Chapter 72
Chapter 72
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Flawless Investment (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"It's my favorite tea. The only drink I have when I'm not drinking beer."
Before Seria arrived.
Regin and Greg were sipping tea and chatting for a moment.
It had been ages since he'd leisurely breathed in the kingdom's morning air.
*But that leisure won't last much longer.*
From the moment they stood before the portal, adventurers had to pour all their focus into entering it and surviving.
This moment of relaxation was only temporary.
"By the way, Regin."
"Yes."
"Don't you need to check that bracelet of yours?"
"Ah."
"We could get a proper look at it in the forge."
After a brief moment of thought, Regin shook his head.
"We can do it after we get back."
"Hmm."
"For now, I want to focus more on the expedition ahead."
"Fair enough, then. I won't push."
Truth be told, he was curious.
What material the bracelet was made of, what magic was enchanted on it, and so on.
But his thinking had shifted since entering the Tower...
It changed after the Rafflesia Golem appeared.
*If it can even handle something akin to alchemy, it might be something entirely different from what I imagined.*
He needed to inspect it more cautiously.
For one thing, the NPCs had preconceptions about alchemy.
Even with Greg, what would happen if he learned the truth about the bracelet?
*I can't be sure he wouldn't tell the royals... not yet.*
And what about Seria?
They were comrades now, but they'd only fought together once.
Regin intended to go to the final phase with them.
But revealing the bracelet's secret was a separate matter.
*Black magic, alchemy. Both are classified as criminal magic in the kingdom.*
If he got entangled with the kingdom, Regin couldn't easily extricate himself in his current state.
What about Ferma Vinishus?
He couldn't gauge his level since mana was blocked.
But if he'd delved that deeply into black magic to get captured, it meant he'd reached at least Rank 3 or 4.
*Even someone like that was powerless against the kingdom and got arrested. Now he's awaiting execution.*
He absentmindedly touched the bracelet.
*It can't be revealed yet. Not until I fully understand this thing myself.*
This expedition would require some busy maneuvering too.
He'd have to divide things carefully between his bag and inventory when Greg and Seria weren't looking.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. My little sister was heading back to the academy today, so I saw her off and that made me late."
"We haven't been waiting long. The portal won't open for a bit anyway."
Savoring the early morning air, Regin greeted Seria.
*These two are my only current comrades.*
But realizing there were things he couldn't tell even them, Regin sorted through his thoughts once more.
* * *
"Excellent daggers... Thanks, Regin. And Greg."
On the way to the Tower.
A pair of daggers forged from dragon knight alloy. Seria gripped them tightly in her hand as she spoke.
"But you've been using iron daggers this whole time?"
"Unless I somehow got my hands on some daggers, I'd just buy decent ones from the gear shop and make do."
"Impressive... You fought like that even with plain iron twin blades."
Seria smirked as she sheathed the twin daggers at her waist.
"That's why I had to aim faster and more precisely."
"Heh heh. Well, fight even more boldly on this expedition."
"Thanks again, both of you. I'll do better this time."
Come to think of it, Seria's outfit was really just cloth—aside from protectors at the joints.
Even assassins preferred clothes over armor for mobility, but untreated cloth was hardly decent defensive gear.
*I should get her some armor next time we return.*
He needed to expedition diligently.
To equip them one by one, he'd need to haul back plenty from the Tower.
"Looks like no inspection team this time."
"Yeah. Last time was a nightmare."
"Tsk tsk. But wasn't it nice getting to see that inspection captain? Plenty of beauties among the mages, they say."
After the inspection, as they stood before the portal, snippets of conversation drifted over.
Adventurers waiting as always, chatting away.
Listening to them always made him think there were all sorts of NPCs out there.
He hadn't noticed while playing the game, but they sure had diverse thoughts and lives.
"Still no word on conquering the 16th Floor? Didn't they go in again after those bodies came out last time?"
"Yeah. They keep sending incompetents, so no news. How much more shame do they plan to bring on the West?"
Of course, some topics came up steadily.
Mentions that reminded him of that first day waiting before the portal.
*On the first day, the 16th Floor raid party came back as corpses. That was the first time I saw Greg too, I think.*
Corpses popping out of portals wasn't common, but it happened occasionally.
Same in the game.
Bodies from Tower deaths were sent through the portal and emerged when it opened.
"......Oh no."
Thud—
It happened again this time.
Several bodies, long dead and turned blue, tumbled out from inside the portal.
"......Jillen!"
Not as many as last time, but it still caused a stir.
A few people rushed forward, shouting.
The guards couldn't even stop them.
"......Families of those bodies that just came out, I suppose."
Greg gave a bitter smile.
It must have reminded him of his own past.
*Greg lost his daughter the same way.*
The people before the portal clutched the corpses, wailing.
Some adventurers looked on pityingly, while others, accustomed to the sight, just waited.
*......It's so different from seeing it in the game.*
Regin had probably seen scenes like this the most.
Yet it felt worlds apart from viewing it through DAT.
The smell of blood, the cries. The whole atmosphere screaming of death.
"Regin."
"Yes?"
"Let's come back alive."
Greg said, pulling out a beer.
Regin nodded immediately.
"We have to."
Having party members helped with moments like this.
He might have had to deal with these emotions alone otherwise.
"......Pathetic."
It was then.
A man's voice came from one corner.
Glancing over, two men in robes were staring toward the front of the portal.
*The vibe...*
Chilling, or unsettling.
A voice that gave off a different unease than when he'd met Kaluan.
The taller of the two continued.
"Most of them will die once a new Tower opens anyway."
* * *
"What did you just say...?"
A chill ran down his spine.
Just like his first conversation with Ferma Vinishus.
Regin moved to approach the man and catch the rest of what he said.
"Enter in order!"
The commotion at the portal settled, and with the guards' shouts, people began moving.
The robed men vanished amid the mass of adventurers shifting forward.
Swish—!
He reached out, determined to at least grab a robe.
But it was too late. He'd caught a cloak, but it belonged to some hairy adventurer.
"......Who're you?"
"No, my mistake. Wrong person."
Regin released his hand with a wry smile.
When he looked around again, the robes from before were nowhere in sight.
"Regin."
"Yes."
"Was someone up front?"
"Guess I was mistaken."
Greg and Seria caught up behind him.
If he'd caught the robed men, he'd have shared the details even with them listening.
*They knew about the Sixth Tower.*
He clenched the hand that had gripped the cloak, letting out a regretful sigh.
Missing them right under his nose stung the most.
*But I memorized their faces at least.*
He hadn't seen them clearly, but the emblem on the robes was burned into his memory.
And the necklace peeking from within.
If he met them inside, he wouldn't let them slip away.
*Assuming no variables, we have one year and nine months until the Sixth Tower appears.*
......He had to complete every preparation possible in that time.
Thanks to overhearing those two men's brief exchange, his ultimate goal crystallized.
"Let's head in too."
Regin walked with them toward the portal.
"......Us too."
He refocused his scattered concentration.
Plans they'd made together sorted themselves sequentially in his mind.
From here on, he had to get every button right, one by one.
The long-term goal would be achieved by fulfilling those detailed ones.
"We meet at the big tree."
* * *
Entering the Tower, the characteristic first-floor sunlight greeted Regin.
"......Urk."
At the same time, the sound of a woman retching reached him.
Turning his head, a mage-looking woman was clutching a tree.
*Newbie?*
Portals could be disorienting the first time.
Especially the ones from the kingdom to the Tower—they hit hard, and some people even vomited.
*But most mages handle it better...*
Mages were adept at instinctively regulating mana to optimize their physical state.
Warriors powered through with sheer mental fortitude.
He knew elves and dwarves had their own tricks too.
"......Urrgh!"
Cases of suffering this badly were rare.
*Maybe a unique constitution.*
It was unfortunate, but if it kept happening, adapting to the Tower would be tough.
Especially on the first floor.
Unlike portals to higher floors with fixed destinations, the first floor dumped people randomly.
If your condition tanked, you were vulnerable to ambushes.
*Doesn't matter if you're skilled, but for newbies, it's fatal.*
Greg or Seria's level? No issue.
So they just needed a promised meetup spot they could reach on their own.
If the woman's skill was lacking, bad luck.
Growl—
"......Uweeeck!!"
And she'd landed right under a tree with goblins.
Hiding their footsteps beneath her retching, three goblins approached.
Fwoosh—!
"Fireball."
Her misfortune flipped to fortune in an instant.
As Regin's voice rang out, a red flaming orb shot toward the goblins.
It struck the face of one about to ambush the woman.
Its face turned to ash, flames spreading below the neck.
"Fireball."
Regin tore another scroll.
The follow-up fireballs hit the rest, leaving them faceless and burning fiercely.
*Solid firepower.*
The corner of Regin's mouth curved up slightly.
Fireball. He'd finally produced a proper Rank 2 attack spell.
How much had he struggled with inferior scrolls until now?
Testing it out confirmed it for Regin.
*Burst damage... right at the top end of Rank 2.*
An achievement in just two expeditions. Impressive.
Confirming the power, Regin quickly stowed the remaining scrolls in his bag.
He'd pulled them out just in case, but they were worth saving.
*Too bad I couldn't stockpile a ton of Rank 2 nukes.*
His level was still too low; no helping it.
Why weren't spellcrafters popular with players?
Mainly because higher-rank skills were hard to mass-produce on scrolls.
*More mana required per craft. Potions have limits, so you end up waiting for natural regen while making them.*
It made prepping scrolls within maintenance time tricky.
Even chugging mana potions nonstop, forty Rank 2 attack scrolls was his max.
No potion gave full recovery.
"......Hey."
"Yes?"
"Thanks...!"
He was mulling over the fireball's power and how to use the rest when the woman approached, wiping her mouth.
"I opened my eyes and my minions were gone..."
"Well, first floor's random..."
As Regin continued, he sharply scanned the woman.
"What's that?"
"Huh?"
Her vomiting on arrival and leaking mana had screamed newbie.
Well, she probably was one.
*Peresian... Merryang?*
Why was a noble's daughter in here?
*The day I first met Retton. That noblewoman I brushed past.*
He recognized her instantly from the neatly braided bright yellow hair, same as then.
"Aren't you the noble from last time? Where are your minions while you're entering the Tower alone?"
He'd been suspicious of her unfamiliar house name anyway.
......Had it already fallen?