Ch.42Broken Spear

After defeating the Tyrant Worm in a fierce battle, we began searching through its corpse to recover the magic stone and Seti’s spear.

Even in death, the Tyrant Worm’s rock-hard skin refused to let blades penetrate it, but thanks to the tattered state of the corpse, we were able to search inside without having to cut through the skin.

However, the search results were utterly devastating. The magic stone from the 10-meter-long Tyrant Worm was merely the size of two finger joints, and Seti’s spear, retrieved from its stomach, had its blade broken into three pieces.

“Ah~ this is unusable. We’ll need to remake the blade part.”

“Could you do that for us? I’ll pay the cost.”

“I don’t need payment since I owe you from before… but this is a ‘Runka,’ a traditional weapon of the Yamiao tribe, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm~~ Even if I make something with the same shape, it won’t perform the same…”

“Anyway, it’s dangerous here, so let’s finish dealing with the Negatite first. We can think about what to do with Seti’s spear after we get back.”

Without being able to use Seti’s weapon or Jessica’s magic, the best course of action was to seal the Negatite and return as quickly as possible.

Since no one objected to this fact, we hurriedly shook the sand out of our shoes and moved to where the Negatite was located.

The sealing of the Negatite took about 15 minutes.

Mina activated the magical device on her right arm to stop the Negatite’s magical absorption activity, then attached something like an electrode from her waist to the Negatite’s surface. After stepping back a few paces and waiting briefly with her magic tank open, six magic circles appeared around the Negatite and began compressing the black magical power overflowing from it and its surroundings.

No worms appeared during the multiple compression processes until the Negatite transformed into a pitch-black cube about 20 centimeters on each side. After placing the cube in a box attached to the magic tank, we swiftly retreated to the Black Forge Mine.

“…That concludes the report on this request.”

“Hmm… Not just Negatite but a Tyrant Worm as well. This was a much more dangerous situation than expected.”

Cold sweat was running down Offenbartel’s forehead as he received our investigation report in the mine’s outer waiting room.

Not only had the initial prediction of finding either Negatite or a commander-type monster been completely wrong, but the special monster guarding the Negatite was also far stronger than anticipated.

Special monsters born from the influence of powerful black magic are classified into two types: “enhanced specimens” with greatly increased combat abilities, and “commander specimens” that control surrounding creatures of the same kind as subordinates.

The Tyrant-class monster we encountered today was a high-ranking enhanced specimen, and without the trick of using the Seismic Cracker, we could never have defeated it.

“First, I’ll pay the promised reward. As I mentioned before, this ruby is appraised at about 1000 gold. Of course, how much you actually sell it for is up to you, but I assure you it’s not worth dealing with any shop that offers less than 800 gold.”

Inside the small box Offenbartel handed over was an intricately cut bright red gem. Jessica, as the party representative, received the box and tucked it into her pouch before speaking in a calm voice.

“We’ve definitely received the quest reward. However, due to the unexpected battle with the Tyrant Worm, our weapon broke, so if possible, we’d like to get help from a Dwarf blacksmith.”

“Since it’s partly my responsibility that you encountered a Tyrant-class monster without any preparation, I’ll provide equipment repairs free of charge. May I see the damaged weapon?”

When Jessica gave Seti a nod, Seti placed the spear from his back and the broken blade pieces from his pocket on the table.

“This is…”

“It broke during the fight with the Tyrant Worm. Mina says the blade part needs to be remade.”

“That’s correct, but… unfortunately, none of us has a blacksmith who can perfectly craft a Runka blade.”

“Is it beyond even Dwarven skill?”

“It’s not a matter of skill. The Runka blade is as long as a longsword but much thinner and sharper. The fact that such a blade doesn’t bend during fierce thrusting attacks is thanks to the special technique used by Yamiao craftsmen. Without that technique, even if made from adamantium, its durability cannot be guaranteed.”

“What if we shorten the length or increase the thickness a bit?”

“That would change both the weight and balance, making it essentially a completely different weapon.”

“Hmm… so there’s no way to fix it?”

In Grantis, where firearms are well-developed, it’s difficult to find melee weapons other than knives or hand axes that also serve as tools. So I had anticipated that we would struggle to repair or find a new weapon if Seti’s weapon was damaged.

But if even Dwarf blacksmiths couldn’t handle it—or rather, if it couldn’t be completed without the special technique of Yamiao craftsmen—it essentially meant that repair or procurement of a new weapon would be impossible until visiting Seti’s home village.

Just as I was thinking that we would have to ask Seti to use a different weapon for the time being, Mina, who had been sitting next to me deep in thought, clapped her hands with an “Ah!”

“…There might be a way.”

“Really?”

“What are you thinking? No matter what metal you use, it’s impossible to make something this long and thin that won’t bend.”

“I’ll make the blade with a dark steel base and insert a mythril alloy core. That should prevent it from bending or breaking easily.”

“Indeed, using dark steel material with a core might somewhat cover the bending issue, but that alone can’t replace the Yamiao craftsmen’s technique. Moreover, as the blade’s weight increases significantly, the center of gravity will shift forward, and if you add counterweights to balance it, the total weight will increase even more, making it difficult to use.”

“No need for counterweights. If we turn the blade and core into magical devices with a lightweight effect, we can maintain the original weight. And if we add destruction resistance to increase durability, it could be much sturdier than the original blade, right?”

“What…! You’re going to turn the Runka into a magical device?”

A technical debate begins between Offenbartel and Mina. As it’s a conversation between experts, I can’t grasp it precisely, but it seems Mina is trying to compensate for the limitations of metal through magical effects.

“Stop talking nonsense. To solve the blade’s weight and durability issues with enchantments, both the lightweight effect and destruction resistance need to be constantly active. Are you planning to create a monster spear that drains its owner’s magical power 24 hours a day?”

“If we use formulas with passive characteristics, magical consumption can be reduced by over 90%, right? With just one crystal focusing mechanism, maintaining the lightweight effect constantly would be no problem, and for destruction resistance, we could keep the output low during normal times and raise it to 100% only when Seti channels magic into the weapon, minimizing the burden while keeping it almost constantly operational.”

“You talk well! Where exactly are you going to get such convenient formulas right now… hmm!?”

Offenbartel, who had been objecting to Mina’s theory, couldn’t continue speaking when he saw Mina looking at him with a grin, and his face slowly began to crumple.

“You… don’t tell me…?”

“My, what a coincidence! An artifact with passive ‘lightweight’ and ‘destruction resistance’ formulas, exactly what we need to make Seti’s spear, just happens to be lying around in our mine’s magic storehouse~?”

“No, absolutely not!”

“Oh~? Wasn’t Seti’s spear broken because of the Tyrant Worm? Didn’t you just say it was largely your responsibility that adventurers had to fight a Tyrant-class monster without any preparation?”

“Urgh… that’s…”

Offenbartel’s face had turned bright red, putting Guan Yu to shame. His constantly shifting pupils betrayed how flustered he was.

“As the client for this incident and the representative of the Black Forge Mine’s Dwarves, shouldn’t you take responsibility for endangering adventurers with incorrect information and causing them to lose a precious weapon~?”

“B-but Mina! That magic barrel… ‘Mighty Strongman’ has been my treasured possession for 30 years—”

“Eh~? Dad, is a mere artifact more important than a person’s life and your responsibility as the mine representative? I was the first one who almost died because of that incorrect information, you know? These people saved my life twice, you know?”

“Urgh… artifact… daughter’s life… my responsibility… urgh… AAAAARGH!!!”

Offenbartel, who had been trembling while clutching his head, suddenly stood up, raised both arms above his head, and let out a strange cry.

I was briefly worried that his howl might blow away the waiting room tent and cause chaos, but Offenbartel slowly collapsed onto the table and admitted his defeat in a subdued voice.

“…You’re right, Mina. I’ll give up the artifact. However, the contents… at least let me transfer the premium whiskey inside to another barrel.”

“Eh~ Don’t be so stingy now~”

“On that point, I absolutely cannot yield. If your mother returns next month and finds that whiskey gone, who knows what will happen to me…”

“Ah… that’s definitely a problem. Alright. We’ll transfer the contents to another barrel and just use the artifact.”

“…I’m not sure what’s going on, but does this mean there’s a way to fix Seti’s weapon?”

“Leave it to me! It won’t be exactly the same, but I’ll have a much sturdier spear ready by tomorrow morning!”

The monster mutation incident at the Black Forge Mine came to an end with Offenbartel’s end-of-the-world expression and Mina’s bright smile.