Orichalcum (1)
Ever since crossing paths with that rooster as enormous as a saber-toothed tiger, no immediate dangers had surfaced.
Of course, from time to time, I spotted all manner of bizarre fauna—snakes, oversized lizards, even a hawk whose wingspan rivaled a pterosaur's—but thankfully, none of them crossed my path directly. It was all thanks to that Adamant-whatever shield, the superior upgrade to the Golden Shield, showing its worth whenever danger drew near.
At this rate, dinosaurs are going to start popping out.
I couldn't begin to describe the sheer shock I felt when I first laid eyes on that pterosaur-sized hawk. Fortunate for me, the feathered predator had already finished its hunt; otherwise, I would have been in grave peril. Even the prey clutched in its talons was of no ordinary size.
Wait... a bird didn't snatch Wonmo, did it?
Wonmo’s tiny footprints and the drag marks left by the Fast Tree Sloth’s claws still stretched forward along the ground. But having just witnessed that pseudo-pterosaur, unease gnawed at my gut. If the tracks suddenly cut off, it would mean he had been hauled into the sky. Monstrous as the Fast Tree Sloth was on solid earth, he’d be utterly helpless the second he was lifted into the open air.
“Wonmo! Where are you? Answer me if you can hear me!”
Calling his name, I hurried along the trail until I stumbled upon the mangled carcass of a snake—presumably Wonmo’s leftovers. Its head was cleanly crushed, the rest of its body torn to shreds. Judging by the faint, residual twitches rippling along its length, it hadn't been hunted very long ago.
He's close.
I had almost caught up to them. The problem, however, was that the trail was becoming difficult to discern. While faint scrape marks from the sloth’s claws lingered here and there, footprints were nowhere to be found. The surrounding woods were too dense, and the forest floor was choked with thick undergrowth.
Just wait until I find you.
I was going to give that little backside a proper spanking. And as for the Fast Tree Sloth, I fully intended to interrogate him on why he hadn't stopped the cub. Unless he had an airtight excuse, I wasn't letting him off the hook.
...Wait, does my letting him off the hook even matter?
The guy was stronger than me anyway. The thought crossed my mind for a fleeting second, but I brushed it aside.
Pressing on along the faint trace with great difficulty, I gradually broke through the dense forest. Which only made things worse. Leaving the woods meant straying into another territory entirely. I could only pray they hadn't wandered into some spatial distortion anomaly.
“Kyuuuu—!”
A cry echoed in my ears. An intimately familiar one. Only Wonmo made a sound that endearing.
“Wonmo?!”
I whipped my head toward the noise. The cry sounded remarkably frantic. Was he being chased by some beast? Given how panicked he sounded despite having the Fast Tree Sloth with him, it had to be a dire situation.
“Wonmo! Over here! This way!”
“Kyuuu!”
Hearing my voice, Wonmo cried out even louder. The brush in front of me began violently thrashing.
Rustle!
“Kyuuuu!”
Wonmo burst from the thicket, carrying the Fast Tree Sloth clinging serenely to his back. My relief at having finally found him lasted only a heartbeat before bewilderment froze me in my tracks.
Crackle! Snap!
“Cheep! Cheep! Cheep!”
“Chirp! Peeeep!”
Those chicks with the striking black plumage from earlier—not just one, but a whole swarm of them erupted from the bushes. Vigorously flapping their stubby wings, they would have looked utterly adorable—if not for their size. A stampede of man-sized chicks barreling forward was nothing short of terrifying.
“Cheep? Cheep?”
“Peep?”
The moment the pursuing chicks caught sight of me, they skidded to a halt. My sudden appearance seemed to have caught them off guard as they attempted to assess the situation.
“Kyuuu... kyuuu...”
Wonmo wrapped his front paws tightly around my leg, shivering like a leaf. It was plain as day: he was terrified of the chicks.
Well, I’d run away too if I were him.
To someone of Wonmo’s diminutive stature, it probably felt like being hunted down by a herd of elephants. Meanwhile, the Fast Tree Sloth clinging to his back wore an expression of utmost tranquility.
Cock-a-doodle-doo—!
Right in the middle of our standoff, the resonant crow of an adult rooster rang out from the distance. The chicks exchanged glances upon hearing the call.
“Cheep. Cheep.”
“Peep.”
After a quick round of chirps that sounded suspiciously like communication, they turned on their heels. With that, the flock vanished back into the foliage. That booming crow must have been their recall signal.
“Phew.”
“Kyuuu.”
As the crisis passed, I let out a long sigh of relief. Wonmo, feeling safe at last, slid down my leg.
“...Wonmo.”
“Kyu?”
“Do you have any idea what you did wrong?”
At my scolding, Wonmo tilted his head innocently, utterly clueless. Right. Talking to him right now was like reading scriptures to a cow. And since it looked like the Fast Tree Sloth had only hitched a ride after noticing Wonmo wander off, I couldn't really blame him either.
“Whew. Let’s head back quickly. It’s dangerous out here.”
“Kyu. Kyu,”
When I told him to turn back, Wonmo tugged at my pant leg with his beak. It felt as though he was trying to guide me somewhere, so I eyed him carefully. Had he stumbled across something?
After a moment’s deliberation, I opened the Gallery interface.
I still have plenty of time.
Finding Wonmo had taken about two hours, meaning I still had time before lunch. Still, I couldn't afford an extended exploration; I had to factor in the journey back. Above all, I couldn't forget the crabs promised to Passing Dwarf.
First, let's post that I found Wonmo.
Lest Wonmo scurry off while I typed, I pinned him firmly between my thighs. While I had the little troublemaker secured, the Fast Tree Sloth smoothly climbed onto my back.
Finally found this little troublemaker. Almost gave me a heart attack.
Good thing Fast Tree Sloth went along with him, or this would've taken forever.
Now that I had checked the Gallery’s reactions, all that was left was to head home.
“Kyu. Kyu.”
Yet Wonmo kept whining and nagging me to follow him. Having stepped outside the cave for the first time in a while, he seemed reluctant to return empty-handed. Since I had time to spare, there was no harm in indulging him—though I would bolt the second things looked dicey.
“Alright, alright. But if there’s any sign of danger, we run immediately. Got that?”
“Kyuuu!”
Wonmo beamed brightly at my permission. A chuckle slipped out at that adorably smug little face, and I patted his fluffy head.
First thing I'm doing is setting up a barricade fence at the cave entrance.
Pet owners didn't install safety gates by the front door for nothing. To prevent any future breakout escapades, an entryway barrier was non-negotiable. And once Wonmo grew out of his daytime naps, I’d just have to bring him along everywhere.
“Come on, let’s go.”
“Kyu!”
I let Wonmo take the lead and followed in his footsteps. Having realized this area was fraught with peril, he didn't stray far from my side. Every few paces, he even glanced back over his shoulder to ensure I was keeping up. Just as I was thinking this is why people raise pets, Wonmo stopped and squeaked.
“Kyuuu!”
He pointed a forepaw ahead as if declaring, It’s right here! I turned my gaze in the direction he indicated.
“A cave?”
It was indeed a cavern—and one with an exceptionally wide entrance. Unlike the cavern where the Golden Mushrooms grew, there was nothing at the threshold. Only the pitch-black maw of the cave welcomed us. Its eerie, gloomy aura made me somewhat hesitant to step inside.
“Wonmo... do we really have to go in there?”
“Kyuuu!”
He seemed far more adventurous than I was—perhaps chalk it up to the reckless curiosity of a cub. Pushing my misgivings aside, I told Wonmo to stay put for a moment and surveyed my surroundings. It was far too dark inside, making a torch an absolute must. Fortunately, I had brought along cloth and oil.
Fwhoosh!
With the torch ignited and blazing, it was safe to venture inside. Wonmo prudently advanced only as far as the torchlight reached, never venturing beyond its halo.
It slopes downward from here.
Before long, the tunnel gave way to a descent. Telling Wonmo to step back, I thrust the torch forward. The incline wasn't overly steep, and footholds were scattered regularly along the rock face. Climbing back up wouldn't pose much trouble. Still, caution was paramount.
“Wonmo, hold on a second.”
“Kyu?”
I purchased two long coils of rope from the Gallery and lashed them firmly to a sturdy boulder near the ledge.
This way, even if we slip, we won't plummet.
I secured the ropes around my waist and Wonmo’s midsection. I didn't bother tying up the Fast Tree Sloth—the guy possessed a magnificent set of climbing claws, after all.
With our safety measures in place, I carefully negotiated the descent. Beast cub or not, Wonmo was a natural-born wild animal and scrambled down far more nimbly than I did.
These boots are incredible.
I was reaping the benefits of my footwear today. Thanks to the anti-slip tread, we made it down without a single hitch. Even so, I took every step with extreme care. A single misstep resulting in a fracture out here would be an absolute catastrophe.
“Phew.”
I exhaled upon reaching the bottom of the somewhat steep incline. I swept the torch ahead to see if the slope continued, but the ground leveled out into a flat expanse.
“Whoa...”
An exclamation slipped past my lips as I took in the sheer scale of the cavern interior. A solitary torch was our only light source, but that was of little consequence; my enhanced eyesight could discern terrain and obstacles even in the pitch dark.
As for dangerous beasts... I don't see any.
Just oversized bats, bugs, snakes, and the like—creatures that were large, sure, but hardly lethal. Even the snakes, arguably the most threatening among them, were so skittish they slithered away the moment we approached. To Wonmo, however, every single one looked like lunch.
“Hiss-s-s!”
“Kyu-kyaak!”
A petty, low-stakes skirmish erupted between the serpent and the baby owlbear. Despite its size, the snake lacked venomous fangs and posed zero real threat to Wonmo. What’s more, Wonmo’s reflexes were remarkably swift, leaving the serpent utterly helpless against his onslaught.
An owlbear is an owlbear after all, I suppose.
While Wonmo chewed, tore, tasted, and savored his reptilian snack, I set about surveying the cavern.
Wait a second...
Sweeping the torchlight across the walls, I noticed something odd. Leaving aside the sheer vastness of the cavern, the surroundings were... glittering. Not just in one isolated vein, either—the entire cavern shimmered like a geode of precious jewels. Even the very ground under my boots cast a faint, ethereal violet sheen.
What on earth is this?
I stooped to pick up a loose pebble from the cavern floor. Even the stone gave off a subtle purple glow. One glance was enough to tell this was no ordinary rock.
I should ask the Gallery. Since Passing Dwarf is a dwarven smith, he ought to know.
I pocketed several pebbles for a proper inspection, then looked around for any other peculiarities. Aside from the cavern walls and floor bathing the space in soft purple luminescence, nothing else stood out.
This one looks like a person.
Along the way, I stumbled upon a formation shaped like a human—or rather, a giant. Beyond looking at it from various angles, I reached out and tapped it, but nothing happened. It appeared to be merely a naturally formed rock sculpture.
Having finished scouting the immediate perimeter, I readied myself to head back.
“We need to take a bath the moment we get back, if only to wash off any ticks.”
“Kyu?”
“Yeah, you. I'm talking about you. Once we’re back, you're eating and going straight to bed.”
Returning to the shelter didn't take long. I had diligently marked the path on our way out and hadn't deviated an inch. And so, Wonmo’s two-and-a-half-hour escapade came to a close. But while the adventure was over, a mountain of chores awaited me.
I have to eat, figure out what these stones are, give Wonmo a bath... Busy, busy.
I started by posting an inquiry on the forum asking what these stones were. If they were valuable, I’d list them in the auction hall, and if they needed processing, I planned to hand them over to Passing Dwarf.
I could probably ask him to forge them into crossbow bolts.
With that thought, I uploaded the post to the Gallery.
After posting, I set to work. Task number one: washing Wonmo. Having trampled through the underbrush, his coat was bound to be crawling with all sorts of mites and ticks.
“Kyuuu...”
“Feels good, huh?”
“Kyu!”
“Living like royalty, aren't you?”
Wonmo bobbed happily in the warm bathwater, only his little snout poking out. Although today had been a headache, I could chalk it up to getting some overdue exploration done.
After giving myself a thorough scrub as well, I checked the forum thread.
“?”
While I had stepped away, something utterly absurd was unfolding.