Chapter 12: Equipment Maintenance

“A survivor?”

“I ended up here because my ship wrecked.”

Had I never given Hilde a detailed explanation?

‘Since she blindly trusted me from the start, I didn’t feel the need.’

But I myself hadn’t forgotten the outside world.

I needed to tell her at least the basic circumstances.

“My company’s team members and I were traveling overseas. There were probably hundreds of people on that ship.”

“That’s… amazing.”

“Then the ship capsized, and when I opened my eyes, I was here. That alone is a miracle, so I thought there wouldn’t be any survivors besides me…”

The goblin I found earlier had a smartphone hanging from its neck.

It’s not like a Jobs of the goblin world appeared.

It must have been picked up somewhere on the uninhabited island.

“Smartphones usually sink in water. It’s highly probable it washed ashore with the person, having been in their pocket.”

“Then the goblin must have found that person along with the smartpo(phone)?”

“That’s right.”

Of course, this is just a prediction.

It’s possible they were simply swept away by strong waves.

“Then, Master, do you want to save that person?”

“No, they’re probably already dead.”

If it were a man, I would have killed him on the spot.

If it were a woman, I would have raped her before killing her.

‘Even if I dragged them away and used them as a plaything… goblins don’t provide nutrition for their hostages.’

Their body wouldn’t be normal anyway after being swept away by the sea.

To be subjected to group rape by goblins without a single drop of water in that state?

A woman’s body couldn’t withstand that.

“Still, I want to check just in case. It means there’s another survivor, after all.”

Anyway, I have to subjugate the goblins for the quest and for safety.

It would be a bit unsettling to find a human corpse then.

“But if you ask whether it’s worth risking my life for, that’s another story.”

Well, I’m human too, so I’m the type to save them if I can.

Honestly, I don’t have the desire to do so at the risk of myself and Hilde.

‘The risk is too great compared to the potential gain.’

So I had pushed it aside and kept it a secret.

It seems Hilde had already noticed the signs.

“Hmm, I see?”

Hilde remained naked, embraced, lost in thought.

Then she soon opened her mouth.

“Then let’s go check it out.”

“What?”

“Master, you’re bothered by it anyway, aren’t you?”

Hilde sat up and climbed on top of me.

Her figure, viewed from below, was fantastic.

She then made a playful expression like a cat and poked my nose with her finger.

“And if I hadn’t been here, you would have risked danger to go, right?”

“That… might have been the case.”

Loneliness is a poison that kills people.

One famous castaway even made a volleyball his friend.

‘Since I had Hilde from the start, it was fine for me.’

If I had failed the gacha, I might have rushed in just seeing the small trace.

“Then let’s go.”

“Really?”

“Honestly… I don’t like it when Master is thinking about someone else while we’re doing it.”

I don’t think that’s possible at all.

Was that how Hilde felt?

A woman’s intuition feels scary.

“Okay, but only after we’re fully prepared.”

Even if that weren’t the case, there’s a lot to do.

If possible, I want to set traps on the opposite side and in different directions too.

In the first place, we aren’t even ready to fight yet.

“And we’ll proceed with the exploration slowly and carefully. You understand that, right?”

“Yes, that’s something Master gets to decide.”

I had planned to live forgetting about the goblins for a while.

I never thought things would turn out like this.

‘Did the quest perhaps predict this outcome too?’

[Sub Quest]

▶ The Goblins Must Be Annihilated

-Content: You were interrupted by goblins at the moment you were about to perform an important deed. To get revenge, and to secure your safety on the uninhabited island! Subjugate the nearby goblins. Rewards will be given differentially based on the degree of subjugation.

-Reward: Unknown

An event quest whose reward isn’t even certain.

However, this is the first time the condition is to hunt monsters directly.

It’s bound to be a better reward than before.

“By the way…”

At that moment, Hilde, still riding on top of me, said in a hushed voice.

‘Whoa, it’s tight.’

The vaginal walls tightened around my penis once again.

“Since we’re both naked and I’m already inside, it’s okay to do it a few more times, right?”

Hilde’s eyes were already glazed over with lust.

Her breathing was rough, and her face was bright red.

‘She’s completely switched on, isn’t she?’

Perhaps it was because I kept thrusting, or maybe because of the position she was in.

It was obvious at a glance that she was incredibly aroused.

“Haa, haa.”

Hilde right now seemed like she’d jump at me even if I tried to stop her.

“It might get a little… uh… intense… but since it’s you, Master, it’ll be okay, right?”

Hilde quickly slammed her hips down.

Pang! Pang!

It was a passionate movement, enough to make sounds of flesh colliding.

“Haaak! Haaak! Yes! Master’s huge cock piercing my deepest part…!”

Thus, Hilde vigorously thrust her hips, as if blowing away all my worries.

Hilde climaxed three times in a row before washing up and falling asleep.

---

From the next day, we moved even more busily.

First, we went in the opposite direction from yesterday to scout the terrain and set traps.

Whether there was a herd of rabbits nearby, we succeeded in hunting rabbits again.

Fish were caught on the stakes driven into the stream.

▶Trash King

Rank: F

Description: A fish commonly found in streams. It’s lazy by nature and slow-moving, making it easy to catch. Its plump flesh makes it a staple food for predators. It’s a mystery how it hasn’t gone extinct.

“I’ve been thinking since yesterday, but Master is good at butchering animals? You even prepare fish yourself.”

“In society, this was my job.”

Compared to monsters, butchering beasts like rabbits isn’t difficult.

After removing the innards, skinning it, and finally separating the meat.

However, my swift knife skills seemed fascinating to Hilde.

‘At the company, I was just treated as labor force A.’

Could there be survivors among my team members too?

I had that thought for a moment, then brushed it away.

I’m already busy, so there’s no need to worry unnecessarily.

‘I don’t know how I’ll use these either, so I should store them carefully.’

Rabbit skin, bones, bird feathers, even fish bones.

I gathered everything in my inventory.

I don’t have any plans right now, but they can be used when making tools.

“Then, shall we have the fish dish Hilde wanted for lunch?”

“Hehe, you remembered.”

Even calling it cooking, it’s just grilling over a fire.

With Golden Finger, even that becomes a superb meal.

Fresh fish tastes great on its own anyway.

‘It’s a bit disappointing that I can’t eat freshwater fish as sashimi. If I had a pot, the cooking variations would increase.’

Should I dig through my top-grade Korean history knowledge and make some comb-pattern pottery?

Ah, wasn’t that mainly used on the beach?

While I was thinking about various things, the fish was cooked.

When I handed one over, Hilde took a bite.

“Mmm~ It’s crispy on the outside, so it’s delicious!”

“Later, when I make a fishing rod, let’s go fishing in the sea. Sashimi will be delicious too.”

“Sashimi?”

Hilde, who was deliciously munching on the grilled fish, tilted her head.

“What kind of fish is that?”

“Rather than a specific fish, it’s eating raw fish sliced as is. Haven’t you tried it before?”

“That’s a dish I’ve never heard of before.”

Hilde seems to have eaten relatively few kinds of food.

‘No, maybe sashimi itself is rare in Western countries.’

I remember eating sashimi in Italy once and being shocked when I saw the receipt.

If the older women I met then hadn’t paid the bill, I might have become a refugee abroad.

“Freshly caught and sliced fish tastes incredibly good. I’ll let you try it later.”

“Hehe. Master, your cooking skills are great too, so I’m looking forward to it.”

After filling our bellies, we got back to work.

“Master, is this height okay?”

“Hmm… Could you raise it a bit higher? Because we’re cooking the meat with smoke, not fire.”

“Understood!”

I debated what to do with the butchered meat and decided to smoke it.

It’s the only way to safely store it right now, and it’s food.

I have pepper too, but I decided to save it for now.

‘Vegetables spoil more easily than meat. Nutritionally, meat is much better too.’

For now, we decided to eat the greens, mushrooms, and berries right away.

The remaining meat, therefore, can be smoked and stored like this.

“Then I guess I’ll do some work too.”

While Hilde diligently made smoke, I sat down in my spot.

Of course, it wasn’t to play around.

▶Clumsy Stone Spear

Rank: F

Description: A spear made only from stone and wood. Despite diligently applying my skills, the materials were unfortunately poor. It seems usable for killing beasts.

▶Rabbit Bone Dagger

Rank: F

Description: A dagger made by refining rabbit bones. Its cutting power is weak, so slashing is difficult, but it seems usable for stabbing.

“Hmm, not very good results.”

Of course, it’s better than bare hands.

Whether the weapon swung is a stone or a knife.

Smashing a skull usually kills a creature.

“You never know what might happen during combat, so let’s make them if we can.”

There are plenty of materials, and it’s easy to carry them around once they’re in the inventory.

It was while I was continuously making weapons out of stone and wood like that.

-Ting!

【You have acquired a new trait through repetitive work!】

▶Tool Crafting (E)

Category: Unique Trait

Description: You have patiently and consistently made efforts to create new tools without reservation. Every time you craft something, the God of Blacksmiths will bestow blessings upon you.

-Tool Crafting success rate increases!

-There is a low chance of getting a ‘+’ (plus) rank when crafting tools.

“A trait this time.”

Moreover, the success rate of tool crafting increases.

Since I plan to make various things from now on, it’s quite a decent trait.

‘It feels like my hands have gotten faster somehow.’

Thus, from food to weapons.

We finished our preparations for living safety and the goblin assault in earnest.

“Alright then! Lastly, let’s have our gacha time.”

“Yay~ We finally gathered enough points.”

Hilde and I sat side-by-side in front of the campfire.

We’ve spun the gacha a few times already, but today is quite special.

‘It’s a equipment gacha, no less. And one that costs 1000P per draw.’

That’s enough to do regular gacha draws 10 times.

Honestly, it feels a bit wasteful, but I decided to view it as a long-term investment.

“But Master, you already have a sword. Are you drawing again?”

“Hmm, the sword I have now is good, but…”

▶Self-Returning Knife

Rank: C

Description: A failed work by an artisan who gave up trying to make a sword that fights on its own. The knife recognizes its owner, returning automatically even when thrown or placed elsewhere. Though a failure, the artisan’s touch is evident, making its sharpness and durability superior to ordinary knives.

Effect: Agility +2

‘Adol,’ which I drew initially.

This is also a fairly good weapon, reaching C-rank.

“As expected, having only one makes me uneasy.”

“Is that so?”

“And I want you to have a good weapon too.”

Honestly, in terms of pure combat power, Hilde is better than me.

‘For this goblin assault, the main force will likely be Hilde, not me.’

Fighting barehanded isn’t bad, but you need a weapon if you’re going to fight.

Not to mention lethality, there’s a difference in basic reach.

“To that extent for me…”

“Since it’s a gacha anyway, I can’t guarantee a good weapon will come out.”

The points I have now are 2200P.

It’s not a small amount, but I can only spin the equipment gacha twice.

‘It’s stingy, but then again, it means it’s worth that much.’

Anyway, I can’t let Hilde fight with just a stone axe.

Taking a deep breath, I boldly pressed the gacha button.

【You have acquired a new equipment!】

▶Valkyrie Spear Replica

Rank: D+

Description: A degraded version of the spear used by the Valkyrie created by Odin in Norse mythology… It’s sturdy and light, making it easy to use. It allows for more accurate stabbing of prey and boosts the morale of surrounding men. The owner has a drawback of easily getting drunk.

Effect: Hunting Efficiency +3, Slightly increases the combat power of surrounding men, Alcohol Resistance Down

“A D-rank item this time?”

Although Valkyrie is in the name, it seems to be just a replica.

Of course, it doesn’t matter as long as it functions as a spear.

‘The effects are mostly buffs. They aren’t as intuitive as ‘Adol’s’ effects, but the performance isn’t bad.’

In a way, it’s a necessary ability for us right now.

“Do you know how to handle a spear?”

“Yes! Imperial martial arts include spear techniques.”

Hilde picked up the spear and swung it lightly.

Her skill was quite flashy.

‘Fortunately, it seems there won’t be any problems with Hilde using it.’

Actually, since it’s random, I have no choice but to use it even if it doesn’t fit.

“Thank you! I really like this weapon.”

Anyway, since Hilde looks satisfied, I decided to consider this gacha draw a success.

“Then, shall Hilde try drawing with the remaining points?”

“Huh? We already got a weapon, are we drawing again?”

“That’s what the points were gathered for in the first place. I want to be fully prepared.”

Actually, I’d like it if we got at least one piece of armor.

Of course, if we got an overpowered item like a gun, I couldn’t ask for more.

“Then, excuse me.”

Hilde carefully pressed the gacha button.

【You have acquired a new equipment!】

▶Gloves of Temptation (Women’s)

Rank: B+

Description: Gloves worn by a female spy famous for her honey trap tactics in the past. These gloves, which provide a special sensation, are said to have melted many men just by touch. They can instantly captivate even your insensitive boyfriend. Not very important, but they are incredibly durable and cannot be pierced by swords or spears.

“……..Heeeee~”

For some reason, Hilde glanced back and forth between the gloves and my lower body.

No, I think I understand the reason, though.

“Master, you still have stamina, right?”