Who Is the World’s Strongest Appraiser? ~Living in Another World With Satisfying Meals~

Gemstones, Ingots, All Lined Up!

“Nope, wrong! Next person, please!”

Seeing the gemstones and ingots laid out before her, Yuuri waved his hand dismissively and declared them wrong. Yakk, who held the two, slumped in disappointment and returned to his place. Between Yuuri and the four apprentices, there were two piles. One was a collection of gemstones, and the other was a collection of processed ingots. The apprentices stared intently at the two piles.

There was also another thing. Inside a small basket, there were numerous pieces of paper. These were cut from Yuuri’s notebook and folded in half, so no one could see what was written inside. Camille, who was next after Yakk, reached out and drew one of the papers. He opened it.

“…Ugh.”

“What’s up, Camille? Is it a tough one?”

“I got a tricky one… Uh, I know the ingot. Gladios steel has more red in it compared to other steels.”

Muttering under his breath, Camille picked up the reddish ingot, Gladios steel, as she declared. The other three nodded, apparently understanding. The problem was the gemstone. Gemstones were already hard to tell apart, and with so many types of steel, it was even more challenging. Even if they looked similar, the place they were mined from changed their characteristics and names.

It was a troublesome matter. Camille wanted to grumble, saying, “Why can’t all steel just be steel?”

For now, she did his best to find a gemstone that seemed right. Almost randomly, Camille chose a gemstone, held it along with the ingot, and showed them to Yuuri. Glancing at them briefly, Yuuri spoke.

“The ingot is correct, but the gemstone is wrong.”

“Argh! I knew it!”

“Everyone, it seems gemstones are still tough. Keep at it!”

“”We will!””

In contrast to the easygoing Yuuri, the four shouted in desperation.

So, what were they doing? It was study time. Treasure hunters need knowledge. To complete their tasks, they must have knowledge of the materials. That’s why they train their minds as much as their bodies.

Jake usually handled these academic lessons. But, as usual, the easygoing scholar handed out a bunch of gemstones, ingots, and encyclopedias, then retreated to his room. Since he’d already covered the basics before, today’s lesson was matching the gemstones and ingots to their names. In other words, memorization.

So, Professor Jake was off in his room, absorbed in his research. Everyone had already given up.

Though he taught well during explanation classes and was excellent at simplifying things, he disappeared when it came to memorization, leaving them with the materials. That’s just Jake.

And so, as they were groaning over their encyclopedias, the ever-familiar Yuuri appeared. In a good mood because he’d gotten some good ingredients today, he checked their progress and suggested a game. This was what they were doing now.

First, they prepared papers with all the names written on them. One set for gemstones and one for ingots. Then, they took turns drawing a paper and showed the corresponding ingot and gemstone to Yuuri. If correct, the items were placed in their respective slots. When all the papers were gone, the one with the most correct answers would win. If correct, they could keep guessing. It was like a memory game.

“So far, everyone’s about even.”

“It’s tough!”

“I’m good with herbs, but stones aren’t my thing…”

“…You don’t die from not knowing stones.”

“”Magg…””

Urgus and Camille bit back at Yuuri’s casual remark. It wasn’t their fault! Yakk’s comment that followed was true enough. Growing up in a rural village, he was familiar with plants but not with gemstones or ingots. He hadn’t lived in a mine.

And when Magg, the quiet boy from the slums, stated the obvious, everyone looked at him with strained expressions. His statements always seemed a bit off, not in what he said, but in the way he sensed things. It was something Urgus and Camille, who grew up in town, couldn’t understand, nor could Yakk, who was from a rural village. And certainly, Yuuri, who grew up in another world, had no clue.

What Magg said was true. Knowing herbs and poisons could be a matter of life or death, but knowing ingots and gemstones wouldn’t kill you. Unless you worked with them, you wouldn’t have any connection to them. It was true, but Urgus sighed, thinking, “It’s the way you say it.”

“…?”

“So, stop connecting everything to life and death.”

“Why?”

“Well, it’s just…”

Magg tilted his head, puzzled, as the four looked at him. His expression made them feel like they were the ones in the wrong.

“Death is equal. Not dying is important.”

That’s true, but something feels off! At that moment, the four shared a single thought. Magg’s words were logical. He was right. Death comes to everyone equally. So, it wasn’t wrong to try to avoid it. But somehow, Magg’s sense of it felt distinctly different from theirs. They also didn’t want to die and would try to avoid it. But with Magg, something was different.

Perhaps it was the way he viewed death. Growing up in the slums, Magg had seen many deaths. He might have even been close to death himself. Even though he was still an apprentice, he had quietly gained job skills. His life was likely filled with more drama than the others’. …But they didn’t want to hear about it.

“Let’s stop this conversation here. We’re just going in circles.”

“Agreed.”

“No objections.”

“Alright, let’s do our best!”

“…?”

“Come on, it’s Magg’s turn. Draw a paper.”

“…Understood.”