Episode 106 Rolling in the Pumpkin (1)
"···So, what do we do now?"
"Hmm..."
Harley and his party were hiding in the underground dugout, their senses on high alert, feeling the tremors from above.
"That's definitely a terrifying presence. We would have been in big trouble if we had been a little late."
Knight Robin muttered grimly, assessing the monster's aura.
If it hadn't been for the barrier that blocked all internal presence, they wouldn't be so leisurely observing the situation.
"Ugh— I can't even use it that many times because of the limited number of uses. This exploration has been a huge loss! Well, it's better than dying, I guess."
Zaonic grumbled continuously while diligently expanding the underground space.
A magic tool that could create a barrier to fool that sensitive monster's senses in an instant was a rare item.
Still, thanks to it, he had been able to survive until now, and this time, the party was also able to safely avoid the crisis, so it had already paid for itself.
"···It's incredibly heavy. And it walks on two legs. It seems similar to an Ogre, but I'm not sure because it feels much larger."
"Right now, it's… eating the corpses on top, right? Well, it makes sense, it wouldn't be able to maintain that size with ordinary food."
"We've basically set up a feast for it. It's a good thing Mr. Zaonic buried Bordo quickly."
The guide and the Rangers were listening to the sounds from above, analyzing the monster.
They had avoided a fight for now, but accurately grasping the opponent's identity was essential.
And Harley…
'That pickaxe...'
He had already forgotten about the monster leisurely walking around above them.
He was just staring with sparkling eyes at the extraordinary pickaxe in Zaonic's hand, which was silently expanding the underground space.
When the party first encountered Dwarf Zaonic, Harley was able to hear the details of how he had survived in such a dangerous place.
It was the same as what they were doing now, quickly digging into the ground and activating a barrier.
And in that story, the item that had played a big role along with the barrier magic tool was that pickaxe.
'I just thought it was cool back then.'
But the moment he saw the pickaxe that Zaonic had taken out of his subspace, he immediately realized it.
That… the tool, imbued with Dwarf Zaonic Steelstone's soul and sweat, was the perfect medium for "Customization"!
'I thought only symbolic items like the World Tree branch would work, but it seems like personal belongings like that also work. …Then it's time for a change of plans.'
He had originally planned to hide the party in this safe place and deal with the monster above them alone…
But he changed his mind.
'I have to get that.'
When would such a golden opportunity come again?
This was something he had to obtain while he could.
But his greedy gaze was too obvious, and Zaonic, who was expanding the space while swinging the pickaxe, turned his head and met his eyes.
"···What do you want to say?"
"Ah— I just thought it was a great pickaxe. I'm also pretty good at digging, but to dig a hole this deep in just a few minutes… It's amazing!"
Harley's sincere compliment seemed to have eased Zaonic's wary expression.
It was natural for him to be happy to have his creation praised.
"Oh ho, you have a good eye! You look like a warrior, but you recognize a tool, not a weapon!"
He thought so… but it wasn't just that.
"Everyone admires fancy weapons, but I believe that a craftsman also needs the best equipment to show his true skills. That's why all the hammers and anvils in my workshop are meticulously crafted. I only brought 'Elinne' with me this time, but..."
Harley's compliment seemed to have flipped a switch in him, and a passionate speech about pickaxe 'Elinne' followed.
A pickaxe that was reborn as a magic tool after combining all sorts of precious rare metals, hammering it for days and nights, and finally imbuing it with the Dwarf's secret, 'Artisan's Soul'.
This tool, filled with the earth attribute, could pierce through any hard ground like tofu, and…
It was equipped with various support functions for the user, such as increased work speed, reduced vibration and noise, and stamina support.
It could be called the divine weapon of pickaxes.
"I personally mine all the iron ore I use for my best creations! The quality of the ore also varies depending on how it's mined, and it can better accept the craftsman's breath..."
Zaonic continued to boast about Elinne's greatness, as if he were showing off his lover, and then moved on to the story of its creation.
The story of how he settled in Aonia County to properly utilize the abundant rare minerals of the Northern Mountains, and the need for a pickaxe to safely mine in such a dangerous place.
"It was made during the previous lord's time, so we've been together for over 20 years! We've explored the mountains and overcome countless obstacles together. This is the first time we've faced something this big, but..."
But he confidently gripped the pickaxe, saying that he and Elinne would overcome this crisis together.
'I see… so that's how it is.'
That pickaxe wasn't just something he made with passion.
It was an item that had been with him for a long time, accumulating karma since its creation, a record of Zaonic's 20 years.
Harley quietly listened to his passionate speech and followed his affectionate gaze to Elinne.
But unlike Zaonic's loving eyes, his gaze was sinister…
Gulp—
'Ah, my mouth keeps getting dry.'
A muscular giant with tattoos all over his naked body, licking his lips with a sinister look, was a sight that could get him arrested for attempted crime, but fortunately, everyone was busy with their own thoughts, so no one noticed.
As they were all holding their breath and resting in tension,
"Huh?"
"The monster..."
A change occurred in the monster leisurely walking around above them.
It seemed like it had eaten enough, as it lay down on the spot.
"What do we do? Now that it's off guard, should we just attack it?"
"How about we dig a tunnel and escape?"
Neither option was good.
The barrier wasn't portable, and the moment they left, the monster would immediately detect them and attack.
"It won't stay here forever. We can wait until it leaves."
"Do you know how many monster corpses are piled up above us? Why do you think it settled down here?"
Of course, considering the monster's size, it wouldn't be able to last long with that amount of food.
But time wasn't on their side.
"The longer we wait, the higher the chance of encountering even stronger monsters."
Waiting wouldn't necessarily improve the situation.
Rather, it was more likely to worsen.
But as everyone was agonizing over the situation, Harley was thinking about something else.
'This is my chance!'
He was the only one who could break through this situation.
They might be able to come up with a good plan if they put their heads together, but not right now.
And that meant…
"Ahem! I have a good idea."
He could steer the situation in his desired direction.
"The problem is that the monster above us is settled here, so if we can lure it somewhere else, wouldn't that solve the problem?"
"That would be great, but how?"
"I'll go out and do it."
Harley confidently stepped forward, a determined smile on his face.
"I'll provoke it and then lure it away from here, in the opposite direction of where we need to go, and then hide. Simple!"
"···You'll do it yourself? That monster's detection range seemed extraordinary, are you sure you can shake it off?"
Having witnessed his extraordinary abilities, the party readily agreed without any objections.
"Harley can definitely do it."
"But is it really okay? Wouldn't it be better if we all fought together?"
As opinions were divided over whether it was okay to put all the risk on one person,
Harley continued speaking.
"Ahem, to be honest, even I'm not sure if I can completely escape from it. So I need a little help…"
And his gaze subtly shifted towards Zaonic.
More precisely, it was towards the pickaxe 'Elinne' in his hand.
Gulp—
He discreetly swallowed his saliva and politely spoke to Zaonic, hiding his inner desires.
"Zaonic, the digging ability of that extraordinary pickaxe you made would be a great help in safely completing the mission!"
"Uh… uh?! You want to use Elinne…?"
Everyone's gaze focused on him, and Zaonic, sensing danger, hurriedly hugged his pickaxe.
It was obvious that he didn't want to give it up, and Harley appealed to him even more strongly.
He would be able to safely complete the mission with its help, and that meant everyone could escape the mountains safely.
'So please give it to me!'
His gaze, filled with strong will, made Zaonic sweat and subtly avoid his eyes.
"It… it won't fit you."
It was true that the Dwarf's height barely reached Harley's waist, so a pickaxe made for his size would be nothing more than a toy to Harley.
But Harley firmly shook his head.
"No! That continent's strongest pickaxe, Elinne, can overcome such a trivial problem. Don't you think so?"
"Well, of course! B-but..."
But Zaonic also knew that there was no other way.
He was volunteering to take on the risk and saying it was needed for his safety, how could he refuse?
A tool was just a tool, no matter how precious it was.
Even though he had put all his heart and soul into making it and meticulously maintaining it, a tool was ultimately a consumable.
'No, that's not right! I'm sorry, Elinne… I didn't mean to discriminate. You're all precious to me.'
Zaonic, momentarily lost in thought, eventually closed his eyes and reluctantly handed the pickaxe to Harley with trembling hands.
"I… if it gets damaged, it's okay. Just bring it back to me, and I'll make you a better weapon when we get back."
"Hmm! I'll do my best. But I don't know what will happen, so I can't promise!"
It was a journey to a place that could be considered a dead end, so…
It was natural that it could be damaged or lost during battle.
"···No, I shouldn't have said that. No matter how precious a tool is, your life is more important. If things get tough, don't push yourself and just give up… it's… it's okay… Sob!"
As Harley took the pickaxe, Zaonic clung to it with a sorrowful look, unable to let go.
He seemed to sense it instinctively.
That this would be their last meeting, and only an eternal farewell awaited them.
Harley waited patiently at first, but as time passed, he tightened his grip on the pickaxe and slowly lifted it.
Zaonic dangled in the air, swaying back and forth like a pendulum.
Thud—
But he couldn't stay like that forever, and Zaonic eventually gave up, loosening his grip and falling to the ground.
His heartbroken expression as he stared at the pickaxe in Harley's hand was as if he had lost his lover, making Harley feel uncomfortable.
'No, I'm definitely the bad guy here. I have no intention of returning this.'
He felt a pang of guilt at Zaonic's pitiful appearance, but he deliberately ignored it and hung the pickaxe on his belt.
'Sorry, but I'm saving your life, right? You would have all died if it wasn't for me, so let's call it even.'
Zaonic's sorrowful appearance triggered his dormant madness, but this time, he desperately suppressed it.
'I can't lick the pickaxe and laugh at him while he's heartbroken!'
His madness, fueled by the 'Seed of Madness', was trying to take him over, but he couldn't cross that line.
If he did something that messed up, his heroic image would be ruined.
Well, he should save that for when he's alone.
Anyway, that wasn't the important thing right now.
The important thing was that various events had happened, and he had accumulated enough Karma points to create a new avatar, and…
'This is great. Then what should I name him?'
It was finally in his hands.
Elinne… no.
A Dwarf.