Chapter 118

Alloy (1)

By now, I was tired of even saying, "I’ve seen everything."

Everything in the Forest of Four Seasons was one enormous, unsolvable mystery.

It would be best to accept things quickly and move on. Hadn’t I recently encountered a talking gorilla?

I should probably just... go with the flow. While keeping meticulous records, of course.

’Why is everything here useless to me?’

What I needed were survival supplies, not resources like this.

Of course, I could use those resources to craft armor and various other tools.

However, that would take far too long, and I didn’t even have a furnace.

They were the very definition of a white elephant. I wasn’t even particularly good at knapping stone tools like a primitive man from the Paleolithic era.

’It’s not like I can sell this, either.’

I sighed. It seemed impossible to extract this mithril through ordinary mining.

Unless I carved out the entire floor around it, I had no choice but to leave it alone.

Still, if I looked at it positively, I had an unlimited supply of resources.

If I could build a furnace and acquire the necessary skills as a blacksmith, I couldn’t ask for anything more.

’The problem is that it’ll take years at the very least.’

I sighed again before turning around. Whatever the case, I still had work to do.

My daily routine began in the morning. By now, it had become familiar.

I went up to the river, caught fish, and ate my fill.

For some reason, only one fish had been caught today, which was slightly disappointing.

’Good thing I’ve stored some from the previous days.’

I still had plenty for now. However, it would become a problem if I continued catching only one fish a day.

After having breakfast with my animal companions, I got to work.

My first task was to send the mature Mandrake to I’ll Become a Duke.

After that, I planned to visit the Orichalcum Cave and retrieve some orichalcum.

I had originally intended to use the orichalcum to make a door, but that plan had been abandoned, so I no longer needed the mineral.

Still, I figured there was no harm in having a few pieces, so I planned to keep them in reserve.

’Let’s build the furnace after lunch.’

It looked like the task would require both brains and strength, so it would be better to take my time.

According to the dwarf, molten metal was nearly as hot as lava.

He also mentioned that mithril had a higher melting point, so it would be even hotter.

’I also need charcoal, right?’

Charcoal was essential for producing higher temperatures.

Since I needed enough heat to melt metal, I would require much greater firepower.

That alone made my prospects look bleak, but there was at least one fortunate aspect.

The furnace didn’t need to be very large. Since all it had to do was melt the ore, a small one would suffice.

Even so, I couldn’t afford to relax. I would be handling fire, the very definition of a double-edged sword.

’I’m glad I’ve been steadily collecting charcoal.’

Until now, I had only used it for laundry and as a deodorizer. I never imagined I would use it in a furnace.

Charcoal truly was divine and all-purpose. I would have to work on producing more of it in the future.

After completing my preparations, I set out to obtain the mature Mandrake and the orichalcum.

As always, I carried Namu-Ppareumbo on my back and brought Wonmo, my adorable bodyguard, along with me.

Wham! Thud! Smack!

"Gueek! Gueeek! Gweeeek!"

First came the mature Mandrake.

By now, I was familiar with the capture method.

Though calling it a "capture method" was generous when all I did was beat it senseless. Not that it mattered.

After capturing the mature Mandrake, I headed toward the Orichalcum Cave.

Fortunately, I didn’t encounter any dangerous animals along the way.

It was partly because I was following a familiar route and partly because I remained thoroughly vigilant.

’Orichalcum acquired. But does this not need to be refined either?’

That thought occurred to me as I picked up several chunks of orichalcum scattered across the ground.

Perhaps it didn’t need to be processed separately, considering Princess Cheonggu and King Leor had used theirs as soon as they received it.

Then again, that might be a unique characteristic of orichalcum. I would have to ask the dwarf.

[Wild Grylls has registered an item for trade.]

[Wild Grylls: Here it is. I sincerely hope everything works out for you.]

[I’ll Become a Duke: Thank you very much! May the Goddess’s blessing be with you!]

After returning to the cave, I exchanged items with I’ll Become a Duke.

Judging by his mention of the Goddess’s blessing, perhaps he was from the Holy Kingdom.

’Come to think of it, the mature Mandrake can be traded without any problems.’

Had the system determined that mature Mandrakes lacked self-awareness?

They didn’t merely let out terrifying battle cries; they even operated as a colony.

It was truly strange, but I decided to accept it since the outcome benefited me. Thinking too deeply about it would only make my head hurt.

’These are nice. Sturdy too.’

Just as the video had shown, the shoes I received from I’ll Become a Duke prioritized durability.

They were so tough that they were even better than the shoes made by the dwarf’s friend.

However, that durability came at the expense of comfort and convenience.

’Still, these are perfect for me.’

I could wear the dwarf’s shoes when revisiting places I had already explored and I’ll Become a Duke’s shoes when exploring new areas.

That seemed like the best way to categorize them. Inside the cave, I could simply wear sneakers.

’I should get just one more pair.’

Since the two pairs served different purposes, I needed a spare as well.

With that in mind, I immediately posted in the gallery. People might assume the offer had already ended.

Title: Looking for One More Pair of Shoes

Wild Grylls

I safely received the shoes provided by Passing Dwarf and I’ll Become a Duke.

However, since I’ll likely use them for different purposes, I think I need one more pair as a backup.

As before, I’ll give a mature Mandrake to whoever provides a suitable spare pair.

└ Heavenly Demon: When dost thou intend to give this lady her sword?

└ Wild Grylls: I-I’ll give it to you soon!

└ Heavenly Demon: This lady was merely jesting. There is no need to hurry, so take thy time.

└ SwordMaster: You’re giving her a sword?

└ Heavenly Demon: He says he shall personally craft a sword of true silver for this lady.

└ SwordMaster: Damn it. I’m a little jealous of that. Even I’ve never used a sword made of mithril ;;

└ Heavenly Demon: Hmph. Perhaps thou shouldst have been more generous.

└ SwordMaster: I gave him an elixir too, you know ;;

└ Wild Grylls: The Heavenly Demon gave me her own sword, so I’m giving her this one in return. Would you like one too, SwordMaster?

└ Heavenly Demon: That fool. So this was his intention all along.

└ SwordMaster: Honestly, I’m tempted, but I’m fine. Unlike a certain someone, I’m strong enough even with a cheap sword.

└ Heavenly Demon: This lady possesses a mace.

└ SwordMaster: You evil bitch.

└ Is Grylls making it himself? I thought he asked the dwarf to do it.

└ Passing Dwarf: That was the plan, but the mana concentration inside the mithril was too high, so I returned it. It’ll explode the moment it melts.

└ Is orichalcum safe?

└ Passing Dwarf: Yeah. Orichalcum is safe because of its mana-absorbing properties. But that applies exclusively to orichalcum.

└ So Grylls was handing out bombs?

└ Looks like he was planning to assassinate them.

└ Wild Grylls: I didn’t know either ;; That’s why I have to make it myself.

└ Princess Cheonggu: I’m making good use of the orichalcum you gave me. The security recording orb I mentioned yesterday is ready, so just let me know whenever you want it.

└ Wild Grylls: Understood.

[Wild Grylls: Thank you. How do I view the recorded footage?]

[Princess Cheonggu: Tap it twice again to close its eye, then tap it three times. To watch the recording, press and hold it. One thing to keep in mind is that the recording will be deleted automatically once you watch it, so be careful!]

[Wild Grylls: I’ll be careful. And thank you.]

[Princess Cheonggu: If you’re grateful, what should you say?]

[Wild Grylls: I hope Chae-U wins next season!]

[Princess Cheonggu: Hehe. Very good.]

The moment I saw Princess Cheonggu’s comment, I sent her a private message.

I planned to give her orichalcum in return. The more of it she had, the better.

[Princess Cheonggu: If you tap the orb twice, it’ll open like an eye. Just think of it as watching whatever direction the eye is facing.]

I examined the security orb I had received from Princess Cheonggu.

It was mostly blackish-purple and about the size of my face.

’Am I supposed to hang it up like a block of fermented soybean paste?’

Installing it would be another chore. Still, I planned to remain inside the cave all day, so I had no immediate need for it.

After looking it over from various angles, I tapped the security orb twice.

Flash!

"Whoa."

Just as Princess Cheonggu had explained, it opened like an eye. It resembled the eye of a reptile.

It looked terrifying. It practically radiated the message, I’m watching you.

Tap, tap, tap—

When I tapped it three times, the eye quietly closed. I then pressed and held it with my finger.

With a flash, a holographic screen appeared.

The hologram displayed my face as seen from above.

"Wow."

No matter how I looked at it, my skin had improved. I couldn’t find a single blemish.

I stared at my face in the hologram for a while before closing it.

Now that I had confirmed how the security orb worked, it was time to begin training. I couldn’t afford to skip even a single day.

’Starting today, I’ll also be consuming the inner core.’

I planned to receive the second mnemonic verse from the Heavenly Demon.

The gist of the verse was not to surrender my body to the heavens, but to read their flow.

I was worried that it would contain expressions even more difficult than those in the first verse, but that was fine.

If I didn’t understand something, I could keep struggling with it until I did. I had never expected it to be easy.

’I’ll eat the inner core after lunch, once I’ve had time to digest.’

The fish also produced effects similar to those of a spiritual medicine.

If I consumed the inner core immediately after lunch, I might overdose.

Since I needed to avoid danger whenever possible, it would be better to wait until the meal had mostly been digested.

’I also need to catch a crab for the dwarf.’

It was going to be a busy day. I couldn’t postpone anything.

In that case, I should begin working right away. Once I finished lunch, I planned to start building the furnace.

The furnace didn’t need to be large. It only had to melt the mithril into molten metal.

However, I would have to obtain the necessary materials from the dwarf.

The most important component was heat-resistant stone. It needed to withstand temperatures exceeding a thousand degrees.

’The dwarf said he’d provide that.’

I had also heard that he would give me bellows to pump air into the furnace. He was genuinely supplying me with everything.

When I asked whether he was really fine with that, he said sharpening a mithril sword would be sufficient compensation.

Whenever he acted like this, I couldn’t help thinking how dwarven he was.

Flop! Flop!

When I went up to the river, I found two fish caught in the trap. That was a relief, at least.

I put them in the oven, ate my meal, and began making preparations.

Before that, however, there was something I needed to check—the mithril at the rear of the cave.

An endlessly regenerating supply of mithril was certainly useful, but there was something I wanted to know.

’How exactly does it regenerate?’

Its regenerative ability was remarkable, like that of a planarian.

Moreover, only the section I had mined yesterday had regenerated.

I also wondered where its core was located. At the same time, I was afraid it might awaken like the Guardian.

’I can’t let my guard down.’

I had mined quite a lot of mithril yesterday.

All I had to do now was melt it and pour it into a mold.

Once I decided that all my preparations were complete, I sent the dwarf a message.

[Wild Grylls: Hey. You there?]

[Passing Dwarf: Yeah. Did you catch the crab?]

[Wild Grylls: I’ll catch it after building the furnace. I also want your advice.]

[Passing Dwarf: Advice about what?]

[Wild Grylls: Mithril is an extremely rare mineral, right?]

[Passing Dwarf: Calling it rare doesn’t even begin to cover it. There are countless mines in the world, yet whenever someone finds mithril, it makes the newspapers. What do you think?]

[Wild Grylls: Is orichalcum the same?]

[Passing Dwarf: Yeah. Most of it ends up in Magic Towers, but it’s just as rare as mithril. For reference, the newspapers went wild when you discovered the Orichalcum Cave.]

So it was that significant.

Since I was stuck in here, I knew nothing about what was happening outside.

People occasionally mentioned something appearing in the newspapers, but I had never paid attention. I assumed they were just shitposting.

[Passing Dwarf: Why are you asking, anyway? Are you trying to rub it in my face?]

[Wild Grylls: No. I want an expert’s opinion.]

[Passing Dwarf: Hmm. Thou hast some discernment. What dost thou wish to ask, foolish mortal?]

[Wild Grylls: Ugh ;; Maybe I should just find another dwarf.]

[Passing Dwarf: You’ll hardly find another dwarf specializing in metallurgy who wastes his time on the gallery, hahaha.]

[Wild Grylls: Sigh. You know how I currently have both mithril and orichalcum?]

[Passing Dwarf: Are you bragging?]

[Wild Grylls: Let me finish talking. What do you think would happen if I melted them together and made a sword from the mixture?]

An alloy of one rare mineral and another.

That was what I wanted.

There was so much of both around me that I could practically trip over them, so they no longer felt particularly remarkable.

However, outsiders—especially dwarves—would react very differently.

[Passing Dwarf: An alloy? You want to combine mithril and orichalcum?]

[Wild Grylls: Yeah. Doesn’t that sound good?]

[Passing Dwarf: You’re talking about using caviar to make fried rice, hahahaha.]

The dwarf laughed as though the idea were utterly absurd.

But then—

[Passing Dwarf: Let’s try it immediately. Do you need anything? Tell me what you need. I’ll get all of it for you.]

[Wild Grylls: So it’s a good idea?]

[Passing Dwarf: My balls are trembling with excitement right now.]

[Wild Grylls: That’s fucking disgusting ::]

In the end, he was still a dwarf.