Regardless, I returned the two remaining creatures to the core stone and stored them in my Inventory. I continued with the synthesis.
If I were to use a MOB, I would need to adjust the Slime’s HP recovery later with my Skill.
And now, the moment Sei-nee had been eagerly awaiting—the results of the post-drop—
“Just a normal drop, huh? Well, I wasn’t expecting much anyway.”
“Oh! I got a staff!”
“Me too, me too!”
“This is the power of the Desire Sensor! Yun-chan, Miu-chan! Let me have one of yours!”
The Desire Sensor. Simply put, it seems to be a phenomenon where the items you want stop appearing, and that seems to be the situation Sei-nee is in right now.
By the way, the abilities of the staff we obtained are—
“Mistletoe Staff Mastil【Staff】”
INT + Supplement
Additional Effects: HP Absorption, MP Absorption
This staff has the effects used by Mastil Dane in actual combat. I took it out and showed it to Sei-nee.
“This is it! The one I wanted!”
“Then let’s trade it for the normal drop Sei-nee got!”
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Of course! You helped me get the Guild Charter, after all. Besides, I won’t be using it.”
“Kyaa! Yun-chan, you’re so cool!”
“Well, I am a guy.”
I held Sei-nee back as she tried to hug me, calming her down. At this age, being hugged by Sei-nee is a bit embarrassing.
Once she settled down, we made the trade, and Sei-nee looked delighted that it had become her weapon.
“Now my collection of unique staves has grown again. Thank you, Yun-chan!”
“You’re too kind. Giving away something worth 4 million G just like that.”
“I’m fine with it. You helped me get the Guild Charter, after all. What about you, Miu?”
“Me? Hmm. I think I’ll show it to Rirei or Kohaku and see if they want to use it. If they do, I’ll sell it to them; if not, I’ll keep it until I need money and sell it then.”
I thought her approach was oddly pragmatic. Before heading back, I had one more thing to do.
“Alright. Since there are no enemies around, let’s mine.”
I pulled out my pickaxe from the Inventory.
“What are you doing, Yun-chan?”
“Well, while we were running around during the battle, I spotted a Mining Point deep inside. Oh, just a moment…”
“It might take a while, so could you wait with some tea and snacks?”
I handed Sei-nee the items I took out from my Inventory and, with renewed enthusiasm, began to dig at the Mining Point with my pickaxe.
“What will come out of the Mining Point in the boss room?”
Whether it was a random generation from the Mining Point or a blessing from the boss room, the ores I unearthed were the best I had ever found.
“Whoa! High-Quality Iron Ore! And there are gemstones galore! Plus, silver ore too!”
As I dug with all my might, Miu and Sei-nee took a break a little distance away.
“Normally, you’d be heading back to celebrate by now. Yun-nee, you really have the heart of a Production Class worker.”
“But it looks like you’re having fun. You might have the best smile today.”
I caught a glimpse of their voices for a moment, but the next words were drowned out by the sound of my pickaxe striking the ground, leaving me with only fragments of their conversation.
At the Mining Point in the boss room, the yield was nothing short of a major vein. I collected ten High-Quality Iron Ores, three gemstone raw stones, two silver ores, and finally, one unknown-colored ore. I would show the last ore to Magi-san for identification, but I needed to enhance the production facilities for processing the silver ore.
“That was a good haul.”
Ah, I’m satisfied.
Why am I more energized than during the battle with the boss? This is just a matter of personal temperament. Also, with the tension eased, I dug up the Mining Points on the way back, exiting the mining dungeon. By the time we neared the dungeon’s exit, I had a beaming smile, which made Miu look at me in disbelief.
We had been in the dungeon for quite a while, but outside, it was completely night. Looking up, a sky full of stars spread out before us. Below, the lights of the Third District town twinkled in the darkness.
“It’s already night.”
“I’m sorry for dragging you along.”
“But it was fun! And you got what you wanted, so you don’t need to worry, Yun-chan.”
Sei-nee responded casually to my apology.
“So, Miu-chan, how was your day?”
I suddenly threw the question at Miu, who cheerfully replied.
“It was super fun! I fought Mastil Dane for the first time, and it was thrilling! Next time, I should invite Luka-chan and the others… Oh, but I might be too strong by then.”
Seeing Miu’s confidence made me smile wryly. It seemed likely that she would indeed become that strong.
Then, Sei-nee asked me the same question.
“What about you, Yun-chan? Did you have fun?”
“I had a good time. The Guild Charter was the goal, but I also leveled up and was able to gather ores…”
“Yeah, it was fun.”
I conveyed this to Sei-nee the first time, and the second time, I savored my own words, saying, “It was fun.”
“I also had fun. I got to be with Miu-chan and Yun-chan, and I got the staff I wanted. Today was a good day.”
Nodding at Sei-nee’s words, we walked toward the town.
Miu had the fierce battle with the boss. Sei-nee got the rare drop staff. And I got the Guild Charter. Each of us had our own goals and enjoyed ourselves, but we all had a fulfilling adventure.
“Exactly… that’s how it is.”
“What did you say?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Surely, the perspectives of Miu and Sei-nee’s adventure and my own experiences would be told differently. But that too is part of the fun.
We returned to the NPC who had given us the quest.
“Ah! You have returned the knight captain’s lost husband to us! Then allow me to give you this.”
We received the quest reward, the Guild Charter, from the NPC, who continued speaking.
“I hope you create a magnificent organization that goes beyond the framework of mere knights.”
I thought it was quite a profound statement, but I also knew that there were people who would sell it. Yun-nee is one of those who would sell it.
“You just said that! This girl really knows how to ruin an emotional moment.”
Perhaps because he was an NPC, the knight remained stoic even when teased. Thus, my quips, Sei-nee’s wry smile, and Miu’s excuses settled down as we basked in the afterglow of our accomplishment.
“Congratulations on clearing the quest!”
The three of us raised our hands for a high-five. Miu was the first to raise her hands and encouraged Sei-nee to join in. I followed suit, and as our hands met with a satisfying clap, I stared at them, savoring the feeling of achievement.
Epilogue: Working Shell and the Guild Hall
Having successfully cleared the quest and obtained the Guild Charter, we later handed it over to Claude and evenly split the reward among the three of us.
Miu used her share to repair and upgrade her equipment, which had taken damage during the battle with the boss, while Sei-nee planned to save her share prudently.
As for me, I decided to use my portion as a down payment for a higher-grade furnace I had long desired, while leisurely contemplating how to gather the rest of the funds.
“Yun-san, today’s harvest has arrived!”
“Ah, thank you. Please put it in the usual item box.”
“Sure!”
As I was calculating the money needed to buy the higher-grade furnace at the Atelier counter, the NPC Kyoko-san called out to me.
Following her was a pair of blue and brown gels.
“Kyoko-san.”
“…? What is it, Yun-san?”
“What do you think of those two?”
They’re hard workers. Very much so.
Saying this, Kyoko-san returned to her post, carefully placing the two gels at her feet into a jar by the window. The gels trembled with joy, hooking parts of their bodies onto the jar to make themselves visible.
Well, I suppose there are various ways to utilize them.
The Aqua Gel, a water attribute, and the Earth Gel, a soil attribute. One of them was a newly synthesized being created from the surviving slimes from the guild quest.
I transformed the useless slimes into gels and combined them with the Slime Core I had on hand. After handing it over to NPC Kyoko-san, the two became her loyal subordinates.
I never imagined such a use existed.
I had entrusted the management of the fields to Kyoko, but what I saw during my regular visits was a mesmerizing sight. The Aqua Gel was absorbing well water into its body, spraying it out like a sprinkler and creating small rainbows in various spots. Meanwhile, the Earth Gel was taking in the soil, bone meal, leaf mold, and wild herbs from the harvested fields, mixing them into fertilizer, and then evenly distributing it back into the ground.
The warm, air-infused soil transformed into the perfect agricultural earth, contributing to the consistent high yield of herbs. Watching my own efforts of tilling the hard soil seem so effortlessly handled by these creatures filled me with joy, yet an unsettling feeling lingered. However, as I observed the scene again and again, I grew fond of it, unconsciously capturing screenshots of the Gels at work.
“If only I could create humanoid synthesis MOBS, I could consider selling them to Lily,” I mused.
It would be amusing to hand over a Golem-like MOB to Lily, who was planting trees in her personal field, and command it to gather resources. Or better yet, I could build a town in the field and give specific orders to the synthesis MOBS, creating a pseudo Monster Town. That sounded like a romantic endeavor, and it would surely be entertaining to watch.
“Well, it’s not mine, so it’s impossible,” I reminded myself.
Though I didn’t possess a personal field like Lily, imagining such things was free. Besides, I had already consumed all the remaining slime cores.
I really liked Zakuro. That Heat Gel.
Zakuro, a resilient creature that continuously emitted a warm, comforting heat, was scattered under the care of the healer. Whenever it moved somewhere, it dragged itself along like a walking animal carrying its favorite stuffed toy or cushion.
The improved Heat Gel, synthesized from the slime cores, acted like a cushion, occasionally trying to escape as it slid away. Zakuro, seeing the fleeing Heat Gel as prey, chased after it, but being still young, its short legs made it look more like it was playing than hunting.
The other two Gels seemed to be watching this scene from the edge of a pot, as if they were both observing and not observing at the same time.
And then, the last slime core spoke up.
“Hello, Yun!”
“Welcome! Mami, Minutes.”
As I greeted the acquaintances who entered the Atelier, a Wind Gel peeked out from under Mami’s pointed hat, as if to say, “I’m here too.” This one, too, had gained some AI through synthesis, allowing it to fulfill its role as a pet.
“How’s it going? How’s the situation since then?”
[I’m taking good care of it. It’s all squishy!]
“Really? Lately, I’ve been enjoying the vibrations by placing it on my head.”
Minutes laughed, and I could easily imagine the scene, which made me chuckle as well.
[And then there’s Gantz. He looks like he wants to touch it, but he’s conflicted, thinking it might deal damage again. It’s amusing to see him trying to communicate with his pet and getting swallowed up in the process.]
[He should just remove his Combat Sense :::]
[If I do that, I think I’ll lose.] They were saying, and then he was eager to learn non-lethal Arts that wouldn’t deal damage. They were experimenting with various conditions in battle to learn different Arts.
If they matched up, they could acquire Arts (Finger Strike) by attacking over a hundred times with just a fingertip, or learn Arts (Palm Strike) that involved slapping the opponent with the palm, progressing from fingers to the whole hand. It was a bit silly how they acquired them while touching a large slime.
[From now on, I want recovery items for leveling up. Can you get the usual recovery items for mages?]
I sold items to the two regulars of the Atelier and waved them off. I thought it might be a good idea to raise my own combat sense level a bit more, so I bundled up my equipment and left the shop.
Arriving at the portal located in the center of town for leveling up, I turned towards the sound of hammers ringing out amidst the crowd.
Finally obtaining the Guild Charter, I looked up at the construction site of the production guild hall, which had just begun. Though it was only a framework now, it was set to be three times the size of the surrounding buildings, and I felt a swell of anticipation as I gazed up at it.
“Things are really changing.”
“Oh! Big sister came to see too!”
Turning at the familiar voice, I found Miu and Sei-nee standing there. Together, we gazed up at the production guild hall, which was gradually taking shape.
“I’m looking forward to it. The guild with Magi-san and the others will be doing all sorts of things!”
“That’s right. I heard they’ll be holding auctions, so we, the Yaoyorozu, are getting motivated to search for items to put up for auction.”
“That sounds interesting! But three of us… is impossible. I have a promise with Luka-chan and the others,” Miu said, recalling her promise with Luka and breaking into a sheepish smile.
“We’ll be able to go on adventures together again, right?”
Suddenly prompted by the conversation, there was a brief pause before I nodded in agreement.
“Of course. But before that, make sure you don’t keep Luka and the others waiting.”
“Yeah! Well then, Yun big sister, Sei big sister, I’m off!”
Hearing my response, Miu dashed off, waving her hands energetically as she left. I watched her go, feeling a bit anxious about her running backward.
“Even though Miu-chan has gone, are you going hunting somewhere with me now?”
“Hmm. Well, this time, I think I’ll pass. I want to raise my combat sense level a bit on my own.”
Sei-nee shrugged her shoulders in disappointment, and I felt a pang of guilt as I bid her farewell.
Not just myself, but everything was changing. I trained my Sense and moved forward. The sound of hammers was the sound of transformation. With that comforting sound resonating in my ears, I teleported to a hunting ground suitable for my level through the portal.
Status
Name: Yun
Weapon: Black Maiden’s Longbow
Sub-Weapon: Magi-san’s Knife
Claude Series Armor
Armor: CSM6 Oaker Creator (Outerwear, Innerwear, Body, Waist)
Accessory Capacity: 2/M
– Sturdy Iron Ring (1)
– Substitute Jewel Ring (1)
Sense Points
SP: Abundant
Magic Skills
– [Bow Lv0][Hawk’s Eye Lv][Speed Increase Lv2][Discovery Lv10][Magic Talent Lv]
Magic Power
– [Magic Power Lv Low][Addition Technique Lv8][Pharmacy Lv2][Earth Attribute Talent Lv4][Material Theory Lv2]
– [Alchemy Lv][Synthesis Lv][Jewelry Crafting Lv1][Swimming Lv3][Production Knowledge Lv2]
– [Training Lv6][Linguistics Lv5]
Acquired Items
SN: Various Extras
– Mining Pick with EX Skill: Mining
– Book: Five Types Synthesis Kit
Three-Color Synthesis MOBS (Fire, Water, Earth Attribute Gels)
Regarding color synthesis, the Flame Attribute Shiro Ruri.
Afterword
To those meeting me for the first time, and to those I haven’t seen in a while, hello. This is Aloha, the author. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who picked up this book, to my editor, and to Yuki-san for providing the wonderful illustrations for this work, as well as to those who have been following my work online even before publication.
Thanks to many readers picking up the second volume following the first, I was able to release the third volume. For those reading my web novel, you may notice that the third volume is an original work.
As I reconstructed the web novel into light novel format, some jokes and scenes were cut. Ideally, readers should be able to understand the content even if they read the web version after the second volume, and vice versa. However, this has proven to be a challenging issue. After discussions with my editor A-san, we decided to include the cut material and reconstruct it.
Regarding the third volume, I felt like I truly engaged in the work of a light novel author, collaborating with my editor on brainstorming, plot creation, and drafting. I realized how much I had relied on corrections and additions until now. Thank you to my editor for the brainstorming sessions. I look forward to our continued collaboration.
For those who have picked up this book, I hope you can compare the scenes that were cut and the differences between the book and the web version.
As with the last time, I’ll keep the formalities brief and share some references for the jokes included this time.
First, regarding traps, I drew inspiration from the “Shadow Rate” series, a game where intruders are repelled by traps. This game features a mechanic where activated traps can chain together to deal damage, potentially creating an infinite loop depending on how you set them up. I used this as a reference for the traps in this story.
Continuing on, we delve into the Dungeon Boss and the thunder that accompanies it. The inspiration for this comes from the enemies known as the Masked Warrior and the Ghost Warrior from “Fuurai no Shiren.” The Masked Warrior, upon defeat, transforms into the Ghost Warrior a few turns later, emerging from the spot where it fell. This enemy can then combine with another to become a stronger version of itself. By enhancing it twice, it transforms into a deliciously rewarding foe for experience points, allowing for high-speed leveling through item usage.
While “Kage Ritsu” leans towards a darker theme, “Shiren” is a comical roguelike game. Both games offer distinct atmospheres, yet I believe they are both excellent in their own right. This work draws inspiration from the best and most entertaining aspects of various games. If you feel a sense of déjà vu while reading this novel, it’s likely because such ideas are easy to conceive.
I look forward to your continued support, Aloha the Director.
Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude once again to all the readers who have picked up this book. I eagerly await the day we meet again.
August 2014
Aloha the Director
Shiba Dai
Making Box: This item delivers one unit of a selected production material type once a day. Additionally, it has a duplication function, where the success rate varies depending on the rank of the item being duplicated.
Miu, having heard that I was unable to fully utilize the capabilities of the Making Box, came to the Atelier.
“Hey, big sis! Why didn’t you tell me about such an interesting thing?”
“Well, it would just lead to trouble, so I kept quiet. Also, don’t call me ‘big sis’!”
I sighed at our usual banter and responded.
“Besides, I don’t want too many people knowing about it. And where did you even find out?”
“I know, I won’t tell anyone. The source of the information is a secret too.”
“Fine, fine. As long as it doesn’t cause any trouble, that’s good enough. But what do you want to do, Miu?”
“What kind of items have come out so far? I need to see that first.”
Understanding her point, I laid out the herb materials that had been produced so far in front of Miu.
These included materials used for potions and pills in the Atelier, as well as the materials I personally used for status-altering potions, along with some other unidentified production materials.
I explained each one to Miu as I went along.
“This category here consists of materials whose uses are unknown. Most of them resemble nuts or fruits. There are also some that can’t be converted into seeds through Alchemy Sense.”
“There are quite a few of those unidentified materials, but is their appearance rate really that high?”
“Not exactly. I secured multiple units through the Making Box’s other function—duplication.”
“I see. So you have a good idea of how to use those materials.”
“Yeah. Right now, I’m using Linguistics Sense to research in the library, but my level isn’t high enough for that information yet.”
Moreover, I had no idea what effects each material had. I wouldn’t waste materials by blindly experimenting.
“Hey, how about making some potions and testing their effects?”
“Well, that’s one way to go, but… yeah, that could work.”
In the past, when I tried new items alone, I often ended up afflicted by outrageous status effects, leaving me disoriented and unable to determine their effects. So, in a way, this was a chance. With Miu here, I had someone who could make objective judgments.
“Alright then, let’s turn them into potions right away.”
“I’ll look around the shop until you’re ready.”
Thinking it was just another usual occurrence, I proceeded to extract components from the unidentified production materials in the Atelier’s workshop to create a solution.
“I’m done! Wait, what are you doing?”
“Eh? Big sis, you’re too fast! I was almost done!”
In Miu’s hands was the Earth Gel I had made the other day. She had stacked three plates of the gelatinous, earth-colored synthetic MOB—along with the fire attribute Heat Gel and the water attribute Aqua Gel—vertically, as if she were trying to create a tower.
“Just a little more, and I could have made a slime tower or dumplings!”
[What a silly thing to be doing.]
Moreover, the Aqua Gel was wobbling precariously, unable to support the Heat Gel above it. No, it was already wobbling. Was it trying to balance itself? How intriguing… no, wait!
“Come on! We need to determine the potion’s effects!”
[Right, let’s get started!]
Miu, clutching the three synthetic MOBs, returned to her original spot, finally ready to focus on the task at hand.
“Alright, I’ll drink the potion, and Miu, you need to observe the effects closely.”
“Got it! Leave it to me!”
With Miu’s confirmation, I took a sip of the potion. The tasteless, odorless yellow liquid filled my mouth, but I felt no effect. I searched my menu for any changes in my status or any odd sensations, but found nothing.
“Hmm. It seems this one has no effect. Let’s move on to the next.”
After confirming with Miu, I continued drinking the potions. Some had extremely weak effects, like a potion that caused slight electrification, while others resembled sweet-smelling juices.
“Most of these must be ointments or something. If that’s the case, I can understand why they have no effect… but this is the last one.”
Up until the tenth potion, I hadn’t noticed any particularly strong effects. However, when I drank the tenth potion, a change occurred.
Thump. My heart raced with a powerful beat. My entire body felt hot, making it difficult to stand, and I found myself crouching on the ground.
“Haah… haah… I’m okay. But what is happening?”
In my swirling consciousness, Miu grabbed my shoulder to support me. My menu displayed the status ailment [Charm]. So the last potion was a status-altering potion… I thought casually, but then I noticed a change happening to Miu right in front of me.
“Uh, big sis. I’m starting to feel weird! What should I do?”
Miu’s eyes took on a serious glint as she tightened her grip on my shoulder and pushed me down to the floor.
“W-What are you doing?”
“What is this? Am I also under [Charm]? I can’t stop!”
Miu, now on top of me, was breathing quickly and shallowly. I began to sense an overwhelming danger. I tried to push her off, but due to the difference in our statuses, I was firmly held down and unable to resist.
“Hello there. Yun-kun, I need to talk to you… oh!”
“Eh… M-Magi-san!”
“No, um, this is just some skinship with your sister, right? Sorry for interrupting!”
“I-I’m definitely being misunderstood!” The moment I realized this through my foggy mind still affected by [Charm], the heaviness in my head suddenly lifted. I quickly pulled out a status recovery potion from my inventory and sprinkled it on Miu.
As the effects of the potion wore off, we both awkwardly distanced ourselves from each other. I would have to explain this to Magi-san later, and I needed to figure out how this had happened.
I took another look at the last potion I had drunk. Miu noticed and hurriedly tried to stop me, but after drinking it, I felt no change in my body.
“Ah, could it be that the potion I drank mixed with the one in the player’s system, forming a single potion? Maybe the potion that mixed with my breath put Miu in a [Charm] state?”
“Ugh, I’m so embarrassed! This is all your fault, big sis!”
“Whoa, why are you getting mad at me?!”
“I don’t want to talk to you anymore!”
Miu stormed out of the Atelier, fuming. Afterward, it took some effort to clear up the misunderstanding with Magi-san and to explain things to Miu. Furthermore, among the potion materials, there was a combination that could induce a wide-area [Charm] effect, and it would be a little while before I could adjust it to create a perfume with the Re-Charm Fragrance effect, [Charm of the Ears].