That Time a Shut-in for 300 Years Continued to Make Antiques , but All of It Turned out to Be Cheat-Level Magic Tools - Chapter 57

It took until morning, but somehow, I managed to complete the creation of the magic stone. With this, the production of the magic bag can move forward.

With that done, after taking a short nap, we headed to the mountain in question. I also called Hazan to join us.

“I feel like I’ve been tagging along with you guys quite often recently.”

“If you have other requests, feel free to prioritize them. Of course, that means Alecto will have to deal with the monsters on his own.”

“That’s impossible! No way I can do that!”

“Don’t worry. Today aside, as promised, you’ll be learning 1,000 spells, and I’ve made sure to include some plant-based magic that might come in handy.”

“You remembered that promise!”

Of course, I didn’t forget. I’ll have him start practicing from tonight.

“So, what’s the plan for today?”

“We’ve been asked to gather some magical herbs. And also some Ketsumorokoshi.”

“Wha—! No way, brother, that’s impossible!”

Hazan raised his voice in surprise and spoke with a serious expression when I mentioned Ketsumorokoshi.

“Ketsumorokoshi is a troublesome item. Hardly anyone in the guild takes that request. First of all, it’s rare, hard to find, and it only grows deep within the forest at the foot of the mountain, where dangerous monsters roam.”

“You said something similar about another monster before.”

“Well… that’s true, but this time, there are even more dangerous A-rank monsters around.”

Good grief, he’s being overly cautious. However, I’ve already memorized everything about the monsters in this area.

Considering that, well, it might indeed be tough for Hazan as he is now. But that will change once he equips the gear I’m planning to make for him.

Still, I’ll have both of them fight at first. They need to understand their current strength.

Alecto has been lent my revolver, but I’ve deliberately only given him basic ammunition.

Ideally, he should be able to create his own spells for the revolver by now.

Though to be fair, the magic stone creation and spell construction I taught Alecto so far won’t be enough. He’ll need to delve into using the magic circuits that involve Mylorgy.

However, that won’t be necessary until we finish the magic bag. A single magic stone should be enough for that.

But, without a doubt, this knowledge will be essential in the future. I’ll have to teach him soon.

While thinking about such things, we continued to gather magical herbs like Aloy grass from the list. Along the way, we encountered some monsters, but Hazan and Alecto were able to defeat them as a team.

They’re coordinating better than when they faced that Heavy Buffalo before. I hope they keep up this pace.

After collecting the magical herbs, we finally ventured deep into the forest at the mountain’s base to gather the Ketsumorokoshi.

Suddenly, a heavy buzzing sound filled the air as a massive monster descended from the sky. It folded its wings mid-flight and landed heavily on the ground.

Thud! A heavy, oppressive sound echoed as the ground sank beneath it.

“Th-this is a Hercules Beetle!”

Hazan shouted. Alecto, as usual, let out a squeal and fell on his rear.

I thought he had improved a bit lately, but he’s still no match for a new opponent. Hazan, on the other hand, despite his earlier unease, had already drawn his sword and was ready to fight.

This is where his pride as a B-rank adventurer comes into play.

“Alecto, hurry up and draw your weapon and provide support. This is a tough opponent for Hazan alone.”

“Y-yes!”

He stood up and drew his revolver. Now, this Hercules Beetle is a rather straightforward monster in terms of characteristics.

Its appearance is pretty much what you’d expect. As a beetle-type monster, its black, shiny body is naturally tough. It’s not as hard as pure orichalcum, but still.

With Hazan’s current sword, even scratching it would be difficult. And as for its attack methods—well, it’s all about that horn. Its long, single horn is its most dangerous weapon.

There are a few shorter horns as well, but those are mainly used to parry attacks rather than for offense.

It may seem simple, but underestimating it would be a mistake. The Hercules Beetle’s body is surprisingly flexible, allowing it to wield its horn like a master spear fighter.

Even now, Hazan’s greatsword and the monster’s horn were clashing fiercely. The edge of the Hercules Beetle’s horn is sharp enough to cut through almost anything.

“What the—! This thing!”

Hazan’s face was frozen in shock. It was probably because he witnessed the Hercules Beetle unleash a three-hit combo. It swung to the right, then the left, and finally twisted in a sharp thrust. If it were a less experienced adventurer, they would have been reduced to a stump or skewered through the torso.

Hazan barely managed to evade or block each attack with his sword, but his expression showed no signs of ease.

“I’ll provide support!”

Alecto moved to the side of the Hercules Beetle and aimed his gun. The moment his finger tightened on the trigger, the side of the monster exploded.

“I did it!”

Alecto waved his arms up and down in a show of excitement, but things didn’t go as smoothly as that.

“N-no way…”

When the smoke cleared, the Hercules Beetle was still standing there, completely unscathed. Not a single scratch on its body.

Well, that’s to be expected. The Hercules Beetle not only has a naturally hard shell but also uses magic to further reinforce it. A simple explosion from the revolver wouldn’t even make it flinch.

“Damn it! My sword’s not cutting through at all!”

“My attack didn’t do anything either!”

Good grief, this really is a tough opponent.

“You two, fall back!”

“Huh? A-alright.”

“Y-yes!”

Hazan and Alecto quickly put some distance between themselves and the Hercules Beetle. I had already drawn Maiful from my infinite storage ring and aimed it at the Hercules Beetle, firing a magic bullet.

“Ka-bu?”

Multiple magic circles, inscribed with geometric patterns, appeared on the monster’s body and then burst. The Hercules Beetle tilted its head in confusion.

It doesn’t seem to understand what just happened. Well, that’s because the spell wasn’t meant to deal direct damage.

“Mei.”

“Yes, Master.”

Mei dashed forward. She deftly avoided the Hercules Beetle’s horn with minimal movement, closing in and delivering a knee strike to its jaw.

The hem of her maid dress fluttered with the wind pressure, briefly revealing her snow-white thighs. Hmm, even I have to admit, her body is a masterpiece for an artificial life form.

But that’s not the point here. Mei’s knee strike caused the Hercules Beetle’s jaw to snap upward, flipping it onto its back.

The Hercules Beetle was momentarily stunned by the impact but soon began flailing its legs, trying to get back on its feet.

However, once this type of monster is flipped, it struggles to right itself.

“Now, Hazan! Its underside is much softer than its shell.”

“Got it!”

Hazan immediately dashed forward, closing in on the Hercules Beetle, and plunged his greatsword into its belly.

The creature’s flailing became more frantic, but soon after, it stopped moving entirely. Alright, that should do it.

“Nice work, Hazan.”

“Y-yeah. But I can’t really take all the credit. This was only possible because you and Mei were here.”

“Mei is far stronger than she looks, isn’t she?”

“Hmm? While it’s true that Mei is quite powerful, in that attack, she only used about as much strength as you, Hazan.”

Both of them widened their eyes in surprise. They looked like they couldn’t believe what I had just said.

“Well, it wasn’t just pure strength that flipped it over. The magic bullet I used earlier had an effect that lowered the Hercules Beetle’s defense beyond what its own magic could handle. That’s why it flipped with just the amount of force someone like Hazan could muster.”

“It kinda hurts my pride to be compared like that…”

“Hmm, but Edson-kun really is amazing. Even though you’re so much younger than me.”

Well, it’s not that big of a deal, but Alecto needs to fully grasp this.

“Alecto, if you put your mind to it, you can create spells of this level too. And there’s more than one way to deal with a Hercules Beetle. Listen up, from now on, I’m going to drill into you the structure of that revolver and how to create magic bullets. You’ll learn it thoroughly.”

“F-eh? N-no way!”

What’s he so surprised about? After all, the revolver is just on loan.

Even though Alecto was already complaining about how tough things were, Hazan patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him to hang in there.

Eventually, I want the two of them to be able to roam this mountain freely on their own.

Now that we’ve defeated the Hercules Beetle, it’s time to look for that Ketsumorokoshi…