章節 8: 8, Bats, Brawls, and Buried Treasure
But it wasn't just goblins; bats also swarmed him, making things even more annoying. Their flight made it difficult to hit them with the shovel, adding to the challenge.
I managed to defeat the creature and obtained some bat wings. They seem more useful than goblin pants, so I'll take them back with me.
"Lena, it's time to retreat. My magic power is running low."
"Understood, let's head back. This wasn't something we could handle together. Lily had warned us about the area near the boss, saying it looked like a totem. She said we should retreat as soon as we got there, but let's just go home."
I leveled up and improved my tool and mining skills, but fighting with just a shovel and hammer has its limits. Fortunately, I also managed to find some gemstones, specifically topaz, along with a small amount of silver during my mining—an adequate haul.
I turned on my heel and began retracing my steps. Since it was a straight path, I expected no more battles on the way back... but just then, the ground began to tremble.
"Oh no, am I going to get buried alive?!"
"Lena! Be careful not to fall!"
"Phoebe, hold on tight to your pocket!"
An earthquake in a game world?! I wasn't too worried about myself, but Phoebe getting buried would be a catastrophe. Despite the danger, I darted toward the exit!
I had no idea how sturdy this cave was, and since there was a risk of collapse, I couldn't afford to stand still.
"Thank goodness it's a straight path!"
More than twenty seconds passed, and the shaking showed no signs of stopping. This didn't feel like a natural earthquake! Either way, staying in the cave like this was far too risky!
"Lena! There's an entrance right in front of us... but there are monsters nearby!"
"Are you serious? Enemies?!"
As I followed Phoebe's pointed finger, I spotted the glow of the exit and a figure standing in front of it—a giant goblin, much larger than the others.
"No way! That's the boss, isn't it?! What is it doing here?!"
It matched the descriptions Lily had given me: twice the size of a regular goblin, wielding a poor-quality greatsword on its shoulder, and wrapped in chains. This was the boss of the cave!
The boss seemed to notice us and took a combat stance. Based on Lily's advice, there was no doubt this creature was stronger than us… getting hit by it would spell disaster.
But with the boss blocking the entrance, whether we fought or not, the only path lay behind it.
"Phoebe, can you make the light above us shine with all its might, just for a moment?!"
"I can do that!"
"Then when I shout 'Light,' do it! Please!"
Shouting this, I dashed towards the exit. As I closed the distance, the boss swung its greatsword to sweep the ground. I leaped with all my strength to avoid it!
"Light!"
Our voices overlapped, and the light above burst into a blinding flash, momentarily blinding the boss.
"Enjoy this too!"
Using the momentum from my jump, I swung the blacksmith's hammer I held in one hand with all my might, striking down on its head. With a crack, akin to a thunderclap from my connection with Phoebe, I landed a electrifying blow!
"Pursuit!"
As I landed, I jumped again, raising my hammer and delivering a powerful strike to the boss's jaw. The next blow, enhanced by the resonance with Phoebe, ignited with flames. After taking two direct hits to the head, the boss staggered and fell. Although it wasn't defeated, our priority was to retreat, and this was our best chance to escape!
"Nice job, Phoebe! Your timing with the light was perfect!"
"Thank you! Are we not going to finish it off?"
"Right now, our top concern is getting to safety!"
The tremors continued, an unnerving length that suggested something was terribly wrong. Despite the danger, Phoebe and I abandoned the boss and made our way out of the cave.
"Whew… First, let's contact Lily."
Once outside, we created some distance to get a better view of the cave. Scanning the area, I noticed others in the distant meadow, alert to the ongoing quakes.
"Hey, Lily! The earthquakes just won't stop! Do you know what's happening?"
Cursing the shaking that made it difficult to type, I hoped my sister would understand despite the typos and sent the message.
"I don't know, it's calm here. If I had to guess, maybe someone in Lena's area activated a widespread numerical quest? At least, if you make it back to town, you shouldn't get caught up in it!"
Suddenly, a response came back at breakneck speed... Just as expected from Lily. I had only one option.
"Let's head back to town, Phoebe. It's dangerous with these ongoing tremors."
"Y-yes, the shaking is making me feel a bit sick."
Unfortunately, I was stuck with Phoebe, who was low-level and would be wiped out if she died. Even though it was a game where respawning was possible, I didn't want to rush into danger.
As I turned to head back to town, a violent tremor hit, knocking me off my feet. With Phoebe in my breast pocket, I couldn't fall forward and had to lean back, landing hard on my back. I felt a solid thud against my back and head, but luckily, since it was a game, there was only mild pain—no fainting or bleeding. My HP bar did take a hit, though...
"Are you okay, Lena?!"
"I'm... somehow fine. I'm just glad Phoebe isn't hurt. But did the earthquake stop?"
What was that tremor all about? Had the seal on some monster been broken? While I pondered, a system message appeared.
"Due to a quest initiated by Elaine, tectonic shifts have occurred in your area. Some cave-like dungeons have collapsed, creating new cave dungeons. Additionally, treasure chests have been placed at the entrances of the collapsed cave dungeons."
I quickly checked the cave I had just entered. Instead of a cave, there was only a solitary treasure chest sitting in the open.
"The cave is gone... What would have happened if we were inside? It's chilling..."
"It'll be alright... Even if that were the case, I'll do my best to save Phoebe..."
To reassure the frightened Phoebe, I couldn't help but wonder if she had nearly been killed in someone else's quest, and being trapped in a collapsing dungeon would likely mean instant death... It gives me chills... What has Elaine gotten us into? But...
"First things first, a treasure chest!"
In a stroke of luck, I was the only one near the cave, allowing me to open the chest.
'Lena opened the treasure chest and obtained a large Earth Crystal!'
Wow, this looks incredibly rare!
With this, I can definitely make a powerful weapon!
"Alright, let's head back, Phoebe! We're going to craft a strong weapon!"
"Yes! Let's do it, Lena!"
As long as the ending is good, everything else is fine. With renewed energy, Phoebe and I made our way back to the town. Along the way, we avoided battles and collected useful herbs and plants with my appraisal skill.
However, upon returning to the town, I encountered a problem.
"Oh no, I just remembered—I need Lily's help to get to the forge..."
That forge is a shared facility belonging to Lily's team, and without her presence and the leader's permission, I can't use the previous forge... That's how it was supposed to work...
"Are you not going to contact Lily?"
"I really should… but my sister has her own circumstances. She probably wants to test the weapons she made yesterday, and I don't want to interrupt her."
As I pondered what to do, a voice called from behind me.
"Hey, aren't you the gym uniform blacksmith?"
"Are you the leader?"
I turned around to see someone I recognized from the forge yesterday. I hadn't paid much attention then because I was caught up with Lily, but now I noticed he was clad in full plate armor, a strikingly handsome man with black hair and black eyes. Had he put a lot of effort into his character creation?
"I'm not the leader; my name is Lydia. But that's beside the point. I've heard plenty from rowdy Lily, including the confidentiality issue. If you're in trouble, I'm willing to help, gym uniform blacksmith."
"Thank you! My name is Lena. I'm sorry about the confidentiality request… and I have a somewhat audacious favor to ask. Could you lend me the forge again?"
I bowed to Lydia, grateful for her understanding. Seriously, what trouble has rowdy Lily gotten into?
"Sure, that works for me. I'd like to see what you made yesterday, anyway. And if you need help with skills like sewing, I can teach you."
"You'll teach me sewing skills? I can't thank you enough, especially since I'm already borrowing the facilities!"
"Is it really possible for siblings to be this different?" I thought as I guided them to the forge. Just how wild is Lily in this world? With that question lingering in my mind, we headed toward the blacksmith we had visited yesterday.
"So, what do you plan to make? I can provide a bit of material if needed."
"Hmm, what should I do? Given the chance, I want to use this Large Earth Crystal I just acquired..."
"Lena, it seems you've found quite the rare item," I remarked, surprised as she pulled out the massive crystal from some hidden place, using the power of the system. If it's that rare, we should be able to forge some strong gear.
"But are you sure about this? Last time, you ended up dying when you finished the item..."
"Due to my skills, my life force deteriorates faster during crafting, so I need some healing power while I work."
"I'll use my regeneration to make sure you don't collapse, Lena!" Phoebe's support is appreciated, but even with that, I still feel like I might die from the HP drop at the end… If that happens, I'll just have to accept it.
"Then I can help a little with healing; I have some minor recovery skills."
"Thank you! I'd really appreciate your assistance."
Having extra help is a blessing.
"So, what exactly are you going to create? The materials and recipes will vary depending on what you choose."
"...Sorry, what's a recipe?"
The leader's expression twisted in confusion: "What?"
"You're an advanced blacksmith, right?"
"In this world, I arrived yesterday, and after my work yesterday, my blacksmith skill reached level 6."
The leader buried his head in his hands. According to my sister, skills max out at level 10, so it was probably hard for him to believe that a total beginner, who showed up just a day ago, already had a blacksmith level of 6.
"But the story I heard about Lily was different…?"
"Well, I think it's because I was doing an apprenticeship in blacksmithing in real life, which helped me level up so quickly."
"…I don't really get Lena's background, but for now, I'll teach you everything necessary for blacksmithing, aside from the recipes and what you did yesterday."
The leader began explaining. He said that a recipe is essentially a paper or book that contains instructions. If you don't have the corresponding recipe for what you want to make, the difficulty of the task increases. Last time, since Lily had the blueprint, the difficulty didn't rise.
"So, we need to find a recipe that matches the earth crystal?"
"Not exactly; it's more like a template. If you want to make a shovel, you'll need the shovel recipe; if you want a sword, you'll need the sword recipe. I have some extra shovel recipes, though."
"Yes, please!"
Focusing mainly on gathering materials and not making money, I found myself with only a meager amount of funds—probably not enough to buy any recipes. It seemed my only option for crafting was a shovel.
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