I’ve only been clearing the Black Star Dungeon for a while, so I almost forgot.
But the Red Star Dungeon is incredibly dangerous too.
Mercenaries pay extreme attention when exploring new dungeons.
Even so, the fact that there are casualties and that the Red Star is mentioned means that the dreadful pattern definitely shows up at least once.
Ultimate power.
Insane reaction speed.
If you have these two things, it’s possible to conquer the Red Star Dungeon alone.
“Alright. Go, Undemon.”
“······Huh?”
Will Mi Jeong really meet all those conditions?
I’m so excited.
I gently push Mi Jeong’s back, and a confused stare comes back at me.
What are you looking at, buddy?
Move forward.
You gotta see how strong you are.
“Not scared, are you?”
“······N-no, I’m not scared.”
Mi Jeong tightly grips Blin’s Wooden Club (+1) and steps forward.
From anyone’s perspective, she looks scared.
Her pupils are shaking.
Her hands and feet are trembling.
This is strange.
I thought she wasn’t scared even when Fenrir’s pack showed its teeth and charged.
Five minutes later of moving forward, we soon reach a room filled with orc mobs.
‘Is this the Weak Point Trait?’
[Trait: Weak Point]
[You can see the weaknesses of monsters. Effective against all types of monsters.]
Just a little focus, and I can see red marks on the orc’s head and chest.
They disappear when I lose concentration.
I know the orc’s weaknesses well, so it’s not necessary, but it’ll come in handy later.
Especially when fighting the Four Heavenly Kings.
“Ugh?”
“······Yikes.”
Mi Jeong stops when confronted by the orc swarm.
I’m ready to jump out and help, watching from behind a rock.
But the orcs just glance at Mi Jeong and turn away.
They show no hostility at all.
‘Indeed, the judgment is that of a monster.’
Unless a specific trigger is touched or a preemptive attack is made, monsters won’t attack Mi Jeong first.
I confirmed that in my battle with Belphegor.
Saying that, I can use Mi Jeong as a surprise attack option when challenging a slightly tougher dungeon.
‘Will it work against the Final Boss too?’
Suddenly, that thought popped into my head.
Imagining giving Mi Jeong a giant weapon and launching a confirmed preemptive strike on the Final Boss.
Of course, it would just stay in my imagination.
Even Belphegor retaliated as soon as he saw Mi Jeong attacking.
When we meet again, he’ll recognize her as an enemy.
If the Final Boss, Draken, has intelligence, that trick won’t work either.
“······Huh.”
When Mi Jeong rubs the ring on her right hand, the Mana Stone glimmers.
And right after that,
a red eye light flashes from Mi Jeong’s eyes, and her small body suddenly shoots up into the sky.
“Kweck!”
Smash!
The Wooden Club strikes, and the orc’s head gets squished like a soft rice cake.
It’s power that’s hard to believe came from such a small figure.
As soon as one orc falls, the others sense something’s off and try to attack Mi Jeong…
“Grrk!”
“Gaaah!”
Crack. Smash. Bang.
Their clubs only slice through the air.
By now, Mi Jeong is moving at a speed that overwhelms the orcs’ reaction time, smashing their heads.
Seen this way, the orcs might seem slow, but that’s not the reality.
Orcs, with their massive bodies, tough hides, and immense strength, can move as quickly as a human.
It’s no wonder every dungeon with orcs has five-star ratings.
Even with skilled mercenaries, at least five need to cluster together to aggro ping pong in order to take an orc down.
Managing to take down not just one but several of them solo already shows that Mi Jeong’s fighting power exceeds that of a mercenary level.
“······I’ve got them all.”
Before I knew it, Mi Jeong had wiped out the orc swarm and was standing atop their corpses, making a V sign.
When she was shaking in fear, now she’s sporting a proud expression.
I didn’t think she’d be this strong.
I thought she would only handle the bothersome mobs in my place.
But this changes everything.
Maybe I can leave my back to her without worry.
So the key is whether I can trust that Blood Ghoul bastard…
“······Yoo Jin. Nice job.”
“Well done, buddy.”
I have to trust her.
If it weren’t for Mi Jeong, I wouldn’t have made it out alive from the Cologne underground dungeon.
“What’s going on here?”
Has it been about a month since we left Basel?
It might seem like no time has passed, but returning now, a strange sight awaits us.
The workshop’s sign, which was about to fall apart, has been replaced with a shiny new one.
There are quite a number of people both inside and outside.
I’m confused, wondering if this is a Mana Stone crafting workshop or a trendy café from social media.
The people in line are all carrying huge safes or boxes.
Seeing the bodyguard knights or slaves accompanying them, it looks like each one has come to deposit high-grade Mana Stones.
It looks like the finest high-grade Mana Stones from all across the continent are gathering here…?
What on earth happened to my little craftsman in just a month?
I should feel good if my exclusive craftsman became famous, but I can’t shake off this unexplainable bitterness.
“Hey! Hey! Don’t try to cut in line! Go back, go back!”
“Exactly! We’ve been waiting for eight hours!”
“Commoner. You’ve come to the wrong place. This line is for exclusive commissions to Tay the Craftsman. If it’s not high-grade Mana Stones, go to the regular line.”
As I try to go inside, complaints start pouring in from all around.
Everyone seems to have their eyes properly open, so it seems like they’ve been waiting a long time.
I feel a bit sorry about this.
“Sorry. I stood in the wrong line.”
“Yeah, just don’t poke around where you don’t belong…”
“Tay!”
“Huh? Investor?!”
At that moment, I spot Tay passing through inside and call out.
Tay, looking tired, turns towards me and her eyes go wide in surprise.
Feeling flustered, she blushes and turns to fix her bangs in a mirror.
Then she gestures for me to come inside again.
“Come in, Investor! You’ve brought Mana Stones, right?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Clients waiting for reception, I’m really sorry! The production might be delayed by a day! Please keep that in mind!”
“What is this…?!”
I’m escorted by the workshop staff through the visibly bewildered faces.
Everyone seems angry, but what can you do?
If you wanted to, you should have discovered Tay first.
If it weren’t for me, you all wouldn’t have known Tay’s name for the next six months.
“Wow. This place is impressive.”
As I step inside, the sight of the spacious workshop leaves me gobsmacked.
It’s filled with all sorts of tools.
Finally, Tay seems to be receiving the treatment she deserves, and I feel so proud.
“Ehehehe, Investor! It’s been so long!”
“······.”
“Huh?”
As soon as we stepped inside and the prying eyes disappeared, Tay runs to me with her arms wide open.
But just then, she bumps into Mi Jeong, who is blocking my way.
“What, what’s that?”
“······Slave.”
Then Tay’s gaze turns towards me.
There’s a hint of disdain in her expression.
She must not have thought I would have a slave.
“Oh, no. Investor!”
“Sorry, but I’m not as clean-cut as you think.”
“Even so, doing slave play with such a young girl is a bit…”
“What? I didn’t catch that.”
“Nothing at all…”
Tay whispers in a voice so tiny it’s almost as if she’s going to sneak down a mouse hole.
In the midst of her disgust and contempt, I can see a slight hint of regret.
Jealousy seems to be mixed in a bit too.
What kind of context is this…?
“Anyway. I should get my commission done and leave. The public’s mood is foul outside.”
“Ehehe. It’s okay. As soon as you showed up, it was announced that delays are expected in the line. How many pieces are you planning to commission this time?”
“Two. Next time, I’ll bring them one by one as they come. If I bring them all at once and create a delay, there might be a riot.”
“T-then you’ll be coming quite often, right? Hehe…”
She looks happy again.
Now that I think about it, the workshop has changed a lot, but Tay seems just the same.
Well, it’s only been a month, and it’s not like people change that drastically in such a short time.
But still, seeing her in that old workshop outfit, smudged with soot, gives a nice sense of nostalgia.
“You look busy, but take a breather. I won’t set a deadline, so how about just taking it easy and resting for three days?”
“You can’t do that! There are many clients waiting!”
“Yeah. That’s true.”
“Ugh.”
She really has that dwarven spirit, doesn’t she?
Feeling a bit proud, I unknowingly ruffle Tay’s hair.
It’s thick and rough, and by the looks of it, Tay doesn’t seem to be in danger of baldness anytime soon.
“Ouch.”
Bam.
Feeling the nice texture, I was petting her until Mi Jeong bit my finger.
I almost forgot why I came here.
I pull my hand back and place the much-worn pouch on the desk.
Soon, Tay turns serious and focuses on the pouch with the eyes of a craftsman.
“I’m commissioning this and…”
“Wow! Where did you get this? The crystal structure is so beautiful!”
Taking out a rough stone makes Tay’s face light up.
This is the Mana Stone obtained from the Black Star Dungeon in Cologne.
It seems like she’s just happy to see the Mana Stone from a dungeon, having only worked on naturally occurring ones so far.
They might both be high-grade Mana Stones, but the quality difference is huge.
“And another one is this.”
“Uh…?”
As I open the second pouch, an ominous light spills out, engulfing the entire workshop.
The Mana Stone condensed from Belphegor’s demonic energy.
I can’t even tell if it’s truly a Mana Stone or not.
To me, it looks unmistakably like a high-grade Mana Stone, and yet Tay’s gaze seems not quite normal.
“Investor, I’m not trying to brag, but thanks to you, I’ve seen so many high-grade Mana Stones over the past month. But I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“Is it a problem?”
“Ah, no. There shouldn’t be a problem, but I’ve never worked with a raw stone that has this much mana capacity and efficiency. I might ruin it if I try to process it…”
So this is the best raw stone yet, huh?
“Wow. Get to work immediately.”
“Are you even hearing me? I might mess it up! It could be better off left as it is…”
“Just get started already. I’m in a hurry.”
“Uwaaaaaaah…!”
It’s a monster catch.
While I’m excited and grinning from ear to ear, Tay seems like she’s about to burst into tears at any moment.
Is she really that happy?
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