317-288 Climbing! (1)

But thank God for that. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable climbing a wall in the dark.

We're amateurs, you know.

They say you can climb it without tools, but ...... it's a bit scary at this height.

It's only a little over a meter wide, so if you try hard enough, you might be able to push both walls with your feet and climb up, but it's pretty scary to go 20 meters up like that.

If my hip joint snaps, I could die.

Well, it's not overhanging, so it's a good place to practice.

"Bouldering with a little more difficulty?　It's a bit more difficult than bouldering, though. ...... There are no safety devices.

Overhang is a condition in which the wall is tilted toward the front rather than vertically.

Since it is difficult to stick to the wall, it is almost impossible to conquer unless you can support all your weight with one hand.

When I was bouldering once, I fell down as usual.

It's impossible to pull yourself up from that state, let alone to hang down with one hand.

So I always think.

In the movies, there are people who hang on for a very long time even though they are only hanging on by their fingertips.

People who grab a person who is about to fall with one hand and pull him up.

--No, you can't do that.

At least not with the strength of a normal person.

You don't need to grind your fingertips, you'll fall!

I wonder how many people can do pull-ups with one hand, even if they use something easy to grab like a bar.

I wonder how many people can do one-handed pull-ups, even with something as easy to grab as an iron bar. Well, in this world, Toya could do it.

It's just the right level of difficulty since we're also testing the equipment.

To be honest, it's also a cause for concern. ......

This time, Haruka easily gave us permission to go out, but we didn't go out without telling her our destination.

We had never been to the place before, so we couldn't tell her the details, but we gave her a rough idea of where we were going and said, "I'm going to pick up some things around there.

No, I don't think of it as climbing gear.

Rock climbing gear?

Something like that.

Specifically, harnesses, ropes, picks, carabiner-like things, rope hooks, and some kind of unidentifiable tools to hold onto the rock.

It's a mix of tools used for climbing rocks around here, and stuff that Haruka, Natsuki, Tommy, and others have made up by pulling together their vague modern knowledge.

If you're going to the crag, why don't you go and test it out?

That's what they say.

Harnesses and ropes are okay.

The so-called safety belt and rope.

I've already checked the strength of the rope when I was collecting dingles, and the safety belt was sewn up by Haruka and the others, so I understand the strength of the material, so I'm not worried.

The pick is also okay.

It's just a different type of hammer.

It won't break easily, and even if it does, it won't cause too much damage.

The carabiners and rope clamps are also ...... probably okay.

They said it was well forged, hardened and annealed, so I'm sure it won't suddenly break - or so I hope.

Seriously, please?　I'm going to put a lot of weight on this thing.

But the problem is that I don't know what I'm doing.

I've been briefed on how to use it: .......

The first one looks like a square weight attached to the end of a loop of wire.

The first one looks like a square weight attached to the end of a looped wire, and it's supposed to be hooked into a crevice in the rock, but is that enough?

The structure itself is simple, so there is no need to worry about the strength of the tool.

I guess it's our responsibility to choose the right rock for the job. .......

The other one is also for inserting into the gap between rocks, but it is bigger than the previous one, and the mechanism is more complicated.

When you insert it into the gap between the rocks and pull the wire coming out from underneath, the tip of the wire will expand and hold it firmly in place between the rocks.

Anxious.

Super anxious.

It's not as simple as other tools.

Yuki. Are these tools really safe?

"That's why we're here, isn't it?

I asked anxiously, to which Yuki responded in a rather curious manner.

No, it's true, but .......

I'm not sure what to make of that. --It's not like I can test it in a dungeon. I made it up from my foggy memory.

"Hey. Fuzzy memories, huh?

I heard a line that really caught my attention.

"Because none of us have ever been rock climbing. Not even Nao.

"No. It's not an easy sport to get into.

It's not a sport that's easy to do," he said. "So these tools are just vague replicas of what we've seen on TV or in online videos of rock climbing. It's the memory of four people, so I don't think it's that strange.

"Mmmm ......

It's true that Haruka and the others are more reliable than my memory. .......

"Don't worry, it's been tested for durability. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

"Then--

As long as it's securely fastened.

That is the problem.

Even a proper tool is useless if it is not used properly.

Let's just use it in a place where it's safe to fall, a few meters away.

"Copy that, .......

There's no point in arguing, and in fact, there's no way I'm going to use it in the dungeon unless I test it here to make sure it's safe.

I put on my gear and got on the rock wall while Yuki explained to me.

--Thanks to the magic bag, I don't have to worry too much about the weight, which is an advantage.

It's a good thing that I don't have to worry about the weight of the bag.

"Okay, let's go!　Nao!

"Yes, yes.

Actually, it was Toya's role to do this.

His strength, his sturdiness, and most of all his weight.

Even if I can use it without any problem, Toya is twice as heavy as I am, including equipment. It's too big to be a margin of error.

"Well, you can think of it as the first test. ......

Yuki pointed upwards, and I started to climb up the rock wall.

But it's only a few meters.

I found a suitable crack in it, so I used a pick to check the strength of the crack.

...... is okay, right?

I'm too scared to use it if it's going to fall apart.

Hook a weighted wire of the appropriate size into the gap, and attach a carabiner to the wire.

Okay, here we go.

Come on!

Underneath me, Yuki is waiting for me with her arms outstretched, waiting for me to put my weight on her.

...... No, just avoid him.

It's okay!　If you fall, I'll catch you!

It's impossible, isn't it?

We're not as strong as we look.

We'll fall a few meters. We're not going to be crushed, so we'll just stay here.

"Okay. ....... --Gently.

At first I tried to pull on it, but it didn't seem to come off.

I also stuck my foot on the wall and pulled, and it hung ...... down, no problem.

I wasn't too worried about the tool, but when I checked the crevice in the rock, the corner of the weight was slightly embedded in the rock. .......

I'm not sure what to do.　Is this a problem?　Hmm, there is room to think about the shape of the weight, huh?

It is better for a large area to receive the force than for it to be applied to a single point.

If it's possible, it might be better to wrap the weight with a slightly flexible material or something like that.

"What's the matter?

Oh, yeah, no problem. Let's go next.

Yuki's worried voice came from downstairs, and I started to work on the next tool - my most important concern.

A little wider gap ...... will do.

The gap was a little higher than the previous one.

A slightly higher gap than the previous one. A tool with a slightly complicated mechanism is inserted into the gap and manipulated.

"Spread it out here ...... and insert a pin here to hold it in place.

By inserting the pin into the fan-shaped tool, it will stay in place and will not come loose from the gap in the rock even if you pull on it.

I hooked the carabiner to it and gave it another hard tug, but it stayed in place.

...... are you okay?

Thinking that I could move with the rope hooked, I moved left and right on the wall with my weight on it.

In addition, you can loosen the rope a little and put your weight on it all at once.

Crack!