Page 17

(Walson)

Father Marbon has selected an area that regularly spawns slimes.

The area in question, a small part in the woods, is not as small as one would imagine.

If it truly were small, then all the children would be fighting over the slimes, instead fighting against them.

We were also told not to venture too far away... not like I care!

The moment I made sure no one was looking, I stepped into the woods, scooped Grace up, and dashed towards the secret base.

It will take some time since we are taking the long route, but as someone who's level is 25, it's a piece of cake.

With a blushing Grace the Loli in my arms (Okay fine, she's still technically taller than me), I found myself enjoying the journey.

We swiftly arrived at the secret base, and I immediately began to work by assembling the components for my new contraption.

"Master, I've brought the things you've asked me to bring. But what are you using them for?"

"...Incomprehensible." Grace was munching on a sandwich I made.

The moment we stepped into the secret base, Grace sent Melon quite a few looks filled with aggression.

What surprised me the most however, was the way Melon responded to that animosity.

Firstly she politely introduced herself to Grace, swiftly brought out our white bread and spiced meat, accompanied with a jug of juice. Melon treated her like a guest of honor all the while.

After that, she started to shower Grace with various compliments regarding myself. Regaling her about 'how much of a great person Walson is', or 'Walson is kind beyond measure'. She also talked about how often she has heard me talk about Grace, and the fact that she already knows quite a few things about Grace through my words.

I... felt very self-conscious while that was going on, especially when Grace started to nod in agreement whenever Melon started to compliment me.

#You're doing a great job# I told Melon through the telepathic link.

#Being aware of the master's needs is the duty of a slave.# She replied blasély.

I bet she would have been an excellent and capable servant if she were to work in a noble's household. Probably even be the chief-maid.

... Let's not go down the "Capable Maid" route yet. It's different kinds of capable after all.

"Alright, it's finished! The [Dispenser] is done." I stood up from where I sat.

Ding-Ring~

A [Dispenser] is a redstone mechanism from Minecraft. Made by combining redstone, cobblestone, and one bow, it can be used to shoot or eject things that are placed within it. If you want to shoot something upwards, make the dispenser face upwards. It just needs a power source now.

I also took some iron and crafted a minecart, then I joined two minecarts together to expand it. This isn't something that can be normally done in Minecraft, but since I am currently living a real life, and real life physics still apply, its possible for me to do that now.

I will reveal what I am using these stuff for, later.

"Now then, time for your equipment." I took more materials from the pile that Melon has organized for me.

Iron, lots of Iron.

Though technically, it's steel now.

Firstly, I refined two iron ingots and got a refined iron out of it. (Not something that usually happens in Minecraft either.) Aside from the darker color, I came to the conclusion that it is much more durable and much harder to penetrate after some testing. But its ductility and malleability was too high, it could stretch and spread into bizarre shapes that were not friendly to the human body.

So I added coal into it, and I got steel!

I did not remove any impurities, so it looks particularly dirty and... impure. Not like I knew how to remove the impurities. In my opinion, it's like throwing black sesame seeds into a bottle of milk.

I don't think actual steel production would have been as easy as I have demonstrated, so I decided to call it black iron instead, in case things ever got really technical.

I placed the [Black Iron] on the [Crafting Table] and applied the Minecraft formula used to create armor. Enough armor for two people, both of which I intend to give to the girls. I am already wearing the prototype so I didn't need to make another set for myself.

Melon would be fine wearing a full set, but Grace probably can't handle the weight. Therefore, Melon's set is made to protect her body entirely, while Grace's only protects vital body parts.

In my own opinion, I believe that all mages need to retain their mobility. Meaning that I intend to push Melon into the role of a tank this time.

I distributed some supplies, ten bottles of [Marbor Potions of Healing], and another ten bottles of [Milk] for each person inside waist bags.

With two very confused girls following behind me, I made my way out of the secret base.

Looking closely at my [Minimap], I took care to avoid monsters, and ended up before the entrance of a cave.

This is a cave inside a big hill, and it's not the only cave since the hill is really huge. They came upon some trouble the last time I was here, but thankfully I got what I was looking for.

In order to preserve the natural order, I only hit this sort of place once a year. Monster ecosystem is something even more delicate than normal ecosystems. I will clear out this one, then leave it alone for a year.

"Mm? Master, are you sure...?" I believe Melon frowned. She must have taken note of the sweet scent coming from inside the cave... or she heard the noises coming from the cave.

"...?" Grace shot Melon with a look filled with confusion.

Melon's senses, her smelling and hearing in particular, are really sharp in comparison to Grace's.

"That's right! Which is why I got both of you equipment that is resistant to penetrating damage. But we aren't going to charge right in, we must take safety measures first."

I took out a bunch of firewood from my [Inventory], and carefully positioned them a few steps into the cave.

"Grace, can we get some fire please?"

"... Sure." With a wave, a small fireball flew towards the firewood.

After making sure that it was burning, I started to take earth and soil out of my [Inventory], quickly sealing the cave entrance with them.

By the way, spell chants are mandatory for all spells. So despite the fact that Grace used magic without one, she merely made it so that it was very quick and unnoticeable to the point where one would mistake her being able to do that.

Now, we wait.

_____________________________

The three of us started to search for slimes to kill. It was laughably easy to find them with my [Minimap], and easier still to eliminate them. We used this chance to work out some basic teamwork and coordination.

... Uhm, has Melon been deeply influenced by the wooden dummy, or is it just me?

I say this because she uses her arms and legs to attack.

Not that I am saying she is doing poorly without any weapons, but slimes instantly die from one hit from her punches or kicks.

Slimes have resistance to physical attacks, y'know? Especially blunt force trauma... but then again, if she could demolish my wooden dummies so quickly, it wouldn't really matter.

Speaking of wooden dummies, the one she's using this week looks like its almost falling apart now. What is she doing to that poor dummy?

Even though she is doing great without any weapons, I still think it's too risky to go without one, so I shoved an enchanted Iron sword into her hands.

[Iron Sword_Enchantment: Bane of Arthropods (II)], this particular sword was the second blade I enchanted. It is only effective when used against arthropods, so I still prefer the sharpness enchantment when it comes to general coverage. I have already come up with a way to improve on enchanting, so I might fix this sword later.

But this sword will be useful for our operation this time, so I gave it to Melon.

"M-Master? This is..."

"... Mm... Weapon, gifted by Walson." Grace had a slightly envious expression on her face.

"Huh? No no, this isn't a gift." Melon's eager face instantly fell. So I swiftly added: "It's a prototype, a mock, used for testing purposes. I am going to make another weapon specifically designed for you in the future."

Melon gave me a happy smile after hearing that.

"Then I will hold onto this for you."

"... Specifically designed..." Despite having a blank expression, it is very easy to see that Grace is feeling crestfallen.

"Grace, I won't promise to make you a staff, since I have no idea how, but I promise to try." I really didn't want to make her sad, and I did want to try to make a staff.

"... Walson, Great." She seems much more happy now, and seems like I have successfully cheered her up.

I just hope her expectations aren't too high... Wasn't there a book on staff and magical conduits back in the Orphanage...?

{Party has gained 170 EXP}

{Party has gained 163 EXP}

{Level Up! Melon is now LV7.}

{Party has gained 178 EXP}

{Party has gained 181 EXP}

{Party has gained 70 EXP}

{Party has gained 69 EXP}

{Party has gained 80 EXP}

{Level Up! Melon is now LV8}

{Level Up! Grace is now LV11}

At this moment, a flood of messages appeared.

Oh my, I thought my plan would only weaken, not kill. But this is still good news.

I suppose the ones that had less EXP were the younger ones...?

"Huh? Uh?" Melon was startled. "I leveled up, and there's a new skill! All thanks to Master."

"... I also have a new skill." Grace said.

Aaaaaah. I am so jealous! You can gain skills as you level up, but I didn't get any no matter how many levels I gain. I also wouldn't be getting any in the future.

"... This is... Hm?" Grace mumbled, and then a spray of flower petals came out of nowhere.

Grace, who was originally on my side, disappeared and instantly appeared on my other side.

Oh right! I almost forgot Grace was an [Enderman]! So the teleportation skill was supposed to be unlocked through leveling up? Huh, how strange.

[Endermen] back in Minecraft could teleport freely. I was wondering why she never did anything like that, but turns out it was because she lacked the levels for it.

"...W-Walson... I..." She then teleported back again.

Melon had her jaws on the ground.

In this world, magical metastasis - as in, using magic to change one's position - is not something that is used lightly. It is usually large scaled, with high MP cost, and cannot be used repeatedly.

But it looks like Grace did not have to worry about any of those issues.

Thinking about it, I thought it made sense. After all, [Endermen] are infamous for their ability to teleport repeatedly.

Grace looks like she is panicking.

... I guess it's because she isn't used to it. Possibly because she has no idea how to control this new ability, this is slightly worrisome.

So, I tried to teach Grace how to control her teleportation by using my knowledge about Minecraft. After an hour, she seems to have gotten the hang of it, and is not teleporting freely.

A very convenient ability if I were to say so.

Melon gained skills that would physically reinforce her, and even learned the passive skill {Martial Arts} which gives her a boost in attack and speed.

Seems like what you learn is related to the things you train.

During the impromptu lesson time, we still got numerous messages and pings regarding exp gains.

"Alright, I think the wood should have finished burning by now..." I caught the attention of the two girls that were testing out their new skills.

There are probably a dozen that are still alive, but they should be weakened.

"Let's go! It's honey time."

We then made our way to the cave which was the residence of [Gigantic Wasps].