[NR] So Powerful, Yet So Poor - Chapter 476 (Patreon)

Over the next three days, Jason takes his time going from store to store. Whether it is a Smith or a shop that sells random leather goods. Though as the days roll on, the task of finding a helmet that fits his requirements begins to feel more and more impossible.

Not only is he looking for something most see as a mistake, he is asking for it as a cheap price. So of course the metal workers in town aren't going to save something like that for him. In fact, Jason even learns a bit more about how crafting works.

Though this is mostly to the detriment of his goal. You see, as long as a piece is going to be large enough a part of the final product. Say, like the metal part of a helmet or the main plate of some chest armor. The creator of said piece will be able to identify what sort of effects the piece will be adding to the final product.

This isn't as specific as the System telling them the final product will have +32 Strength or anything. But they will be able to tell the basics. So Jason is even less likely to find a metal helmet.

Before learning that, Jason had figured that after attaching all the leather and padding that would be needed for a helmet, a Smith might be reluctant to tear it all out. No dice though, they're melting it down even before a single bit of non-metallic material touches it.

Even the leather shops turn out to have ways to reuse badly made main bits of a helmet. Though there is more leeway on what they consider a bad bit of gear compared to what a smith does. At least, on smaller pieces like a helmet.

Big straight pieces of material like what you have with pants? Fat chance of finding any rejects for them. Those pieces of leather are easily reused for straps and such.

On the fourth day, Jason refines his methods. The main permanent shops have all been given a once over and the temporary stalls are now his target. Now, he didn't really want to deal with them.

After all, temp stalls are about three quarters other players in this town. Not that Jason has a problem dealing with his fellow players. After all, a couple of the smaller shops in the town were player runs as well.

The difference between a normal shop and a player-run stall, is the fact that they can have anything in a bad way. Cursed gear, stolen items, and so much more. The seller might not even know any of this.

After all, at the most basic level, all it takes to run a stall is set down a blanket and lay your items out. So if a player thinks the shops aren't giving them a good price for something they go adventuring? Throw it on a blanket.

Did the adventurer get a piece of gear at a deep discount, but never end up using it? Throw it on a blanket! Did they literally just rob a person right outside the town? Throw it all on a blanket.

Not to say every player stall is that bad. Some have even been in town long enough to have gotten proper wooden stalls to sell from. That is why only 90% of them are strange.

It also doesn't help that the stalls are like sand on a beach, constantly shifting and changing. Even wooden stalls can be moved. Still, this kind of chaos is exactly the sort of place Jason could find what he wants.

After all, the benefit of getting a snapshot of what an item will be like is a skill and doesn't work if a material is too good for the skill level. Not a problem in a shop as there will be someone with the skill in the shop who is generally capable of using it on all the common materials. For a one man operation, especially one near a dungeon with a high rate of random variants?

The chance of a crafter getting their hands on something a little more exciting than just normal cow hide is a lot higher. A difference readily evident by the strange variety of non-metal plate leather gear. With those chitinous plates being every color in the rainbow and some impressive combinations as well.

After all, in the party's last couple of delves, they had gotten at least a couple pieces of tardigroid material that would work for armor crafting. Now just extrapolate that to all the groups that delve into the dungeon everyday, especially since the dungeon is fully instanced.

In the end though, Jason doesn't find anything he wants. Not to say there aren't some good pieces. Helmets that soften blows to the head, that curve projectiles away, and even some with powerful once a day abilities.

The problem is a simple one. All those powerful effects are accompanied by powerful stat boosts and Jason can't afford them. To Jason is it more than a little disheartening to be so powerful and yet also so poor.

Sure, with over a thousand gold, a normal family could live for years. In fact, many do, both local and player. There are people stuck at bottlenecks not because they couldn't in theory beat the challenge. Rather, they cashed out.

Getting to level 24, 49, or whatever was enough for them to gain some security in the game and enough money to live. So they'll settle down, start a family and live a good life. Jason can't even fault them for it.

To be an adventurer and truly aim for the top, takes a special person. That or a ton of support. Jason being the first type and most of the ultra-rich families falling into the second. Though Rosha is trying to go her own way, something Jason can appreciate, especially since she isn't afraid to also pull on her connection on occasion.

Too many people seem to think that to go your own way means tossing away your past. You can, and there are more than enough situations where you should. However, for someone like Rosha who is still on good terms with at least half her family, not accepting their help on occasion would be silly. Not like they currently have the capability to escape the dad's surveillance anyway.