That day we gathered in the store's workshop to go over our memories of the equipment we use for rock climbing.
All of us didn't have much knowledge, so it was a bit unreliable, but some of the items became clear.
"Well, after collecting everyone's vague memories, we came up with five pieces of hardware.
First, the carabiner.
I immediately thought of carabiners, since they are used for things other than climbing.
There are several different shapes of rings and ways to close them, but this one seemed fine.
I've had my hands on one before.
There are three types of fittings to hang the rope on the rock.
One is a loop of wire with a weight attached to one end, the other has a fan-shaped end, and the third is a stake that is drilled into the rock.
Lastly, there are fittings used for vertical descent with a rope.
Name unknown, shape unknown, structure unknown.
I gave up on this one, because I had no idea what it was.
So we gave up on this one. We decided to solve the problem by putting a rope through the carabiner and using our arms.
It's not that important, because I heard that a person of Toya's age can rappel without any equipment and a single rope.
What he knew was to drive a stake into the rock. The stakes themselves can be made by the master, but what is important is the tool used to drill the holes and the resin used to fill them. ......
After accepting the request from Haruka and the others, I asked the master about it, and he told me that there is almost no demand for it around here. ...... Or to be more precise, there used to be demand for it, but not anymore, so the master did not usually make it.
However, he had made one before, and he told me about it, and what he found was the one I mentioned above.
A drill is a tool to drill holes in rocks, so it must be very sharp and strong.
However, it should be light and easy to use while climbing the wall.
The material is special and not easy to make.
The resin one is injected into the hole drilled before driving the stake.
So-called glue.
He said that since alchemists can make this, Haruka and the others should be able to make it.
We'll prepare the resin ourselves. For now, let's make the other things.
I understand.
And so, while consulting with Haruka and the others, I made various devices.
A few days later, after we had completed some of the equipment.
A few days later, Yuki-san returned from a trip with Nao-kun to test the equipment.
How did it go? Did you use it properly?
I asked her, feeling quite nervous inside, and she nodded her head.
"Yeah. It's broken.
"...!
We both gasped at Yuki's simple answer.
"Are you okay?
Nao fell.
You weren't hurt, were you?
If I was, I'd have brought you here. You were testing in a low place and I was following you. No problem.
Oh, thank God.
I'm sure you'll be glad to hear that." As if caught by Haruka's genuinely relieved exhale, I also let out a big sigh of relief.
It's a good thing. I'm sure you'll be glad to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.
"This. It's hard to make something complicated.
Yuki-san then took out a metal fitting with a fan-shaped tip.
It took a lot of effort to make it, but .......
I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one. I thought there was plenty of room for strength.
I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one.
Looking at the way the pin was broken, which Yuki had retrieved, it certainly looked that way.
It could also be the quality of the material.
I was very careful, but I can't deny that there may have been some weak parts, and it may have been due to the hardness and tenacity, or the way it was quenched.
But to be honest, it may not be necessary. But honestly, I don't think that's necessary. Rather than increasing the reliability of that, we might as well just get another fitting and a stake and deal with it.
"Sure, those two are simple enough to be reliable.
I'd like to have more than one, though. It was easier to use more when climbing. Nao also asked me if the stakes could be used as bouldering holds.
"That? That would certainly make it easier to climb.
I've never done it before, but it's usually just a matter of making a foothold that's easy to grab, if your goal is to climb up and down.
"Huh? When I think about it, if you just want to go down, you can just prepare a rope ladder. ......?
I'm sure you'll be able to find something that will help you out.
I'm sure you're right, the purpose of that place was to get off.
"Yes, that's right. We don't have to force ourselves to go down by rope, do we?
Apparently, the goal was to get down the rock wall.
Yeah, then there's no need to force yourself to do rock climbing!
So maybe all the hard work we put in this time was for nothing?
But we'll keep developing. But we have to keep developing it. If we can't climb it, we'll be in trouble.
Oh, I see.
That's right. Even if we put up a rope ladder, we can't be sure it'll stay up.
If you don't make it back, you'll die.
Oh, dungeons are dangerous, aren't they?
I didn't think much of it because Haruka and the others went in and came back as usual.
What kind of place is it, by the way? What kind of place is this, where you have to climb up and down the rock walls?
Well, it's a place with a pretty spectacular view.
Yes. At least I've never seen a waterfall of that size on Earth.
It's otherworldly in scale, isn't it?
Oh, really? I'd like to see it once.
My curiosity was aroused by what Haruka and the others were saying.
To be honest, I haven't seen many otherworldly things since I came here.
I've seen some pretty strange things in my life.
The giant cow that Haruka and her friends hunted the other day was also quite impressive.
But if you're distracted by the view, you'll probably be thrown off and die.
...... Oh, really?
Yeah, it's a dungeon. If you're not careful, you'll die.
I heard that a spider that mimics a rock will come to push you down.
Yeah, a dungeon.
Very dangerous.
It's not a place for normal people.
If you want, I can take you there. Haruka's talking about making a living as a tour guide when he retires.
Hmm?
It's actually not that dangerous?
Or is there a way to keep you safe?
If so, I'd really like to go there.
In this world, there's no such thing as a sightseeing trip.
"Well, you might want to practice on Tommy. "Well, it might be a good idea to practice on Tommy, so you can joke about your mistakes.
"No, you won't! I'm not the only one who lives in the world of gags, you know!
This is not a comedy story where you blow up with a 'thud' and come back to life in the next scene.
It's not a comedy story.
...... Well, it's a lot tougher than it used to be.
I'm kidding, of course. I'm just kidding, of course. In all seriousness, it's more dangerous on the way to the entrance than in the dungeon, so I can't take you there now. I'm sorry.
"No, you don't have to apologize. ...... I'm a little disappointed.
It's an amazing view, I really wanted to see it.
But my life is more important than yours, so I'm not going to push you.
If we become strong enough to withstand the demons in the area, we can take you there. I don't want you to get your hopes up too high.
"Yes. We're not very high ranking.
"Well, I'll do my best to help you with that. In my field.
Yeah. Nice to meet you. --In the meantime, you'll be brushing up on your rock climbing gear.
Right.
From then until the day of the party, I worked on my rock climbing gear.
But the carabiners and weighted wires were simply mass-produced, almost as they were.
Complicated fittings were cast down and stakes were made in large quantities.
I also made something that can be used as a bouldering scaffold.
I left the adhesive resin to Haruka and his team.
I also made a rope ladder with wire so that it wouldn't break in a moment.
Considering the risk of being attacked by a demon, a normal rope would be dangerous.
With this, it won't break if it's bitten a little.
At least, the wire is stronger than chainmail.
So, it's been a little over two weeks since Haruka-san first brought the rice.
Finally, the day of the first anniversary party arrived.