Chapter 22: Completion

We pondered on how we could change the situation for the Dwarves.

“First, how about making the Dwarf King aware of our existence?”

“Doing it individually won’t work. We need to consult with the king and make the country take action. And with your skills, the king will undoubtedly recognize you.”

Afterward, we made plans for our journey to the Dwarven capital. We set the departure date for one week later.

In the meantime, Kukuto and Marle prepared to close their workshop and store. They gathered the items they would take to the capital and planned to store them in the stuffed animal’s pocket later.

We decided to familiarize ourselves with the new equipment and earn travel funds by completing quests at the Adventurers Guild.

“Oh, let me tell you in advance. The Dwarven capital, ‘Gonhirrim,’ is located on the third floor of the ‘Shirakami Dungeon’ at the foot of Mount Shirakami. To enter, you need this ‘Gonhirrim Pass.'”

When I heard “pass,” I imagined it to be a paper or card, but it turned out to be a bracelet.

The surface was a dirty burnt brown color, but the backside had geometric patterns engraved on a silvery metallic surface.

“Are you surprised? As you can see, it’s made in a special way. Without this, you won’t find the gates of Gonhirrim. We have two of them, so I’ll give you one. I hope you consider it a token of trust from us Dwarves.”

Holding the ‘Gonhirrim Pass’ seems to be proof that you are recognized by the Dwarven race.

“Thank you very much. I’ll treasure it. Of course, I won’t disclose it to anyone.”

We shook hands firmly with each other.

On the map, which we didn’t even know our current location on, it felt as if someone had drawn a thick line indicating our path.

◇

— The next morning

Mia and I accepted two relatively easy E-rank subjugation quests at the Adventurers Guild.

“Mia, let’s prioritize getting used to this new equipment today.”

We checked the equipment that had just been completed yesterday. Except for the appearance, Mia’s and my equipment were exactly the same.

[Weapons]

Lightsaber – Attack Power Unknown

Mithril Shortsword – Attack Power +30

Reinforced Slingshot + Enhancement Stone – Attack Power +9

[Armor]

Reinforced Traveler’s Clothes (Top and Bottom) – Defense +91

Reinforced Cloak – Heat Resistance +10, Cold Resistance +10, Durability +90

Mithril Chestplate – Defense +20

[Accessories]

Reinforced Necklace for Mental Defense – Durability +92

Reinforced White Rune Ring – Spirit Attack Resistance +95

Reinforced Yellow Rune Ring – Abnormality Resistance +95

Reinforced Blue Rune Earring – SP Auto-Recovery +9

Reinforced Green Rune Earring – HP Auto-Recovery +9

The Mithril Shortsword and Chestplate were not tampered with using the ‘Tampering’ skill and were used as decoys for other equipment.

The main weapon was the lightsaber.

The section with the energy blade was referred to as the lightsaber blade, and its length and power could be adjusted based on the amount of SP channeled into the grip.

Even with the Dwarves’ ‘Discernment’ and my ‘Analysis’ skills, the attack power couldn’t be determined when the lightsaber blade was activated.

For the armor, we chose long-sleeved clothes and long pants so that every inch of the body was covered.

I asked Maruru-san to somehow manage to increase the defensive power to double digits, and the result was the traveler’s outfit.

With my “tampering” skill, I was able to increase the defensive strength from 11 to 91, creating a cheat piece of equipment with higher defense than fully plated armor.

The cloak was more a measure against heat and cold than protective gear.

Originally, I planned to create the “Heart Wall Barrier” field with a ring. However, when I tried making it with a ring, Mia’s heavy emotions were also reflected through the “Deformation” skill, and the weight of the completed ring exceeded 10 kilograms. After trial and error, I settled on a necklace. I changed its durability from “12 to 92” using my “Tampering” skill to ensure it wouldn’t break

Marle was in charge of the rings and earrings. When engraving the runic characters on the gems, she used her “Enhancement” skill to add properties and then strengthened them with the “Processing” blessing. She managed to increase each attribute to double digits, which I further enhanced with my “Tampering” skill.

However, the automatic recovery system was very difficult, and the maximum increase was only up to +5. Even with my “Spoofing” skill, it could only reach +9. The recovery amount for both HP and SP was 1 point every 3 minutes.

Still, upon reviewing the equipment again, its cheat-like properties were overwhelming.

◇

―― The forest where goblins live.

In the forest inhabited by goblins.

First, I decided to test the lightsaber.

I held the grip with one hand and channeled SP into it. As a result, a red blade of light, about 70 centimeters long, extended from the grip with a buzzing sound.

Initially, I planned to have a blue blade. Red was associated with the dark side. However, the “Urek Stone” used to convert SP into energy was red, so Mia’s image also turned red.

Well, it looked cool, so I didn’t mind.

Each time the blade was activated, it consumed 1 SP. The more SP I channeled, the thicker and longer the blade became.

When it consumed 5 SP, the length of the blade extended to about 2 meters.

I tried cutting a nearby tree with a diameter of about 10 cm with the blade at 1 SP consumption.

Buon

The tree was cut cleanly in half vertically without any resistance.

The cut surface appeared charred. This is scary…

We repeated practicing with the lightsaber every time we encountered goblins.

We were gradually getting used to it, so we decided to move on to the next verification.

Next was the “Heart Wall Barrier”, an AT field.

And just in time, a goblin wielding a club was approaching me.

The goblin swung the club from the side with a smirk.

In my mind, I strongly rejected the club, saying, “Don’t touch me!”

As a result, a barrier in the shape of an octagon, about 40 centimeters in size, appeared about 30 centimeters away from my body.

With a clanging sound, the barrier repelled the club.

The goblin was taken aback by the unexpected impact and lost its balance.

This can be quite useful in actual combat. Not only can it defend, but it can also create opportunities for attacks!

When the owner rejects it, the “Heart Wall” barrier automatically generates an octagonal barrier. It is an excellent feature that can defend without specifying the size or position of the barrier.

Once the barrier is created, it consumes 1 SP, and when the rejected event is resolved, the barrier disappears.

The barrier’s strength was unbreakable. even with a Lightsaber at 5 SP consumption.

As expected of an AT field.

Even if the early version lived normally, the barrier was occasionally activated.

By adding “feel dangerous” to the activation condition, it now works as expected.

However, it had a weakness. When two barriers collide, they both disappear. Mia called it “neutralization.”

Adjusting the level of rejection required to activate this barrier was challenging.

In the initial version, the barrier would occasionally activate even during normal daily life. By adding “feeling in danger” as an activation condition, it began to function as expected.

By the way, Kukuto and Maruru couldn’t activate the barrier because they were trying to understand the mechanism of the “Heart Wall” through logic.

Afterward, we continued testing and cleared the “Defeat 30 Goblins: Rank E” quest.

Next, we headed towards the abandoned mine where we previously struggled to defeat the giant rats.

From now on, it’s all about practical combat training!

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