Konbini Ossan Volume 3 Chapter 23 — Combat and Gathering
With Joan-kun leading the way, we continued our exploration.
While teaching him the basics of keeping watch over the surroundings, I left most of the decisions up to him.
As we pressed on, we discovered several ore deposits.
Using the skill «Iron Blood», I extracted only the metallic resources and quickly moved on in search of the next.
Before long, after finding a few deposits, we finally encountered a monster.
“Oh my, this is unusual.”
What appeared before us was a creature known as a Mithril Plate Golem.
In this area, they are supposed to be exceedingly rare, so it seems we were lucky to run into one.
Normally, Rock Golems, Aluminum Plate Golems, or Iron Plate Golems show up in this region.
But on rare occasions, exceptional variants appear — among them, the Mithril Plate Golem.
It uses the rare metal mithril for its outer plating, giving it high durability and strong resistance to magic.
That said, its core is the same as any Rock Golem. Meaning, in truth, the threat level is very low.
Put simply, this monster is practically a bonus. It drops valuable mithril, it’s weak, and being a higher-tier monster, it yields plenty of experience.
Nothing but benefits.
“Let’s engage. Joan-kun, try taking command this time.”
“Got it!”
At my instruction, Joan-kun readied his weapon.
His weapon of choice was a club, reinforced at the tip with metal to boost its striking power.
Against golems, swords chip easily and struggle to deal damage, so a blunt weapon is far more efficient. That’s why I issued him the club.
It’s simple to handle even without technique, making it ideal for a beginner like him.
“Deeeyaaah!”
Shouting with all his might, Joan-kun charged at the Mithril Plate Golem. He swung the club down hard.
Gaan! A metallic clang echoed out. Joan-kun grinned proudly at landing his first hit.
But this wasn’t good.
The Mithril Plate Golem’s durability was exceptional. Joan-kun’s blow hadn’t done much at all. Dropping his guard, he was immediately countered by a body slam.
“Guwaaah!”
Joan-kun was sent flying. Left unchecked, he would crash into the wall or floor and take damage. With no reason to stand idle, I rushed in.
I darted into his path and caught him before he collided, cushioning the impact.
“Are you alright, Joan-kun?”
“O-Ossan…”
His face turned away, flushed with embarrassment. Likely ashamed for letting his guard down, being countered, and then needing rescue.
“I’ll protect you. So stay calm. If you look closely, you’ll see that a golem’s attacks are simple to dodge.”
“Y-Yeah! Got it, Ossan!”
Regaining his composure, Joan-kun once again charged the Mithril Plate Golem.
This time, he feinted a frontal strike, then shifted to the side and slammed his club into its leg.
Unprepared for the angle, the golem staggered and lost its balance.
“Take this!”
Joan-kun followed up with a full-body tackle. Even as a child, with his boosted stats, he had more force than a grown man. Toppling the golem was no trouble.
Flat on its back, the Mithril Plate Golem flailed helplessly.
As it struggled to rise, Joan-kun rained blows with his club. Unable to regain its footing, the monster was pummeled relentlessly.
Soon, the repeated heavy impacts caused damage to accumulate inside its plating. After all, its core was still just that of a Rock Golem.
Within minutes, it ceased functioning.
A splendid victory for Joan-kun.
“Well done, Joan-kun.”
“Heheh, only ‘cause you had my back, Ossan!”
Scratching his nose shyly, Joan-kun looked bashful. I patted his head. Praising them like this — that’s my basic policy for education.
“So nice, Joan. To be praised by Ojisan like that…”
“I want a head pat too.”
“I’m jealous.”
The other three children spoke up enviously. Showing favoritism is no good. I beckoned them over and patted each of their heads in turn.
“Tio-kun, Tiana-chan, and Rosa — you did well too. Many novices get overeager and recklessly fire magic into the fray, hitting their own allies.
…
But you all stayed calm, assessed the situation, and held back your spells. That was excellent.”
“Ufufu.”
“Ehehe.”
“I-I didn’t think that far, honestly…”
Though Rosa tried to downplay it, the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her happiness.
Humans are simple. They strive when rewarded, and withdraw when faced with hardship. That’s why it’s important to give them some form of reward.
Without it, children will quickly grow bored of something as taxing as dungeon exploration.
And forcing bored children achieves nothing — their learning slows, and efficiency plummets.
That’s why proper skinship and little rewards like this are so important.
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E/N:
Even though Ossan has never had kids, he knows a lot about psychology of a child 🤔 Something ain't right, I can feel it~ Stay tuned! (2/5 chapter)
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