When reending the game FBO, it's important to hat as the game progresses, dungeoo bee longer and more drawn out ier stages.

  As this happens, the durability of equipment bees a signifit issue.

  ons lose durability with each attack, and armor naturally wears down as it takes hits.

  When the durability of equipment drops to zero, it bees broken and o longer be equipped.

  This results in a decrease in both attad defense power.

  However, it's not practical to prepare multiple sets of high-quality equipment.

  So, what be done? By using rare materials and the "Ent" skill, which be used by high-level bcksmiths to grant skills to equipment, this problem be solved.

  **'Iructible'**

  This is a skill that only be applied to equipment and ot be acquired by characters. Equipment with this skill will not lose durability and will never break.

  Although there is a limit to the number of skills that be assigo each on, many pyers choose to sacrifie slot to include this skill.

  I, too, am one of those who have beed from this skill.

  However, the materials o apply the Iructible skill without any drawbacks are only found in high-difficulty dungeons.

  As a weak child, it's impossible for me to afford such materials from high-difficulty dungeons.

  "To begin with, even if they appear on the market, they're snapped up immediately."

  In online mode, these materials were circuted as high-priced items, but they were always in short supply, and there were even pints to the ma to improve the drop rates.

  This just goes to show how useful the Iructible skill is.

  "Well, there is a way around it, though."

  As I swing a rusty hatchet to chop bamboo, muttering to myself, I must look like a creepy kid.

  But this quest, whivolves colleg high-quality bamboo, is incredibly b unless you find something to distract yourself.

  The important part of this quest is that you must carefully select bamboo beled as high-quality. Otherwise, Ganji won't be satisfied.

  Ordinary bamboo just won't do.

  So, how do you tell the differeween regur bamboo and high-quality bamboo?

  "Alright, that makes ten."

  You tell at a gnce by the color of the bamboo.

  In this world, there are two types of bamboo: yellowish bamboo and deep green bamboo. Cutting the green bamboo usually yields high-quality bamboo.

  While the yellowish bamboo is more on, the green bamboo isn't ent.

  The monotonous task of searg, chopping, trimming the excess leaves, cutting them to the right length, and loading them onto a cart repeats over and over.

  This kind of grueling work is something you never experien the game.

  In the game, you could chop it ly in one swing, and the leaves would be trimmed automatically.

  It's a lot of work.

  "It's almost noon."

  For a child's body, this is quite the heavy bor.

  W from m without food or drink, it's no wonder I'm feeling hungry.

  "Thank you, ma'am."

  Let's take a lunch break at this nice round number of ten.

  I thank the dy who prepared a lune, a lodger, and csp my hands together.

  "Let's eat."

  Uning the package reveals a simple sandwich-like meal.

  Even with a child's jaw, I barely chew it, so I soften it with water from the teen as I eat.

  "If this keeps up, my jaw is going to get really strong."

  The food in this world really works your jaw.

  It's so hard that I'm worried my face might bee square.

  But maybe it's eco-friendly in a way, since chewing more stimutes the satiety ter.

  "Thank you for the meal."

  Though it takes a long time to eat, which isn't very eco.

  Wasting food is out of the question, so I thank the dy who made it and resolve to titing bamboo.

  "...This isn't a child's workload."

  Pumping myself up is ohing, but by the time I finish, it's almost dusk. Pulling a cart loaded with bamboo after a day of cutting is more exhausting than I thought.

  In the game, as long as you managed your stamina well, the protagonist could effortlessly plete transport quests without getting tired.

  But this isn't a game; it's reality.

  While it might sound good to say my legs and back are getting strohis world is a level-based society.

  Even that strength training will be quickly overshadowed once I level up.

  "If there's a god who reinated me into this world, I'd like to pin about how unreasohis is."

  I wish I had been reinated into a healthier body.

  Grumbling like this, I pass through the east gate, and then...

  "I've brought it!!!"

  Here I am, shouting desperately towards the shop.

  "Shut up!!! Don't make noise in front of the store!!!"

  And out es Ganji, with the giant dy following behind.

  "Oh, you finished in one day? Well done, kid.""Hmph, even a kid do a job like fetg bamboo.""Someone charged a thousand zeni for such a job, didn't they?""Don't know him."

  Looking at the bamboo on the cart, the dy is surprised, while Ganji approaches with a disied expression and starts iing it.

  "To problems here.""Then at least give a proper response. Poor kid."

  All the bamboo is high-quality and the right length. With that, Ganji relutly aowledges it.

  Now, the main point is ing up.

  "Alright, it's time to keep your promise. Quickly make a 'special' bamboo spear for this kid!"

  Here it es!!

  In this quest, besides the normal pletion, there are certain ditions: delivering all at ond pleting it in one day. If you meet these, the strict dy will instruct Ganji to make something special.

  If you deliver in parts and take multiple days, you just get a regur bamboo spear and that's it.

  This is the extra bonus.

  "Huh!? Special, why!?""He prepared this much good bamboo in just one day. Do you think a single bamboo spear made in your spare time is enough? After all, he finished a job that costs a thousand zeni just to fetch bamboo!"

  Though, was the dialogue this sarcasti the game?

  Ganji didn't react like this either.

  Well, it's different from the game sihis is reality.

  For me, as long as I get at least a bamboo spear, it's fine.

  From now on, if I bring bamboo, he should make a spear for me.

  "Ugh."

  It seems Ganji is choking on his own words and 't retort.

  "W-what do you wao do?""Couldn't you at least offer an ent or synthesis as a service?""Huh!? A skill-equipped on is too early for a kid like this!! Doing that would just put me at a huge loss with the materials!!""That's strange, a low-level ent should only cost about thirty zeni, right?""Grrrr, fine, you brat! I'll make the bamboo spear!! And I'll even ent it, damn it!! But you have to provide the materials for the ent!!""You!!""Shut up!!! Your request was only for the ent!! I didn't say anything about providing the materials!! If you don't like it, I don't his bamboo!!"

  Ganji, in a fit of desperation, throws an unreasonable demand at me.

  Calmly thinking, there's no way a child like me could gather materials for an ent.

  So, this is his way of making me give up and just take the bamboo spear.

  "Then, please use this to ent the bamboo spear."

  But, surprise!

  I know this flow all too well, so I came prepared.

  "Huh?""Are you sure about this, kid?"

  What I handed over was a single "Mark of the Weak" from the basket.

  The effect of the Mark of the Weak is to lower the equipped character's level by one, limit level-ups to o a time, and impose a 24-hour equipment binding effect. Moreover, the Mark of the Weak ot be destroyed.

  Frankly, it's nothing but a harmful item.

  Knowing this, Ganji looks at it in disbelief, while the dy looks on with .

  "Yes, please use this."

  But for me, this is a necessary step, so I firmly and clearly make my request.

  "...Are you really sure?""Yes.""Alright."

  Ganji is low-handed, selfish, greedy, and has many problematic traits, but he sticks to his word.

  So he takes the Mark of the Weak from me, pulls a bamboo from the cart, and...

  "Hey, put the rest of the bamboo in the back. You, kid, wait here for thirty minutes."

  He tells the dy to store the cart and instructs me to wait, then heads bato the shop.

  "Phew, sorry about that. Once he gets going, he'll do a proper job. Just look around the shop and kill some time until it's done.""Okay."

  The blunt way he speaks makes the giant dy sigh as she pulls the bamboo-loaded cart to the back with one hand.

  I do as told and look around the shop at the ons, but without money or levels, I 't equip any of them.

  Besides, sidering what I'm about to get, they're all unnecessary.

  So, I enjoy the realistic weight and feel, different from the game, as if I'm in an art museum, when...

  "Hey, kid, it's done.""Ah, thank you."

  Ganji emerges from the bad tosses the bamboo spear at me.

  "As ordered, I mixed in the Mark of the Weak. And I added a strap so you carry it on your back."

  The tip is sharp, and the handle is ed with a strap for better grip.

  As Ganji said, there's also a strap to carry it on my back.

  "If only you worked this seriously all the time."

  From the looks of it, it's well-made.

  Seeing this, the dy sighs in exasperation.

  "Shut up! Hey kid, what are you waiting for? I want to drink. Get out of here."

  This is also a versation I don't remember.

  "Thank you for your help. I'll be back.""e anytime.""Don't e back!!"

  Hearing the genuine voices of the people living in this world makes me a little happy. I sling the bamboo spear diagonally ay bad leave the shop.

  It's dusk.

  In about an hour, the sun will set.

  If I walk back, I should reach the stable around the time Nel's mother brought food yesterday.

  "On my sed day in this world, I got a on."

  But I'm feeling a bit excited, so my pace quis.

  My steps are almost breaking into a jog, excited by the on on my back.

  In the game, you could check a on's stats by equipping an item called the Appraisal Gsses.

  If I had those now and appraised the on on my back...

  **'Bamboo Spear of the Weak'**- Css: 1- Attack: 3- Durability: Iructible- Skills: Level Redu (1), Level Up Limit (1), Equipment Binding (24 hours)

  This is the kind of status that would appear.

  Knowing this, a smile gradually spreads ay face.

  This is the stro early-game on known to dedicated pyers.

  An iructible on obtainable early on.

  A must-have piece of equipment for character development is now in my hands.

  "This is going to be fun."

  Having this opens up many possibilities.

  The range of what I do expands, and the excitement of being able to do what I want is something I haven't felt in a long time.

  I might even skip ahead with this momentum.

  Feeling cheerful, I walk down the familiar path, pass by the reizable shop, and turn into the alley behind it.

  "You're te!"

  Nel, in a pletely bad mood, is standing like a guardian statue in front of the stable, waiting for me.

  Beside her is her mother, smiling wryly.

  In one hand is the same basket as yesterday.

  She must have brought today's dinner.

  That's nice, but why is Nel so upset?

  "This girl really ealking with Liberta yesterday. But when she woke up, you were gone and came back te, didn't you?"

  When I look at her questioningly, she expins with a wry smile.

  "You said 'see you ter'!!"

  And then Nel herself delivers the decisive words.

  Apparently, to Nel, "see you ter" meant a promise to talk again the day.

  In other words, I unknowingly broke a promise.

  Pouting with her cheeks puffed up aail bristling, Nel is cute, but...

  "I'm sorry."

  Hoy is the best policy here.

  Even if I didn't io make a promise, the flow of the versation could be interpreted that way.

  "Hmph.""See, Liberta apologized.""Okay. Then, tomorrow for sure.""Got it."

  Thanks to my ho as, I make a promise to spend time with omorrow ao enjoy dinner.