Into the Magic Engineering Ruins
A cockroach of a guy. "Grr... Hehe."
As if it were some unspoken agreement, the coachman's seat rotation had solidified over time. I stroked the head of Tier, who was nuzzling against my thigh, and alternated glances between the treasure map in my hand and a single A4 sheet of paper.
Magic engineering... looks like it's exactly the SF-plus-fantasy concept I had in mind...
Besides the writing on the treasure map, there was a small gear icon sketched in the corner, which piqued my curiosity. But I quickly snapped back to reality—the A4 sheet in my other hand was a printout I'd grabbed from the community forum summarizing the event. In the original Ravinia Chronicles, since it was an online game with a live server unlike the other worlds I frequented, it seemed like a pain to keep up with real-time info like this. My lips pursed in annoyance.
Solo games had fixed stories you could prep for in advance, but Ravinia was truly live, forcing constant improvisation.
Not like I can skip the event, though... Who knows what rewards it'll drop, and mobile games usually introduce new characters in fresh events anyway. Ugh...
In games, events popped up out of nowhere, and you'd just suck it up when a new character dropped. But thinking about it, those new characters had ages and backstories too—meaning all the ones not yet in the story were stuck somewhere in this world, right? Tier and Daphne had lived isolated in their tribes before coming to the adventurer's city, and Plang had been lured there by the villain Zeke...
Since I'm already balls-deep in this harem shit, adding one or two more party members won't ruffle any feathers, yeah...?
I glanced down at Tier, who was purring contentedly under my stroking hand, and gave a small nod. At this point, I had zero resistance to truly trashy behavior. Ever since getting my powers, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was turning into more of a scumbag by the day—and it wasn't just my imagination. Suddenly, it all made sense why politicians pulled so much idiotic shit.
Power simplifies the brain, and forgiveness beats permission every time. Heh.
We vented some stress on bandits and monsters along the way. After veering off the main road to follow only the treasure map, the surrounding wilderness grew thicker, and crumbling stone ruins started popping into view. I stood from the carriage and called out to the coachman's seat.
"Tier! Let's walk from here. Can't take the carriage deeper anyway, and it's time to scout ahead properly."
"Yeah!"
With a bit of rustling as Daphne, who'd been dozing beside me, yawned cutely with her little mouth wide open, the carriage gradually slowed to a stop.
"Boss, what about these guys?"
Tier, who'd apparently bonded with them during the trip, stroked the half-and-half set's necks while looking at me.
"Tie 'em up nearby. I'll handle it—you get Daphne and Plang ready."
Our real goal was the Empire. This was just a quick event detour, and I wasn't dumb enough to release them by mistake. So, with the half-and-half set standing dumbly, watching my every move, I unleashed Sahonroeju around them.
Snag anyone trying to come in, snag anyone trying to leave—world peace achieved.
Grinning slyly, I wrapped webs around boulders for anchors and stabbed them into sturdy trees. At a glance, it looked like a cockatrice-subspecies-drawn carriage abandoned in the forest heart—but channeling mana to enhance my vision revealed an ant-lion pit prison radiating from the carriage.
"Heh. You fuckers move one step more than ten from here, and getting diced up will be the least of your worries... Got it?"
As if reading my mind like a true summon and master, Nangkangi popped up above my head, chittering and extending legs toward the webs. The half-and-half set were the only ones in our group I could call inferior, after all.
Schwick.
Whether it pulled a hefty orc corpse from its own subspace or not, massive green chunks appeared mid-air and turned to diced bits in a blink.
"P-peeep! Peeeep!"
"P-pee...!"
The chicken-heads freaked out at the orc hash right before their eyes. It was a warning not to leave this makeshift barrier—and feeding the omnivores to boot. One corner of my mouth twitched up.
Growing faster than expected? Back then, its space couldn't even fit a whole orc...
Puffing with pride, chittering away in communication with the chicken-heads—it seemed its abilities and personality were both developing splendidly. Probably thanks to its "mom" Undine hanging around. If it'd only had me, it'd be a little shit like I'd made the principal or Park Jisu into back then.
With my precautions set and the chicken-heads settling under Nangkangi's orders, I turned toward where the group waited.
"This seems about right..."
Adventuring usually came with life-or-death tension, but thanks to the women—who'd climbed to mid-tower floors—and me, our group strolled like it was a casual trip, zero stress.
They figured I'd handle any fuckups. Their blind trust made my shoulders shrug with satisfaction. Nothing like those idiot bitches freeloading on the bus—this felt earned.
This is why I build power. Heh.
Shrugging at the group's center as we pressed on, more stone building remnants mixed with unfamiliar mechanical devices caught my eye.
"Whoa..."
"An ancient civilization like this...? Even the elders never mentioned it..."
"Whoa! This shape is so weird!"
Mechanical devices were, in my opinion, ultimate art—perfectly meshed gears without a speck out of place, mesmerizing any first-timer. The women's eyes sparkled as they gawked at the scattered structures.
After seeing SF-world ships, this barely impresses... Fuck, spoiled eyes are a problem too.
Urging the slowed women onward, a massive gateway-like structure loomed ahead, faintly shimmering like the gates in Ravinia's tower. Smart folks would assume it led to the event.
"Shall we?"
Grinning at the eager women flashing "go already" eyes, all hot and bothered, I chuckled and led our group through the gate.
Greeeeen!
A brief floating sensation like gate travel. Snapping to, an event-field vista unfolded—mismatched for this era. Sleek silver-metal citadels gleaming coldly unlike medieval red brick, embedded with blue orbs that screamed mana storage and power sources...
Taking in the sights, I instinctively expanded my senses—and caught a familiar presence. Fleeting connection, but unforgettable.
"This... fucking roach... is still alive?!"
It was nuisance Leon's aura—the guy who'd split after the Daphne mess and sniveled pathetically on the streets.