Mountains Beyond Mountains
Mountains beyond mountains. It perfectly captured my current mood. I'd gone through hell mining that Mithril, only to hear even a dwarf couldn't melt it. Reality hit hard the moment I read that, but I barely held it together.
This damn Mithril—I have no idea what its structure is like, but I need an explanation. Give me the details. Is it really just because it has so much mana?
PassingDwarf: Yeah. It's hard to melt, and even if you do, a regular furnace can't handle it. Explain why. I need to understand to accept it. Not that I don't trust you—it's just the situation.
PassingDwarf: Got it. Regular metals...
I focused intently on the dwarf's explanation. Most metals buried in the ground naturally absorb the earth's mana. Normal soil doesn't have much mana, so tossing them in a furnace is fine. But the deeper you dig underground, or in places like the Four Seasons Forest where the earth's mana is abnormally dense, the minerals you mine end up saturated with thick mana concentrations. That's why you need a special furnace.
Using a regular one risks explosion, he explained.
PassingDwarf: Any substance compressed in a tight space and then burst becomes a bomb. Mithril would go boom, obviously.
What the hell are special furnaces even made of to handle that?
PassingDwarf: Just furnaces that guzzle insane amounts of mana, that's all.
Can't an individual own one?
PassingDwarf: The thing's bigger than a damn mansion, you idiot;; Nations handle them since no one uses 'em often anyway.
What kind of inefficiency is that?
PassingDwarf: Fuck, you think dwarf tech is shit? You have no clue how cutting-edge this is. Fine.
I get it—there's nothing I can do. I let out a sigh. Building a regular furnace is insane enough, but a special one? And it's supposedly bigger than a whole mansion. No way I could make one.
This would turn my hard-mined Mithril into a useless lump. I needed a solution, but nothing came to mind.
PassingDwarf: You try making some. In the Four Seasons Forest, it'll be like regular metal, right?
But you said only special furnaces work.
PassingDwarf: That place is mana-saturated from the start. So give it a shot.
I don't know how to make a furnace.
PassingDwarf: It's solid Mithril, so heat it in a hearth and hammer it done. Want to cast it? Make a furnace, melt it, pour.
That doesn't add up. You said special furnaces are required?
PassingDwarf: Your brain a fucking anvil or what;; It explodes when mana leaks out during shaping. I realized that when I tried casting it quick. If I'd been slow or hammered wrong, I'd be in the hospital now.
Ah. Got it.
PassingDwarf: Man, I'm heartbroken. I was gonna rush it to you out of pity, but you don't even appreciate it...
Sorry;; Anything you want?
PassingDwarf: Gimme one crab leg lol
Ugh, fucker;; Fine. Fair trade for the good info. I ended the chat with the dwarf and messaged the high-nics I'd given Mithril to. Essential precaution against accidents.
Cheonma: Is the pure ore the issue? This lady still has it.
Thank goodness. They say it could blow up while making gear. Can you return it?
Cheonma: Is it because the pure ore holds so much qi?
Whoa. How'd you know?
Cheonma: Simple matter. I wished to absorb it, but feared losing its essence, so I waited. Return it, and this lady shall have a sword forged for thee.
Cheonma: Worth anticipating?
Uh... no? Might take a while.
Cheonma: Thy honesty pleases. This lady waits without expectation. Any weapon suits her well.
Thanks. I got the Mithril back from Cheonma.
SunForever: Can't even engrave it without hammering?
Checking. Engraving's fine.
SunForever: Cool, I'll keep it then. For a ring.
Still, be careful. SunForever decided to hold onto his. The dwarf said risk only when changing the material's state. Engraving while preserving shape is safe.
'Makes sense—otherwise it'd be like carrying a bomb.'
Even applying heat to change shape is okay. Why? Humans die long before the metal deforms.
I absorbed all this knowledge and logged off the Gallery.
'Good thing I don't have to do it all myself.' The dwarf said he'd sharpen the blade for me. I just need to flatten the Mithril. Or use a mold after melting in a furnace I make.
'But building the furnace is the downside.' And molds can't withstand molten heat. Worst case, the furnace itself melts.
Clear pros and cons either way—tough choice.
'Food first.' Meals matter no matter what. Mithril worries tomorrow.
Up at the river: two fish in the traps. Solid haul. As I started gutting them routinely, an idea hit—I paused.
'Try cutting with Mithril?'
Fragments from my shattered pickaxe. Sharp edges. How keen is Mithril?
Expectant, I sliced the fish belly.
Swoosh—felt like a dagger. Exactly that level. No sharpening, but a bit disappointing.
'Different with aura?'
Infused aura—whoa. Minimal mana, yet it blazed like fire. Maybe I'm stronger? Tried on a dagger too, but the difference was night and day. Tested other tools—same result. They needed way more mana for aura performance.
'That's it.'
Insanely efficient. Explains everything. The dwarf meant this when praising performance. Confirmed since it's pure Mithril, not Orihalcon.
'Huge for long fights.'
No mana depletion yet, except against Orihalcon guardians. But aura itself guzzles mana—like flames, inefficient. Maybe even better than Cheonma's sword. Boosts training too.
'Not a total dud.'
For survival-focused me, 'efficiency' is key. This maxes it—near-essential. Time to craft tools. Steel-level durability, feather-light. Perfect.
'Mining's the issue.'
No helping it. Gotta grind.
Dinner done clean, tidied for bed. Leave the dug hole as-is; dig more tomorrow.
'Elixir... over my head.'
Thieves might sneak in overnight. Ppareumbo would stop 'em, but better safe.
Setup complete, logged into Gallery. Nothing urgent, just curious.
'Tomorrow's the half-month mark.'
Eventful fortnight. Got thrashed by the boss gorilla today. Tomorrow: Orihalcon from the cave, crystal orb for CCTV, furnace build. Ask dwarf for design.
'Busy.'
Finish one task, two pop up. Especially Mithril—only processable here.
Complicated feelings as I scrolled the Gallery. Needed to unwind.
YasaengGrill-nim. Shoes are done.
Caught my eye while browsing. Thought it was bait, but a high-nic post.
'Who?'
GonnaBeDuke. Familiar nick. Clicked curiously.
YasaengGrill-nim. Shoes are done.
(Photo of slick leather boots)
(Photo of boots unharmed by poured water)
(Photo of boots resisting knife cuts)
Boot pics. Oh right, forgot. Promised adult mandrake for good shoes. Some posted pics, but meh. One tried scamming—zapped him lightly. Then dwarf's friend dominated, killing competition. No point vs. dwarf craftsmanship. I liked his too, so ignored rest.
'But this guy's different.'
Kept at it despite time. Effort without results? Ignored. But...
(Video of hammer smashing foot in boot repeatedly)
└B-boss;; S-stop, it's fine;;
└How many fucking smashes lololol
└Foot's gonna shatter;;
└No scream? Seems legit tough lololol
└Maybe biting lip and enduring lolol
└GonnaBeDuke (Photo revealing masked face) Knew it'd come up, so filmed this too. Crystal orb recording.
└Fuck, thorough af lololol
└Wtf with the mask? Masquerade vibes—noble?
└Who's the hammer guy?
└GonnaBeDuke: My son.
└lolololololololol
└lolololol
└Burning filial piety fml lololololol
└Even for a son, that's brutal lolololol
Without that video, maybe. Tough boots or not, hammer-smashing? Boosts trust. Self-sacrifice for proof.
Hesitation brief—worried for injury, rushed a reply. Performance solid; trade viable.
└YasaengGrill: B-boss. No need. Hurt?
└GonnaBeDuke (Video of foot removed post-hammer: fine) Yes.
└Whoa. Insanely thorough. Real certification;;
└Who made 'em? Want.
└I'll buy!
└Me too!
└PassingDwarf: Damn. You win. Seems better than my friend's;;
└Whoa dwarf surrenders
└Dwarf forfeit means it's real lol
└YasaengGrill: I'll buy. Late though—tomorrow ok?
└GonnaBeDuke: Yes.
└YasaengGrill: DMing. Need private chat.
Stiff speech hides passion—likable. Messaged.
Hello, GonnaBeDuke-nim. Saw the shoes. Need adult mandrake?
GonnaBeDuke: Yes. Nothing else?
GonnaBeDuke: No need. Adult mandrake is urgent for me.
Urgent mandrake. Desperation clear. Someone sick, probably. Else no reason fixate.
'Trustworthy.'
Video, messages—solid. Promised delivery tomorrow, closed Gallery.
Day 15—half-month. Plan inner core intake too. Furnace, trade with GonnaBeDuke. Busy.
'Guardian won't wake while I sleep, right?'
Thankfully, no. Except...
"Ah. What the hell is this."
The painstakingly mined section fully regenerated. Infinite mining? Forced now.
'Planarian Mithril? What horrific hybrid.'