Slave Harem in the Labyrinth of the Other World (LN)

Volume 4 - Ch 2.04

Yeah, I can use it. Oh, actually, I am capable of using several different types of magic.

Well, uh. . .

This is something that would like other people not to know about, so once again, I want you to keep this information to yourself, okay?

When I forbade her from teling about this to anyone, Sherrys face looked like she was extremely disappointed, but she did not oppose that rule, probably because she knew that this was the best possible way to not get too much unwanted attention to our names.

Yes master, I understand.. s-so, it really has to be because of you being able to use multiple Jobs, right?

That is right.

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The moment of awkward silence just kept going without any of us saying a word. Could it be that. . . that Sherry is waiting for me to give her an actual, logical explanation of why am I capable of using multiple Jobs?

Let just say that I am simply somehow able to do it and leave it at that, okay?

Yes, let us just say that master is simply somehow able to do it and leave it at that.

Oh, ah. . . okay?

Now that I bought Sherry, my second slave, we will finally be able to challenge the Labyrinths eighth floors. But as for if there will ever come the day where I will talk to Sherry and Roxanne about my powers and why they need to stay a secret, I guess that remains to be seen.

Now then, going back to the topic of weapons for a bit, we will go through with the following plan: I will go shopping for weapons and equipment for you and buy you a hammer so that you could test it out on the weaker monsters in the Labyrinth and get you accustomed to fighting with it, okay?

I am putting it like that to her, but there is actually another reason why I would like her to try using a hammer in combat. Defeating a monster with a sword was a condition for aquiring the Swordmaster Job, and defeating a monster with bare hands was a condition needed for the acquisition of the Monk Job, so maybe, just maybe defeating a monster with a hammer is one of the conditions required for the Dwarves to obtain the Master Smith Job? After all, blacksmiths work with hammers all the time, so maybe that really is the case here?

Okay, I see no problems with giving it a try.

Well, it is settled then.Oh and by the way, Sherry.

There is this other thing that I wanted to ask her about.

Yes?

Sherry inquired with a slight cock of her head.

I wonder why she said that she would be fine with using a mallet and a hammer when she said she has never defeated a monster with those weapons. Does that mean that she killed other things with them? Things like. . . no, stop it, Michio. I am sure that it was just her using a figure of speech without any deeper or hidden meanings to it. It is cool, it is fine. Everything is fine.

You said that you are good with spears and that you would not mind fighting with a hammer, so that got me wondering: is there any specific reason for such a choice of your weaponry? Do all Dwarves fight mainly with spears and hammers, or is that purely the matter of your personal preference?

It is mainly my own preference, but actually, many of the Dwarves use them as their preferred weapons of choice as well. While we Dwaves are not as tall as other races, we are generally physically stronger than Humans or Elves, so many of us tend to gravitate towards heavier weaponry in order to make the best possible use of that racial perk of ours. For the record, I have also used other kinds of weapons besides spears and hammers, but those two I found to be the most compatible with me.

The fact that she also knows how to handle other kinds of weapons is really reassuring, although if I want to have her reach Master Smith Job as soon as possible, we will not need her using other kinds of weapons. Mallets and hammers are literally all we need Sherry to use right now.

Have you ever used a hammer before, Roxanne?

I asked Roxanne out of curiosity as well, because throughout the time we have spent together, I have never seen her using anything other than the Wooden Shield and Scimitar I provided her with, and she never talked about using other kinds of weapons.

I did not, because it is too heavy and clunky to use and it would only diminish my speed and the ability to dodge.

Ahh, that is right. Every kind of weapon has the pros and cons of using it, and in case of hammers, it is how big and slow to use they are. Roxanne is all about her godly evasive abilities, so if she were to use such a heavy weapon, then her evasion, which is one of her strongest points, would have been severely crippled. So I guess she really can perform her godly dodges only with a one-handed weapon like a short or longsword, but then again, the weapon that she is currently using, a Scimitar is not exactly a light weapon, and she can dodge with it just fine.

Can you tell me what is the difference between a hammer and a mallet? I mean, I know that hammers are big and especially heavy, but what about mallets specifically? Do you have to hold them with both hands?

You do not necessarily have to do it with both hands. Mallets are designed in such a way that you can hold them with either one or two hands and I have seen people holding it in one hand along with a shield for protection, but personally I prefer holding it with two hands since it allows for more powerful blows.

So Sherry does not need a shield because she prefers the more offensive approach, huh? Good to know and duly noted.

Unfortunately, we do not have any extra equipment to spare at the moment and your purchase took a bite out of a big portion of our funds, so you will have to content yourself with cheaper ones for he time being, before we will be able to buy you something better. Is that okay with you?

Yes, of course it is okay, master. If that is what you have decided, then I have no reasons to be questioning your decisions.

Great, thank you for trusting me with this one. By the way, do you now about Empty Skill Slots and the equipment that may or may not have it?

Empty Skill Slots. . . . . . . .? Ah, you mean Skill Slots in general? Well of course I know about them.

Really? That is so good to hear!

Could it be? Have I finally found someone who can explain to me what the deal with them is, exactly?!

Right. . . . . . . .So, you also know about them, master?

Well, yeah. The main reason why I wanted to buy myself a Dwarven slave was so that we could have our very own Master Smith, because during our last trip to the Labyrinth we managed to obtain a Skill Crystal and we were looking for someone who could imbue our equipment with it.

I see, that makes sense. If you did not know about them, then you would not have asked for a Dwarf with Master Smith Job specifically. . .

Precisely. So, how did you learn about them, if I may ask? Is it something that all Dwarves know, or is it the kind of knowledge that you had to obtain on your own?