Got a Gallery in the Wild

There is something men can never resist.

Something that seems stupid, yet looks fun.

The pure fun that stimulates one’s instincts.

Most of the time it ends in something foolish that causes trouble, but you can’t always choose the safe path.

And if, on top of that, the chances of success seem extremely high.

And even if you fail, you have so many opportunities that you can simply laugh it off.

Then a human excavator incapable of fearing failure is born.

Something fun and also guaranteed to perform.

An action capable of providing both romance and practical benefits.

It was impossible to resist.

DwarfPassingBy was the type who pursued romance.

I was the type who pursued practicality.

It was an excellent combination.

[DwarfPassingBy: I’ll give you specialized bricks that can withstand high temperatures, so build the furnace with those. You’ll have to provide the clay yourself.]

[WildGrills: Ok. Do I need anything else?]

[WildGrills: Some kind of container to hold the molten metal or something?]

[DwarfPassingBy: I’ll give you that too. But be careful, it weighs a ridiculous amount. Even professionals often make mistakes when pouring molten metal.]

[WildGrills: And how do I install the bellows?]

[DwarfPassingBy: Since you’re only going to melt it, just make an opening on one side. That said, make it somewhat long.]

Little by little, I obtained materials and instructions for building a simple furnace from the dwarf.

Although he provided most of the materials, the installation was my responsibility.

In fact, building it was much easier than making the cooking oven.

I wasn’t going to refine anything.

I only needed to melt the minerals.

I stacked the bricks provided by the dwarf into a rectangle and covered the outside with plenty of clay.

I also made sure not to forget an opening for the bellows.

The dimensions were roughly fifty centimeters wide and fifty centimeters long.

The height barely reached above my knees.

That said, the top had to gradually narrow.

The reason was obvious.

To retain as much heat as possible.

Lastly, there was the container in which I would melt the mithril and orichalcum, as well as the tongs for transporting it.

I thought that was everything.

But the dwarf still had one more thing.

[WildGrills: What’s this blue powder? It’s not drugs, is it?]

[DwarfPassingBy: Snort it through your nose. It’ll take you to heaven.]

[WildGrills: Sorry. ;; Do I put it into the molten metal?]

[DwarfPassingBy: Yes. Since this is the first time I’ve tried an alloy of mithril and orichalcum, just in case. If you add that powder, they’ll mix better. And if impurities rise to the surface, remove them.]

According to the dwarf, the powder was magic stone ground into an extremely fine powder.

It helped during the alloying process.

It was an advantage for me, so I gladly accepted it.

‘He even gave me a mold.’

And not just any mold.

It even came with a lid.

It looked like the molten metal would have to be poured through a hole located in the center of the lid.

Creeeak—

I carefully opened it.

Inside was the shape of a longsword carved into it as a mold.

Since it was a tool made by a dwarf, there was no danger of it melting from the molten metal.

I closed it again while listening to the dwarf’s warnings.

[DwarfPassingBy: I’ll repeat it. If you spill molten metal, run as far away as you can. That’s the best option.]

[WildGrills: Because it can splash everywhere?]

[DwarfPassingBy: That too. But mainly because even I don’t know what might happen.]

Besides that, he said that molten metal could splash like hot oil, so protective gear was mandatory.

I even considered wearing a helmet.

But it would reduce my vision too much.

So I discarded the idea.

Instead, I asked the dwarf for protective goggles.

They were spares.

It might seem like I was receiving too many things.

But there was no problem.

If the dwarf wanted, I was willing to make more alloys in the future.

And I would soon be giving him a crab.

[DwarfPassingBy: I’ll tell you one more time. Be extremely careful with the molten metal. I’m being completely serious.]

[WildGrills: Ok, ok. Got it.]

[DwarfPassingBy: If you get injured, I won’t be able to touch the mithril-orichalcum alloy.]

[WildGrills: Idiot. Hahaha.]

I couldn’t tell whether he was serious or joking.

With dwarves, it was hard to know.

In any case, the preparations were finished.

Now all that remained was to do it.

‘He said an eight-to-two ratio was ideal, right?’

It was a ratio recommended by the dwarf himself.

Naturally, there was far more mithril.

Orichalcum had a great affinity with mana, but it lacked the durability of mithril.

Rustle—

I poured roughly half of the charcoal I had accumulated into the furnace.

It hurt my soul to use it.

But if it was for the sword, I could accept it.

‘I’ll also have to build a dedicated charcoal kiln.’

As soon as you build one thing, you need another.

Besides, charcoal was an incredibly versatile material.

It was useful for practically everything.

I looked at the charcoal inside the furnace.

Once I judged it was enough, I moved on to the next step.

‘Just as the dwarf said, this thing weighs a ton.’

The heat-resistant container was thick and had a large diameter.

It was heavy enough on its own.

And since I had to hold it with tongs for safety, it felt even heavier.

I placed it inside the furnace, hoping the minerals would begin to melt.

‘Now all that’s left is to light the fire…’

Fwoosh!

I threw a burning branch onto the pile of charcoal.

Soon afterward, the charcoal began glowing red as the heat gradually increased.

“Ah. Wait a second.”

Come to think of it, it would’ve made more sense to light the fire first and add the charcoal afterward.

I had reversed the order.

I scolded myself for my own stupidity.

But there was nothing I could do now.

The fire was already lit.

As the charcoal gradually heated up, I checked to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything.

“Sloth. Take Wonmo far away from here.”

“……”

“Kyuu?”

Just in case, I asked Sloth to leave together with Wonmo.

Now was the time to focus.

When the furnace began heating up, I grabbed the bellows with both hands.

Everyone knows that fire burns more intensely when supplied with oxygen.

Fsssshhhh—

I slowly opened the bellows to fill it with air.

Whoooosh!

Then I sent that air directly into the furnace.

Fwoooosh!!

The flames became far more violent than before.

I could tell just from the sound.

I worked the bellows continuously to raise the charcoal’s temperature even further.

Whooom! Whoooom!

The more air I pumped in, the wilder the flames became.

But it still wasn’t enough.

I didn’t stop working the bellows until the flames began taking on a whitish hue.

I also added more charcoal from time to time to increase the intensity.

Since it was my first time, I couldn’t help feeling somewhat anxious.

Fwoooooosh!

As time passed, all the charcoal eventually burned away and produced a fierce fire.

The color constantly fluctuated between yellow and white.

That should be enough.

I set down the bellows and wiped away my sweat.

Even from a distance, I could feel a terrifying amount of heat.

Just getting close was uncomfortable.

But I had to check on the state of the minerals.

Fwoooooosh!!

“Ugh…”

I frowned.

Just approaching a little made my face feel like it was burning.

Even so, I had to make sure everything was going well.

So I endured the heat and looked inside.

‘The container is still intact, but it looks like the volume has decreased?’

The size had visibly shrunk.

The changes were especially noticeable in the orichalcum.

Even the mithril seemed to be sweating.

A liquid was slowly running across its surface.

The minerals were melting.

At last, I was seeing results after all that effort.

‘I’ll add more charcoal and keep using the bellows.’

I had already confirmed that the minerals were melting.

Now all that remained was maintaining the fire.

I worked the bellows with all my strength before slowly stepping back.

In truth, I hadn’t worked that hard.

But the heat was so intense that sweat poured down like rain.

‘And this dwarf did this every day?’

And mine was only a makeshift furnace.

The dwarf worked under much harsher conditions.

There truly is no easy profession.

Especially not those related to the foundations of civilization.

There have always been people enduring that suffering in place of others.

And I had lived my life without truly appreciating that effort.

‘I should add the powder too.’

Following the dwarf’s instructions, I added the blue powder.

The minerals were already about halfway melted and beginning to lose their shape.

I stirred them with the tongs to help them melt more evenly.

Then I sent a message to the dwarf.

(Video of the minerals melting)

[WildGrills: Everything is melting.]

[WildGrills: I’m sweating like crazy ;;]

[DwarfPassingBy: Hard, isn’t it?]

[WildGrills: How the hell did you do this every day?]

[DwarfPassingBy: You get used to it. Professionals can even drink molten metal. Haha.]

[WildGrills: Want to drink some?]

[DwarfPassingBy: I prefer alcohol.]

That’s what I thought.

I let out a small laugh.

Since even the mithril was melting, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to keep him updated in real time.

[DwarfPassingBy: Ah, right. You also have to quench it. I almost forgot.]

[WildGrills: Quench it? I’ve heard of that, but is it really necessary?]

[DwarfPassingBy: It’s a weapon, so of course it is. I’ll give you oil, so get a suitable metal container and pour it in there.]

[WildGrills: Why oil instead of water?]

[DwarfPassingBy: Because if you use water and something goes wrong, it could crack. It’s better to use oil.]

[WildGrills: Ok.]

[DwarfPassingBy: If it catches fire, that’s completely normal, so don’t panic.]

As expected of a professional.

He even explained details that specific.

Though receiving advice was one thing.

Actually doing all the work myself was another matter entirely.

I prepared the oil for quenching and watched the furnace.

Bubble bubble bubble—

The mithril and orichalcum had completely melted and were slowly beginning to boil.

A few impurities floated on the surface.

I immediately removed them.

How did I remove them?

I used another tool the dwarf had given me.

Perhaps thanks to the blue powder, the impurities separated easily, and the molten metal eventually became completely pure.

‘Now I just have to pour it into the mold.’

The most important moment had arrived.

I swallowed nervously as I gripped the container with the tongs.

It had already been heavy when it was empty.

Now that it contained molten metal, it was much worse.

Just in case, I circulated mana through my body while slowly carrying it to the mold.

Finally, I carefully tilted the container over the small hole located at the center of the mold.

Drip drip drip drip—

I had to stop exactly when the molten metal reached the edge of the hole.

That was what the dwarf had taught me.

But I couldn’t stop halfway through.

Molten metal cooled very quickly.

I focused all my attention on the hole.

I could feel tension building in my forearms.

Even so, I endured.

Drip drip— Splash!

Now.

The moment the hole could no longer hold any more molten metal, I stopped.

There was still some left inside the container.

But it didn’t matter.

I had more than enough materials.

I set the container aside and slightly lifted the mold.

Then the molten metal that had completely filled the hole spilled outward.

It was a mandatory step.

The hole must never be completely blocked by metal.

“Haa…”

I let out a deep breath.

My first attempt had gone quite well.

Now all that remained was waiting for the metal to harden.

(Video of the mold filled with molten metal)

[WildGrills: It’s almost finished.]

[DwarfPassingBy: Haaak… haaak…]

[WildGrills: …]

He must have been so excited that he couldn’t even speak like a normal person.

I smiled while waiting for the metal to solidify.

From what I had heard, it normally took between ten and fifteen minutes.

Until then, I could take care of the cleanup.

The furnace came first.

‘No choice but to wait until the charcoal burns out completely.’

Most of the charcoal was no longer black.

It had turned gray.

Even if I did nothing, it would eventually go out on its own.

‘For all my bad luck, I’ve actually been pretty lucky.’

As I wiped the sweat running down my body, I thought about it.

If those minerals hadn’t been solid blocks, I would have suffered much more.

And I would still have to make a dagger and a spare sword later on.

It looked like I still had quite a bit of work ahead of me.

‘Has enough time passed already?’

After a while, I slowly opened the lid of the mold.

And there, a perfectly formed sword appeared.

An alloy of green mithril and black-violet orichalcum.

‘It has a duller color than I expected.’

It wasn’t particularly beautiful.

Just dull.

It wasn’t green.

Nor was it black-violet.

It was ordinary silver.

And a rather dark silver at that.

I felt a little disappointed.

But as long as the performance was good, it didn’t matter.

Instinctively, I reached out to grab it.

Then immediately stopped myself.

‘That was close.’

I had assumed it had already cooled.

But when I brought my hand near it, it was still radiating heat.

So I used the tongs the dwarf had given me to tap it several times, confirming that it had hardened before carefully lifting it.

Now all that remained was to slowly place it into the container filled with oil for quenching.

Ssssss!

Fwoosh!

Just as the dwarf had said, the moment I submerged it in the oil, the oil burst into flames.

But he had also assured me that it was normal.

So I continued the quenching process without worrying.

After repeating it several times, the oil stopped catching fire.

And with that, my first sword was complete.

“Huu…”

I looked at the sword as smoke continued rising from it.

Seeing the final result filled me with immense satisfaction.

It was a tool made with my own hands.

If it had been up to me, I would have even sharpened the blade myself.

But that part had to be left to the dwarf.

He had insisted that sharpening the blade alone was enough for him and that he wanted to hold it in his own hands at least once.

(Photo of the finished sword)

It’s finished.

It’s cooled down now.

[WildGrills: Should I send it to you right away?]

[DwarfPassingBy: Please… Let me at least sharpen the blade…]

[WildGrills: Y-yes…]

He sounded so desperate that I couldn’t even bring myself to joke.

I handed the longsword over to the dwarf.

‘I sweated a lot, but it actually wasn’t that difficult.’

I drank some water and checked the time.

There was still quite a bit of free time left.

I could use it to take care of other things.

‘Wonmo… is asleep.’

At that moment, Wonmo was taking a nap.

It seemed like a good opportunity to go catch the crab I had promised the dwarf.

Before leaving, I hung the CCTV sphere DemonPrincess had given me above the cave entrance.

How did I hang it?

Literally like a block of meju drying in the air.

That said, I made sure it wouldn’t swing around.

“Sloth. I’m heading out for a bit.”

“……”

Saying goodbye to Sloth as well, I left the shelter.

***

At that same time, in another place, Gares had received Grills’ sword.

“Haaa…!”

He exclaimed in admiration as he looked at the sword.

An unsharpened blade.

An unfinished hilt.

Even so, that sword rested firmly in his hands.

However, something had changed.

When Grills forged it, its color had been dull and dark.

Shaaaaaaa—

But the sword Gares now held was completely different.

A brilliant green sword shone before his eyes.

Across its green surface sparkled tiny black-violet specks of light like stars.

It looked as though an entire galaxy had been sealed within a luminous green sword.

“It’s fucking awesome.”

Gares muttered, utterly captivated.