The next day after my promise with Flint the Lizardman blacksmith, I managed to take Revi with me as an assistant, she's free until today's dinner rush, and went to the entrance to the Dragon's Spine where we waited for our employer.

"Hey, Garami! I'm sorry it took so long!" - Flint

He might be shouting and being all dramatic and stuff, but Flint was only five minutes late for the promised meeting. He was carrying a large backpack that had pickaxes sticking out from it.

"And who is..., ugh! Er, I mean..., Miss Garami? Is this young lady...?" - Flint

"This? This is our Guild's little angel, Revi Darul." - Garami

"...Pleased to meet...you," replied Revi while halfway concealing herself behind me. She's still a little nervous when facing strangers, poor girl.

"Err...I-I didn't know the Voyagers were connected to Loitan..." started Flint, his red scales gradually losing colors as sweat fell down his face. Speaking of not knowing stuff, I was clueless that lizards could do either of those feats.

"We aren't. Where did you get that idea from?" - Garami

"Y-you aren't? Then who is this unmistakably royal-looking little lady...?" - Flint

Royal-looking? She looks more like a witch than anything, a lizard at worst, not that I think so. But saying any of this out loud would break her heart. Not to mention causing her to drop dead from whatever peak of happiness she is sitting on now. Seriously, that girl is too easy to please. And wasn't being treated as part of royalty the start of your problems, little Miss?

"Revi here comes from Velantas, just like me. More specifically, she was born, raised, died, and re-raised in a place called Tir na Nog. She's got nothing to do with Loitan or any other dragons." - Garami

"O-oh, okay...? Re-raised???" - Flint

"It's a long story. Mind if we speed things up? Revi has to return to the field kitchen before they start preparing the dinner." - Garami

Forcing the story to move on, I took Revi with me as we entered the Spine. Flint followed us after a beat, taking a moment to process our conversation.

The inside of the Spine was...not as magical as one would expect from a giant monolith named after a dragon. There are a lot of tunnels though. And mine carts.

It felt like the ground was covered with a wall-to-wall carpet of rails. Miners (I presume) were pushing cart upon cart filled with mined rocks, tools, or other (lazy) miners through, from, and into new tunnels. It's a wonder this big old rock hasn't collapsed on top of everyone's heads by now. This thing could rival Swiss cheese when it comes to the number of holes in it.

As we passed them, the miners greeted Flint. Some did it normally, someone cracked a joke, but in all, it was quite normal. For someone living at the edge of the town's two most populated areas, I figured he was sort of an outcast. The miners' attitude is telling a different story.

...Maybe he's only poor? That would explain why he didn't hire anyone else to help with this problem he has in the mines...

We snagged a cart and took the amusing way down to Flint's stomping grounds. What greeted us was a tunnel blocked by giant vines. No, maybe they're roots? We are technically underground now.

"So these are the rumored 'obstacles'?" - Garami

"Long story short, yup. They suddenly appeared in many of the tunnels lately, like one day, BAM! Welcome to Rootvile." - Flint

"Aha. Then they're indeed plants. How about burning them?" - Garami

"I will go get the oil." - Revi

This girl is indeed a [True Chaos] owner, just like me. I'm so proud~.

"Wha-, no! The Spine contains not only metal ore, but it is also the home to several coal veins! Start a big fire and the whole monolith will turn into a gigantic oven!" - Flint

"The old ladies at the kitchen did complain about not having enough firepower for today's pizza baking..." - Revi

"Stop that. As expected, something that big would be too chaotic even for us." - Garami

While lightly admonishing our resident Seven Sins user, I started inspecting the giant roots blocking our path. Not only is every single one of them bigger than Mira (which is in one way sort of a miracle), but their constitution is way different from common plants. When I tried knocking on one of them, it felt like I was hitting one of Armveil's anvils.

"Solid stuff." - Garami

"That's something we all have learned already. These are the roots of Tuntuntang plants. Also known as 'metal parasites', they feed off on metal which causes their bark to grow tougher depending on the quality of their 'meals'." - Flint

"No wonder they thrive so well in here." - Garami

"The strange thing is that this plant isn't native to the Invidia continent, far from in the middle of the desert." - Flint

Huh? How's that even possible? Maybe there's sabotage going on here...

"Did the doggo help?" asked Revi all of a sudden. Doggo..., oh. That crystal jackal.

"No one's got proof, but we're pretty sure it did something. These guys stopped their explosive growth period the same day after that monster jackal stormed into the Palmtree forest." - Flint

"The same forest that there's a good kilometer or two with dry sand land between it and here?" - Garami

"Yup. The very same." - Flint

Okay, normally I'd say there was some mega Tuntuntang plant hidden in that forest, but the dry, empty, sun-filled desert road to the Spine kills the idea faster than it would the plants physically.

"Someone has already tried to cut these," said Revi as she pointed at some crazy scratch marks on the bark of one of the roots.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Ehh..., that was me. But in my defense, I'm not crafting lumberjack axes for a living." - Flint

True. He's making something way cooler.

"In that case, let's try this thing. You two, step back a little." - Garami

After having enough elbow space to strut my stuff, I took out the Nightmare Scythe and got into position. Hmm, now that I think about it, a scythe is indeed the right tool for gardening. Not sure if it qualifies for roots though.

While knowing it wouldn't do much, I swung the Scythe at the nearest root. No result. All I got was a metallic *clank* from the so-called plant. Wouldn't it be more efficient to cultivate these things instead of going all the way mining out the shit?

Adjusting my scythe again, I tried using my secret technique. Not bothering about safety limits, I activated [Aura of Darkness] at full force, so high that the slight recoil feedback started to sting all over my body. Though this pain became the fuel for my other Champion Skill, [Burning Warlust].

Red flames and black miasma started enveloping my body, then my weapon. Concentrating, I tried gathering most of the burning energy into the blade of my scythe, before repeating my slash from before.

There was some resistance, but other than that, the scythe blade cut through the root like warm butter. Not wasting any moment, flames, or MP, I switched from the downward swing into an uppercut (emphasis on the "cut" part) and slashed off another part of the root. The cut-off section landed on the tunnel floor with a loud noise, but I was not going to stop.

Root after root was slashed and left behind on the floor. When the "logs" started to pile up, I kicked them back to where Flint and Revi could pick them up and place them into the carts. Despite their difficulty in harvesting, or perhaps because of this difficulty, the Tuntuntang plant is an excellent material for making weaponry and armor. Plant-type armor, who'd guess?

Things went smoothly. Thanks to my rush, two to three handfuls of roots were perfectly removed from the tunnel. However...

"Th-this is...impossible..." - Garami

While my secret Champion combo technique is powerful, enough to make Mira and the other warriors at the Velantas Adventurers' Union training hall green with jealously, let's not forget this strategy's weakness. I'm spending lots of MP maintaining [Aura of Darkness] at this high degree, plus [Burning Warlust] only activates because I take DAMAGE from the recoil! My body feels like it's falling apart on me! It must be karma from all my dismembering of the plant roots. Hahaha...

"N-need a...break..." - Garami

"R-right! Good job, I mean, great work! Take a break, you've earned it." - Flint

Collapsing on the tunnel floor, I weakly accepted the health potion offered by Flint. The Lizardman could only look in wonder at the large hill of Tuntuntang roots that were stacked on top of the many carts (Revi had been clever and fetched some more for us).

"...Hey, couldn't you use those for Iron's shield?" - Garami

"That...is possible, but to be honest, no one in this town has the skill to process metallic plants. Ah, I'm talking about skills you've learned and studied, not the ones you get with AP." - Flint

I figured that much, punk...

"Not that it lowers their value. When the merchant caravan arrives, I'd make a fortune..." - Flint

"Then we're getting a bonus?" - Garami

"S-sure. I expected we needed to destroy the roots, like they did in the other tunnels. Being able to harvest them is something I didn't see coming..., AH!!" - Flint

"Wh-what now?" - Garami

"This is a problem! I can't fix the shield with just this! Unless you want to wait until the caravan arrives..." - Flint

"No way, Jose!" - Garami

"Who's Jose?" - Flint

"I meant, we can't be waiting for so long! We're busy trying to create a base for our desert explorations!" - Garami

"Mhm. An unexplored desert is...like a gold mine to us adventures." - Revi

Oh, nice excuse~. Let's pull that one out when we meet other people asking what we're doing in this godforsaken sandbox.

"Aha, no wonder. In that case, could you please continue? There's no need for that 'secret art' of yours again. Seriously, don't use it. I can't afford any health-related compensations!" - Flint

He does look poor. Better be a good demon and not wring his wallet completely dry. As for the roots then, the other option I have...would be [Natural Webbing]. Trees and plants are made up of fibers and stuff or whatever, so they're much easier to dismantle than say rocks or metals. Though seeing how these roots are both plants AND metal, I bet they'll suck up tons of MP. More than what the "Burning Aura" combo does, but that one also requires HP, so...

"This might be out of the blue, but there's nobody down there, right?" - Garami

"Down the tunnel? No, the last one there before the roots blocked it was me, and even if somebody managed to dig around them, they'd be a thief trying to steal my ores." - Flint

"Alright. Revi, do it." - Garami

"Okay~." - Revi

I left the problems in the capable hands of Revi. Humming a happy tune, either because she's gotten a proper role or because she's tired of picking up roots. Facing the clogged tunnel, she started to chant something with a low voice.

"...Just curious, but you don't sell Magic Catalysts in your shop?" - Garami

"Ehm, nope. Sorry, not my thing." - Flint

Tch. Here I hoped we could FINALLY equip Revi with something. The stores in Velantas didn't have anything that was a match for her. According to that wand shop guy, our little dragon girl's magical constitution is too unique. A half-assed Catalyst won't work. Is there some magical school nearby that sells wands? No? Again, tch!

"...release your might and roar! Death Dragon's Breath!!" - Revi

A giant mouth appeared in front of Revi and released a beam of black light at the infested tunnel. The force of the aether dragon's breath was so intense that Flint got blown onto his back with a crash. I hope this won't affect our pay.

Outside of Flint's surprise comedy shtick, the magic spell that replicates the breath of the greatest Death Dragons seemed to have worked. After the spell ended and the dragon's mouth disappeared, all that was left in its aftermath was a corridor filled with dead flora. Revi tried knocking on one of the roots, only for the thing to turn to dust by her touch. Yeoch.

"...Garami, it's time." - Revi

"The kitchen's calling? Sure, you've done more than enough." - Garami

Having kept the time with her pocketwatch, Revi said goodbye for the day and headed to her second (actually her first) job. Not that she's done too little to take an early leave here.

"...Miss Garami? What in the world..." asked Flint, who'd yet to rise after being blown over by Revi's magic attack. Where should I start...

"Hmm, do you know about Shamanism?" - Garami

"Shamanism? Ain't that the magic that tries to ape after other creatures or nature zones?" - Flint

"Great. That makes things easier for me." - Garami

Shamanism can be split into two categories, just like Flint said. The former is connected to classes such as [Beast Shaman] or [Avian Shaman], while the latter has classes such as [Druid] or [Sea Shaman].

While these magic spells can become powerful in the right location, or if you use magic catalysts with a strong focus on one's creature in question, if you have neither of those cards in your favor, you're as good as sunk when it comes to a magic shoot-off.

"One thing that can solve those problems, at least for creatures-based Shamanism, is to be of the same species as what your Shamanism is trying to copy." - Garami

"...Ah. Wait, wait, wait just a second! Then that girl, you're telling me she's some sort of 'Dragon Shaman' then!?" - Flint

"Wow, you got it in one try. Yup, our resident genius witch is also running the [Dragon Shaman] class." - Garami

"For real......? Wait, then why isn't she just using Monster Skills? Won't that be much easier than chanting those spells?" - Flint

"Usually, you're right. But Revi is a little special. Point A is that she might be from a race tightly connected to proper dragons, but you've seen her. Flint, can you imagine her suddenly growing gigantic wings that can blow houses to pieces? See her slashing people to ribbons with her sharp claws? See her small mouth releasing such a devastating breath like the one we saw before?" - Garami

"...Not at all. It would feel like something out of a nightmare." - Flint

Or simply an otaku's wet dream. Well, if someone like that tried getting close to Revi...they wouldn't have much time left on this earth.

"And for the second, Revi was already strong when it came to magic before she started taking up Shamanism. Even if she could switch to proper dragon-based Monster Skills, Shamanism would still be stronger in her case." - Garami

"Yeah, no joke..." said Flint while brushing away the roots in front of us, watching as they turned to dust for a good word.

"...You said she's helping the field kitchen? Is that going to be alright?" - Flint

".........Let's worry about mining some ores and leave the kitchen to the cooks." - Garami

Refusing to give a proper answer, I took point and cleaned away the dead roots for Flint. As for my real thoughts about the subject...nobody's died from Revi's food...yet. It should be fine...probably. Maybe...