Rolled Pumpkin (1)
“…so, what now?”
“Hmmm…”
The Northern Mountain Party, which included Harley, was now hiding in an underground crypt, paying attention to the vibrations felt from above.
“Certainly, the momentum I feel is terrifying. It would have been a disaster if I had been a little late.”
Knight Robin drooled as he gauged the monster’s momentum.
Without a barrier that blocks all the presence of the inside, I would not have been able to express my feelings in such a carefree manner.
“Ugh— I can’t even use it a few times because of the number limit. This expedition is not without a lot of damage! Well, it would be better than dying.”
While grumbling over and over again, Zhaonic diligently refined the inside of the crypt and expanded it.
A magic tool that could unleash a barrier that could deceive that sensitive monster’s senses in such an instant could not have been a common thing.
Still, thanks to him, he was able to survive until now, and this time their party was able to get out of the crisis safely, so it can be said that the price has already been paid off.
“…the weight is huge. There is bipedal walking. It looks like an ogre, but I’m not sure because it seems to be much larger.”
“Are you eating right now with the corpses above? In fact, to maintain that size, it would be difficult to eat any kind of food.”
“It’s like we’ve set up a big table for you. I’m glad Zhaonic-nim buryed Bordeaux so quickly.”
The guide and the rangers were working side by side to put their ears on the earthen wall and analyze it.
Although he avoided fighting for the first time, it was essential to know exactly who the opponent was.
And Harley—.
‘That pickaxe….’
He didn’t even care about the monsters already roaming above.
Even now, in Zhaonic’s hand, he is only staring at the extraordinary pickaxe that silently expands the underground space with twinkling eyes.
The day the party first encountered the dwarf Zhaonic, Harley was able to hear the details of how he managed to survive in such a dangerous place.
As they did now, they dug in the ground and hid in an instant to activate the barrier, but that was the thing that worked with the barrier magic tool in that story.
‘At that time, I just thought it was like that.’
But the moment Zhaonic saw the pickaxe that he had pulled out of his subspace, he immediately realized it.
That… that the soul of the dwarf Zhaonic Steelstone and that sweaty tool is the medium that can be sacrificed for “customization”!
‘I thought only something symbolic like the branch of the world tree would be possible, but it turns out that such personal belongings are also possible. . . . this is a change of plan.’
At first, I hid the party in a safe place, and tried to deal with the monster above by myself…
I changed my mind.
‘I’ll have to get my hands on that.’
When will an opportunity like this come again?
I had to get this in advance when I could get it.
But perhaps that greedy gaze was too explicit, Zhaonic turned his head and met his eyes, swinging a pickaxe to expand the space.
“What do you have to say?”
“Ah— it just seems like a great pickaxe, so I’m noticing it. I’m pretty good at shoveling, too, but it’s enough to dig a hole this deep in just a few minutes. That’s great!”
At Harley’s sincere praise, Zhaonic’s face, which had been slightly vigilant, loosened.
It is natural to be happy that the work you put in your effort was praised.
“Oh, you have pretty eyes! He looks more like a warrior than anyone else, but looking for tools, not weapons!”
That’s what I thought, but actually, it wasn’t that much.
“A lot of people admire only great weapons, but I think a craftsman must have the best equipment as well if he wants to perform at his best. So, in my forge, the hammer and the anvil are all painstaking work. I brought only this ‘Eline’ here…”
Perhaps Harley’s praise touched his switch, and for a long time, he continued to speak passionately about the pickaxe ‘Eline’.
A pickaxe that combines all kinds of precious rare metals, beats and beats for days and days, and finally reborn as a magic tool with the ‘artisan’s soul’, the secret secret of the dwarves.
This tool full of earth properties can penetrate any hard ground like a head.
It was also well-equipped with assistive features for the user, such as increasing work speed, reducing vibration and noise, and assisting with physical fitness—.
It could be said that he was truly a new recruit in the pickaxe world.
“When I do my best work, I mine even a single iron ore and use it myself! The quality of the ore also varies depending on how it is mined, and it can better accept the breath of a craftsman…”
Zhaonic, who was emphasizing the greatness of Eline as if she was proud of her lover, then moved on to the story of her birth.
From the fact that he settled in the Earl of Aonia to take full advantage of the rare minerals in the northern mountains, and the need for a pickaxe for stable mining in dangerous places.
“I made it when I was a former lord and have been using it ever since, so it’s already been over 20 years since we’ve been together! I’ve been through countless difficulties while exploring the mountains with this kid. It’s the first time I’ve done something on a big scale like this one…”
But this time too, he and Elinne said that they would be able to overcome it together, and Zhaonic grabbed the pickaxe with determination.
‘Really… it was.’
That pickaxe wasn’t just something he made with his passion.
Even after being born in his hands, it was an object that was nothing less than the 20-year history of Zhaonic, who had been working together for a long time.
Harley, who had been quietly listening to his enthusiasm, followed his proud gaze and shifted his gaze to Eline.
However, his eyes were so sultry, unlike the affectionate Zhaonic…
Churp—
‘Ah, my lips keep getting dry.’
The sight of the muscular giant naked and tattooed licking his lips with his sinister eyes was enough to bring him to trial, but fortunately, everyone was busy with his work, so no one noticed it.
It took a while to breathe and rest in each of these tensions.
“uh?”
“The monster….”
The monster that finished eating upstairs had a change.
It seemed that he was lying on his back as his stomach was filled to the brim.
“What do we do? Do you just surprise me when he’s unwary?”
“How about digging a tunnel like this and leaving?”
Neither way was very good.
The barrier wasn’t mobile, and it would immediately detect and attack them as soon as they leave this place.
“I am not going to die here forever. Waiting for him to go somewhere else?”
“How many monster corpses do you think are up there? Why would he sit here?”
Of course, considering its size, it was clear that even that amount would not last long.
But time was not on their side…
“As time goes by, people stronger than him will appear.”
It wasn’t that I could wait to see that things would get better.
Rather, the situation is more likely to get worse.
But when everyone was in agony, Harley was thinking differently.
‘It’s a chance!’
He was the only one who had the power to overcome this situation.
Maybe putting our heads together might come up with a better way, but at least not right away.
That is….
“Uhhhh! I have a good idea.”
Doesn’t that mean you can take the situation the way you want it to?
“After all, the problem is that the guy up there is sitting here. If you can lure it somewhere far away, wouldn’t it be solved?”
“It should be. How you do that is the question.”
“I will go on my own.”
Harley smiled proudly, spread her shoulders and stepped forward.
“His movement speed is not that fast. It’s as simple as taunting him, dragging him in the opposite direction of where we’re supposed to go, and hiding!”
“Harley, are you yourself? It seems that the detection range of that monster is unusual, can you get rid of it?”
“Pahahaha! do not worry. Because if I’m alone, I can deceive him as much as I want!”
The party, who had been together and watched his extraordinaryness, nodded their heads without any disagreement.
“If I can do it for sure…”
“Is it okay though? We’d rather all fight together…”
When the opinions of the party are divided over the idea of handing over the risk to only one person and whether it is possible.
Aiming for that gap, Harley continued to speak.
“Hmm, but it’s true that no matter how much I am, I’m not sure if I can completely run away from him. So I’d like to get a little help…”
And his gentle gaze turned to Zhaonic.
To be precise, it was the pickaxe he was holding in his hand, ‘Eline’.
gulp-
Carefully swallowing the saliva that pooled in his mouth, he spoke politely to Zhaonic without showing any expression.
“Zaonik, if you have the digging powers of that extraordinary pickaxe you made, I think it will be very helpful to get the job done safely!”
“Uh… huh?! Elinne…?”
As all eyes around him focused on him, Zhaonic sensed something unsettling and was startled and grabbed the pickaxe in his arms.
Harley appealed even more strongly to the appearance that no one wanted to give.
With his help, he will be able to complete the mission safely, and then everyone will be able to safely escape this mountain range.
‘Then give it to me!’
In his eyes with strong will, Zhaonic broke out in a cold sweat and secretly avoided his gaze.
“Sah… the size doesn’t fit right?”
As a Dwarf, his height doesn’t even reach Harley’s waist, so a pickaxe fit for that height would be just a hoe to Harley.
But Harley shook her head resolutely.
“no! If it was Ellin, the continent’s strongest pickaxe, that would be nothing. Don’t you think so?”
“Oh, of course it is! Ha, but…”
However, Zhaonic was well aware that there was nothing he could do about it.
It’s necessary for Harley’s safety, who will voluntarily take risks for everyone, how can you refuse?
Although it is the tool that has been pampered for a long time, the equipment was nothing but equipment.
Even though all kinds of valuable materials have been hit and maintained, equipment is originally a consumable item.
And it’s not even the most precious treasure, the blacksmith’s hammer…
‘No, not this! I’m sorry, Elin… I had no intention of discriminating. Everyone is important to me.’
After a moment of confusion, Zhaonic finally had no choice but to close his eyes and hold out his pickaxe to Harley with trembling hands.
“It’s okay to break it down a little, so if you give it back, I’ll go back and repay you with a better weapon.”
“Well! I will try my best. But I can’t give you a definitive answer because you don’t know what’s going to happen next!”
In general, he was headed for a place that was nothing more than a limb…
Of course, it could be damaged or lost during battle.
“···not. You said something. No matter how precious the equipment, your life is more precious. Don’t overdo it when you’re in a car, it’s okay to give up… it’s okay… Great!”
Harley picked up the pickaxe, but Zhaonic looked at it with a sad expression and did not let go of her hand.
He, too, is feeling some kind of insecurity.
This will be their last meeting, and all that awaits them is an eternal farewell.
Harley waited patiently at first, but as the time grew longer, she tightened the arm holding the pickaxe and lifted it gently.
Zhaonic floats and rises.
When you shake it left and right, it swings back and forth like a pendulum.
dump-
But he couldn’t stay like that forever, so he immediately gave up and fell to the floor with the strength in his hands.
The expression on her face as she stared blankly at the pickaxe that had fallen into Harley’s hand was as if she had lost her lover.
It’s like being the bad guy.
‘No, the bad guy is right. Because I have no intention of returning this.’
Seeing her heartbroken like that, I felt remorse again, but I pretended not to know and hung the pickaxe on the belt on my side.
‘I’m sorry, are you saving your life for me? If it weren’t for me anyway, everyone would have died, so let’s just do it.’
Seeing the pathetic figure of Zhaonic, the madness that had fallen asleep suddenly surged like wildfire, but this time, it was really desperately suppressed.
‘Even so, licking a pickaxe in front of me, laughing and looking down is not a good thing!’
Perhaps because of the influence of ‘madness’, it was a crazy impulse with a different texture than before, but if you cross the line like that, the heroic image you’ve seen so far will be wiped out.
Yeah, I’ll have to do that in a place where no one is watching.
Anyway, that wasn’t the point now.
The important thing is that, as a number of incidents exploded, the karma points were already high enough to create a new avatar.
‘Very good. Then what’s your name?’
In the end, it was in his own hands.
Elinne… no.
Dwarf.
