Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: How to Live as a Druid in Another World (3)
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With 20 gold and Khalid's subspace ring in hand, the only thing left to do was...
[Main Quest: Find the Origin God's temple.]
Find the Origin God's temple.
It seemed like a simple quest, but it wasn't that easy.
To find the Origin God's temple, I'd probably need to be around level 50...
Level 50 wasn't just some random dog's name.
[Age of Envy]. The max level in this game world I was living in was 99.
From what I remembered, the highest level player in EoE back then was a level 67 warrior...
'Even people like that couldn't find the Origin God's temple.'
There was a vague idea of where it might be, but since the level requirement made entry impossible, most players poured all their energy into leveling up.
Which meant I needed to hit around level 50 to progress my main quest too.
Leveling up naturally required money.
That's why I'd desperately taken mercenary commissions and escorted merchant caravans.
I'd made a good chunk from the Black Opium affair too, so now it was time for 'investment.'
Power leveling required investment.
Where to invest?
Totems.
Just as mages could craft various magic tools, druids could make totems.
These totems enhanced abilities or produced various effects, making them exactly what I needed right now.
'Coming to Solen was the right choice in every way.'
I unpacked at the inn and headed out in simple attire.
In Solen, overflowing with mages, gathering totem materials was far easier.
I had 22 gold and 15 silver on hand.
Under the original plan, I could barely make one totem, but with the unexpected profits, I could make three decent ones.
Ones that were pretty good, at that.
'I thought I could only manage Great Nature's Harmony.'
I arrived at a street lined with shops selling all sorts of magic tools and rare, bizarre materials, scanning my surroundings carefully.
Merchants who saw me—a clear non-mage, rookie mercenary type—and tried to rip me off were everywhere.
I ignored the trash.
"May I browse?"
I stopped in front of a shop with dried herbs hanging everywhere and asked the dozing merchant.
The merchant nodded without a word, then went back to dozing.
The three totems I planned to make:
First, Great Nature's Recovery.
This totem boosted mana and stamina recovery by 30%.
Second, Great Nature's Harmony.
This one increased recovery speed by 30% and dealt 30% extra damage to undead or demon-type monsters.
Third, Exclusion of Impiety.
This totem increased damage to undead or demon-type monsters by 70%.
Equipping all three would add 100% extra damage against undead and demon-types.
Why only items specialized for undead and demon-types?
Simple reason.
They gave insane experience points.
In fact, they were the most lucrative too.
Being overwhelmingly more dangerous than other types, the rewards for taking them down were greater.
For power leveling and building assets, targeting undead and demons was the best method.
'Of course, only if you can survive.'
I picked the thinnest yet sturdiest stem from the well-dried moonwood branches.
This was the basic material needed to weave into a necklace cord for carrying the totems.
Druids weren't compatible with metal, so they couldn't use gold or silver like mages often did.
But moonwood stems dried under moonlight were thin yet incredibly tough, perfect for necklace cords.
Unlike metal, they even gave off a subtle fragrance—best of both worlds.
The one I chose had a cool scent like night air, which was even better.
Next up: the pendant frames that would form the totems' bases.
No metal, so leather or plant-based.
Well-seasoned iron oak for Great Nature's Recovery and Great Nature's Harmony...
And ground unicorn horn for Exclusion of Impiety, since undead and demons hated that.
Whether I picked or not, the merchant kept dozing off with nods.
Well, the goods were good, so whatever.
Haggling would've been more annoying anyway.
I selected materials slowly and carefully.
"Hmm..."
Frozen phoenix heart—this was essential for Exclusion of Impiety.
"Hmm..."
Ent leaves? Passing this up would be a loss.
"Whoa...!"
World tree tears?! Why was a rare item like this buried in a back-alley shop?!
Lost in grabbing stuff, the merchant had woken up and was watching me by the time I finished.
"...Ahem. How much for all this?"
I handed the basket to the merchant.
He adjusted his round glasses, calculated on parchment with a sleepy face, and slid it over.
"22 gold?"
I'd expected it to be high, but this high...?
I thought maybe 15 gold tops...
The problem was how top-quality everything here was.
But since I was making them anyway, better to spend properly on good ones, right?
After a brief hesitation, I pulled gold coins one by one from my pouch and handed them over.
The merchant double-checked it was exactly 22 gold and genuine imperial coinage, then nodded.
Damn... bigger expense than expected.
Now I was down to just 2 gold and 15 silver.
Buy decent clothes and gear, cover today's lodging and food...
'2 gold will vanish in a flash.'
I was about to sigh.
-Thud.
The merchant placed something on my basket.
"What's this..."
"A freebie."
"Pardon?"
Magic shops giving freebies? Unheard of.
"Haven't had a customer paying full price in ages. A welcome gift."
The merchant yawned hugely, eyes closing before I could even thank him properly.
"Th-thank you..."
"..."
No response.
I examined the merchant's gift closely.
It looked like a plain leather strap, but up close, it was a collar made from finely crafted obsidian alligator hide.
-Kyaaang!
A gift for Aila, who'd been wriggling nonstop in my pocket?
Too big for Aila yet, but shadow wolves grew fast—she could wear it soon.
No magic stones attached, but I could add those later.
I gave a light bow to the merchant, already dozing off again, and left the market.
* * *
Buying a few decent outfits and shoes drained my funds as expected.
'Let's see, 55 silver left...'
I organized my money, then laid out today's totem materials on the floor.
The materials were so pristine, there was nothing for me to refine or purify.
Just shape the moonwood stem into a necklace, drill holes in the iron oak and unicorn horn bases, and carve—that was it.
Fearing a screw-up would waste my money, I carved with utmost care, yielding excellent results.
'Alright, now the blessed spring water...'
I flung the window wide, letting moonlight flood the room, and poured blessed spring water into a clean silver tray.
The water sparkled under the moonlight.
I placed the totems atop it and began praying to Linshaka, goddess of forests and earth.
Soon, with distant reed pipe melodies, sparkling leaf-green mana infused the totems.
[Totem: Great Nature's Recovery completed.]
[Totem: Great Nature's Harmony completed.]
[Totem: Exclusion of Impiety completed.]
Result: a grand success.
Thanks to premium materials and devoted prayer, pure forest energy overflowed visibly from the totems.
I wove them onto the moonwood cord and hung it around my neck.
Now, the foundation for power leveling was set.
Next stop: the Cursed Land to the north.
Best spot for quick levels.
When raising alts or busing newbies, the meta was heading straight there from starter village.
The 'Cursed Land.'
In the continent's north lay the Cursed Land.
Once a holy nation 'Aurora' nearing 10 million population.
How did 'Aurora' become the 'Cursed Land'?
They deserved it.
The heir to Aurora's throne dared rape the saintess chosen by the world tree.
The saintess raged, hated, cursed—and unexpectedly, her intense will drew a response.
Demons.
For revenge, she offered herself to the demons, and with such a potent sacrifice, they manifested on the surface.
Thus, Aurora became the homeland of all evil.
The saintess's curse, empowered by demons, afflicted not just the nation but everything in it.
Land, forests, rivers, animals, every blade of grass, gust of wind, and humans...
All life in curse-stricken Aurora became undead, and even now, anyone dying in the Cursed Land turns undead.
Nations thus built fortresses along borders abutting the Cursed Land to hold back the undead hordes.
'That's where I'll hunt.'
I fiddled with the glowing totems, lost in thought.
Risky, but worth it.
Levels rise, strength grows, main quest solvable, and solving it gives a 'chance' to return to normal.
A chance to escape this damn pseudo-medieval land for safe civilization!
"Hoo..."
Tense, yeah.
Totems secured...
One last thing before departure: grab a common skill. That completes prep.
No time for common skills once I reach the Cursed Land.
Handle simple stuff with spare time now.
Common skills, unlike druid exclusives, were usable by all classes.
Too busy surviving—leveling, odd jobs, scrambling—to learn any till now...
'I'll stay here a few days to pick some up.'
Aila needed care too, so it worked perfectly.
To get common skills, visit specific NPCs or temples for quests.
I pulled out a book from my pocket and flipped it open. Solen's common skills...
[Regeneration]
[Toughness]
[Poison Resistance]
[Cold Resistance]
...Four useful ones?
[Fire Resistance] would've been nice, but that's in Roshan.
Still, getting must-haves like [Poison Resistance] and [Cold Resistance] for the Cursed Land here was plenty satisfying.
'Now, which NPC gives the quests...'
Scanning the common skill list, I jolted in shock.
"...Why the hell are you there?"