[Notification: The Golem has been defeated]
As soon as Leon made sure that he had put an end to this Golem, he turned back eastward, where Helmod's hut lay behind this mountain range.
Although Leon had failed to find the golden wood so far, the option of searching further was not viable, as night was about to fall, and because Leon was unfamiliar with this area and the extent of the dangers present in it, he decided to return, considering it the best possible option for now.
While Leon was trying to return as quickly as possible, night had already overtaken him... Night fell, and Leon was still walking among these mountains, with the moonlight illuminating his path between the slopes of these mountains.
But as Leon continued his journey, he glimpsed something shining from afar, a shimmering light glowing on the slope of one of the mountains.
Leon focused his gaze in that direction, but from this distance, determining the nature of this thing was difficult, so Leon decided to get closer to investigate.
It took Leon about a minute to reach a point that allowed him to discern the nature of this thing, but he still couldn't identify this shimmering material, so he approached even closer until he reached ground zero, where he could see the source of this glow with his own eyes.
It was strange; while Leon had been searching for his quarry for a long time among these mountains, he found himself returning disappointed, but to find his quarry on his way back was even stranger.
It was a collection of branches that glittered under the moonlight. Upon seeing them, Leon realized why he hadn't been able to find them; during the day, the sun's rays covered the area, so finding these wooden branches was almost impossible, but with the moonlight, these branches shimmered and glowed with their light, making them easy to find in the darkness.
As soon as Leon realized that what was before his eyes was his quarry, he collected all of them, and then threw them into the storage dimension: "Well, I think it's time to hurry back."
As soon as Leon stored this wood, he rushed towards Helmod's house. Leon was running at an unprecedented insane speed, covering miles in minutes.
As soon as Leon reached the end of the mountain area, about half an hour had passed.
Leon jumped from the top of the rocky cliff to find his feet settled on flat ground. This was the beginning of the western plains.
It didn't take Leon long to cover the distance separating Helmod and these mountains.
Finally, Leon found himself at Helmod's doorstep once again... Leon knocked on the door to find Helmod waiting to open it for him.
As soon as Helmod saw Leon again, a faint smile appeared on his face: "Heh, you're back then."
Leon replied arrogantly: "What did you think I was? Did you think I would die among those cursed mountains?"
The two exchanged laughs; for some reason, these two were perfectly in sync.
While Helmod and Leon were exchanging words, Leon was recounting his adventures among those mountains to Helmod and how he managed to take down a Golem, until he reached the part about finding the wood Helmod wanted.
"Hahahaha, I forgot to tell you this because you were rushing off. So you're saying you were looking for this golden wood among those mountains? Hahahaha."
While Helmod seemed relaxed, enjoying listening to Leon's stories, Leon, too, shared the same enjoyment. Helmod at this moment was more than just an old dwarf to Leon; he was closer to a dear friend.
After the two spent a considerable amount of time enjoying themselves and eating their meal, Leon raised his left hand and placed his palm directly facing the ground, then said: "Extract." As soon as Leon said this, golden branches began to emerge from the void and settle on the floor of Helmod's house.
"Whoa, that's a lot, really. I'm grateful to you, you've done me a great service."
Leon looked directly into Helmod's eyes and said: "Hahahaha, don't worry, you can consider it a service between friends."
After a busy evening, sleep overcame their conversation, and they both fell asleep in their places until the next morning. Helmod was the first to wake up and collected the wood and took it to the workshop, leaving Leon still asleep.
It wasn't long before Leon also woke up from his sleep, finding his drool flowing onto the table where his head had been resting, and then he began to rub his eyes a little, and the sun's rays were peeking into the place from the window: "Ahaaaah, it was a wonderful night, it's been a long time since I had such a peaceful sleep."
With Leon fully awake, he was able to hear the sound of metals clashing against each other. Leon knew the source of this sound.
Helmod was in his workshop, racing against time to complete this sword, as he only had two and a half days left until its delivery date.
Leon entered Helmod's workshop to find the latter working tirelessly and diligently, so he took the initiative to offer him help, where Leon fulfilled all of Helmod's demands during the work: "Did you know this isn't the first time I've participated in weapon manufacturing?"
Helmod was a little surprised to hear this, then replied in a slightly cold tone: "Whoa, are you saying you have a little experience in this field?"
"Not much, I had a friend who was good at this, and I used to ask him to polish some daggers, so I would help him during his work."
At this moment, it seemed that Helmod was a little curious about this friend: "Are you saying a friend? Is he human like you?"
"Yes, I think so, but he excelled at it with the skill of dwarves." Helmod laughed a little after hearing Leon's bold statement, then said: "Hahahaha, good, I'd like to meet your friend someday if possible."
When the conversation reached this point, Leon remembered himself as the outcast player who was stuck inside a world he once considered just a game: "Ah, well, I don't think that's possible at the moment."
Without any hesitation, this was Leon's answer to Helmod, where Helmod understood the situation and did not ask again, completely ignoring the matter.
Meanwhile, the two continued to work for long hours until evening fell, but the arrival of night did not deter them from working; instead, they continued to work until the next morning without stopping.
Despite the arrival of morning, they only took a brief break to have breakfast, and then returned to work again. They were working hard, and sweat was pouring profusely from their foreheads.
And with their continuous work until night again, with the arrival of evening, the duo took a break to catch their breath and have dinner.
And then they returned to work again instead of going to bed and sleeping. The sounds of hammers clashing against iron grew louder and louder until the next morning. By this time, two full days had passed since the duo started working. They were almost finished, with only some external touches remaining, and only half a day left until the sword's delivery. The delivery was supposed to take place in the neighboring town that evening.
At this moment, inside the workshop, Leon fell to the ground, exhaustion gnawing at his bones, while a black aura hovered under his eyes, and his condition was miserable from lack of sleep. In contrast, Helmod's situation was not much different, but Helmod was accustomed to such work, so he was able to endure more than Leon.
After Leon fell from extreme exhaustion, Helmod continued to work diligently, while Leon lay on the ground taking a rest after two days of hard work without stopping.
Hrs passed quickly, and evening almost arrived. At this moment, Leon woke up from his sleep to find Helmod packing his belongings: "Haaah, Helmod, where are you going?"
Helmod turned towards Leon to find him finally awake: "You're finally awake, I'm going to the neighboring town to deliver the sword to the client, do you need anything?"
Leon thought for a moment and concluded that accompanying Helmod would not harm him, and he also needed to check things out outside a little, as he did not intend to remain Helmod's guest for long, although he no longer had a destination to go to after Helmod confirmed to him that Athena had indeed disappeared, so Leon had to find another goal and find a place to settle for the time being.
"Wait a moment, I'll come with you." As soon as Leon confirmed his desire to accompany Helmod, the duo set off southeast of the hut, heading towards the town Helmod had indicated.
End of Chapter