Chapter 135: Cross-Dressing Girl 5
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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While watching Katie Wesley combat the Giant Worm atop the Knight-type golem, I couldn't help but think,
'Isnt that overpowered?'
Even if it's a gimmick just for a boss fight, she dealt with the Giant Worm too effortlessly.
Would it make sense for a monstrous creature, with a mouth diameter of 4 meters and a body length of about 15 meters, with the ability to wrap around one's ankle, to be easily shaken off?
I mean, I could do that too, but considering the game balance for players, something seemed off.
It's not like swarms of Giant Worms attack at once.
Wouldnt it have been a more normal play to need at least two golems to deal with a single Giant Worm?
The mana stone attached to the golem was also depleted less than expected.
"Wha... I feel heavier than I did yesterday."
After reporting the 30th floor's happenings to the guild and setting out to find another Giant Worm, Katie, who had once again boarded the golem, murmured in a distressed voice.
Perhaps it was true, this place absorbed mana.
The invaluable treasure of the kingdom, and the pride of the Northa treasure beyond monetary worthhad been consumed by the golem, transformed into a one-time-use enhancement stone.
Did I really... on the golem yesterday...?
The psychological shock was so great, Kaiden's way of speaking and Katie's voice seemed to mix in her disarray.
Even Charlotte, seeing her pitiful state, was at a loss for words.
Neither adventurers nor mages could've dreamed that a golem found in the tower would melt down a family treasure.
The Northern princess, who vanished only leaving behind baseless rumors, was now piloting a giant golem with a devastated expression.
Even the socially savvy Charlotte seemed to struggle to keep her composure in the face of this.
Look on the bright side.
...What?
At least you didnt wear the magic armor being repaired, or that would have turned to scrap too.
...Eek.
The knight-type golem seemed to prefer the mana contained in the kingdoms treasure over the mass-produced mana stone attached to its back.
And the worst part?
Its effects wouldnt even last a day.
What kind of inefficient mechanism was this?
-Note... When riding a golem... deactivate... artifacts...
-An incident caused by a teammate being too strong, haha.
-Isn't this kind of a gift in its own way?
-Info) To solo hunt a Giant Worm, equip a natural-born 4 character with the magical artifact of the kingdom.
-Even if you hunted the entire Worm family, wouldnt you still be at a loss?
Viewers who grasped the situation laughed and teased Katie through the chat, though they were milder than when teasing Han Se-ah.
Some even seemed to delight in seeing the beauty's gloomy expression.
Those guys are truly passionate.
While I alternated my gaze between Katie and the chat, Charlotte, who had been talking to Han Se-ah, approached me.
"So, what will you do now?"
"We have to eliminate the Giant Worms for the sake of other adventurers. This isn't something that can be resolved by waiting for a guild expedition. If we take down the Giant Worm, we might be able fix those golems as well."
"True, if large-scale monsters have emerged in such numbers, intermediate adventurers won't be able to handle it."
Charlotte had a point.
Small to medium-sized monsters can be likened to animals at best, but when it came to large monsters, it was like comparing them to a tank.
When distinguishing between the levels of adventurers and knights, novices and intermediates are separated by skill and knowledge.
However, the senior level is defined by their ability to manifest and control mana.
So, while a novice adventurer might somehow hunt a medium-sized monster, an intermediate adventurer can't take down a large monster.
It's like asking a martial arts champion to fight an oncoming train; it's not a duel, it's a disaster.
"Still, we should warn others. Is the Magic Tower here in this floor's safe zone?"
"Of course. Mages wouldn't ignore such a unique environment like the caves."
"Then let's go and report to the guild and the Magic Tower."
While Charlotte is trustworthy as a researcher, as an adventurer, she's not skilled enough for the 30th floor.
So it's best we stick together.
Especially since there might be numerous Giant Worms roaming outside.
I'd love to bring that knight-type golem outside, but given its size, it seems likely it would get stuck in the pathways.
Perhaps once the quest of the 30th floor is done, and the Magic Tower makes the gate to dismantle and transport it, it might work.
If I tried, it would probably end up broken.
In this respect, good game design by BB Games.
"Alright, let's head to the safe zone."
"Mari knows the way, she can lead."
"Yes, ma'am."
With Katie, still wearing a gloomy expression after descending from the golem, Grace and Irene feeling awkward about Katie suddenly appearing as a female, and Han Se-ah receiving a barrage of hate from viewers for Katie's solo clear, the group gathered once more and set off for the safe zone.
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Raei Translations
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"Certainly, they seem to be wandering around."
A few more people must have died.
Navigating toward a surprisingly nearby safe zone, Grace and Maid Mari led the way.
They utilized the narrow pathways, where the Giant Worm couldn't enter, to get to the safe zone.
Despite this, there were several instances when they felt vibrations and a distinct thudding noise resonating in their ears.
The caves of the 30th floor, which should've been quiet, were unbearably noisy.
There definitely wasn't just one Giant Worm.
Isnt it quite inefficient to lure them one by one? It would be great if there was a way to attract them.
-A beacon? Some kind of scent to lure them?
-We have something to attract wolves, but not for worms?
-At this point, I think Han Se-ah should take responsibility and write a strategy guide.
Thankfully, with a rogue, a scout, and a player who could check the minimap in the party, we reached the safe zone without encountering a Giant Worm.
If the forest safe zone was a wooden fortress made using logs, this place was a large tent village in a low ceiling pathway that I had to slightly crouch to enter.
Given the narrow entrance, it must've been nearly impossible to transport construction materials.
Maybe they only brought experimental tools.
Being inside a tower and in a cave, there wasn't any need to shield from rain and wind.
Frankly, there might not have been a need for tents either.
Hmm? What is it?
I need to contact the Magic Tower.
Since Charlotte, who openly had a maid attend to her, was leading the way, the guards at the safe zone lowered their guard immediately.
After all, among our group, there was only one man.
We had two beautiful mages holding staffs, a beautiful maid, and another beauty in nuns attire.
It would indeed be strange for them to remain wary.
Charlottes makeshift lab was on the 20th floor, but she seemed familiar with this branch of the Magic Tower as she headed towards a certain tent.
Just as there was a communication magic tool in a shack on the 20th floor, there seemed to be one in a tent on the 30th floor.
A mage, who looked oddly familiar, was seated outside the tent reading a large book.
He looked up with a puzzled expression.
Adventurer?
I am Charlotte Cavendish from the Magic Tower, here to investigate the anomalies on the 30th floor.
Ah, I see. Are you here to report to the Magic Tower?
The communication mage, who initially looked puzzled seeing an adventurer with a maid, nodded understandingly upon hearing she was a noble mage.
Mages were known to have peculiar tendencies, and nobles in the city of adventurers were a notch above the rest in eccentricity.
With Charlotte and the mage heading inside the tent, we who were left outside were engulfed in an awkward silence.
Understandably, the cause of the tension was Katie Wesley, who had been forcibly unmasked.
For a girl from a rural village and a nun who grew up in a temple taking care of orphans, knowing that she was the daughter of the Northern Duke was a lot to digest.
Han Se-ah was, of course, portrayed as a talented commoner who traveled to the capital city from the countryside in a carriage.
As for me, I just dropped into this world with no background.
I might have connections with nobles, but I'm not one myself.
In many ways, Katie Wesley seemed to be the outlier in our group.
"Ah, Katie, you're from the North, right?"
"Yes. I came here to climb the tower and become an adventurer."
Due to her somewhat tearful appearance while holding the artifact, Irene approached Katie with a motherly sense of care.
But Grace appeared confused, coming closer to my side.
"Roland, did you know about this?"
"I didn't know until we were in the forest. The Northern Duke suddenly summoned me for a conversation."
"Really? The Duke knew?"
"He knew. It felt like he was quite protective of her. Of course, I'm not sure how to address the broken artifact issue."
"It's a bit surprising to see her so distressed. Was that item very expensive?"
Not knowing much about the artifact, Grace's comment drew a small chuckle from me.
It seems she just thinks of it as an exaggeratedly priced antique related to dragons.
I wanted to see Grace's surprised face, so I whispered in her ear, lowering my voice.
"That artifact would require thousands of gold coins to make."
"...What?!"
"That's just the manufacturing cost. If sold, it would fetch well over ten thousand."
Having become an intermediate adventurer and now spending silver coins, and even occasionally spending gold coins, a sum in the tens of thousands was an amount Grace could scarcely imagine.
Hearing about such an astronomical amount, her eyes changed in an instant.
"She broke something that valuable? How will she..."
It might be nice for them to become friends, even if it starts from sympathy.
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This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺