Oriharukon (2)
Throughout history, humanity has drawn countless resources from nature. Wood, water, stone, animals, plants, soil, minerals, and more. There's nothing we haven't taken from it. If wood is the alpha and omega of human civilization, then minerals are the resources that made us even richer and stronger. From iron, commonly used in weapons, to luxury items like diamonds and gold. Wood dominates, but minerals have made enormous contributions to civilization's progress too. Especially as technology advances, useless ores rediscover their value. Minerals' potential gets reevaluated with time.
Nimdeul, check this out lol (screenshot of a blue-heavy stock market)
Is mining not doing well these days? What's up haha
└What the hell is that lollll What happened?
└Rumors of a mine shaft collapsing?
└Why'd it collapse? Don't they build 'em sturdy?
└Earth dragon popped out. Earthquake from that collapsed it.
└Holy crap what the;; (photo of goblin wearing diamond crown)
Abandoned mine turned goblin habitat, went to clear it and this guy with a diamond crown shows up;; Goblins didn't mine it, wtf?
└Golden goblin lollll
└How'd you handle that?
└The ones who killed it get to keep it, obviously. It's the law.
└If it was fake lol
Selling mithril. (photo of green-painted rock)
Selling real mithril.
└If you're gonna scam, put some effort in;;
└lollll So shoddy it's hilarious
└How much. I'll take three for one gold.
└1000 gold.
└Your conscience is dead lollll
Setan has everything. Gold comes out. Diamonds. Magic stones. Coal. Everything.
What doesn't come out?
└SunForever Mithril. Adamantium. Oriharukon. Man nyeonhan cheol. Water.
└Those don't come out anywhere else either lolll
└If those came out too, it'd be conscience-exploding lollll
└Short on water cuz of conscience?
└SunForever Nah, it's cuz they really don't come out?
└lollllll
Like this, minerals are always on people's lips, going up and down. A diamond from some mine, rare metal found, etc. Tied directly or indirectly to prosperity, you can hit it big overnight.
World's top three metals question
World's top three metals are mithril, adamantium, oriherukon, right?
Finding even one makes you filthy rich?
└You found one?
└Nooo gonna find one soon.
└Talk after you find it
└Yessir......
└Sulking is cute lol
└Which is most expensive?
└All similar but oriherukon's crazy expensive lately.
└Why? Isn't oriherukon just mana-sensitive ore?
└That sensitivity makes it versatile. Relay magic, right? Oriherukon goes in there.
└Rare ore just for relay magic?;;
└There are substitutes but tech's meh and can't beat oriherukon.
└Doesn't oriherukon massively expand relay range?
└Can't find it, that's the problem.
└Cheonma Something's off. Why no Man nyeonhan cheol?
└Granny. You know what mithril is?
└This lady doesn't know Western tongue well.
└Then what's silver?
└Cheonma Lighter than steel but same or higher hardness iron, no?
└Yeah right. Oriherukon's the gold, adamantium the steel.
└Cheonma So all inferior to Man nyeonhan cheol after all.
└Done. Shut up;;
└Choking here;;
Mithril is much lighter than steel yet as hard or harder. Adamantium weighs like steel but its hardness is on another level. Finally, oriherukon. It's a special ore. Weaker than iron in hardness, but it has a standout trait: extreme mana sensitivity. If it was just sensitive, whatever, but ways to exploit that sensitivity keep growing, making it rarer.
Things possible with oriherukon
Extend relay magic range. Extend comms range. Run AC and heating infinitely. Boost airship speed etc.
But only if you have oriherukon ㅇㅇ
└Isn't that straight-up cheat material?
└Not total cheat. Substitutes exist. But making 'em is crazy expensive.
└Anything mana-related gets several tiers upgraded, easy way to think.
└Where do you get oriherukon?
└Mana-rich places lol
Roughly that. Pretty versatile. Learning oriherukon's uses from someone kind, I thought, 'Like a superconductor?' Or semiconductor-like. Semiconductors use various materials, but oriherukon does it solo. Top-tier compatible too. Practically universal.
└YasaengGrill Can I trade this for snacks?
└PassingDwarf Trade for my beer?
└YasaengGrill Deal
└lollll Stingy
└Dwarf offering beer tho......
└That really oriherukon?
└YasaengGrill Dunno. And not just this—whole cave was similar color.
└??? Whole cave?
└Makes no sense;;
└For a place with adult mandrakes too;;
└Oriherukon unlike other ores, just needs rich mana.
└Show us quick.
└YasaengGrill Pass today. How to prove it's oriherukon? Gotta give sample?
└PassingDwarf Simplest: infuse mana. Sparkles more = oriherukon.
└YasaengGrill Too simple? That's it?
└PassingDwarf Check how long glow lasts. Over 12 hours = confirmed.
└YasaengGrill Then I'll just give it to you. Not brewing booze with it, right?
└PassingDwarf You mad;;
I decided to give the presumed oriherukon rock to the dwarf. Gotta trade soon anyway, not mining with pickaxe right now. Like adult mandrakes, just another trade good. Plus, not herbs but unique mineral—bit iffy.
Trade-worthy folks: just dwarf and Olfather? SunForever seemed interested too.
Rare mineral = expensive, obviously. But I don't need money. Making weapons with oriherukon might be better. That thought sparked a question, so I posted.
Oriherukon what can you make?
YasaengGrill Weapons or something?
└Mostly magic stuff, useless for you?
└Useful in cities, not wilderness?
└Mithril for armor, but oriherukon
└Best to trade for snacks.
└YasaengGrill Tch just a solid semiconductor huh.
I smacked my lips in disappointment. Asked if couldn't make fridge or washer with it. Those would massively free up time for hunting or Wonmo.
└Not infinite power, where's mana from?
└YasaengGrill My body?
└PassingDwarf Handwash it.
└YasaengGrill Yeah......
└lollllll
Even dwarf so firm, guess no way. About to postpone oriherukon decisions,
└ChangguPrincess Thinking of selling to me by any chance~?
ChangguPrincess. Unexpected offer. She's only given me stuff till now. Questioned briefly, asked what she wanted.
└YasaengGrill Gave you clothes, so freebie. Confirm oriherukon first tho.
└ChangguPrincess Yup! Waiting~
└YasaengGrill What for?
└ChangguPrincess Relay magic~. Cuts out after long time~
└YasaengGrill Oriherukon prevents that?
└ChangguPrincess Yup! Stabilizes waves, prevents overheating~
└YasaengGrill Magic overheats too?
Magic overheats? Thought with right spell and mana, spam away. Apparently not.
└ChangguPrincess Of course~! Most magic single-shot, easy mistake~
└YasaengGrill Wild. Thought magic spamable.
└ChangguPrincess Know StarlightPrincess~? She was frail, couldn't use magic~. Similar~
└StarlightPrincess I can spam now!
└YasaengGrill Ooo. Dunno details but magic overheats too. Oriherukon mitigates. Still good stuff.
└YasaengGrill Anyway, after dwarf trade. One for StarlightPrincess too? Picked up a few.
└StarlightPrincess Decent size one possible? Workshop old, needs maintenance.
└YasaengGrill Make elixirs there?
└StarlightPrincess Yes. Plus protein supplements.
└YasaengGrill ;;;
└She hulked out lol
└She was sick, whatever......
Might as well share with others. Got just enough for her now, but cave full. Ended chat, prepped meal. Not smoked—fish from trap.
One for me, one for Wonmo. Rest process for dwarf.
Inner core... store for now. Cheonma said wait week+ after internal power method adapts fully. Storage key till then. Cores lose mana to air over time.
Elixir bottle first. Leftover glass. Might hold mana better. Sorted core, headed to river. Wonmo awake, took her along. No detours, no incidents.
Splash! Splash!
"Kyuu! Kyu!"
"Yeah yeah. That's our lunch."
Wonmo hyped over trapped fish. Desperate to eat. Grabbed whole trap, back to shelter. Three fish. Plenty. Trap boosted life quality.
"Chomp chomp chomp chomp!"
Prepped for emergencies, extracted cores, gave rest to Wonmo. Ate snake yet devours fish—total glutton.
Bears love honey and salmon, right?
Silly thought while eating. Ppareumbo's meals: Wall Valley Pill done. Post-meal, processed fish for PassingDwarf.
YasaengGrill registered trade item.
Processed fish and ori-whatever in. Crabs tomorrow ok?
PassingDwarf ㅇㅇ Fine. One a day anyway. Thanks.
Need inner core?
PassingDwarf Brew booze with it. ;;;
Only this guy brews with cores. Finished dwarf trade, one left: Olfather, tiger heart from yesterday. Awfully quiet.
Still researching?
Might be. Waiting till he posts fine. He's helped plenty.
Awkward to rush.
Tiger heart useless to me anyway. Decided trade on his arrival, remembered forgotten thing.
Ah right. Door.
Eyed Wonmo snoozing comfy on mat. Might escape sans me, so iron bars at entrance.
Block entrance but movable size.
Browsed auction. Owl bear wrecked widened entrance, need big.
Iron grate not bars.
Perfect size. Dragged, fitted repeatedly. Wonmo might body-slam, made wooden braces.
Hm. Perfect.
Pride at entrance-blocking grate. No more runaways. Now wait dwarf post. If confirmed oriherukon, give to ChangguPrincess, StarlightPrincess.
This guy's not blackout drunk forgetting, right?
*****
And as Grills feared.
"Kya! This is delicious! Melts in your mouth! Where'd you get it?"
"Urk. Telling spoils fun. Here, mandrake soak. Drink and die today."
"More I drink, more energy. First booze like this."
"Know what's more shocking?"
"What?"
"Not illusion—actually get healthier the more you drink."
"Oho! True divine liquor!"
Mountain held dwarf booze party midday. Utterly dwarven daily life.
"Aigoo. Why sudden pain?"
"T-Too much booze? Urk."