Chapter 48: Dungeon of the Alchemist |
"Oppa. What are you doing."
Yoo-jeong poked her head in to confirm I was there, then quickly entered. Her voice was low, as if she was displeased about something. The sulky look she gave me was a clear signal that she was about to be a nuisance again. I set down one of the records in my left hand, sighed, and opened my mouth.
"What is it now."
At my blunt tone, Yoo-jeong’s face immediately fell. But she pouted her lips and still managed to speak her mind.
"You gave Sol permission to do different training, and she keeps bragging about it. Tossing a coin up and catching it by herself... It's not like it's something to show off."
"What's there to show off? And Sol isn't the type to boast about something like that."
"It's true. She keeps tossing and catching that coin..."
"She's practicing the Shackles spell. I told her to do it."
When I cut her off indifferently, disappointment was plain on her face. Just as I was about to ignore her and pick up the records again, I heard her muttering voice once more.
"I told you to do it because it's necessary. For melee types, perception training is enough in the beginning."
"But still..."
Even though I had made it clear before, Yoo-jeong whined with a drawn-out voice. My already complicated thoughts felt even more tangled.
"What 'but still'? Sol's base magic power stat is higher than yours to begin with. For support types, that's enough. And the coin training wouldn't be much help to you anyway."
Four days later, the titleholder (?) for the longest perception time among the kids was An Sol. After I guided her, Sol was making full use of her vast magic power. She had struggled to improve even with the instructor's teaching, but after I taught her, her skills improved in a single day. Seeing this, Sol looked at me as if I were some kind of god.
In my first life, I reached the level of a Sword Master with only 48 magic power points. As such, I was more confident than anyone when it came to the efficiency of mana control. And I had taught a part of that know-how to Sol. Since I knew how effective that control method was, one could say I was showing a little favoritism toward Sol.
Yoo-jeong seemed quite upset about being surpassed by Sol. After that, whenever I returned to the inn, she would often visit and stubbornly demand private lessons for herself. If it were just once or twice, I could somehow soothe her, but as it kept repeating, it became quite exhausting.
"I just taught her a little about how to control her magic power. Anyway, go and do more perception training. Look at Sol. Once she sets her mind to it, she practices hard, doesn't she?"
"Sheesh. You always favor Sol. And I'm going to take a little break, too."
With a displeased look, Yoo-jeong let out a sigh and then trudged over to stick close beside me. I shrugged my shoulders and turned my gaze back to the map. Yoo-jeong stared at my face for a moment, then picked up a piece of paper lying around.
"The... Rise... and Fall... of Ancient... Alchemy? Oppa, what's this about?"
"It's nothing special. Just put it aside in a corner."
As I was reading the document on ancient alchemy, I picked up a pen and drew a circle on a part of the map. Yoo-jeong looked at the map, which was covered in circles, and continued in a small voice.
"What's this? And what are the circles on the map for?"
"Records. Map analysis."
"Come on. I'm curious about what you've been up to lately."
Frustrated by my short answers, Yoo-jeong whined. I kept my eyes on the map as I continued to speak.
"I'm investigating records. Just hunting monsters around the city isn't efficient. I'm looking at records from Mul's distant past to find clues about certain places."
"I see... But can you really find clues by looking at things like this?"
"It might be easier to go pluck a star from the sky."
Though I myself had a bitter taste in my mouth, Yoo-jeong giggled lightheartedly. I had gathered all the records related to alchemists and laboratories, so the pile of documents on the table was quite substantial.
It's not uncommon to look at records to gauge more detailed information when you already have some. But sifting through them just to find a clue was a foolish endeavor. That's because the sheer volume of records was vast and overwhelming. You couldn't even be sure if the events described were real, so blindly following them was an unwise decision.
And I was the one making that unwise decision right now. That was why I hadn't paid any attention to other records. I was doing this because I was certain that the laboratory and the alchemist's dungeon were in Mul. If not, I would have headed straight for the Cave of Screams.
I continued in a weary voice.
"If it could be found this easily, it would have been thoroughly discovered by now. For now, I have no choice but to do everything I can."
My words seemed to pique her interest, and I saw a spark of energy in Yoo-jeong's eyes. When Yoo-jeong offered to help, I readily accepted her kindness. It was because I could clearly see what would happen five minutes later.
As expected, after five minutes, Yoo-jeong started glancing at me furtively. Then, she brought up An Hyeon and An Sol and fled as if escaping, using training as an excuse. With Yoo-jeong's temperament and disposition, there was no way she could endure this tedious process.
Watching her go, I let out a faint smile and turned my head back to the map and records.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
How many more days had passed? While I was analyzing, the once-clean map had become densely packed with circles. At a glance, it seemed chaotic, but there were a few spots where the circles were particularly concentrated. Of course, I wouldn't know for sure until I went, but I had a rough idea.
In any case, feeling that I was finally done for now, I sank into my chair. Looking out the window, I saw that a dark night had already fallen. A sudden thought of the kids made me extend my senses, and I heard steady breathing from the next room. It seemed they had finished their training and were asleep. A smile crept onto my face as I thought about the progress they had shown.
In just one week, the kids had shown the passion to meet the standards I had set. Sometimes they showed signs of wanting to leave the city quickly, but fortunately, they followed my words to prioritize training.
There was only one reason the kids were following my words now. It wasn't that they were thoughtless. They believed my decisions were always right, to the point of joking, "If you just listen to Oppa (Hyeong), good things will happen even in your sleep." The Rite of Passage. The User Academy. And up to now, they had never lost anything by listening to me.
There had been some grumbling about this training session too, but there were clear results. They had only done perception training, yet not only their magic power but also their other stats had risen evenly. Seeing Hyeon excited that his magic power had increased by 2 points after just eight days of training made me feel a little envious.
I had entered the academy with the 4-point quest reward in mind. But after training my stamina so hard and not seeing it rise by even a single point, I couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment.
Anyway, the issue with my stats wasn't something I could solve right now, so I immediately dismissed the thought. Changing the subject, I felt it was about time to leave the city. However, there was still one final problem to consider.
It was the matter of caravan composition.
It didn't matter what composition users had when hunting monsters around the city. But once the goal was exploration or conquest, forming a balanced caravan was basic common sense in Hall Plain. We had more than enough melee types, but archers (rangers) and priests were essential for a caravan's composition.
But was it really necessary right now? That thought also crossed my mind. A priest was absolutely necessary, but we already had Sol. A mage was optional, and as for an archer to act as a guide, I could lead the kids myself. With The Third Eye and my memories of operating in Mul, the probability of getting lost was close to 0%.
However, if the kids got used to the current setup, it would become a headache. In the future, there would surely be opportunities for difficult explorations or expeditions. Even if I could cover many aspects now, I couldn't look after them forever. Since this was their first expedition, they would learn and experience a lot, and it would be problematic if they accepted the current composition as the norm.
Knock, knock, knock.
I was in the middle of organizing my thoughts about the caravan. Hearing the quiet knock, I extended my senses and detected the presence of a woman outside the door. I raised my head and spoke softly.
"Yes. Who is it?"
"It's me. You already know it's me, don't you."
"..."
Without even waiting for my permission, the woman opened the door and entered. Of course, knowing her identity, it was difficult to see her as just a simple innkeeper. To be honest, I couldn't understand why a user of her skill level was in Mul right now.
The woman, who had briefly shown herself in Mul, had vanished as suddenly as she had appeared. And when she reappeared in Hall Plain, she was an enemy of the clan I belonged to.
I still remembered what the woman before me had once said.
"Perhaps. If I had met her first, I might have immediately joined her ranks. That's how charismatic a user she is."
Judging from her words back then, it was highly likely she didn't have a clan to follow yet.
Suddenly, the Ragnarok Annihilation Siege flashed through my mind. In the end, the woman had been literally executed by her own ally, the Princess of Execution. But the fearsome power she had displayed back then was still clearly etched in my memory.
The woman wore her usual languid smile. She was a woman who exuded a decadent charm, with slightly drooping eyes and a beauty mark beneath one of them. She spoke to me in a gentle tone.
"Hello. May I come in for a moment?"
What nonsense was she talking about when she was already inside? I nodded with a reluctant expression.
"...It's late. What brings you here?"
The woman didn't answer. Instead, she slowly closed the distance between us. The woman before me was someone who could take my life in an instant if I let my guard down. I couldn't just relax, so I subtly began to raise my magic power.
The languid smile still lingered on her face. And in an instant, I saw her eyes turn a shade of gray. Having been on high alert from the start, I reflexively activated The Third Eye.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Unique Ability: Lure Eyed has been activated.]
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[The Third Eye has been activated. Lure Eyed has been seen through.]
Well, well.
"Oh my... Do I need to check the time to seduce a man I like?"
"...The kids are in the next room..."
She's putting on a show. I'd already experienced this kind of attack to the point of being sick of it while operating in the shadows. So I knew the manual for dealing with it, but I deliberately let my eyes go hazy and my face flush as I replied. For now, I planned to see what she would do.
"It's fine... Don't worry about that. By the way, today is the last day of your room rental. What are you going to do?"
There was no way she came here at night just to ask this. She clearly had another objective. She probably threw this question out to check if I had fallen for her charm. I answered readily, of course, adding a hesitant attitude for flavor.
"I was planning to leave the city tomorrow morning..."
"Leave...?"
At my words, the woman glanced at my table. Soon, I could see her expression change strangely. It's not like she could know everything from a brief look, but she seemed to have guessed what I was planning from the map.
"User Kim Su-hyeon."
"H-How do you know my name..."
The woman mentioned my name and took a step closer. Now, we were within arm's reach of each other.
"The new user who just arrived. The super rookie of the User Academy."
The woman didn't stop and took another step forward. I remained seated in my chair while she stood right in front of me, facing me. Her eyes, now tinged with gray, stared at me.
"All said and done... you're still a new user who hasn't even been here for four months, aren't you."
The woman's hand reached out and gently cupped my face. I could feel her soft touch on my left cheek. I deliberately let my breath hitch and panted slightly.
"That day. I was truly surprised. Why... No matter how weakly I cast the magic. I never thought a chick fresh out of the academy would be able to dispel it."
"That was..."
"So I've been looking into you and watching you for a while... but I don't know. You're really unpredictable. This is the first time I've encountered a case like this, so I'm very confused too. But the more I look at you, the more my intuition rings an alarm... that there's something different. Something you're hiding."
Oh, really now.
Feeling that I was completely under her spell, the woman's movements became even more unrestrained. Just as the hand that had been gently caressing my entire face was about to pull away, I quickly grabbed it. Seeing this, the smile on her lips deepened.
"My intuition has never been wrong."
I intentionally buried my face into her embrace. Like a baby being held by its mother. To be honest, I had a secret desire to be held by her once in my first life. Whether she knew my dark intentions or not, the woman embraced my head with a satisfied expression. I freely pressed my face into her chest.
"Hoho."
I savored the woman's soft, supple breasts and her fragrant scent. Watching me, the woman let out a relaxed smile. The hand that had been stroking my hair for a while suddenly stopped, and then her subtle voice whispered in my ear.
"Are you hiding something? From the kids, perhaps..."
"A little..."
"Then won't you tell me what you're hiding...?"
"That's..."
The moment I showed a slight sign of refusal, the woman pulled me into a tighter embrace. Then, in a soothing voice, she continued.
"It's okay... Just tell me."
At her coaxing voice, I slowly opened my eyes. After pretending to think for a moment, I reluctantly opened my mouth.
"Actually, I..."
"Yes, yes. You are?"
Looking at the woman who was watching me with an excited face, I calmly opened my mouth.
"I like shadows."
"...What?"
I glanced at the woman's shadow cast in the room. Her shadow on the floor came into view. At her question, I smiled slightly and replied.
"Your shadow is quite beautiful."
After I finished speaking, I shifted my gaze back to her and saw her face had hardened to a frightening degree.