So That's Why?
I returned to the territory and met up with my family. Father had also come back after wrapping up some company business. Seon-woo was there too.
"This is Leo."
"Leo?"
Mom, who loved dogs, immediately reached out to pick him up. Leo glanced at me briefly in response to her actions. I nodded, and he promptly burrowed into her arms.
Pomeranians are usually a bit prickly by nature. But that's only with strangers—around family, they're often total sweethearts, just like any other dog. In Leo's case, he was even more affectionate than most. You could tell he'd been raised with plenty of love just from moments like this. Kids who grow up without it tend to be wary or scared of people. But Leo, having been showered with affection by Hakashi, quickly nestled into Mom's embrace, letting out little whines of delight.
"So, anyway..."
I explained everything that had happened at the gate to my family and Seon-woo.
"Oh, the poor thing must have been so scared."
Mom teared up as she hugged Leo tight. Father stroked him with a look of pity in his eyes. And as for Si-yeon and Seon-woo...
"Let's go."
"Hell yeah!"
"Go where?"
"Where do you think? We gotta smash every last one of those Self-Defense Force bastards."
Si-yeon nodded at Seon-woo's words.
"Hold on, I've got a few Steel Man helmets from when I was making them. Let's at least grab those."
"Ooh, nice?"
"Can't have our faces getting out there. I was planning to be the transfer student in the storm, you know."
"Whoa, that's badass. I always wanted to try that, but I never transferred schools."
"See? We totally vibe on the same wavelength. Unlike that boomer bro over there."
"Boomer bro's right here, you know?"
They ignored me and kept chattering away. And sure enough, they headed off toward the forge like they were actually going.
"Dad, stop them."
Father fixed me with eyes blazing with fury.
"Is our family weak?"
"Uh? No, of course not."
"Then do you lack the confidence to protect them?"
"That's not it either."
"Then take them with you. I can't push you to commit murder, but clearing out non-humans from the world is the better choice for everyone."
Dad had a fiery side to him too.
"Sigh. Mom, make vests for the kids too. And for their mounts, plus Baekya."
"Sure thing, I'll whip them up quick."
Even as she said it, Mom didn't put Leo down. Father, meanwhile, dashed off using his Rush skill to fetch meat for Leo. Guess that's what the skill was for. He didn't show it much, but Dad loved dogs and cats. He had his own ways of showing affection.
"Eat up. Finish that and I'll get you more. Heading out to fight? Then you need the good stuff."
He used Rush again, piling up all sorts of treats. Leo scarfed down everything Father offered. The highlight? Minotaur tail soup. After chowing down on that, Leo unlocked the Rush skill himself.
It was supposed to be random, but him inheriting Dad's skill felt a bit suspicious. Still, it worked out fine—no reason to nitpick with the system over it. Leo looked happy, basking in Mom and Dad's love. So I shelved the idea of taking him hunting. He was strong enough on his own to crush the Self-Defense Force anyway.
Instead, I fed him various things to boost his stats. Then I went to find Si-yeon.
She was hard at work tuning a Steel Man mask. Apparently, each series had a different design?
"How long till you're ready?"
"Hmm, give me two hours. Rough out the masks and tweak the armor a bit."
"Doesn't wearing that stuff creep you out?"
What Si-yeon held was armor from the undead knights. My leg armor was the same. It gave me the creeps, but she seemed fine with it.
"I purified it."
"Plate armor?"
"Ugh, whatever! Guys shouldn't be so nitpicky about that crap."
Was this a guy-girl thing? If anything, she had more reason to complain. But in the end, I couldn't say more. I'd just come off as a petty guy.
"Fine. I'll come back in a couple hours then."
"Where you off to?"
"Gotta check what's in the new gate."
"Oh, right. See ya."
"Yeah."
Before crossing into the gate, I'd left a sandglass outside and brought one in—just in case the time flow differed. I set it up and looked around.
"That over there looks like a mine to me. What do you think, Hoya?"
Nyaang?
"A mine? You know, where they dig up stuff like iron. And we use that for Si-yeon to make weapons and armor."
Nyaang.
Hoya seemed disappointed it wasn't food. But I was thrilled. We had plenty of edibles back in the territory.
"Let's check it out."
The mine-like spot was only about 300 meters from the gate entrance, through some forested terrain. No monsters or animals in sight, and the trees and plants were nothing special.
"Let's head in."
Nyang!
Hoya and I entered the mine entrance. Inside was a familiar-looking setup. Where had I seen it? In documentaries about forced labor mines like Gunsan or Takashima Coal Mine.
This had a similar structure. Which meant the Self-Defense Force bastards likely built it.
I examined the mine closely. A message popped up.
This mine has been developed by Earthlings. It contains large deposits of iron, coal, silver, gold, and mithril.
"Mithril?"
Anyone who's read fantasy novels would know it. Korean ones, that is. Mithril shows up in practically every one. The system must be using terms familiar to me.
"Mithril coming out of here... So that's why they did what they did to Hakashi."
Japan never changes. Why did I hate Japanese people so much? Simple reason: my great-grandfather was an independence fighter. I have no memories of him, of course—he passed long before I was born. But it's no exaggeration to say I grew up in his shadow.
Our family used to be loaded, landowners with vast fields. But he said, "What's the point of money without a country?" Sold everything off to fund the independence movement, leaving just one house. Later, even that got sold for more funds, so Grandpa had a brutal childhood.
Independence should have helped, but pro-Japanese collaborators became cops, branding Grandpa a communist. The stigma lasted to Dad's generation. Eventually, great-grandpa's deeds were recognized, restoring our honor—but nothing material remained.
Funny thing: Grandpa used to resent him. But when those collaborator cops came harassing them, he finally understood why his father fought to change the world. I never suffered directly. If anything, people praised me as the descendant of a hero.
Still, I wanted to know why he went so far. It started as a hobby—I'm a book addict. That's how I learned about Japan's atrocities.
And that's why I'm saying this.
"This mine could only be built by grinding humans into dust. And they did it for mithril, probably. Did those bastards even know what it was?"
Hakashi didn't seem to have Observation. No mention in his diary. With it, he'd have easily checked Leo's status. Maybe he consulted another gate owner who had the skill.
"Hoya, this must be the infamous mithril."
Observation skill used.
Item: Mithril (Level 10)
A material used in crafting various tools. Possesses tremendous mana conductivity. Boasts over ten times the strength of steel at half the weight. High-level gear made with it gains a random skill. Extremely rare.
"Whoa, insane."
A material with level 10. Highest I'd seen yet. And mithril lived up to the hype. Endless possibilities for what you could make. Best part?
"We can take this out and process it."
Turning mithril into items probably needs a production skill. But as raw material, it's top-tier. Processed with modern tech?
"We might actually get a real Steel Man out of this."
Could they make high-grade gear with skills outside? No clue without testing. But with stuff like this, who knows what smart folks outside might cook up.
"Hoya, what if the Self-Defense Force already made gear from mithril?"
I figured me, Si-yeon, Seon-woo, and Leo could wipe them out. But now a variable: mithril.
"Let's grab some and head back first."
Nyang!
Like hell, he said. Wondering why, I saw Hoya staring deeper into the mine. Something huge was slowly emerging from the shadows.
"Whoa..."
Incredibly, it was a minotaur. But not like any I knew. Gleaming gear covered it. Observation showed its level was no joke.
"Level 42 minotaur?"
A beast like that, geared to the teeth, could probably take me out. But it stopped at a certain line, refusing to advance. I took a step forward; it didn't budge.
I stepped closer. Then—
BAM!
It slammed its halberd down three steps ahead of me.
"Come any closer and you're dead, huh?"
No response. The minotaur just raised its halberd again and glared.
