NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10
Chapter 10
“Oh, you were quick, weren’t you?”
“Ahaha… Well, for today, I just wanted to check things out…”
I never thought that just flipping through two books would register all the recipes for [Compounding] and [Alchemy] that can be learned at D-rank!
From tomorrow, I guess I’ll have to work hard on completing quests to rank up to C-rank using these recipes?
Hmm, why do I feel so depressed…
I mean, I think there should be a bit more leeway in life.
Oh, by the way, I did take [Cooking] as a skill?
Because I often miss meals at the inn due to late production activities every day.
So, I bought this thing called a [Simple Cooking Kit] and I’ve been cooking and eating in the compounding room on my own.
It’s convenient there because you can use fire and water as much as you want.
And while I was happily cooking, Milene caught me.
But when I offered her some food as hush money, she just gave me a light warning saying, “Don’t do this when others are around,” and let it slide!
Well, in exchange, I’ve had more opportunities to prepare late-night snacks for Milene too…
Well, I’ve managed to reach D-rank, but…
For these two weeks, all I’ve been doing is [Compounding], [Alchemy], and [Cooking]!
I haven’t really explored the town at all, and I think it’s about time I engage in some monster battles too! Otherwise, I’m starting to forget how to fight monsters!
Yeah, yeah.
So, I was just thinking about taking a little break from production activities, but…
“Damn it! I can’t figure it out! It’s not here! The method for making [Hellfire Grass]!”
Someone came down to the first floor shouting really loudly, and it completely stopped my train of thought. Oh, isn’t this the person I saw in the reference room earlier?
“Hey, could you not shout so suddenly?”
“Oops, sorry. Um… Ms. Remine?”
“It’s Milene, Milene! At least remember the names of the guild executives!”
“Never mind that, Milene, there’s no document in the reference room about how to make [Hellfire Grass]!”
The one complaining is a tall man wearing a bandana. He looks like a muscular but lean guy. Judging from the two horns growing from his forehead, I guess he might be an ogre or oni or something like that?
“You’re probably just not looking properly.”
“No, that’s not it! I’m telling you, the document isn’t there! Please check it properly!”
“In that case, it might be in the C-rank section.”
“Can’t you do something about it? I’m B-rank in [Smithing], you know… Can’t you give me permission to view the C-rank [Alchemy] materials?”
“Rules are rules, so I can’t do that.”
[Smithing]…?
[Smithing]!
That’s right, I forgot!
The reason I originally wanted to pursue a production job was because I wanted to do [Smithing]!
Despite that, I’ve been so absorbed in [Compounding] and [Alchemy] that I haven’t done any [Smithing] at all!
It might be late, but I want to do [Smithing]!
“Damn, I guess I have no choice but to raise my [Alchemy] rank! …Hm? By the way, who’s this? I don’t recognize her face.”
“She’s our promising new recruit, Yamamoto-chan.”
“Ah, I’m Yamamoto. Nice to meet you.”
“Oh. I’m Gaga. Nice to meetcha. …Hm? A promising new recruit? Wait, didn’t the guild say they weren’t taking any new recruits for a while?”
“If I say she’s talent we wanted even if we had to bend the rules… do you understand?”
“Oho.”
I felt like Milene-san and Gaga-san’s eyes sparkled.
Ugh, I have a bad feeling about this…
“Come to think of it, Gaga-kun, you were a [Smithing] specialist, weren’t you? You’re still B-rank because you’re too picky about requests, but your skills are almost A-rank, right?”
“It’s my policy not to take boring requests. Besides, if you have decent skills and good materials, you can make reasonably good weapons, right? I don’t want to take requests that don’t need my personal touch.”
“And what was it? Gaga-kun, you had a dream, didn’t you?”
“Ah, I get mocked for it quite a bit. I’m aiming for S-rank. That’s why I don’t want to waste time on trivial requests. Hey, rookie, I’ll kill you if you laugh at my dream, got it?”
No, I won’t laugh…
I’ll get through this with that ambiguous expression Japanese people are good at!
“Tch, making a face I can’t read…”
“So? Is that why you started learning [Alchemy]? You want to consider [Smithing] from multiple angles to aim for the ultimate [Smithing] that can’t be achieved with just ordinary [Smithing], right?”
“My [Smithing] buddies laughed at me, saying if I had time to study that, I should be making better weapons… Hmph, but I beat up all those guys!”
I don’t even need to guess, but is Gaga-san a very quick-tempered person? He seems as short-tempered as an Edo-period townsman or an easily angered middle school student, doesn’t he?
“I see. Well then, I have an interesting material here, want to try forging it? It’s an unusual new recruit who has mastered [Compounding] and [Alchemy] to D-rank, and even has the [Smithing] skill.”
“Oh?”
Milene-san and Gaga-san’s gazes turn towards me.
By the way, is there any room for my opinion here? My little break from production activities is being forced into a complete halt!?
“If Gaga-kun trains her in [Smithing], she might show you what you’ve been wanting to see~”
“I walk towards my own goals on my own two feet. So I have no intention of handing over my goals to someone else. But well―”
I flinch with an “Ugh” at Gaga-san’s sharp gaze. This person isn’t so much quick-tempered as he is always serious. It’s like he doesn’t understand jokes. I think we might not be very compatible…
“―If you yourself want to learn [Smithing], I wouldn’t mind teaching you.”
Am I being tested…? Does he want to know if I have motivation or not? If I have motivation, is he telling me to show it?
No, I was planning to do [Smithing] originally! I should consider this a golden opportunity! I can take a break later!
“I want to do [Smithing]! Please teach me, I beg you!”
“Tch”
Eh, what’s with that tongue click!? Did I ask wrong!?
“Come to the East Gate tomorrow morning. I’ll guide you.”
Saying that, Gaga-san left the guild.
This means…
“That’s great. He’s agreed to take you as his apprentice~”
“Um, apprentice…?”
Well, I guess this means I’ve secured a promise to be taught [Smithing], right? I’m not sure about this apprenticeship thing, but…
“In that case, Yamamoto-chan needs to prepare for tomorrow.”
“Prepare for tomorrow?”
“That’s right. Gaga-kun’s workshop is deep in the forest, so it’s dangerous if you don’t prepare properly~”
Deep in the forest…
–What did you say!?
■□■
The next day, early morning–
“Oh, you came, rookie… Wait, what’s that?”
When I arrived at the meeting place using [Wagon Summon] for the first time in a while, Gaga-san greeted me with a strange look.
Yeah. Anyone would make that face if they suddenly saw a self-driving wagon without a horse.
But I’m desperate too. It’s my first outing in a while, plus we’re going deep into the forest.
With the pain settings at maximum and the added element of a death game, I’ve panicked on my own, and this is the result.
Name: Yamamoto
Race: Dullahan (Fairy)
Gender: Female
Age: 0 years old
LV: 11
HP: 1230/1230
MP: 1230/1230
SP: 0
Physical Attack: 135 (+12)
Magic Attack: 123
Physical Defense: 138 (+15)
Magic Defense: 136 (+13)
Stamina: 123
Agility: 123
Intuition: 123
Spirit: 123
Fate: 123
Unique Skill: [Balance]
Race Skill: [Wagon Summon]
Common Skills: [Smithing] Lv3 / [Alchemy] Lv3 / [Compounding] Lv3 / [Appraisal] Lv3 / [Storage] Lv3 / [Fire Magic] Lv3 / [Water Magic] Lv3 / [Wind Magic] Lv3 / [Earth Magic] Lv3 / [Light Magic] Lv3 / [Dark Magic] Lv3 / [Cooking] Lv3
Yes, I’ve dumped all my SP into stats, so what! I mean, it’s too scary, isn’t it!?
There’s a possibility of being ambushed by some unknown strong monster and dying instantly, right? In that case, I have no choice but to become stronger so I don’t die!
As a result of pouring all my SP into stats, my status has nearly doubled in strength!
Even with this, I can’t feel at ease because it’s a death game!
Ugh, give me back my peace of mind…
“What’s this? A wagon without horses?”
“Ah, I’m a Dullahan. This is my personal wagon.”
“A wagon… A wagon, huh…”
Gaga-san marvels at the advanced design.
Well, it looks like a Dendo○ium, after all.
“Anyway, please take a seat at the driver’s bench. Let’s go as far as we can by wagon. Also, please guide the way.”
“Tch, can’t be helped. I’ll be intruding then.”
Gaga-san has a foul mouth, but he’s surprisingly obedient. Hehe…
“What are you laughing at, hey!”
“Ow!”
I got hit. But it doesn’t hurt at all.
I wonder if he held back? He’s unexpectedly kind.
We leave the city gates and progress in the wagon with a rumbling sound. Perhaps due to my significantly increased stats, the wagon now seems to plow through obstructing tree branches without a flinch.
At this rate, we might be able to proceed without having to zigzag like we did with Tatsu-san.
“You’re going quite recklessly…”
That was Gaga-san’s comment as I drove the wagon, crashing through obstacles.
Huh!? Does he think I’m careless!?
“The travel might be rough, but my work is delicate!”
“I find that very hard to believe…”
“Look at the design of this armor! I did this myself, you know! See, look at these intricate decorations!”
“Alright! I get it, so keep your eyes on the road! You’re crushing branches again!”
I tried to defend myself, but it seems it didn’t work. Human communication is quite difficult, isn’t it?
While I was thinking about that, a monster appeared, so I performed a hit-and-run attack!
And for the finishing blow, “[Fire Strike]!” – I’ll pierce it with a fire spear! By the way, this is the Level 3 skill of [Fire Magic]!
“So the young lady can use magic too…”
“Just a little. What about you, Gaga-san? Can’t you use it?”
“What would a blacksmith do with magic?”
“It might be convenient for lighting the forge, you know?”
“If it’s just that level… no, the accumulation of magic essence in the forge might be interesting? Hmm, I see…”
Looks like he’s come up with something.
I’ll keep driving the wagon so as not to disturb him.
“I thought you were being forced on me, but you’ve got some interesting ideas. — Hey, rookie! What’s your name!”
“I told you when we met at the guild, didn’t I?”
“Obviously I forgot! Don’t make me say it!”
“In that case, it’s Yamamoto, Yamamoto.”
“Yamamoto… Are you interested in magic swords…?”
Magic swords?
Surprised by those words, I inadvertently neglected controlling the wagon.
As a result, we had a head-on collision with a large tree! Well, the tree was destroyed, so there wasn’t any serious damage.
“Hey! Seriously, watch where you’re going!? I thought we were gonna die!?”
“Ah, it’s okay. I can use [Heal Light].”
“That’s not the point!”
Gaga-san hits me again.
But it doesn’t hurt. Is he holding back?
“Hey, aren’t you kinda hard…?”
“Am I?”
Without a point of comparison, I can’t really tell.
Am I hard? As a girl, I’d rather be called soft than hard…
“Anyway, about those magic swords?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you a blacksmith specializing in magic swords, Gaga-san?”
“Nah, I’ve never made a magic sword.”
You’ve never made one!?
“Actually, there aren’t any. Blacksmiths who can make magic swords, I mean. In the Demon King’s country, that is. Even if you searched the whole world, you’d probably only find them among the exclusive blacksmiths of the Dwarf nation or something like that.”
Eh, are magic swords that rare?
“Your face is easy to read, you know… Well, there are quite a few people who own magic swords themselves. High-ranking adventurers often have multiple and even brag about their collections.”
“Then…”
“But those are natural ones.”
Natural ones?
“Natural ones are those that occasionally appear in dungeon treasure chests or as monster drops. But there are hardly any people who can artificially create them.”
“I see…”
I see. Because it’s a fantasy world, I thought magic swords weren’t that rare, but trying to make one yourself is quite troublesome, huh.
That’s cool! How romantic!
“For now, I’m in the middle of trying to artificially create such magic swords. I studied [Alchemy] to see if I could make magic swords too.”
Come to think of it, Gaga-san was looking for the recipe to create an item called [Hellfire Grass], wasn’t he?
He said he couldn’t find it, but when I look for [Hellfire Grass] in the [Alchemy] recipe list, it’s there plain as day.
So I think either the document really isn’t in that reference room, or Gaga-san just isn’t good at searching.
“You were looking for the [Hellfire Grass] recipe, right?”
“I heard [Hellfire Grass] was a grass with fire properties. I thought if I used it as a material in [Smithing], I might be able to make a fire magic sword or something. Well, the recipe for [Hellfire Grass] itself wasn’t there though.”
“The [Hellfire Grass] recipe is there, you know.”
“Huh?”
After freezing for a moment, he suddenly grabs my neck. Hey, hey, don’t shake my head so hard! It might come off!
“You had it? The [Hellfire Grass] recipe! Why didn’t you say so earlier! And tell me about it!”
“Well, you were talking with Milene-san! I didn’t think a nobody like me should interrupt! Also, please stop shaking my head. It’s about to come off!”
“Oh.”
Just as I was speaking, my head popped off with a “plop.”
I quickly caught it with one hand. Then, in a motion like an alley-oop, I reconnected it to my neck. Ah, my vision blurred for a moment – that was scary…
“See? Didn’t I tell you? It comes off!”
“Man, you’re really something else…”
While deepening our friendship with Gaga-san, we continued to travel through the forest by carriage.