Altaïr's expression didn't change in the face of the Shopkeeper's suggestion.
Although, he thought the same thing inwardly.
"Thank you for the advice, but I promised my teacher that I wouldn't use any other type of weapon in actual combat until she gave me her approval. I can't go back on my word."
"So that's how it is." The Shopkeeper nodded.
Since it wasn't that he hadn't noticed, but rather that his teacher had made specific arrangements, there was no need for her to say any more.
She stood up from behind the counter and carried the sword and shield into the workshop's inner room.
Although it was just a basic Ore Series Sword and Shield, and normally wouldn't require her, the shopkeeper, to handle it, a rookie hunter who could get a weapon into such a sorry state was truly a rare sight. To be safe, she decided to handle it personally.
She placed the nicked iron sword into the furnace, heated it until it was dark red, then took it out and began hammering it on an anvil.
Altaïr stood outside, craning his neck to watch.
Beside him, Resha said with a grin, "What do you think? Pretty good, right? Don't be fooled by how young the Shopkeeper looks. Her craftsmanship is excellent. She can forge 4★–5★ Equipment, let alone repair a novice-level weapon like this!"
Altaïr nodded in agreement.
Repairing a novice weapon didn't reveal much about her technical skill, but the fact that she was willing to go to the trouble of re-tempering it at least proved she was a very responsible smith.
If he had gone to another workshop, they likely would have just cold-forged it a few times, polished it, and called it a day.
There was nothing wrong with doing that, as the Hunter's Dagger was a pure metal weapon forged from Iron Ore and was quite tough and durable.
However, re-tempering and re-forging it would naturally ensure the blade's integrity to the greatest extent, restoring the weapon's strength to its maximum potential.
Sitting on a bench outside the workshop, Altaïr chatted idly with Resha while he waited patiently.
Of course, it was mostly Resha who did the talking, while he only chimed in with a few words now and then.
A little over an hour later, the repair and maintenance of his equipment were complete.
After putting his polished, gleaming armor back on and accepting the weapon, which was still warm from the forge, Altaïr bowed and thanked her earnestly, then handed over a repair fee that seemed a bit too cheap in his opinion.
As the Shopkeeper called out, "Come again next time," the two of them and the cat walked out of the workshop.
Resha looked Altaïr up and down, nodding in satisfaction. His armor was clean and shiny, but not brand new. The marks of repair and use were actually more reassuring.
"The boss will like you!"
"Mm," Altaïr nodded, though he really wanted to say, Why does it sound like I've already agreed to join the Loc Lac Rangers?
In the end, however, he was too embarrassed to say it out loud and could only hope that the 'Boss Joda' she spoke of was an easy person to talk to.
The two of them and the cat continued to walk through the increasingly bustling streets of Loc Lac.
According to Resha, the Loc Lac Rangers didn't have a fixed office, only a members' dormitory that apparently consisted of bunk beds.
At first, Altaïr thought Resha was taking him to the dormitory, but they were actually heading to the district Joda was responsible for patrolling to find him directly.
The fact that he was a leader yet still personally participated in patrols made Altaïr's impression of the 'Boss Joda' Resha spoke of improve a little more.
"We're almost there. Go through this street, turn right, and after a few more minutes, we'll be in the street Boss Joda is in charge of," Resha explained, seemingly worried that Altaïr was getting impatient.
"Mm," Altaïr grunted in response. He really wanted to emphasize again that he was also a local and knew the roads just as well.
But in the end, he was still too embarrassed to say it out loud.
Tweet– Tweet–
Just then, a sharp, urgent whistle sounded in his ears.
Resha, who had been laughing and joking just a second before, had her expression change instantly. Altaïr also knew exactly what such a whistle meant.
An emergency.
The Loc Lac Rangers had a limited number of members, making it impossible to have people watching every district and every alley at all times. Therefore, citizens were encouraged to carry whistles with them.
When danger occurred, they would blow the whistle, and any nearby Rangers would rush over as quickly as possible.
Due to the Loc Lac Rangers' formidable reputation, bandits rarely dared to cause trouble in the city. So-called emergencies were most often Monster invasions, as Loc Lac had no city walls in the practical sense.
As for what kind of Monster...
If it were the city's outskirts, it could be a Genprey or a Cephalos. But this was already the inner circle of the city, which basically meant the threat could only come from the sky.
The winding streets and ubiquitous cloth canopies severely obstructed his vision. Altaïr used his hands and feet to scramble up the side of a building onto its roof in a few quick movements.
Looking up in the direction the whistle came from, he saw it. Sure enough, in an area no more than one or two hundred meters away in a straight line, a Remobra was circling at a low altitude, occasionally diving down as if attacking something.
It was a small Monster with a wingspan of only about three meters. Its limbs were slender and it wasn't very strong. As long as they weren't in a flock, they posed little threat to a hunter. The only thing to worry about was their venomous fangs.
"Left at the end of this street! Remobra!" Altaïr shouted down to the street below. He didn't jump back down, instead breaking into a run across the rooftops.
Rainfall was rare in the desert, but sandstorms were frequent, so most of the houses were low and compact with flat roofs, making them easy to run on.
Even when he encountered an alley separating the houses, a forceful leap was enough to easily cross it. Without all the people and stalls on the streets, it was actually much faster to run up here than on the ground.
Normally, getting caught doing this by the Loc Lac Rangers would earn you a scolding and a fine, but this was an emergency. There was no time to worry about that.
Left behind on the street, Resha stomped her foot. She didn't have Altaïr's skills, able to leap onto a roof without a ladder. Sajji, however, agilely chased after him.
Fortunately, Altaïr had left information on the incident's location before he left. Resha could only shout for the panicking citizens on the street to hide indoors while she tried to squeeze through the crowd and hurry toward the site of the Remobra attack.
Running and leaping across the rooftops, he reached the area of the incident in less than a minute.
The situation on the scene brought him a slight sense of relief. The Remobra's target wasn't a human; after all, Remobras were small with delicate bones, making it nearly impossible for one to carry off an adult human.
Its targets were a few goats tied up at a livestock merchant's stall.
Most of the citizens had already hidden in their houses or retreated to a safe distance.
But the surprisingly brave merchant refused to leave, waving a carrying pole to try and drive away the Remobra, ignoring the bleeding wounds on his body.
Altaïr didn't know whether to praise him with, "As expected of a man of the desert!" or curse him with, "Risking your life for a few sheep?"
In any case, he had to deal with this Remobra first!
The Remobra flapped its wings, rising a dozen meters into the air, preparing to dive down and attack once more.
Altaïr shouted to Sajji, who had also followed him across the rooftops, "Go protect that merchant!"
"Got it, meow!"
At the same time, Altaïr took a few steps back, his eyes fixed on the Remobra in the air as it prepared to dive.
Now!
The moment the Remobra was halfway through its dive, Altaïr swung his arms, activated Demon Mode, and sprinted at full speed before leaping from the edge of the roof, colliding with the diving Remobra in mid-air.
The shield and short sword slashed continuously at the Remobra's slender neck and wing roots. The creature instantly lost its balance and tumbled to the ground with him.
Aside from its ability to fly, the Remobra was slightly inferior to a Genprey in both strength and the toughness of its hide.
The Remobra shrieked as it hit the ground, flapping its wings in a panic.
Before it could get back on its feet, Altaïr lunged forward and smashed his shield into its head, which was no different from a venomous snake's, snapping it backward.
He then reversed his grip on the short sword, pressed it against the Remobra's slender neck, and pulled with all his might.
Blood spurted out as the wyvern, its throat slit, went limp on the ground.
"Nice one, kid!" A burly man wearing a conical straw hat and a Loc Lac Rangers set, who had been running over from a distance, saw that the danger had passed and slowed his pace.
"A Midair Spinning Blade Dance, you use your Dual Blades pretty... wait, why is that a Sword and Shield?!"