"I’m heading out now."
"Take care."
"Onii-chan..."
Having discovered that magi-crystals could be harvested in the deep mountains beyond Kaina Village, Jin decided to set out on a proper gathering expedition. Since the journey was naturally dangerous, Hanna stayed behind to watch the house while Rock accompanied him as a guide.
"Take care, Dad!"
"You’d better not let anything happen to Jin!"
"So it’s fine if I get hurt, then...?" Rock muttered.
Rock was the father of Mario, the boy known for his skill at swimming. Since it was currently the agricultural off-season, Jin had requested his help as a guide. Leaving Gon behind to guard the village, Jin brought Gen along for the trek. Rock carried his favorite bow and a quiver of arrows.
"Still, a magi craftsman, was it? You’re really something, Jin."
Rock watched Gen walk ahead, effortlessly carrying a massive load of gear.
"I actually wanted to be a ritter once. I even went to the royal capital to try my luck. But my dream ended in less than two years, and I came crawling back to the village."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. So I’d like to think I know a fair bit about how they live in the capital, but I’ve never seen magic tools like the ones you make. There certainly weren't any talking golems like Gon or Gen back then, either."
"A-Ahaha..."
"Well, you’ll probably leave the village eventually. It’ll be for your own good, I reckon. But, you know, I’d be happy if you showed your face around here once in a while."
Since Rock was speaking with such uncharacteristic sentimentality, Jin stared at him as if he were looking at a rare specimen.
"What? What’s with that look?"
"Oh, no, it’s just... I realized you’re surprisingly considerate, Rock-san."
"That sounds like a compliment, but it really isn't, is it?"
Despite his words, Rock’s eyes were smiling.
"The people in Kaina Village are all so kind. Including you, of course, Rock-san."
"That felt a bit tacked on at the end, but fine... So, we're heading down into that valley?"
They looked down from the mountain pass. It was the same valley Jin had visited with Hanna previously.
"Yes. Last time we only went down a short distance, but I thought we’d try going much further this time."
They had brought camping gear, intending to stay overnight. Gen carried the entire load.
"Alright, let’s head down then."
The two men and one golem carefully descended into the valley. They bypassed waterfalls and thickets, with Gen clearing the path as they went.
Well past noon, they finally arrived at an open clearing.
"Let’s set up camp here."
It was the kind of judgment only a veteran like Rock could make. They began preparing the site exactly as he instructed.
"First, clear away the stones and level the ground. Gen, help out."
"Yes."
With Gen’s assistance, the ground was leveled in no time. They erected poles and secured them with rope to prevent them from toppling. They placed horizontal beams across the top and draped a large cloth over the structure.
On the ground, they laid out a cloth followed by furs to create a sleeping area.
"Still, having Gen here to carry all this stuff is a huge help."
The comfort level was far beyond what one would expect from a simple two-man camp.
"Alright, I’ll get started on dinner. You go look for whatever you’re after, Jin."
"Okay, I’ll do that."
Leaving the meal preparations to Rock, Jin began his search for ore.
"Grand Search."
After casting the Grand Search spell in several locations, he detected a massive reaction.
"Found it!"
Jin’s reflex shout brought Rock over to investigate.
"Oh, looks like you hit pay dirt."
"Yes. Gen, dig here."
"Understood."
Following Jin’s instructions, Gen began digging. He shoveled through the earth with incredible speed and vigor.
"Whoa, that’s incredible."
The hole deepened before their eyes. Gen stopped once he reached about three meters down and hauled out a large, dark rock.
"What’s this? Not much to look at, is it?"
"It's iron ore."
The village’s supply of iron and copper was starting to run low, so this was a vital find.
"Keep mining, Gen."
"Yes."
When Jin had come with Gon previously, the golem hadn't been upgraded yet and couldn't distinguish between different types of rock. Now, however, things were different. Jin had granted Gen a specialized set of knowledge, allowing the golem to autonomously search for most materials Jin required, excluding highly specialized substances.
Magnetite was soon piled up like a small mountain. Occasionally, chalcopyrite would turn up in the mix. Rock shouted, "Is it gold?!" in his excitement, but his face fell as soon as Jin explained what it actually was.
By evening, they had mined a considerable amount of ore. They sorted the piles, planning to have Gon and Gen come back to collect the bulk of it later.
"So, you didn't find the main thing you were looking for?" Rock asked while they ate dinner.
"No, that will have to wait until tomorrow."
Night falls quickly in the valley. After finishing dinner, they left Gen on watch and decided to turn in. Exhausted from the long trek, both men fell asleep almost immediately.
The next morning, after a quick breakfast, Jin used Grand Search again to scout for a vein of magi-crystals.
He finally got a reaction some distance further down from the campsite.
"Alright, Gen, I’m counting on you."
"Understood."
Just like the day before, Gen began digging. The first things to emerge were yellow earth-attribute magi-crystals—exactly what Jin had been hoping to find.
"Good, just like that. Keep digging."
"Yes."
After digging out two more yellow magi-crystals, nothing else emerged for a while besides ordinary rock. Suddenly, Gen’s body jolted and his movements came to a dead stop.
"Master, my hands are broken."
Gen climbed out of the hole, showing his damaged hands to Jin.
"What?! Your hands broke even with Hardening active... Could it be adamantite?!"
Adamantite was the hardest mineral in this world. Jin climbed into the hole himself to inspect the bedrock.
"It's definitely adamantite. To think it would be in such a shallow spot..."
Muttering to himself, he unhooked the canteen from his waist.
"Water Jet."
He used the high-pressure stream to slice through the adamantite vein. The amount of ore he managed to cut out wasn't particularly large.
"Well, I’m lucky enough just to find it this close to the surface. Plus, I got a bonus."
The "bonus" was a small amount of mithril. This metal, also known as mithril silver, was the most magically conductive substance in existence. In scientific terms, it was an isotope of silver. While ordinary silver consisted of 47 protons and either 60 or 62 neutrons, in mithril, most of those neutrons were replaced by magi-particles.
Setting that aside, Jin had found almost all the materials he wanted, so they began packing up. He naturally took a moment to repair Gen’s hands with Craft Magic before they left.
"You’re all set then?"
"Yes, I found some excellent materials thanks to your help."
"Alright. The days are short, so let’s head back."
Just then, Rock’s eyes sharpened.
"Rock-san?"
"Shh, be quiet."
Pushing Jin back, Rock notched an arrow in his bow. He aimed toward the valley and fired. A high-pitched cry echoed through the air.
"Yes! A mountain deer!"
Rock dashed into the valley and returned a short while later dragging a massive deer.
"Look at this, what a catch. Let’s take it back and make some jerky."
Mountain deer were a precious source of protein. Deciding to leave the heavy ore for a later trip, they carried only the perishable meat, the camping gear, and a few select samples of ore.
"Still, I’m surprised one was out here this time of year," Rock remarked, glancing at the deer slung over Gen’s shoulder.
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yeah. Usually, you’d have to trek much further north into the mountains to find one. We got lucky."
Normally, a hunter would have to spend several days in the wilderness to bag a mountain deer. Jin felt a vague sense of concern at the anomaly, but as he began planning how to use his new ores, the worry vanished into thin air.