Her name is Ribble, and she’s the one running the shop.
Takeru asks her if she has any gatherer scissors in stock since his are pretty much on life support at this point. Unfortunately, Ribble shakes her head — she doesn’t sell those. But on the bright side, she does know a great blacksmith who could make a pair for him. Of course, there’s a catch — the blacksmith wants someone to fetch some materials in exchange.
Takeru, being the kind of guy who can’t resist side quests, says he’s willing to hear the details. Ribble happily agrees and begins leading him toward her boss’s workshop.
As they walk down the hall, Takeru spots a group of blacksmiths hammering away in the forge. The heat, the sparks, the rhythm — he’s genuinely impressed. Ribble smiles and admits that’s exactly why she wants to become a top-tier blacksmith herself someday and forge a sword worthy of a hero. (No pressure, right?)
They eventually reach the boss’s office, and Ribble enthusiastically tells him she wants Takeru to help gather some Ilra Ore so they can forge their dream sword. But before she can even finish, the boss practically explodes — “No way am I sending a gatherer into the mines!”
Ribble protests that he should at least give Takeru a chance, and the two start bickering while Takeru stands there wondering what on earth Ilra Ore even is.
The boss explains that the mines are crawling with monsters — and lately, there have even been rumors of demons lurking down there. He can’t, in good conscience, send Takeru to face those things.
Ribble sheepishly admits that, yes, there’s been a drop in miners lately… which the boss guesses she conveniently forgot to mention earlier. He scolds her, saying, “A smith who’s willing to risk someone else’s life for their own ambition has no right to hold a hammer!”
Realizing her mistake, Ribble apologizes to Takeru and tells him to just forget the whole thing. But of course, Takeru is already too intrigued by the mention of rare ore and danger — it’s basically his brand at this point.
He asks if Ilra Ore is truly the only material suitable for the sword. Ribble confirms it, so Takeru grins and offers to fetch the ore himself — if they agree to forge him a special pair of scissors in return.
The boss stares at him like he’s lost his mind. “Were you even listening when I said there are monsters down there?”
Takeru just shrugs. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’ve handled worse.” To prove his point, he casually pulls out one of the giant crab claws he’s been lugging around. The boss blinks. That’s a monster that even B-rank adventurers struggle with.
After a long pause, the boss sighs and says, “All right, fine. Try not to die.”
So, Takeru sets off immediately for the Ruhigh Mines. Along the way, the other passengers in the carriage gossip about how all the poisonous herbs in the area mysteriously vanished overnight. Takeru starts sweating a little because, uh, that might’ve been his fault for over-gathering. But he quickly brushes it off — no way it’s that bad… right?
A short while later, the carriage drops him off near a horse farm. Curious, Takeru goes to take a look — and there, he spots a familiar face: the same elf girl from before.
She’s in the middle of a heated argument with the farm owner because she specifically asked for a “white horse that can gallop across the sky.” The farmer, dead serious, points at a massive raven and says, “Around here, a horse is more of a category than a species.”
Takeru can’t tell if this place runs on logic or pure chaos anymore — but at least it’s never boring.
The farmer explains that in this region, anything capable of carrying cargo is classified as a “horse”—even if it’s, say… a giant raven. The elf realizes this misunderstanding is entirely her fault for not being more specific with her request and quickly apologizes for making a fuss. The farmer chuckles and tells her it’s no big deal—but if she’s looking for a white Pegasus, she’d have better luck searching in the Dwarven Kingdom.
So, without a second thought (or any preparation whatsoever), the elf sets off toward the dwarves’ territory.
Meanwhile, Takaru continues his own journey. While passing through the forest, he notices a treasure trove of valuable ingredients scattered around. He even stumbles upon a patch of moon grass, and being the gatherer extraordinaire he is, he spends a few minutes harvesting it.
Just as he’s about to leave, though, he hears a familiar growl from behind a tree. When he goes to check, he finds that same elf girl from before—collapsed, starving, and looking like she lost another round against common sense.
Feeling bad for her (again), Takaru gives her some food and water. She thanks him profusely and extends her hand for a handshake—but the smell radiating from her could probably knock out a goblin. Unable to endure it, Takaru quickly casts Clean on her before shaking hands.
The elf introduces herself as Velveta Brolita, and she sincerely thanks Takaru for saving her—both now and the first time. Takaru insists it’s fine and starts walking away, but Brolita stops him, saying she wants to repay him somehow. He says he doesn’t expect any reward, but she’s determined to help him no matter what. Seeing she won’t take “no” for an answer, he finally gives up and lets her tag along.
Over the next few hours, Takaru gathers herbs while Brolita tries to help. Unfortunately, her idea of “help” involves enthusiastically collecting piles of useless weeds. Later that evening, when they set up camp, Brolita offers to fetch firewood. Takaru tells her it’s unnecessary since he already has fire magic stones—but Brolita argues that visible campfires show other travelers the area is safe. He admits that’s actually pretty smart.
A few minutes later, Brolita returns… carrying an entire log over her shoulder like it’s a toothpick. Takaru tries to tell her that’s way too big for firewood, but she smirks and says she’s not done yet. With a swift motion, she tosses the log into the air, draws her blades, and slices it into dozens of neat little pieces before it even hits the ground.
Takaru is left speechless. Not only is she absurdly strong, but her weapons are A-rank, which he’s never even seen before.
That night, Takaru cooks some soup, and the moment Brolita tastes it, her eyes practically sparkle. She swears it’s the most delicious thing she’s ever eaten. As they eat, she asks if he’s also heading to the Dwarf Kingdom.
Takaru explains that he accepted a job to collect Ilra Ore from the Ruhigh Mines nearby. Brolita says she’s traveling in search of a white Pegasus, fulfilling her sister’s lifelong wish. However, since she’s once again enjoyed Takaru’s cooking, she declares her debt to him has grown even larger and insists she must repay it somehow.
So, Takaru decides to make it official—he hires her as his bodyguard, since adventuring is still pretty new to him. Brolita agrees happily, and for the first time, Takaru realizes that when she’s not half-dead from hunger, she’s actually really cute.
That night, Takaru barely gets a wink of sleep — not because of danger or monsters, but because Bee and Brolita snore like two dragons arguing in their sleep. He seriously considers casting Silence… but decides that might count as assault.
The next day, the group continues their journey until the Dwarven Kingdom finally comes into view across the river. Once they arrive, they make a beeline for the nearest tavern — because priorities. They order some local food: juicy meat wrapped in jupes, a famous dwarven delicacy.
As soon as Takaru takes a bite, his eyes light up. “This is amazing!” he says with his mouth still full. Brolita nods in agreement, saying it’s just as good as her friend described. Curious, Takaru asks what kind of friend she means. She casually replies, “Oh, just a Lizardman I know.”
That’s when Takaru hears a familiar voice from behind him — “You talking about me?” He turns around, and there sits Klay, the very same Lizardman, munching on his meal like this is the most normal reunion ever.
Takaru is shocked. Klay raises an eyebrow and says, “You left town without telling me again, didn’t you?” So Takaru explains the whole situation — the blacksmith Grus, the Ilra Ore, and the deal for a special pair of scissors. Klay listens patiently, then sighs.
He points out that Takaru’s guild rank is still too low to officially accept a job like this, meaning he won’t even be able to report it for evaluation. “So… are you at least getting paid well?” Klay asks hopefully.
Takaru proudly replies, “Even better! I’m getting a custom-made pair of scissors!”
Klay just stares at him like he’s reconsidering all his life choices. “That’s… not exactly what I’d call a fair trade,” he mutters. But if Takaru is happy, who is he to argue? Still, he decides to tag along — not because he doesn’t trust Takaru (okay, maybe a little), but because he’s heading into the city anyway to repair his spear.
Before Takaru can even protest, Brolita chimes in cheerfully, “Perfect! You can be his second bodyguard!” And just like that, Takaru’s solo trip has officially become a full-fledged party.
The next morning, they all head to the gates of Vosol, the main city of the Dwarven Kingdom. There’s a ridiculously long line of travelers waiting to get in, but Klay strolls over to the guards like he owns the place. A few minutes later, the group is waved through without waiting — apparently, Klay is that famous.
Once inside, a guard approaches and tells Klay that the King himself has requested an audience. Takaru is stunned — he had no idea Klay was on royal speaking terms. Klay scratches his head and says, “It’s kind of a long story.”
The guard quickly summarizes: “Sir Klay once saved our kingdom from the Thunder King Zenum, so he’s considered a hero.”
Klay, visibly embarrassed, corrects him. “I didn’t actually do anything. The dwarves were under a demon’s control, and the demon just… ran away when it saw me. I think it just didn’t feel like fighting that day.”
Apparently, the dwarves were so grateful they built a statue of Klay in his honor. Unfortunately, artistic accuracy isn’t their strong suit — the statue looks more like a T-Rex wearing armor than a Lizardman.
Later, Klay and the group visit the royal castle to meet King Zeff. The first thing Klay does? He points at the statue and demands, “Whose idea was it to make me look like that?!”
King Zeff, laughing, replies, “I just thought it looked cool!” The two clearly share a friendly history, but Takaru eventually interrupts their banter to present a letter of introduction from Grus. The letter requests permission for Takaru to enter the Ruhigh Mines and collect the Ilra Ore.
King Zeff says he normally wouldn’t have an issue granting access, but the mines recently became infested with demons. He warns that it’s no place for an ordinary gatherer.
Of course, Takaru being Takaru, just smiles confidently — which only worries the king more.
King Zeff looks at Takaru seriously and asks, “Are you sure you still want to go in there? You do realize it’s crawling with demons, right?”
Takaru, being the absolute overconfident gatherer that he is, nods without hesitation. “Yup. I’ve faced worse.” (He hasn’t.)
Seeing his determination—or maybe his lack of self-preservation—King Zeff sighs and grants permission. “Very well. You and your companions have my blessing. Uncover the truth behind this demon infestation.”
Klay immediately salutes and says he understands the mission, while Takaru just stands there like, Wait… demons? That definitely wasn’t on today’s to-do list.
The group eventually makes their way to the entrance of the Ruhigh Mine, where the head receptionist of the local guild unlocks the gate for them. Inside, Takaru casts a light spell to brighten the tunnel. Unfortunately, there’s not much to see besides dust and disappointment.
He looks around and asks the guide, “Can we go a little deeper? The good stuff’s always hidden, right?”
The guide hesitates but agrees. However, before they can move an inch, Bee suddenly tenses up — her antennae twitching like she just smelled trouble. “Something’s coming,” she warns.
Takaru immediately uses his Scan ability and sees two giant spiders on the radar. And these aren’t your average creepy crawlies — they’re the kind that make you question why nature had to go this hard.
Klay takes the lead, spinning his spear like a pro and impaling the first spider straight through the mouth. Meanwhile, Takaru blasts the second one with a stunning spell, holding it still long enough for Brolita to dash forward and slice it into neat spider sashimi.
Crisis solved.
As they head deeper into the mine, the air grows thick with magical energy. Takaru begins to notice faint traces of Ilra Ore glimmering in the walls, but the deposits are too small to be worth mining. Just when he’s about to give up, he spots something odd buried deeper in the rock face.
“Alright, time for a little gentle excavation,” he says — right before hurling an explosion spell at it.
The blast clears the wall, revealing a massive glowing vein of Idrite — a rare and incredibly valuable ore that even the guide gasps at.
“By the gods… that’s Idrite! Do you realize how rare this is?!” the guide exclaims.
Takaru, completely missing the historical significance, just grins. “Cool. So… can I take it?”
Before the guide can reply, V suddenly warns Takaru telepathically. “Something’s coming… and it’s not human.”
The guide’s face goes pale as his eyes widen in terror. “It’s a demon!”
Out of the darkness, a huge creature scuttles forward — its pincers gleaming, its shell cracked and glowing with red lines of corrupted mana.
Takaru’s reaction? He cracks his knuckles and grins. “Stand back, everyone. I’ll take care of this one myself.”
Klay blinks. “Wait—you want to fight that alone?”
Takaru shrugs. “Of course. Not because I hate demons or anything… but because that one’s a crab, and me and Bee haven’t had lunch yet.”
Brolita just facepalms. “He’s fighting it because he wants to eat it, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” Bee says proudly, “and I call dibs on the legs!”
