Chapter 118: Alloy (1)
PQytuI’m already tired of even saying, “I’ve seen it all in this life.”cdmbXLq
3pVvThe Forest of Four Seasons is a collection of mysteries that simply cannot be solved.GDa
dCVF4dtThe best thing to do is accept that quickly and move on.IVtFaf2
oUZyuAfter all, I recently met a talking gorilla.qbpjBj
g6H2YI think it’s best to just go with the flow.6PFfKsc
1JCvThat said, while documenting everything meticulously.meuIrz
uD3Pxfw‘Why is everything I find so useless?’jxFqK
kAy15pWhat I need are supplies for survival.aViK
XE6bNot resources like these.vIinX7D
xVdUmOf course, with these materials I could make armor and all kinds of tools.42VzgRq
Uf3aNIBut that takes too much time, and I don’t even have a furnace.OkCL5
22TTIt was exactly like a chicken rib.XpjzP
sVc03It wasn’t even useful for making stone tools like a prehistoric man.XMbCbku
1E1HMS‘And I can’t even sell this.’mlNWS8E
pkBZHbjI let out a sigh.2SsDJ
L2YgvIt seems impossible to extract this entire mithril vein.2rBM
yQ6DUnless I literally tear up the entire floor, I have no choice but to leave it where it is.gceaR
VfIR4Although, looking at it positively, it at least means I have practically unlimited resources.2Ym
T56voLIf I manage to build a furnace and develop blacksmithing skills, I couldn’t ask for anything better.qaR4MsR
0HHCI5x‘The problem is that it’ll take years.’YXxBEO
jhgU8Z7I sighed once more and turned around.qaNvm
3fmOne way or another, the work wasn’t going to do itself.ov76uq
ChDbMy daily routine.6bY
nMI90AA routine that had already become familiar.U1f
8fR6Go up to the river, fish, and eat until full.94PuXJ
Xe9eFor some reason, only one fish was caught today.LmiH
UEuEUD0That left a bitter taste in my mouth.Xf8I
x1a4c‘Good thing I still have reserves.’i0c
lQBa3For now, I still had some breathing room.71YbH
fBzIGBut if the fish kept appearing one at a time, sooner or later I’d have problems.Bon
CtaI ate breakfast alongside my animal friends and set off.JTfJcj
OLSFirst, I had to deliver an adult Mandrake to IWillBeADuke.H700t
8SFAfter that, I would go to the orichalcum cave to collect some orichalcum.GOmAYW
E1w0R4nOriginally, I planned to use it to build a door, but that plan had already been abandoned.cNT
HJkIJKEven so, it wouldn’t hurt to stockpile a few pieces for the future.qUjc
Re2bV‘I’ll build the furnace after lunch.’mvU3
R5wFrom what I’d heard, it would require both brains and physical labor.U1J
Y5xXIt was better to do it calmly.HG8jy
GMLSywAccording to the dwarf, molten metal reached temperatures comparable to lava.NVN90Os
qdrswhAnd mithril had an even higher melting point.tOY
NbaYDq‘He also said I’d need charcoal…’VPEri6n
gw1zwUIt was essential for reaching higher temperatures.lXh
UHlj3tAfter all, I had to melt metal.3iOJRW
0aFJust thinking about it gave me a headache, although there was one positive aspect.eJ8K
rnoKZp3The size of the furnace.153oK
sB1qbSince I only needed to melt ore, it didn’t have to be very large.ybZ
Q5xs24But that didn’t mean I could relax.kvFGM
VzT9After all, I’d be working with fire.9wd
12yA double-edged tool.PQIvKC
PtB3Ji‘Good thing I’ve been stockpiling charcoal.’Sqhmk8
vBZuOriginally, I only used it for washing clothes or removing odors.TAfEd
NIXZI never imagined I’d end up using it for a furnace.o1ItI
9FJjhneAs always, charcoal was a universal wonder.rtSLCpC
WCzxaI’d have to produce much more of it in the future.7IMI
G0EWith everything prepared, I headed off to collect the adult Mandrake and the orichalcum.zljUgM
TsMV5gAs always, the sloth hung from my back, and Wonmo served as my adorable bodyguard.kWseW
BPF9Thud! Thud! Bam!SbEodD
PhWabAm“Kyueeek! Kyueeeek! Kkueeek!”YNbE
SJZafFirst, the adult Mandrake.ncGMWkr
JFU09At this point, I had completely mastered the capture method.mDVbQ
HPQAlthough calling it a method was an exaggeration.EJKI
PTJBasically, it consisted of beating it unconscious.FYKn
mgeOAfter capturing it, I headed to the orichalcum cave.1pTVa4
yeUxfzFortunately, I didn’t encounter any dangerous beasts along the way.L7bM
jqzqBDIt was a route I already knew, and I stayed alert the entire time.Hw6Ua2
lRI‘Orichalcum acquired. Though does this stuff not need refining either?’z1NxeOY
OBuFAs I picked up several pieces of orichalcum from the ground, that thought crossed my mind.iVBD
YZc3Maybe it didn’t need processing at all.jnb
0tAlAfter all, both DemonPrincess and KingLeor used it immediately after receiving it.EICxi
hm05Although that could also be a unique property of orichalcum.COYk
Q9JAlRRI’d have to ask the dwarf.8Ekq
uQyDnDWildGrills has registered an item for trade.qjY
ZKWyM4[WildGrills: Here you go. I hope it brings you good fortune.]nhk
QubJ[IWillBeADuke: Thank you very much!]C3D9k
BsI[IWillBeADuke: May the Goddess’s blessing be with you!]Ls6BLJ
YEzMAfter returning to the cave, I exchanged items with IWillBeADuke.169MDig
wY6ZThe way she mentioned the Goddess’s blessing made me wonder if she was originally from the Holy Kingdom.jWKqx3
tggSb‘Now that I think about it, adult Mandrakes can be traded without any issues.’kkBpyG
9pYe4ESo the system considered them to be without an ego.0cr
3HyybAnd that was despite the fact that those creatures not only emitted terrifying screams but also acted in swarms.JZA1bWu
WHn3bKVIt was strange, but I decided not to think about it too much.poJVbDW
ow9pb1Thinking too hard about it would only give me a migraine.ufpm
dwA8CKJ‘Not bad. They’re durable.’5XhIvkF
Ksagr70The shoes I received from IWillBeADuke were exactly as they appeared in the video.jtm2
CRyusTheir main feature was durability.IIpkSKt
P57Fp0In fact, they seemed better than the ones made by the dwarf’s friend.3Ed4sR
gpAThat said, they sacrificed comfort in exchange for toughness.alq4
Ffn‘But they’re perfect for me.’FnSs2
rNNI’d use the dwarf’s shoes when traveling through familiar areas.MZqhsD
JlZAnd I’d use IWillBeADuke’s shoes when exploring new places.1g9
Ucr7lXThat was the best way to divide their usage.kFOrTVL
KlsInside the cave, I’d continue wearing sneakers.p2q
9LV2q9‘I need to get another pair.’ZDC5
Iyy3JDSince each type of shoe had a different function, I also needed a spare pair.AmFxP
GKdSo I posted another message in the gallery.CyBho
zc2Some people might think the matter was already settled.LwI76Bb
kLH4fEMTitle) Looking for another pair of shoesEdGOfHR
RNyO6WildGrillsQZo7ak
V4dk3zEI’ve successfully received the shoes given to me by DwarfPassingBy and the ones given to me by IWillBeADuke.P3o3pq
j0htOUHowever, I think I’ll end up using them for different purposes, so I’d like to obtain another pair as a backup.Z3l3MP2
HVfy7UwJust like before, I’ll give an adult Mandrake to whoever provides a suitable pair.OE4
3xjF2└HeavenlyDemon: And when exactly do you plan to deliver my sword?jxv
mFARr└WildGrills: I-I’ll give it to you right away!1rK
qyN4ou└HeavenlyDemon: It was a joke. There’s no need to rush. Take your time.WzMWsx
tOFLJe└Swordmaster: What are you going to give her?LvqZ
6mt0FWK└HeavenlyDemon: He says he’ll personally forge a genuine silver sword for me.ja1NB
Rfx└Swordmaster: Ah, damn. I’m actually jealous. Even I’ve never used a sword made of mithril…dTiCNLm
4javy└HeavenlyDemon: Hmph. Perhaps you should have been more generous.ea3
Oc9x0└Swordmaster: I gave him elixirs too, damn it…!aSNU7
KlhSu└WildGrills: HeavenlyDemon gave me her own sword, so I want to repay her. Would you like me to make one for you too, Swordmaster?rk7M
RS4Y└HeavenlyDemon: That fool. So that’s why he said that.7BWZyUa
6d5K└Swordmaster: Honestly, it sounds tempting, but I’m fine. Unlike a certain someone, I can become strong even with a cheap sword. Hahaha.Y0a3n
15xeP└HeavenlyDemon: I have an iron mace.Pita
uriE└Swordmaster: Hey, you wretch.n67EHm
cMszl└But is Grills going to make it himself? Wasn’t he going to have the dwarf do it?x04Z0Xg
9s1Fr└DwarfPassingBy: That was the plan, but the mana concentration in the mithril was too high, so I returned it. If it melts, it explodes.VtROCd
gslHkX└And orichalcum is fine?Qz3jKU
32C└DwarfPassingBy: Yes. Thanks to its mana-absorbing property, orichalcum isn’t a problem. But only orichalcum.TLf
FgwGF└Grills, you bastard. You were handing out bombs to people.UAxQH6
aD5└Sounds like you were trying to murder them.YuMRtV
CW2└WildGrills: I didn’t know either;; That’s why I’ll have to make it myself.AngAU
xBG3└DemonPrincess: I’m making very good use of the orichalcum you gave me. I’ve already finished the surveillance recording orb I mentioned yesterday, so let me know whenever you need it.Ic5
WW85└WildGrills: Understood.qE4qq
K56g7As soon as I saw DemonPrincess’s comment, I immediately sent her a message.qkZwOZ5
RbxDI planned to give her orichalcum as a reward. The more she had, the better.FegaX
Mg2d8A[DemonPrincess: If you tap the orb twice, it’ll open like an eye. Just think of it as watching in whatever direction it’s facing.]8d7XO
PdELm[WildGrills: Thank you. And how do I view what it recorded?]ndF
du6XLHl[DemonPrincess: Just tap it twice again to close the eye, and then tap it three times. To watch the recording, keep your hand pressed on it. But be careful! Once you watch the recording, it’ll automatically be deleted.]DmUKPjm
6Nj[WildGrills: I’ll be careful. And thank you.]ihczwgh
2R2RgN[DemonPrincess: And what do you say when you’re grateful?]3qTW
hGqfHXh[WildGrills: I hope Chayu wins next season!]hpMz
6tc[DemonPrincess: Hehe. Very good.]pO9
LQ8rySI examined the CCTV orb DemonPrincess had given me.yH1104
rV0T9VIt was a color close to dark purple and roughly the size of my face.EMcr
NiW9‘Will I have to hang it up like a block of meju?’hYpJ
GR1QInstalling it was work too. Still, I planned to spend the entire day inside the cave today, so there was no need to use it immediately.b69L38j
qZfCo0DI examined it from several angles and then tapped the orb twice.lb1KZ
u2TTap. Tap.7oe
6OxcZFlash!GjXFC
BDw6DfL“Whoa.”3TE
RcphmaGJust as DemonPrincess had explained, it opened like an eye.ocW
cO7oIt looked like the eye of a reptile.ksmDra
EgOAVJust looking at it was unsettling. It clearly conveyed the feeling of “I am watching you closely.”MRH
Zc9bAjTap. Tap. Tap.g15asu
rOMcvPGWhen I tapped it three times, the eye silently closed.g51
9tgThen I pressed it with my finger.5mzd
xDyJT27Flash!ogVeGGj
EijlWith that sound, a holographic window appeared.7Se
n8dWhat it showed was my own face.MZFNaD7
gnsTyMy face viewed from above.DBNJEf
sX5hk“Wow.”UMU4gG
YcLwGNo matter how much I looked at it, my skin had really improved.bsir
YyVI couldn’t find a single flaw.sWrUm
WuKPyI stared at the projected image for a moment and then closed the window.qkQ0dm
pei6vAFI already knew how the CCTV worked, so it was time to train.Byoq6
b6nPYou can’t skip training for even a single day.aEfw
YvsJ‘Besides, starting today I’ll begin consuming inner cores.’VYze
wRsJGvGI planned to learn HeavenlyDemon’s second formula.DLJQ4F
MWlFrom what I understood, it was about reading the flow rather than simply leaving the body in the hands of heaven.uIQ9W
3phMSIt seemed like it would be harder to understand than the first formula, and that worried me a little.szGgz
X95UCBut it didn’t matter.l0Evj8
Yo2MsCsIf I didn’t understand something, I would simply keep crashing into it until I did.FjfvKE
FN7wEI never thought it was going to be easy.Hdqb4U3
oLC3zqS‘I’ll consume the inner core after lunch, once digestion is finished.’rnOw
777XRThe fish also had effects similar to a spiritual medicine.yejm
IFRIf I consumed the inner core immediately after eating, I might end up overdosing.DBZ6
FY9k9It was better to avoid unnecessary risks and wait for the food to settle.yv96
zzAa4QE‘And I also need to get a crab for the dwarf.’SZFL
1NzqIt was a very busy day.NbZ
4Eo7rI couldn’t postpone anything.DoJ1kN
Y7hItSo I had to start as soon as possible.iKzo
aOWA44EAfter lunch, I planned to immediately build the smelting furnace.LXOqL
CclVMF8It didn’t need to be very large.Dc5
jfpMIt only had to melt mithril into liquid metal.Yfj
39zMABEven so, I would need to obtain several materials through the dwarf.OlUN
WwCEspecially the most important of all.uXL
VsRyStones capable of withstanding high temperatures.8Xstio
SA6crUAfter all, they would need to endure over a thousand degrees.UrGgtqd
vy8i‘Fortunately, he said he’d give them to me.’13ONHL
Rutq0EHe had also said he would give me a bellows for injecting air.Fsk
vlFJpDHe was practically providing all the materials.TJSMR0c
tdAnTvWhen I asked whether he was really okay with that, he replied that simply sharpening a mithril sword was more than enough payment for him.XakoZ
u7UghFzWhenever I saw things like that, I thought it was truly typical of a dwarf.zJcg
g10LuSplash! Splash!305TPd
HlSWhen I arrived at the river, I found two fish caught in the trap.UILZB
6NenPAt least that was good news.oEvL
TAB0JtAfterward, I put them in the oven, ate, and began preparing myself.6jtfYs1
qTrYJBut first, there was something I wanted to check.aQLaW
f39xCThe mithril behind the cave.9lH6H
qRcYIt was fantastic that it regenerated infinitely, but there was something that bothered me.qBF8Hc
ioro5‘What exactly is the mechanism behind this regeneration?’ak2F
mJhvIts recovery ability was comparable to that of a planarian.UYD
1fZrMoreover, only the part I had extracted the previous day had regenerated.D4xE4
NmdII was also concerned about where its core might be.VNnmn
zEWwAnd I was worried about the possibility of it awakening as a Guardian.0YxK
cY0‘I must not let my guard down.’8L6JVt2
ioDThe amount of mithril I had extracted yesterday was considerable.0QkW
4nb6dZNow all that remained was to melt it and pour it into a mold.k3se4LI
0hhZDzOnce I felt I had everything ready, I sent a message to the dwarf.s29x
CXdC[WildGrills: Hey. Are you there?]17Qq3f5
tlKGp[DwarfPassingBy: Yes.]I0UiBGF
vVS[DwarfPassingBy: Did you catch the crab yet?]AAsW
9vyQ[WildGrills: I’m going to build the furnace first and then go get it. And I also want to ask for some advice.]6BuG
ZMzawUf[DwarfPassingBy: About what?]cS8
7bMk[WildGrills: Mithril is an extremely rare mineral, right?]trQ1Y
yN5EXtc[DwarfPassingBy: Calling it rare is an understatement. Do you know how many mines exist in the world? If someone finds a mithril mine, it makes the newspapers.]3BY
D7TCfb[WildGrills: And orichalcum?]zO0
axnBS9T[DwarfPassingBy: Yes. Most of it ends up in the hands of the Magic Towers, but it’s on the same level as mithril.]Wc0S2FU
FGq[DwarfPassingBy: By the way, when you found the orichalcum cave, the newspapers went crazy.]MN94h
UM9That’s how important it was.2GpLBuH
Z6OzSince I’d been trapped here for so long, I had absolutely no idea what was happening outside.31sb
5WQ6f1wSometimes I’d hear that something had made the newspapers, but I never paid attention.ecA0f
O56fWETI thought they were just insignificant remarks.1zSm
HtN2Pt[DwarfPassingBy: So, why are you asking? Trying to show off?]fFn
dmUpc[WildGrills: No. I want to hear an expert’s opinion.]aTD
SRgkqB7[DwarfPassingBy: Hmm. I see you know something. Then speak, ignorant mortal. What do you wish to ask?]PHVCqTI
iIY[WildGrills: Damn. ;;]FJD9
ZrMibE8[WildGrills: Maybe I should look for another dwarf.]l9uO
LahOUb[DwarfPassingBy: Haha. You won’t find many dwarven metallurgy experts wasting their time in the gallery.]55O
3ljtBwhI sighed.gQi8
9exdfN[WildGrills: Right now I have mithril and orichalcum, correct?]MGjr
FLfJX[DwarfPassingBy: Showing off again?]Bov
mMBNt[WildGrills: Let me finish talking. What do you think would happen if I melted both of them and made a sword?]V73Y
yuZ54hThat was what I wanted.cvv
WWrTMxEAn alloy of two legendary minerals.LDkA
UBgSince I had so much of them around me, they no longer impressed me that much.Bm3
lfUaovoBut for people outside, especially a dwarf, the reaction would be different.PaZX1B3
0Wqkw0B[DwarfPassingBy: An alloy? You want to mix mithril and orichalcum?]Gyn
6eBYq[WildGrills: Yes. Doesn’t it sound good?]6eLgKA
XnghJsc[DwarfPassingBy: Damn. That’s like making fried rice with caviar. Hahaha.]l8fzRI
vJDFxHe laughed as if the idea were absurd.RpBS
5HzzVKBut then he wrote.6vgLHSb
2OR[DwarfPassingBy: Let’s do it immediately. Do you need anything? Tell me what we need. I’ll get everything.]MRR0
WGgkbF[WildGrills: You think it’s that good of an idea?]cVfrW03
hd7XB[DwarfPassingBy: My balls are trembling with excitement right now.]cK8f
BmNrFEX“How disgusting…”NplZ
gWx4oIn the end, he was still a dwarf.qDnf9
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