attacks. You have a knife, don't you?　You should try it.

　Baa glanced at the knife that was stuck in my waist.
　I nodded and held the knife in my hand.
　I flipped up my stomach and stretched out my clothes.

　Then I pushed the knife against it.
　I could push the knife in, but I couldn't slash it.
　This is the power of the rubber dragon material?

　With the weapons I have now, it seems to be difficult to make a scratch on this.
　I need to make it sharper. I felt a little frustrated.

''What do you think?''
It's very solid.

　Of course, there is a painful feeling of being hit by a knife, but it's not a slash.
　It would depend on the situation, but it seemed a lot better than a knife sticking out.

'Have you got the money ready?'
'Yes. And may I see a few other pieces of equipment that I'm curious about?
Yeah, that's fine.

　I then proceeded to look around the store.
　The skills were pretty much on, but many of them were similar.
　Could this be because of the same creator?

　The skills in the store that I don't yet own are damage increase, damage reduction, increased potion range, enhanced agility, and heal attack.
　The equipment in this store is excellent because there are many equipment with physical enhancement, strength enhancement, and agility enhancement skills.

　I bought each of these equipment that had an S rank.

''What's the point of having so much?
'Yeah, well. Yes, but I wish I could be like 'The Craftsman'.
Well, it's important to take a look at a good piece of work.

　When Baa said that, Mr. Linial loosened his mouth.

'You call that yourself?'
'It's obvious. It's stupid to not have a proper understanding of one's worth and ability.

　...that's a word that sticks in my mind a bit.
　I need to know more than that, too.
　Baa's eyes turn to me.

"If you want to become a 'craftsman', you should gather materials and try to combine them together by yourself to make various things. Of course, you'll probably make a lot of mistakes.
Okay.
So that's about it, then.

　I'm grateful for all the help I got from Baa.
　I bowed, and Linial-san also waved a fluttering hand.

''Well, I'll see you next time.
I don't have high hopes for the Linial, but this makes me think twice. Go get some more good customers!

　Baa said teasingly, and Mr. Linial stuck out his tongue with a bae.
　He left the shop and returned to his original path.

'Mr. Linial and Baa are good friends, aren't they?
'Well, to a point. More importantly, I'm glad Lelius isn't interested in the armor at the entrance.
Entrance armor?

　As I recall, it was blue, sturdy looking armor.
　That was the coolest thing to look at, but all the skills that came with it were negative.

'Yeah. That armor was put there to trick the stupid customers. Didn't it stand out the most?
''....I see. So that's what it was meant to do.
'Yes. Is Lelius going to go home for once?　You want to leave that stuff behind?
'Yes but are you okay with that?　I'm at work right now, in case you were wondering.
'It's all right. It's actually going to take a lot more work, but thanks to Lelius, we'll be done by tomorrow.

　That's fine then.

Well, I'll come back.
Yeah. I'm resting in the admin room, so we'll meet up there.
I understand.

　After leaving Mr. Linial, I return to the inn once more.
　After dismantling all the equipment in my room, I return to the administration office once more.

''Mr. Linial, I'm sorry to keep you waiting.
Hmmm.

　Ms. Linial was asleep.
　When I called out to her, she stretched lightly and then stood up.

'I have some new traps ready for you.
We're ready. Okay, let's head to the underground utilities.
Yes. Please.

　We enter the underground waterway with Mr. Linial.
　Unlike weapons, armor is rarely tested in battle.

　If I were to try out armor, it would not be in actual combat. At the very least, it's in training.

　Even so, it is tempting to deliberately try to eat an attack, at least for a little while, but all bloodmouths die from poison in the first place.
　I'll have to try that some other time.

　I'd also like to use my newly acquired skills.
　If I can equip them, maybe I can at least challenge the D-rank labyrinth.

　When I think about the things I want to do, I can't help but loosen my mouth.
　I should pull myself together.