Shin and his group were asked by Eleven, the 11th Boundary Guardian, to conquer a city ruled by a Demon.
After breaking through the hot desert region and entering the Sacred Place of Number 43, known for its overwhelming pools of lava, Shin and his group were challenged to a battle against the Demon of flames Anguaini.
He and his companions cooperated to defeat Anguaini, who’s power surpassed that of the game era, and later found a mountain of Chimeradite, a rare magical metal, left behind.
~
After collecting the Chimeradite, Shin looked at his surroundings.
The remnants of Anguaini were a treasure trove of materials, most likely because it was originally a mineral-based monster. Although he had been distracted by the Chimeradite, examining the area once again, he found a variety of other minerals and ores. Schnee, a support character whose blacksmithing skill level had increased by helping Shin, also joined in the material investigation.
The other members of the team, led by Tiera, were investigating the Sacred Place to see if anything left was tainted with miasma.
“The monster that was in the middle of the Sacred Place, the Red Core Pillar, all of them have blackened cores and are lying on the ground. Maybe it had something to do with Anguaini.”
Filma, a support character who had climbed to the top of the wall to check the surroundings, stated. “If there were still some left, we would have had to fight one more battle when we went back so this saved a lot of trouble.”
“Oh right, the Core is gone in this Sacred Place but is it okay to leave it as is?”
Shin, somewhat curious, asked Gelganger, an elderly gentleman who was investigating nearby.
“That’s the way it will be until we finish taking control of the island. Eventually, a sub-core will be set up from the Master’s core, with some authority handed over to it to manage the area. There is a large Ley Line running through what will become the Sacred Place, which will be very useful for the Guardians.”
“I have heard from Yuzuha the Element Tail that the disturbance of the Ley Line in this area is gradually being resolved.”
“Ley Lines…”
In the game era, players did not care much about the Ley Lines.
On the other hand, in this world, he knew from experience that the Ley Lines were involved in various phenomena.
He did some research in Falnido, the beast kingdom, but he can’t say he has a good understanding of the Ley Line.
Shin made a note in his head that he needed to do a thorough investigation. “But still.”
Muttering, Shin picked up a blueish-white lump from the wreckage at his feet.
The lump was Orichalcum. Other than this, other precious metals like, Mithril, Adamantine, and Scarletite ingot were scattered.
Since there was a Chimeradite, it was not surprising to find Orichalchum, from which Chimeradite was derived.
When fighting Anguaini, its body parts that had been cut off had disappeared, so it did feel odd that the items remained after they had put an end to the fight.
Since this case involved miasma, it may not be a proper guardian.
However, when rare minerals were found in such large quantities, it almost made his game days of traversing mountains in search of a fragment of orichalcum seem ridiculous.
Also, as Shin found out through his skills, the ores extracted here were of high purity, almost the same as the refined state.
This would have been impossible in the game days, a time when minerals obtained as raw materials were refined to a higher purity or mixed with other minerals to make alloys.
These minerals were like an item given away as a reward for an event.
Though some minerals were mixed and layered in places, it was a trivial matter.
Schnee asked Shin, who was frowning, “Was it more convenient for the Guardian to have a higher degree of purity?”
“Maybe. When it melted itself to a sludge, it may have been in a state like a melted Chimeradite. It is common knowledge among blacksmiths that mixing metals of low purity makes them brittle.”
Was it the Guardian’s special power or the influence of the energy of the Ley Line? It was not surprising that such a mysterious thing could happen.
However, there is no point in worrying since Guardian number 43 has been defeated.
Shin quickly stowed the items in the item box from one end to the other to finish collecting them.
In the game days, the material had to be dug up from the ground and lifted out of the ground before it could be made into a card or stored in an item box, but now that restriction is gone.
When Shin tried it, he found that the same material could be stored together too.
Although there seemed to be an area limitation, which has to be connected to a place where Shin is physically touching. Just by not having to dig around every single time, the efficiency of the work was much greater.
Schnee, who had seen Shin working like this, also tried it and was able to store it without any problems. She was a little surprised.
“Schnee, you didn’t know about this either?”
“Yes, I never had a chance to use it this way.”
Most of the requests for Schnee’s assistance were related to battles and plants.
Schnee’s fighting skills are well known, and it is common knowledge in this world that High Elves know a lot about plants. This kind of mineral gathering was the domain of the dwarves.
“I wonder if it became possible after [Dusk of the Majesty] or if it is because my blacksmithing skills have improved. This is a difficult one to verify. Perhaps some of the people who own the item boxes are knowingly concealing this means.”
With this method, as long as the minerals’ tips are visible, they can be collected without digging.
The efficiency of this method was incomparable to that of the usual method, where one had to dig diligently with a shovel or a pickaxe.
Depending on the capacity of the item box, it may be possible to recover a portion of a mineral vein outright. If they are rare metals, you can sell them in small quantities and be secure for the rest of your life.
“I’ll have Shibaid and the others give it a try. It would be nice if Tiera could use the item box, too.”
Wilhelm, a magic spearman in the Bayreuth Kingdom, told him before that in order for the residents of this world to use the item box, they would need an item called an “Expansion Kit”.
Shin had used an “Expansion Kit” in the game days.
In THE NEW GATE, it was treated as an in-game purchase. Though there were times you could get some of it as a reward for events and quests, and sometimes it was given as a gift at special times, such as the XX anniversary.
Although the increase in item holdings was small, “Expansion Kits” were the first items that players would purchase, as they were inexpensive and easy to use.
Since Shin had already maxed out his item box, he used the extra “Expansion Kits” to trade for valuable items. So he had none in stock.
Since the other “Rokuten” members were the same way, it is unlikely that there is any leftover even at the guild house.
In the game days, it was possible to get them from treasure chests in extremely rare cases in dungeons above a certain difficulty level. In this world, however, it is not so easy.
The best way to get it is to ask someone who has it to give it to you.
“Oh right, if you’re a chosen one, you’re more likely to have an “Expansion Kit” right? I wonder if Tiera has it.”
There was no doubt that Tiera had the abilities of Shin’s former lover, Marino.
Marino had also said that Tiera was supposed to be the chosen one who inherited her abilities, so she should be approaching that state now.
It would not be surprising if she was able to use the item box.
“We’ll check back later. Do you want me to leave some for you to experiment with?”
“Let’s do that. It won’t be much trouble to clean up.”
Shin and Schnee have learned a new way of collecting items. Even if Tiera could not recover the minerals in the same way, it would be easy to clean up the remains.
“Anyway, it looks like this is really just materials.”
They had recovered 80% of the materials, but there didn’t seem to be anything else.
Anguaini is a Demon. Though Shin was not particular about the drop items, he was hoping that there might be something else.
Gelganger also seemed to have finished investigating the surroundings.
“After seeing how you all fought, I’m satisfied with the results.”
Even without the drop items, they were able to secure their own safety, so they were satisfied with the result.
When Filma and the others returned a short time later, Shin immediately asked them about the item box.
“I’ve never used it that way before. I just recognized it as a convenient storage box, to begin with.”
“I guess I’m the same as sister Fil,” Filma and Sety answered after thinking about it for a short while.
Shin was convinced that this is the way it would be for a combat position.
Sety also has a bit of experience in production. According to her, she never had the opportunity to take large quantities of something and make something out of it.
He actually had them try it, but it only scraped the surface of the material slightly. In terms of Filma and the others, it would have been much faster to dig it out by force.
Unlike the two of them, Shibaid spoke as he searched his memory.
“The same thing was thought of by others, but it wasn’t adopted because it wasn’t very practical,” said Shibaid.
Like Filma and the others, Shibaid could not store it all at once.
However, when Shibaid was busy building his country, a select group of blacksmiths were apparently trying to see if they could extract ore in a similarly efficient manner.
Shibaid said that the problem they had was the limited capacity of the blacksmith’s item box and it was impractical to search for a separate item box holder, so it did not become widespread.
Only a few of the chosen ones in this world are able to use item boxes. Furthermore, each person has his or her own capacity.
For the rare item box holders, there were many more ways to earn money than being an assistant in material collection.
Working as a transporter would attract many people.
They could also sell their skill of making items into cards.
Even if someone doesn’t choose to transport the items themselves, just being able to transform large quantities of items and materials into thin cards makes transport much more efficient.
Some people were contracted by the Government or a Company to convert items into cards.
Although it depends on the job they choose, the pay was usually at least one digit higher than that of a regular job.
No one but the most eccentric would want to work outside the city, where they might be attacked by monsters.
“Even among those who were working in production or honing their skills, there were only a few who could do it. The range was at most 20 to 30 Cemels from where you can see them. There was no one like Shin who could card a wide area. If there had been, it would have been a bigger story.”
Shibaid paused for a moment, then continued,
“This is a bit off-topic. The truth is that there have been a few cases of thefts using item boxes,” he said.
Once they are stored, they cannot be seen from the outside, and there is no point in checking the luggage. Since it takes very little time to store the items, it is difficult to catch them red-handed.
So far, the only cases in which the criminals have been caught have been in pursuit of extra crimes after breaking things and trespassing, or when they have followed the criminals and raided them once they have materialized the stolen items.
“I hate to say it, but some of the culprits were players just like Shin.”
“So there was…… The player’s item box had a fair amount of capacity right from the start, and it was common practice to increase that capacity with items, but…”
What the hell are you doing, Shin couldn’t help but blurt out.
If one was a former player, they must have had some knowledge or fighting skills inherited from the game days. In addition, the item box holder is a winner. There was no need to go to the trouble of getting involved in evil deeds.
“If a wide range of items can be converted into cards as Shin did, this method could be used to dig a vein of ore. At the very least, I’ve never heard of such a thing. That doesn’t mean no one has done it, though.”
Schnee, who was listening to the conversation on the side, agrees.
“I haven’t heard of it either. Item boxes are very difficult to stop when they are abused, so if we ever encountered one, we could decide what to do about it then. It’s beyond our control.”
“I see what you mean. Whenever you can do something that you couldn’t do before, you tend to think about it a lot, don’t you?”
Shin lightly shook his head from side to side as he listened to Schnee’s story.
“Just one more thing, all I need to know is if Milt can do it and if Tiera can use this method we’re using.”
“I just tried it for a minute, and it’s pretty much the same for me. It’s a little wider range, but only by a fraction.”
Milt, a former player, said that it was wider than Filma’s, but not by much. “But if you use it repeatedly, you can do some pretty nasty stuff.”
Milt continued, moving quickly on her feet while touching the wreckage.
Shin understood the meaning of Milt’s words when he saw this. The wreckage had a ditch along the area that Milt touched.
Shin said, “Even though the range is small, if you keep using it, I see you could do something similar.”
“I can go on for hours because I don’t use any MP to convert it into a card and store it in the item box. If you are used to storing items like we are, it would be easy to dig through a mine. Well, just because it’s easily stored, looks like it doesn’t mean they can sort it.”
When Milt materialized the minerals it stored, the minerals appeared as they were.
Unlike Shin’s storage, some of the minerals were in a state where multiple minerals were attached to each other or mixed together.
“In my case, the same type is lumped together to a certain extent. Milt and the others are like the original storage, so mine seems to be more unique.”
When monsters are stored, the item box automatically sorts them by category. On the other hand, materials are usually left untouched. That rule seems to be in effect this time as well.
“Now all that’s left is Tiera.”
“Hmmm, I have an item box, huh?”
Tiera was listening to Shin and the others, but she still seemed to be confused.
In this world, it is said that any chosen one with an item box can use it from birth. They do not have to be taught how to use it by anyone, but they naturally know how to use it.
In the case of a player like Shin, the usage is the same as when he was in the game, so he can use it without any discomfort.
You could say for Tiera she was born with it, but, because of her special background, she was closer to the players in terms of her position.
“I’ll teach you how to do things my way for now. If that doesn’t work, we’ll find another way.”
If she had inherited Marino’s power, Shin thought, she might be able to use it from the menu screen.
Shin taught Tiera how to use the item box, checking carefully to see if there were any differences.
“Take this, like this……… Oh!”
The piece of magic iron used for practice disappeared from Tiera’s hand.
The item, which was part of the wreckage of Anguaini which was a reasonable size, fit in her hand in the form of a card when Tiera carefully manipulated it. It was the same phenomenon as when Shin used the item box.
From that state, Tiera put the card back into the item box again, this time making it appear in a materialized state.
“I never thought I’d be able to use the item box ……”
Tiera, who had been stunned for a little while, now excitedly put the piece of magic iron in and out.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your excitement, but can we move on now?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Now I have to try if I can store the hidden parts of the ore as well, right?”
Tiera, moved by Shin’s words, approached the wreckage of the Anguaini. In the same way, as the magic iron, Tiera turned it into a card.
What she was able to card was about 20 Cemels in diameter, centered on the spot where Tiera has touched. The depth was less than 10 Cemels.
It was not much different from Filma and the others.
“Not good at all.”
Tiera’s shoulders slumped, and Shibaid called out to her,
“No, this is probably normal. Perhaps it has something to do with his ability as a production worker and high stats. Shin’s ability and stats as a blacksmith are both high, and the subject of storage is minerals. Nothing could be a better match. Maybe that’s why Schnee, who helped him with his blacksmithing work, has more storage space than we do.”
Indeed, Schnee’s storage space was the largest after Shin’s. Schnee has learned some blacksmithing with Shin’s help and has a high skill level in cooking. She can also mix medicinal herbs, although she hasn’t had a chance to do so.
“I guess that makes sense now that you put it that way. I don’t intend to use this ability for mineral extraction, so it’s just a matter of knowing that I can do this kind of thing. If anything, I need to remember the dangers of item boxes.”
With this, everyone except the monster duo of Yuzuha and Kagerou could now use the item box. It was considerable in the game era, but in today’s world, it was definitely a rarity.
“Let’s not tell too many people we have access to an item box.”
“Did something happen when you were here?” Milt asked.
“No, not particularly,” Shin replied.
“As long as you’re not thinking, ‘I’m going to use the item box skill and rule the world!’ I think it’s fine. Unlike weapons and armor, it’s not something you can see, so…”
“That’s right but, well, after I got here, it’s somewhat natural that events have come to me.”
Shin looked back at what had happened so far and looked up at the sky.
With this kind of condition-clearing event, I can’t help but feel that a new event is about to begin.
“Stop staring at the distance. Ger is waiting for us, so let’s get going.”
“That’s true.”
With Milt on the side, Shin surmised that he would end up reacting as he did in his video game days.
After defeating Anguaini, he was a bit too relaxed. Shibaid should have been concerned about the Empire, too, and he should have put off such things as verification until later.
By the way, Ger stands for Gelganger.
Milt had been calling Gelganger Ger since the beginning of the attack on the Sacred Place.
“The biggest threat has been removed, so don’t worry about it.”
Apologizing to Gelganger for his concern, Shin quickly collected the rest of the wreckage and began to move on.
Not having to worry about the attack of the Red Core Pillar, he took a flight on the Gelgangar to the Sacred Place of Number 37. The group arrived at the next Sacred Place so easily that they wondered what all the hard work had been worth.