The More Rabbits You Catch, the Better (6)
…………
Once Akasha finished reading, a heavy silence filled the chamber. Chase was the first to speak.
"I knew about the Star's Blessing itself, but this is the first I've heard that it once spread across all of humanity. Does the Holy Star Church know about this too?"
"They do. Not every believer, mind you—only those of a certain rank. The same goes for the higher-ups in various nations. They all know, but they keep it quiet."
Akasha scratched her cheek with a slightly troubled expression.
"It's the kind of topic that easily sparks conflict—everyone once had this benefit, but now only a select few possess it, and in a much stronger form."
Everyone nodded at Akasha's words. Jealousy, envy, a sense of relative deprivation. Even if it couldn't compare to the ancient people who had the benefit taken away, there was no guarantee that someone who learned this truth wouldn't incite others or pick unnecessary fights with Star's Blessing holders. The fact that the world's most famous Star's Blessing holder was the Great Emperor made it all the more dangerous to spread.
"Hold on. What about us, then? I refuse to be silenced just because we learned some unnecessary information."
Chase's wariness toward Akasha was clear. He had realized that the long-haired woman in oversized armor and carrying that massive greatsword was none other than a paladin of the Holy Star Church.
Before Akasha could reply, Chrome waved a hand dismissively.
"As long as we don't go spreading it everywhere, it should be fine. If simply knowing this was a crime, she wouldn't have read the diary to us in the first place."
"……Hm. You have a point."
After all, Akasha was the only one among them who could read the Asteros script. If the diary's contents would cause problems for the Holy Star Church if known, she could have simply refused to translate or claimed she couldn't read it. Of course, the opposite was also possible—pretending to tell everything while hiding parts—but there was no need for such complicated measures.
"Well, anyway, she said we can take all the treasures, so let's pack up quickly and get out."
The group loaded everything, including the diary, into Chrome's Thoth's Bag. Chrome had suggested they could divide the spoils in detail after leaving the dungeon. In an ordinary adventurer or mercenary party, this would have sparked another round of arguments, but Chase had already decided Chrome was trustworthy by his own standards, and Akasha had little interest in material gain to begin with—she seemed quite satisfied with the experience alone. Ligret, of course, had no objections.
"Come to think of it, what about the other floors?"
Akasha's question was met with Chrome's answer.
"According to the diary, the other floors are far more dangerous than the bottom one. We've already taken what treasures we can, so let's just leave quietly."
"Hmm, so in the end, we didn't get into a single fight."
Ligret muttered with a hint of disappointment, and Chase's shoulders twitched slightly. The dungeon's scale and historical value made their quick extraction of only the most valuable contents feel almost too easy. Unlike Akasha, who had helped with the document translation, he hadn't made any significant contributions, so Ligret's words stung particularly hard. It wasn't his fault there were no dangerous traps, but it did feel like he was being paid for doing nothing.
……Maybe I should lower my fee a bit for this job, in case there are similar requests in the future.
Chase was lost in such thoughts, but he knew far too little about the boy named Chrome Midas.
Thud. Thud.
"Climbing these stairs again is just as bad as going down."
Akasha grumbled as they ascended the seemingly endless staircase. Ligret and Chase were naturally unaffected, and both Chrome and Akasha possessed considerable stamina, so climbing for dozens of minutes wasn't physically difficult—but the mental fatigue was unavoidable.
"The side paths branching off at intervals, leading to other floors… It's like the root structure of some massive plant."
"Honestly, I'm a little curious what kind of state the researchers left each floor in."
Right after Chase and Akasha shared their impressions—
Click.
A dry sound, different from their footsteps, echoed through the stairwell. The once-relaxed atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.
"…Hah."
A sigh—whether of exasperation or admiration—escaped Chase's lips.
Figures with human shapes, yet unmistakably not human. They resembled the Battle Puppets from the entrance exam, but these were far more worn and faded. A horde of them was descending the stairs in a group. Their appearance made it clear they weren't here to welcome the party.
"Uh…… Didn't the diary's owner say we could take the treasures as we pleased?" Akasha muttered.
Chrome replied, "In any organization, the lower ranks often ignore orders from above."
And this was exactly why Chrome had gathered his party members so diligently.
This place, the Ancient Astronomical Observatory, was one of Planetarium's hidden dungeons. The window to challenge it was only a few months after the game started. After that period, the dungeon would be absorbed by an item belonging to one of the continent's major shadowy forces—the Star Seekers—and all its rewards would fall into their hands.
To prevent the rewards from being stolen by those shadowy forces, one had to discover and clear the dungeon before they found it. That was no easy task either. The time limit was extremely tight, making it impossible to challenge after properly raising the protagonist or party. From the first basement floor to the sixth, each level had its own unique traps, and the guardians protecting the dungeon's interior were overwhelmingly powerful.
As for the final floor, players had this to say:
"Posting a guide for the Ancient Astronomical Observatory. Ignore all other floors and head straight to the bottom layer."
"No combat on the way. None of those annoying traps from the other floors either. You could probably just rush in at level 1."
"Clear this place and the rest of the game gets way easier. It's a beginner-friendly honey dungeon, so definitely go."
Newbies who trusted that advice would rejoice at the massive rewards and impressive story waiting on the bottom floor—provided someone in the party had the Ancient Language skill—and return triumphantly, only to curse upon seeing the guardians blocking the exit and have to restart the game. Some of those newbies would then post the same bait post themselves, perpetuating the cycle.
No wonder they call it a newbie graveyard.
It was still far better than clearing every single floor on the way down, but breaking through the guardians that had spilled out from the bottom floor after detecting intruders was no easy feat either. Success, however, brought enormous rewards—that much was true.
"No need to wipe them all out! Just carve a path through and push forward!"
Chrome shouted as he drew his crossbow.
"They came out in force to greet us. Wouldn't want to disappoint them."
Ligret answered, drawing her shortsword.
"Damn it, so much for easy money. My luck never changes."
Chase cursed as he nocked an arrow.
"Perfect. This is what adventure's all about!"
Akasha grinned, gripping the handle of the greatsword on her back.
The four adventurers clashed with the ancient guardians.
"Hup!"
With a spirited shout, Akasha leapt forward. Her charge, greatsword held like a shield with no hesitation, sent one battle puppet tumbling as it tried to block her, its head crushed underfoot moments later.
But that was all. Dozens more remained visible, and they hurled themselves at Akasha as if mocking her reckless move.
"Tch, what a stupid move…!"
Chase clicked his tongue as he quickly nocked an arrow. The height difference between the top and bottom of the stairs, the overwhelming numerical disadvantage, and the narrow corridor—while wide enough, hardly spacious. Considering that a greatsword required ample room and proper weight transfer, the current environment was about as bad as it could get. Even accounting for their age, the battle puppets' physical performance far surpassed that of an average adult male. If Akasha got swarmed like that, she wouldn't even be able to keep her footing—
BOOM!
Every puppet pressing down on Akasha's greatsword was sent flying into the wall, still clinging to it. Crushed between the greatsword's broad blade—designed more for breaking than cutting—and the wall, the puppets let out cracking, almost screaming sounds as they were smashed flat like insects beneath a heavy book. Chase's face twisted in disbelief at the sight.
Akasha, who had created that scene with nothing but the strength of her right arm, used her now-free left arm to backhand an approaching puppet's head. It was a light blow, barely putting any weight behind it—just raw muscle. Yet the puppet spun through the air and collapsed, proving the unreal power contained in that seemingly casual strike.
Chase briefly considered the possibility of momentary enhancement, but quickly dismissed it. Akasha's specialty was support, and her mana color was White Light. While it didn't have the extremely poor enhancement efficiency of Blue Light, it shouldn't be capable of such extreme output. Even most Red Light users couldn't manage that.
From the rear, firing his crossbow, Chrome spoke.
"Akasha mentioned it earlier. Even within the Holy Star Church, only the upper echelons know the secrets about the Star's Blessing."
Only then did Chase realize what he had overlooked. The title of temple knight was certainly a respected position within the order, requiring considerable experience and achievements, but it was still far from what could be called the "upper echelons." Yet she had known the diary's contents in advance and hadn't shown much surprise. That meant, separate from her position as a temple knight, she held a rank within the Holy Star Church that allowed her access to such important secrets.
"I see. So it was her own story."
The War God Star. Those blessed by it possessed overwhelming physical abilities and powerful resistance to all kinds of diseases and poisons. Among the potential companions in Planetarium, she was one of the rare few who were innate blessing holders.
Chase is the same. This is exactly when you build connections.
The more benefits you gained at once, the better.