Chapter 136: For the Runaway Girl 1
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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With the help of Charlotte, we reported the anomalies on the 30th floor to the Magic Tower and the Guild.
From a knight-type golem powered by the stones of other golems, to the appearance of the Giant Worm that left corpses, and even a different world's factory that melted bodies and magical tools to extract mana.
On top of that, there were the hangars and the hidden golem repair facilities inside them.
These hard to believe claims, were vouched for by both a noblewoman and an intermediate mage, along with a senior adventurer.
The testimony of the two surviving adventurers I handed a lantern to, further confirmed our story.
"Adventurers will leave, but the mages will probably flock to the 30th floor in large numbers."
"Huh, why?"
"Adventurers value their lives. If they lack the skills to face large creatures, they'll likely stay on the 29th floor. On the other hand, mages value knowledge more than their lives. They'll just think of avoiding the danger and they'll all ascend to the 30th floor."
This revealed the entirely opposite approaches of the two groups.
Whether adventurers earned money on the 29th or the 30th floor, there wasn't much difference since both were cave levels.
Those with the capability to reach the 30th floor should be able to distinguish between bravery and overconfidence at that point.
None of them would consider challenging a creature 15 meters long, preferring the relative safety of the 29th floor.
Conversely, mages, always thirsty for new discoveries, were drawn to the worm that moved above ground, the non-disappearing corpses, the machinery extracting mana from corpses and magical tools, and even the giant golems big enough for a human to ride.
The floor was filled with elements that would drive a mage mad with curiosity.
One consolation might be that, after the previous orc incident, supplies to the higher floors have been plentiful.
So there was no need yet for an expedition to wander around the 30th-floor caves.
Though players might soon see escort missions for these expeditions appear as side quests.
"So, what should our party do?"
"I think it'd be best to stay on the 30th floor for a while, as long as we have enough provisions. I want to see if there are any other creatures besides the Giant Worm, and we also need to negotiate the ownership of that golem."
"The golem's ownership?"
Our group, gathered in the corner of a research tent, looked at me with questioning eyes.
Especially Katie, who was deeply fascinated by the knight-like golem.
Her gaze sparkled with such intensity that I couldn't tell if she was addicted to the golem or regretting the loss of her family's treasure.
Nevertheless, everyone in our group had witnessed the might of the knight-like golem.
Though its might had come at the cost of melting Katie's magical artifact, which was incredibly inefficient.
"As you all know, that golem melted the family treasure Katie had."
"Right..."
Katie lowered her head as if my words had reopened a wound.
Irene, trying to console her, responded on her behalf.
While I felt a bit guilty bringing it up, Katie's actions did give us a claim to the golem, so it might lessen the backlash she might face.
Under normal circumstances, adventurers would sell the golem to the Magic Tower.
But doing so might earn the ire of the Northern Duke.
If things go awry, she might get detained for 're-education' due to the financial loss she caused the family.
Worse, she could be forced to take successor lessons and would have to leave the party.
So, the reason the golem could function is thanks to the magic artifact of the Wesley family.
...What?
The artifact of the Wesley family awakened the golem that was dormant in the tower. So, this golem shouldn't be sold to the Magic Tower but sent to the Frost Wolf Knights Division of the Wesley family.
To prevent Han Se-ahs party from downsizing from eighteen to fourteen, a significant favor should be granted to the Wesley family.
After all, we accidentally wasted a priceless magical artifact, one that cannot be equated to mere money.
The party members, unfamiliar with how nobles operated, blinked in confusion.
Charlotte then approached from the tent, her face adorned with a sly smile, as if she had just heard an entertaining story.
"Oh my, trying to keep the princess by sending a golem in her stead?"
Exactly. A precious necklace sleeping in the family vault isn't something that can be shown off. But a giant steel knight leading the charge of the Knights Division can become something to be proud of."
Is that so?
In short, it's a bribe for the Duke's adventurous daughter.
Your daughter, the adventurer, has awakened the dormant Steel Giant on the 30th floor.
So, use it in the name of the Frost Wolf Knights Division to subjugate monsters in the north and earn renown that's the gist.
Isnt it like a child who broke a plate, avoiding a scolding by presenting a perfect test score along with the broken pieces?
Since we've reported our findings, it's now time to roam the 30th floor, exterminate the Giant Worms and locate the real boss.
Our two main objectives on the 30th floor are:
First, to lure and annihilate the Giant Worms, thereby repairing the three damaged golems.
Second, to locate and confront the true boss lurking somewhere.
Of course, this is from Han Se-ah's perspective; the rest are unaware that a true boss exists.
-Once all the golems are fixed, wont the log update?
-Let's do it properly this time.
-We were told to walk the flower path, but you're trying to fly off it.
-After repairing all golems, we'll likely face the true boss with all four of them.
-We have a knight golem and an archer golem. What about the remaining two?
The viewers also began to express their desire to see the real boss, thinking the party's approach made sense.
Given the betting stakes and it being turned on its head by the Giant Worm, they seem a tad on edge.
It's not like you can convert them into real cash.
They're just points that naturally accumulate over time, so they aren't exactly valuable*.
The only uses for these points are to pose questions or add color to chat messages, so they aren't particularly valuable.
Yet, the viewers who already placed their bets didn't seem to care.
"Why did you want to become an adventurer, Katie?"
"Hmm, maybe because it seemed freeing? Or perhaps it's because of the fairy tales I read as a child."
"Fairy tales, huh? Well, even the children at the temple read fairy tales and dream of becoming adventurers. Some even argue about whether it's better to be a free-spirited adventurer or a glorious knight."
"A knight? Well, watching them train with the soldiers, I wouldnt say it looks particularly glorious."
Regardless of what the viewers think, Irene and Katie were lost in their own conversation.
In contrast to Grace, who was still slightly awkward, Irene seemed to lead conversations with her quite well.
With the encouragement of numerous viewers, we decided to return to the hangar, lure a Giant Worm, and defeat it.
I wanted to carry around even a broken arm of a golem, but decided against it, just in case.
After all, the quest progression is already twisted.
If messing with the golems causes issues in its repair, it would be quite bothersome.
While I could forcibly resolve issues involving physical strength, repairing a golem falls into an entirely different domain.
It's like if you forcefully tried to attach a missing arm or leg to a toy robot, you'd just break it.
Especially when dealing with the delicate parts of a golem that's filled with gears - you can't just use brute strength.
"So, do we have to wait for Roland to bring a worm all the way here?"
-Seriously, don't just stand around! Find a way to lure it.
-Just because you have a 6 doesn't mean you can exploit them to the bone.
-If you've got nothing else to do, maybe work on getting closer with the Northern Duke's daughter.
-Han Se-ah shouldn't force things. Let it happen naturally.
Still, recalling my previous experience, instead of traveling far, I bellowed out with mana-infused shouts while watching Han Se-ah's stream near the pathway connected to the hangar.
No need to go far when they're even faster than mejust pouring mana into my voice should be enough.
While intermediate adventurers would get pulverized upon impact, all I'd experience is the unpleasant sensation of getting dragged through the dirt and dust.
I felt like a fisherman waiting for fish to bite, moving back and forth between the massive pathways and letting out long screams.
'...Should I venture a bit further out?'
"Is there nothing nearby? The echoing sound seems to be Roland's scream, there's no vibration."
-This is why I told you to make some bait for the worm, you fool.
-Why does this person just sit and complain? (I really don't get it).
-If there's nothing to do, help Grace and the Northern Duke's daughter become friends.
-With Roland gone, Grace's gone quiet. Please fix the audio.
"Ah, seriously! If I go out, I might end up getting hit by the giant worm and reset to the morning. Then I'd have to report to the Magic Tower and Adventurer's Guild all over again.
...But I just got an idea."
[HanSeAhTheRolandBackBreaker donated 5,000 won]
Saying you had an idea is the funniest joke you've made recently.
"Hey! ...Anyway, can't we just make something that baits it in?"
Unable to bear the viewers' nagging any longer, Han Se-ah seemed to have thought of something as she pulled out a golem's mana stone from her inventory.
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