Banished from the herd, I was actually a member of a very rare species. ~With the unique skills that only I can use, I can grow and evolve quickly. I will become an unrivaled monster~ - Episode 72: Processing Magical Minerals

Episode 72: Processing Magical Minerals

“(Phew, I’ve gathered quite a lot.)”

Having mined enough, I exited the cave while carrying a large amount of magical minerals.

To be precise, I didn’t “carry” them but put them into a spatial expansion bag. Processing each weapon individually would be too cumbersome, so I’m glad I got the bag from Paula.

I hopped down and landed in a valley between the mountains.

I used [Receiving] to disperse the impact and landed quietly on eight legs.

Where I landed, there was a large rock about my size.

There was |Mana|, but it didn’t have the concentrated feel typical of magical minerals. It was just a hard rock.

“(Perfect timing. Hmph.)”

I stretched my body thin like a sword and made a single slash, cutting off the upper half of the large rock to use as a platform.

Destroying a rock is a simple task for me now; I don’t even need [Skills] for it.

I arranged the collected minerals on the platform.

The most common one was Mana Crystals. Most were light blue, but there were also some deep blue and near-purple ones.

Additionally, I had unearthed several magical minerals imbued with strong |Mana|.

Some shone vividly under the sunlight, while others were pitch black, absorbing all light.

There were even some that faintly glowed.

I analyzed each one to understand its properties.

I touched a crimson-colored stone that reflected light dully.

“(I’ll start with this one. [Weapon Creation].)”

Upon sending |Mana| into the stone, it began to change.

It compressed horizontally as if being crushed by an invisible hand.

As it shrank, stone fragments of various colors were squeezed out and scattered around.

The red color became more intense as the fragments fell off.

What I ended up with was a blazing scarlet arrow.

Though its volume had decreased significantly from the original, the real change was in its core, the purity of the material.

“(Homemade explosive arrow, complete!)”

Indeed, the red material forming this arrow was the same mineral used in explosive arrowheads.

In nature, it’s an unremarkable reddish-brown mineral. But by enhancing sensitivity and extracting impurities with [Skills], it turns into an easy-to-use explosive.

[Weapon Creation] also has the ability to refine materials.

The same [Skill] is used to remove excess moisture and organs when turning corpses into weapons. Being a Sovereign Beast’s [Skill], it’s quite versatile.

“(But… this is a bit dangerous.)”

I thought while analyzing the homemade explosive arrow.

Actually, this arrow differed significantly from the explosive arrows Ergo gave me.

The ease of explosion.

Store-bought explosive arrows are coated with special metals as a safety measure against accidental detonations.

But my homemade ones are exposed.

It’s like a blade without a sheath—extremely dangerous.

“(I should put it away quickly.)”

I stored it in [Weapon Storage] before any accidents, like hitting a falling rock and causing an accidental explosion, could happen.

Storing it required enveloping the entire object, and it was one of the most nerve-wracking moments I’ve experienced.

“(Alright, onto the next one.)”

I touched the second mineral and infused it with |Mana|.

The processing with [Weapon Creation] had only just begun.

—

“(Alright, this one’s the last!)”

As the sun began to set, I had finished turning all the mined magical minerals into weapons.

I stretched my body vertically, as if trying to see better, and spotted something on the top of the mountain.

“(Is that over there…?)”

From my hunting experience, I had unconsciously activated [Concealment].

I started climbing the mountain.

Stealthily but quickly.

With |Speed: 741| at full, climbing this mountain was quick.

“([Challenge]!)”

I used the [Skill] as I leaped into the air with momentum.

I provoked the hostility of the rock-based magical beasts walking along the mountain path.

“““Goh, grr!”””

The magical beasts turned their faces towards me and made intimidating sounds.

The eerie sound was like rocks clashing together.

The beasts that made this sound were completely made of rock.

Rough stones formed humanoid shapes.

Though their height was about that of an adult male, their arms and legs were unusually thick.

The |Mana| I sensed was at the Lesser Beast level, but a normal human would not survive being hit by those arms.

“(Coming straight at me, huh?)”

The five Golems—what I decided to call them—moved forward in unison.

It was a good opportunity to test the weapons I had just made.

“(Using [Replicant Form].)”

Since using the real ones would be wasteful, I transformed my body into weapons.

Every time I swung the imitation weapon, a Golem was reduced by one.

“(I can defeat them just by brute force with my |Power|, so this doesn’t really test the weapons much…)”

While I lamented about this luxury, only one Golem remained.

This last one seemed to shake off the effect of [Challenge] and turned to flee.

“(I’ll use the explosive arrow for the last one.)”

I took out the scarlet arrow from [Weapon Storage].

Holding it firmly, I prepared to throw it—

Boom!

—The moment I swung it back, it exploded.

I involuntarily jumped in surprise.

It seemed that the trigger was the impact from pulling it back.

“(N-No way… Is it really that prone to exploding…?)”

Nervously, I mimicked the poison bow and prepared a poison arrow.

I shot the last Golem from behind, and the battle was over.

(Note: Hmm, poison affects ‘rock’ golems??)