Chapter 34: The Magic Tool Appreciation Society
I woke up and immediately headed to the dungeon.
My target was the thirty-fifth floor.
It was probably possible to reach it, but the crucial part was how dangerous it would be. So, from the twenty-sixth floor onwards, I descended with caution.
For now, I had bought a map that covered up to the fortieth floor.
Relying on that map, I descended, staying vigilant while dispatching monsters with my katana.
Still okay. I can manage even in the vanguard.
As I continued down, making these checks, I found I could still handle the front lines even past the thirtieth floor.
Even if it got tougher from here, for about five more floors, I should be able to proceed without issue just by increasing the output of my enhancement.
However, with enhancement, the more you increase the output, the ridiculously worse the magical power efficiency becomes.
For example, to achieve double the speed of a normal enhancement, it consumes five times the magical power.
Even with twenty times the consumption, it doesn’t even reach triple speed.
The more you raise it, the more the consumption skyrockets.
That said, I’m managing with a standard level for now.
Maybe it’s about time I switched tactics.
Yeah. Let’s do that.
Also, to get back at Ami-san for rolling around laughing.
Since evaluation is the goal, it’s better to attack with the gun than to force myself to use high-output enhancement.
There isn’t such a huge gap that I’d say fighting in close combat like that Ape is absolutely impossible, so even gathering them for an instant kill would be easy and efficient.
Of course, it’s a different story if I can’t retrieve the bullets.
And so, once I switched, it was just a matter of firing one shot at the start of an encounter.
Only when a bullet threatened to fly to the end of a passage, I could retrieve it without issue by creating a wall with magical power behind the monster to catch it.
All of this was thanks to the Giant Magic Stone greatly extending my control range.
Without feeling any anxiety, I reached the thirty-fifth floor.
The monsters here were foxes with three tails.
A green gemstone was embedded in their foreheads. Since that’s usually my target, I hesitated, unsure where to aim.
Since it would absorb it anyway, the magic stone in the neck would be fine, but because they were so furry, I couldn’t see it clearly.
Having no choice, I aimed to shoot through their heads while avoiding the gemstone, though this increased the difficulty. However, that monster, for some reason, turned its round, innocent eyes towards me.
“Kyuuu—”
“Oh my, how cute. –!? Gyaaaaaa!!”
It was a mistake to loosen my guard because its appearance—its red, glowing tail puffed up and its “kyu” cry—was adorable.
A lightning bolt shot out from its forehead, piercing the arm I had aimed the gun with.
I immediately distanced myself and started healing, but my arm was still in bad shape, to the point of smoking.
With my uninjured hand, I aimed the gun and shot through it, regardless of the gemstone’s location.
Luckily, the gemstone was also unharmed and I shot through its head, but that wasn’t my priority, so I continued treating my arm.
“Th-this is bad. I have to kill this one instantly too…”
If I got hit in the head, it could be an instant kill.
Well, I’ve learned its preparatory motion.
Considering that charge time, killing it first would be a piece of cake.
There’s no need to fear it that much. I confirmed the state of my completely healed arm and created a platform.
These monsters also reacted to sound. Luring them and killing them instantly was the best way.
Because they had ranged attacks, even a high platform wasn’t completely safe, but from this angle, if I aimed for the head, I should be able to get the forehead gemstone and retrieve the bullet, so it was necessary.
When I quickly climbed onto the platform I’d made, monsters attracted by my shout came one after another in moderate numbers.
Their hearing must be good; with one shot, monsters from a considerably wide area reacted and moved.
Conversely, if I carelessly used a large explosion and my position was identified over a wide area, an incredible number would probably swarm me.
If Yuri-san hadn’t taught me her secret arts, I wouldn’t have been able to sense that it was spreading over a wide area.
Thinking about it made me shudder.
As expected, you can’t let your guard down in the dungeon. I steeled myself and reliably shot them down.
After a while, there were no more monsters likely to come this way.
If I was going to continue, I should probably move a significant distance.
However, I thought it would be impossible to load them onto the cart since I’d killed so many, but when I tried, it was still only about half full.
“Ah, because they’re small monsters…”
My spirits rose at how many more fit than I expected.
This floor was truly a jackpot.
I’m gonna hunt them indiscriminately! After moving a large distance, I set up a position on a high platform and continued the task of shooting them down from there.
I hunted all the nearby foxes again, but since there was still a little space, I proceeded deeper.
After going all the way to the back and hunting them all, this time they wouldn’t all fit.
Having no choice, I released magical power from my backpack to expand the cart, and while playing this cat-and-mouse game of annihilating them, my magical power was completely depleted.
Naturally, there was the cart’s share. There was also the gun’s share. But I had already converted my armor into bullets.
“Oooh. I overdid it a bit.
Well, in the worst case, if I forcibly lighten the cart, I can still shoot more, so let’s head back quickly.”
By the time I returned to the Dismantling Yard, it was already about time for the gates to close.
That was close.
Well, of course. After clearing ten floors and then persevering that much…
But, that thought was fleeting; that day at the Dismantling Yard, I was treated like a hero.
“Rui, you’re amazing after all!”
“A future Knight-sama, huh?”
“A talent not seen in over a decade…”
“No, this many by himself. That makes him an even more incredible talent!”
It’s not that big a deal!
While getting carried away, I somehow managed to restrain myself and waited for the dismantling to finish, but when I saw my evaluation points for that day, I was dumbfounded.
In a single day, I had earned several hundred times my usual evaluation.
If I repeated this for three more days, I could graduate. It was that good of a hunting ground.
No, I’ll probably hunt them all out next time, so it might take a little longer.
Even so, I asked if that catalyst was really that amazing.
“Well, to put it simply, it’s a standard power amplification material. Naturally, demand is high.
If you’re curious, why not try having one made?
If it’s something you have the students here process, you can take the materials you provided yourself.
However, the fee for a processing request isn’t free, you know.”
Whaaat!?
Then I have something I want processed even more than that!
Since I earned a lot from today’s haul, I asked if I could place an order right away, but was warned, “The only oddballs working at this hour are the weirdos in the Third School Building, so you should hold off.”
I heard their skills were good, but they indulged too much in their hobbies and did whatever they pleased.
And they said they added the costs incurred from those hobbies to the bill. The worst.
But still, he said twice that their skills were good.
What I wanted processed was the Ape’s fur.
I wanted to have armor made from it.
Currently, I’ve reported it as a cushion. I haven’t submitted it, claiming I’m using it.
If I could get it processed and legally carry it around, that would be fantastic.
But that fur couldn’t be processed easily.
I’d experienced firsthand how considerably troublesome it was.
It would probably take time.
Then, towards the ones with good skills.
Thinking that, I headed towards those so-called weirdos.
“Hey, welcome to the Magic Tool Appreciation Society! Are you here to join?”
It was past nine o’clock, as expected. It was dark inside.
There was probably only one person left.
“No, I’d like to request some work. If you can process it, that is.”
“Huh?” he said, furrowing his brow.
“Is that a challenge to me? Alright. What kind of material is it!?”
“No, it’s not a challenge. I skinned it myself, but it was quite troublesome, you see?”
Saying that, I took out ten pelts.
“Th-this is terrible. Why would you do it yourself… Hey, what is this?
I’ve never seen fur like this before!!”
As he started making a fuss, another man emerged from behind him.
Without even a greeting, he started stroking, kneading, and thoroughly examining the material.
“What do you plan to make with this?”
I was about to answer the man who came later, but…
“Hold on. I was the one who greeted him!?”
“That’s true. But he’s the one who decides who to entrust the processing to.”
“Yeah. I think so too. So?”
A voice came from behind, and when I turned around, a woman was standing there. Pointing at the pelts, she asked, “What do you want to make?”
“Ah, a coat. I’d like a hood attached too.
It has fire resistance, so I want to cover as much of my body as possible, but I also want the appearance to be somewhat decent. It’s a very difficult material to cut, so I think it’ll be tough…”
“””Leave it to us.”””
All three of them said they’d do it and grabbed several pelts each.
Hey, just because you grabbed them doesn’t mean you get to do it, okay?
“Hey, if possible, I’d like to ask a specialist in pelts…”
“Hmph-hmph. Which means it’s me, right?”
“”Kuh…””
The one who said that triumphantly was the second guy who appeared.
Apparently, given how he was manhandling it, he seemed to specialize in pelts.
“By the way, how much will it cost?”
“Ah, this time the material is too interesting, so I don’t need a labor fee.
But, I wonder… It also depends on how tough it is.”
Depending on the case, tools might get ruined, or it might require cutting with a magic tool. In that case, he said I’d have to bear the incurred costs.
“Ah, about how much should I deposit to be safe?”
“Let’s see… Even assuming the worst, two gold coins should be enough.
If that’s not enough, then it’s a job that’s impossible for a student.”
So expensive!
But if that price doesn’t include labor costs, then this place is the cheapest, huh?
I do want some Fire Resistance gear, so I guess I’ll go ahead and ask.
“Alright. If it goes over that, I can’t pay any more, so keep that in mind.”
Saying that, I handed over two gold coins.
“Whoa! Paying upfront, are ya?
Hold on a sec. I’ll make sure to get anything money-related down in writing.”
As he disappeared into the back, the woman spoke to me again. She gently took my hand, which was holding the material I’d even been idly shaping like a bracelet, in both of hers.
“That thing you’re holding, it’s a Catalyst Crystal, isn’t it? Are you planning to make a Staff?”
“Hey now, trying to use your charms like that isn’t fair. If it’s a Staff you’re after, that’s my specialty, you know?”
“‘How about it?'” they both said, giving me bright smiles.
“You two are skilled, so you’d get work even if you weren’t so aggressive, wouldn’t you?”
“Well, sure, for beginner equipment that we’ve made countless times, yeah?”
“That leather from before, and this Catalyst Crystal too—I haven’t personally worked with materials like these before, you see.
I really want to craft something with my own design and test its performance!
I’ll do it for free, so just let me tinker with it as I please!”
I see. No wonder they’re called eccentrics.
But, this is convenient for me right now. After all, I can’t really spend much more money.
“Alright. If you’re even offering to do it for free, I can’t refuse. Tinker away as you please.”
“Leave it to me! I’ll tinker with it to my heart’s content!”
With that, I handed over the jewel that had been on the forehead of the fox I’d brought.
He joyfully returned to the back room.
“Hey… isn’t there anything for meee?”
“Huh…? By the way, what’s your specialty?”
“It’s Magic Tools in general, y’know. I guess I mainly focus on making Potions.
Leatherworkers and Staff crafters are usually the rare ones, you know?
Oh, and by the way, I don’t work for free. I always receive the standard payment.”
That figures. In this world, the demand for Magic Tool engineers is higher, after all.
I mean, you can create armor as hard as, or even harder than, metal using Magical Power.
And you can use magic even without a Staff.
So she can make Potions too, huh.
It just so happens I was thinking I wanted to turn those Petals into Potions to carry around.
I don’t mind spending money if it’s for creating Potions.
“By the way, can you make sturdy Potion vials?”
“Sure I can, but what grade are we talking about?”
Huh? I wouldn’t know about things like that…
“Then let me ask you this instead: do you need them to be strong enough not to break if I threw one down from here?”
She asked, pointing outside the school building.
“Yeah. If they aren’t at least that strong, I’d feel uneasy carrying them around during combat.”
“So, what’s the actual healing medicine you’re planning to put in them? How much effort I put in will depend on that, you know.”
Since she said that, I told her it was at the dorm and I’d bring it tomorrow, but she insisted on coming to see it now and tagged along.