Twilight Alchemist 18.2

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18.2. When We Want To Collect It, The Flag Got Raised, Isn't It?

I quickly reestablished my posture.

But the opponent is too formidable. Even if we decide to flee, there's a risk of being attacked from behind if we don't inflict some damage.

"Nuun!"

The warrior Moda swings his axe at the Cyclops's shin, but the Cyclops agilely avoids it, more nimble than it looks.

"What!?"

Raidoc raises his voice at the unexpected movement.

Gyaguggeaaaaaaa!!!

Despite its massive size, the Cyclops swiftly swings its giant club toward Moda.

It collides with Moda's shield, creating a dull sound that echoes through the cave.

"Nuguu!?"

Moda is sent flying, tumbling.

"Moda!"

Panicking, the priest Bepp tries to rush over, but I stop him with my hand.

"It's okay! Use a potion! Bepp, continue support magic!"

"Alright!"

I pour a healing potion generously over Moda, and smoke rises from his body as it rapidly repairs his injuries.

The effectiveness is so high that it's a bit unsettling.

"Are you okay!?"

"Yeah!"

Moda stands up forcefully and immediately runs next to Raidoc.

"...That one-eyed bastard... I won't forgive him!"

With anger, I activate my magical formula.

Fire is prohibited in the cave. Wind is not suitable. If there are gas pockets, it could cause an explosion. 

I haven't trained Earth enough. Area magic is dangerous. In that case!

"[Ice Fang Freeze Strike Spear in Midair]!!!"

A massive ice spear flies at high speed toward the Cyclops, scattering ice dust. 

It quickly changes direction, avoiding the Cyclops's attempts to dodge, and pierces its chest.

Not only that, but the spear, once embedded, rapidly freezes the surrounding area of its body.

"What!? Is that magic!?"

"Don't think about it now, Solar! Keep suppressing its eye! Finish it off, Moda!"

"Got it!"

Even with a massive hole in its chest, the Cyclops shows no signs of dying. 

Raidoc and Moda launch a relentless attack.

"Eat this! Gale Swordplay! Wolf Charge Collapse! Rock Slash Collapse!!!"

"Uoooooo!!!"

Raidoc delivers numerous techniques, and Moda, using his powerful axe, repeatedly strikes. 

Solar's arrows and Bardock's magic rain down on it until it finally collapses.

"Has it been defeated!?"

"Yes! It's dead!"

"Alright! We did it!"

"Woah! You guys are amazing!"

"As expected of you, Raidoc."

They defeated the Cyclops, known as the adventurer killer, almost flawlessly in a short time. 

They've truly become incredible adventurers.

"What are you talking about? In reality, it was all thanks to Craft!"

"Yeah, we just landed the finishing blows."

"It was an amazing spell. Did you really part ways without learning magic?"

"Craft-san, you've finally gained power."

Each of them pats my shoulders and hips.

"...That's right."

I never thought that using my previously useless magic to benefit my allies would bring me so much joy. 

On the other hand, what I gained was the emblem of an alchemist. 

It feels somewhat different from getting stronger with magic. 

I'm now a member of the Production Guild. 

I won't get conceited; I'll improve my skills as an alchemist.

"Alright, is it safe now? Can we start digging for ore?"

"Yeah, that's the priority. Solar, gather as many materials as you can from the Cyclops."

"Leave it to me."

"Happy to help."

"Hold on a moment. Before that, there's something I want to try."

"What's that, Craft?"

I touch the Cyclops's corpse and chant.

"[Spatial Storage]"

With a small magic power consumption, the Cyclops's body disappears without a trace.

"What!?"

"I never thought! Is it possible to store such a huge thing!?"

"It seems so. I hadn't tried it before, but it felt like I could."

"Is that even possible...?"

I'm amazed party members of Raidoc. 

Come to think of it, only Raidoc directly witnessed the extraction and insertion.

"As usual, you're talking nonsense."

"It's quite handy."

"I envy you... Oh, wait, materials, materials."

I bring back the stored Cyclops to its original place. 

It's fine to dismantle it after returning to the village, but I want to dispose of useless organs on the spot. 

The deodorizing agent is also thoroughly concocted.

Unfortunately, the Cyclops's organs and blood are not very useful as alchemical materials.

While everyone is busy gathering materials, Leafan calls out to me.

"Hey, Craft-kun! Over here! Store the ore!"

"Alright, leave it to me!"

I ran over to Leafan, who had already piled up about two barrels worth of ore while digging with a pickaxe.

"Let's keep going!"

"Yeah."

Leafan, immersed in ore mining, continues with zeal. 

It turns out that the rumors about gnomes having a keen eye for ore were true.

"Hmm. Have we mined most of this area?"

"We got about four barrels. Not bad, but should we stop here?"

Considering it's Mithril, it's quite a quantity, but with four barrels of raw ore, it won't amount to much once processed into ingots.

"Probably, if we can advance further into that wall, there might be more. But it's a bit difficult with just pickaxes because of the thick bedrock."

"I see. Alright. Then let's use the items I prepared."

What I took out from spatial storage looked like a large candle at first glance. It had a small magical stone attached to the cylindrical end.

"What's that?"

"A magical explosive."

"Explosive?"

"In simple terms, it's an item that explodes due to the runaway magic. 

It's safe as long as you don't turn the magical stone and push it in. 

It doesn't generate heat, so there's no risk of ignition."

"Is it safe in that sense?"

"As long as you don't turn the magical stone, it's fine. I haven't used it before, so everyone, hide behind the big rock at the back! I'm going to attempt to blast through the bedrock."

"Uh? What are you going to do?"

"Just watch. Everyone! Hide behind the large rock in the back!"

"Okay!"

"Got it!"

Once everyone confirmed they were behind the cover, I set up the magical explosive and joined them behind the rock.

"3! 2! 1! Boom—"

Then, a deafening explosion echoed through the cave, and a shockwave slammed into us.

"Gyaaaaa!"

"Kyaaaaa!"

"Dwaaaaa!?"

"What!?"

"Eeeee!?"

The ringing in our ears gradually subsided, and the slowly settling dust revealed everyone, fortunately unharmed. 

They were all covered in white dust.

"Ugh. It was a good call not to use it on the Cyclops."

"You went too far, Craft-kun!"

Well, it was quite a surprise at how powerful it was. 

The scolding was postponed, and Leafan, who learned about the explosive's power, came up with a new mining method. 

It was called perforation blasting.

This technique involved drilling holes in the bedrock where the magical explosive could be inserted. 

When detonated, the explosion's force would efficiently transfer to the bedrock, allowing for effective bedrock destruction. 

Leafan, who came up with this method on the spot, might be exceptionally talented.

Despite the widespread blast, it significantly reduced the blast range, and we successfully destroyed the thick bedrock, obtaining a large amount of Mithril ore.

And so, with a scolding awaiting me, we acquired a substantial amount of Mithril ore and began our journey back to the village.

"That was too much, Craft-kun!"

That night, I received a two-hour lecture and got forced to sit in seiza, all thanks to Leafan. Oh well.