Chapter 344
The 'Soul-Eroding Rust Sand Sea' spreading before me was a place so bizarre it could rival hell, and that would be no exaggeration. Reddish-brown powder from rusted metal covered the ground all the way to the horizon and beyond, and I could see several sandstorms raging in the distance.
The thick black clouds that perpetually blanketed the Tinbrika Continent also blocked out the sunlight, creating an atmosphere so bleak that merely standing here was depressing. The fact that both the sky and the ground were dark was more visually oppressive than I had expected.
"We will wait here."
"Don't go too far away, okay~?"
Efa and Tuel apparently intended to wait on the branches of a Steel-Eating Tree without entering the Sand Sea. Those had been the conditions from the outset, so I had no grounds for complaint. If anything, I felt guilty about making them wait.
In any case, now that we had reached our destination, we should begin the investigation. First, I plunged my hand into the rust-colored metallic powder underfoot, which was our primary objective. Even though I touched it through my gauntlet, my magic decreased by a tiny amount. What the hell was this sand made of?
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Minuscule Lifesteel Grain. Quality: Junk. Rarity: C (Common)
Fine grains of living metal created by an ancient civilization.
By instinct, it absorbs magic from every object that comes into contact with it and attempts to grow by increasing its volume.
Because it is powdered and rusted, its energy absorption efficiency is minimal.
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Lifesteel...? Metal possessing life? According to the 【Appraisal】 result, this metal was responsible for my loss of magic. Could this be considered a primitive inorganic life-form that grows by consuming magic?
It resembled the Metallica in being an inorganic life-form, but its diet was entirely different. While they ate metal and earth or stone, this stuff absorbed magic. I thought it was a substance formed through an entirely different process, not some distant relative. More importantly, I really didn't want to believe this sand was what remained of humanity. Seriously.
In any case, judging from the 【Appraisal】 result, was all this sand-like metal a relic of the ancient civilization? What a magnificent discovery. Its rarity was the lowest, C (Common), perhaps because there was enough of it to form an entire sand sea, so it lacked much value. But we needed a large quantity, so that was no problem. Let's gather as much as we can!
I took a large barrel from my inventory, filled it with sand, sealed it, and put it back into my inventory. I intended to take it home as a sample and test whether it could really be used to make cement. Every time I drove a shovel into the metallic grains, an unpleasant scraping sound echoed across the Sand Sea.
It wasn't just me. The entire investigation team, Shiitake included, continued scooping sand and packing it into barrels for some time. If it could be used in cement, we'd have to make frequent trips to bring huge quantities home. I hoped the city walls would turn out magnificent and sturdy enough to justify all this labor. Meanwhile, Cal flew low, reluctant to have its magic absorbed.
"Hmm hmm hmm~! Materials~ Materials~ Huh, what's that? Hey, everyone, come over here~!"
Shiitake had been gathering sand while humming, but apparently she found something and called out to us loudly. It was dangerous for her to act alone, and we were curious about what she had discovered, so we regrouped with her.
What Shiitake was pointing at was a single cactus. Like the Steel-Eating Trees, it was tall and thick, with a metallic-looking surface, and it branched out to either side. Its signature spines were short, but they grew densely from the top all the way down to the base.
"A cactus? Its metallic appearance is unusual, but it's certainly the sort of plant you'd expect to find in a desert."
"Yeah. Still, that's an incredible number of spines. Do they really grow with this many?"
"Maybe it depends on the species? The small cactus I have at home has longer spines, but fewer of them."
"Oh, really...? Hmm?"
As I listened to Uro explain that she had a cactus as an ornamental plant at home, I noticed something odd about the cactus. Something had changed from just a moment ago...
Wait, I get it. The angle of the spines was wrong. They had been spreading outward in all directions, but now every single one was pointing at us. This couldn't be good, could it?
"Whoa?!"
"Ow?! What the hell?!"
"Fall back!"
"Grrr!"
Apparently, bad feelings really did come true. The cactus's spines, which had been aimed at us, shot out like a machine gun. Eiji and Cal reacted immediately and shielded me, but I still took about ten spines.
I wasn't seriously injured, but Shiitake fell face-first onto the ground with her back covered in needles. Combined with the needles on her cap, she looked like a hedgehog. It was a painful sight, but I couldn't afford to be a bystander either. I hurriedly pulled the spines out of my bones.
"Hmm... Looks like I keep taking damage as long as these needles remain lodged in me. What a troublesome property."
"Eek! My health! My magic too?! This is no joke!"
Shiitake desperately tried to pull the needles from her back, but her short arms couldn't reach them. I silently and carefully pulled them out one by one, while Mikelo immediately restored her health.
While we were treating Shiitake, the barrage of spines stopped before we knew it. That was thanks to Eiji, Uro, and Cal. Eiji's shield and Cal's wings protected us as they closed the distance, while Uro used her flaming curved sword to melt through the cactus at its base and neutralize it. It seemed we had made it through safely.
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah, somehow. Thanks, all three of you."
"You're welcome. Here."
While replying curtly, Uro took a cactus severed at the base from her inventory. Holding it out to me presumably meant that I was supposed to use 【Appraisal】 on it. I nodded, then appraised the cactus.
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Hard Trunk of the Lifesteel Cactus. Quality: Good. Rarity: R (Rare)
The thick trunk of Lifesteel that grew by mimicking a cactus.
Although it imitates the structure of a plant, it is made entirely of Lifesteel.
It stores a large quantity of high-purity water.
Lifesteel Cactus Needle Leaves. Quality: Good. Rarity: R (Rare)
The sharp leaves of Lifesteel that grew by mimicking a cactus.
They are launched at every moving thing that approaches, absorb the magic of the prey they bring down, and then return to the main body.
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The trunk and spines—or rather, leaves—had dropped as separate items. Both were apparently made of Lifesteel. Unlike the Steel-Eating Tree, a plant that merely looked metallic, this was metal that looked like a plant. It was a little confusing.
"Lifesteel Cactus... Apparently, it's Lifesteel that grew into a cactus-like shape."
"So was this once a single grain of Lifesteel too?"
"Apparently. In that case, does it mean all the sand we're standing on could grow into something this vicious...?"
"Its mature form may not necessarily be cactus-shaped, Izamu-sama."
Ah, of course. Mikelo was right. Lifesteel didn't necessarily become cactus-shaped. It could probably grow by mimicking other forms as well. If a large amount of magic were scattered across the 'Soul-Eroding Rust Sand Sea,' perhaps the place would eventually be filled with fully grown Lifesteel. It was a terrifying image even to imagine.
I pushed the unpleasant thought from my mind and returned the Lifesteel Cactus to Uro. Unlike the Lifesteel powder, this was what it looked like after growing. It was a valuable sample. If I gave it to Iris or the Metallica, they would surely turn it into useful items or powerful weapons.
"All right, that should be enough. The route we've taken is marked on our map, so we can come here by ourselves. We've obtained the sand we wanted—or metal powder, I suppose—and even this cactus item. There's no need to go any deeper."
"Yeah. If we head back to the Dark Elf village now and then use Izamu's magic to return to the city, we'll get back at about the right time."
"Aw, man! Well, it was a promise, so I guess I'll let it slide~."
Since we had accomplished all our objectives, I suggested that we wrap things up. Everyone except Shiitake nodded without hesitation. Even Shiitake had no intention of breaking her promise, so she stopped gathering sand and prepared to leave.
We hadn't gone very far from the Steel-Eating Tree forest, so after walking for a short while, we could see Efa and Tuel waiting in the treetops. We waved to them, but for some reason, they didn't respond. What was going on?
"Ah, you two. Sorry to have kept you waiting. We've finished investigating, so we were thinking of heading back..."
"Don't worry about that—come up here! You're about to see something incredible!"
When we called out to the two Dark Elves in the trees, Tuel beckoned excitedly without taking her eyes off the area ahead. What could the Dark Elves be seeing? We exchanged glances, then flew, rode Cal, or climbed the trees until we reached the same height as them.
"Oh, is that... a hermit crab?"
"But what's on its back is a city... right?"
In the middle of the distant 'Soul-Eroding Rust Sand Sea,' a hermit crab of truly enormous size was striding along. It was too far away for us to hear its footsteps or feel the ground shake, but we could see its entire body, making its immense size easy to understand. After all, the city on its back was even larger than our base.
Moreover, that city was not made of stone. Metal skyscrapers stood in dense rows across it. Could that also be Lifesteel in its grown form? The cactus had been dangerous enough, but compared to that monster, it was downright cute.
The gigantic hermit crab continued walking slowly toward the other side of the sandstorm raging deep within the Sand Sea. If we continued exploring the 'Soul-Eroding Rust Sand Sea,' we would probably encounter that hermit crab someday. Would we have to fight it then? I couldn't imagine any scenario in which we won, so I really hoped we could avoid it. With that thought in mind, I watched the departing hermit crab.