CH 99

Nido Tensei Chapter 99

Episode 99: A discernible difference in sharpness.

“Good morning, everyone.”

The next morning, we came to the adventurer guild’s dismantling area to continue the dismantling class.

“Today, we will continue dismantling the Green Dragon, just like yesterday. And starting from today’s lecture, you will use the dismantling knife placed on the dismantling table to dismantle the dragon’s materials.”

Everyone’s gaze is drawn to the knife placed next to us on the dismantling table.

“Are we using this? … It’s surprisingly light.”

The dismantlers who took the knife in their hands were surprised by its lightness.

“And it’s thin. Can we really dismantle a dragon with such a knife?”

Dismantlers who doubted the knife took it in their hands and stabbed it into the Green Dragon’s skin. And then…

“Whoa!? What is this!? The knife went in without any resistance!?”

“Or rather, it feels like it’s sinking into a stew without any resistance!”

The unexpected sharpness of the knife enveloped the dismantling area in confusion.

“This is the reason why the cuts on the dragon skin that you and Lune-san made yesterday were different.”

“This!?”

“Hey, what do you mean? Are you trying to say that the knife the girl over there had was sharper than our dismantling knives?”

The dismantler points to Lune-san, who is dismantling in another place.

“Yes, that’s right. The difference in the cuts on the dragon skin that you and Lune-san made was simply due to the difference in tools.”

“Huh? Seriously!?”

It seems that they didn’t expect the joke-like line to be the correct answer, as the dismantlers’ expressions became surprised.

“Lune-san, could you come here for a moment?”

“Huh? Oh, yes!”

I called Lune-san and a dismantler who was nearby.

“Could you lend me the knives that you and Lune-san used to dismantle the dragon skin yesterday?”

“Huh? Y-yes.”

“Sure.”

I received the knives they used for dismantling and cut the Green Dragon’s skin placed on the table.

And everyone watched that scene.

“This is…!?”

“The cut made with the girl’s knife is quite clean, but the one made with Mok’s knife is all torn up.”

“Could it really be just a difference in tools?”

The dismantlers look at the cuts on the Green Dragon’s skin, puzzled, and then look at me.

“As you can see, Lune-san’s knife has been confirmed to have better sharpness than the dismantling knives you all are using. This time, we cut the skin without looking at the scales, so the smoothness of the cuts is simply due to the difference in the quality of the blades.”

“Seriously…”

The dismantlers look at Lune-san’s knife in astonishment.

“But we are professional dismantlers! Even if the quality of the tools is slightly better, is there really such a big difference in the cuts?”

Yeah, if the difference in tools is not significant, there won’t be such a big difference. In fact, the advantage of the tools can easily be overshadowed by the skills of the dismantlers. But…

“Compared to the dismantling knives you all are using, Lune-san’s knife is made with significantly higher-quality materials and craftsmanship. It’s like the difference between a stone knife and a mithril knife.”

“That much!?”

The dismantlers are surprised and look at Lune-san.

“Um… It is true that my knife is a family heirloom that has been passed down for generations, but can you really tell just by looking at it?”

Lune-san asks with a surprised expression.

“Yes, you can tell just by looking at the blade. The blade of this knife… well, that’s a personal secret, so I shouldn’t talk about it without permission. Anyway, it’s a better quality than the dismantling knives you all are using.”

Yeah, it’s not an exceptionally amazing material, but it would be rude to talk so much about someone else’s belongings.

“Wow, to be able to tell just by looking at it, what a discerning eye… You really are… Yes!?”

Lune-san was about to say something but quickly closed her mouth.

“Is something wrong, Lune-san?”

“N-no, it’s nothing!”

“Now, going back to the topic, that’s why I concluded that the reason you all couldn’t cut the Green Dragon’s skin cleanly was simply due to the tools themselves.”

I pick up the same knife that I distributed to everyone.

“The quality of the tools is important because it depends on the materials used and the craftsmanship. With low-quality materials and poor craftsmanship, you can only produce shoddy work. You can compensate with skills, but if the quality of the materials is low, there are limits to what you can do with your skills. It’s like how no matter how well you polish a wooden sword, it can’t cut through a lump of iron.”

“But if it’s you, you could probably cut through it with a wooden sword, right?”

“Yeah, I can.”

“You can cut through it with a wooden sword!?”

After I answered Gyro’s question, everyone gave a collective response.

“Well, that’s only if you use techniques to cut through it. It’s just a saying that even if you hit it with a wooden sword, it can’t cut through it normally.”

“Well, I’m more interested in being able to cut through it with a wooden sword.”

“Me too.”

“Well, that’s not relevant to this lecture, so let’s leave it aside.”

“But now I’m curious about it!”

Setting aside those voices, let’s continue with the lecture for now.

“Preparing appropriate tools is quite important. This is a serious matter, but there are many people who neglect the quality of the tools and believe that they can do sufficient work with just their skills. They think that if they master the technique, even low-quality tools are enough.”

There are quite a few people like that. They say that relying on convenient tools is a weakness.

“But that’s a big mistake. The balance between skills and the quality of the tools is important. If the tools are superior but the skills are lacking, the tools won’t be able to keep up and will break. Even if one of them is superior, their true value cannot be fully demonstrated.”

In reality, I also have limitations in giving my all due to that. I worry that the materials I can obtain are not good enough and might break.

Well, if I add the strengthening effect of body enhancement magic, the durability will increase significantly, so even with my current equipment, I can fight against a Golden Dragon. Oh, that’s right, since I obtained the materials from the Golden Dragon, I should make new equipment. I’ll make it for everyone while I’m at it.

“Well, if you become a higher-ranked adventurer, you naturally replace your equipment to fight stronger enemies.”

The adventurers who participated in the dismantling class agree with my statement.

“Yeah, we also have to prepare decent tools to cleanly dismantle the materials entrusted to us by our clients.”

The guild master also agrees.

“Yeah, when you think about it, dismantling a dragon is like attacking a dragon that doesn’t resist. And even if it doesn’t resist, it’s a dragon, so it won’t be afraid of attacks like a wooden stick.”

Oh, Gyro-kun said something good.

“Yeah, Gyro-kun is right. The tools used for dismantling are the weapons of the dismantlers.”

“Yes! I was praised by my big brother!”

“Yes, yes, that’s good. But don’t jump around too much.”

Gyro-kun, who was praised by me, is very happy and jumping around, and Minna-san scolds him.

“So, for this time, I have prepared dismantling knives made from Black Dragon materials, which can cleanly cut the scales and leather of the Green Dragon.”

I say this and cut the Green Dragon’s scales in half.

“I see, if we use a dismantling knife made from Black Dragon materials, which is a higher-ranked dragon than the Green Dragon, it’s not strange that we can cut the Green Dragon’s skin cleanly.”

“That’s right, if that’s the case, then it makes sense.”

“…”

“Wait, you’re using a knife made from Black Dragon materials!?”

“Yes, the sharpness is quite good, don’t you think?”

“No, it’s not just good, it’s too good… Wait, are you serious!?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Wait, using a knife made from Black Dragon materials… But we took this class specifically to dismantle a Black Dragon…”

Ah, so that’s why they were surprised.

“Don’t worry. We still have the Black Dragon specifically for dismantling. The knife we prepared this time was made from a newly hunted Black Dragon.”

“I see, that’s a relief… Wait, hey!? Hey!?”

“Yes, I went hunting for a bit last night.”

“Just for a bit… Seriously…”

Seriously.

“Wait, wasn’t the Black Dragon a dangerous monster that could easily destroy a town?”

“Yeah, it should be… but…”

“And you hunted it just like that?”

(Note: The translation may not be 100% accurate, as the original text seems to contain some colloquial expressions and informal language.),”And then you made all these knives? How long did it take to make all of them? It would take quite a while just to defeat the Black Dragon, right?”

“Also, Dragon’s Peak is where the Black Dragon lives, right? Even if you rode a horse after yesterday’s lecture, you wouldn’t have made it by this morning. What’s going on!?”

When I said I hunted the Black Dragon, the dismantlers started murmuring for some reason. Well, I just hunted a regular Black Dragon.

“Well, of course!”

And then Gyro-kun raised his voice.

“What do you mean, kid!?”

“Yes, my brother is an S-rank adventurer after all!”

“S-rank!? The highest rank of adventurers, S-rank!?”

When they heard that I’m S-rank, the dismantlers were surprised.

“That’s right! And precisely because my brother is an S-rank, he can defeat the Black Dragon quickly and come back to town to prepare enough knives for everyone!”

“I see, S-rank adventurers are skilled enough to match S-rank monsters. I’ve heard that some of them even have powerful ancient magic items as their trump cards.”

“I see, if it’s an S-rank adventurer, they might be able to do it!”

Well, even if you’re not an S-rank adventurer, I think you can defeat a Black Dragon without any problems.

“Oh, now the S-rank adventurer is being misunderstood…”

“Is this also called a misunderstanding?”

For some reason, Liliera-san is looking at the dismantlers with a sad expression. Standing next to her, Mina-san seems to have a detached air about her.

“Well, that’s the story, so everyone, please use the new knives to dismantle a lot of Green Dragons. Once you get used to dismantling Green Dragons, you’ll be able to handle the basic dismantling of dragons without any problems.”

“Yes!”

The dismantlers return to dismantling the Green Dragons with high spirits. They are excited to have tools with better sharpness than the ones they used before. It’s natural to feel uplifted when you get new equipment.

“Hey… Can I ask you something?”

At that moment, the adventurers who paid 200 gold coins to participate in the dismantling lecture spoke up.

“Yes, is there something you don’t understand about dismantling?”

“No, it’s not about that… I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor?”

“Yes.”

The adventurers look at me with serious faces.

“Can you sell us the knives you made? We also have weapons made from dragon scales, but these knives have a sharpness that can’t compare.”

“Huh?”

“We have swords made from Green Dragon scales, but they don’t compare to the sharpness of these knives you made.”

The adventurer shows me the shortsword he carries on his waist.

“This is… a sword made by carving Green Dragon scales, right?”

“Yeah, it’s a sword that a renowned blacksmith spent several months making for me. But it doesn’t have the same sharpness as the knife you made.”

Well, that’s true. The edge of this shortsword is all worn out. Even though it’s a sword made by carving scales, they should have paid more attention to the finishing touches. It’s only natural that the knife I made casually has better sharpness. Is this really the work of a renowned blacksmith? Instead of spending money on something like this, they could have asked Goldov-san to make a better weapon with dragon materials.

“I understand. This knife is a carefully crafted item made from Black Dragon materials. It’s not something that can be easily given away. But as an adventurer, I am confident that this knife can be used as a trump card. So…”

“Ah, sure, I’ll give it to you.”

“I thought so, but still… Wait, huh?”

“I said I’ll give it to you. Not only to the adventurers, but also to the dismantlers.”

“…”

The sound disappears from the dismantling area.

“Wha… Are you serious!? It’s an item made from dragon materials!”

“And it’s made from Black Dragon materials, which rarely leave Dragon’s Peak. How much money do we have to pay to get something like this?”

Everyone asks with wide eyes, wondering if it’s really okay. But it’s just a decent item that can be used if they can dismantle the Green Dragon. Honestly, it’s not a quality worth selling for money.

“The adventurers have paid 200 gold coins, and the guild will cover the lecture fee for the dismantlers. So, this knife was made as an expense for the lecture. That’s why I’m giving it to everyone.”

“W-Wow…”

The adventurers stagger back and show expressions of astonishment.

“Seriously!? It’s made from dragon materials!?”

“And it’s made from Black Dragon materials, which rarely leave Dragon’s Peak. How much money do we have to pay to get something like this? It’s like a rare item!”

“I understand. I really understand. It was the same for me.”

Liliera-san speaks with a nostalgic tone.

“You casually give out something incredible as if it’s nothing.”

Well, it really is nothing.