Chapter 165 - A Malicious Masterpiece
“I see. So, you told Seth (Miki)-chan about the Mithril ore deposit.”
"Yeah. It was good timing."
Saturday night.
There was no live stream today, so I wanted to take it easy, but tomorrow I'd finally be trying that 'unlock code' door, so I had to prepare.
"Woof."
"Mmm, be careful."
"~~~♪"
I parted ways with Lupi, Sweee, and the fairies at the crossroads. They seemed to be heading to the southwest forest to play.
As for me,
"First, I guess I should check the ore deposit. Light."
Guided by the Light Spirit's illumination, I descended the stairs into the mine.
The mining points within reach that I could see first seemed to have respawned.
Then,
"Hmm, the Mithril point hasn't respawned..."
“Will it never be mined again?”
"No, the point itself seems to remain, so I think it's a pattern where it takes several days, or even longer, to respawn.
If that's the case, I'll have to use my current Mithril ingots carefully."
I had enough Iron Ore, so no mining for today.
I went up the stairs and asked the Light Spirit to extinguish the light.
"Well, I think iron is better than Mithril for a ken-nata anyway."
“Is it because it chips easily after all?”
"That's part of it, but a ken-nata is better when it's a bit heavy."
I opened the blacksmithing area door to my right and picked up one iron ingot and one Mithril ingot that were lying in the back.
"Mithril is quite light, so it's not really suited for something like a ken-nata that relies on its weight to cut things."
If I tried to make a Mithril ken-nata the same weight as an iron one, it would have to be twice as large, which would essentially make it a longsword.
It's difficult to get the right amount of weight, and considering that, does it mean I'd have to adjust it every time my STR goes up? That's a problem...
“What about the shield?”
"For a shield, I really want it to be light and sturdy, so I'd like to use Mithril, but..."
“First, a prototype then.”
"Yeah."
There are also issues of size and shape, so I really should raise my Shield Skill to a certain extent first.
...
..
.
[Blacksmithing Skill level has increased!]
“Congratulations.”
"Thanks. But... this is more like..."
Is this even a type of ken-nata?
Following the Skill Assist for blacksmithing, I tried to make a ken-nata that could be thrown, and it turned out like... a kukri knife? Or was it a Gurkha knife? It ended up slightly curved inwards.
Well, anyway, Appraisal...
[High-quality Ken-nata]
A one-handed ken-nata. High-quality. Attack power +41. Dagger: One-handed weapon. Can cut trees up to a certain size.
"It really is a ken-nata after all. And wow, the attack power is high!"
It's surprisingly close to the attack power of a two-handed axe. Well, it looks pretty malicious too, I guess...
“It looks dangerous without a sheath…”
"Yeah. I'll make that along with the small shield."
And the materials for the small shield and sheath were secured yesterday and left in the cave.
I exited the room, grabbed a slightly warped 50cm log from the pile at the edge of the cave, and returned to the blacksmithing area.
“Is that wood from the dense forest? I heard it’s difficult to use because it’s warped.”
"It's hard to make straight planks or house pillars with it, but this Papu Tree wood is hard."
“Eh? You cut down a Papu Tree?!”
"Yeah. I talked to Sweee properly and thinned out the ones that were in bad locations."
“Thinning?”
Mion didn't seem to get it, but I figured it's not something people normally know. I only know because my grandpa taught me.
If trees grow too close to each other, they compete for nutrients in the soil, and one often ends up in the shade, leading to many negative outcomes.
To avoid this, you just thin out one of them. It's supposedly common when doing reforestation, but I don't know much about that.
This time, I cut down the slightly smaller tree on the shaded side. So, it wasn't particularly grand.
“Shou-kun, you know too much...”
"No, I think even people in gardening guilds probably know, right?"
Di-something-or-other-san...
I only remember Jinbee-shishou and Mashiro-nee's friend Season-san.
“First, the small shield with that Papu Tree wood.”
"Yeah. Before, I thought I could just slice it cross-sectionally and it would be quick, but it wasn't that easy."
To make it, I asked Seth to show me what my master's small shield was like.
It felt like the wood fibers were carefully arranged, and an iron frame solidly held it all together.
If I had just used a cross-section as is, it would have split like firewood, you know. What was I thinking?
“Shou-kun, before you make it, your Shield Skill...”
"Ah, crap. I almost forgot again. Thanks."
I acquired Shield Skill with 1 SP with a click.
I hope this gives me some kind of boost... but I wonder?
...
..
.
"It's done... That was tough..."
“Amazing! It’s completely different from what I imagined!”
"The Skill Assist was super helpful, but it overdid it..."
Is it thanks to my Woodcraft Skill level?
When I responded to things like 'this part is weak' or 'this is insufficient,' it somehow turned into an impressive small shield? This isn't a small shield anymore, is it?
[Quality Round Shield]
A round shield made of wood, iron, and Ranziboa leather. Good quality. Defense +28. Shield: Equipable.
"It's a round shield, not a small shield. Well, I messed up the size a bit."
I intended the diameter to be about the length from my elbow, but while thinking about making it a bit larger and then adding an iron frame, it ended up being the length from my forearm.
“It looks really good, but can you hold it?”
"Hmm, I'll try holding it."
I slipped my arm through the straps... it felt heavy, but it was probably okay. It's a good thing I allocated a lot of points to STR.
Thanks to the Ranziboa leather glued to the back, the straps were tight, giving it a nice, snug fit.
"And then I'll hold the ken-nata with this. Yeah, the balance is just right."
I checked my surroundings just in case, then swung the ken-nata around.
...I need a bit more grip. A wooden handle alone feels like it could slip out, which is scary. Maybe wrap it with Greydeer leather?
"Yeah, I can do it! All that's left is the grip and the sheath!"
“You have about an hour left.”
"Good. With this, I might be able to try tomorrow."
“Right!”
My remaining SP was dwindling, so it was about time to level up again.
Somehow, Seth is already character level 15, three levels above me, and Bell-bucho is apparently 17.
I wonder if Leona-sama or someone else will hit the level cap of 20 soon?
Speaking of which, I wonder how that ancient ruin with the mine turned out.
I told Seth that a Mithril ore deposit might suddenly be found, but if it really was true, there would have been quite a commotion...