Treasure Hunt
Late one night, after finishing my training and returning to the dorm, I found Abel and Yas huddled over something in my room. Tilting my head in confusion, Yas noticed my presence and turned to greet me.
"Oh, buddy! Perfect timing. Take a look at this. What do you think, Abel?"
"Yeah. I'd like to hear your opinion too."
What they handed me with worried expressions was an old, worn map. The layout looked very familiar.
This is one of the hidden pieces, isn't it?
The dungeon marked on the map was quite difficult, but it rewarded an artifact that could be used like daily bread all the way through the mid-to-late game. Normally, you'd have to clear a prerequisite quest just to obtain this map, so why was it in Abel's hands?
Something's fishy here.
As I silently stared down at the map with narrowed eyes, Yas cautiously asked, "Why aren't you saying anything? Do you know something about it?"
"...Where did you get this?"
I completely ignored Yas. Abel scratched the back of his head awkwardly before launching into an explanation.
"Well, I actually got it by pure chance. I was walking down the street when it suddenly flew right into my face on the wind. When I checked it out, it turned out to be a treasure map. I spent a few days trying to find the owner, but the lost-and-found center never contacted anyone. Ahaha..."
Abel wore a sheepish expression, clearly feeling guilty about using someone else's property without permission.
His personality never changes, does it?
Righteous yet endlessly curious, Abel couldn't help but get involved whenever trouble arose. Thanks to that, he gained real combat experience, grew rapidly, and eventually became the hero.
I decided to ease his guilt.
"I don't know if this is a real treasure map, but I think I can roughly figure out where it's pointing."
"Whoa! That's amazing, buddy!"
"If this really is the location of hidden treasure, the original owner would've already made copies. This might even be a copy itself."
"Really? That's a relief. Luan, you're incredible!"
Being called by name by Abel felt strangely awkward. Watching him sigh in relief, I reached a simple conclusion.
"So there's no need to worry about it. If you guys manage to claim the treasure first, it just means the original owner didn't have the ability to take it anyway."
"I see! Thanks. I feel much better now. Yas, how about we go for the treasure this Saturday?"
"Sounds good! Buddy, you're coming with us too, right?"
Both of them turned their gazes toward me after reaching an agreement. You're the only one who knows the location! We need you! Even without words, their intentions were crystal clear.
Unfortunately, I had no intention of joining this party.
I'll just get dragged into trouble if I stick with them.
It was obvious that someone had deliberately leaked the treasure map to Abel. And that someone was highly likely a transmigrator. To figure out their identity, it would be far better to keep my distance and observe the situation rather than mixing with the group.
"I'll pass. I don't have the time."
"What? Buddy, what's with you? You're bailing after coming all the way here? Then who's going to guide us?"
"I'll write down the location. You can find it yourselves. It's not that complicated."
"No way, that's a lie! If it were easy to find, they wouldn't have left a treasure map behind. Come with us. Please?"
Yas kept pestering me like a child. Just as my patience was about to snap, Abel quickly stopped him.
"Yas, that's enough. He probably has things to do. Let's handle this ourselves."
"Hmm... Do we have to? It'd be so much easier with Luan around."
Yas backed off reluctantly. Once the situation had settled somewhat, I left a few words before retreating.
"By the way, keep it a secret that I told you about the map. Tell everyone else that you two figured it out on your own. Got it?"
"What? Buddy, is that okay?"
"It has to be. I don't want any unnecessary trouble. Anyway, I'm going to sleep. Don't make noise."
Using sleep as a weapon to shut Yas's mouth, I flopped onto my bed.
I'll have to adjust my training schedule.
I didn't want to do this starting from the second week, but I'd have to talk to Kain and push it to Sunday. On top of that, if I wanted to keep an eye on Abel's group, I'd need surveillance artifacts, but figuring out where to get them was giving me a headache.
Thinking about tomorrow's tasks, I slowly drifted off to sleep.
*
Early in the morning, a group of students gathered in front of the academy grounds. Abel, Yas, Yuni, and Alissa—four people in total.
"Thanks for coming, everyone! Especially you, Alissa. I'll be counting on you this time."
"It's fine. I only came because I got curious anyway. If you're going to thank someone, thank Yuni. I wouldn't have joined if it weren't for her."
"Yeah! Thanks, Yuni. You did great."
"Heehee! It was nothing. Since it might be dangerous, we should prepare as much as possible before going."
Yuni beamed shyly at Abel's praise, unable to hide her delight. Meanwhile, Yas, who had been studying the map, suddenly shouted.
"Then let's get going! The place marked on the map isn't that far."
"Ah, right! Yas, lead the way."
Since they had to keep Luan's involvement a secret, they'd agreed to tell Alissa and Yuni that Yas already knew the location. Yas guided everyone toward the spot his prickly roommate had described. Along the way, the group naturally split into two pairs. The guys took the lead while the girls followed behind.
"Alissa, remember that mana manipulation technique we learned in class on Tuesday? Have you mastered it yet?"
"More or less? Once you get used to it, it's not that hard."
"Really? Then can you teach me tomorrow? I'm still a bit confused."
"Sure. Come to my room tomorrow."
While the two girls chatted amicably, Abel, walking beside Yas, suddenly asked with a puzzled look, "By the way, Yas, why are you so quiet today?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You usually talk about girls nonstop. You said you wanted a girlfriend. Honestly, I thought you'd be all over Alissa the moment you saw her."
"Oh, that? You didn't see what happened back then?"
"Huh? Back when?"
"During the class placement exam. Alissa brutally killed Luan back then. I don't know what happened between them, but I definitely don't want to end up like that. Ugh, just thinking about it gives me chills."
Yas shuddered. Watching his reaction, Abel suddenly recalled the class placement exam.
Come to think of it, I was looking for Luan back then too.
He hadn't realized it at the time, but Alissa's description of the person matched Luan exactly. So she really had killed him. Abel was curious about what had happened between them, but he suppressed his curiosity. Even someone as inexperienced as him, raised in a rural village, knew that digging too deep wouldn't lead to anything good. He just felt a little disappointed.
I hope they can get along.
Abel prayed inwardly that someday they would resolve their feelings and reconcile. Just then—
"We're here!"
Yas, alternating between the map and their surroundings, shouted with certainty. Yuni and Alissa, who had been walking separately, approached.
"Yas, is that really it?"
"Yeah. But the recorded location seems to be underground. What do we do?"
At Yas's question, Abel answered, "Then there should be some kind of mechanism nearby. Let's all search together."
This was an alleyway on the outskirts, away from the center. Following Abel's instructions, the group split up and began examining the area. Before long, Alissa found the mechanism.
"Is this it?"
She pressed down on a tile that stood out oddly from the ground, looking puzzled. It was a bit stiff, but when she applied force, the tile sank in with a click. The sound of countless mechanisms activating echoed as the floor split open, revealing a staircase.
The group quickly gathered.
"Wow, Alissa, that's amazing!"
"It's a staircase. This must be the way underground."
"Alissa's the best! I'm so glad we brought her!"
Yuni crossed her arms with a proud smile, pleased with herself for suggesting they bring Alissa. Alissa ignored them and examined the stairs.
"The stairs aren't very long. The passage seems to continue, so we should be careful."
"Right. I'll take the front. After me, Alissa, Yuni, then Yas. Let's go!"
With natural leadership he didn't even realize he possessed, Abel gave orders to everyone. No one objected, and the group formed their formation before descending the stairs.
It was the beginning of their dungeon exploration.
*
"Good. They've entered."
The group had finally set foot inside the dungeon. Currently, I was sitting in a corner of a quiet café, sipping coffee while monitoring Abel's party through a magical device I'd borrowed from Deborah. Thanks to the tracking and listening devices I'd secretly installed inside Yas's clothes beforehand.
Good thing I borrowed it from Deborah.
Confirming that the group had entered the dungeon, I clicked my tongue.
I didn't expect Alissa to be there too.
Becoming close after ending up in the same class was inevitable, but I never imagined they'd grow close enough for her to join the party this quickly. Of course, her relationship with Abel was practically nonexistent—it was purely thanks to Yuni's request that this meeting happened.
I'd planned to intervene if things got dangerous, but it seemed I could relax a little. With Alissa there, the raid should proceed smoothly.
"By the way, this device's performance is incredible."
I tapped the glasses I was wearing. To others, it would just look like I was wearing ordinary glasses, but through my eyes, the party's positions and the surrounding terrain were displayed in detail.
As expected, she probably brought Roxana's device.
The conversation from back then flashed through my mind.
- Deborah, lend me a magical device.
- Huh? Suddenly?
- Yeah. Something came up. I'll return it soon.
- W-why me? Our deal from last time should be over!
- So you don't want to? Do you want to become like the future?
- Hic... You're really a bad person.
Even without knowing exactly what future she'd seen, Deborah would immediately submit whenever I threatened her with becoming like the future. Just imagining her pouting and sniffling face made me chuckle.
Weirdly, I feel like teasing her.
It never happened when I was playing the game, so was it because of everything that occurred in just a little over a month? It was a mystery.
After briefly reflecting on myself, I snapped out of it and looked out the window.
"I wonder where she is..."
What I was looking for was Pernia. The cat beastkin who was always stuck to Abel's group was nowhere to be seen today. It could be a coincidence, but there was a chance Pernia was the one who orchestrated this whole thing. If my guess was right, she would definitely be watching from nearby.
What was the truth? I could only hope it wasn't the worst-case scenario I was imagining.