Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Dimensional Forge (2)
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The Guard Captain stared at the distress signal artifact I'd pulled out, lost in memories for a moment.
...Why have so many people with tragic backstories been showing up lately?
At this rate, I was starting to worry if my own body had some hidden story too.
Ah, well, since my family fell into ruin, I guess I do have one.
The Guard Captain fell silent.
From the atmosphere, it seemed like someone precious to him had been killed by a knight.
At least, he had his suspicions.
I wondered if I should offer some comfort, but with no idea what was going on, I stayed quiet.
The Guard Captain fiddled with the artifact for a bit longer before tucking it back into his pocket.
"Of course, it's just a rumor. With so many people gathering here, all sorts of stories circulate."
"I see."
"Anyway, with something like that happening, if you're ever thinking of revenge, always be careful."
With that, the Guard Captain stood up.
"I'll escort you back to your lodging now."
It'd be weird to refuse at this point, so I followed him out of the guard post.
We didn't exchange a single word on the way back.
When we arrived in front of the shantytown behind the city hall...
"Ah, Explorer. Do you have any guesses about who entered the boss room first?"
The Guard Captain asked as if the thought had just occurred to him.
His words immediately brought to mind that timid woman with the purple bangs hanging down to her eyes.
"Not really."
No need to say anything unnecessary.
I wasn't even sure if she was the culprit, and there were parts that didn't quite add up if it was her.
"I see. Well, I should head back now. I've been away from my post too long chatting."
"Yes."
I watched the Guard Captain leave for a moment before returning to my room.
---
Creeeak. Squeak, squeak. Opening the door to my room, I was greeted by rickety old furniture. This damn shanty house screamed with every little movement of the floorboards—staying here meant I probably wouldn't have to worry about getting assassinated. I could even hear if someone came to the building next door. Letting out a short sigh, I flopped onto the bed. I called up my status window and opened the tab I'd seen before.
The forge tab that unlocked after defeating the boss and returning to town.
Perfect timing, since I'd been planning to craft a staff.
I could commission the town forge, but then word about my items would spread fast.
Plus, the town blacksmiths weren't highly skilled.
If one of them accidentally destroyed my item... who knows what I'd do.
"Alright then."
I clicked the Dimensional Forge button in my status window.
Then...
Woooong— Just like entering the auction house, something gripped my soul and yanked it out. The world twisted, colors faded. It felt like passing through a gate, my body roiling unsteadily. When I opened my eyes again, I was in an endless space like the universe. My body, like in the auction house, was a wobbly mass of black smoke. A galaxy flowed like a river beneath my feet, and unidentified nebulae draped like a curtain overhead. Ahead of me loomed a massive forge. I moved my smoky form toward it.
"......"
The forge's interior was simple. An anvil, a hammer, and a furnace. The enormous anvil was like one forged from carved night sky, its surface etched with thousands of star-like lights. Beside it lay a hammer gleaming like condensed nebula. The furnace in the corner was cold and dormant, as if unused for ages. I approached the anvil slowly. As I stood mesmerized, like gazing at a massive work of natural art...
"......"
I spotted a small note stuck in front of it.
A sign like the ones from the auction, marked with 100,000 cash.
It hit me hard, and I sighed involuntarily.
Though as black smoke, no actual sigh came out.
[Proceed with payment?]
[Confirm]
Well... it's not that much.
I hit the payment button.
Then...
Whoosh! A blue flame flickered to life in the cold furnace. Its immense size made me worry the area would heat up, but no heat reached me. The furnace was reactivated... but there was a problem. 'Don't tell me I have to use this myself?' There was no blacksmith inside. Everything in the forge was huge—bigger than me. The furnace, anvil, hammer—nothing was small enough. And with my limbless, wobbly form, I couldn't even pick up the hammer. I looked around the interior a bit more. That's when I found another sign near the anvil.
[■■]
—
[!] 300,000 cash
[□□]
—
[!] 500,000 cash
The sign labeled "Commission Sheet" had text covered in black masking, unreadable.
Only the prices were clear.
"......"
Well... more expensive means better, right?
I chose the 【□□】 that demanded 500,000 cash.
The sign rippled and faded into the background.
At the same time...
An icon resembling the anvil appeared over my status window.
Clicking it brought up translucent slots.
[Main Material]
[Sub-Material]
[Catalyst]
[!] Catalysts available separately.
A familiar interface from games.
Without hesitation, I opened my item storage.
For the main material, the Eldea’s Final Leaf I'd bought at auction for a whopping 6,500 cash.
For sub-material, the Abyss Fragment from killing the Abyss Door.
[Main Material selected.]
— Primordial Tree: Eldea’s Final Leaf
[Sub-Material selected.]
— Abyss Fragment
I double-checked the entries and hit confirm.
[!] Catalyst missing.
— Missing Catalyst: Advanced Catalyst x10
[Advanced Catalyst]
— 50,000 cash
So demanding.
I bought 10 advanced catalysts, then hit the commission button again.
Eldea’s Final Leaf and the Abyss Fragment I'd placed vanished smoothly.
[Commission sheet completed.]
— Your commission has been safely delivered. Estimated crafting time will display upon acceptance.
A window popped up like a delivery confirmation.
Looks like it only crafts once someone accepts.
[!] Exit?]
— [Confirm]
Commission done, no reason to stick around.
I hit confirm and left the forge.
Swoosh— Exiting felt like something grabbing my soul and slamming it back into my body. Won't get used to this no matter how many times. Dizziness faded, and I was back on my bed in the lodging.
"Whew. Tired."
Hadn't been long since waking up here, but every day was exhausting. I lay on the bed roughly and closed my eyes. --- The next day. Before heading to the dungeon, I went to city hall to sell the mana stones I'd collected. The clerk from before was there, so I handed them to her.
"All together, that's 5,600 gold coins! Pay in full?"
"Yes."
"Here are 56 platinum coins. Stay safe!" Clink. The gold coin pouch felt heavy. I'd spent a bit of the platinum from before, leaving me with 90 total now. I took all the coins and entered the shop right in front of city hall. A store selling subspace pouches among other gear.
"Welcome! Here for a subspace pouch?"
"Yes."
Stepping inside, the shopkeeper greeted me warmly. My inventory had five slots total. I could put one subspace pouch in each, expanding my space. Can't live with just five slots forever. As I go deeper into the dungeon, artifacts drop more often, so better prepare. Mana stones from monsters get bigger too, taking up more slots.
"Take a look."
[Narrow Coin Pouch]
— 1,000 labyrinth gold
[Portable Mana Stone Pouch]
— 4,000 labyrinth gold
[Dimensional Bag]
— 10,000 labyrinth gold
The pouches for sale offered 2, 4, and 6 slots from top to bottom.
Habitually, I reached for the biggest Dimensional Bag but stopped myself.
Right, this isn't cash.
I obediently picked up the Portable Mana Stone Pouch.
"4,000 gold coins!"
40 platinum coins gone in one go.
I slotted the received subspace pouch into my inventory immediately.
The subspace pouch took one slot, adding four more.
This should be comfortable enough... even carrying food.
I bought some food for the dungeon too, then headed to the central cave in town.
Planning to hit the 2nd underground floor today.
Ways to descend the dungeon varied, but the simplest was through a boss room.
With the 1st floor boss just cleared yesterday, that was fastest.
Alright then.
Woooong— I threw myself into the gate.