“Master! Golem!”
It’s our third day in the Avid dungeon, and I pick up a new reaction nearby just as I’m thinking about preparing lunch.
I’m led by Hikari’s voice as I exit the tunnel, and see a rock golem.
It slowly raises its arm… And swings it down.
Hikari twists her body to the side to dodge, and hits it with her dagger as it passes.
The slashes that were too fast for me to see leave the arm in tatters.
But then it produces magic energy from its chest, and the lost arm is regrown. It can regenerate indefinitely as long as it has magic energy.
To beat it, we have to damage it until it doesn’t have magic energy left, destroy the magic stone, or pry it from its body. How people take it down depends on what materials they want.
For example, if you attack it until it runs out of magic energy, you can harvest a lot of ore with magic energy from its body after it falls. However, the way to damage it is through blows, we can’t cut its limbs with something like a sword.
This is also the easiest way to beat them, the hardest being prying magic stones.
This is the only way to take it down with magic energy still in its magic stone, but it’s hard for people who aren’t considerably skilled.
But people who use this dungeon think it’s not that hard if it’s a stone golem.
“Hikari do you need help?”
“No. The next one will do it!”
I propose I help, but Hikari says she can do it alone.
Actually, every attack the golem executes hits air, and it can’t catch Hikari at all.
It feels like Hikari can take it easy and aim as she wants.
Hikari’s dagger is infused with a lot of magic energy, and the next moment, she swings it quickly.
The slashes mince the golem’s body, and I see a red crystal. It’s the magic stone.
If left alone, another golem will be created with it as its core, but if it’s isolated by someone’s hands, the power that allows it to do that is gone.
“It’s over.”
Hikari shows the red magic stone, without the shine it had just now. But it does have magic energy.
“…Let’s prepare lunch then.”
I put the magic stone in the Item Box, and after picking through the golem’s body that’s scattered around, put it in the Item box too.
There’s a bit more ore in an iron golem, but oh well, this was just a stone one. Its materials aren’t worth much.
Actually, should we consider the fact that we got the magic stone a big deal, even if it’s a stone golem?
It’s included among the materials needed to progress to the next floor.
Then we prepare lunch, and many male faces peek out from tunnels, drawn out by the smell.
They’re all pretty casual considering a battle just happened, but everyone working here is at a level where they can at least bring down a stone golem easily.
In fact, hearing sounds of battle might make them less inclined to come out of the tunnels, so as not to bother.
They’re basically our neighbors, and we’ve been eating together too.
A nice smell really draws attention in the dungeon. We got a lot of looks yesterday too.
In the end, Rurika negotiated a trade where we’d give them food if they told us about the dungeon.
Of course, they had to bring ingredients or pay for them but… Wouldn’t a dungeon restaurant make a lot of money? I’m only half joking.
I think one of the reasons is that since this place is all about mining, meals are pretty much the best thing they can look forward to.
There would be a different kind of entertainment if there were more monsters, but I’m probably only thinking that because everyone here is good at fighting.
Some people wouldn’t even be able to take down iron or mithril golems if one appeared.
And since more monsters would bring down mining efficiency, it would bring down productivity across the board.
“Hikari, what is lunch for today?”
“Wolf meat skewers, and meatball soup made by big sister Chris and big sister Mia with orc meat.”
The guys cheer when they hear that.
Yes, let’s be quieter.
Mia and Chris serve soup in large bowls, Hikari hands skewers, and Rurika and Sera give bread
The bread was already made, but I feel like after lunch, Mia and Chris might say they should bake bread instead of mining.
Miners eat a lot, after all.
I typically mine with the use of Appraisal, so my ore rate isn’t bad. In fact, I could get enough by myself.
And with the Strengthening skill, it’s even more efficient. I do the work of three… No, five people.
That’s why Hikari and the others are mainly cooking, and mine as a way to let off some steam.
Thanks for the treat.