Chapter 97
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Yor Divided into N Parts #8
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「Idol of the Grave Lord」
「Radiant Eight-Colored Gem」
Seeing the treasures I'd just gotten my hands on made me grin ear to ear.
Since they came from idols, maybe I could sell them for a fortune?
"Maybe even tens of millions!"
"Then I gotta hit level 15 fast!"
Once I reached level 15, I could head to the front lines where Instructor Rose was waiting.
Her invitation for a drink together was the light guiding my heart.
"Drinking alone with a girl!"
Heh heh, just imagining it put me in a great mood.
If things went well, a tipsy hand-hold, maybe even a kiss if the vibe was right!
But honestly, I still had a big problem on my hands.
「Night Flower – A flower that blooms brilliantly in darkness so deep not even the faintest starlight can pierce it. Among all flowers, it exudes the most profound fragrance.」
A lot of people wanted this flower.
Everyone was after it, so naturally, I got greedy too.
"Is this flower really that amazing?"
You know how it is.
Something you didn't care about suddenly seems intriguing when everyone else loses their minds over it.
Yeah, I'm a sucker for hype.
So it was only natural I'd set my sights on this "Night Flower" too.
"Yor! Hermit's boiling over! Pull out more potions!"
"Ughhh...."
Just then, I spotted Hermit groaning on the broad back of the stone dragon Isidore.
Hammer was trying to feed her a potion, but—
Zzzzap—!
The intense sparks made even Hammer jump back.
"Aaaah! My bones are rattling—!?"
Zzzzt-zzzap. Hermit was like a super pissed-off Pikachu.
She'd pushed herself too hard with magic during this expedition, hitting her limit.
If we left her like this, her life might be in danger.
"Without Hermit, we'd have died how many times over."
Would giving the Night Flower to Hermit help her recover?
But handing it over rashly felt iffy because of Sabrannik too.
If Sabrannik hadn't moved his massive bones at the end to kill Kroom?
We all might've been goners.
"Isidore's a problem too! If I don't give him the Night Flower, he might rampage at the Great Wall!"
Setting aside the level 37 Kroom, the over-level-20 stone dragon Isidore was disaster material in his own right.
All these thoughts suddenly made me feel so wronged.
"Why do I have to deal with this crap?"
I'm suffering here, but everyone else is clueless and having a blast!
Life's so unfair!
My head was pounding.
My vision was all blurry.
Probably from when Kroom choked me earlier—popped all the blood vessels in my eyes.
For now, I needed a quick break too.
When I came to, I was standing on calm waters.
A dark riverbank without even moonlight.
The bone serpent Sabrannik slithered toward me, wriggling along.
"Sabrannik! What happened to you?!"
Sabrannik's bones were in pathetic shape.
Most of his skull scales were shattered, and his massive skull was split like a watermelon. It looked downright pitiful.
【—Blessed One—.】
【—Now give me the Night Flower—.】
Sabrannik opened his mouth wide—ahh.
The flower glowing faintly from my pocket throbbed in response.
"...Um, could I give you a rock instead of the flower?"
【—Testing my patience to the end, eh?—.】
Shhhh—.
Sabrannik's skull scales trembled menacingly.
Oh crap, I'm dead—right then, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the glowing gem.
「Radiant Eight-Colored Gem」
"Here!"
Shhh—the trembling stopped dead.
A rainbow gem laced with white light, dazzling to behold.
Perfect for a stone-muncher like Sabrannik, right?
I knew he'd love it from the moment I saw it!
【—Hmmm—.】
Sabrannik actually hesitated!
Hesitation meant my offer tempted him.
"Look at that color! It'd suit you perfectly, Lord Sabrannik."
【—Suiting me is irrelevant—.】
"Then check out this smooth surface! Bet it'd go down easy—super satisfying swallow!"
I was gesturing wildly, squeezing out every sales pitch I knew, when—
Shhh—
From somewhere on the dark riverbank, a headless goblin appeared.
Ashibar.
【You idiot!】
【Gonna sell off the stolen eight-colored gem for peanuts?】
【The Night Flower's amazing, but this gem's a treasure too!】
What? I didn't get it all, but sounded like the gem was worth a bit more than the Night Flower.
Sabrannik got pissed at Ashibar's words.
【—Keep trespassing in my domain, do you?—.】
【—Begone—!】
【—Shhh—!】
Sabrannik was seriously steamed.
Felt like getting caught trying to scam a freebie.
【—The gem may be precious—.】
【—But it's not what I desired, so its value drops—.】
"Then, Lord Sabrannik, I'll just give you the Night Flower."
【—In exchange, I'll give you 'Serpent's Leg' as change—.】
Serpent's Leg?
That was the boon Sabrannik always boasted about confidently.
Wonder what it does.
【—Serpent's Eye—.】
【—Serpent's Leg—.】
【—Gather them all to unlock the higher boon—.】
Higher boon?
First I'd heard of it, so my ears perked up.
【—Then, the gem—.】
Ah—Sabrannik opened wide.
I tossed the radiant gem into his mouth.
Glad the negotiation worked.
"So what does Serpent's Leg even do?"
"Yor, open your eyes. We're here!"
When I snapped back, Isidore had landed on the Great Wall turret.
Hammer hurriedly carried the one-armed Felix and groaning Hermit.
"Healer! Ishtar! Critical patients!"
Everyone's injuries were no joke.
I was banged up too, so I figured I'd get checked by big sis Ishtar, but Isidore poked his head in.
Grrr—.
【You haven't forgotten our deal, have you?】
Knew it was coming.
I glanced back at Hermit, groaning on the stretcher.
Give the Night Flower to Hermit or the dragon...?
"I'll give it to you."
Dragon it is.
If this guy went berserk in rage?
The wall might crumble, and who knows how many would die.
"Then what about Hermit?"
Maybe think on it a bit more.
Something's gotta give.
"Lord Isidore, before I hand over the flower, mind if I get some treatment first? Unlike the great dragon Isidore, us frail humans drop dead from even tiny scratches!"
【Fool me, and you'll witness disaster.】
Yes! Bought some time!
I headed to the infirmary to check on Hermit.
Ran into Nimble on the way—felt like ages, so I was kinda glad.
"Nimble! You good?"
"Ah, fuck! You reek of lizard! Get lost!"
Does Nimble hate dragons?
He backed away, hesitant steps.
Kinda hurtful, honestly.
But then Nimble stopped dead.
"Wait, you got something weird on you?"
"Weird?"
"Dunno details, but smells like carved wood."
Nimble's nose caught the wood scent.
I pulled out the 「Idol of the Grave Lord」 from my bundle.
Seeing it, his tail fur stood on end, and he shivered.
"That's Kroom's idol!"
"What, you know Kroom?"
"Yeah! An idol our clan once served! Where'd you snag this?"
"Don't ask. Nearly got us all killed. Though the one who died was Kroom...."
I snuck a peek at Nimble's reaction.
Worried he'd rage that we killed his clan's idol.
Sure enough, Nimble scowled.
"Killed? That Kroom?"
Pffft—!
Then he burst out laughing.
"Pffft, hahaha! Kroom's the god of death! Immortal! Might take time, but he'll revive."
That psycho revives?
Terrifying just thinking about it.
Whatever, Nimble snatched the 「Idol of the Grave Lord」 and beamed.
"Whoa, with this, I could throw down with that demon bastard...."
Glance—.
Nimble eyed me.
"Can I have it?"
Hell no.
We went through hell for that thing.
My face soured like I'd eaten a pound of salt.
"Oh yeah, Yor, you wanted to know about the Night Flower, right?"
Nimble yanked my arm.
Curious, I followed him to a black canvas tent in the training grounds.
What's a tent doing here?
I was puzzled by the unfamiliar setup for a sec.
Inside, I saw tiny sprouts.
Three of them.
The faintly glowing sprouts sent chills down my spine.
"...No way...!?"
"This is the 'Night Flower.' Pretty like me, huh?"
"Aaaaaah—!?"
"Only Crescent Moon tribe druids can grow 'em like this. Small now, but they'll grow cabbage-sized. The trick is getting 'em that big...."
Fuck, you plant these like garden lettuce?!
"Trade you the idol for one. Super rare, y'know? Last seeds I got."
"......"
Lost for words.
I stayed quiet, and Nimble's tail flicked anxiously side to side.
"Fine! Two! That's my limit!"
I traded Kroom's idol for two palm-sized Night Flowers.
Clutching them, I went to Isidore on a whim.
"Here, Isidore."
【Truly a flower small as a star yet shining bright.】
【Perfect to decorate my new nest.】
Isidore snatched Nimble's tiny flower, thrilled, and flew off.
Just to decorate his nest?
"What a letdown!"
Now I had one small flower left for Hermit's infirmary.
Hermit groaned on.
Totally out of it.
"Hermit, try eating this."
I slipped the tiny flower past her lips.
It melted in her mouth like ice cream.
Soon her breathing eased, face relaxed.
"Even a small one works?"
Thank goodness.
I wanted Hermit to pull through.
Weird constitution means no boob-grabs, but she's the only one who chats with me, frowns optional, and plays along with my jokes.
"Now I've got just one Night Flower left."
「Night Flower – A flower that blooms brilliantly in darkness so deep not even the faintest starlight can pierce it. Among all flowers, it exudes the most profound fragrance.」
Cabbage-sized, maybe that's why?
Its fragrance dwarfed Nimble's sprouts—intensely deep.
What happens if I eat it?
Why's everyone after it?!
Crunch—.
I took a big bite.
Texture like ripe cabbage.
—Or so I thought; it melted in my mouth instantly.
"Eugh, bitter!"
Tasted like rubber tire, but explosive power surged through my weary body.
The deep energy of night flows through your veins.
You may select and acquire one talent.
1. Walker of the Night: Removes penalties of deep night. Suffer no damage traversing deep night. – Level limit 15
2. Path of the Inheritor: Unlocks exclusive skill. – Level limit 15
3. Black Trickster: Advances all acquired boons by one level or more. – Level limit 15