Chapter 14 - Crab Grinder

With a Heavy Heart, I Bought Two More Stones for 10 MD

— Ah, my salary… It hurts so much to spend it… After being unemployed for so long, I think I’ve grown too attached to every single coin…

I murmured, sighing.

— Anyway, now I have 721 Dimensional Money.

The stone slab was heavier than I expected, so I left it exactly where it appeared. I picked up the smaller stone, placed a shell on the slab, and started hammering it, trying to break it without using too much force. I didn’t want pieces flying off and hitting Lilay. After all, only I had a monstrous defense.

But the task wasn’t as simple as I imagined. The shell was tougher than it looked. With each strike, small fragments chipped off, but it remained mostly intact. My arm started to ache, and my patience nearly ran out.

— Damn it! Why is this so hard?!

I grumbled, feeling sweat trickle down my forehead.

Lilay, who was lying beside me, watched everything with half-open eyes. Bored, he picked up one of the broken pieces and put it in his mouth. He immediately spat it out, making such an exaggerated grimace that I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

He wiped his mouth with the seaweed around him.

I picked up one of the crushed fragments and put it in my mouth. As soon as it touched my tongue, I felt an intense and unexpectedly sweet taste. My taste buds tingled in surprise. It was like honey mixed with a light salty touch of the ocean.

My eyes lit up.

— This is really good!

Lilay looked at me with suspicion and scooted away slightly, as if he thought I was crazy.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Ignoring his reaction, I kept grinding the remaining pieces, rubbing the stone over the fragments until they turned into a fine powder. Tiny sparkles appeared in the mixture, reflecting the dim light around us, creating an effect similar to glitter on a gift card. It was beautiful to see.

When I finally finished, a bell rang in my mind.

{Technology Acquired: Beginner Alchemy}

Congratulations! Keep learning to gain more bonuses. You have earned 300 MD.

My jaw nearly dropped.

— What?! I earned more money than I had before! Now I have 1021 MD!

My joy was quickly replaced by confusion.

— How does this count as alchemy? Why is grinding crabs so special?

Curious, I used my Analyze skill on the red powder I had produced.

[Lucky Crab Powder]

* Classification: Good

* Defense: +1

* Ability: Glows in the dark, increases defense when consumed.

Powder made from the exoskeletons of lucky crabs. Its classification was raised due to the excellent quality of these animals’ shells. This powder can be used to increase defense, but its effect weakens over time. The horrible taste repels most species, but naturally resistant creatures find it sweet when consumed. It can also be used to create strength potions.

— This is amazing! But it also explains why I didn’t gain strength and why Lilay didn’t want to eat it.

My body trembled with excitement, but the euphoria didn’t last long. Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced my head. Invisible needles stabbed into my brain, and a surge of information exploded inside my mind. It was as if someone was pouring pure knowledge directly into me.

I couldn’t take it. Everything went dark, and I passed out.

…

When Krahs returned, he found an unexpected scene. The nest was covered in a strange red powder, and the two small hatchlings were completely painted red as if they had rolled around in the substance.

— What the…? — He furrowed his brow and looked closer.

Setting his spear aside, he picked up a sharp object that lay in the sand. It was a strange black stone tip.

— How did this get here? I only trained near the nest and never saw the little ones leave.

Outside, the moon and starlight passed through the translucent walls of the shelter, reflecting on the tiny sparkling specks of red powder. For a moment, Krahs felt an inexplicable warmth in his chest. He looked up at the sky and smiled.

— I see… Is it you, stars? Watching over them like this…

His smile widened. He sat beside the hatchlings and gently woke them up. He served them succulent pieces of the fish he had caught, expecting them to eat eagerly.

But as soon as they saw the food, both made such exaggerated grimaces that Krahs couldn’t hold back his laughter.

— You don’t want to eat? What happened to my little gluttons?

Nexha and Lilay exchanged glances—they had clearly eaten too much crab. But Krahs didn’t know that. He just laughed louder, ruffling their hair.

— You two really are special.