<<<---Taren Pov--->>>
"Hmm... Should I buy these or these?"
I asked, holding up some outfits.
The most striking thing about them was that one was white and gold, like a king, and the other was completely black. The first one was a little thicker and heavier than the other, but it had runes that automatically raised or lowered body temperature. The second one was much lighter and still had the essence of the shadow eaters with which it was made, so it hid my presence much more easily.
"...Why am I looking at clothes with you?"
At Hernesto's question, I tilted my head, clearly puzzled.
"We can't wear our usual clothes. The Abyss is an S-rank dungeon. If we don't prepare ourselves, we're dead."
"Yeah, right... You're just enjoying the payment we got for the previous mission."
What he says may be true, but who would judge me? We cleared an undiscovered B-rank dungeon, and the orichalcum slime waste and its magic cores sold like hotcakes.
"You can't enjoy this. Is it because you live with these oddities and comforts?"
I said, in a pitiful tone, with the aim of annoying him. However, my words struck a chord.
"I wasn't the one who wanted to be dragged to this place."
A great murderous intent came out of Hernesto, covering the entire store and scaring the vendors and people.
"Calm down! Haven't I told you? The faster we get stronger, the faster we'll be able to return to Earth."
[Yes, of course.]
Shut up, I'm not talking to you.
"I'll choose the white and gold one. The automatic temperature control will be perfect for the Abyss."
[You knew what you wanted from the beginning, so why did you drag your friend here?"
I wanted to distract him, since today is our birthday and therefore the day we left our world.
[How cute! It almost makes me want to send you back to your world]
Enough talk, I'll pay for this and we'll leave once and for all.
Following my words, I paid for what I wanted and put it on, before picking up my backpack and walking stick and leaving the place with Hernesto.
"Let's go. If we pick up the pace, we can reach our destination by nightfall."
As Hernesto caught up with me, I started to pull ahead and put some distance between us. As I said before, it's our birthday, and as a result, Hernesto is much more irritable than usual. I don't want to get beaten up for no reason, so it's best to keep my distance.
<<>>
The rest of the trip was quiet, with a few surprises here and there. We didn't encounter any high-ranking beasts, but they weren't low-ranking either. Facing B-rank beasts, being of the same rank as them, wasn't that difficult. Of course, it's not good to be overconfident, but considering how much we've improved...
When we realized that the sun was beginning to set, we decided to take out our tent and lie down. We wanted to save money and decided to buy only one, which brought up the new problem of discomfort. On a normal day, I wouldn't be affected by this, but this day was not a 'normal' day.
Contrary to what I thought, Hernesto decided to break the ice.
"...Now that I think about it, how did you convince your mother to give you permission to leave home?"
"... What kind of father wants his teenage son at home?"
"The kind who suffered a lot to get pregnant?"
Hmm... That's true. Still, I never said they gave me permission.
"I ran away, with my father's permission."
I said, scratching my head with slight annoyance. It was quite a problem to run away from home, now that I think about it.
"Your mother must be furious."
"I don't doubt it."
I replied to Hernesto, before thinking about her.
After so many years of enduring passive-aggressive comments and victimization, I gathered my courage and asked my aunt Serenna. Just as I thought, my mother had several problems in the past.
According to what she told me, she was a lady of the pavilion for a long time, specifically one of the highest rank. Her parents sold her for money, and she worked as such from a young age, so she was very close to the owner of the place, who was the leader of several pavilions. Until one day she caught my father's attention, and he was completely smitten with her.
My aunt said that he had to go through several physical fights to take my mother away and cut all ties with these influences. At that time, he was at the peak of his S rank, so he ended up destroying several buildings and valuable people.
These whims of my father's led my mother to see him as her hero. At first, she was more of a woman in love, but over time she began to see her situation as a twisted debt. Her love became an obligation, and this obligation affected her mentally. However, knowing that my father's greatest desire was to have a child, she devoted herself body and soul to fulfilling this wish.
But after so many years of abuse, her body was unable to bear children. She had several miscarriages over an eight-year period, along with other complications. After so long, I was finally born, so she was always attentive to my care and health.
Unfortunately, that child who was born was a reincarnation who, added to his father's influence, ended up becoming a complete adventurer.
"Anyway, my father will calm her down somehow, don't worry about it,"
I said, waving my hand to downplay the matter.
"You know, I'm curious. Did your parents just let you leave like that? I thought you would have more trouble leaving home."
As you would expect from a member of a wealthy family, they showered him with valuable and very expensive artifacts. An example of this was the piece of steel he kept in a sheath. It was nothing more than a high-value weapon financed by his family. Its complete form was a kind of spear with an altered blade. Instead of being pointed, it had a sharp blade with an upward curve.
When I saw it for the first time, I thought about reproaching him for choosing such a strange weapon, but I was struck by his vast knowledge of RPG games. In our previous world, he always wasted his time on these games, and that was his favorite weapon. According to what he said, I think its exact name was Guandao.
At first, I found Hernesto's quick change of weapon strange, especially knowing that he was very talented with the sword. But my doubts vanished after seeing him train and look so connected to his weapon.
"Even though I'm the one from the rich family, your gift isn't that far from this quality, am I wrong?"
He asked with a provocative smile, pointing at my staff.
Yes, since my father was someone of high rank in a gramio, I also had some high-quality things. However, it was limited to a magic staff, so I am not at Hernesto's level.
My staff was made from the bone of a large taotie with a hole at the top where the core of an S-rank Chimera floated.
"...It's normal considering my father's status."
I said, putting my staff behind me with some embarrassment.
"Even so, doesn't an S+ rank weapon weigh you down?"
I asked, looking at Hernesto's weapon.
Although my staff is impressive, Hernesto's weapon is not far behind. Its handle is made of Primordial Tree wood and the blade is made of an alloy of Spiritual Mantis legs and titanium.
"I don't understand how my grandfather got it either. Considering that mantis attacks cut through the soul and that a single one can wipe out several villages, I don't know who was crazy enough to complete this task."
"Rich family connections,"
I said, laughing at the absurdity of the situation.