<163 - On the Way to Loot the Modified Item>
First, I successfully trapped a ghost in the ring.
[Titosso's Friendship Ring (Bound)]
Grade – Unique Level 5
Description – A gift presented by Ghost Papa to commemorate Titosso’s unchanging friendship. If the current ring wearer does not want it, no other person can gain its effect even if they wear the ring.
Effect 1 – Check Life Gauge
Effect 2 – Transfer Life
Effect 3 – While within 20m of another ring owner, all stats increase
Effect 4 – Instead of activating Effect 1, store a ghost cluster (fake Lin) in the ring.
Valuation – 220 gold coins, 22,000 points
A fake Lin, aiming at the life force inside the ring, voluntarily entered. Although it seems calm for now, who knows what’ll happen over time?
“How will I get the tools to prevent Lin’s escape?”
“If I take a curse-related class in the second semester, I can secure it properly, but until then, I’ll look for a temporary tool to make a temporary seal!”
“What about threatening the other seniors with a knife?”
“I can’t guarantee they’ll keep the secret until the end!”
“That’s true. If there’s anything I can help with, just let me know. I’ll cooperate with material gathering for the sake of my younger sister’s safety.”
Seeing Sing show such dedication to a fake younger sister made me think he was both pathetic and really cool. Even if it means turning the whole world against him, this guy strives to save a ghost, tricking himself to do so.
It’s an utterly futile effort, yet it’s an impressive and moving story.
‘To be able to be so absorbed in something is pretty amazing. Everyone else tends to live casually because they don’t have something like that.’
Of course, that doesn’t apply to veteran players.
Dreaming of being the strongest in humanity, even the strongest creature on the surface, where is there room to live life casually and even buff one stat carefully?
[You haven’t forgotten my existence, have you?]
“Will you keep it a secret?”
I heard the annoying sound of scratching his head, saying it was bothersome through the close-range magic communicator in my ear.
[Well, fine. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a promising undergraduate, and having that fake ghost might make things a little calmer.]
“Wow!”
[But if that ghost goes wild outside of the ring, I’ll exorcise it immediately.]
“Hehe, don’t worry. I’ll take care to make sure it doesn’t run around at night or bite people!”
[Is the ghost a dog? Someone would think I’m raising a pet if they heard this.]
Professor Destroyer’s alternative lecture ended without incident. Now, it’s time to find the temporary chains and rings.
On my way to use the carriage subscription pass for material gathering, I felt a lot of gazes on me. I usually get stared at quite a bit, but today the frequency and intensity felt even stronger.
“Hmmm.”
I glanced around the nearby bushes and dashed around the corner of a building.
Tada-dah!
Startled, I noticed a presence chasing after me in a panic.
“Tch… where did it go?”
“It’s above your head!”
“Oh, right. Above my head… screech!”
Dorothy fell backward in surprise. I jumped off the building railing and softly landed right in front of her.
“Why were you chasing after me?”
“I heard a strange rumor…”
“A strange rumor? The one about me being the Dark Princess?”
“Not that one.”
“Or maybe you found out about me sneaking into the food storage at midnight to collect data?”
“That’s very Oknodie of you… but unfortunately, that’s not it.”
“Did the rumor spread that I scammed with bloodstones?”
“I don’t know about that, but that’s not it either.”
“Could it be that I sold you that Goo Mentha Drake again to get its cultivation liquid?!”
“…Did you really do that?”
“Come on. This is nothing! So what’s the reason?”
Dorothy, looking a bit deflated, began to share the rumor she heard.
“Oknodie hired Sing as a hitman!”
“Eh? That’s not it!”
“Phew. Right? It’s just a misunderstanding, right?”
“Sing only agreed to do me one favor!”
“…One favor?”
“Yeah. Just one!”
“That’s not a misunderstanding at all! It still makes him a hitman, even if it’s just for one time!”
“Come on. You’re hurting my ears.”
Why is everyone making such a fuss?
“I mean, doesn’t a forest keeper shoot arrows and stab intruders in the woods?”
“Well, that’s true, but I’m an apprentice forest keeper. I only shoot warning shots!”
“Ah, so you still have a long way to go?”
“Wha-what? Why are you being so smug?”
“Nothing! Just make sure to grow up well, Dorothy.”
But just like Dorothy had something she was curious about me, I had a curious question for her.
“By the way, why did you pretend you heard it from someone else?”
“Eek! Ah, you knew?!”
“Yeah.”
“Why did you play dumb… It’s embarrassing.”
“Out of deep consideration? To keep the rhythm going?”
“If you were going to do that, you could’ve gone along with it all the way…”
Complaining, Dorothy honestly replied.
“Forest keepers communicate with the animals in the woods through gestures and sounds, you know?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And so, forest friends naturally come about.”
“Uh-huh.”
“When talking about others’ bad deeds, forest friends always pretend like it wasn’t them. Friends tend to resemble each other, so I guess I’m influenced by that!”
Aren’t those forest friends the type who got swept up in a witch hunt and fled in a panic when the truth was revealed?
During the entrance exam, Dorothy was obliviously fooled by her childhood friend, so she seems like a nice person but has a bit of a rich imagination that leads her astray.
[Understanding of the character [Dorothy] has increased.]
━━━
Dorothy’s Understanding
Naivety (Understanding 20) – A naive person who firmly believes even baseless lies and rumors.
Friend of Forest Friends (Understanding 40) – Too naive, occasionally swayed easily by others’ negative attributes, debuffs, or status ailments.
━━━
[The favorability of the character [Dorothy] has exceeded 20.]
[The first privilege [Dorothy's Hunting Time] is unlocked.]
[A naive child knows plenty about the forest’s secrets. Visiting the forest with Dorothy once a month increases item looting probability by 500%!]
Oh? Isn’t this feature amazing…?
“Dorothy. Do you have classes to attend today or tomorrow?”
“I have one, but it’s just a submission assignment.”
“I’ll solve that for you. After that, let’s go to the forest together!”
“To the forest? What are we going to do there?”
“To find a gift for a friend!”
“If the top student is going to do my assignment, I’m all for it!”
Dorothy happily accepted the offer.
*
Exactly six hours later.
In the eerie woods as night fell, Dorothy asked,
“…Oknodie. I forgot to ask. What exactly is the gift we’re looking for?”
“The cursed branch of the specter tree that binds the ghosts in the ring!”
Just hearing it made me want to cover my face.
“That name is already terrifying!! At least say we should go in the daytime!!”
“But I want to make the most of the item drop 5x event while I can!”
“But I can’t see anything ahead!”
“Hehe. No need to worry. I’m taking the Adventurer’s Night Activities Lecture!”
“That’s not about you! It’s about my worry!!”
I’m never going to hang out with Oknodie again.
Dorothy made a firm decision.
*
[You detected the mark of the cursed woods’ dead. ]
[Observation Experience Points +1]
[You locked eyes with a deer entranced by the ghost in the ring.]
[You did not fall into fear.]
[Courage Experience Points +3]
[You startled Dorothy by pulling her shoulder.]
[Frightening Experience Points +1]
The night woods are indeed cost-effective.
Everything I do boosts my skill experience points.
Looting items is even more plentiful.
With bundles of 20, I looted 5 bundles of herbal medicines for curing diseases, 2 bundles for curing curses, 1 bundle for curing bleeding, and half a bundle for curing paralysis.
[You have achieved the achievement of Beginner Herbal Gathering Level 1.]
[You have obtained the title [Goo Herb Gatherer].]
[Due to the title’s effect, all gathering success chances increase by 1%.]
[You gained 100 points as a bonus for attaining the title.]
Including the nutmeats and mushrooms to add flavor to food that I’ve gathered, it’s a bountiful harvest.
I’ve accumulated enough ingredients to eat for at least a week until winter.
“Can’t we just go back?”
“Just hold on a little longer. We’re almost there!”
“Stop lying. Earlier, a squirrel living in the woods asked me if I’m a fool!”
“A squirrel said that…?”
“When you actually understand the words of animals, it’s not different from humans. Oknodie, do you know what words people lacking vocabulary often use?”
“What kind of words?”
“Give it to me. Get lost. Sex. The next most used words are nasty words.”
Weirdly, seeing druids getting so depressed and humans falling apart, I never tried playing as a druid class, but now I understand why.
“It’s fine. Just keep holding onto my collar.”
“This is the last time. We’re getting this and going back. Got it?”
“It’s fine. We’re almost there.”
“Really?”
“Yes. But you mustn’t let go of my collar!”
“Because I’ll get lost?”
“The cursed tree consumes the sounds around it. Even if we’re attacked, we can’t sense it by sound!”
Suddenly.
Dorothy, who had been following me obediently, stopped in surprise.
“Come on! I told you there’s nothing to worry about! I’m right here!”
“Th-That’s right? I just have to trust Oknodie!”
“But close your eyes!”
“Why close my eyes…?”
“Sometimes, spirits appear from the trees to scare you. If you scream after seeing them, the tree makes noise and engulfs you!”
“…I really want to go back now.”
“It’s too late. We’re almost there!”
Hik-
I petted Dorothy’s back, who was starting to hiccup.
“It’s okay, you won’t die! Just hold onto my collar really tight, keep your eyes closed, and even if you can’t hear anything, don’t scream! Just follow me, and you’ll survive!”
By the time Chapter 4 starts in the second year of the Academy, I might become a terrifying monster that gets up and chases and eats people, but for now, as a first-year, it isn’t that dangerous if I just follow the strategy and deal with this easy chapter boss.
How can I resist looting when the item dropping rate for boss monsters is 5 times?
