Chapter 73

Morning had come.

However, it seemed to be a cloudy sky.

It was 6:00 AM, but the surroundings were quite dark.

Well.

Today, I have plans to visit the village of Legias.

Before that, I can add a new summoned monster.

Which one should I choose?

I put on my equipment and went out to the yard.

I summoned the Crescent Moon and decided to call a new summoned monster next.

I designated the empty slot in the 9th column and looked at the summon list.

Wolf

Horse

Hawk

Owl

Wood Puppet

Bat

Wood Golem

Beast Ape

Oni

Red Fox

Tiger

Viper

Skeleton

Slime

There were no new candidates.

I thought there might be more cows, but there weren't.

The same went for spirits.

I was somewhat interested in the Gas Cloud, but summoning spirits seems to be a privilege granted only to elves, so I'll have to give up on that.

In the end, I chose the Slime.

Why?

I already have a front-line fighter and an aerial unit.

I want a rear guard, but an aerial unit can substitute.

The problem is in narrow places like labyrinths.

It would be good to have a monster that can excel in such situations.

"Summon Monster!"

Then, a semi-transparent blob-like slime appeared.

I also gave it a name.

Rig Slime Lv1 (New!)

Dexterity: 10

Agility: 6

Intelligence: 5

Strength: 5

Vitality: 8

Spirit: 5

Skills:

Dissolve, Shape Change, Viscosity Change, Surface Tension Shift, Physical Attack Immunity

Wow.

The stats are too low.

But the skills are the focus.

The words "Physical Attack Immunity" shine brightly.

This is the greatest significance of a slime, one could say.

This characteristic is not unique to slimes.

While not perfect, slugs also had it.

And that Gas Cloud as well.

Being immune to normal weapon attacks is enough to be a significant threat.

When it comes to being immune to everything, it's downright vicious.

However, this monster's movement is slow.

And its intelligence is also a concern.

Still, Jericho, the Wood Golem, is moving well.

I won't know until I try it out.

Today, I plan to pass through the forest labyrinth to the south.

If I explore during the day, it's Helix's turn to shine.

I summoned Helix.

I want to pass through the forest labyrinth quickly.

Yesterday, I repeatedly summoned and dismissed monsters, consuming too much MP.

The main reason for the lack of MP during the Gas Cloud battle was that, so I want to be a bit more cautious today.

I proceed cautiously on the road to the village of Legias.

As for Rig, the slime, half of it is stuck to my back.

The other half is attached to Crescent Moon.

It's not in the way, but sometimes the player's gaze feels painful.

It might be mistaken for an attack.

There seem to be many players around Legias this morning.

Probably many parties are challenging the forest labyrinth.

It would be a bit troublesome if it gets crowded, but it should be okay.

When I enter the village, curious gazes are directed at me.

Rig, sitting on Crescent Moon, looks like a giant kudzu mochi.

When I touch it, it has a nice, bouncy feel.

Looking closely, I can see large bubbles inside its body.

Reasonably, it seems to be increasing its viscosity by reducing the water content in its body.

The bubbles are likely water collected from all over its body.

Putting aside such thoughts, I enjoy the sensation.

It's good.

But my opinion was completely rejected.

"Is a slime really okay?"

Irina, while helping at the stall, showed a difficult expression at my choice.

It's fine.

From a distance, it looks like a kudzu mochi.

It's also good to touch.

"Good morning, Keith. Is that your new summoned monster?"

While eating breakfast given by Irina, Fina spoke to me.

I'll answer after finishing my meal.

"Good morning. I thought using such a summoned monster might be a good idea."

After quickly finishing my meal, I showed her the items I obtained from yesterday's exploration.

There weren't many.

Actually, I only intended to sell the beef and the snow ape bones.

"Snow ape bones, huh. So you reached a place with monsters on your own?"

"Pretty much."

"Even the meat is new."

"Please give it to Mio."

"Of course, I'll buy it."

We chatted a bit after that.

It seems that the jeweler, Lapidary, is running late.

I also gathered some information during the conversation.

Mainly about the progress in various areas.

First, the northern area.

There was a mine and an old dwarf cave adjacent to it, and it seems that part of it has been breached.

In the wide-area map, it's in the N2 and N1E1 directions.

Neither has found an area portal yet.

The eastern area.

There was a place that couldn't be progressed without a boat, and it was thought that the lack of players would hinder progress.

However, a party broke through yesterday and found an area portal.

It seems to be a party of two fishermen.

I have a player in mind.

It's the one I saw at the tournament.

One of them is definitely him.

And finally, the southern area.

It seems that a camp that can be used as an area portal was finally set up near the quarry.

The discovered cave dungeon is quite large, and progress is slow.

However, there is a party that seems to have broken through.

It's not posted on the bulletin board, but it's information from guild members.

Fina seems to be a merchant, but from the player's perspective, she seems to value information gathering.

She always gathers a lot of information.

"Good morning, Fina. Are you late?"

"It's fine, Margrid. Ah, Keith, this girl is the Lapidary I mentioned."

"Nice to meet you. I'm the summoner, Keith."

"Likewise. I'm Lapidary, Margrid."

She looks like a mage.

She seems unassuming, but her eyes exude intelligence.

This girl has big eyes.

"I watched the video. To be honest, it makes me hesitate."

"Hesitate?"

"About what kind of enhancement to use, even if there are gems."

"Keith, show her the gem first."

Prompted by Fina, I took out the blue spinel.

It was something I had been storing.

I re-identified it.

[Material Item] Blue Spinel Quality C- Rarity 3 Weight 0+

A semi-transparent mineral with an octahedral crystal.

It is not particularly valuable, but it is known to help with magic casting when processed.

What kind of thing is it?

"It's not rare, but it's a pity. If it were a bit larger, it would have been Quality C."

"Can it be processed?"

"Cutting and polishing. But the problem is Keith's combat style."

"That's true. You seem to use your rod more for striking than for magic assistance."

I didn't understand the content of Fina's response.

Margrid explained to me.

The main use of gems is to enhance magic skills by equipping them.

It would be a waste for players to hold gems just for decoration.

The common use is to embed them in a staff to boost M-AP.

And enhancing magic power consumes magic stones.

The reason why staffs are the most popular for embedding gems is that they are the most effective.

After that, the next most efficient is a ring.

"For example, something like this."

Margrid showed me her main staff.

I asked for permission and identified it.

[Weapon Item: Staff] Young Elm Staff+ Quality C+ Rarity 4

AP+0 M-AP+10 Damage 1 Weight 1 Durability 90

A staff made from a young elm branch.

It has a slightly twisted shape and is not suitable for striking.

[Custom]

Reinforced with a pink spinel.

※ Provides a +1 intelligence bonus to fire attribute magic only

This is amazing.

There's a special effect, even if it's limited to fire attribute magic.

"You'll understand when you identify it, but magic staffs are not designed for striking."

That's right.

The problem is my combat style.

It all comes down to that.

Kaya's Rod is used more for striking.

I usually don't pay much attention to it, but it does boost spell attack power.

I had completely forgotten.

The same goes for the tonfa.

Moreover, I use both hand-to-hand combat and magic, which is a bit of a mess.

In other words, if I embed it in the rod, there's a risk that the gem will fall out due to the distortion.

Hand-to-hand combat would make it meaningless.

It's a shame.

"Besides the staff, the most popular choice is a ring, but I don't recommend it either."

That's right.

I use my fists.

Other options are also jewelry, but they are less efficient.

There's another problem.

Rings, for example, lose their effect if the base is not silver.

This makes them expensive because they use silver.

Just to be safe, I showed Margrid the rod and tonfa I use.

She immediately pointed out the flaws.

"They are too thin. Embedding a gem would weaken the durability."

That's a no-go.

This makes me regret my combat style.

"I'll prepare the money within the possible range. Can you make other jewelry, even if the effect is low?"

"Yes, I can. It will take a bit of explanation, but is that okay?"

Then, it became a lecture.

The students were me and Fina.

Fina also wanted to listen for business purposes.

The most common jewelry is a ring.

The material cost is low, but the quality is heavily influenced by the gem cutting, polishing, and base processing.

It's easy to get an effect that increases MP recovery speed.

In my case, since I use my fists, it's a definite pass.

Next, a circlet.

If the gem is too large for a ring, this is recommended.

It's less efficient than a ring, but it's easier to process and the quality is stable.

However, the base, such as a silver chain, tends to be expensive.

It's also easy to get an effect that reduces MP consumption.

In my case, I use headbutts, so this is not ideal.

Earrings.

If the gem is small and not a ring, this is the option.

However, it's not strongly recommended.

It can get caught and cause injury during adventures.

It's also easy to get resistance to magic attacks.

I'm not quite convinced.

Bracelets and anklets.

These are mainly for defensive purposes, so it's rare to enhance them with gems.

Bracelets tend to increase weapon hit rate, and anklets tend to increase agility.

I'm interested in the additional effects.

But they interfere with the equipment I already have on my hands and feet.

Pass.

Necklaces.

These are also mainly for defensive purposes, so it's rare to enhance them with gems.

They are easy to get resistance to status effects.

Since I don't usually wear them, it might be a concern.

I'll keep it in mind.

Finally, necklaces.

These are the most complicated.

They require a silver chain, which makes them expensive.

They can also be used with multiple gems.

It's possible to add gems later.

And there are special effects.

There are some unknowns.

"Well, no jewelry is guaranteed to have a special effect. I don't want to raise expectations."

That's Margrid's opinion.

She has worked on a few blue spinels in jewelry, but none of them had special effects.

After hearing the explanation, I pondered a bit.

The most practical choice would be a necklace.

It's usually worn under armor.

It's also less likely to get in the way during combat.

The others make me hesitate.

"Can you make a necklace?"

"Eh?"

"None of the others seem to fit my combat style."

"The cost-effectiveness will be quite poor."

"That's fine."

"Understood. Let's decide on the details and the cost."

The average budget was about half of the money I currently have.

It includes the material cost for the silver chain and base, as well as the processing fee.

There's a reason it's unexpectedly cheap.

Magic stones.

I provided all the magic stones I have.

"With this much, we can do additional enhancements. What do you want?"

"Leave it to you."

"Are you sure?"

This made Margrid's eyes even bigger.

It was the first emotion she showed.

It was clear that she was filled with interest and expectation.

"Yes. I'll also provide additional funds."

"No, let's see how the additional enhancements turn out."

"That's reasonable."

Fina also joined the conversation when it came to negotiations.

She's a good merchant.

"Margrid, what's the delivery time? You had plans to hunt today, right?"

"Ah, Fina. I'll cancel today's forest labyrinth trip."

"I thought you would."

"The delivery will be the day after tomorrow. I have to make the base and chain from scratch."

"That's quick."

"Not really. The blue spinel is an octahedron."

"By the way, can you make bases and chains?"

"I have blacksmithing skills, so no problem."

Margrid's gaze was already appraising the blue spinel.

She looked very excited.

"What kind of additional enhancements will you do?"

"Engraving on the base and chain. Depending on the pattern, the magic power that can be added will increase."

Hmm.

What will the final product be like?

I'll look forward to it since I left it to her.

"By the way, can I add you as a friend? I'll contact you when it's done."

"Sure."

Getting a woman's contact information makes me a bit nervous.

My face might be grinning reflexively.

I received the money from Fina for the meat and bones.

I used that money to buy three meals of portable food, two meals of skewers and bread for breakfast.

If I go on an expedition, I don't have cooking skills.

I don't have a sense of cooking.

I only have the talent to make bad food.

It's a sad fact.

I left the village of Legias and headed for the forest labyrinth.

I saw several parties on the way.

The forest labyrinth is a good place to gain experience.

There are only two types of mushrooms and the Branch Golem, so it's easy to prepare.

I also had good practice.

Parties that break through the forest labyrinth will likely increase in the near future.

When the forest became deeper and moving with Crescent Moon became difficult, I switched to War Oni.

"Guge"

That was the reaction to seeing Rig, the slime.

I kept Helix perched on my shoulder.

To move quickly, I needed War Oni to carry the slow-moving Rig.

I had War Oni carry Rig.

Then, Rig started to deform and crawl all over War Oni's body.

War Oni let it crawl.

Rig finally seemed to find its position.

It deformed to cover the back of War Oni's neck and back, like a temporary armor.

It looked like a temporary armor.

Is this okay?

Well, I'll leave it to him.

We entered the forest labyrinth.

There were several parties in sight, so it seemed to be quite crowded.

The hall was fine, but the corridors were the problem.

We managed to pass through and head to the southern cave.

I hadn't seen Rig in battle yet.

There are goblins in this cave.

They would be suitable opponents to see Rig in action.

We encountered the goblins.

There were seven goblins.

I thought I would fight casually and reduce their numbers before seeing Rig in action.

But War Oni was slaughtering the goblins with a momentum that could wipe them all out.

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

I hadn't even killed one yet.

I stopped War Oni from fighting and urged Rig to attack.

No, Rig crawled towards a goblin that War Oni was holding down with one hand.

Rig reached the goblin's head via War Oni's arm.

The goblin immediately started to struggle.

Rig covered the goblin's upper body.

Rig's body was semi-transparent, but the goblin's struggling face was clearly visible for some reason.

After about a minute of Rig attacking the goblin, the battle was decided.

The goblin's body was in tatters.

The flesh was rotten.

It was as if it was being digested and eaten alive.

Of course, Rig was not taking any damage.

It's a nightmare.

If the opponent can only use physical attacks, is it invincible?

With the condition that the opponent is a living being.

At least, I don't want to fight it without magic.

We continued to advance, crushing two more groups of goblins.

The only items we stripped from them were pebbles.

It's a shame.

Naturally, we didn't collect them.

It seems that goblins are completely incompatible with me.

We passed through the cave.

On the wide-area map