I’m a Rookie, but I’m an Experienced Professional - Chapter 75

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 75

‘What, what? Why is he coming this way?’

Surely he’s not coming to hit me because he’s upset about losing?

Seeing his menacing approach, stomping so hard the ground shook, that possibility seemed very high.

“Sola, wait a moment…”

Mireon must have had the same thought as me, calling out to him urgently.

Callix Crowbell, who had been watching from behind, also stepped in front of me.

“What? Why is everyone acting like this?”

Sola looked at Mireon and Callix Crowbell as if bewildered.

“Anyone watching would think I’m about to hit this human woman.”

“Aren’t… you?”

“Hah.”

When Mireon asked cautiously, Sola scoffed as if dumbfounded.

“I don’t know why you’d think something so ridiculous, but no. I have no reason to hit this human woman in the first place.”

Sola placed both hands on his hips.

“I just came to tell this human that I lost.”

At Sola’s words, the noisy plaza fell silent in an instant, as if cold water had been poured over it.

I too stared blankly at Sola, doubting my own ears.

“Sola!”

The first dwarf to come to his senses shouted in disbelief, and Sola frowned as he turned to look at him.

“Anyone can see I clearly lost, so don’t make me more embarrassed by making pointless excuses.”

I hadn’t misheard.

This dwarf really acknowledged his defeat.

“Are you really acknowledging your defeat?”

Mireon still seemed unable to believe it, asking again.

“That’s what I said.”

Sola answered with slight irritation, looking at the bridge model I had made.

“Making a scale model like this was already surprising, but to think you’d make the bridge in a net pattern. Truly ingenious. This way, it won’t take strong winds head-on but let them flow through, so it won’t break easily.”

Unlike the other dwarves, Sola immediately grasped the advantages of the lattice bridge.

“Of course, this shape has the risk of feet slipping through, but that can be sufficiently compensated by weaving rope densely.”

He not only pointed out the weaknesses but also provided solutions for how to address them.

Beyond that, he saw through at a glance things I had discovered after staying up several nights – like how the bridge swaying in the wind couldn’t be prevented, so separate safety devices would need to be installed.

‘Amazing.’

So this is why they say dwarves have natural talent in construction.

‘Ah, the other dwarves didn’t notice, so is this dwarf special?’

Anyway, I was happy that at least one person recognized it.

“I apologize for dismissing you as lacking skill last time. I never dreamed there could be such an outstanding expert among humans.”

I also liked how he cleanly acknowledged his mistake and defeat.

“Not at all. It was an honor to compete with someone as remarkable as you, Sola.”

“Haha, you know how to say nice things.”

Sola laughed heartily and extended his hand to me.

“Well then, please take care of me from now on.”

It meant he was acknowledging me as the general supervisor of the bridge construction.

‘I really do like him.’

I had a good feeling that Sola and I would get along well from now on. I smiled brightly and grasped Sola’s hand.

“Please take care of me as well.”

[Quest completed.]

[100,000 points will be given as a reward.]

* * *

“Simply weaving rope in a net pattern couldn’t make it hold up this well. How did you do it?”

After the match ended, Sola, who had been examining the bridge model I made from various angles, asked.

“I used tarantula thread as adhesive at the joints. It has excellent adhesiveness and elasticity, so it stretches but doesn’t break.”

“Oh ho, so you used tarantula thread this way.”

Sola kept exclaiming in admiration as he pulled, twisted, and even scratched with his nails at the knots and joints.

“It doesn’t come off even with this. The adhesiveness is certainly excellent. But we probably can’t just install this at the cliff edges.”

“That’s why I plan to drive iron stakes into both cliffs and install the bridge there.”

“Oh ho, iron stakes would be stronger than wood, so they’d certainly hold well.”

Sola nodded as if he understood.

“One wouldn’t be secure enough, so we’d need to drive at least three each. Put the main anchor in the center, and add stabilizing anchors on the left and right.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“Nety makes iron stakes well, so you can ask him.”

At Sola’s words, a dwarf twice my size with bushy sideburns raised his hand high.

“Leave it to me!”

So that dwarf’s name is Nety.

Like Sola, their names really don’t match their appearances.

After that, I continued discussing with Sola and the other dwarves while looking at the bridge model I made – what parts to improve, who would be responsible for making what, and so on.

As we talked like this, the sun had set before we knew it.

“It’s about time for dinner, shall we eat and continue talking afterward?”

“Good idea. I was getting hungry anyway.”

The dwarves who had been sitting stretched their short, thick arms and legs.

“The food the elves prepare is nothing but grass and tastes terrible, ugh.”

“Should we have gone out hunting instead?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. If the elves found out, they’d make a fuss about not valuing the sanctity of life.”

Hearing the dwarves chatter, I tilted my head.

“Don’t elves eat meat?”

Come to think of it, while staying here I’d often eaten fish, but I don’t think I’d ever eaten meat.

‘But they don’t seem to be vegetarians.’

That’s because Mireon had readily eaten meat dishes while traveling with us.

“They do eat it, but they don’t enjoy it. Especially hunting – they absolutely won’t do that.”

“Something about not being able to carelessly kill living things. But if you think about it that way, aren’t plants living things too? They’re clearly living beings.”

“They just interpret everything to suit themselves.”

From their grumbling, it seems they’ve had a lot built up.

“Then let’s meet again two hours after dinner.”

I parted with the dwarves and returned to my room.

After washing up briefly and changing clothes, I went to the dining room to find Callix Crowbell sitting at the table reading documents.

“What about Raellion and Sir Anthony Greg?”

“Rael said he had herbs to find and took him along.”

He answered while keeping his eyes fixed on the documents.

“He did that last time too, and again?”

“There must be something he couldn’t get last time.”

Callix Crowbell put down the documents he was reading.

“You, on the other hand, look quite happy.”

“I am happy.”

I smiled brightly and sat across from him.

“I won the match and gained recognition, and most of all, everyone communicates well and has excellent skills, so they’re easy to work with.”

“That sounds like you’re saying the people you’ve worked with before didn’t communicate well and lacked skills.”

“No, not at all.”

At first, they had ostracized and bullied me under Toma Harens’ leadership, but I had also deliberately acted like a loser and earned their hatred, so I had nothing to say about it.

‘Skills… I can build them up slowly.’

Everyone was making their own efforts, and by the standards of this era, they weren’t so hopelessly terrible that they were completely useless.

While we were talking, an elf brought food.

“Please enjoy your meal. If you need anything, just let me know anytime!”

When I first came to this place, this elf hadn’t bothered to hide their uncomfortable and displeased expression, but now they spoke with a gentle smile.

Then when they looked at Callix Crowbell, their face subtly reddened, which was a bit amusing.

‘I guess he’s considered handsome even by elven standards.’

Even though they were different races, it seemed everyone had similar taste.

“When do you think the bridge to the sanctuary will be completed?”

As soon as the elf left, Callix Crowbell asked.

“There are many things to prepare, including materials and other preparations, so it’s difficult to give a definitive answer, but I think we can start construction from next week.”

“What’s the construction schedule?”

“That also depends on the situation…”

“You don’t know anything.”

At his grumpy rebuke, I wrinkled my nose.

“Construction naturally has many things to consider and many variables, so it’s difficult to be certain about schedules. Just starting construction next week is really quite fast.”

“Still, I can’t stay here indefinitely, so I’d like it finished as quickly as possible.”

That was true.

“I’ll do my best.”

That was the best answer I could give at the moment, and Callix Crowbell seemed to understand my feelings as he didn’t press me further.

Instead, the next morning, there were as many as two baskets full of tarantula silk placed in front of my room door.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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