Construction Mage - Chapter 56: Leisure Trip

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“It worked!”

Clay and Malik exchanged looks of surprise as they found themselves transported to the middle of a verdant forest under a blazing sun. Unlike the withered forest of the first layer, this one was full of life and lush greenery. Each tree was much thicker, with luscious leaves. In fact, there was so much shrubbery around that it made it hard to navigate and blocked the view of their surroundings.

“Don’t get used to being all relaxed in here. I’d say this layer has gotten the most Delvers killed out of all of ‘em,” Dorgan warned.

“What should one be mindful of around here?” Clay asked, taking the advice to heart.

“Um, from what I remember, it’s mostly the same as the first layer. It’s just that the dense foliage means you have less time to react to ambushes. The lizards are way more agile than the kobolds, too. But the major killer is still getting lost in the forest. The fatigue adds up, and the monster never stops coming. The party needs to be able to manage its members’ stamina in order to survive.”

“No one has tried drawing a map of this place? Maybe even building a landmark or keeping a bonfire burning near the white gazebos?”

“They have,” Sylphira jumped in to answer. “It’s just that anything you try to build in the dungeon simply disappears the moment you stray too far from it, and bonfires attract the monsters as well. Without these markers, it’s almost impossible to draw a proper map. Even if one of us veterans bothers to do so, no one would be able to read it.”

“This…”

The new information greatly troubled Clay. He had planned to build outposts in the dungeon in the future for members of his guild. These small settlements facilitated trade, allowed Delvers to rest, and, most importantly, acted as landmarks. Depending on the mechanism behind manmade structures disappearing in the dungeon, his plan might be moot before it could even be realized.

It was another thing to add to his list that he needed to test out. If he could solve it, he could build some strong leverage to convince the whimsical Delvers to join his guild. The irony was that the more help he had, the faster the experiments would go. If he had a few parties willing to listen to his ideas right now, he simply could’ve assigned each one ‌a possible solution. Instead, with only himself, it would take several times longer to achieve the same results.

I can’t waste this trip on that right now. I can test that out on the first layer later.

Focusing back on the present, the sound of the fluttering leaves suddenly grew louder. Just as he turned to the source, he caught a glimpse of a blur in the corner of his eye. A moment later, the blur cleared up, revealing Dorgan standing over a freshly bisected lizard that was twice the man’s size.

The monster lying dead on the ground had an appearance resembling a komodo dragon. Though it was more of a distant cousin that had a more menacing visage. Its gaping maw lined with razor-sharp teeth made it lean more towards dinosaurs than lizards.

The two inexperienced Delvers gawked at the scene as purple blood pooled beneath the carcass before a hand on each of their shoulder pulled them out of their daze. The two turned to Dorgan at the same time as he let out a chuckle.

“Relax,” he said before turning to Malik. “Lad, you can skin the thing and butcher it, right?”

“Um, yes!”

As the young man rushed to do his work, Clay’s attention had moved on to his surroundings once more. As interesting as the loot from a monster in the second layer was, it wasn’t his goal. The objective of coming here this time was both to learn about its environment and to find himself some high-quality tea. He wouldn’t mind harvesting some lumber, either. 

After having selected his profession classes, he had yet to make use of them. Now he had the opportunity. Just like how Malik could skin and butcher without recipes, he should be able to do so with the raw materials for alchemy and staff making, as well. The ability to identify and properly harvest timber and herbs was the reason he had selected those two professions in the first place.

For Staffmaker, while it appeared super specialized at first glance, it was also one of the first starting professions that dealt with wooden materials. Perhaps Bowyer did as well, but it was likely for the type suitable for bows, which focused on elasticity. Clay believed there was a better chance that the wood collected from Staffmaker would be useful for his needs. It should allow him to harvest sturdier materials like Ironbark or Stillwood that he was familiar with.

As for alchemy, the usefulness of potions could not be overstated. There was not a single game he had played where potions were useless. Its healing abilities were even more valuable as this world was his reality now. It was a matter of life and death. He hoped he had lucked out, and his profession treated the kind of tea he had the pleasure of sampling as one of the raw reagents that fell under its umbrella. It would make finding them and harvesting much easier with the assistance of the profession class.

“So, which direction should we go if we want to harvest quality timber and tea? My profession isn’t signaling me to anything right now, despite all these trees next to us.”

“Ha, that’s because you likely won’t be able to cut these down even if you wanted to,” Dorgan said with a laugh. “They’re so thick and strong that I doubt I’ll be able to either without taking all day. You’ll need to find the younger trees or the more delicate species.”

“Are you a Bowyer or Staffmaker, too?” Malik asked.

“Me? No! Our party made me take Weaponsmith and Jeweler, but I don’t really bother with them besides collecting materials, though. I leave it to the dedicated crafters outside to get any work done.”

His words caused Malik to furrow his brow.

“Really? I thought only Delvers could work with dungeon materials?”

“They are Delvers, just not the type to actually delve! We sponsor a few craftsmen who had wanted to try their hand at dungeon items. We bring the recipes and materials, and they do the work. The only catch is that they work exclusively for us.”

“So you’re like a noble, too? You have retainer craftsmen?”

Dorgan stopped in his tracks and looked completely taken aback. Meanwhile, Sylphira was holding onto her stomach as she laughed out loud.

“Hahaha, how does it feel to be put in the same category as those fools now? Not so good, is it?” she teased the older man relentlessly.

He glared at the woman as he explained himself to the young porter.

“No, no. You are mistaken. We don’t stuff people into our territory and force them to work for us or anything. It’s a proper business contract. We can’t afford to have them leak the recipes we worked so hard to get or allow others to learn of their identity. Things are calm in Ravenhold now, but there was a time when malicious parties, like greedy nobles, kidnapped the exclusive craftsmen of some Delvers with commoner backgrounds to force them to become the type of retainers that you speak of.”

As they explained the history and justified why their crafters worked exclusively for them, they slowly trekked through the dense forest. Dorgan, who was in the lead, had to hack away at the foliage from time to time in order to make a path.

His figure would also occasionally turn into a blur as he dispatched ambushers, making the trip like a leisurely hike for the two new visitors of this stratum.

“Do you think you can let me try taking on the next lizards that come?” Clay asked as he eyed the body Malik was working on.

“Hmm, what do you think, Sylphira?”

“Just watch him carefully, you dolt. You can react fast enough against second-layer creatures, right?”

“Well, probably, but I was more asking if I should and to what degree. Bad habits may build if I just keep the lizard pinned down. He won’t always have the perfect frontliner like me with him, after all.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever,” Sylphira muttered as she turned to Clay. “You heard him. What do you think?”

“Just intervene when it’s about to bite down on me or something. Otherwise, let me fight it fair and square.”

“Are you sure?” Dorgan asked, fingers drumming nervously against his chin. “You don’t want me to even hold it off for a few seconds like a normal warrior would be able to?”

While what Dorgan suggested was reasonable, it wouldn’t help Clay. It would be better for the encounter to be as authentic as possible. Even if he failed, he could learn from it, making him realize the usefulness of having a frontliner with him. On the other hand, his success could signal that he could continue to rely on just Malik. It would allow him to monopolize a bigger share of experience points and money, and also not have to risk trusting the wrong person.

“Yes,” he responded with a glint in his eyes.

The veteran Delvers exchanged glances and nodded. 

When they resumed their journey this time, the pressure Clay felt was several times greater. It was somewhat jarring, seeing how it had felt more like a vacation a moment ago, but he preferred it this way. 

It was the perfect opportunity for him to fight against a future opponent with minimal risks. Only a fool wouldn’t take advantage of it.

As for Malik, he was still completely at ease, but Clay couldn’t help but notice he had inched closer to the veteran Delvers.

Hmm, if only I could summon the elemental ahead of time. My mana won’t last as it is, though. Hopefully, when meditation ranks up, there is some upgrade to help with that.

Just as Clay’s thoughts wandered, he heard something leap down from a nearby tree. The shadow it cast on the ground was huge. He knew there was no way he had enough time to cast a spell. From the way the air current brushed against his skin, he could tell which direction the monster came from, so he jumped back and swung his shovel at the same time in case it got closer than he thought.

He connected with nothing, but his action created some space. However, the lizard didn’t even slow down for a split second or try to change direction to continue its pursuit. It simply charged ahead in a straight line forward, climbing up a tree as if it were on flat ground. It used the tree to catapult itself around without losing speed. The monster darted back quickly, but not quickly enough.

“Spirits, hear my call,

By Lestionora’s name, rise from your thrall.

Awaken from slumber, heed my plea,

Shape to my will, come forth as I decree—Earth Blast!”

The spell struck just as the lizard pounced toward him and connected mid-air. The attack stopped its momentum dead in its tracks. It caused the monster to comically fall straight down, flailing its limbs around in the process, but the moment it touched a surface, it regained its balance in less than a second. It didn’t charge at Clay again, though. Survival instinct kicked in, and it crawled up the closest tree it could find.

One could say it was the right decision, as mages would have a hard time hitting it with all the cover around it, but Clay wasn’t a typical mage. The moment he saw it retreat, he began chanting again, but this time, for a different spell.

Well before the lizard resumed its attacks, an earthen elemental materialized out of the void.

“Defend me!” Clay commanded.

Unfortunately for the lizard, it was smart enough to retreat while it was disoriented, but not smart enough to realize the odds had changed. Once it recovered its bearings on a way, it employed the same plan again, dashing straight toward its target. It was as if it didn’t mind the presence of the elemental at all—a costly mistake.

Just as it thought it was about to get within range to take a bite out of Clay, a thick pillar of hardened earth crashed into its side, sending it flying back into a tree. The thud echoed only to be followed by yet another impact, as Clay fired off another Earth Blast.

At this point, the fight was over. It could barely move, and two figures soon towered over it.

[Ding—Level 11 Feral Lizard slain.]

[Ding—Skill: Earth Blast(I) has leveled up!]

Elated at his first kill on the second layer, Clay immediately looked back at his companions. For reasons he couldn’t quite place, their eyes were still filled with expectation, as if waiting for him to do something.

Following their gaze, he glanced down at his kill and spotted a piece of parchment strangely stuck to the remains. It hadn’t been there before.

What is this?

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