Isekai Kansha - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: The Secret of the Wooden Sword

Leaving the temple behind, Jin strolled through the city streets with a refreshed heart.

The haze clouding his mind had lifted, and even the familiar sights of the city seemed to shine brighter than before.

He wandered along in high spirits, stopping by a liquor store and a bookstore he happened to notice along the way.

At the bookstore, he merely browsed to see what kinds of books were sold, but at the liquor store, he bought a few bottles—some for himself, and some of Greg’s favorite brand.

Though it was a little early, Jin decided to head over to Gantz’s shop for their appointment.

"Hello."

"Oh, welcome. You’re early. The leather armor’s all fixed up. Want to try it on?"

"Yes, please."

Jin quickly equipped the armor.

This was the first armor he’d ever worn since coming to this world. And though it had only been three days since he first donned it, he had already grown so used to it that being without it felt strangely incomplete.

His cheeks relaxed into a smile as he fastened the armor—freshly restored by Gantz’s skilled hands. Seeing Jin’s expression, Gantz couldn’t help but grin as well.

"Yeah, seeing you that attached to it makes me happy too. Now, about the Mad Ant materials you left with me—they’re in good condition. Perfect for reforging into armor. And since it’s from a Queen, I figured we ought to go all out with the backing leather too. I’m planning to use at least Mad Boar hide, or better. Once I’ve got the right material, I’ll get to work. Should take about a week. Price’ll depend on the leather, but with a trade-in for your current armor, you’re looking at maybe five to eight small gold coins. How’s that sound? If you’re short, I can wait."

Gantz seemed fired up as a craftsman, eager to work with such rare Queen Ant material.

Fortunately, Jin had just received his guild reward earlier, so budget wasn’t an issue.

"Thank you for your concern. But I’m fine on budget, so I’ll leave it all to you, Gantz-san. I’m looking forward to it."

"Oh? Already made that much, huh. Leave it to me—I won’t let you down."

Both men exchanged smiles, a silent show of trust.

"But speaking of money… what about your weapon?"

"Ah, that’s right. With the bonus I got, I should be able to budget for that too."

"Heh, don’t forget the important stuff. Still, all I’ve got left of your usual bastard swords are iron ones. And if even a steel blade can snap like yours did—though the opponent was a nasty one—might be time to think about stepping up one or two ranks in weapons."

"True… but that’d strain my budget a little."

Jin started to consider making do with another steel weapon for now.

"By the way, your wooden sword—it’s tough, sure, but even so, to survive a battle that broke a steel blade… That’s no ordinary thing. Lemme see it."

Jin agreed—it was a fair point. Casually, he unstrapped the wooden sword from his waist and handed it to Gantz. There was no hesitation in the act.

"Whoa—it’s heavy! Wait… no, it’s light now?"

At first, when he took it, Gantz felt it was strangely heavy, forcing him to brace his stance. But the instant it left Jin’s hand, the weight vanished.

"Jin, humor me. Hold it again."

With a serious look, Gantz had Jin take the sword back, then repeatedly passed it between them, lifting and lowering it several times.

"Yeah. In your hand, it really does get heavier."

But to Jin, it felt no different from usual—so he had no idea what Gantz meant.

While Jin stared blankly, Gantz inspected the weapon carefully. After a long sigh, he fixed Jin with a grave look.

"Listen carefully, Jin. First of all, I’ll tell you because I trust you—I have the skill Appraisal Eye. I can judge an item’s quality and approximate value at a glance. But this sword… even the first time I saw it, all I could tell was that it was not normal. And now, even after a fierce battle, it hasn’t so much as a scratch—still like new. At first, I thought it might be some rare magic item I didn’t know about, but it’s got no magic stone. And a weapon that changes its weight depending on whether it’s in the wielder’s hand, with an enchantment always active like that… The only thing that comes to mind is a legendary artifact. In short, this thing is anything but ordinary. Got it?"

"Yes."

Jin was grateful that Gantz trusted him enough to reveal his skill. He also realized Appraisal Eye was different from his own Appraisal—Gantz only got a rough sense. And he finally understood: his wooden sword was not just a plain wooden weapon, but something abnormal.

"Good. That’s the end of it."

"Huh?"

"I know you’ve got no special knowledge about this sword. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have handed it over so carelessly. So you don’t need to explain a thing. Even if you learn more in the future, you don’t owe me any answers. All you need to remember is: this weapon is not normal."

Jin was at a loss, unsure how to respond. But Gantz softened his serious expression and grinned.

"Don’t make that weird face. Just keep using it as you have been. The only thing is—what we just saw? Keep that a secret. My Appraisal Eye only works if I hold the item directly. So from now on, don’t go letting others touch it carelessly."

Jin was deeply thankful for Gantz’s restraint—suppressing his curiosity as a craftsman and offering advice instead.

So Jin gathered all his feelings into a single phrase.

"Thank you."

He bowed deeply. Gantz smiled warmly, and Jin, lifting his face, smiled too.

After a quiet pause, Gantz brought the conversation back to the matter of Jin’s backup weapon.

"The wooden sword’ll serve fine as your main weapon. But what about a spare? Having a decoy is useful too. Another bastard sword wouldn’t be bad, but now that we know the wooden one works, maybe you’d be better off with something different. Got any preferences?"

"Not really. But from what you’ve said, I should probably avoid another sword. Blunt weapons feel too similar to the wooden sword’s nature… maybe a spear would be better?"

"A spear, huh. Not a bad choice. Handling might be tricky, but—oh yeah. I’ve still got that one I made for an experiment. Wait here."

He disappeared into the back workshop, and a few minutes later returned carrying a long spear.

"Looks like an ordinary steel longspear, right? But—watch this…"

Twisting the middle of the shaft, Gantz split the spear cleanly into two separate parts.

"It splits clean into two like this. You can even use each half as a short spear, so if you’re walking around town, just carry them separated and they won’t get in the way."

"This is amazing. But… why did it end up staying a prototype?"

Jin remembered weapons from old manga—things like hidden swords or three-section staves. He had always loved contraptions with clever mechanisms like this.

"One word: durability. Compared to a single solid piece, the joint is always weaker. Add the gimmick, and the cost shoots up too. In the end, I scrapped the idea. Still, if you like it, take it. I’ll let you have it for the same price as an iron one-handed sword—one small gold coin. Doesn’t matter to me; it’s just been gathering dust in storage."

"Thank you. I’ll gladly buy it."

"Good. Much obliged. But listen—since you’ve got that skill, your wooden sword is probably the stronger weapon. Use that as your main. Still, the reach of a spear like this can be deadly useful depending on the enemy, so learn how to handle it well."

"Yes! Thank you very much!"

Jin equipped his new gear: the spear split in two, with a leather cap on the tip of the short spear, all fastened together by a special holder that Gantz said he had once made as an experiment. He strapped it to his right hip, shifting his main weapon, the wooden sword, over to the left. With his fresh armament, he couldn’t wipe the grin off his face.

"Kuhahaha. You really do look happy handling weapons and armor. Your joy rubs off on me too."

"Well, you know, being born a man, there’s just something about weapons that stirs the blood."

"Ha! Can’t argue with that. Speaking of which—how’d it go? You gave that flower to young Aria, didn’t you?"

It seemed the word "born a man" had reminded Gantz of the woman in question. He asked Jin about what happened with the Rosen Flower.

"Yes. Thanks to your advice, she was very pleased. I’m grateful."

"Oh? She really was, huh?" 

Gantz looked honestly pleased.

"Yes, she even smiled for me. It was wonderful. Although…"

At the word smile, Gantz’s eyes widened, but when Jin trailed off, he leaned forward, pressing him to continue.

"What? Don’t keep me hanging. Out with it."

"Well, it wasn’t a big deal… but for just a moment, Aria-san’s smile felt almost scary. She asked me who told me she liked that flower. After that, she went back to smiling as usual, but… I can’t stop thinking about it."

"…Oi. Don’t tell me—you actually said it?"

"Eh? Of course. Wait… should I not have? I didn’t even think of hiding it. I thought good deeds didn’t need to be kept secret. I’m sorry, Gantz-san."

Jin felt a twinge of guilt toward Gantz, thinking that perhaps he should have been more discreet and kept it to himself. Of course, Gantz had wanted his own name kept secret for an entirely different reason, but Jin, misunderstanding the situation completely, never realized.

"…No, it's fine. Don’t worry about it."

Since Aria had gone out of her way to introduce him, Gantz figured she must have taken a liking to Jin, and maybe—just maybe—this guy could bring about some good change in her. His remark about the Rosen Flower had been, at its core, for Aria’s sake; only about half of it had been mischief aimed at teasing. …Though half was probably more than enough.

And if, as a result, Aria ended up smiling—then that was a greater outcome than Gantz had ever expected. For drawing that out of her, he could never thank Jin enough. He steeled himself, ready to take whatever scolding might come his way.

(Still… I hope she could go a little easy on me.)

Having experienced firsthand how terrifying Aria could be when angered, Gantz let slip a nervous grumble.

After that, Gantz took Jin’s measurements and made him promise to come by two or three times over the next week for fine-tuning. With his business at the shop finished, Jin left and went straight back to the inn without any more detours.

Over a delicious dinner, he reflected on everything since arriving in this world. He realized again just how blessed his circumstances were and felt grateful for the people around him.

Back in his old world, he’d been lucky with family, friends, and colleagues—but here, that sense of fortune was even stronger. First, there had been Burke the gatekeeper, then the inn staff where he was eating now, Greg and Aria at the guild, Clark and the young priest at the temple, and Gantz the weaponsmith. He’d been helped by the brother and sister who ran the general store, met sweet Elza, and, through a request, made connections with the alchemist Bean. Everyone he’d encountered in this world had been kind and good to him.

(Yes… I really am blessed.)

He reaffirmed the thought with conviction.

After dinner, Jin returned to his room and appraised the gear he had been wearing when he first arrived in this world.

• Wooden Sword – A sword made of sturdy wood. Overall Rating: C+～. (State Preservation · Indestructible)

• Ring of Regeneration – A ring given by Chris as proof of friendship. Restores 1 HP per minute. (State Preservation · Indestructible)

• Sturdy Shirts – High-quality garments made of sturdy fabric. Overall Rating: E+. (State Preservation · Indestructible)

• Sturdy Pants – High-quality pants made of sturdy fabric. Overall Rating: E+. (State Preservation · Indestructible)

• Sturdy Shoes – High-quality footwear made of sturdy leather. (State Preservation · Indestructible)

• Sturdy Bag – High-quality bag made of sturdy leather. (State Preservation · Indestructible)

• Small HP Potion – Restores 20 HP. (State Preservation · Indestructible)

• Small MP Potion – Restores 20 MP. (State Preservation · Indestructible)

Everything now had the line State Preservation · Indestructible—a mechanic absent in the original game, where items didn’t have durability. It seemed that the same rule had carried into this world.

The wooden sword in particular stood out. Once considered the weakest weapon in the game with a measly 5 attack power, it now ranked equal in rating to the steel one-handed sword he had used against the Mad Ants. Likely, the "indestructible" durability max and his own increased Strength stat from leveling up had raised its effective weight and thus its evaluation. Since it was labeled C+~, its performance might even improve as his stats continued to rise.

It wasn’t perfectly logical—momentum and physics didn’t translate so simply—but it made the most sense. In practice, its power might not be overwhelming, but the fact it could never break made it immensely practical.

The Ring of Regeneration was also dear to him, a gift from Chris. And with every item carrying "State Preservation · Indestructible," he was grateful that his mementos could be used forever. The potions were already empty, but even their bottles might come in handy someday.

Freed from old doubts, Jin now felt only gratitude for these blessings. He resolved to use them well from now on: the wooden sword as his main weapon, the ring on his finger always, and the clothing and gear especially when it counted most.

"In this fortunate environment, in these circumstances… what will I do? From here on, I’ll have to decide that properly."

Smiling to himself, Jin found himself excited for the changes that awaited him in the days to come.

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