Episode 58 - The Value of the Shining Red Jewel
I am Golem.
The only loot from my
first dungeon search was a glowing red treasure dropped by a five-headed red
dragon. I feel like I've been in there for quite a while. Once I start working
hard, I can't stop!
Still, the glowing red
treasure is quite a hindrance. It's not too heavy, but the pouch is swollen to
the brim. The lid can't be closed, so the shimmering red light looks like the
neon lights of a bar. I feel like I just got another negative item on top of
all the weird looks I've been getting because of the Pouch.
In mathematics,
negative x negative is positive, but in reality, negative x negative is even
worse due to the synergistic effect of the negative.
I feel like the people
around me are looking at me more coldly or negatively than before. Just now, a
mother and her child walked by me on the street and said, “Mom, what's that
weird thing?” “Shh, don't look at it” and then ran off holding the child’s hand.
Damn it, I've got to sell this shiny red treasure at the earliest!
I run to the
adventurer's guild. I try to neutralize the red light by creating a line of
light around me as I go. The adventurers and townspeople around me seem to be
dazzled. I apologize for that, honestly.
◆
I arrived at the
Adventurer's Guild.
I'm sure they'll buy
the jewel here. I opened the door vigorously. There was a bang, and I felt like
I hit something, but when I opened the door to the wall, nothing had happened,
so I guess it was just my imagination.
When I gently let go of
the door, I saw Charao standing by the wall. I wondered if I had hit him. But
he was still standing by the wall, so he must be okay. He didn't seem to be
falling down, so yeah, no problem, he's a Charao. If it was really bad, he
wouldn't be standing there. But I'm an apologetic golem. I put my hands
together and apologized to Charao.
“W, what is that?”
“It's too bright! What
the hell is that?”
“Someone go check it
out!”
Oops, I guess it's okay
now that I'm here. I turn off my line light. But the glowing red light of the
jewel shines behind me, shimmering off me. But the pouch makes me look uncool.
“Oh, it's the golem.”
“The golem from the
other day. How is he still alive?”
“I hadn't seen him
since the posters were put up.
“I thought he died in
the dungeon.”
Before I knew it, I
seemed to have become a person of no return in the guild.
But I've only been at
the Adventurer's Guild for a short time, and yet so many adventurers remember
me. I'm afraid of my own charisma. Did I leave such a strong impression on
them? I guess my shimmering metal body is unforgettable once you see it!
Oh, there's the
receptionist they call Camome. I stood tall and waved my hand over the counter.
Camome approached me with a huff.
“G, Golem-san! Where
have you been for almost a month? I was worried because I hadn't heard from you
since the guild staff on guard in front of the dungeon told you to go to the
beginner's dungeon!”
I nodded my head and
showed off my hard work in the beginner's dungeon. But Camome didn't really get
the message.
“Hmm? Have you been
working hard in the beginner's dungeon by any chance? For the past month?”
Oh, that's right. I nod
strongly.
“You must be a real
hobbyist to spend a month in a beginner's dungeon, huh? It's not that big of a
deal, is it, those dungeons?”
Oh, my God, that
dungeon is at the level where people say it's no big deal? Inwardly, I was
getting carried away, thinking “hehehe, there's no one who can compete with me”
or “maybe I'm the strongest” but it turns out that there are people above me!
You can never
underestimate a group of adventurers!
It must be the power of
the party! The power of friendship, camaraderie, and cooperation is the
mysterious power of the adventurers as they dive deeper and deeper into that
dungeon. It's a way of fighting that I can't do as a single person, and I can't
help but be disheartened. Camome, unaware of my feelings, asks me a question.
“So how far did you
dive in a month?”
I hold up both hands
and show Camome seven fingers to indicate the 700th floor. Camome looks a
little disappointed and gives me a look.
“At that level, there
wouldn't have been any items of value, or anything dropped from the monsters.”
I knew it! I knew
something was wrong! I dove so far and only found one treasure chest. Should I
have killed the monsters and collected more drop items? I could feel the chill
in the air from the other adventurers around me.
“Hey, man, that golem's
been holed up in a beginner's dungeon for a month.”
“Seriously, that place
doesn't have much in the way of monsters and doesn't keep you occupied for a
month.”
“I thought he’d be
stronger since he broke Faena’s magic sword, but I guess he’s not much.”
“Oh, I guess I was a
little over cautious for nothing.”
“Golem, why don't you
just go back home?”
“Hahahaha, agreed!”
“Go away with that
weird pouch.”
“How can you wear such
a weird pouch?”
“Pfft, don't tell him.
He's desperate.”
I turned to the
adventurers and gritted my teeth, thinking, “Geez, what a bunch of idiots.”
Though I can't because I don't have any teeth. Damn it, I should have just
attacked the dungeon with all my might instead of going through all this
hassle!
When I opened one
treasure chest and felt satisfied, I said to myself, “Wake up! You idiot!” I
wanted to shout at myself! If you're a golem, you should have gone to the very
bottom! The only way to have an adventure is to push yourself to your limits!
Oh, no! I'm so frustrated! The only thing I agree with them about is the pouch,
but that is also super frustrating!
{Log: The effect of the
[Enlightened One] has calmed the state of resentment}
As I was being
ridiculed and mocked by the adventurers, Camome said, “If you have any items
you want to sell, please let us know. The guild will buy them for you” she said
sympathetically.
A little embarrassed
and stretching a little, I put the glowing red jewel on the counter. The people
around me became a little quiet. A drop item in a beginner's dungeon doesn't
even warrant a chuckle, does it? Camome seems a little surprised and asks.
“G, Golem-san, did you
get this in the beginner's dungeon?”
I nodded my head.
“Are you sure it was a
beginner's dungeon?”
I nodded my head. Camome
looked unconvinced. “Please
wait a moment, I'm going to assess the price in the back.” She took the glowing
red jewel fearfully in her hand and walked toward the back of the guild.
The adventurers are
whispering to each other so that I can't hear them. They're probably sneaking
around, mocking me. Damn it, I have to be patient now. I need to endure. I'm
going to dive into the dungeon where the guild staff was standing and get
revenge on them!
“Hey, did you see that?”
“Yeah, I've never seen
anything like it.”
“You get that in a
beginner's dungeon?”
“No, I don't think so.”
“Yeah, I'd be happy to
go to a beginner's dungeon if I could get something like that.”
“You were laughing at
that golem earlier, but I think that's a bad idea.”
“So were you.”
“If you're not careful,
you could get killed.”
“Hmm, what do you
think?”
From the back of the
guild, I heard Camome's scream, “Eeeeeeeeeeeeeh?! Are you sure?!” I wondered
what was going on.
◆
I had to wait a long
time. I was standing alone in front of the counter, waiting, when I heard that
the assessment was finally finished.
“Golem-sama, no,
Golem-san, this way!”
Camome smiles at me and
leads me to the back of the guild. I think she just called me
"Golem-sama," but I wonder if something good happened. I've never
seen her smile like this before.
I sit down on a chair
in front of the glowing red jewel on the desk. Across from me sits an old man
with a very stern look on his face. Camome, who had led me here, stood behind
the old man.
An old man speaks to me
after confirming that I have sat down.
“Golem, is it true that
you've been holed up in a beginner's dungeon for the past month?”
I nodded my head
firmly. The old man, who looked unconvinced, began to lay out several sheets of
paper in front of me. What is he trying to do?
“Point out the entrance
to the dungeon you dove down among these.”
Hmmm... I check them
one by one. The entrance to the beginner's dungeon that I dove into is not
there. I shake my head. A deep crease forms between the old man's eyes. His
face is becoming more and more serious.
“Don't tell me it's one
of these two, by any chance.”
Oh, that's the
elaborately designed beginner's dungeon I dove into. I pointed to it as if to
say, "Here, this is it. The old man and the Camome froze in place.
“You've been to this one?”
“Eh, it's the Labyrinth
of Despair…”
I nodded my head. What
is this labyrinth of despair you speak of? The old man painfully asks me. I
wonder if he's sick.
“How many floors did
you go down?”
“He said he went down
to the seventh floor.”
“Why did you answer,
Camome?"”
“He told me by holding
up seven fingers!”
Hmm? While I was
thinking that I wasn't on the seventh floor, the old man confirmed it further.
“Did you make it to the
seventh floor?”
I shook my head in
disagreement. He gulped down his spit and continued to check.
“? No way, you mean up
to the 70th floor?”
“Is there a 70th floor?
In that labyrinth?” Camome interrupted us, but I shook my head in disagreement.
“What floor then?”
I hold up seven fingers
in the same manner as before to indicate the 700th floor.
“If it's not the
seventh floor or the 70th floor, what floor is it? It still looks like you're
holding up seven fingers to me.”
Well, I've gone deeper.
I pointed at the ground and appealed to him to go deeper and deeper. 700 floors
is where all the other adventurers went, right? I continued to appeal for more
depth, hoping that he would not underestimate the fact that I could dive that
deep. The old man didn't understand my situation, but Camome finally guessed
the correct answer.
“Ah, you mean the 700th
floor? Just kidding.”
“Don't be silly, you
can't dive 700 floors!”
I nodded towards Camome
and put my right hand in front of me and stuck my thumb in the air. The old man
and Camome froze again, just as they had earlier. I waited patiently for the
old man and Camome to recover.
The old man started
mumbling to himself.
“There's no need for
this golem to lie, no, but it's impossible. It's a labyrinth where even the
bravest of the brave lost their party members on the 50th floor and had to run
back. It's not like they're stupid. No, if they weren't idiots, they would have
turned around halfway through. Even if there are no monsters, you can't dive
700 floors. There is no way that a labyrinth of despair could have 700 floors,
really.”
The old man seems to be
trying to escape reality. I want him to come back to reality as soon as
possible. When I looked at Camome, she came back to her senses and told me the
appraisal value.
“The guildmaster seems
to be mentally distant, so I'll tell you the valuation this time instead. The
red shining jewel that Golem-sama, or rather Golem-san, brought to me this time
is a legendary item, and it's worth a whopping 21 star gold coins! This is the
first time in the history of this guild that a single item has been valued at
this much! Golem-sama, no, Golem-san is truly an amazing person!”
With a big smile on her
face, Camome told me the appraisal value. She looked even happier than I was.
The disappointed look on her face at the counter earlier was a lie. I didn't
expect her to be so pleased with my achievement! She was as happy as if it were
her own. I was touched by this kind attitude of Camome.
I and Camome clasped
hands firmly.
I was given 21 coins
called star gold coins by Camome. But I don't know the value of money, so I'm
not sure how much they're worth. Well, I guess I'll find out when I use them.
When I was about to
leave the room, the guild master bowed to me and said, “I'll let you into the
dungeon that you visited the day you came here, so you can dive there next
time.”
“Guildmaster! It's up
to Golem-sama to decide which dungeon he wants to dive into! You can't
interfere with that!”
Camome is angry at the
Guildmaster. I knew she was calling me Golem-sama. But why did she suddenly
start calling me Golem-sama?
“Shut up! If someone
brings in items like this, this guild will go bankrupt! 21 gold stars, for
God's sake! You're really giving me a hard time! Golem, see what you did!
Please don't go into the Labyrinth of Despair again!”
The guild master put
his hands on the desk, bowed his head so hard that his forehead hit the desk,
and asked me for a favor. I nodded my head in agreement and left the guild, as
I wanted to dive into the advanced dungeon next time.
Camome saw me off
outside the guild this time. She had a big smile on her face and said, “We hope
to see you again.”
◆
Clank. Opening the door
to the room where the guildmaster Gamonga and the glowing red treasure ball
remained, Camome walked in with a sheet of paper in her hand.
“Guildmaster, please
transfer the reward to my account as per this contract.”
“Hey, Camome, about
that.”
“I never thought I'd
have the chance to get my hands on a gold star in my life! That golem is my god
of fortune! I'm too afraid to turn my back on him!”
“H, Hey, Camome, about
that.”
“Please make the
transfer as per the contract! I'll leave you to it.”
Camome left the
guildmaster in the room and walked out of the room, closing the door with a
slam.
“No, I feel sick, I'm
going to throw up.”
Gamonga muttered, and
fell ill in bed for two days.
Lol. thanks for the chapter
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