Will I End Up As a Hero or a Demon King (WN)

Chapter 273

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Chapter 273 – Secret Room and New Equipment

Despite the snowfall in Rosberia, our base was relatively warm.

For that reason, I laid out the fluffiest Kyuki fur from Palmera—my absolute favorite—on the floor and slept in the first stone storage shed I built. Now that I had come this far, I finally decided it was time to put the plan into action.

The power level significantly expanded the safe zone around the base.

Until now, monsters had never come close enough to our house. With the house this far from the forest, there was no need to stay glued to it for constant vigilance.

Sneaking out late at night, I headed straight for the front of the waterfall, where the splashes were tremendous.

Since our house was still a ways from the falls, the sound was pleasant enough, but right in front of the falls, the roar was terrifying.

Still, I couldn’t resist the allure.

I floated in midair and shone my light, spotting a spot right in the middle of the cliff face. Then, I used Water Magic to block the water’s flow.

I immediately used Spatial Magic to carve out a passage just wide enough for one person, creating a temporary entrance.

A secret entrance hidden behind a waterfall? This is pure fantasy!

It was just the right amount of pointless work to take a break.

For now, I sealed the entrance with Earth Magic, leaving just enough airflow. I carved deeper and deeper until the sound of the waterfall became soothing. Then, I created a personal space approximately 10 square meters in size, accessible only by spatial teleportation.

I named this place Secret Room Number One, and I brought out my earth-made personal items and my armor with holes in it.

Next, I placed a light-emitting magic tool and a magic tool for drying from “List of Magic Tools, Volume 2” here. That should prevent my belongings from getting moldy.

It works anywhere as long as I have magic stones instead of electricity, so in a way, it’s more convenient than Earth.

Since I’ll probably sleep here sometimes, I’ll leave bedding and such here for now. If I feel the need, I can create new rooms as I go, right?

I’m terrible at building, but carving is my specialty. As long as this plateau stretches endlessly, I can expand my underground space however I please.

Hehehe.

Just imagining all of this has me excited, so I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep right away.

Well, I might as well try to reach my goal sooner. I’m aiming for Night Vision level 8, so I headed out to the late-night hunting grounds to beat up some owl monsters—Stolas.

▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽

A few nights later:

After dinner, Zeo was measuring his strength with a log when Lodge, who had been watching nearby, suddenly spoke up.

“Come to think of it, I’ve melted down quite a bit of equipment, so I can start making Damascus steel weapons now. Everyone, tell me what you want.”

“Oh!”

“I want a spear axe and a dagger that cuts even better!”

“I only use mine for woodworking. The borrowed mithril axe is more than enough, but having some fine tools made of the same mithril would probably speed up the work.”

Hmm. I thought I’d decided on some things, but being asked like this makes me hesitate.

Carla really took a liking to the halberd that he picked up on a whim.

Ever since he started using that old hand-me-down, he’s been taking down Black Elephants. How he manages to swing a weapon twice his height is a mystery, though.

But if that’s what he wants, that’s what matters most.

Zeo spends a lot of time with tools, too, so if using higher-grade materials helps his work progress, he should go ahead and use them.

The shelves in the warehouse are filling up with ingots—or rather, oddly shaped chunks of metal that hardly qualify as ingots. Considering how much he’s gathered, it might be better to have Lodge make things like saws.

As for me—

It’s a sword. Should I go short or long?

I can’t make a snap decision and end up agonizing over it.

The old longsword I’m currently testing isn’t difficult to handle.

It occasionally drags along the ground when I swing upward, and that’s the only time the length bothers me.

(Hmm…which should I choose?)

Seeing me stuck like this, the three of them offer what could be taken as advice.

“I saw you fighting the other day, Loki. You’d be better off with a bigger weapon. You’ve got serious strength, but your weapon’s too light. It seems like you’re not unleashing your full firepower.”

“Yeah. Loki’s good at aerial combat, too. Having a larger weapon could easily be an advantage.”

“Bigger ones are just cooler!”

“H-huh…?”

But Carla’s just stating the obvious!

Even so, I’d always made these decisions alone until now, wishing I had friends to help me.

Hearing advice like this moved me, and I couldn’t help but get a little choked up.

After hearing that, I knew I no longer needed to hesitate.

“Then I’m going for something huge!”

Then, another ten days passed.

After squeezing in four days of dragon hunting in Quoitz and sending the eagerly awaiting dismantling site staff to hell, I leveled up the Immobility skill for the boss fight. Then, Lodge finally called.

“Loki, it’s ready.”

“Huh?”

“Hmph. I’ll clean up. You go ahead.”

Oh, is this… the unthinkable!?

My heart pounded with excitement because I had been looking forward to this.

Zeo’s expression probably meant that he already knew it was finished.

Since it was after dinner, Carla was called over as well. The two of us headed to a corner of the material warehouse, which was also Lodge’s workplace.

On the long workbench, several pieces of equipment were laid out neatly for easy viewing.

Naturally, our eyes were both glued to the workbench.

“Shall we start with you, Carla, since you have fewer items? This is the axe-spear you requested. Considering the size of the surrounding monsters, the tip is quite long to maximize its thrusting capability.”

“Whoa! With this, I might be able to pierce a Black Elephant’s heart if I’m lucky!”

“This is the dagger I made as a backup weapon for close combat. The grip is made of leather from a monster you killed—like that bull-like one—so it shouldn’t slip and should be pretty sturdy. I made the blade longer for fighting monsters. If you need one for dismantling, I’ll make it separately.”

After hearing the explanation, Carla gripped the dagger. It must have felt comfortable because, after simply saying, “Thanks,” he began bouncing around and repeatedly practicing slashing motions.

Hmm… he really is quick.

“And this one’s for Loki.”

Lodge’s call drew my gaze back to the four pieces of equipment.

“This is the hidden ace you requested. It’s classified as a large sword, bordering on oversized. Considering your height, calling it an oversized sword wouldn’t be wrong. Now then, give it a swing.”

Taking his advice, I picked up the greatsword, which looked to be nearly two meters long, and swung it powerfully to the side.

Whoosh—

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

“…”

“Just as I thought. Most people can’t swing it that fast. The shaft isn’t wobbling, is it?”

“Yeah, it’s lighter than I imagined. Or rather, it’s easier to handle.”

“But with your height, it’s bound to scrape the ground no matter what. That’s why I designed it for aerial combat and added thickness to the center so you can use it for blocking, too. Normally, you can just stow it away with your magic, so it shouldn’t get in the way.”

“That’s true.”

“And this is the everyday ‘show weapon.’ It’s slightly shorter than a standard longsword to prioritize maneuverability. Even so, it should handle most monsters just fine for you. The grip is shortened to fit your hand size, so it should be easier to handle.”

This is amazing!

I gave it a quick swing. It’s slightly shorter than the trial longswords I’ve tried before, so the ground isn’t as much of an issue. There was little play in the grip; it didn’t shake.

I can’t judge its sharpness here, but its ease of handling is vastly superior to any other longsword I’ve picked up.

It’s also the same size as the dagger Carla requested.

Once I stored it, I couldn’t benefit from the bestowed effect, so I needed two weapons that I could keep out.

A dagger seemed like the perfect choice.

Since opportunities for dismantling work have decreased, it’s fine to think of it simply as a secondary weapon.

“So, this is the water-attribute-enhanced armor?”

“It’s primarily made from Querebre leather, which offers decent physical defense and moderate water resistance. The lining uses Mizuchi leather, which is strong and smooth. This should be the best choice for facing ‘Gargouille.’ It may feel heavy for leather armor, but I don’t think it will bother you too much.”

The surface is distinctly bluish with thin scales.

This is definitely the same Querebre hide that I have seen many times before.

When I try it on, I notice that the inside feels smooth—or rather, slightly squishy—with a texture that clings to skin and clothing.

As promised, the weight isn’t really noticeable, and moving my body in various ways doesn’t cause any discomfort.

“But don’t forget this one thing. Water resistance makes you tough against water currents and pressure, but it won’t prevent you from drowning. If you can’t breathe, you’ll die just like anyone else. You’ll have to figure that part out yourself.”

“Of course. Most people drown, right?”

“Seems like it. I’ve heard plenty of stories about hunters who never made it back, even after successfully defeating the boss.”

Drowning isn’t my problem—I can always leave whenever I want.

What worries me is whether the boss’s mechanics lean more toward being game-like or realistic.

I think I’ve come to understand Felza-sama’s tastes—or rather, her vague preferences—in creating this world. But whether they lean one way or the other will drastically change how hard future bosses are to beat.

“Thanks. I’ll do everything I can to ensure that I won’t die. That way, I can bring back the boss materials.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll be waiting with high hopes!”

It seems that next, he’ll be making Zeo’s tools while also crafting water-resistant leather armor for everyone. After thanking Lodge again—he looked quite happy, surrounded by materials—I headed outside the supply warehouse.

There, I sat down next to Zeo, who was sitting on a log and gazing out at the lake alone.

“Lodge was really fired up about making armor for you, too, Zeo. Apparently, he plans to eventually make a full set for every element.”

“Hmph. Even if I wore it, it wouldn’t do me any good, would it? I might even lose to the wild animals around here.”

“But remember? At first, even lifting a single log was tough. Now, one log is pretty easy, right? And magic? Just because your magic power is low doesn’t mean you can’t cast all kinds of spells.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“It’s good that you’re recovering bit by bit. Armor isn’t just for fighting. Its purpose is to protect you and keep you alive if something happens.”

Even after saying that, his expression still seemed somewhat downcast.

Probably because he used to be powerful enough to catch the eye of the gods.

That’s likely the source of his worry.

His current inadequacy and frustration.

If I were in his position and had experienced that past strength, I’d probably feel the same way.

“I’m sorry. I can’t be of much use now, but someday I’ll repay this debt—”

“Zeo.”

“…What?”

“You’re the one who sorted the accessories, right, Zeo? Lodge said he wasn’t good at appraisal.”

“Well, yeah.”

The trinkets I tossed into that wooden box.

I’d meant to sort them before challenging the boss, but somehow, while setting up the shelves, they’d ended up in several different groups.

It wasn’t just a simple matter of sorting rings and necklaces. That kind of work would be impossible without someone with a sufficiently high Appraisal skill level.

“This place only works because you’re here, Zeo. If it were just me, I’d probably dig a hole in the cliff and never come out. Lodge would likely die while forging, and Carla… well, he’d probably just keep drinking blood forever. But honestly, without you, I don’t think we’d be living this peacefully.”

“…”

“Like I said before, I’m clueless about this world, so I really need your knowledge, Zeo. Everyone does what they can, what they’re good at. We support each other to make things work. That’s what companions do, I think.”

“Yes… The companions I fought alongside long ago were like that, too.”

“Huh, so you had companions during your prime, too, Zeo.”

“Yeah. The companions I wanted to save but couldn’t.”

“I see… Well, then.”

“?

“Use your power to help me avoid dying. I have no idea what’s so great about those accessories, even though they’re made from high-grade materials!”

“Hmph, that’s fine. But my Appraisal level is definitely 7. The only thing I could identify was the Adamantium ring mixed in.”

As we headed toward the material warehouse, I recalled a similar incident from back in the royal capital, Falmenta.

Back then, Felin was there, trying to help me the same way. But I felt like it was cheating.

But, strangely, asking Zeo for help now didn’t stir up those feelings.

(Is this the difference between a god and a person?)

Vaguely pondering this, I confirmed Zeo’s appraisal results and picked two accessories as new equipment.

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