Published: August 2, 2025
Today, 10 episodes updated simultaneously.
This story is episode 7.
The next day.
I decided to spend the whole day maintaining the abandoned mine shaft and making charcoal.
Until now, I had been using the charcoal I had stored, but it was running low. If I didn’t make more before it was completely gone, I wouldn’t have any feed left for the deodorant slime. Besides, the weeds I had cut the other day should be in good condition by now...
“Oh, this is just right.”
The weather had been dry with no rain. If the weeds were still damp, I planned to dry them quickly using alchemy magic, but I was able to confirm that the grass was properly dried.
“Alright, let’s give this a try.”
I used a brand-new pitchfork to gather the grass scattered on the ground.
“Wow, this is pretty good...”
When I channeled mana into the metal fittings on the handle, the physical enhancement magic tool activated. The effect made the pitchfork feel as if its weight had momentarily vanished. The weeds were gathered effortlessly, almost strangely easily.
When I piled the weeds into a heap and shoved them into the Item Box, the simple work showed visible results. This was quite enjoyable.
“Next up… trimming weeds for the next time.”
Next, I took out from the Item Box the “scythe.” While it’s usually depicted as a weapon in light novels, this is actually a farming tool. Its shape is like a giant one-handed sickle with two parallel bars protruding perpendicularly from the handle to the blade.
“Is this... how it’s supposed to be?”
Because the same metal fittings as the pitchfork were attached to the two bars, I grabbed them. The huge scythe was parallel to the ground, with the blade’s tip facing forward and lying flat in midair. I had never used it before, so I wasn’t entirely confident, but it seemed correct.
“Here goes!”
Right hand forward, left hand pulling back. Most of the grass hit by the blade just got pushed down. But some was cut, so the technique seemed right. All that remained was practice.
“Huff, huff, huff... yeah.”
After about an hour of trial and error and practice, my efficiency gradually improved. The key was the same as with a sword—maintaining a clean cutting angle. When swinging, focusing more on twisting my waist than using my arms helped. The arms only supported the motion. The blade should contact the grass near its tip.
Following these rules, the scythe neatly cut the grass it touched. Using my waist to swing increased the cutting range at once.
The boundary between cut and uncut grass slowly shifted outward. It was more efficient than the one-handed sickle I could only use nearby, and when used skillfully, it was fun. Definitely a good purchase.
“...This should be enough.”
I stopped trimming grass and started cutting wood from the foothills for charcoal.
Of course, I used the magic tool axe. The axe’s weight contributes to its power, but this one wasn’t lightened; instead, the magic tool made it easy for the user to wield.
Personally, I found this easier to use than attack magic.
Four or five trees should be enough. The work was cutting down, carrying, then removing branches and splitting into manageable sizes to burn... but before I knew it, the sun had reached its zenith.
Time for lunch and a break.
...? That sound...
“Watch out!”
I shifted my body slightly to the side. Moments later, the iron ball passed through the space my head had just occupied.
“Be careful!”
I warned the passing iron ball—or rather, the iron slime—who didn’t move from where it had fallen.
“You can go now.”
I said this, and the iron slime transformed back into a ball and rolled up the path leading to the abandoned mine shaft.
...Lately, Iron and Metal slimes have shown unexpected growth.
When they joined in hunting magical beasts in the abandoned mine shaft, they seemed to remember being patted and transformed into spheres. After practicing shape-shifting, Metal was the first to become spherical, and then Iron followed suit.
At first, I just thought they were slowly growing... but a few days later, Metal and Iron could freely move while spherical.