Chapter 73: Vanguard Battle 3
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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Just like that, in the blink of an eye, Han Se-ah spent a day outside the virtual game world, then hopped back in and started streaming.
She'd even checked out the forum post I wrote while using a VPN.
-I saw that post too
-I spent my day off reading those
-Just use magic to contact them
After a night's march, should we drop down 10 floors, cross the gate, and report to the guild and Magic Tower? or just head to the 20th floor's base camp and use magic to contact them?
No matter how much I think about it, the latter option seems more rational.
"For sure, that could be faster. But if we call them and they give an investigation request, we might have to stick around in the tower longer than planned. Is everyone okay with that?"
"I'm fine."
"If the Goddess wills it."
At my question, Kaiden gives a silent nod.
Grace and Irene give us a glance, showing they're on board.
Instead of a night march, a two-night, three-day trip might work better.
Seeing everyone nod along with Han Se-ah's idea, I grab another lantern hung to my belt.
"Alright, let's head to this floor's safe zone."
"Is that lantern a magic item that leads to the safe zone?"
"Yes, it was made in the tower. It's like the lantern that finds the floor passages, but it's linked to the guardian stone in the safe zone. Given our situation, let's just go straight. If an orc shows up, I'll deal with it as quickly."
Once I explain, I hand the lantern to Grace, our party's scout.
The outer look is a bit different, but the magic stone chunk inside acts like a compass, just like the other lantern, so there's no need for further explanation.
Grace, who'd been checking out her surroundings after taking the lantern, hangs the passage lantern to her waist and starts leading.
After that, nothing gets in our way.
We're making good progress, sure to please both local and international viewers.
Next to Grace, I clear out traps with my body and keep moving forward.
If orc warriors block our path, I rush forward and smash their heads.
If a fist that can break rocks can't crush a simple orc skull, what can?
The hunters scatter and the warriors turn into magic stones.
And so, after a long trek following the lantern, we reach the safe zone.
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Raei Translations
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"Wow, this in the tower..."
"It's a Magic Tower project, so it turned out better than I thought."
Meticulously built wooden walls, as if to argue that the orc tribes' are made by children.
Armed guards stand atop it, keeping watch in all directions, with watchtowers and surveillance magic tools set up at every turn.
A key outpost of the Magic Tower, hidden from regular adventurers.
The workers were diligently protected, transported to monster-free areas, then showered with magic and money to build a mini-fortress.
"Stop! This is a base of the Magic Tower. Adventurers aren't allowed. Stay outside the walls..."
"I'm Senior Adventurer Roland. I've come to report a strange event in the tower. I need to speak with Antenor."
As I headed towards the place where trees were cleared for a better view, a guard yelled out.
I named a higher-up he might recognize, impressed by his quick, well-trained response.
The name belonged to the 5 mage who stuck to the 43rd floor but descended to the 1st because of the Full Moon Wolf Gate.
Senior adventurer Roland and high mage Antenor.
These aren't names a guard can just shrug off.
His voice softened a bit, his arrow now pointed downward.
A solid professional who won't let outsiders into a major base without proof.
The guard, after calling for backup, skillfully climbed down from the wooden fence and approached me.
Realizing I'm not a mid-tier adventurer looking for a resting spot, the guard asked cautiously.
"Can I see your adventurer's badge and your evidence?"
"Here, the badge and loot from new monsters."
"Ah... give me a moment, please."
The approaching guard didn't look at the adventurer's badge but at the warrior and shaman necklaces Han Se-ah pulled from her inventory.
The two necklaces, made of small animal bones and feathers, were filled with magic.
Anyone who can use magic would instantly know these weren't ordinary trinkets.
Fitting for a Magic Tower guard protecting a critical point on the 20th floor, he seemed to recognize this right away.
"Can I take the badge and loot to report? Sir Antenor is in his lab..."
"I know he won't leave his lab even if it's on fire. Instead of knocking, just toss the loot inside. It'll be more effective."
"Ha ha ha, thank you for the advice."
The guard let out an awkward laugh, perhaps unsure about throwing things at his boss.
He ran back up the wooden walls, had a few quick words with his buddies, then quickly vanished behind past the walls.
Then, the people waiting on the walls started bustling around, working some magic device.
With a grumbling noise, a large log slowly moved aside.
"Uh, is that the door?!"
It's something made by mages.
A gigantic stone door shrouded in an illusion spell that made it resemble a log.
Impervious to regular attacks, opens gradually as if automated.
It's more than capable of withstanding a charge from an orc hunter or a helmeted deer.
Grace, awed by its magnitude, stares in astonishment.
Given her fascination with the inventory, she seems quite taken by magic.
"Have you been here before, Kaiden?"
"Yes, the last time I was with the mercenary group as a porter, this was our final stop."
Unlike Irene, whose eyes are wide in amazement, and Grace, whose mouth is agape, Kaiden naturally trails me through the door.
Han Se-ah clings to her like a reporter conducting an interview.
Only Kaiden and I maintain our composure.
-Why put log skins on a stone wall?
-This secret base is crazy, lol
-Is this a mages' dream?
-They prefer the less practical route
-An automatic door made of stone LOL
It was ridiculous enough to transport stones to the 20th-floor forest of the tower and erect a fortress, then cloak it as a wall by layering magic on the stone door.
The fact that the fortress entrance is an automated door that slides from side to side is equally ridiculous.
But what can you do?
All these are the outcome of the mages' experiments.
The fortress ended up in this odd form because they created an automatic door to test a magic device.
It's a peculiar fortress birthed by a group of mages experimenting on whatever fancied them.
Perhaps the lucky thing is that the interior remains intact.
With regular logging around the area for visibility, there was no shortage of wood.
So, the inside of the stone wall was filled with huts.
There's no risk, even with the entire building made of wood, since there are no orc hunters launching flaming arrows.
"Let me guide you inside. Should I lead you to Antenor's makeshift lab?"
"That man will likely be a while, so I'd prefer you guide me to the Adventurer's Guild liaison."
"Yes, understood."
As we stepped through the opened fortress gate, another guard followed.
He nodded at the mention of the Adventurer's Guild.
Antenor will probably spend a good hour messing with my adventurer's badge and the orc loot he received earlier.
The destination we headed for under his guidance was a hut where a mage sat in a rocking chair, focused on a book.
"Hmm? What is it, Jackson?"
"Senior Adventurer Roland has requested communication with the Adventurers' Guild."
"Not the Magic Tower, but the Adventurer's Guild?"
"One of the guards has gone to explain the circumstances to Antenor in his lab."
With respect, the guard outlined the situation, implying that the mage must hold a high rank, given his relaxed demeanor while enjoying honey in his seat.
Having presented a senior adventurer's badge and the loot of an unfamiliar monster as evidence, and given my association with the distinguished mage Antenor...
Mages typically find such matters a bit tedious.
If an unknown event occurs, they prefer to hear the full narrative before taking any action.
That's why I suggested simply tossing it into Antenor's lab.
By now, the guard who took my adventurer's badge and the loot is likely detailing everything meticulously, from the moment our party appeared outside the wall, to Han Se-ah removing the loot from her inventory and passing it over.
And when he finishes his explanation, he will inspect the loot of the orc warrior and the orc shaman, and then come looking for me.
"Hmm... I see. I'll connect with the Adventurers' Guild immediately."
Just like how the mage in front of me only lifted his hand towards the communication crystal after hearing the guard's full explanation.
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