Radish Sprite and the Magic-Sealing Stone

Chomp, chomp.

A Mimic was currently chewing on a young girl with great gusto.

"Whoa, it's so dark! So scary—let me out, quick—"

The girl's upper body was clamped tightly within the Mimic's jaws, leaving only her backside and legs kicking wildly in the air. She couldn't break free, and her miserable cries echoed throughout the silent cavern.

Although it was a rather unfortunate scene, but...

Shane pressed a hand to his forehead, trying his best to hold it in, but he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"?"

Hearing the sound, the girl in the Mimic's mouth stopped her futile struggling.

"Is someone there?"

"Please, help me."

Though he couldn't see her face, Shane was certain from her clothes and the staff lying nearby that the person stuck in the chest was none other than the legendary mage who had successfully defeated the Demon King: Frieren.

He had to help, of course.

But how?

The suction force of a Mimic was astonishing; once bitten, it was impossible to pull someone out.

However, its physiological structure was actually similar to that of an ordinary human mouth. If you pushed the person being bitten further inside with force, the Mimic would feel nauseated and spit them out.

Shane looked at Frieren's backside and hesitated for two seconds.

Then, he bent down, grabbed Frieren's legs, lifted them up, and with a forceful shove, pushed her quickly into the chest.

Blegh.

In an instant, the Mimic opened its mouth wide and retched. Even the wooden planks of its body twisted as it spat Frieren out directly.

"Phew... saved."

(≡ᆺ≡)

The elven girl knelt on the ground, soaking wet.

She wore an expression of relief, as if she had just survived a catastrophe.

Her white twin-tails were drenched, dripping with "saliva," and her magic robes were stained in large patches.

Frieren closed her eyes, shook her head gently, and flicked the water droplets from the tips of her ears.

Then she stood up, shook her sleeves casually, looked up at the person who had saved her, and thanked him sincerely.

"Kind child, thank you."

Child?

Shane raised an eyebrow.

He looked up and down at the white-haired elf who didn't even reach his shoulder, feeling somewhat speechless.

Thinking that she was, after all, an old creature who had lived for over a thousand years—and that her brain was a bit... off—he decided to just let it go.

Although he didn't know why she, who should have been traveling in the Central Nations, had appeared near this small southern town, since they had met, it was a heaven-sent opportunity to latch onto a powerful figure.

A life-saving grace should...

Ahem.

Just as Shane was about to open his mouth to give a formal introduction, a cold breeze blew by, and Frieren shivered from head to toe.

"Achoo..."

The petite elf, a snot bubble hanging from her nose, hugged herself with both arms, shrinking her neck pitifully with an expression that suggested she was about to freeze to death.

Shane sighed helplessly, pulled a clean, thin blanket from his backpack, and handed it to her.

"Thank you, kind child, you are truly so very good."

"ꐦ"

"My name is Shane, I'm an adventurer. By the way, you're the mage Frieren, right? Don't you have a spell for something like [Dry Clothes]?"

Frieren wiped her hair briefly, then wrapped the blanket around herself, bundling up tightly.

"An adventurer, huh? No wonder you're here."

"Of course I have spells like [Dry Clothes], but..." As she spoke, Frieren picked up the staff that had fallen to the ground, tapped it vaguely in the air a few times, then looked up and said with a calm expression, "I haven't been able to use them since a moment ago."

!!!

Shane was stunned.

Magic seal?

How can you say such a dangerous fact so calmly?

To be able to seal an opponent like you, what kind of level must that be!

The longsword that had just been sheathed at his waist was drawn once more, and Shane vigilantly scanned his surroundings.

"Ah, no need to be nervous; there shouldn't be any monsters in this cave."

"None?"

Shane glanced at the Mimic in the corner, his meaning clear. "Regardless, for the sake of safety, we should get out of here first."

BOOM.

The moment the words left his mouth, the mine tunnel behind him, the one he had just walked through, suddenly collapsed.

The atmosphere became awkward for a moment.

Frieren, wrapped in her blanket, pointed toward the ceiling and said calmly, "It's normal for natural mine tunnels to collapse. I actually fell down from up there."

Only then did Shane notice that about four or five stories above their heads, there was a hole the size of a well. Fine debris was still constantly falling, looking quite dangerous.

Trapped in a mine?

How did this feel even more terrifying than encountering a monster?

A few minutes later.

The two began to travel together in search of another exit.

To make it easier to remember, every time they encountered a fork in the road, Shane would choose the path to the right, consistently moving in one direction. Before entering each branch, he would use his longsword to carve a symbol into the stone wall to prevent them from getting lost or walking in circles.

Frieren, wrapped in her blanket, followed silently behind.

Shane's cautious behavior made her feel at ease.

"An adventurer must never take risks."

This was the lesson Flamme had taught her in their very first class.

Whether exploring a dungeon or subjugating the Demon King Army, what killed the most adventurers was often not the strength of their opponents, but their own carelessness.

She hadn't expected this "newbie," who appeared to have little combat experience, to understand and follow such a principle.

He was a reliable person.

Leaving the task of pathfinding to Shane, Frieren turned her head to carefully observe the surrounding environment.

"...There should be Magic-Sealing Ore inside these stone walls."

"What is that?" Shane asked, puzzled.

"When we walked through the cave earlier, you noticed it too, right? There were occasionally beautiful, glowing ores exposed on the walls. Those are Magic-Sealing Stones. Within a three-meter radius of such ore, it is impossible to cast magic."

No wonder, a grand mage of her stature could actually fall out of thin air...

"This stuff is quite rare. Even a piece the size of a small pebble is worth at least several gold coins."

Gold coins!

Shane was immediately interested.

Seeming to read his thoughts, Frieren continued to explain:

"However, with humanity's current capabilities, it cannot be mined."

"Magic-Sealing Ore possesses the highest level of hardness among all materials. Furthermore, unlike other substances, it cannot be cut or processed using magic. It is something humanity is powerless against."

That was truly a pity.

"If magic is useless, are Magic Tools any good?" Shane asked casually.

"Magic Tools?"

Hearing these three words, Frieren stopped in her tracks, a hint of interest appearing in her eyes.

She rubbed her chin and pondered for a moment.

"During the Mythical Era, there were Great Sages who excelled at crafting Magic Tools, but by the time of the Unified Empire over a thousand years ago, the sages skilled in alchemy and forging had vanished. Magic Tools that are still functional today are extremely rare."

Alchemy and forging...

Shane thought of his own "hand-crafted trait" ability. Could his "character class" be related to the sages?

BANG!

A massive shockwave erupted from the front of the cave, interrupting his train of thought.