Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 56

‘...Well, I can at least chat with a pretty girl.’

Since he needed repairs soon anyway, Luan approached the stall as if entranced.

To his surprise, a rather untrustworthy-looking fat man sat there.

‘...What? Just some no-name kid.’

Of course.

If they hired a beauty for attracting customers, it was unlikely they would have someone impressive.

Still, since it was just a weapon repair, Luan decided to hand over his weapon for a change of pace.

Luan was a C-rank adventurer, quite common in D'Amon.

Thus, his sword wasn't a legendary blade, but the one he recently acquired had decent magical enhancements and was relatively expensive.

Handing over such a valuable item to a kid felt uncomfortable, so he decided to give his backup weapon, a dagger, instead.

He figured he’d judge the repair based on that.

“Okay, please wait a few minutes.”

The man, receiving the dagger, took out a hammer with a practiced air, prompting Luan to raise an eyebrow.

“Just a few minutes? Is that all it takes?”

“Yes, it doesn’t look like there’s anything majorly wrong with it.”

‘So he’s just a careless one.’

Even as a C-rank adventurer, Luan had been in the field for about five years.

During that time, he had entrusted weapons to various smiths, but he had never met one who was both fast and meticulous.

Usually, they were just average smiths who casually handled swords while eyeing small change.

‘Of course.’

Luan glanced at the women attracting customers.

There was a menacing-looking man and a refined-looking man also attempting to lure in customers; it seemed they were targeting female adventurers.

Still, the other three women were undeniably beautiful.

‘Well, this is a feast for the eyes.’

It was just a casual conversation about getting a repair, but for Luan, who lived among rugged adventurers while facing monsters, it was enough to brighten his mood.

Even if the repair results turned out average, he thought it was worth the money.

And soon enough...

“Alright, it’s done.”

The man, hammering away, handed Luan back the repaired dagger.

“Ah, thanks...”

Just as Luan was about to casually take the dagger, he froze in shock.

“Wait a second! Is this the dagger I gave you?”

“Yes? That’s right… Is something wrong?”

“Not wrong, it’s completely brand new!”

The rough dagger, which had been covered in monster fluid and dirt, and whose blade had been chipped in several places, was now gleaming with a perfectly sharp edge.

There were definitely scratches on the blade when he had handed it over, yet there was nothing of the sort to be found now.

It felt sharper and shinier than he remembered when he first bought it.

In just a few minutes.

He had never seen anyone in D'Amon produce such quality at that speed.

“C-can you also take this one?”

“Of course. Ah, just so you know, repairs on magically enhanced weapons are a bit pricier. Is that okay?”

“I—I don’t care! Just do a good job!”

This was a longsword with magical enhancements that he had bought with the money he had saved by eating less lately.

During a recent battle, the runic designs had gotten scratched, diminishing the weapon's magical power.

He had been drowning his sorrows in drink over it for a while.

The blacksmith he would need for a repair was too expensive, leaving Luan with no choice but to use the damaged sword.

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However, Ken's quoted price was still cheaper than those blacksmiths.

More than that, considering the condition of the dagger.

Luan swallowed hard with anticipation.

And as Ken promised, a few minutes later...

“Whoa, this is no joke.”

Luan’s eyes widened as he held the repaired weapon.

The runic designs were perfectly restored.

After swinging it once to test the weapon's performance, he found the output to be stronger than before.

He had no idea what he had just witnessed; it felt less like a repair and more like an enhancement.

“I’m glad you like it! If it’s alright, please recommend us to your fellow adventurers.”

“Ah, thank you! I’ll be back to buy more weapons next time!”

As the satisfied first customer left, Ken waved goodbye while deep in thought.

‘The magic conversion skill is indeed convenient.’

Under normal circumstances, a repair like that wouldn’t be possible without sufficient materials.

However, Ken used his magic to surround the dull edges, generating the same material to fill the gaps.

For the magically enhanced weapon, he had also reinforced the embedded magic stone.

What would have been a physically difficult repair was made possible through the magic conversion skill.

“How was it? Was the customer satisfied?”

At that moment, Emily, who had brought in the first customer, approached with eager eyes.

“He seemed quite happy. I’m not sure how many more customers we’ll get, though.”

“Of course! I knew you could do it, Ken!”

Emily beamed at his satisfactory response.

After that, contrary to Ken's expectations, word of mouth began to spread, starting with the first customer, Luan.

“Did you hear? They do full repairs on weapons!”

“Yeah! They didn’t just repair it; they made it feel like a brand new weapon!”

“I heard the prices are cheap too!”

“And the girls attracting customers are pretty.”

“Hey, be careful around those girls. I heard someone tried to hit on them but got beaten up instead.”

“Beaten up? By an adventurer?”

“Yeah. He knocked out Branky the Iron Fist with his fist.”

“B-Branky is an A-rank adventurer!”

Thus, Ken’s stall began to spread rapidly among the sensitive adventurers.

Before long, it was bustling with many people.

“Hey! Hold on! Form a line! No cutting!”

“Eek! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! Don’t hit me!”

“Don’t touch me. I’ll cut your wrist.”

“I was just going to tap your shoulder... Eek! I’m so sorry!”

“Raphne! Don’t beat the customers!”

The effect of attracting customers wasn’t just from the girls; Ziegfried and Adrian also contributed significantly.

“Do you need a weapon, perhaps?”

“Y-Yeah? A weapon?”

“Yeah, how about a mace for a beautiful girl like you?”

“B-but I’m a magician.”

“It seems like it would suit you well.”

“Ooh! I’ll buy it!”

Adrian, with his noble-like charm and a deadly smile, enticed the female adventurers, who queued up to buy weapons.

And as for Ziegfried...

“Hey! Let’s have another round! One day, I’ll beat you!”

“Ziegfried! Please teach me how to wield a sword!”

Adventurers who had previously battled and lost to him flocked to him, seeking advice.

Ziegfried drew the black sword at his waist and said, “I’m strong mainly because of this sword.”

“Oooh.”

“The glimmering black! Where on earth did you get such a magic sword?”

“It was made by Ken Feinstein over there. His repair skills are excellent too.”

“I’ll sacrifice my money! Take my wallet!”

“Me too! Please give me a sword just like Ziegfried’s!”

Thus, Ken’s stall was bustling with people, and among them was one who was having the toughest time.

Ken Feinstein, with his face turning pale, was hammering away.

‘W-when will these requests end?’

For several days now, countless adventurers had flocked to him, asking for weapons to be made or equipment to be repaired.

While making money was nice, all these tasks fell on Ken’s shoulders, and he felt like he needed ten more hands to keep up.

Among the repair requests were high-priced, complex magically-enhanced weapons.

Thanks to that, his crafting skill proficiency had risen significantly.

After repeating what felt like endless repairs and crafting, at one moment...

[ System: Repeatedly attempting high-level weapon repairs and crafting quickly has resulted in skill manifestation. ]

[ System: You have acquired the Quick Crafting skill. ]

‘Q-Quick Crafting?’

Although it wasn’t a repair skill, it sounded like it would enhance his crafting speed.

With time pressing down on him, Ken immediately checked the skill’s abilities.

[ Quick Crafting: Skill – A skill obtainable by those with magic conversion.

You can instantly create weapons within the category by consuming magic. ]

‘It’s a lifesaver!!’

Seeing the skill description, Ken cheered.

Regardless of how excellent the ability was, in the current situation where orders were piling up, having a skill that allowed for instant creation was like a lifeline in a desert oasis.

‘Quick Crafting!’

Without hesitation, Ken activated the Quick Crafting skill and began creating weapons.

Soon, a massive amount of magic was consumed from his body as he started producing the desired items from the stored categories.

“Look at that!”

“He’s not even hammering anymore?”

“It’s magic! At this point, he’s a magical craftsman!”

Thanks to the skill, Ken began to clear the backlog of crafting requests in an instant.