<413 - It's Too Early to Give Up!>
While Irene, Dorothy, and Rockbell willingly stepped into the Safe Zone, where a senior disguised as a child was lurking for human guts, on the other side, Jezel, Isabel, and Son Ohchun were busy gathering information for the search of Oknodie.
“Let’s exchange information. If we provide intel about the inside of the Student Dormitory Zone you want, you can tell us the current news from the outside world.”
Rather than recklessly prying into Oknodie’s back, Jezel approached them cleverly.
“Taking too long, aren’t you? Are you sure you’re doing this right?”
“The seniors from the Esornia Expedition Team gathered information from locals before acting hastily in places they first stepped into. I think Jezel is doing well.”
In fact, Jezel gathered quite a bit of information.
“There are over twenty mana disasters, big and small, in the Safe Zone, and they exist in varying levels of danger. The maximum limit for first-year upper class skills is said to be up to the level two mana disaster.”
“How do you distinguish the levels?”
“It’s measured by the depth of will contained within the mana disaster and the risks posed by monsters or spirits drawn to it. We’ve also secured a map.”
The goal of the students was to obtain the [Bivo] located at the end of the refuge. The path to Bivo was divided into two.
One: Break through the level one mana disaster [Dust Cloud], bypass the level three mana disaster [Heavenly Barrier], and traverse the level five mana disaster [Lava Zone] to challenge Bivo in the shortest distance.
Two: Avoid the Dust Cloud and the Heavenly Barrier to challenge the [Combined Disaster Zone], where over ten level one and two mana disasters appear consecutively or simultaneously.
“The former has fewer challengers, while the latter has many. Many students flock to the latter because of the numerous [Lost Items] left behind by failed students aiming for Bivo, hoping for a consolation prize.”
“Oknodie also said shortcuts were dangerous for the Library Expedition Team. If that’s the case, he definitely went backward.”
“What? Is that little rat aiming for Bivo?”
Jezel sighed heavily.
“This is the Student Dormitory Zone that was invaded with a huge uproar during a lecture. Whatever the case may be, there must be a goal to achieve right now.”
“Why did it have to be now? With Oknodie’s abilities, he could grow steadily and challenge Bivo much more easily later.”
“In my personal opinion, I don’t think he aims to recover Bivo.”
“Why not?”
“Retrieving Bivo is said to be beyond the capacity of an ordinary fourth-year student. I hear Bivo is an incredible item comparable to a double-numbering artifact.”
“Double-numbering?”
“When you reach second year, you’ll soon know that the academy’s treasury holds a tremendous number of special artifacts.”
Numbering artifacts are rated from 1st to 9999th in value worldwide.
Single numbers are for one-digit rankings.
Double numbers are for two-digit rankings.
Triple numbers are for three-digit rankings.
Quadruple-number artifacts are for four-digit rankings.
Having artifacts that rank within those numbers is something all adventurers, knights, and nobles would covet.
“I know about the numbering artifacts. The Esornia Expedition Team has a few too. A named expedition team would certainly have at least one.”
Son Ohchun stood blankly, scratching his head.
“So, what’s the point?”
“In the outside world, owning a double-number artifact is something only a kingdom’s king or a champion of a race could achieve.”
“What?! So obtaining Bivo means you could practically become a king of a nation?”
“While you couldn’t gain a nation with just Bivo, you could acquire that level of symbolic power. The highest point achievable by students who aren’t currently enrolled hinges on that Bivo.”
The retrieval of Bivo, something even ordinary fourth-year students could barely consider.
No matter how skilled Oknodie was, this was a near impossible task.
“But they say there are three students genuinely challenging to retrieve Bivo. The murderer Urgas, who single-handedly retrieved a hundred lost items, the sword thief Jeto, targeting the strongest lost item deep within the Heavenly Barrier, and the hermit Ian, who has been reclusive for over ten years.”
“…Is this a Student Dormitory Zone or a lawless land?”
“It’s not strange for such strong foes to gather if there’s an artifact as great as Bivo hidden here. In the outside world, it’s a level of item that one would have to prepare to infiltrate a royal palace and turn a kingdom against itself to obtain.”
With each word she heard, Isabel’s expression grew darker.
“Oknodie may have a strong craving for collecting, but he wouldn’t dare take such risks. This has to be… an instruction from the Foundation, right?”
“Perhaps it would have been better if he pursued Bivo directly. I heard from a student who encountered Oknodie during inquiries. Oknodie was chasing after someone, not Bivo.”
“Someone?”
“Charlotte. The 978th batch student. A third-year upper class dormitory student.”
“An upper class dormitory student?!”
“Rumor has it she could have been promoted but intentionally delayed her advancement to enter the Student Dormitory Zone. Most likely, she’s aiming for Bivo.”
This was certainly not good news for Isabel.
“If Charlotte is challenging Bivo, Oknodie chasing after her means…”
“Yes. He will probably follow her quite deep. In the process, he might clash with other unsanctioned individuals targeting Bivo, who won’t tolerate any competitors.”
That kind of fight among those monstrous beings was something that first-year upper class students couldn’t dare to intervene in.
“The deadline is within 48 hours. If we fail to rescue Oknodie within two days, he will step into the territory of unsanctioned individuals targeting Bivo, and we might need to brace for potential death.”
The faces of the three stiffened.
*
Three Bivo hunters.
Murderer Urgas. Sword Thief Jeto. Hermit Ian.
Among them, Irene, Dorothy, and Rockbell, who found themselves face to face with the hermit Ian, could barely wipe the sweat pouring down from the overflow of tension.
“I don’t need help.”
“Oh? That’s too bad. If you change your mind, just let me know anytime. No amount of mana hearts from talented students is ever enough.”
The one who broke the tense atmosphere was Jiang, who spoke to Ian as though he wasn’t just a first-year.
“You can stay here as long as you want and leave whenever you please. I’ll be in Room 1, so come find me if you need anything.”
As the senior disappeared into Room 1, the three stood in the shared space of the dormitory, letting out a collective sigh.
“Scary senior.”
“Phew. I thought I’d die. I even held my breath.”
“Are you an idiot? Only the monsters of our forest get mad at even a slight noise.”
“Hehe. Is that so?”
“…”
Irene felt it was better not to poke fun at the bizarre ecology of the Beasts’ Forest anymore. It was just a waste of energy at this point.
“So Jiang, what will you do?”
“I’m going back. I came here not wanting to miss Oknodie, but now I’ve missed him.”
“Do you think the professor would help if you asked?”
“I don’t think so. If he could enter, he would have done so directly.”
While the weak couldn’t challenge Bivo, the too strong wouldn’t even be able to enter.
As if the Dragon Principal had made it clear that only those who were students could obtain Bivo here.
“Should we head back…?”
Dorothy’s steps to the exit stalled suddenly.
It was due to faint sounds coming from beyond the door.
Ha ha!
Ha-ha!
Ahhh—ha ha!
This distinctive laugh; no matter how she thought about it, there was only one person she could think of.
“Mandela Castera?!”
“You got it right!”
Bang!
Gyaah!
“Such a girlish scream. If you make such a lovely scream, you might think it’ll make you look cute, but Mandela Castera does not dislike it!”
“W-what? Why is Senior Mandela here?!”
With an air of authority, she appeared, her eyes sparkling like stars as she proudly declared.
“If you succeed in rescuing Oknodie, Professor El Draco promised not to penalize you for the heinous act of attacking first-years and ensure that there will be no consequences in the future!”
From the perspective of someone like her who had been caught in a kraken’s tentacle at the coastline, this was all rather perplexing, but the situation itself didn’t seem too bad.
The top student of the second year, Mandela Castera, was going to help rescue Oknodie!
An enormous sense of hope blossomed that there would be a significant advancement in the stalled search for Oknodie.
Of course, hope is just hope.
The cruel reality remains unchanged.
The fact that the situation was dire didn’t change.
“Though you can go further ahead, we can’t go any further than this. We’re counting on you for Oknodie.”
“Ha-ha! You all underestimate yourselves too much. It’s too early to give up! Can everyone take out their protective talismans?”
“We have them, but why?”
“What did Professor Red Mountain say when he gave you the protective talisman?”
“Um… He said that as long as we have this, we can reach the entrance of the mana disaster… But we’ve already passed that point!”
Mandela Castera grinned boldly.
Despite the ear-splitting laughter torturing the three, they just clutched their ears, tears welling in their eyes.
“Don’t you still realize? That talisman was set with the premise of entering ‘without doing anything’ when specifying the entry point.”
“Without doing anything…?”
“Do you understand? You’ve already reached the mid-level of the mana disaster without using the protective talisman!”
“!!”
That’s right.
They could still move forward.
Towards what lies beyond, where Oknodie is located.
Their training was not in vain.
They still had a chance to chase after Oknodie.
