Chapter 141: Outside the Tower 1
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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After defeating the boss monster on the 30th floor, we were forced to take a break.
The mages needed time to create a gate to transport the golem and boss monster's remains without damaging them.
Well, thanks to the game's system, the break wouldn't last more than three days.
Regardless, a break is a break.
Even if our party members are filled with a sense of duty, they're not tireless worker ants.
Continuous adventuring without rest would break them.
"So, what's the plan for the golem?"
"As discussed, the knight-type golem will be brought north, and the Magic Tower will purchase the other three. Apparently, they intend to dissect them for research since the mana stones needed aren't infinite."
Since the rewards from the 30th floor still needed to be settled, we gathered around a table at the guild.
I informed them of the negotiations I had with the Magic Tower through Charlotte.
As decided, the golems were sent to the north and the Magic Tower.
After the Orc Chieftain on the 20th floor was killed and the altar destroyed, no more Orc Warriors or Orc Shamans appeared.
Similarly, the rock golems vanished.
Without the mana stones from the rock golems to fuel them, the large controllable golems are pretty much useless.
BB Games probably didn't want players to continuously use these massive golems.
Even if mages managed to extract it from the caves, it would be of no use without fuel.
...Well, thanks to that, we managed to sell the remaining mana stones to the Magic Tower at a premium price.
We used a lot, so selling all that remained barely broke even.
"And, um, Katie. The Northern Duke is coming to the Magic Tower."
"...What?"
Katie's eyes widened in shock.
She might have been more surprised about this than the boss monster or the golem.
It's not surprising, she is a runaway after all.
Grace's eyes lit up.
Looks like she's interested in her story.
The stoic man in our party turned out to be the cross-dressed daughter of the Northern Duke, and the fact that a noble of such stature someone commoners might never see in their lifetimes is traveling all the way here for her, naturally piqued everyone's interest.
"But, why?!"
"Because the mages saw your face."
Like Charlotte Cavendish, many mages are of noble birth.
Born into nobility, they're able to realize their talents be it in swordsmanship or magic early on, thanks to the considerable resources of their families.
In a medieval fantasy land where the terms 'equality of opportunity' and 'human rights' are as discarded as trash in a back alley, it's a given that wealthy and high-ranking nobles have more access to education.
It's impossible for these noble mages not to recognize the well-known features of a lady from the North.
And your artifact was brought up when we were discussing the knight-type golem.
Ugh...!
A silver-haired lady possessing a magical artifact, a treasure of the North.
Plus the fact that the knight-type golem is being sent to the Knights Division directly under the Northern Duke.
Anyone with a brain would recognize that Katie is the rumored second daughter.
As Katie lowered her head, looking like she was about to slam it on the table, Irene naturally comforted her, continuing the conversation.
We've sold our rights to the golems and its maintenance facilities. At the very least, we would each earn hundreds of gold coins.
Hu, hundreds?
Oh, my
From what Charlotte said, each of us could get hundreds of gold coins, the total amount could reach into the thousands.
While Grace and Irene seemed stunned by the incredible sum, I'm more worried about the situation.
In horror games, when there's an autosave followed by a massive amount of bullets and healing items, it typically means there's an extremely difficult boss ahead.
The rewards of the 30th floor, incomparable to the 20th, and the background of the floor - another world destroyed by the Demon King.
I worry about how badly the marshlands from the 31st to the 40th floor might have changed.
It was already brutal back when I climbed all the way to the 37th floor.
What if it's become even worse?
Anyway, since a lot of money is coming in, consider further upgrading our equipment. With hundreds of gold coins, we could even custom order from the Magic Tower
Roland? ...Oh, were you in the middle of something important?
Just as the conversation seemed to wrap up, a familiar voice came from behind.
A woman with shiny brown hair tied tightly into a ponytail.
A slender figure with an impressive long spear - Lily Depp.
I hadn't seen much of her since I left the higher floors.
What brings her here?
Upon the entrance of this unfamiliar face, all the heads at the table turned in unison.
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Raei Translations
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4 'Firm-Footed*' Lily Depp*.
A vanguard who wields a long spear, she skillfully suppresses monsters from a distance while positioned behind the tank with the shield.
Her gentle puppy-like appearance is due to her downward-looking eyes, but she's the type who fiercely dives into every challenge.
In a positive light, she's hardworking; negatively, she could be seen as overly aggressive and obsessive.
Grace was the first to react as the brown-haired beauty, whose appearance seemed to have been enhanced by her star rank, approached me.
Perhaps she remembers how Lily Depp acted when high-ranking adventurers gathered here last time, as she subtly clings to my side.
...Should I pretend I didn't notice Han Se-ah swallowing hard amidst all this?
"Roland, you just came from a job, right? I'm sorry if you were planning to rest, but I have a request for you."
"A request? From you?"
A somewhat anxious-looking Lily Depp continued.
A 4 from birth who had climbed up to the 35th floor.
I wonder why someone of her skill would give a request rather than handle the situation herself.
Even though both are 4, Lily Depp, who has been adventuring in the tower for over eight years, certainly has more experience than Katie Wesley, who's been adventuring for just over a year.
Unless a large monster appears, she should be able to handle things on her own.
"My party may have had an accident. I'm not sure what happened."
"...What?"
"We had some mana stones left over due to the gates. There were plenty of Horned Wolf and Orc mana stones, we had plenty left to sell. Some of us went west to sell them, and now we've lost contact."
However, her explanation made me nod in understanding.
Those who've adventured with her for eight years are naturally near her skill level.
Unless they're joining lower-level adventurer parties like mine to mentor them, it's natural for adventurers of similar skills to team up.
Lily Depp was saying that a group of senior adventurers who usually operate around the 35th floor had disappeared, not in the tower, but within the kingdom.
Considering that these senior adventurers wouldn't just steal Orc mana stones and run, something bad must've happened.
Whether they encountered a large monster or were ambushed by a powerful and mysterious group, one can only guess.
'Damn this fantasy world. Why do we have to worry about such things?'
It's not like they traveled a huge distance.
It's a week's journey by carriage.
Though a week by carriage sounds long, if you consider that a carriage travels around 50km a day, it's roughly the distance from Seoul to Busan.
A person from Seoul went on a business trip to Busan and either got bitten by a wild beast or was robbed by a gang.
It's frustrating when incidents like these happen.
It reminds me why I was so keen to save money.
I wanted to buy a peaceful territory and enjoy my retirement surrounded by magical tools.
"Honestly, those guys aren't the type to desert, especially just for an orc's mana stone."
"A senior adventurer wouldn't covet an orc's mana stone."
"Right. They've made so much money, a reputation for themselves and valuable connections in this city. They wouldn't resort to such actions for a mere mid-to-low-grade mana stone."
I think I should turn this one down.
I'm a tank, not a manhunter.
In a world without CCTV and IDs, being asked to find someone in the West sounds ridiculous.
Lily Depp herself, the one who gave the request, seems embarrassed, her face scrunching up in discomfort.
However, these two...
"Oh, a side quest..."
"...What do you think, Roland?"
Han Se-ah whispered just loud enough for me to hear.
She was probably checking out Lily Depp's character window and unconsciously mumbled it out.
Even if the stream is off, the system filter seems to be working well as the others didn't hear, though I did.
Then, in a rushed tone, Katie spoke up.
"Since you two know each other, it'd be nice to help. Plus, I'm from the North, I haven't been to the West yet."
"Katie, you..."
Kind-hearted Irene looked at her with pride while Lily Depp gazed at her with thankful eyes.
But I knew, and Han Se-ah probably knew too.
Our northern lady, Katie...
She's trying to avoid her father.
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