Chapter 48: To the Forest 3
Just because I could write posts on the forum didn't mean I could freely share everything I knew.
Han Se-ah was currently the world's top player, so there was no information available beyond the 11th floor.
Both Koreans and foreigners were tuning into Han Se-ah's stream to gather information about the forest.
Moss Wolves lurked in the shaded parts of the forest, and parties without a scout were vulnerable to surprise attacks.
Helmeted Deer not only charged with its antlers but also swung its head wildly, causing chaos with its antlers.
These were basic adventuring lessons that I had taught under the guise of educating viewers on Han Se-ah's stream.
'What should I write about? No, how should I write it?'
Given the situation, I couldn't provide any information about the forest beyond the 11th floor to Han Se-ah as a fan.
The only information I could share was about the city, not the tower.
Furthermore, I needed to establish a consistent concept for my forum posts.
No matter how valuable the content was, if the title didn't grab attention and the post itself wasn't interesting, it would get lost in the chaos.
In the early days of the stream, when the forum was quiet, simply writing 'information' would have sufficed for Han Se-ah and the forum users.
But now, both Koreans and foreigners were logging in, clumsily writing posts using translation tools.
'I'm really not cut out for this kind of thinking.'
The one advantage I had was that information about the world outside the tower could be freely shared.
Judging by the viewers who shared their own various experiences, it seemed that the cities were similar.
Since all the players who watched Han Se-ah's stream chose Marianne's inn as their base, everything else must be similar too.
After taking a few sips of my drink, I decided to take things easy once again.
People often say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I knew that I couldn't become a renowned figure on the forum with just one post, gain everyone's recognition, and advise Han Se-ah.
It was sad to see Han Se-ah walking around to light up the map.
The city had carriages, but she chose to walk around instead.
As she passed by several carriages on her way to the tower and the gate, I realized that the idea didn't even cross her mind.
As a test, I casually tossed out a piece of minor information in my post, only to come across a problem.
My eyes weren't cameras, so I couldn't take pictures.
Despite having the ability to write forum posts and an option to attach pictures, I had no means of capturing them.
What kind of a scam was this?
Was there a DLC I had to buy first?
It was frustrating.
Without pictures, my post wouldn't attract much attention.
-This person asked if Han Se-ah is the world's #1 356,786 times.
What the heck is this guy doing???
Grace's eyes vs Irene's breasts.
Goblins also appear in the forest.
As the night got darker, I took one last look at the forum.
...Even prostitutes have stars.
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Raei Translations
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"Hey, Roland? I was wondering while exploring the city, is there something like a carriage station?"
"Of course, there is. The Coachman's Guild has contracts with other guilds, so there are carriages that travel between major hubs in the city."
She saw my post, even without the pictures to drive up visibility.
She had casually asked as were heading toward the gate in the morning.
She then whispered to Grace, and Grace, thinking she was shy, chimed in to help Han Se-ah.
I realized that these two were not familiar with city life.
Grace hailed from a farming village, and according to Han Se-ah's backstory, she was a country girl with dreams of becoming an adventurer who eventually moved to the city.
On her first day, she appeared with a camera drone and I overheard her talking with her viewers after stepping off the carriage.
"They even have a guild for coachmen?"
"If there are enough people, they form a guild. But being a guild doesn't necessarily mean anything grand."
"So, why doesn't Roland use carriages?"
"Because I can run several times faster than a carriage. Besides, the carriages mostly circulate within the city, serving large guilds or accommodations where many outsiders stay. Adventurers heading into the tower usually don't take carriages."
"...Ah, that makes sense."
Novice adventurers refrain from riding carriages to save money.
Intermediate adventurers can walk as fast as a slow-moving carriage within the city.
Therefore, adventurers are not the main customers of the Coachman's Guild.
Despite my simple explanation, the four of them listened with interest, their eyes sparkling.
Even Kaiden, titled the 'Sword Princess,' appeared genuinely engaged in my story.
A player unfamiliar with common game knowledge, a girl from a farming village experiencing the city for the first time, a saint candidate who grew up in a temple, and a disguised noblewoman hiding her true identitythis group was naturally interested in stories about the adventurer's city.
"So, if you want to visit famous places in the city, it's good to take a carriage. They may not cover every nook and cranny, but carriages are available for most major locations, including various guilds and renowned shops."
"Oh, that's true. Someone told me to check a forum post... So, you guys have explored the city more than me. But isn't it excessive to fill city map to 100% before entering the tower in a game about climbing a tower?"
It seems like Han Se-ah didn't see my post directly, but a post made to tease Han Se-ah became a kind of fuse and the viewers joined in.
Perhaps they couldn't find anything else to tease her about, so the post became ammo for them to use.
Of course, there were also countless stories about the cross-dressing female Kaiden, but most of them ended up being nothing more than an excuse for people to expose their bizarre fetishes.
"Mage Hanna, confirmed."
Led by Han Se-ah, who retrieved her Magic Tower badge from her inventory, they passed through the gate.
Stepping out of the city, they found themselves in the vast but quiet plains.
"Today, after entering the 12th floor, our plan is to explore the eastern area, based on the passage we found yesterday. Grace, I'm counting on you."
"So, we just need to make our way to the 12th-floor passage, the one we found yesterday?"
Han Se-ah, determined and decisive as ever, immediately gave directions as the party leader.
Ignoring the Horned Rabbits and Horned Foxes, they followed the lantern's light, dealing with only attacking Horned Wolves.
The tower's structure consisted of passages connecting various floors.
There was a passage between the 10th and 11th floors, and another between the 11th and 12th floors.
While some floors had passages close to each other, others were considerably distant.
Hence, in a forest devoid of landmarks, it was common practice for adventurers to explore their surroundings based on the passage they had climbed.
Han Se-ah seems to have studied this in her own time.
Ellis would likely be the only one around Han Se-ah with such knowledge, since she was a guild receptionist.
They had grown quite close, like sisters.
Perhaps Ellis had offered her guidance to help Han Se-ah shed the novice adventurer label.
We silently walked through the forest until Grace signaled once again.
"There seems to be a Kobold tribe up ahead."
"How many are there?"
"About fifteen."
Unlike the solitary Moss Wolf and Helmeted Deer, this time we faced a small-sized monster tribe.
Nevertheless, we swiftly assumed our positions, having experienced this situation before.
I led the way, with the priest, archer, and mage forming a protective shield at the center of the group, while Kaiden swung her sword from the rear.
Once she confirmed everyone's positions, Han Se-ah nodded at me and gestured.
She could have spoken at this distance, it looks like she enjoyed how Grace uses hand signals.
"It's okay when Grace does it but not when I do it? Huh?"
Unable to resist, the viewers teased Han Se-ah.
I silently move forward.
I broke through the branches that obstructed my view, revealing a clearing in the forest.
Just as Grace had described, fourteen kobolds were basking in the sunlight, resting.
They seemed to be newly spawned, yet to build their huts or start gathering resources.
With beastly heads resembling a mix of a dog and a rat, covered in fur, they were roughly the same size as goblins, but appeared slightly larger, perhaps due to their fur.
Woof woof!
To them, I must have seemed like a steel giant abruptly bursting through the bushes.
'I only need to take down two of them.'
If I left twelve for Han Se-ah, Grace, and Kaiden, that would leave roughly four kobolds per person.
I confidently strode forward and delivered a powerful kick to a kobold right in front of me.
Stronger and sturdier than the goblins encountered on lower floors, the kobolds stood no chance against my kick.
One of them was sent flying like a bouncy ball, soundlessly crashing into a tree, turning into a stone, and disappearing.
Only then, squawking like scared birds, did the kobolds run away, towards the back.
However, being monsters, they didn't flee; instead, they headed toward the smaller-framed women behind me.
"Having a mage in the party is so convenient. You're amazing, Hanna."
"All thanks to Irene's protective shield."
"Oh, no. Hanna's magic is so fast and precise..."
They were more than capable enough to deal with the kobolds, casually in conversation as they do so.
***
After someone's comment, I decided to remove the constant sis/sister dialogue between the girls. It was meant to denote the change to casual speech, unnie -> sis... I did get used to it but it felt a little unnatural, no one really says that.
There isn't a proper translation really for terms of endearment..
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