Chapter 89
[Opening Job-Specific Shop]
[Job-Specific Shop ― Neutral Attribute Magic]
― Appraisal Lv. 2
― Dismantle Lv. 1
― Combine Lv. 1
― Decode Lv. 1
― Enchant Lv. 1
It had been a while since I last saw neutral attribute magic. Ever since I bought the Appraisal spell, I hadn’t purchased any other magic.
It also seemed like there were more spells than before.
“First… Dismantle, I guess?”
I clicked on the Dismantle spell and read the description.
In summary, it seemed to be a spell that consumed 100 divine points to dismantle a creature and obtain byproducts.
Just what I needed at the moment. I didn’t hesitate and purchased the spell immediately.
[Spend 200 Saint Points to purchase ‘Dismantle Lv. 1’?]
[Current remaining Saint Points: 350]
“Good. Now I should be able to dismantle the bear!”
After confirming the purchase, I turned to the bear lying on the ground and shouted:
“Dismantle.”
At that moment, the bear’s body glowed white.
And the bear’s body…
“…Huh?”
Instead of dismantling, the intensifying light suddenly flickered out. It was as if someone had cut the power. I probably failed to cast the spell…
[Cannot dismantle the target.]
As I suspected, a notification appeared immediately, stating that I couldn’t dismantle the target.
“What? Why!”
I had bought this spell because it was recommended for neutral attribute magic, but now it wouldn’t work?
Just as I was about to vent my frustration at the system, another notification appeared, seemingly calming my anger first.
[The entity ‘Grim Bear’ exceeds the volume limit for dismantling.]
[To obtain materials from ‘Grim Bear,’ ‘Dismantle Lv. 2’ is required.]
So the bear’s name was Grim Bear.
And to dismantle it, I needed a Level 2 spell.
“Ah, the dismantle spell’s required level depends on the size of the target? Ugh… extra expense… can’t be helped.”
I ended up buying the Level 2 spell as well. My Saint Points dropped to 150.
‘Empty again… No, this was necessary. I spent rationally.’
I comforted myself, confident that I could now really dismantle the bear.
After spending some time contemplating how to dismantle it, I looked at Grim Bear groaning on the cold cave floor, and strangely, I felt pity.
Wanting to send it off quickly, I cast the spell without hesitation:
“Dismantle.”
This time, the bear glowed brightly again. My hand moved on its own, gripping the dagger, and in an instant, split the bear’s body in two.
“…?!”
I was briefly surprised by my hand moving involuntarily, but then the bear’s body disintegrated into glowing particles, leaving something behind.
I checked the system result window that appeared in front of me:
[Entity ‘Grim Bear’ has been dismantled.]
[Acquired Items]
[Corrupted Grim Bear Black Meat ×1]
[Since conditions were met, reward grade has increased.]
└ Current reward grade: E
└ Amount needed for next grade: 0/5
[Automatically acquired F-grade reward.]
“Oh? It gives an F-grade reward too?”
I thought the grade would only increase if conditions were met, but apparently it also gave the lower-grade reward. How kind.
Since I decided to check rewards immediately from now on, I opened the description window:
[Checking rewards]
― Not a ghost, it’s a Ladle? (Grade: Normal)
― Type: Tool
A magical ladle that stirs automatically when placed in a pot. If you’re a chef, you might really want one.
“Why are tool item names always like this…”
Amur God… being an imaginary entity, maybe it’s the system’s sense of humor. Really lame.
Anyway, a magical ladle came out following the magical jar.
Compared to the magical jar I’ve been using, its usefulness seemed slightly lower.
‘Well, it is a normal grade anyway.’
Since this is a world with magic, creating something like this isn’t impossible.
And in this world, chefs are looked down upon, so such tools don’t normally exist—meaning I got the tool without bothering Edwin. Not a bad outcome.
I muttered, as if cursing Iris God:
“Well, it’s not bad to have it. The byproduct from dismantling… ‘Corrupted Grim Bear Black Meat’…”
I picked up a cubed piece of black meat from the ground.
It was quite large, but for dismantling such a massive Grim Bear, it seemed like a meager amount.
‘Feels just like a game.’
It really felt like an item drop from a game.
Even though this wasn’t the time, my gamer’s instinct from my previous life stirred. I might have actually found it a bit fun.
“Hmm. First, let’s appraise this quickly.”
Setting aside the fun, I didn’t have high expectations.
It was good to get meat, but the “corrupted” label was unsettling.
‘I mean, I’m doing this because of a quest, but eating monster meat? That’s not gourmet, it’s literally vile eating.’
Though it was already prepared and convenient for cooking, the surface was covered with black residue, similar to what coated the cave.
If I stared too long, the residue seemed to wriggle slightly. Just looking at it killed my appetite.
I sighed and used the Appraisal spell without hope:
[Appraisal Complete]
― Corrupted Grim Bear Black Meat
― Material Grade: Rare
A slice of Grim Bear meat, scorched by corrupt magic as if charred. Eating it raw may cause poisoning and death, but its unique savory aroma and rich juices are unmatched by ordinary meat.
Can be consumed after purifying the corrupted magic.
“What…?”
As if mocking me, the spell indicated this meat was a rare material.
Honestly, I thought it might be a bug.
Think about it: the effort I’ve gone through for rare materials in the past, all the countless gachas, the points I spent like water…
‘And now, just dismantling one bear gives me rare material? Does that make sense?’
Grim Bear had instantly become insignificant in my mind. It was just too easy to handle.
The bear meat was rare… savory and juicy… deep and rich. Deep… rich…?
I read the material description repeatedly with a blank expression.
Exhaling deeply, I looked up.
This was only the first dismantle; maybe the next would be different.
But even this first dismantle gave rare materials.
The more materials I obtained, the higher the quest reward grade.
The F-grade reward was also a fairly decent tool.
“…Now I get it.”
I finally realized:
“This quest was the Golden Goblin event, wasn’t it?”
In RPGs from my previous life, the Golden Goblin was notorious for being easy to kill but giving generous rewards.
Grim Bear was the Golden Goblin equivalent.
Before I knew it, the event quest’s time had halved. Recognizing this, I fired a Holy Bolt at the Grim Bear that reappeared from the darkness without hesitation.
The glorious battle had begun.
After that, as you can see from the materials obtained:
[Total Acquisition]
Corrupted Grim Bear Black Meat ×28
Rotting Dark Blood Marrow ×4
Thought Fang ×1
After 30 minutes of slaughtering Grim Bears, I collected various materials.
[Quest Rewards Granted]
― Achieved Grade: A
└ Dismantled Grim Bears: 52
└ Materials Obtained: 33
[A-Grade Reward Acquired]
Achieving an A-grade, I claimed the quest rewards.
[Achievement Unlocked]
[Achievement]
‘Apprentice Dismantler’
─ Conditions: Dismantle 50 monsters
─ Reward: Increased chance to obtain rare materials from dismantling monsters
An unexpected achievement unlocked!
‘Sweet, sweet.’
I don’t even know how much I sweated over the Grim Bears for 30 minutes.
At one point, I even ran out of divine points and used two Saint Magic Stones to recharge.
When a dozen or so Grim Bears, which I thought were individual, swarmed together, I did sweat a little.
But blinded by the quest rewards, I dismantled them all without worrying about my own injuries.
Eventually, one remaining Grim Bear hesitated, then quickly turned and ran.
“The wounds on its back are a sword’s shame…”
[You are a Saint.]
“Well, the difference between a Saint and a swordsman is small when it comes to eliminating monsters. Don’t sweat the small stuff.”
Of course, I dismantled the fleeing bear as well.
Thanks to my fear resistance, monsters no longer scared me at all.
I sustained minor injuries, but they were manageable and healed immediately.
This is the taste of a battle healer. Ahh.
After enjoying a brief sense of satisfaction, I turned to the system window at the top:
[Check A-grade rewards?]
“Of course!”
Nothing is more satisfying than quest rewards.
I smiled and pressed the confirmation button.
