Episode 23: The Orc’s Magic Stone
After waiting for dawn, I went to the place where we’d left the Goblins. They had been devoured, but there were no Slimes to be found.
I had a small idea and asked Fran if we could go towards the forest.
“Weren’t we supposed to avoid dangerous places?”
“I was thinking of making a house for Koo-chan and the others. You know how some trees we use for firewood have bark that peels off easily? If I peel that off and make it into a tube, don’t you think it would be perfect for Koo-chan’s house?”
She stared at me as if I were some bizarre creature, then let out a huge sigh.
I’m the one carrying Koo-chan’s house, and I have a responsibility to consider the living conditions of my subordinates.
If it were just one, it could stay in the bag, but there are five of them, and they demand private rooms, so it’s tough for me too.
They get along fine when playing in the bushes, but they absolutely insist on having their own bedrooms-slash-residences. Such extravagant little things.
《This is No. 27. Master, there are four large humanoids.》
《Large humanoids… Are they the ones covered in a lot of hair?》
《That’s right! Can I sting them?》
《Hold on a sec.》
“Fran, it seems there are Orcs around. I want their Magic Stones, and I’d like to practice with my Short Spear a bit, so can I count on you for backup?”
“For someone who says they don’t want to do dangerous things, you’re awfully keen on taking on Orcs.”
“I won’t do anything dangerous. I’ll have Bee-chan and the others attack them, and I plan to sneak up from behind. It’d be easy with a shortbow, but this is practical training for the Short Spear.”
“What about me?”
“Just backup is fine. Bee-chan and the others will be aiming for their eyes and noses, so they probably won’t attack you, Fran.”
《No. 27, lead the way.》
《Okay! This way!》
It descended in front of me, did a quick twirl, and then flew off towards the Orcs.
《Everyone got that? Eyes, noses, and ears!》
《Leave it to us!》
《Yahoo! Let’s go!》
《We’ll sting ’em like crazy!》
《Not yet, not yet. Attack when I give the signal!》
“Looks like they’ve spotted us,” Fran said.
With roars of 〈Guoooo〉 and 〈Gauuuu〉, they began to charge at us, so I gave the attack order: 《Get ’em!》
《No. 45, going in!》
《No. 6 will sting them first!》
《Don’t lose!》
《Sting ’em lots and get some meat!》
Ah well, the Orcs were swarmed by Bee-chan and the others, getting stung in the eyes and noses, and desperately trying to swat them away, but they couldn’t keep up with Bee-chan’s flight speed.
“Alright then, I’m gonna go for a bit, so please provide backup.”
“Yes, yes. This doesn’t quite feel like an Orc subjugation, does it?” Fran remarked.
Well, of course. The Orcs had no leeway to look around, so they didn’t notice me approaching from behind.
I stealthily approached and nicked their Achilles tendons and calves from behind.
They let out pained roars like 〈Gyaaaaah〉 and 〈Guwaaaaah〉, but they still hadn’t noticed my presence.
After cutting the Achilles tendons of all four and felling them, I aimed for their carotid arteries and psuri.
They were thrashing about from the pain in their legs, so even if my aim was off, I slid the thrust spear to sever the carotid artery, and it was over.
I was showered in spurting blood and stank, so I cast Clean three times in a row.
Hmm, my Kotetsu tonight… I mean, this Short Spear cuts well, eh? Even though it’s morning.
I washed the Short Spear clean with Water and asked Fran to teach me how to extract Magic Stones.
“Are you really a beginner who registered at the same time as me?”
“We lined up and took the orientation together, didn’t we? Have you forgotten already?”
“I remember it very well, but for someone who says they hate scary and dangerous things, you’ve got way too much nerve.”
Well, that’s because I have the Divine Protection of two gods. It’s probably a godly perk.
I left the previous Orcs to the Adventurers I was with, so this was my first time, but I didn’t feel scared stiff at all.
More than that, it was the same with Goblins, but cutting open an Orc’s chest and sticking my arm in to pull out the Magic Stone feels much more disgusting.
Sticking my hand into the warm chest, fumbling around below the heart, dragging out the Magic Stone along with the flesh enveloping it, and then cutting it free with a knife.
Then, I carefully removed the Magic Stone so as not to damage it, and rinsed it thoroughly with Water.
I heard that for the Camping Barrier, a Goblin’s Magic Stone lasts for 3 days, and an Orc’s for 20 days, so with these, we should be good for 80 days.
Goblin Magic Stones are easier to get, but if it means climbing onto those stinky things to extract them, fewer times is much appreciated.
Besides, with Goblins, no matter how many times I cast Clean, I feel like my clothes keep smelling indefinitely.
“Are you going to abandon the Orcs?”
“If we bring them in, people will know we have a Magic Bag.”
“An Orc is worth 85,000 to 90,000 Dahla each. I’ll hold onto them. If we get into trouble, please ask Bee-chan for help.”
“In that case, Fran, how about you learn Bullet?”
“Bullet?”
“It’s not necessary against Beasts, but it’ll be a good weapon against humanoids. Besides, Stone Arrow feels a bit unreliable against Orcs, so you should probably learn Stone Lance too.”
“I can probably manage Bullet, but Stone Lance is heavy, so it probably won’t fly, right?”
“Why?”
“An Earth Magic User Adventurer who sometimes comes to the village said that Stone Lance is heavy, so it takes a lot of Magical Power to make it fly.”
“Isn’t that strange? You make it fly with magic. If that were true, you’d run out of Magical Power just by creating a Shelter or a Dome.”
“That’s true, isn’t it.”
We were delayed by the Orc encounter, and then spent half a day securing bark for Koo-chan’s house construction.
It was too much trouble to move to our usual campsite, so I set up the Camping Barrier near the forest.
I’d roll up the bark, have Koo-chan go inside, receive its esteemed opinion, and make adjustments repeatedly.
What I ended up with looked like a piece of firewood, with an inner diameter of about ten-odd centimeters and a length of about 25 centimeters. If I tied it to my pack frame, it would look just like a short piece of firewood.
It told me to place it beside the bushes, and when I did, it started bringing in short, dry grass and began building its own home.
《Master, thank you very much. I’ll produce lots of poison for you♪》
《We have delicious meat, and now a wonderful nest, so I’ll do my best!》
I’ll be asking them to gather Medicinal Herbs eventually, so I’ll let them relax until then.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
I had Bee-chan sting a Horned Rabbit just enough not to kill it, then weakened it by whacking it with the back of my Short Spear, and Tamed it.
The Skill confirmation showed [Horned Rabbit: 12-1, Charge, Alertness, 33].
Goblins were 6-1, and Horned Rabbits are 12-1. It seems the stronger the Beast, the fewer I can Tame.
I found out what I wanted to know, so I released it from my control with (Tame – Release) and delivered the finishing blow.
I also want to Tame a Slime, so I butchered the Horned Rabbit for food and left its innards and skin out.
I positioned Koo-chan and the others around the area and asked them to let me know if a Slime appeared.
Bee-chan and the others asked, “What’s a Slime?” so I had Fran make a ball the size of a Slime and told them to report if something like that appeared.
“How was the Horned Rabbit?”
“It had Charge and Alertness. I guess it’s set up so I can understand the characteristics of each species. Thanks to Koo-chan’s tree climbing, I’ve gotten good at it too. Unfortunately, there’s no way to test Poison Nullification, though.”
“Huh? Why don’t you just have Bee-chan sting you once?”
“But depending on the person, they could die from just one sting, right?”
“That’s why I bought an antidote Potion, so it’ll be fine… probably.”
This rascal, she’s planning to use me for human experimentation.
“Fine by me, but if it’s okay to sting me, then Fran, who’s right beside me, will probably get stung as a companion in death.”
“You’re going to drag me into it? In that case, we don’t need to test it.”
《Master, this is No. 2. A round thing has appeared!》
《This is No. 1! I found a round one!》
《This is No. 5! I’m about to be crushed by a round thing!》
“It looks like a Slime has appeared. Can I ask you to be on guard?”
“Alright. It’s better than being stung by Bee-chan.”
“So, how do I weaken a Slime?”
“You whack it! But if you damage its surface, the moisture inside will leak out, and it’ll die.”
If it’s about whacking something, there’s a suitable person for the job. I guess I’ll ask her.
“Fran, how about practicing pummeling it with Stone Bullet? You haven’t practiced yet today, have you?”
《Koo-chan and the others, come on back.》
《Okay! x5》
“So it’s me after all?”
“Practice makes perfect. You won’t improve if you don’t practice. Once you can shoot Stone Lance, I’ll teach you how to increase its power.”
At the spot where I left the innards, three round things were rolling about, but they looked bigger than I expected.
There were two about the size of large beach balls, and one like an exercise ball.
“Fran, please take care of the smaller ones.”
“〈Bullet… Hah!〉”
The distance was about 15 meters, so it hit in one shot… or rather, it pierced the outer skin, and the stone pebble went right into the Slime.
“Huh…? It seems like whacking it would be better after all,” Fran said.
Just as I thought, relying on others was no good. As I approached to whack it with the back of my Short Spear, it was trembling.
Hmm? Thinking that, I got closer to get a better look, and just when I thought it had momentarily changed shape, I was sent flying.
It seems I took a powerful body blow; I tumbled several times before stopping.
Whoa, whoa, a Slime’s tackle is seriously strong.
Or rather, when I felt a warm sensation on my face and touched it, my hand came away covered in blood.
When I looked at the Slime, it had shriveled into a strange shape and wasn’t moving, so it seems Fran had shot it through.
“Are you alright?”
“Who the heck said kids get sent flying by these things? That was ridiculously strong!”
“It probably got agitated because its companion was defeated. More importantly, you’re bleeding.”
“Owowowow. Good thing I bought Potions, huh. A low-grade beginner one should be fine, right?”
“It should probably be fine. I’ll apply it for you.”
“Slimes will have to wait for another time. I need to come up with some countermeasures.”
She offered me the rest of what she’d applied to the wound, so I steeled myself and drank it, but it was only slightly better than that green juice.
If I’m going to get injured this easily, I should buy some mid and high-grade advanced Potions too.