ch141-ch160 · 153-ch153

Chapter 153: The Golem with Its Fist Raised

"Isn't iron supposed to be hard?"

"The 'iron' you're thinking of is steel, ain't it? This golem's made of pretty much nothing but iron. No carbon in it, so you can't call it steel. More carbon makes it harder, or something like that... I ain't exactly educated, so don't ask me for details."

So that's how it is.

Which means this golem was actually on the weak side...

And here I was thinking of collecting a whole bunch to make Mia-san happy. They're not wanted?

"Can't that be made with your skill, Mia-san?"

"Ah—I did my own mixing back in the day, y'know. It's not that I can't. The MP cost was just brutal, so I quit. What to mix in at what percentage—buying it ready-made is cheaper than me making it. Faster, and above all more precise. The folks who are really good at this stuff probably get 【Alchemist】 as their high-rank job, I'd reckon."

【Alchemist】, huh...

It's a magic job, so they can handle combat too.

Apparently the 【Alchemist】 adventurers at HQ don't even work production—they're top-tier adventurers fighting it out in the dungeon depths like anyone else.

"So what do we do with this golem, then?"

"Take it back where you found it."

The way she put that is brutal.

"Wha— you heartless monster!"

"What's the problem!? It's not a living thing, is it? Go dump it!"

"Now, now—it is simply iron, so there is a proper buyback for it. An iron golem should fetch at least 100,000 yen. Selling too many at once might raise eyebrows, but one or two should be no problem."

Kasumi-san steps in as the mediator.

"A hundred grand, huh... Top adventurer hauls this thing home for 100,000 yen—no idea if that's worth the trouble or not..."

It does weigh over a ton, after all.

Hauling this back from Floor 30 would be brutal.

"On Floor 31, a single magic stone goes for over 10,000 yen, after all..."

In that case, better to hunt Sand Golems and carry home ten magic stones.

Which means anyone repeatedly hauling loads back looks REALLY suspicious...

"Talking prices in the tens of thousands like it's pocket change—geeze, Haruki, you're something else. Adventurers really make that much~"

Soushi looks at me with envy in his eyes.

Smug.

"We're already Triple, you see. You'll be there soon too, so work hard on those levels."

I'm not officially Triple-Rank—I just haven't filed the paperwork—but I'm a high-rank job holder, so close enough.

"It is NOT 'soon'! It took the two of us five years, you know! Don't you go working the kid to the bone!"

"Okaaay. I'm off to grind levels, then."

"Does he get it, or doesn't he...? Well, me taggin' along at this stage would only drag his efficiency down anyway. Once he's got his job, we'll party up. I'll even teach him a thing or two about the spear."

Mia-san was carrying that hammer-like weapon the other day, but apparently she can use spears too.

So why won't she teach ME?

Well, if Soushi does pick the spear, the two of us learning from Hiramatsu-san together might be nice.

"Yes. Please take care of me."

"And when that day comes, I shall take you golem hunting."

Silver or gold would fetch a high price, I bet?

No idea if I could even beat a Diamond Golem if one showed up, though...

"What is that, scary... Kasumi-san, make sure you drill it into him: no surprises. Okay?"

"Mmm-mmm-mmm. Where exactly does 'surprise' begin?"

As long as you announce it beforehand, nothing you do should count as one...

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"Alright, I'll keep hauling them in same as yesterday, so hang in there. Oh, and the knife enhancement—give Mia-san proper feedback on how it handles, got it?"

"Yeah! Keep 'em coming! Time to get rich!"

Starting on Floor 5, same as yesterday.

I lure hobgoblins over one at a time, Soushi cuts them down and pulls the magic stones. Repeat.

Soushi's fired up—probably because of the money talk earlier.

Ideally we'd hit Level 9 right here, but if the efficiency turns bad, heading deeper to practice one-on-many works too.

I struggled with multiple enemies at first too.

Maybe letting Soushi struggle a bit more is what makes him grow properly?

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When it comes to leveling, I think Chiba is the best.

Everyone wants to go to HQ, and I don't get it.

Unlike HQ, there's no fighting over monsters in Chiba, and the respawn speed is faster.

Apparently, when monsters get killed one after another at a fast pace, the time until they respawn (repop) grows longer.

Something about the dungeon's stored-up mana running low...

Apparently even felling trees or burning grass in the dungeon slows that floor's respawn rate.

Which is why HQ—with people around the clock killing monsters the instant they spawn (pop)—has such slow respawns.

Chiba, meanwhile: the only other hunters I've ever seen are at the Floor 14-15 campsite.

Everywhere outside the campsite, monsters repop at maximum speed, always.

"Ugh— I think I leveled up—! 【Status】! Haruki, it went up—!"

Nice. That should put Soushi at Level 8.

Three levels in about two hours.

Thanks to his special-skill 【Cooking】 knife enhancement, hobgoblins are no match for him.

I haven't needed to teach him a single thing about fighting—he's slicing straight through hobgoblins, clubs and all.

"Past five. Let's head back and see Kasumi-san and the others off... 【Gate】."

"Aghhh, I'm deaaad tired—"

Kasumi-san and the others only got as far as the Triple-Rank celebration yesterday—the actual talk never happened.

So today is the proper do-over, apparently.

There'll be a secret summit at Kasumi-san's place about my skill and our plans going forward.

"No alcohol today"—Kasumi-san had said, unusually cross.

If Mia-san skips the booze and actually goes home today, maybe we'll finally get our nighttime call?

"Wh— H-Haruki. Tha—"

The moment I step through the 'Left Gate' into the warehouse, Soushi—who went ahead—comes crashing back into me.

This guy's a hazard.

"What? Whoa—a golem!?"

Right in front of us, a golem with its fist raised.

I yank Soushi behind the 'Right Gate' and ready my spear.

Iron? Do I need 【Charge・Spear】?

No—more importantly, where's Kasumi-san?

Huh? Hiding upstairs? Mia-san's with her.

Wait a second. This golem isn't registering on 【Presence Detection】?

"Surprise!"

Kasumi-san's face pops out over the second-floor railing.

"Kind of a bust, huh. It sorta ended up lookin' like it was aimed at Soushi..."

Mia-san comes out too.

"Wh-what IS this!?"

Soushi, knocked flat by my overly hard yank, demands answers from the two of them.

Well, no prize for guessing: it was a surprise.

She said I was the only one she'd surprise, and apparently she got right on that.

"I had Mia-san reattach the golem's arms and legs."

And then, for realism, she had it strike a fist-raised pose...

Positioned—calculated—so that the golem would be standing right in front of me the instant my vision cleared after coming back through the 【Gate】...

Yeah, that startles a person.

"Well, 'surprise' is generous. That was plain mischief."

Mia-san answers, self-deprecating.

"Mmm-mmm-mmm. That is true. The person on the receiving end didn't seem delighted at all. How does one manage a surprise as well as Haruki-san does?"

"It ain't about just doin' it, y'know..."

Well, if Kasumi-san's having fun, that's good enough for me...

"Oh—when someone hugs me out of nowhere, it startles me. And it makes me happy."

"Th-those things can wait..."

"Are you an idiot!? Do that stuff and the dungeon'll pop a rare monster right in front of you!"

"I have heard that urban legend."

Soushi calls it an urban legend, but every single time Kasumi-san and I get a nice mood going, an interruption shows up...

Still... a rare monster, huh.

Could it be that if we got lovey-dovey around Floor 39, a Diamond Golem might actually pop out?

Haven't I just come up with the greatest date plan of all time?