Mine Survey and a New Encounter

I logged in. As usual, I'm devoting myself to construction work today. It's just a repetition of simple tasks, but it seems to suit me surprisingly well.

However, Cal seems thoroughly bored with it and apparently wants some vigorous exercise. In other words, Cal wants to go fight, but as luck would have it, today is finally the day Iris is heading to the 'Spearrock Fortune Mine.' I'll have Cal accompany her there.

If you're wondering whether I'll be doing the dismantling work alone, the answer is no. I'll be using the Undead unit I used when fighting the Hell Beast. As a use for soldiers during peaceful times without battles, construction work seems perfectly reasonable.

That being the case, I'll continue my construction work after seeing Iris and the others off. I'll be looking forward to hearing about their adventures!

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Six of them, including Iris and Cal, set out for the 'Spearrock Fortune Mine' to gather the stone needed for renovating the capital. The other four were Genzuro, Ruby, Moss-san, and Eiji. Although none of them could use magic, they had quite a few ranged options. They could be called a well-balanced party.

"Today's objective is to investigate where the mining points are and what can be mined from them, while gathering that information."

"Me! I have a question!"

"What is it, Ruby-san?"

"If we take our time investigating, we won't be able to clear the area, though. That's okay, right?"

"Yes, exactly. For now, rather than hurrying onward, we'll prioritize investigating the resources available right beside our base, the capital."

Until now, Izam and the others had kept moving farther and farther ahead, so they had rarely taken the time to thoroughly clear a single field. However, they now possessed an entire capital city as a base—the largest base of any clan. Since abandoning it was almost unthinkable, Iris and Shiitake, the two production-class players, both wanted to understand what resources could be obtained nearby.

Iris always handled crafting and repairing weapons and armor, while Shiitake supplied everything from various potions to chemicals that could be used in attacks. Every member of the clan understood that they could venture into the fields without worry because those two were there, so nobody objected to their decision. Whenever either of them requested an investigation, everyone was happy to accept unless there was an exceptionally good reason not to.

"Of course, if any hostile monsters show up, we'll fight them. I'm interested in their materials, too."

"Then leave that to me."

"I can hardly wait to put my skills to use!"

The investigation also included determining what items the monsters that appeared there would drop. Simply hiking through the mountains wouldn't count as an investigation. Genzuro's thoughtful nod with his arms crossed and Eiji's thumbs-up were both very reassuring.

"Then let's begin the investigation!"

"Graaaoooh!"

When Iris announced their departure, Cal, who was carrying her on his back, let out a spirited roar. Cal was happy to have Iris, the person he was most attached to after Izam, riding on his back.

Ruby led the way, followed by Eiji, Cal with Iris on his back, and Genzuro bringing up the rear. Moss-san flew at low altitude, prepared to deal with any attacks from above.

"Ruby, tell us if you spot any enemies."

"Yeah, I just spotted one."

They had only just begun climbing the mountain when Ruby said that. She transformed her smooth body into a hand and pointed at a rock. Everyone followed the direction of her finger and tilted their heads. That was because an utterly ordinary rock sat there, completely unremarkable.

"That's a monster. It looks like it's disguised as a rock."

"If you look closely, there is a difference... No, I can't see it."

"I don't think you can see through it without a detection-type Skill."

"Um... Oh, my ultrasound picked it up."

Ruby and Moss-san, who could detect enemies, had seen through the rock's disguise. Without them, the party would certainly have been ambushed, but the monster still didn't know that they had detected it. It was the perfect opportunity to ambush it in return.

"Who will make the first attack?"

"I shall. Hss!"

"Gueeaaah!?"

Genzuro drew his sword with a speed too fast for the eye to follow and activated a martial technique. The resulting flying slash tore across the monster's surface at the same speed as an iaijutsu draw. Revealing its true form with a grating scream, it was a monster shaped like an ostrich with a short neck.

The feathers covering its entire body had the texture of rock, and it had apparently disguised itself as a large boulder by lowering its neck and sitting down. Its beak was thick, with a neat row of fang-like projections. It was obviously a carnivorous monster.

"According to the results of 【Appraisal】, it's a Rock Ostrich. Its level is 66, and it has Earth and Fire attributes, as well as resistance to slashing and piercing."

"Hmm, I meant to cleave it in two... Its feathers are remarkably hard."

"So that means it'll make good material. I'll take the front."

"Gieeeaaah!"

Shaking his massive body and making the earth tremble, Eiji stepped forward with his shield raised. The Rock Ostrich let out a strange cry, thrust its beak forward, and charged.

Its neck had shortened, but in exchange, it had become far thicker, just like its legs. The neck would not break easily, and the speed generated by its legs was far greater than one would expect from its ponderous appearance.

Eiji took the Rock Ostrich's attack head-on as it tried to stab him with a beak driven by speed and mass. The tremendous clang of metal echoed through the mountain. However, there seemed to be an insurmountable difference between the two combatants, and the Rock Ostrich was knocked into the air.

"Hiyah!"

"Gboeh!?"

With both of the Rock Ostrich's feet off the ground, Eiji struck it with the mace in his right hand and slammed it into the earth. He normally used an axe, but after surviving fierce battles, he had decided that it would be better to learn how to use other weapons as well.

That was when he took an interest in large clubs. In the countries of the Orcs and Boar Orcs he had visited before, axes, maces, and greatswords were the standard weapons used to make the most of one's physical strength. Eiji had agonized over choosing between a mace and a greatsword, but ultimately settled on a blunt weapon.

Now that he had acquired a Skill by spending SP, he wielded a silver-white mace threaded with blue lines. It was one of the weapons inside the container Felfenil had given him as a reward—in other words, it had been made using ancient technology.

When not being held, this mace was a slender rod, but the instant it was gripped, its tip unfolded into a mace. Furthermore, by consuming the wielder's magic power, it could be imbued with the Light attribute. Its name was 'Type-Eight Sacred Hammerstaff.' Ancient priests had used it to fight the Undead.

"It's a little light, but it's a good weapon. Now then!"

"Gegyaaah..."

Eiji stomped on the Rock Ostrich he had knocked out of the air and mercilessly brought his mace down on its head. Because the game's rules caused instant death when the head was destroyed, with only a very few exceptions, the Rock Ostrich was defeated with ease.

"Hmm, it was weaker than I expected."

"Well, we're higher level than it, so that's only natural."

"Eiji's skill has improved as well. You've been diligent."

Eiji was puzzled that it had put up less of a fight than its appearance suggested, but Ruby and Genzuro each pointed out why that was only natural from their respective perspectives. It might have been different right after they arrived on this continent, but now that they had leveled up and gained combat experience, this was to be expected.

Iris extended a tentacle and calmly harvested the Rock Ostrich. She obtained feathers and hide. The feathers were almost indistinguishable from rock, while the hide could apparently be used to make high-quality leather goods. Come to think of it, ostrich leather was used to make expensive wallets, Iris mused.

"The feathers are a dud, but the hide's a hit. There may be other materials, too, so let's continue slowly while defeating enemies."

"Okay!"

After that, they began exploring every inch of the mountain path. The 'Spearrock Fortune Mine' was thought to be a barren mountain of rock with almost no vegetation, but a closer look revealed short grasses and moss clinging to the shadows of the rocks. Large numbers of colorful Slimes lived there, apparently feeding on them.

With those Slimes at the bottom of the food chain, the 'Spearrock Fortune Mine' was home to a variety of monsters besides the Rock Ostrich. Armored Rock Monkeys tangled metal ore into their fur, using it as armor, and, when necessary, hurled it as gravel. Castle Ants formed anthills that looked indistinguishable from natural rocks, while Chameleon Anteaters capable of turning invisible hunted those ants. The area was overflowing with monsters that caught Iris's interest.

"Finding stone at the mining points was a worthwhile gain, but what's even more exciting is the anthills! I never expected to get cement from a collapsed anthill!"

For Iris, the anthill itself was the greatest discovery of all. The anthills could be mined, and when she tried digging into one, she obtained an item called anthill sand that hardened when dissolved in water.

"It was shocking how swarms of strong ants came crawling out despite being so small..."

"It was my second time, so it wasn't as bad for me."

"I didn't expect them to be stronger than last time despite being so small."

However, dismantling the anthills caused countless enraged Castle Ants to appear, leaving everyone but Iris exhausted. Moss-san and Eiji had fought a giant ant monster during a past event, but these ants were far stronger, perhaps because they were higher level.

Castle Ants were quite small for monsters, measuring no more than ten centimeters even at their largest, but their levels were above 50 even at the minimum. Their exoskeletons were as hard as metal, and their equally hard, powerful mandibles could bite, while they could also spray formic acid and attack with poisonous stingers. Some individuals could even use magic. The party found itself fighting what amounted to a small army.

They eventually retreated because there was no end to the ants, but when they searched more carefully, Ruby noticed that some anthills were already free of Castle Ants. It was unclear whether Chameleon Anteaters had eaten them all or whether something else had happened. The important thing was that the mountain contained places where cement could be harvested safely.

"I'm curious about that shaggy fellow. He was riding a monster I haven't seen anywhere on this mountain or around the capital."

However, the greatest discovery of this exploration was a hairy humanoid riding a large, furry monster. The figure withdrew after spotting Iris and the others from a distance, so they learned nothing more about it. Still, they did learn that it possessed enough intelligence to avoid taking unnecessary risks.

It was unclear whether that monster lived in the 'Spearrock Fortune Mine' or was one of the beings living beyond the mountain. But there was no doubt that the others would be interested when Iris told her companions about it.

"Iris-san, shall we wrap up today's investigation soon? We've gathered enough information about the items and monsters, and it's getting late..."

"Ah... All right. Let's do that."

Iris had wanted to gather more materials, but she realized that it was already late. She reflected that it was only natural for everyone to want to go to bed soon and decided to return. Thus, their first investigation ended in great success.