<687 - Shocking Confession (5)>
As we stepped into the Isolation of the Spirit’s Magical Territory, we could feel the powerful natural mana laws collecting metal in the center of the magical territory wrap around us.
Fwoosh.
One gold coin in my possession was protecting my body from the effects of natural mana. If I were a 230 cm Marine who Specializes in Strength All-in, the amount and speed of gold consumption would have been much faster, but being small meant I had a lower consumption rate.
‘Maybe being short is actually more economical?’
The larger the body, the higher the combat power at the same stats, but conversely, the smaller the body, the lower the maintenance cost. I even started seriously considering shedding a few centimeters by rigorously practicing the Mana Flow Technique!
– Ha ha! Oknodie has become a little shorty! One head shorter than me. Mini-Oknodie is totally pathetic!
“…”
Imagining Titosso who would find and mock me for being short suddenly made my desire to shrink vanish.
What matters more than maintenance costs is self-esteem! I should seriously consider borrowing an adult version of myself from the future to show off my growth power in front of Titosso.
Since the imagined Titosso annoyed me, I should steal the Light Stand from the Academy upon returning!
“Look at the ground. Those are rare plants called Coin Grass that produce coins. If planted in the ground, it’s believed you can mine more money, playing on human greed.”
“Shall we take some?”
Casting a suspicious glance at Gwakjo, who offered this despite knowing the reproduction method of Coin Grass, he seemed to sense my feelings and quickly denied it, whether he intended to or not.
“Coin Grass devastates the land and produces harmful metal mana in large quantities. It’s a Grade One Taboo designated plant that alters human life mana, so unless you want to carelessly plant it in a dimension hostile to humans like the Gift Academy, you shouldn’t just take it.”
“Hmm~ I see! Then let’s move on.”
I felt Gwakjo behind me breathe a sigh of relief, slightly sweating.
Cute!
What a rookie trying to play tricks on a veteran, only to back down in fear!
“We have officially entered the changed area of the magical territory. The frequency of Coin Grass discoveries has increased, which means we’re on the right path.”
“Gwakjo Uncle, you could work as a guide! I’d like to meet Dorothy later!”
“Excuse me, may I ask which esteemed individual Dorothy is?”
“She’s just a friend from Class 981!”
“If that’s the case, I welcome you both. To have the opportunity to mingle with a friend of the Dark Princess, this evil sage Gwakjo considers it a lifetime honor.”
I must keep the fact that Dorothy is the guide of the Beast Forest, which is more daunting than the Seven Great Magical Territories, a secret!
“But he’s quite the odd one, too. The new executive of the Blood Band, Arde, also. This is a place where gold is consumed just by staying here. It lures intruders with wealth, yet those who indulge in excessive greed hide here, losing their ‘equipment’ and ‘talent’ due to insufficient gold.”
Gwakjo’s doubts were justified.
During the game, if a player ran out of funds, they had the option to immediately return or push themselves to continue treasure hunting. But here, it’s reality.
If you miscalculate the time or variables delay your return, losing equipment and talent and becoming weaker is only natural.
It’s not a place to stay without courage.
The Blood Band was ultimately a presence meant to entertain the audience.
Even if the goal is the audience’s death, bard-type jobs need someone to listen to become stronger.
The magical territory is practically the worst place to gain functional expertise with so few listeners!
“Looks like you’ve found some unconventional strategy!”
As excitement surged thinking about what inventive strategy a newbie NPC could have come up with, I began urging Rosinante harder, kicking its shoulder like whipping a horse.
“Let’s go quickly! I’m so excited!”
“It hurts, it really hurts…”
At Rosinante’s pained voice, Gwakjo, Cruel, and Alpha began to quieten their running speed.
“I can feel a presence…”
“Where?”
“Over there… I told you to stop hitting me… It really hurts…”
Following Rosinante’s lead, I spotted knights frantically loading treasures into a large carriage.
Shwoosh!
One knight who spotted us pulled out his sword and shouted.
“We are the Lake Knights dispatched from the Kingdom of Iyelrn. All the treasures we desire are here, so leave if you do not wish for conflict.”
Gwakjo whispered in a low voice.
“The Kingdom of the Lake is the origin of many legends and myths since ancient times. If they are after treasures, they must be something extraordinary, why not try to seize it?”
“Encouraging robbery, you wicked strategist!”
“But doesn’t it appeal to you?”
“Well, it does!”
If Jezel was vigilantly growing the Dark Trading Company at the Gift Academy, she would have probably scolded me with, “Don’t say such naughty things!” and give me a whack on the head.
It’s nice not to hear complaints when good people are around, but it’s also lonely without them nagging me when it’s unhelpful.
Could it be because I’ve grown so attached to this 11-year-old baby concept play?
“Don’t worry! Just because I said it appeals to me doesn’t mean I’ll fight to steal it!”
“Thank you for that. Now please leave.”
“Before that, just a moment. Is what you’re digging up a sword, a staff, or a holy grail?”
“…Why do you have an interest in the relics of our homeland?”
“Among them, there’s a very dangerous fake!”
The knight, who had been looking at me suspiciously, pulled out a Mana Board from his possessions.
“Please wait a moment. I might find this face strangely familiar, but…”
“Go ahead!”
I casually replied while peeking at the Mana Board’s content sneakily.
━━━
[Database Query Results]
Strong Warning
– If you find a child carrying a gigantic backpack who is 133 cm tall, stop all hostile actions and slowly back away without showing your back.
– That individual is the Dark Princess Oknodie, heir to the Wahyhiemhai Foundation, with an estimated danger level of gold-plated.
Overview
– This individual possesses a vast amount of various killing techniques and mysteries owned by the foundation. They should be regarded as a top-tier force directly under the foundation.
– The Lake’s Mirror has observed ■■■ instances of destruction from her, and her evil conduct level is measured at ■■■■■■.
Precautions
– If she shows curiosity, offer her valuable items and vision-doping food. Combat is a direct path to destruction.
– If she somehow experiences your high-value items and vision food, provide equivalent information. If that still lacks value, you must swiftly commit self-harm.
━━━
Wait… what the heck is all this??
They’re treating me like a Mana Disaster!
“Oh my gosh.”
The Lake Knight gasped for breath, sending a terrified glance my way.
I’m not that kind of person!
I’m genuinely trying to be nice this run!
As I approached to clear the misunderstanding, the knight stumbled back in horror.
“Don’t come near!”
Eep…
“N-no, what I mean is… I smell, so don’t come near me. I’ve been digging hard…”
“I love playing in the dirt too! I’ve built castles and dug treasure chests since last year!”
“…What happened to all the castles you built?”
“Huh? They were useless, so of course, I smashed them!”
“!!”
“I swept them away with water, stomped to flatten the ground, buried them under dirt, and oh, I even burned them to practice fire magic!”
“O, Lake Goddess… please shield my soul before this representation of corrupted magic…”
“???”
Drawing a trembling cross, the knight began to pray, and knights in the back also retreated, crossing themselves, their faces filled with dread.
“We will offer all the wealth we have collected. Please allow us to return home at least. Our kingdom is desperate for talent.”
“Why are you so scared? Did someone eat you? Relax and be at ease!”
My attempt to ease their tension through a sandcastle conversation somehow invoked more intense dread.
Without a moment to share what I should say, I watched the knights who fled, stripping their food and valuables from the cart as Cruel pointed her finger.
“Shoot?”
“Let’s see what they dug up first!”
As I examined the excavation area, thankfully there wasn’t a Monkey Holy Grail that grants wishes in a twisted manner or an Obsessive-compulsive Sword that makes its user go haywire just by eating. Instead, we found a Too Smart Staff, which was at least usable.
“Hey, you all need to take this!”
I shouted earnestly, but the knights were already far away, pretending not to hear.
Casting resilience magic on the trees, I flew up into the sky to chase them, and they screamed and ran faster.
“Hey, if you don’t take this, you won’t be able to seal the Dark Mana of the demons sunk in the lake!”
Without showing any intention of stopping, I kindly raised the staff above my head.
“Take this!”
Sending it soaring through the air with 13 types of impact features and enhancement spells, it passed in front of the knights and headed toward the exit they were moving toward.
With this, they should gather it on the way out, right?
I brushed my hands off and jumped back onto Rosinante’s shoulder.
“What are you doing? We need to loot the instruments. Forward!”
“I’m really so scared…”
At Rosinante’s grumbling and Cruel cautiously lowering her arms as she looked down at her fingers, they quietly followed behind.
