Ent Forest (5): The Sage's Hidden Study

I moved slowly to the left with Yeonhee. The moment we started heading for the well, a creature one and a half times larger than a normal Ent took solid form on the ground. The hunters who had been waiting charged at it all at once.

"Let's go!! The kill today is mine!!"

"Rune!! We just need to steal the rune!!"

"Just pick up experience from a safe distance. Don't get greedy, you guys."

Each hunter rushed the giant monster carrying their own agendas, and the sight was almost solemn in its intensity.

Bwoooooooo—!!

The Ent Champion saw the hunters swarming like a pack of wild dogs and swung its trunk like a signal. Dozens more Ents immediately began materializing around the area.

But we did not join the fight. We had already descended into the neglected well, thick with overgrown bushes.

Ilwol… is there something else in here? It’s so dark…

Yeonhee, riding on my back, whispered anxiously into my ear, but I was not worried at all. There were not even any slimes—the creatures always found in damp places—and with my increased strength stat, carrying her up and down the well was no effort whatsoever.

Tap—

Wow… ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I wonder if anyone has ever come down here before?

There must have been quite a few. Lost souls linger everywhere. But they probably just poked at the walls, dug at the floor a little, found nothing, and climbed back out. The real hidden space is a bit higher ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up.

Still holding Yeonhee, I pressed firmly on various spots along the well wall roughly twenty meters down.

It was around this height…

In the early days of my awakening, when I was obsessed with hunting artifacts, this was the first dungeon where I had found two at once. The memory was still vivid. Of course, after that, artifacts became extremely rare in higher-level dungeons, so deliberate searches like today would not happen often in the future.

So I intended to enjoy a day like this.

I can definitely feel an empty space inside, damn it. Has the position shifted a little?

It was not long before my groping hand suddenly sank inward.

Rumble—

"Kyaa—!"

The well wall suddenly slid inward, opening a space large enough for a person. Yeonhee jumped in surprise, her whole body jolting.

"Huuuuuu… Ilwol…"

She hugged me tighter.

How cute.

Once settled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠inside the wall, I patted her head to calm her, then moved deeper in. After passing through a passage low enough that I had to duck my head, we stepped into a small space about the size of a convenience store.

"Woowaaa—!! It’s incredibly beautiful!!"

How many people in the world knew a place like this existed beneath the rotten Ent Forest? I turned in a slow circle, savoring the scholarly atmosphere. It felt like the private study of a renowned scholar who had used it for many years. The serene, timeless mood was thick in the air, and countless books filled the shelves from floor to ceiling.

"Oh! Ilwol, these books look incredibly luxurious!! Can I take one out?"

Better not.

I nodded anyway. Yeonhee immediately pulled out a book that glowed with golden light. The instant she opened it, the volume crumbled into dust and scattered on the air.

Same as always.

"Uh… Did I just destroy one?! What do I do?"

"Clack clack!!"

I shrugged to show it was fine, then took down the dagger hanging on the wall—about twenty centimeters long—and gripped it. Even though I was nothing but bone, the handle fit my palm perfectly and brought back sensations from my human days.

This is making me strangely nostalgic.

I drew the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dagger from its luxurious sheath, which was densely engraved with geometric patterns. The double-edged blade had an extremely simple design that contrasted sharply with its ornate housing.

To hang a weapon like this in a study as decoration… It’s ridiculous no matter how many times I see it.

The attack power was only twenty-four—not especially high for an artifact—but the fact that a weapon also increased defense dramatically raised its value. The flow of magic power spreading from my grip told me the dagger truly wanted to protect its wielder as well. And as expected of an artifact, it had no durability limit, so I would not need to worry about weapons for the time being.

I can still throw the war hammer when I need to…

Whirl— Whirl—

As I spun the dagger skillfully in my hand and nodded in satisfaction, Yeonhee spoke up.

"Waang— The sheath is so pretty!! This is an artifact too!! How much would it sell for?"

She had never seen a weapon-type artifact before and was completely captivated, turning the sheath over and over in delight. From what I had researched through the White Knight Guild in my past life, this dagger was worth a little over ten billion won. Its performance sat at the low end of mid-tier among artifacts, yet it still commanded that price.

If only I had sold the things I found and lived comfortably…

The saying that once you catch the exploration bug there is no cure was definitely aimed at my former self. If I had simply sold the artifacts I discovered, I could have lived like a billionaire. But I had been blinded by the thrill of new discoveries and the rush of dangerous adventures, and that foolishness had led me to my miserable end.

I shook my head and focused my senses, checking whether anything else might be hidden in the space. There was nothing but books that would crumble at a touch, and only one exit—the entrance we had used.

He was quite the secretive one, to build a hidden study inside a well like this.

I handed the entire dagger to Yeonhee so she could admire it, then lifted her onto my back again. Using Adhesion, I climbed back up the well.

"It’s really pretty……"

Since the owner had been called a sage, he must have commissioned the dagger from a master craftsman of extraordinary skill. It was understandable that Yeonhee would be so unusually enchanted by it.

Thanks to the dagger my defense had risen to twenty-two. In a dungeon of this level, ordinary attacks would not even leave a scratch.

When I emerged from the well I felt far more confident than when I had gone down. Looking at the situation outside, a faint smile rose to my face.

Still in full swing. I thought they would finish it quickly—why is it taking so long?

It was a little strange, but it was time for us to move. The moment we came up we hurried to join the battlefield. Yeonhee tossed me the dagger as I ran and began chanting her spells. We had long passed the stage of debating whether or not to fight in a situation like this.

Because her concentration dropped slightly while running, she summoned her creatures one by one. The hunters who saw me and the two Lizardmen rushing over brightened and waved us in urgently.

Only after reaching the battlefield did I understand why the hunt was taking so long. There were far more regular Ents around the Champion than usual. Normally the Champion would be dead within twenty minutes of appearing; now, after fifteen minutes, ten of the smaller ones were still alive.

"Over there!! Just keep the small ones busy!! We’re almost done with the Champion!!"

Yeonhee nodded vigorously without answering. The hunters raised their hands in thanks. If a greedy person had joined at a moment like this they might have tried to snipe the Champion and leave, but she showed no such intention, so their gratitude was genuine.

"Each of you take one!! They’ve been weakened enough that it should be fine!!"

At Yeonhee’s order the five Lizardmen, now fully summoned, engaged the Ents all at once. I had already activated Reckless Charge, slamming into one and knocking it to the ground.

Shing—

I drew the newly acquired dagger and drove it straight into the fallen Ent’s body.

Crunch—!!

Bwoooooooo!!

Rarely, the Ent writhed in obvious agony. I stabbed the same spot several more times, driving the blade deeper. Soon its movements stopped and it began to wither and twist rapidly.

Heh… Sure enough, hunting really is all about the gear.

With even greater confidence I charged again at an Ent whose attention had been drawn by the ironclad beetles, knocked it down, and finished it the same way. I did not even need to use flame bullets, so my mana consumption was minimal. In less than three minutes every regular Ent had been wiped out.

The Ent Champion began to collapse slowly once we finished the smaller ones. We only helped by batting aside the occasional vine it hurled our way. Yeonhee fired arrows as well, but only to restrict its movement.

Bwooooooooo—

Kuuuung—!!

At last the giant tree fell, announcing the end of the raid. We received a small share of the experience reward.

Well, swinging my hands a few times for this much is plenty satisfying.

We collected the thorns from the stems of the Ents we had killed ourselves. Without bothering to greet the other hunters, we left the area immediately. The hunters who were busy gathering loot would probably wonder much later why we had arrived so late, but they would soon lose interest.

And if anyone had watched us closely during the fight, they might have noticed how strangely effective my attacks were against the Ents. But people rarely paid much attention to others—especially not to a mere skeleton soldier.

We set off down the path again. Since it felt as though we had finished everything we needed to do for the day, we did not push ourselves and simply walked toward the exit.