Sōzoku Shita Sofu no Ie no Urayama ni Danjon ga Dekimashita

Takatsugi-kun Prepares His Equipment (Part 1)

I brought Kudou with me and stepped into the shop that sold weapons and armor.

The middle-aged shopkeeper greeted us.
“Welcome! You two new around here?”

We replied together,
“Yes, we are. We came to get our weapons and armor!”

I also informed him that my JOB was Axe Wielder.

Then, the shopkeeper recommended me a low-rank axe.

It had a tiny blade—looked more like a hatchet than anything else. Pathetic.

Is this old geezer mocking me?

I’m not here to chop firewood!

Why should someone as exceptional as me be stuck wielding this sorry excuse for a weapon!? What a joke!

The shopkeeper calmly said,
“You’re better off with a weapon that matches your current rank. Once you rank up, you can trade up for better gear.”

Hah! So that’s it—he wants me to keep buying new weapons so he can rake in more cash!

And when I do trade up, he says he’ll take the old ones back on a buyback deal.

Yeah right. He’ll nitpick over every little scratch and offer me peanuts for it.

Trying to scam me, of all people? What a clueless old man.

I stopped listening to him entirely.

Instead, I reached for the best weapon in the shop—the one labeled “C-Rank grade.”

…But I couldn’t even lift it.

Then I tried a D-Rank axe.

I barely managed to raise it, but my legs were shaky, and I nearly lost my balance.

The old man butted in again, uninvited.
“Try tightening your core—focus your strength around your navel as you lift.”

Annoying as it was, I followed his advice, and somehow managed to hoist the axe onto my shoulder.

A small victory.

With the axe now resting on my shoulder, I made my way toward the trial area attached to the shop.

Time to see what this baby could do.

Translator’s Note:

Trial Cutting Corner (試し切りコーナー): Many fantasy shops in Japanese stories include an area where customers can test weapons. This mirrors real-world practice in some martial arts or blade markets.
The narrator’s arrogant and suspicious personality adds comedy here, especially in contrast to the helpful (if blunt) shopkeeper.