Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Herty (2)
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I was truly surprised when I first arrived on the 51st floor.
[You have achieved the feat of being the first to reach the 51st floor of the Kramis Labyrinth. All stats +3]
[Miter's Blessing has been activated.
You have visited a new place untouched by other summoners.
All stats +1. For one week, the drop rate for common items will be greatly reduced, while the drop rate for rare or higher items will be greatly increased.]
The blessing and rewards were expected.
What surprised me was the environment of the 51st floor.
The environment on the 51st floor was completely different from any floor I had experienced so far.
I had skipped many of the middle floors, but I'd never heard from Tae-soo about a floor structured like this…
The 51st floor, like the 43rd, was an island, but it was floating in the sky, not the sea.
I could see a tremendous number of islands scattered across the blue sky, far more than a hundred.
There were bridges made of rope and planks connecting the islands, but I wondered if they were safe.
There happened to be a bridge near the portal we came out of, and when I looked down… wow, the ground was nowhere in sight.
At this height, stats wouldn't matter; it would be instant death.
Is this bridge really okay?
When I gently pushed it with one foot, it swayed violently.
I don't usually have a fear of heights, but this was enough to give anyone acrophobia.
“Ah… Mister, we don't have to cross this, do we?”
Rina asked, her face unusually pale. She must not like high places.
“Hyeon-ung, I'm not very good with heights either… Could you carry me across?”
I couldn't tell if Timi was the same or just trying to be cute again, but carrying her across was a bit…
“Huh? Timi, can't you fly with magic… Never mind.”
As Alpen pointed it out, Timi shot him a fierce glare.
“That's right! Stop trying to flirt with Mister when you can fly!”
“Hanna and Milli, are you two okay?”
“I… I’m fine.”
“I… I’m okay, too.”
They said they were fine, but their expressions told a different story.
“Kkyuing!”
“Ppyo!”
Unlike my companions, Geumyong and Herty were like fish in water.
I envied them as they flew around everywhere, as if playing a game of tag.
I had wings too, but unfortunately, they didn't have a flight function.
Actually, my companions weren't a big problem.
“Well, if you misstep and fall, you can just return for a bit, can't you?”
“Ah!”
“That would work.”
“Hyeon-ung, are you a genius?”
Everyone’s expressions brightened in an instant.
“Hardly a genius.”
“Then what about you, Mister?”
“Well, I’ll just have to be careful crossing.”
It would be nice if there were a device to move between islands besides the bridges, but if not, there was no other way but to cross carefully.
“Ppyo! Ppyo!”
“Kkyuing!”
Geumyong and Herty, who had flown far away, returned with four monsters chasing after them.
They were all about three meters tall with gray wings on their backs.
As they got closer, I could see they had human upper bodies, but their lower bodies were like birds.
Their feet, in particular, were as sharp as a raptor's talons.
I didn't know what they were called in Elsia, but they resembled monsters called hippins or harpies in other games.
“A human!”
“It really is a human.”
I drew my sword to prepare for an attack, but they just circled us, looking at us with curiosity, and didn't attack.
Are they not monsters?
“Is this the first time you've seen a human?”
“Oh my! The human spoke.”
“What a nice voice.”
“Human, are you strong?”
It wasn't the first time I'd encountered a talking monster, but these felt slightly different from the ones I'd met before.
“They're a bit strange.”
“Mister, they're monsters, aren't they? Let's just kill them.”
“Hold on. They don't seem very hostile.”
“Don't tell me this is about their chests again, is it? They're monsters.”
*Ahem*, what a thing to say…
“What do you take me for?”
…Honestly, it would be a lie to say my eyes weren't drawn, but that really wasn't the only reason.
“Hyeon-ung is right. I learned that Harpies are not hostile monsters to humans.”
Oh, thankfully, Alpen took my side.
“Alpen, you're not just saying that because you want to keep looking, are you?”
“No, it really said so in a book.”
“See? I'm going to talk to them, so just wait a bit.”
I'd killed countless monsters until now, but these were the first ones that weren't hostile.
Besides, judging from my gaming experience, cases like this usually lead to a quest.
“I am strong.”
I thought it would be better to show them with actions, not just words. Looking around, I saw a large boulder.
I focused my mana into my sword and swung it.
Not with the feeling of cutting, but of releasing.
*Kwwaaang—*
With a deafening roar, the boulder shattered.
“Wow! That was a lapis lazuli rock!”
“Human! You're incredibly strong.”
“So cool!”
They know how to judge a person.
“Do you perhaps have a favor to ask of me?”
“Wow! We haven't even said anything yet. The human is smart!”
“We need help!”
“Can you help us?”
“Our mother is very sick!”
Their mother?
[You have received a request from the four deeply filial Harpy sisters of the 51st floor.
The Harpy Queen, cursed by the Hippogryph King, is in critical condition.
Please collect Hippogryph hearts and create a cure. (Time Limit: 96 hours)
Quest Reward: Random Stat +5, Harpy Queen's Blessing / Additional rewards will be given based on the number of hearts obtained.]
It was a quest, just as I thought.
“Please, human, help us.”
“Alright. I'll help you.”
It worked out, since I had to gather Hippogryph feathers for the Lord of Kramis anyway.
“Where are the Hippogryphs?”
“The Hippogryph habitat is a bit far from here.”
The Harpies descended to the ground and walked toward us.
My companions all raised their weapons, but I raised my hand to stop them.
“Don't worry. We'll take you there.”
“There are four of you. Can you carry all of us?”
I considered desummoning my companions for a moment, but the Harpy just smiled and shook her head.
“It's okay. We can call our friends.”
The Harpy in the lead let out a whistle, and two more Harpies flew over from the distance.
“Are they really human?”
“Wow, I've never seen a human before.”
“These humans are going to help our mother. Let's all go to the Hippogryph habitat.”
The Harpies grabbed each of us with their feet.
“They're not going to drop us, are they?”
Hanna looked very anxious.
“I'll hold on tight. Don't worry.”
“That's right, Hanna. You can just return for a bit if you fall.”
“Then let's go.”
As soon as the Harpy spoke, my body lifted into the air.
Anyone else would probably mistake this for being captured, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought.
So this is what it feels like to fly.
“Kkyuing!”
“Ppyo!”
Geumyong and Herty were following along just fine.
But my other companions were all staring straight ahead as if by agreement.
Looking down was a bit dizzying, but the wind rushing past was really refreshing, and it was better than I expected.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. I'm fine.”
“Then I'm going to speed up a bit.”
Before the Harpy could finish her sentence, the wind slammed into my face.
I shouted for her to slow down a little, but it seemed she couldn't hear me over the wind.
““““Aaaaaaaaaah!””””
My companions all screamed, but the Harpies didn't stop.
If anything, they seemed to be having more fun and picking up speed.
Still, humans are creatures of adaptation, and I gradually got used to it.
I wasn't sure if my other companions had fainted or were just okay, but after about ten minutes, the Harpies started to slow down.
They all stopped and looked around before heading toward a floating island directly ahead.
“Have we arrived?”
“Yes. We can't go any further from here.”
“Hippogryph territory. Dangerous for us.”
“We could die.”
If we had gone any faster, my companions might have died first…
They all looked dazed… Rina and Alpen seemed to have fainted, as they were completely limp.
We soon arrived on the island and were set down.
I realized how thankful I should be to be able to stand on the ground with my own two feet.
“Is everyone okay?”
“I thought I was going to die.”
“I'm never riding one of those again. Just summon me after you've gone back to the sanctuary.”
Timi and Milli grumbled, but they were in better shape than the others.
Hanna had collapsed onto the ground and couldn't get up, while Alpen and Rina were completely unconscious.
“Are you alright?”
“Ugh… Hyeon-ung…?”
Alpen, at least, woke up as soon as I approached.
“Yeah, it's me.”
“I… I'm fine.”
Was that white stuff crusted on his bangs snot?
He didn't look fine at all.
“From now on, I'll just return to the sanctuary.”
As I was about to go to Rina, the Harpy who had brought me over approached and offered me a red feather.
[You have acquired Harpy's Travel Feather x1.]
“We have to go now. If you infuse this feather with mana, you can come to our nest.”
It seemed to be an item like a town portal scroll.
I nodded and sent the Harpies on their way. Thankfully, Rina had also regained consciousness by then.
“You were really scared, weren't you, kiddo?”
“N-No, I wasn't.”
“What do you mean, no? You were screaming your head off.”
“That's right. I heard you too.”
Alpen, now fully recovered, joined in on teasing Rina.
“Rina, are you okay?”
“Of course I'm okay. I screamed because I was surprised. They suddenly sped up.”
She could just admit she was scared. She's so stubborn.
“Right. There's no way our Rina would be scared of something like that.”
After a short rest, we began to explore the area and soon found a pack of Hippogryphs.
They had gray wings like the Harpies, but their heads resembled lions, and they had four legs.
They looked like what you'd get if you stuck wings on a sphinx.
“Humans?”
“I smell humans!”
“There's a hint of Harpy smell too. They're mine!”
Their sizes varied slightly, but even the smallest one was over four meters tall, making them quite large.
“Roooaaar!”
When the largest of the Hippogryphs let out a roar, countless dots began to appear in the distant sky.
“Hyeon-ung, I think those are monsters too.”
“There seem to be a lot of them.”
All the better.
The quest said I'd get better rewards the more hearts I collected.
“I'll go first.”
No sooner had Timi spoken than dozens of white fireballs appeared in the air… huh?
“Ppyo!”
As Herty soared through the fireballs, it sucked up all the white flame orbs Timi had created.
“Hyeon-ung, what on earth is that thing? All my white flame orbs were absorbed. My mana vanished too…”
“Alpen, does Herty eat flames?”
“W-Well, I'm not sure. It's not known what Herty eats…”
Timi created more white flame orbs, but they were quickly sucked toward Herty and disappeared.
While we were flustered by Herty's unexpected behavior, the sky around us filled with Hippogryphs.
“Mister, aren't they a… a little dangerous?”
They had surrounded us in a circle. I pulled Alpen inside the formation.
We all raised our weapons in preparation for an immediate attack, but surprisingly, they all just hovered in the air and opened their mouths.
Don't tell me…
Damn it, my bad feelings are never wrong.
A small light flickered in the Hippogryphs' mouths, and simultaneously, they unleashed colorful breaths toward us.
Red, orange, green, and light blue.
“It's a breath attack! Everyone…”
I shouted for them to dodge and took a step back, but Rina grabbed my arm.
“Where do you think you're going? Don't move, just stay put. Holy Barrier!”
“Magic Barrier.”
As Timi and Rina shouted, a transparent shield and a blue barrier enveloped us.
I thought we were safe, but it was a pointless action.
Ah, of course, the barriers weren't destroyed.
In fact, the breaths never even reached us.
The Hippogryph pack had clearly aimed at us, and their breaths were headed our way, but the moment they got near Herty, they were all sucked into it and vanished, as if light being refracted by a mirror.
So it doesn't just eat flames?
“What in the world is that?”
“Alpen, what is it doing?”
“I… I don't know. I know Herty lives in lava, so it must be resistant to fire, but I've never read about anything like this in a book.”
“Hyeon-ung, look over there.”
After absorbing all of Timi's white flame orbs and the breath attacks, Herty began to emit a red light.