LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 20
“Heavy armor? Out of nowhere?”
I nodded instead of answering.
Even I thought it was a pretty decent plan. If we can’t cross the forest full of poison puddles, why not make it possible? Where else would you find such a clear answer?
If I made clothes out of materials that could withstand poison, stepping in a poison puddle wouldn’t kill me, right? Hmm. It’s a perfect plan.
I gripped the handle of the shovel on my back and stuck it into the ground.
Thud! A bit of dirt flew up from where the shovel blade landed and dropped at my feet. This should be okay, right? Should I test it first? If I get lazy and end up losing an important combatant, that would be a real headache.
Even if it’s a hassle, it’s better to do a test.
What about the materials?
Dirt, the groundwater flowing beneath it, and rocks. For now, this should be enough.
“Crafting.”
No sooner had I finished speaking than the dirt began to clump up from where the shovel had pierced. Soon, the clumped dirt morphed into a square block just big enough to trap a human head, and I lifted it.
Since it was a sizeable clump of dirt, it felt as heavy as a sack of rice. Even I, with a pretty solid muscle build from struggling to survive on a deserted island for ten years, would have a hard time lifting more than three of these blocks.
“Renny. Give it a try.”
“This? Let me see it first.”
Renny took the block I handed over with a puzzled expression. She looked at me as if to say, “What is this?”
“Is it heavy?”
“Not really?”
“Think you could carry about ten of them?”
“Ten? I think I could manage. But why?”
I took the block back from Renny and strode toward the boundary. The violet ground, emitting a sticky purple aura filled with wariness like a cat, was intimidating. An ordinary creature would meet its end the moment it stepped in. So, an ordinary method wouldn’t work to enter there.
I threw the block in my hand toward the violet ground, aiming for an underthrow. The dirt block, made from blended materials due to my skill, landed right in the middle of the poison puddle with a splash! As I watched the block gradually decrease in size amidst the smoke, I clicked my tongue.
Seems like that composition isn’t going to cut it.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to figure out a combination that can withstand that poison puddle.”
“I get that it sounds like a headache.”
Of course, my head was already starting to hurt. But if I could figure out a combination that could endure that poison puddle, I could scout. Just moving back and forth like a coward along the boundary is meaningless.
I returned to my previous spot and slightly changed the ratio to make another block. This time, I used the dirt entwined with tree roots to create a clay-like block. I wondered how this one would turn out. I approached the boundary again, threw the block, and checked its status. It melted down a bit slower than before, but still did dissolve. At that pace, it’s almost like hydrochloric acid, right?
With magic and monsters around, I can’t say for sure that the scientific laws in this world are the same as on Earth. To be frank, that priestess yawning in front of me boasts a monstrous strength that could take down one against five when she’s in good condition. I still shudder at the thought. If I’d faced her then, I would’ve literally been minced meat.
I was really lucky. If she’d been in good condition to begin with, there wouldn’t have been a reason to fight. No matter how wild her personality is, she wouldn’t just randomly try to kill someone.
“Crafting.”
What about this combination? This time I peeled off the bark from a nearby tree to cover the outer layer. It was the bark of an unidentified tree commonly found in this forest. I didn’t know if it would be effective, but it’s better to give it a shot. I threw the bark-wrapped block into the puddle.
“…Oh.”
The block melted down much more slowly than before. Could it be that the bark had components that could withstand the poison? What an unexpected find. I just threw together the materials without thinking.
I caressed the tree that I had stripped of its bark, revealing the white inner flesh. My hands were sticky. It seemed there had been some sap flowing beneath the bark. The trees in my territory weren’t like this. Looking closely, it did have a slightly different appearance from the trees in my area.
I should’ve paid attention to such things. I’m not a botanist, so how would I know the differences in trees?
I hadn’t experienced any acidic poison other than the Hydra’s, so I didn’t have a chance to find out.
Anyway, finding a clue was a significant gain. Not only would this tree bark be useful for scouting, but it also might come in handy in the upcoming showdown with the Hydra. I began to roam around, tearing off tree bark wherever I could.
“Why are you suddenly tearing off tree bark?”
“You should do it too. This stuff seems to be pretty resistant to that poison.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Of course it is. This time, she understood right away. Watching Renny tear off tree bark with her bare hands, I inserted my shovel blade between the bark layers.
Working together, we wrapped things up quickly. I paused for a moment to catch my breath, looking at the stack of bark piled up to my height. Renny, who had leaned against a rock after finishing, suddenly spoke to me.
“All the trees around here are stripped bare. But what are you planning to do with this?”
“I’m thinking of making armor out of this.”
“It can withstand the poison puddle, but… isn’t it a bit weak against physical attacks? Even if it holds up in that puddle, it’s still just tree bark, right?”
Renny’s point was valid. No matter how many adjectives I attached, given that the base material was easily peeled off by hand, it might withstand the poison but would have only slightly better defense than regular clothing against physical attacks.
So it wouldn’t be possible to make armor purely from this wood.
I’ve got to mix in other materials.
I started to recall useful materials in my head. Things I could gather in this forest. It was time to collect those items that I hadn’t thought necessary.
“I’m going to leave this here and run to grab something.”
“What’s that?”
“Bones.”
“Bones? They’ll just melt away too, won’t they?”
“There’s one bone that shouldn’t.”
That particular bone should hold up just fine. I got up from my spot and brushed off the dirt stuck to my butt. I was wasting more time than I thought, so it would be best to retrieve it quickly. I moved with Renny into the bears’ territory.
——————–
“What the hell is this?”
“The bear you smashed its head in.”
“I did? It looks like just a big, dumb idiot.”
You’re a real beast, woman!
Does she even realize how strong she is?
Probably not. After all, all she thinks about is Karina.
I circled around the corpse of the bear leader, whose head was smashed in and oozing rotten brain matter. It had started to decompose a bit, but being a boss monster, its hide and bones should be more useful than those of ordinary bears. It was stinking with rot, but I was used to such smells. This was nothing compared to the zombie smell.
“I’ll peel off the hide and take the bones.”
“I’m not very good at this kind of stuff.”
“It’s fine. I’ll do it alone.”
I started to peel off the hide and bones of the bear leader, which smelled horrific. There were a few rotten parts, so there wouldn’t be too many usable pieces, but this amount should be enough for now. Instead of helping with the hide, Renny organized the bones and leather I handed her on one side.
Ugh, the stench clung to my whole body.
I’ve hidden in dung heaps to survive before, but this was worse. For real, nothing has a smell as bad as decaying corpses.
“Ugh. Breathing is really tough…”
“I’ll wash up before we go.”
“Yeah. Hurry up and clean yourself. If you go like that, you’ll die from the smell rather than the poison.”
I brushed off the rotting intestines stuck to my body and headed towards the pond. Fortunately, this pond wasn’t contaminated and remained clear and clean. If it had been tainted too, that would have been a problem. By the way, there are a lot of rabbits here.
I glanced at a rabbit drinking water and jumped into the pond. As the cold water soaked me, my warmed-up body from hard labor cooled down. After swimming for quite a while to wash off, I exited the pond and returned to where Renny was. Renny stared at my drenched appearance, looking dumbfounded, before speaking up.
“You came back all wet. Doesn’t it feel weird?”
“I’m used to it.”
“Oh, I guess so…”
I approached Renny, who trailed off, and lifted the rolled-up leather nearby with both hands.
“Let’s go back. You carry the bones.”
“All of these?”
“…Just bring two shins and the skull.”
“Got it. Let’s do that.”
With a playful reply, Renny shouldered the shin bones and grabbed the skull in one hand, following me. The skull dragged along the ground, but it wasn’t something a person could carry by themselves.
Alright, we’ve gathered all the necessary materials.
The bear leader’s bones and hide. The tree bark resistant to acid poison. Now, if I can combine them well, I can create heavy armor—or rather, protective gear.
When we arrived at the spot with the gathered tree bark, the blazing sun greeted me. Since it was an area without shadows, the midday sun mercilessly tortured my eyes. I set the leather beside the tree bark and watched as Renny placed the bones beside it.
“Oof, my arms… Can I take a short break?”
“Sure.”
With my permission, Renny collapsed on a nearby rock. I glanced at her for a moment before returning my gaze to the materials. Should I make one first? I had enough materials; I could probably make five or six…
I closed my eyes and envisioned the armor I would drape over my body.
Wrapping my body in leather, donning scales of bones and tree bark over it. A protective suit that thoroughly blocks exposure from head to toe. Having organized my thoughts, I used my skill.
“Crafting.”