Chapter 117: Welcome To… (9)
sfvaMountain after mountain.6rZfpo
NnHs8That was the best way to describe how I felt at that moment.5wRHyz
tq2hAfter all the effort I put into extracting mithril, all I got in return was being told that not even dwarves could melt it.heSzx96
jdEND2The moment I heard that, a deep sense of emptiness hit me, but I barely managed to pull myself together.3qGR0u
ZCXeI don’t know what kind of structure this damned mithril has, but it seems I need an explanation.Q6LXNW
ipMumd[WildGrills: Explain it to me a little more. Is it really just because it has a lot of mana?]2qhAvFn
VbecUy[DwarfPassingBy: Yes. It’s difficult to melt, and even if you do melt it, a normal furnace can’t withstand it.]5GGZ8
hLlZG[WildGrills: And why? I need to understand it before I can accept it. It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just that this is the situation.]w5KVaOm
bQEQN[DwarfPassingBy: I understand what you’re saying. Normal metals….]onP
KrskI carefully read the dwarf’s explanation.sZx
7h2According to him, most metals remain buried underground and naturally absorb mana from the earth.CnGvZ
IxohqThe amount of mana in normal ground isn’t that high, so there’s no problem putting those metals into a furnace.N16
Z0bIf9lBut the deeper you dig underground, or in places like the Forest of Four Seasons where the mana in the earth is abnormally abundant, the situation changes.HEuX
6C9QThe minerals extracted from those places usually contain extremely high concentrations of mana, making special furnaces necessary.CMF0rJ
tNdorIxHe explained that using a normal furnace instead of a special one would create a risk of explosion.ZqFsGXH
5iv9B[DwarfPassingBy: Anything becomes a bomb if you forcefully compress it into a confined space and then it explodes. And mithril would obviously go flying too.]EQ6
T9mclL7[WildGrills: And what the hell are those special furnaces made of?]yZbKxt
ca7K19t[DwarfPassingBy: They’re just furnaces that consume absurd amounts of mana.]dt7
6W6[WildGrills: Can’t a person own one personally?]DDFnFiX
Cf4vh1t[DwarfPassingBy: The furnace is bigger than an entire mansion, human!;; Besides, since they’re not used that often, governments are the ones that manage them.]KKLo
Umd[WildGrills: What kind of inefficiency is that?]5XNl
OZBLlfc[DwarfPassingBy: Do you think our dwarven technology is a joke? Do you even know how advanced it is?]n7sZ
8Jxm[WildGrills: Sorry.]IgQ
qGVThere was nothing I could do.YlU9uxu
TGvAll I could do was sigh.hksZRy9
wHleBuilding a normal furnace was already insane, and now they were talking about a special furnace.2fvrveg
BsJOn top of that, he had said it was much bigger than a mansion.LetF
UDk4Building one was completely out of the question.7JTqe
3PwwedZAt this rate, the mithril I worked so hard to extract would end up useless.zoBp0V
SV33WmuI needed to find a solution, but no suitable method came to mind.TLcN
pQir[DwarfPassingBy: Then try making it yourself. Since you’re in the Forest of Four Seasons, it’ll be practically the same as working normal metal for you.]h5jByPF
hfHv4[WildGrills: Didn’t you just say it could only be done with a special furnace?]u86KLJs
z2Bl[DwarfPassingBy: That place is overflowing with mana from the start. That’s why I’m telling you to try.]DDUBTqi
WNDJK[WildGrills: I don’t know how to make furnaces.]ammFk2N
qMbr[DwarfPassingBy: It’s a solid block of mithril. Just heat it in a forge and hammer it. If you want to use molds, then yes, you’ll have to build a furnace and melt it.]fezOAL
krY[WildGrills: That doesn’t make any sense. Didn’t you say earlier that I needed a special furnace?]thdZGY
kzAB4C[DwarfPassingBy: Is your head really made out of an anvil?;; It explodes when its form changes because the mana bursts outward. I realized it when I was about to melt it because I was in a hurry to make it. If I’d taken longer or kept hammering it, I’d be in the hospital right now.]3NypO2
7nw[WildGrills: Ah. Now I understand.]iN9A3Bj
avdCdzI[DwarfPassingBy: How sad, seriously. I just wanted to get it to you quickly because I felt sorry for you. And you don’t even understand other people’s feelings….]F7jLP
jKJaN[WildGrills: Sorry;; Is there anything you want?]zPBP
AfFCdzv[DwarfPassingBy: Give me a crab shell and that’ll do. Haha.]FCi
4mn[WildGrills: Damn it…;; Alright.]gUOfsqy
K7IiG9uAfter all, he had taught me something extremely useful.Frr3G
hzveGiving him a crab in return was the least I could do.Vyxp6E
HCLwwKI finished the conversation with the dwarf and notified the registered users to whom I had given mithril.Oe4i0iB
OSo7yIt was essential to do so, if only to prevent accidents.y0p
JuD[HeavenlyDemon: You mean the true metal? I still have it with me.]nlN8OpR
M3vv7k[WildGrills: Thank goodness. They say it could explode while making equipment from it. Could you return it to me?]qTQq
P4X3rY[HeavenlyDemon: Could it be because the amount of qi contained within the true metal is too great?]YgQiH0
gtp4f[WildGrills: Huh? How did you know?]eex
iXbk[HeavenlyDemon: It is a simple matter. Had I followed my desires, I would have already absorbed it, but I thought it would lose its essence, so I waited.]YWjMv6
128oJ[WildGrills: If you return it to me, I’ll forge a sword for you myself.]vLd
cmMzEK[HeavenlyDemon: May I expect anything from it?]0gNS0
qP694FF[WildGrills: Mmm… no? It could take quite a while.]zaU
mejmEq4[HeavenlyDemon: I like your honesty. I will not have expectations, but I shall wait. After all, any weapon suits me.]9rTY
GNM[WildGrills: Thank you.]KoUT
8llI recovered the mithril I had given to HeavenlyDemon.0Qx8
e83[SunForEver: Then it can’t be worked even through carving?]2Gy3f7
JTil[WildGrills: I’ll ask. He says carving is fine.]lLv39Vq
RmHf8g[SunForEver: Then I’ll keep it. I want to use it to make a ring.]F7vp
YQy[WildGrills: Even so, please be careful.]WI8qJ
efVtQnSunForEver decided to keep it.yzQv
rQzWhen I asked the dwarf, he explained that the risk of explosion appears when the material changes state.2ds
UicdCabOn the other hand, carving or sculpting it while keeping it in its original state presents no problem.g5qO
HpU‘Makes sense. Otherwise, it would be like carrying a bomb around.’qeUtC0O
TGsOEven if heat is applied and its shape changes slightly, there is no problem.RovFSW
dTewWhy?DkL
2I9IBecause if the metal reaches a temperature high enough to deform, a person would have died long before that point.jGi
s4nHI continued gathering information and then closed the gallery.wfBGWO
ilxGrk2‘Thank goodness I don’t have to do everything myself.’Ce2
ZrzD4According to the dwarf, he could handle sharpening the edge for me.x9hkhe
FxUeP1DAll I had to do was flatten the mithril.paOV4b8
QAf7b4And if that didn’t work, I could simply obtain a mold and pour molten mithril into it.XkO9
nUkGzUJ‘Although the problem is that I’d have to build a furnace.’O8r3G
pEILQ4MBesides, it’s not as though a mold can withstand the temperature of molten metal forever.B8FfT3
IrOrIn the worst case, the furnace that took so much effort to build could end up melting.CSgyEfe
fJcEvery option had very clear advantages and disadvantages, so it was inevitable to keep thinking about it.uyt
1yBpgoP‘First, I’m going to eat.’6YmNa
SKxpaiNo matter what happens, food is still important.lTNm
C1SI’ll worry about the mithril tomorrow.CpMCp
FB1HyPAWhen I went up to the river, I found two fish caught in the traps.FYI
ViK26Not bad.W8b
1kEAs always, I was about to start cleaning them when something occurred to me.ewFt
nm1Zv2‘What if I try cutting them with mithril?’pRDTT
5vbThe mithril fragments that had broken off during mining.WVI
IUZCPAmong them were a few that were quite sharp.u2Aa
RddiHow well does mithril actually cut?OmFYaS8
7Q8ZQWith that expectation in mind, I opened the fish’s belly.gVRj
NvKSwoosh—epyC9
mUShThe sensation was similar to a dagger.15ED
qkHDvKExactly that.ppfl00
ige2vZgEven though I hadn’t sharpened it yet, I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.Ulw
kx9H0e‘Will it be different if I use aura?’Eqd8G
oizSo I tried using aura.kHB8M
BhZXzAnd to my surprise.sEZrb
977T4CEven with a small amount of mana, the aura burned like a flame.tapIGt
jVs8I thought perhaps I had simply become stronger, so I infused aura into a normal dagger.8sgl1
sx6tbBut the difference was obvious.taFev
qyBRJTo verify it, I also tested other tools.bBL
lbqThe results were similar.6v4frk
ZoPkapqThey required far more mana than mithril to achieve the same performance through aura.mzLQ
odXK‘So that’s what it was.’JT8B
P4c3jvOThe energy efficiency was incredible.Z5k
ZpiThat alone was enough to explain it.cMr61
iLJdThat was probably what the dwarf meant when he said its performance would be excellent.FUbH3p
SdT3njAnd because it was mithril and not orichalcum, I could be certain.SFcP
pgQQQ8‘It’ll be a huge help in long battles.’JtM4j
elULrWith the exception of the Orichalcum Guardian, I had never run out of mana.Tfq
D506EzBut the reality is that mana—or rather, aura—is an extremely inefficient technique.9GHItKx
NWhxUnless it takes on a defined form like an Aura Blade, the fact that it burns like flames makes it obvious to anyone just how inefficient it is.Le1NGyj
9TXhIt might even be more efficient than the Heavenly Demon Sword.DOQY1b
jmCY0TuIt could greatly accelerate my training.rZrZJ
1Yv0kx‘So it isn’t completely useless after all.’ZzMbE9
obleFor someone like me, whose priority is survival, efficiency is one of the most important factors.f5FiK
k9MOtNbAnd this mithril raised that efficiency to absurd levels.HuSL
tJCstbIt was practically an essential item.poHI
hTUI’ll have to make a lot of tools with it.Q4w
0DI9Its performance is comparable to steel, but it weighs much less.BGE
WyCIUv3Perfect.9XN8m
PhgNYG‘Although mining is still a problem.’0lbL5s
jNrThere’s nothing I can do about that.jqJw
ZWr0I’ll just have to work much harder.EJs
8EkqupI finished dinner, cleaned everything up, and prepared to sleep.WtHsE
aLZsVZJI left the excavated area exactly as it was.ajz
4JAqL4I planned to continue digging there tomorrow.BVv
2osb‘I’ll keep the elixir above my head.’ZIf084
IZjThere’s always a chance that some thief might show up during the night and steal something.8eZj
mfoThe sloth would probably wake up and stop them, but it’s better to be safe.BfS3E
PnxAfter getting everything ready, I entered the gallery.HdrBhS
o70kASZI didn’t have anything particular to say.wJSew
rCL5nVyI was simply curious whether anything had happened.DUJW
RM0yAr‘Tomorrow will be exactly day fifteen.’SpBddr5
jnwfIToo many things had happened in those two weeks.OcGHASo
I3lAnd today, to top it all off, the gorilla chief had given me a monumental beating.wivq1
tTdxhCyTomorrow I planned to bring the orichalcum from the cave, receive the crystal orb that would serve as a CCTV system, and, while I was at it, make progress on building the furnace.Bw1Y9
trbOD8As for the structure, I could just ask the dwarf.49uH
babeu‘I have too many things to do.’mAVkr
ntCUI would finish one task and two more would appear.SSPm
6vyhTI’d finish those two and another five would show up.91UWc
SgE45jThe mithril situation was especially troublesome.Hpdol
yOgjxfIt could only be processed inside the Forest of Four Seasons.CDB7
5oPrzDWith mixed feelings, I continued browsing the gallery.pUixL7
tlbZfdRI needed to clear my mind.Fcdvxd6
r3OOGnTitle) WildGrills. Your shoes are finished.SJmOOP
ltSWhile browsing, a post caught my attention.Hu16
WCVAt first, I thought it was just another bait post.DAxNY5h
bXNSEiBut then I realized it had been posted by a registered user.x25l
eBw7zM‘Who is this?’44Vy1Wr
hYhaIWillBeADuke.6O3crJy
ApFDFc3The name sounded familiar.AY0
AHoCurious, I opened the post.BiLU
qdREYBTitle) WildGrills. Your shoes are finished.kTsKArZ
eIzkIWillBeADukeWfbxH
V7Y(Photo of magnificently crafted leather shoes)Sq5T
5bO0a4c(Photo showing the leather shoes remaining intact even after water was poured on them)by0V
Xd3vz(Photo showing the shoes resisting knife cuts)wcW1jkK
5fsThey were photos of shoes.QLUdRb
Z7TV2FNow that I thought about it, I had forgotten about this.8ZDJ
lTdEI had promised to give an adult Mandrake to whoever could get me a good pair of shoes.vYnUM
BZEAs soon as I announced it, several people uploaded photos.lLP9k
jb2But none of them had completely convinced me.dA64G3N
O7RLkThere was even one guy who tried to scam me.Q9HOv7I
e12zI gave him a nice insult and ended the matter there.jrX
hKik4SBesides, the shoes gifted to me by the dwarf’s friend had already eliminated most of the competition.DHKIzNI
iXtC8CAccording to everyone, competing against a dwarven master craftsman was completely pointless.mNi2K0
1N8f16tI liked those shoes so much that I stopped paying attention to the matter.X0I
FbYPpnU‘But this person…’A1VlVP
sQIHy9This user was different.AFY6k4e
iqW6AHe had continued working hard even after all this time.dM41D
iMAeOf course, if the result had been mediocre, I would have simply ignored it.dlPCCM
oK9(Video of a person wearing the shoes while someone repeatedly strikes their foot with a huge hammer)uEY
AT6GmdJ└B-boss…;; I-I think that’s enough…;;IT0BLk
JtIF└How many times are you planning to hit him? Damn, hahaha.NwDir
ciEvkx6└At this rate you’re going to crush his foot hahaha. ;;yK4mlo
soh2A└But he hasn’t screamed even once. They really do seem durable hahaha.UkH
XiqlK└Or maybe he’s just silently enduring it hahaha.PP8
PRzL└IWillBeADuke: Photo showing his face with a mask.hYuT7sg
I4YaFuJust in case, I recorded this too.WOFtdec
lIbExI recorded it using a crystal orb.ouqA
yit└Damn, he’s thorough haha.mEa
qlj8gvc└And what’s with that mask? Looks like something you’d wear at a masquerade ball. Is he a noble?G8pP
zOd└And who’s the one swinging the hammer?bHDpW0
vA0tQz0└IWillBeADuke: My son.sQNy
A3XHQ57└lmaoooooooooooo.OlVlvPN
KhHMQBo└loooooooooool.pnt0Qi
KCG8EP└What a devoted son, damn lmaoooo.U8ddl61
P3Jh└Even if it’s his father, he’s hitting way too hard lol.oEgTXOR
eIcIf not for that video.HZHA
vYkGRTaNo matter how durable the shoes were, using a huge hammer to test them was insane.eFVbQ
refAnd that was precisely why I trusted them more.mstV
s9T1D5He had sacrificed his own body to prove the product’s performance.z8j7
iTbwm7Although I was speechless for a moment, I quickly wrote a comment.kiryu
ZgVlItI had already verified the quality.hwxhQJ
5QFYbdIt seemed safe to make the trade.lRD
sf6f1└WildGrills: You really didn’t have to go that far. Weren’t you injured?9MaIsS
rFs(Video showing him removing his foot from the shoe after the hammer strikes)iX3zMeb
cNTNo.kQ1UV
M19mOAL└Wow. That’s some dedication. Now that’s product certification.;;7Jki
DLMyGvI└Who made them? I want a pair.hQu4ICc
Bvf└I want to buy them!Tomr
q3x└Buy me a pair too!hmd3EDb
efsxab8└DwarfPassingBy: Hey. You win. I think they perform better than the ones my friend made.;;Qp3zL
v2TSu└Damn. An official declaration of defeat from a dwarf.y0Ykc
1ZFnW└If a dwarf admits defeat, then they’re the real deal haha.ey5
U9xSuh└WildGrills: I’ll buy them. But it’s already late. Could it be tomorrow?SWy5AT
PKDhu└IWillBeADuke: That is possible.2bxswE
C180S6└WildGrills: I’ll send you a message in a moment.atZT
90TI thought we needed to talk privately, so I sent him a message.WiWo
6QBLl1TDespite his dry way of writing, he seemed like a passionate person.MAE
mwWQvqI liked him.QblDgBq
QWj5I[WildGrills: Hello, IWillBeADuke.1RO6cK
uCNI’ve seen the shoes. You need an adult Mandrake, right?]f7q
jiA[IWillBeADuke: Correct.]3e0p
PyNCwVc[WildGrills: Don’t you need anything else?]2MTW2C
3al[IWillBeADuke: No. The only thing I urgently need is an adult Mandrake.]0Vw9Wc
cewwHe urgently needed an adult Mandrake.rhf41C
aXCaPMPI could feel the desperation in his words.3K2qbG
5CsrRprSomeone close to him was probably suffering from an illness.2iUEJi
butQOtherwise, it wouldn’t make sense to reject everything else and obsess solely over an adult Mandrake.B49
SRlsm‘He inspires confidence.’aelI
BjkHUBoth the video and the messages showed that he was a reliable person.9pZ5
SnLH3XI told him I would send the adult Mandrake the next day and closed the gallery.PhnDY8
yqQZpTomorrow would be day fifteen.GwmD2
VqzAnd I also planned to consume the inner core.6PndX
0u0Build the furnace, trade with IWillBeADuke.Jb0OcO
L42OThere were too many things to do.HVG
I0Hx1o3‘The Guardian won’t wake up while I’m sleeping, right?’QwGLw8I
zPKieXxFortunately, nothing like that happened.KIQ0Ya4
LO0“Ah. What the hell? And now this?”yquju
nfm8d1Except for the minor detail that the entire area I had worked so hard to excavate had been completely restored.IHucxP
D8CeWI didn’t want to enjoy this endlessly, but it seemed I was going to be forced to.T0Djv3j
3veqL‘Is it a planarian?’F6m
OhSA mithril planarian.Uf8qGzl
8ZGI didn’t even know what kind of monstrous abomination that was.FHl
What did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
0 Comments
There are no comments yet. Be the first!