chapter 24
24.Nine-headed snake (3)
“Are you okay?!”
“It’s okay.”
The body is light. The healing magic of the holy woman’s table, befitting its title, was certain to have one effect. I think I’ve stretched out for about an hour or two, but my body feels refreshed. I want to receive healing magic every day before going to bed. Of course, there’s no way I could afford such luxury.
Karina’s magical power is limited, so she has to use it in the right place.
If you want to baptize that hydra child with holy magic right away, you must preserve her magical power as much as possible.
“What kind of creature acts alone when its head is cut off…”
Lenny’s disconcerting voice tickles my ears. Although the eardrum was regenerated, was it not completely repaired, or was it because of the aftermath of being torn and repaired? I don’t know which one, but maybe she’ll ask for a little more treatment?
…No. At this rate, she will be back soon.
I got up. The damp leather clings to my upper body. It seems that the whole body is sweating profusely from fighting that mini hydra to the death, and the skin is all wet. I hurriedly tossed off the damp, unpleasant armor.
Huh, I think I’ll buy some now.
I brush back the sweaty hair that clung to my forehead. The hair, which hadn’t been cut for quite some time and had grown past my shoulders and reached my shoulder blades, resisted my touch and returned to its original state.
Should I cut it soon? It might not be a bad idea to push it out altogether. Because hair doesn’t mean that much in the wild. It’s annoying to manage one by one.
“Karina, how much magic does she have left?”
“Yes? About two-thirds left…”
Is that… Enough? Reality and games are different, so it’s better to be perfect, but how much time do you have left? Now that we have to deal with the eight-headed hydra, we need to reorganize as quickly as possible. I robbed my seat and got up.
“You should get some more rest…”
“I will go home and rest.”
After all, it wasn’t a successful reconnaissance, but we obtained important information anyway, so it was time to prepare for war in earnest. So you should go home soon.
…Of course, dismantle that snake first.
Lenny, who was tapping the mini hydra, backed away as I approached the snake with a shovel. It seemed that he had a rough idea of what I was going to do. I was about to dismember the snake’s head right away, but I looked back at Karina who was behind me.
“It will look a bit like that, so turn around. Or you can go home with Lenny first.”
“…I’ll turn around.”
As soon as she hears Karina’s answer, she turns her head to see Lenny. Lenny scratched his cheek and shrugged his shoulders.
“If you’re done, tell me. Because I can carry your burden.”
“I got it.”
I put my hand inside the mouth of the mini hydra I had been messing with.
——————————–
The next day, I woke up with a sigh of relief and moved to the work area that had been set up beforehand with my still tired body. It’s a temporary workshop built with skills last night, but it’s comfortable to work with since it was made with great care. Originally, I worked roughly around the house, but now that there are a lot of people, it bothers me…
I looked at the snakeskin lying on the workbench that occupied one side of the wall of the workshop.
This is yesterday’s harvest.
The venom extracted from the body is sealed and stored separately, and the fangs were planned to make a good working knife. And the leather should be used to make armor against acid poison.
I don’t really like having to wear the skin of a hydra baby, but to live in a harsh world, sometimes you have to accept what you don’t like with a big heart. I caressed the hydra’s hide with a delicate touch. Now is not the time to cover cold rice with hot rice, so you should make good use of leather that can cover enough for two people.
Since we had to make enough for three people, we were planning to actively use the skin, bones, and bark of the bear chief that we brought home.
The parts that should never melt are made with snakeskin, and the rest are made with conventional materials.
Let’s change the design a bit.
I don’t think so.
I started drawing on the wooden board that I had made appropriately. It’s a skill that makes me wonder if this is graffiti like a caveman’s mural, but I just had to recognize it. I put down the rough charcoal drawing beside me and reached for the leather.
We have to make the most important boots and gloves first.
…Before that, measure your hand and foot size.
Leaving the workshop and entering the house. Lenny, who was wiping his sword with a rag by the brazier, and Karina, who was preparing a meal, looked at me as she heard her hinges scraping.
“Ah, Mr. John. Didn’t you say you were working?”
“Before that, there is something to check.”
“Something is a bit unsettling.”
Refreshingly ignoring Lenny’s nonsense, I was only good for two people.
“Can I touch your limbs?”
“Yes?”
Why are you looking at me with an evil expression? I don’t know what the two of them are thinking, but they’re just sizing to make shoe gloves. Even if I make it using my skills, in the end, the details are my responsibility, so I just have to pay attention to each and every one of these things.
“I need to make gloves and shoes, so I just measure the size.”
“Ah, yes…”
Karina nodded her head as if she only knew then. Lenny must have convinced me enough, so she took off her shoes along with Karina.
I squatted in front of Karina and touched her hands and feet. Soft and fluffy It feels completely different from my hands, which are full of calluses and scars. Are these the same person’s hands? How can a human hand be so soft?
“Hey… John?”
“…Why did you call me.”
“Yeah, my hand hurts, but until when…”
“Oh, sorry.”
I hurriedly removed my hand. For some reason, the side of my face feels itchy. When I glanced around, Lenny was looking at me with suspicious eyes. Was it bothering me that I messed with Karina’s hand? Immediately, he lowered his gaze to Karina’s feet.
Small, soft-looking feet.
As expected, the soft touch tickled my palm. Well, this should be fine.
I took my hands off my feet and looked at Lenny. Lenny held out her hand to me with a subtle face. I held Lenny’s hand and checked her size. This one is a bit rough. Having held the sword for a long time, it was a natural feeling. Although the back of the hand was quite soft this way too.
After checking my feet, I stood up.
I have to go back to work right away. The view is not so much. As I was about to turn my back and leave, I heard a siren’s tempting sound.
“John. Meals are…”
“I will eat after work. Eat first.”
I left the two of them alone and went back to work. That’s right, I’m just using my skills, but…
“Production.”
Blinking a few times, the snakeskin shoes were neatly placed on the workbench.
As expected, my food line skill.
One effect is certain. At first, I wondered if he had given such a skill to such a troublesome condition.
Thinking back now, finding this skill was close to a miracle.
A skill I accidentally found while trying to light a fire and saying anything because my mentality was broken. If it wasn’t for this skill, I would have already been wandering around with only a few bone fragments somewhere in this forest.
In this respect, the crafting skill was very useful. If you know the crafting method, have the materials, and have a clear image, you can create an object or a building in a matter of seconds. Although the process is very cumbersome.
I checked the neatly finished snakeskin shoes and immediately made gloves. At this point, the basic protective equipment is completed. The rest is just a protective suit to cover the torso.
I started making the body right away.
I had already made the torso once, so I just had to make it according to the size, so the newly made armor was placed on the workbench right away.
I wiped the beads of sweat on my forehead.
After using the skill, he seems a bit tired. Still no time to rest.
“Does it start immediately after eating?”
The showdown is near.
Now I really need to get rid of that hydra pup forever and prepare to enter the dungeon.
After all, even such a strong hydra is only an intermediate step.
Yes, mid-course.
My final goal is… The dungeon.
——————
“Can you move?”
“Yes, yes. I think I can move. Running is hard, but…”
Even though it was made with care and light weight, it was quite heavy for Karina.
“I just need Karina-sama on my back.”
“No. Start slowly There is no need to strain out already.”
“It’s okay Lenny.”
“But Karina-sama…”
“Lenny. Are you okay.”
In response to Karina’s determined voice, Lenny nodded her head with her face saying she couldn’t help it. No matter what, when Karina was straight, Lenny was restless and she was busy listening to her. Is it because she’s an escort, or is she weak when she’s out of hand. Either way, it doesn’t matter as long as it’s easily resolved.
“Then let’s go.”
I led the way into the woods with a leather bag full of ingredients slung over my shoulder.
The destination was the domain of bears. Among them, a wide open space.
I chose that place as the Hydra’s tomb.