The Mad Kingdom of Morian (9)
The place the golden carp led me to was a warehouse-like space filled with numerous objects that resembled treasure chests of various sizes. The reason I called them "treasure chest-like" rather than actual treasure chests was simple. Normally, when people think of a chest, they imagine something made of metal or wood. But these things, while shaped like chests from a distance, had textures that were clearly different when examined up close.
Some were woven from tree branches and leaves, others were beach sandcastles rearranged into the form of treasure chests, and those made from animal hides and bones were still within the realm of common sense. Among them were objects that completely defied physical laws—things that looked like the phenomena of flames or shadows themselves had become chests.
Can you even open that by touching it?
Fortunately, the target I was after didn't seem to be the type that would be dangerous just from contact. Among the chests all emitting a brilliant golden mist, there was one that radiated an especially intense hue. It looked as if a massive blue gem had been carved directly into a beautiful chest. The moment I touched it, an inexplicable chill ran down my spine.
Between the natural cavern where I stood and the path I'd walked so far, a massive stalactite-like structure had risen from floor to ceiling, as if dividing the boundary. I kept my gaze fixed behind me as I carefully lifted the lid of the chest just a little. At the same time, I saw the stalactite growing rapidly.
It hadn't completely blocked the path yet, but what would happen once I took the item out? I could obtain the object, but I wouldn't be able to return with it in hand. It was a structure that perfectly revealed the nasty personality of whoever had created this trial or whatever it was.
Hmm. It's not like I can't think of a few tricks, but honestly, the risk is too high.
At least to figure out what the thing even was, I examined the inside of the chest using Dantalion's Monocle.
…….
"What the hell is this?"
The information confirmed through the monocle was so bizarre that I unconsciously let out a groan. First, the name itself looked like it had glitched out, with broken characters, and parts of the description were the same. The readable portions were overly concise, and the half-joking phrases that usually appeared at the end of every explanation were completely missing.
But if someone asked whether this was a dud... that wasn't the case either. The fact that even Dantalion's Monocle couldn't provide detailed information proved that this item was on an exceptionally high level. Moreover, this place was none other than the Lake of Wisdom, one of the Star Lands. A fragment of something divided into seven pieces, containing intense stellar energy, discovered in one of the seven Star Lands that were supposed to exist.
It might be overly game-brained thinking, but no matter how I looked at it, this reeked of a hidden quest.
I want it. I want it so badly.
Whether it was a treasure too dangerous to handle or not, gold and jewels only had value when they were used. What was the point of leaving something like this buried in an underground cave whose location wasn't even clear?
I took out a sword from my bag as a test and swung it at the stalactite. With a sharp clang!, the blade snapped in two.
This thing won't even get scratched by ordinary attacks.
It seemed impossible to break through physically once the path was blocked. And judging by how fast the stalactite had grown earlier, rushing out after grabbing the item would be impossible too. When I tried tying a string around the fragment and pulling it from outside, stalactites surged up from both sides of the string and snapped it.
The golden carp was staring at me with eyes that seemed to say, 'Why don't you just give up nicely?' But if I were the kind of person who would do that, I never would have come to the academy in the first place. I would've just lived modestly in the countryside.
At this point, my stubbornness wouldn't let me rest unless I took it. Deciding to use my last resort, I picked up the severed string from earlier and tied the broken ends together. Since I hadn't pulled on it yet, the stalactite didn't react immediately. But if I touched it from the outside, it would surely respond.
I left the tied string alone for now. Then, instead of the target chest, I piled up various Attribute Stones I'd taken from Thoth's Bag onto several other chests around it.
Once preparations were complete, I spoke into the empty air.
"I'll pay the price with this and take it."
There was no response.
I pulled the string from outside, and as expected, the stalactite grew and severed it. A reaction that seemed to say this wasn't nearly enough. Without a word, I took out a large shield from my bag, hid behind it, and fired a crossbow bolt at one of the piles of Attribute Stones I'd stacked earlier.
They were only low-tier Fragments, so individually their destructive range and power weren't particularly impressive. But that was only when there were one or two. When dozens exploded all at once—
Booom!
The chests at the center were brutally shattered, and whatever treasures had been inside were destroyed without even a glimpse of light.
I tied the broken string once more. Before pulling it, I spoke into the air again.
"I'll pay the price with this and take it."
Even though the golden carp's expression never changed, I somehow got the feeling it was thinking, 'What the hell is wrong with this crazy bastard? I don't even want to know anymore.' Only after smashing about three treasure chests did the stalactite stop moving, allowing me to finally obtain the mysterious fragment.
I guess low-tier ones weren't strong enough, so using several crystals containing mid-tier spells had been effective. I didn't feel particularly guilty about it. No, if anything, there had to be limits to arbitrarily kidnapping someone and then toying with them under the pretense of a trial. Putting a treasure right in front of someone and saying 'Yeah, if you take it you're screwed'—what kind of twisted personality was that?
I was innocent.
I wrapped the obtained fragment several times in a cloth and put it in my bag, then spoke to the golden carp.
"So what do I do now? Do I just go back the way I came? Or did I make the wrong choice and get eliminated?"
The golden carp floated aimlessly in the air for a moment before starting to head back down the path we'd come from. It seemed returning was the correct answer. Honestly, since I'd already gotten what I wanted, part of me felt like dropping out midway like the others and just resting. But the moment I took a step back into the deep darkness—
Rumble—Kwaaaaaang!
A terrifying sound like thunder exploding at close range slammed into my eardrums, and the surrounding terrain shook violently.
Damn it, what now?
These humans are all so violent. Is this what people are like these days? They lack any sense of dignity.
A bold female voice suddenly rang out. I looked around and was momentarily stunned.
"Golden carp... you could talk?!"
Who are you calling a golden carp, you rude brat? This is merely my subordinate. I'm simply borrowing its mouth for now.
I fell silent for a moment.
"If you're borrowing its mouth, doesn't that still mean the golden carp is talking?"
If I say it isn't, then it isn't. If you keep nitpicking over trivial things, I'll curse you, you wretch.
The golden carp glared at me sharply. Strangely, it carried almost no sense of intimidation.
"So, what exactly are you? And what was that roar just now?"
My identity is irrelevant for now. The one causing all that commotion is your companion—the red-haired wench.
My companion? Wench?
"You mean Lady Layla?"
Yes, that one! I was pleased to see a child with the 'Jewel Eye' after so long and let her in, but what is with that temper of hers! Even her ancestors never dared to oppress me with brute force!
Let her in because I was pleased to see her. At least it was clear that the being speaking to me now was the one who had imposed the trials on us so far. I mentally noted the keyword 'Jewel Eye' and focused on the roaring sound that was still echoing through my ears.
"What exactly did you do? What could possibly make her this angry?"
I simply told the fog fairies to play a little prank on her. They're cute little things that aren't particularly dangerous if you keep a calm mind. Who would've thought she'd fly into such a rage just because they whispered a few words in her ear? Isn't she being too narrow-minded?
The voice grumbled as if saying I didn't do anything wrong. From experience, when beings like this said "a little prank," it was never actually "a little." I wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad that this transcendent being was far more human than I'd expected. I asked,
"So, what do you want?"