Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: No Time to Waste
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"There's no time to waste."
"Let's head up."
"...Back to that noisy place?"
Regin chuckled and shook his head at Mannan's words.
"It should be fine now. I told you earlier. All mandragoras come from the rafflesia's roots."
"Right. The defense system, yeah?"
"Exactly. But a mere defense system... there's no way they'd still be intact without their master."
"...You're right."
"By now, all those mandragoras up there are probably..."
"Dead?"
"Most likely."
Mannan finally burst into laughter, looking thoroughly relieved.
"Whew, I was about to ask if we had to hunt every last mandragora just to get out of here... So we just needed to take out the rafflesia?"
"As far as I know."
"...Then let's go up. Time to get out of this place."
'Getting out is a given.'
Regin climbed the vines upward as he continued.
"But we should grab everything worth taking first."
He had no intention of leaving anything behind just because he'd scored the whole rafflesia.
"The mandragoras probably dropped items when they died. Mana stones too."
"...!!"
Mannan's lips curled into a grin.
Of course. This could cover months of food and lodging in one go.
Swish—
As they reached the top, the forest where they'd battled the mandragoras moments ago stretched out before them.
Some had burned to death, while others had vanished with the rafflesia's removal, leaving behind a trove of items.
"Let's sweep them up."
Regin opened his bag naturally and stepped forward.
* * *
"Still, it's a bit disappointing. I wanted to get a good look at what the rafflesia really was."
"It's usually used as potion material... This isn't bad, though. Mandragora leaves are known for medicinal use too."
"Really?"
Mannan's eyes sparkled.
His hands moved busily, quickly gathering mandragora leaves.
"And above all, these mana stones... How many are there?"
Regin scooped them up frantically.
They were all low-grade mana stones, not worth much individually.
But in this quantity? That changed everything.
'Just splitting what's here would net about 10 gold.'
One gold could last several days of living expenses.
He'd never checked the exchange rate, but it felt like roughly 100,000 won per gold.
"Damn, no end to them no matter how many I pick up. Might need to clear out some junk from my bag. Hey, Regin."
"Yeah?"
"We're splitting them half and half, right? These mana stones are worth about 10 gold total... so 5 each?"
"Nope."
Pause—
Regin, mid-pickup, looked at Mannan.
"No halves. At least 7 for me, 3 for you."
"...Why?"
Sorry, but this wasn't him being stubborn. Not that he had been before.
This time, there was a real reason.
"Most of these were taken down by my scrolls. And scrolls... they cost money to make."
"...Ah."
"I need at least 70% to... break even."
He felt a bit downcast.
Seeing Regin's expression, Mannan finally nodded.
He knew scrolls required hefty materials.
...And that unless you hit a massive haul, it was a losing proposition.
'...Damn.'
Good thing he had the infinite inventory. Otherwise, this hunt would've been a straight loss.
Mana stones could stack into one, but aside from those, he'd have had to leave nearly everything else behind due to weight.
'That's why I price out mana stones in gold so quickly... The more you hunt, the more losses pile up unless you calculate meticulously to stay afloat.'
Hunting was fun enough.
...But the costs you had to bear for it were crystal clear.
"In hunts where you pull more weight, you'll get a bigger cut, obviously."
"Got it. Thanks for understanding. I'm not getting mana potions for free either... Anyway, I'm good with this one."
Mannan smirked and glanced at Regin's bag.
"These mandragoras were all thanks to your scrolls... I can still picture it vividly. You going berserk, tearing through them like a madman."
Regin looked at his hands.
He'd been in plenty of fights big and small up to now, but this was his first real brawl.
His hands trembled faintly.
'...The sensation's still fresh for me too.'
The feeling of ripping scrolls like a maniac lingered in his fingers.
He wouldn't forget it.
This was how he'd survive not just the lower floors, but the highest ones called the final floor.
* * *
"The red portal should open soon?"
"Yeah. Escape portals usually appear an hour after the boss is gone."
"Guess we treat the rafflesia as the boss monster here."
"Probably."
After packing up.
Regin and Mannan sat on a fallen log, waiting for the portal.
It hadn't been long, but it was an intense fight.
Fatigue was settling in from the aftermath.
To stay awake, Regin chatted with Mannan.
"You kept the seeds from that Dawn Apple, right?"
"Oh, yeah. But why do they always say to save them? Can you plant and grow them or something?"
"Close enough."
He'd almost forgotten amid the thrill of the massive haul.
Gotta grab what you can.
'They don't disappear...'
Meaning they were items.
And items in this game almost always had uses.
It was a pervy game where every material had a purpose, beyond just the gameplay.
Nothing was made wastefully.
'Or maybe it's the players' obsession finding ways to use everything.'
A chuckle escaped him.
He remembered himself—researching anything that seemed usable, intended or not.
Was that a blessing?
Thanks to all that experience, Regin hadn't missed the golden apple seeds he'd gotten by chance.
"These seeds will definitely come in handy later."
That's when it happened.
Vrrr—
A familiar hum.
The ground shook once, and something rippled into view ahead.
"The exit."
"...Whoa. It really opened."
Honestly, Regin hadn't been entirely sure the portal would appear.
...He hadn't properly defeated the rafflesia. He'd just sealed it in his inventory.
'Good thing it counts as cleared anyway.'
Both stood, staring at the portal.
Time to go.
"Regin. Anything else to grab before we head out?"
"Nah. Aside from mana stones... the rafflesia was the only goal. Nothing else comes to mind now."
"Alright?"
"Let's get out."
He wanted out fast.
Too much to check.
The rafflesia in his inventory, for one.
'Got it in whole, but without roots... Is it still alive? That's the first question.'
If it was wilting without roots, that'd be trouble.
Even an inventory couldn't keep a plant alive forever unchanged.
'Best to check once we're out.'
Exploration could wait. They needed to escape the first floor and regroup.
'If the rafflesia's stable, or if there's a way to keep it that way...'
...It could change everything up to now.
He had the rafflesia, plus the soul flower from the starting island.
Not quite graduation gear—those ultimate scrolls—but damn useful for now.
And he could use them from the early game.
"Mannan."
"Yeah."
"I'm heading back to town first. Got stuff to check. What about you?"
"Huh?"
"You going higher, or back with me?"
Mannan, picking up stones, tilted his head.
"What're you talking about? To get back to town, we have to go up anyway, right?"
Huh?
'Why's he linking going to town with heading up?'
The conversation wasn't clicking.
Regin tilted his head too as he pressed on.
"Mannan, I'm asking if you'll use the first-floor escape portal."
"Huh? First floor?"
"Yeah."
"Is that in the book too? ...I've never heard of this. An escape portal from the first floor?"
Mannan dismissed it as nonsense.
"Escape portals start from the fifth floor."
Regin's calm expression through the red portal grind subtly hardened.
"...No escape portal on the first floor?"
* * *
Regin looked at Mannan and continued.
"Say it again."
"No exit portal on the first floor."
"...What?"
"...You really okay?"
Regin's face subtly hardened.
...No way.
'In DAT, every floor had portals to leave the tower... I used them dozens of times.'
Players could climb as high as they wanted, then exit whenever needed.
Sure, after exiting, you'd wait for the next entry portal day.
But that was better.
Tower climbs needed prep time.
For safety... no, to not lose your character, exiting had to be habit.
'What's going on here?'
But hold on.
Mannan said no exit on the first floor.
Instead, exits started on the fifth—which he couldn't verify.
'The starting island, the fountain wanderer... Settings are adding up or changing bit by bit.'
Had to check.
The escape portal spot matched the second-floor portal anyway.
Right next to the game system.
If no escape portal as he said...?
'I'll have to admit this world isn't the game.'
Having reached this point, Regin quickly sorted his thoughts and decided.
Strategy shift.
'We have to reach the fifth floor no matter what.'
Exits from fifth meant...
Once in, climb to fifth minimum.
'...Damn. No wonder NPCs speedrun the lowers.'
Not just impatience.
They rushed to a safe in-and-out spot.
'...Gotta confirm this first.'
Regin stepped forward resolutely. One more thing to check.
Whirr.
All plans hinged on verifying the escape portal.
Regin steeled himself and left the Twilight Forest with Mannan.
* * *
"..."
The space with the second-floor portal.
Regin's expression began to subtly harden.
'Teleportation magic stone.'
These generated portals to go up a floor or exit the tower.
Normally, left for next floor, right for escape.
'It's gone.'
Weird.
No escape portal.
Only the upward one remained.
Whirr—
He touched it, watching it react.
"Let's go up."
No time to waste.
Regin's mind raced, seeking the best fix.
One option.
'We climb to the fifth too.'
Fresh from the hidden stage, they decided to head to the second floor.
Only after reaching it could they decide: explore more or head to town.
"...Time of day changes from the second floor, they say."
And so, they finished the first floor and ascended to the second.
"Morning Forest."
The dark sky cleared, revealing a sunny woodland expanse.
Brighter, and teeming with more monsters prowling about.