The Walking Orichalcum

And yet, right before my eyes, there it was — super-metal orichalcum.

Grrk. Grrrk.

Like a snake that had finished shedding its skin, Dianax circled around me. Four legs and a long tail — the cute form of the Baby Hydragon was gone without a trace, replaced by a presence that radiated true majesty.

I stared at it until a window floated up before me.

Even at a glance, it was on a completely different level. Traits had appeared, and every attribute had climbed. Evolution — the word fit the change perfectly.

Grrk?

Dianax tilted its head, reading the look in my eyes. It seemed to have noticed that greed was outweighing any joy I felt at its evolution.

But who could help it?

That body. A walking vein of super-metal orichalcum!

…Just off the top of my head, I can already think of at least ten ultra-high-grade pieces of gear that could be forged from orichalcum.

And not just any gear — masterpieces that would make a man shout Eureka! the moment they were finished.

Which left me with one burning question. A question that was driving me half mad.

Does the ore regenerate too?

Dianax's hide was orichalcum ore. With a natural regeneration rate exceeding fifty thousand percent, I genuinely needed to know whether the orichalcum would grow back.

Pure scientific curiosity… no. No, that wasn't it.

I admit it. The only emotion living in me right now was pure, undiluted greed.

But what choice did I have? If regeneration made orichalcum farming possible — if knights started appearing equipped with gear forged from orichalcum…

Just imagining it is terrifying.

The sight alone would be enough to send a shiver down anyone's spine. Even if I only crafted and wore the pieces I needed myself, it would become an unassailable wall. Other materials would still be required, of course — but the most critical super-metal was sitting right in front of me.

The problem was that I couldn't just rip it off in the open.

If I tear it off casually, affinity will drop.

Affinity mattered when ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠raising a pet. Unless it was a pure "Soul," it was something I had to watch carefully. And with Sensory Sharing at two hundred percent, I would feel the agony myself — raw and doubled.

But even that kind of pain wasn't enough to stop my greed.

I sorted my thoughts and opened my mouth.

"You did well."

Grrk! Grrrk!

"All right then — shall we head straight out and take down the next Boss?"

Grrk?

"Don't worry. We are one. There's nothing to fear — just trust me and follow."

What is yours is mine, and what is mine is also mine. True unity of heart and body, if you asked me.

GROOOOAAAR!

Dianax screamed. It was the moment right after we had skipped two entire stages and challenged the Metal Mantis Boss.

A massive silver mantis. A monster whose grotesque attack power punched straight through Dianax's defenses in an instant.

Clink. Clink.

With a clear, ringing sound, pieces of Dianax's hide — super-metal orichalcum — began falling to the ground.

And every time Dianax's hide was torn away, my own skin split and cracked in turn.

"Nngh…"

I could shrug off most pain without a second thought — but pain wired in series at double intensity was another matter entirely. Still, I couldn't just stand there groaning.

I quietly stepped forward and began picking up the orichalcum.

GROOOOAAAR!

In the meantime, Dianax — stronger and faster under the effects of Power Up and Armor Break — launched a counterattack.

KREEEAAAH!

The Metal Mantis Boss's razor claws struck Dianax's hide once more.

Clink!

With that elegant ringing sound, more orichalcum fell to the floor.

I scooped up the orichalcum, eyes going wide.

…Armor Break stacks?

An additional buff that triggered whenever the mineral armor was destroyed. But with destruction and regeneration happening simultaneously, the buff was stacking on itself.

Buffs of this type normally didn't stack — was it because Dianax had been summoned in the form of a "Soul"? Perhaps it simply wasn't subject to ordinary restrictions.

Five minutes at most, sure.

We might actually win this.

Honestly, I hadn't challenged it intending to win. This was closer to a temporary hardship endured purely for the sake of farming orichalcum. We had skipped two whole stages — even compared to Dianax, this was a Boss with an absurd gap in power. Same Boss classification, but a full seven grades apart.

But… the fact that the buffs could stack meant something else entirely.

Under the right conditions, even an impossible gap can be overcome.

…A kind of bug play.

I reached out through the bond with Dianax.

Hold on!

Grr?

Sensing my will, Dianax let out a strained cry. But this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was only the beginning.

Slash! Slash! Shraaak!

GROOOOAAARGH!

Dianax screamed in rapid succession. I was in just as much agony. Regeneration or not, repeating that process without end was enough to break anyone's mind.

But thanks to it, one thing was certain.

Fifteen stacks in an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠instant. By simple math, that was seventy-five points of Agility.

Done.

Agility governed speed of movement, correction effects, and critical hit chance. Naturally, Agility soaring past a hundred would deliver mobility beyond imagination.

Grrrrr!

In a flash, Dianax dodged the Metal Mantis Boss's attack. Then, more than twice as fast as before, it coiled around the mantis's body. Climbing up along its frame until it reached the head, Dianax came face-to-face with the mantis and opened its jaws wide.

GOOOOOOH—!

SHAAAAA!

The Metal Mantis Boss's hide began to melt away. Before long, even its screams started to fade.

And at the same time—

Whew.

I let out a low whistle. The fallen orichalcum looked to be at least twenty kilograms.

Insane.

Dump it on the open market and you could buy an entire city without breaking a sweat. Put it up for auction and I couldn't even begin to guess what it would fetch.

But this was only the beginning.

…Infinite farming is possible.

My eyes lit up. I was never going to be satisfied with this much. Using buff-stack hunting as a pretext, I would scrape together every last scrap of orichalcum.

G-grr?

For some reason, Dianax suddenly shivered from head to tail, as if struck by a chill it couldn't explain.

Farming is always a joy. And when the thing being farmed is super-metal orichalcum — a material said to be absolutely unobtainable — that joy only multiplies.

Pain, sorrow — all of it becomes useless before a steadily growing pile of orichalcum.

But every pleasure has its end.

The amount of orichalcum dropping is getting smaller.

Hundreds of mineral-armor destructions. The quantity of ore produced with each one was dwindling. It seemed to be part of the evolution process as well.

But that was fine. What I had gathered so far was more than enough. Inside the Magic Leather Pouch — with its effectively infinite capacity — nearly a ton of orichalcum was already stacked high.

So this is what it feels like to be full without eating a single meal.

It had been a long time since I'd farmed like this. It felt like going back to the pure gamer I used to be. Wasn't this the true essence of a role-playing game?

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

For the first time in ages, I lost track of the hours and kept hunting alongside Dianax.

How long did we keep at it?

KRRRRRUMBLE!

Dianax's body swelled dozens of times over, becoming a Behemoth a full five meters tall.

Angel Behemoth?

But Behemoths were classic dark-aligned monsters — gorilla-like frames, black fur, elephantine faces, creatures that tore apart everything in their path without discrimination. Monsters among monsters.

Yet the Angel Behemoth standing before me had pure white fur, and a ring of light floated above its head.

A species I had never seen before. I had never even heard of such a thing existing.

But it wasn't only the elephantine bulk of the Angel Behemoth that caught my eye.

That is…

…there was more.

Don't tell me — Star Ivory?

More material to farm. I hadn't known of the Angel Behemoth's existence, but I knew the things crafted from those tusks.

The primary material for Holy Relics…

The thought carried me that far — and once again, I was left speechless.

It wasn't simply because I had found Star Ivory. Dianax, and now the Angel Behemoth — it had evolved into forms that couldn't be found, forms whose very existence had been unknown. Super-metal, and the irreplaceable core material of Holy Relics, both discovered in one place.

And this still wasn't the end. If every evolution kept pushing the rarity higher and higher…

Just how far do you plan to evolve?

…I couldn't even begin to imagine what it would become at the end of that path.

Ruin had appeared.

The White King.

The sovereign who reigned over the North, and the true master of Kramdel — the city of beasts. Though he had lost a fang after his defeat at Wilhelm's hands and withdrawn into seclusion for a time, in his prime he had been a monster without equal.

His ability to sense threats to himself with near-precognitive clarity, and the speed he possessed when transformed into his true form, were beyond any comparison.

Under normal circumstances, he would never have lost to Wilhelm.

He had been confident he could force a draw. No matter how strong Wilhelm was, so long as they never collided head-on, the match would never have been decided.

But Wilhelm had taken all of Kramdel and its main forces as hostages. He had created a situation in which the White King had no choice but to step forward himself.

That day, for the first time in his life, the White King tasted defeat. The long seclusion that followed was the aftermath of that loss.

But the White King's true power was not limited to foresight and speed alone. There was one more.

I had to grow stronger. Myself, Kramdel, and the main forces as well.

Seclusion did not mean he could simply hide and do nothing. The White King sought change. He resolved to use his own abilities without reservation.

It was not an impossible task.