Chapter 62

Orichalcum (1)

After encountering a chicken nearly as large as the saber-toothed tiger, I didn't run into any other major dangers.

Of course, every now and then I spotted snakes, huge lizards, hawks nearly as large as pterosaurs, and all sorts of other strange animals.

Fortunately, none of them actually came after me.

The adamantium-whatever shield, which was basically a superior version of the golden shield, proved its worth whenever things looked dangerous.

At this rate, dinosaurs are going to show up too.

I couldn't even describe how shocked I'd been when I saw a hawk the size of a pterosaur.

Thankfully, it had already finished hunting.

Otherwise, I might've been in serious trouble.

Even the prey it had caught wasn't normal-sized.

Don't tell me some bird carried Wonmo off.

Wonmo's footprints and the claw marks Namu-Ppareumbo had left behind still continued farther ahead.

But after seeing a hawk that looked like a damn pterosaur, I couldn't help feeling anxious.

If the trail suddenly ended midway, that would mean they'd been taken into the sky.

Namu-Ppareumbo might be strong on the ground, but the moment he was carried into the air, he'd be helpless.

"Wonmo! Where are you?! Answer me if you can hear me!"

I kept calling Wonmo's name while following their trail.

Then I found what appeared to be the remains of a snake Wonmo had been eating.

Its head had been neatly smashed apart, while the rest of its body had been torn to pieces.

Since parts of it were still twitching, it couldn't have been killed very long ago.

They're nearby.

I had almost caught up to Wonmo and Namu-Ppareumbo.

The problem was that their trail was becoming harder to see.

There were still Namu-Ppareumbo's claw marks here and there, but the footprints had completely disappeared.

The trees were densely packed, and the ground was covered in too much grass.

Just wait until I find you.

I was going to give Wonmo's butt a good spanking.

As for Namu-Ppareumbo, I was going to demand an explanation for why he hadn't stopped him.

He'd better have a damn good reason if he wanted me to let him off.

...Would it even matter if I didn't let him off?

He was stronger than me.

That thought crossed my mind for a moment, but I deliberately ignored it.

After struggling along the trail for a while, I gradually began emerging from the dense forest.

Which only made the situation worse.

Leaving the forest itself meant they were heading toward another region.

I could only pray they hadn't wandered somewhere where space itself became distorted.

"Kkyuuuuuuuu!"

A cry reached my ears.

It was extremely familiar.

Only Wonmo made such an adorable sound.

"Wonmo?!"

I whipped my head toward the sound.

His cry sounded urgent.

Was he being chased by some beast?

If he sounded that desperate even with Namu-Ppareumbo around, then he had to be in real danger.

"Wonmo! I'm here! Over here!"

"Kkyuuuuuu!"

Apparently Wonmo heard my voice, because his cry became even louder than before.

The bushes in the direction I was looking began shaking violently.

Crash!

"Kkyuuuuuu!"

Wonmo burst out of the bushes with Namu-Ppareumbo clinging to his back.

Relief flooded through me at finally finding them.

Then I saw what came charging out behind them and froze.

Crash! Rustle!

"Peep! Peep! Peep!"

"Pyaa! Peep-peep!"

The black-bodied chick I'd seen earlier.

Except there wasn't just one.

Several of them came charging out of the bushes at once.

The way they flapped their wings energetically was honestly pretty cute.

The problem was their size.

A whole flock of human-sized chicks rushing toward me was extremely intimidating.

"Peep? Peep?"

"Peep?"

The chicks chasing Wonmo stopped the moment they saw me.

Apparently, my sudden appearance had made them pause to assess the situation.

"Kkyuu... kkyuu..."

Wonmo clung tightly to my leg, trembling all over.

It seemed he was terrified of the chicks.

Yeah, I'd run too.

From Wonmo's perspective, since he was relatively small, it probably felt like being chased by a herd of elephants.

Meanwhile, Namu-Ppareumbo, who was still hanging off his back, looked completely relaxed.

"COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!"

Just as we remained locked in a tense standoff, a powerful rooster's crow rang out from far away.

The chicks heard it and looked at one another.

"Peep. Peep."

"Peep."

They seemed to exchange some kind of signal before turning around.

Then they disappeared back into the bushes.

That loud crow had apparently been some kind of recall signal.

"Phew."

"Kkyuuuu."

Once the situation was over, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Wonmo, who had been clinging to my leg, seemed relieved too and slowly loosened his grip.

"...Wonmo."

"Kkyu?"

"Do you know what you did wrong?"

Wonmo tilted his head at my scolding.

His expression clearly said he had no idea.

Right.

Talking to him now would probably be like preaching scripture to a cow.

And judging from what I'd seen, Namu-Ppareumbo had only followed because he'd tried to stop Wonmo, so I couldn't really scold him either.

"Haa. Let's go back quickly. It's dangerous here."

"Kkyuu. Kkyu."

When I said we should go back, Wonmo grabbed my pants in his beak and started tugging.

It felt like he was trying to lead me somewhere, so I watched him carefully.

Maybe he'd found something.

I thought about it for a moment before accessing the Gallery.

We've still got time.

It had taken roughly two hours just to find Wonmo.

That meant there was still plenty of time before lunch.

Still, I couldn't afford to explore for too long.

I had to factor in the time it would take to return.

And I especially couldn't forget about the crabs I owed Passing Dwarf.

First, I should post that I found Wonmo.

Since Wonmo might run off again while I was writing the post, I wedged him between my legs.

While I held Wonmo firmly in place, Namu-Ppareumbo climbed onto my back.

Title) Found the Troublemaker

Wild Grylls

(Photo of Wonmo looking up from between my legs)

Found this little troublemaker.

Nearly scared me to death.

Good thing Namu-Ppareumbo went with him, or it probably would've taken me a lot longer to find them.

└ Heavenly Demon) I am glad you found them. Neither of them was injured, was he?

└ Wild Grylls) We ran into a huge chicken along the way, but neither of them got hurt.

└ Heavenly Demon) A chicken? How large was it?

└ Wild Grylls) Going by height, it was way taller than me. The chick was about eye level with me.

└ Heavenly Demon) Hmm. I cannot tell whether it was a spirit beast or merely an unusually large chicken.

└ Wild Grylls) Chickens can become spirit beasts too?

└ Heavenly Demon) Any plant or animal may evolve into a spirit beast if the proper conditions are met.

└ SwordMaster) How about catching that chicken and eating it to nourish yourself?

└ Wild Grylls) I think it'd smash my head in first ;; That thing was seriously fucking terrifying.

└ SwordMaster) You killed a tiger, but you're scared of a chicken?

└ Wild Grylls) Yes.

└ SwordMaster) Fair enough.

└ Look how quickly she accepted that lmaooo.

└ Passing Dwarf) Hey. When are you giving me my drinking snacks? My friend keeps complaining because you're taking too long.

└ Wild Grylls) I'm seriously sorry. I'll get them to you today or tomorrow.

└ Passing Dwarf) Since you're late, I'm expecting extra service, okay?

└ Wild Grylls) Would two crabs be enough?

└ Passing Dwarf) Give me some fish instead. I want to try it.

└ Wild Grylls) I can do that, but you'll have to clean it yourself.

└ Passing Dwarf) K.

After checking the Gallery's reactions, all that was left was to head back.

"Kkyuu. Kkyu."

But Wonmo kept pestering me to go somewhere.

Maybe because it had been a while since he'd been outside, he seemed reluctant to return right away.

We still had plenty of time, so there was no reason I couldn't indulge him.

If things looked dangerous, though, we'd run immediately.

"All right. But if it's dangerous, we're getting out of there right away. Got it?"

"Kkyuu!"

Wonmo beamed at my permission.

I chuckled at his unbearably cute face and stroked his head.

First thing I need to do is install a gate at the cave entrance.

There was a reason pet owners put barriers in front of doors.

If I wanted to prevent another escape incident, installing one at the cave entrance was essential.

And once Wonmo stopped taking naps, I'd just have to bring him with me.

"All right. Lead the way."

"Kkyuu!"

I let Wonmo take the lead and followed behind him.

Perhaps he'd realized how dangerous this place was, because he didn't stray far from me.

He even kept looking back now and then to make sure I was still following.

Just as I found myself thinking that this must be why people kept pets, Wonmo turned around and cried out.

"Kkyuu!"

He pointed ahead with a front paw as if to say, Here!

I turned toward where he was pointing.

"A cave?"

It was a cave.

And one with a very wide entrance.

Unlike the place where I'd found the golden mushroom, there was nothing around the entrance.

Only a dark, gloomy opening greeted us.

The ominous atmosphere made me reluctant to go inside.

"Wonmo. Do you really have to go in there?"

"Kkyuu!"

Somehow, he seemed even more adventurous than I was.

Maybe it was the natural curiosity of a cub.

After thinking for a moment, I told Wonmo to wait and searched the surroundings.

It was far too dark inside, so a torch was essential.

Fortunately, I'd brought cloth and oil with me.

Whoosh!

Now that I had a torch lit, it seemed safe enough to enter.

Wonmo only walked ahead as far as the torchlight reached and never went beyond it.

It slopes downward from here.

Before long, we reached a descending passage.

I told Wonmo to step back, then extended the torch ahead of me.

The incline wasn't too severe, and there were footholds here and there.

Getting back up shouldn't be a problem.

Still, we needed to be careful.

"Wonmo, wait a second."

"Kkyu?"

I bought two long ropes from the Gallery.

Then I tied them securely around a sturdy-looking rock.

This should keep us safe even if we slip.

I tied one rope around my waist and the other around Wonmo's.

I didn't bother tying up Namu-Ppareumbo.

He already had excellent claws for that sort of thing.

With our safety measures in place, I slowly started down the slope.

Even though Wonmo was still a cub, he was an animal after all, and he descended far more nimbly than I did.

These shoes really are great.

I was getting plenty of use out of them today.

Perhaps thanks to their anti-slip properties, nothing went wrong.

Even so, I never stopped being cautious.

One bad step leading to a broken bone would be a complete disaster.

"Phew."

After making it down the somewhat steep slope, I exhaled in relief.

I held up the torch to check whether the descent continued, but it didn't.

From here on, the ground was flat.

"Wow..."

I couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size of the cave.

The torch was our only source of light, but that wasn't much of a problem.

My eyes were good enough to make out the terrain even in the darkness.

Any dangerous animals...? Doesn't look like it.

Bats, insects, snakes, and the like.

Everything here was unusually large, but nothing looked especially dangerous.

Even the snakes, probably the most threatening creatures among them, seemed timid enough that they began slithering away the moment we approached.

To Wonmo, however, they must have all looked like prey.

"Hissss!"

"Kkyak!"

Thus began a rather pathetic battle between a snake and an owlbear cub.

The snake was large, but it didn't have venomous fangs, so it posed no real threat to Wonmo.

Besides, Wonmo's reaction speed was surprisingly fast.

The snake never stood a chance.

An owlbear really is still an owlbear.

While Wonmo chewed, tore, tasted, and enjoyed his snake, I explored the cave.

But...

As I shone the torch around, I noticed something strange.

Putting aside the sheer size of the place, how should I describe it?

It glittered.

And not just in one spot.

The entire cave sparkled like a gemstone.

Even the ground beneath my feet shimmered faintly with a purple hue.

What the hell is this?

I picked up a loose stone from the ground.

Even the rock gave off a faint purple glow.

At a glance, it clearly wasn't ordinary.

I should ask the Gallery. Passing Dwarf is a dwarf, so he might know.

I picked up several stones so I could have them properly identified.

Then I looked around for anything else unusual.

Other than the faint purple glow covering the entire cave, there didn't seem to be anything special.

This thing looks like a person.

During my search, I came across something shaped like a human.

More accurately, it resembled a giant.

I looked it over from every angle and even touched it, but it didn't react.

It seemed to be nothing more than a naturally formed structure.

Once I'd thoroughly scouted the area, I got ready to head back.

"We'll need to wash as soon as we get home, if only because of the ticks."

"Kku?"

"Yes, you. You. You're eating and going straight to sleep when we get back."

It didn't take long to return to the shelter.

I'd carefully marked the route on the way here, and we didn't stray onto any other paths.

And with that, Wonmo's roughly two-and-a-half-hour adventure came to an end.

But only the adventure was over.

I still had a mountain of things to do.

"I need to eat, figure out what this stone is, wash Wonmo... Busy, busy."

First, I made a question post asking what the stone was.

If it was valuable, I'd put it up on the Auction House.

If it needed to be processed, I'd give it to Passing Dwarf instead.

Maybe I can ask him to make crossbow bolts out of it.

With that thought, I made the post and got to work.

The first task was washing Wonmo.

After crawling through all that underbrush, he probably had ticks all over him.

"Kkyuuuu."

"Feels good?"

"Kkyu!"

"You're practically royalty at this point."

Wonmo floated in the warm bathwater with only his face sticking out.

He'd had quite a day, but at least I could say we'd finally done some of the exploring I'd been putting off.

Afterward, I washed myself too, then checked the post.

└ Passing Dwarf) I'm telling you, that's orichalcum. Even if I'm a drunk, I can recognize that much.

└ What if you're wrong? Can you bet the beer in your hand on it?

└ Then I'll believe you lol.

└ Passing Dwarf) Hey, fuck off. That's going too far;;

└ Look at this coward lmao.

└ You think it's mithril, but you can't even bet a beer?

└ To be fair, asking a dwarf to risk his beer is cruel lol.

└ Praise the Sun) That looks like orichalcum to me too. I'll upload a photo of the stuff I own.

└ What the hell are you that you even own orichalcum?

└ Praise the Sun) Rich guy from Setan.

└ That's the kind of answer that makes you want to start a revolution lmao.

Apparently, something strange had been going on while I was away.