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Chapter 8
Even this clay golem wasn’t alone. Through the half-open back door, a whole swarm of similar-looking clay figures was wriggling inside.
When the group met my eyes, they hesitated awkwardly and then gathered around the clay golem that Lorr had chewed and spat out. There were easily more than ten of them.
Each one had its own quirks—some wore hats, some had sharp eyes, others had unusual hairstyles. But they all shared one thing in common: they were small and frankly… pathetic-looking.
At first glance, they seemed weak and harmless.
“What are you…?”
The clay golem that had been spat out by Lorr stepped forward as if it were the leader.
“We are golems. We have lived in the land behind this house for a long time.”
Golems?
These?
Golems are magical constructs that high-level crafting-type Hunters can create.
They are made by shaping soil or stone into a body and inserting a mana core (mana stone) to animate them. They’re usually used for digging or breaking rock inside Gates—like cranes or excavators in construction sites.
But I’d always thought golems were several times the size of a person… Could there be golems this small?
“We were failures. We were originally meant to be large golems… but the soil mixture was wrong, so we ended up as these ultra-mini versions.”
The leader explained gloomily.
Some Hunter had tried to create giant golems but messed up the soil composition. As a result, thirteen ultra-small golems were created.
The Hunter originally tried to dispose of the useless creations.
“But he said disposing of waste was troublesome and dumped us in the nearby hills.”
“What? That’s just a terrible person, nya!”
“Exactly. He should’ve been fined for illegal dumping.”
Disposing of golems isn’t simple. You need to report it to the Gate Management Agency’s mana waste division, obtain a disposal permit, and then safely process them through designated facilities.
Even so, dumping something this… cute… in the wild?
No matter how inconvenient it was, that Hunter was clearly vicious.
In any case, they had been abandoned near my house, and with nowhere else to go, they ended up living in my garden.
But something didn’t add up.
To keep a golem moving, you need to continuously supply mana to its core. Without mana, it should revert back into soil.
So how were they still active?
“That’s… thanks to a transcendent being. A presence in this land. Mana has been flowing richly here.”
A transcendent being?
“Pyaa?”
Lorr tilted his head and looked at me.
…Don’t tell me, is he talking about Lorr?
Right. He’s a myth-class dimensional dragon.
So the mana leaking from Lorr had kept them from collapsing.
Even now, it was hard to reconcile their appearance with their voices. They looked small and cute, but spoke like deep-voiced supporting characters in an old film.
The leader golem bowed toward Lorr.
“O transcendent being of higher dimensions, though we are but insignificant beings, we have a request.”
“Ueh? Me?”
Lorr blinked. He had already lost interest and looked like he just wanted breakfast.
“If it’s about that, talk to my guardian, pyaa!”
Then he rolled over in the dirt, completely ignoring them.
“So even the transcendent being has a guardian! We apologize for our rudeness.”
All the golems bowed toward me.
“No, I mean… I just picked up a dragon in my yard, and now this is happening…”
“So what’s your request?”
I asked casually, assuming they probably just wanted to keep living here.
But the answer was unexpected.
“We want to work.”
“Work?”
“Yes. We are beings created to work. We need jobs.”
[※ Sudden “Raising Quest” Activated ※
“Ashpelor” has acquired a magnificent subordinate: 13 ultra-mini golems.
However, they currently have no work and are in distress. ╥﹏╥
If they want to work, let them work!
Assign appropriate tasks to the golems ♬]
This is just called a “raising quest,” but it has nothing to do with raising at all.
Still… I kind of wanted to help them.
What could these tiny, fragile-looking golems even do?
Before I could tell them to just relax, I felt their desperate gazes on me. Some even raised their fists shouting, “Work! Work!”
If they really wanted to work…
“Then… can you help with farming? I just sowed seeds in the field yesterday.”
I said it casually, not expecting much.
But the leader golem immediately nodded.
“Earthwork is our specialty. Leave it to us.”
They looked oddly reliable.
“With the transcendent being’s power, we may even accelerate crop growth.”
“Pyaa? What’s good about that?”
“Well… it means we can eat delicious food sooner.”
It had only been a day since sowing. It would normally take at least a month.
But eating home-grown food sooner didn’t sound bad.
“Delicious food! Good! Pyaa!”
At the mention of food, Lorr jumped up and ran to the garden.
He placed his paw on the soil as instructed, and his horn began to glow softly.
“Whoa…!”
And then, visible sprouts shot up at an unbelievable speed.
[‘Ashpelor’ designates this land as the territory of a Myth-class Dimensional Dragon.]
[The blessing of the Myth-class Dimensional Dragon ‘Blessing of Agriculture’ is applied to the garden.]
What?
Before I could even react, the sprouts rapidly grew into full lettuce leaves.
“W-wait!”
This isn’t “slightly accelerated growth”—this is instant farming!
“Lorr, stop! That’s enough!”
“Pyaa? Why?”
“It’s done already! Stop!”
By the time I managed to pull Lorr away from the garden, it was too late.
The entire field had turned lush green in an instant.
It looked like someone had used a premium growth item in a farming game.
“Guys… does this look like ‘slight acceleration’ to you?”
“…I’m sorry. The transcendent being’s mana was stronger than expected.”
“We messed up!”
The golems lined up and bowed deeply.
Even Lorr followed late, tilting his head.
“But isn’t it better to get delicious food faster?”
He clearly didn’t understand the situation.
Still… he had a point. And I was the one who asked for help in the first place.
“Yeah… I guess it’s fine.”
Checking the field, status windows appeared over the crops:
[ Lettuce
Crisp and fresh.
A delicious leafy vegetable even beginners can grow.]
[ Green Onions
Fragrant and fresh.
A versatile ingredient that enhances flavor.]
[ Chives
Healthy and fresh.
A nutritious vegetable rich in fiber.]
Everything had grown perfectly.
Except one section.
The seeds I had gotten from the old seed shop owner hadn’t changed at all.
[ ??? Seed
A seed.]
“Um…”
“I am the squad leader. Call me ‘Chief.’”
The leader golem proudly tapped his chest.
“Why didn’t these seeds grow at all?”
“Hmm… that is strange. Please wait a moment.”
