Chapter 627
Chapter 627
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 627
Chapter Title: God's Atlantis
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Seira was incredibly fast as she climbed the rocky mountain. Whenever a Yet Slug appeared before her, she unleashed a sword beam without even pausing for breath, killing the Yet on the spot. She didn't bother collecting the corpses.
If I were just an ordinary knight instead of myself, it would have been impossible to keep up with her.
Seira ascended the rocky mountain in a straight line, then suddenly veered off course. At first, I thought she was detouring to deal with wandering Yet Slugs. But after a bit more time passed, I realized she didn't know the way.
'Originally, the Sword Duke himself came out to personally handle the Yet Slug Queen.'
It made sense that she was getting lost on her first time.
'From the looks of it, she has no idea where the Yet Slug Queen even is.'
Of course, I didn't know where the Yet Slug Queen was either. And honestly, that worked in my favor. If she found and killed the Yet Slug Queen in a flash, there'd be no point in me tagging along.
The Yet Mountain looked about the size of Mount Jiri when viewed from afar. It was impossible to search the entire thing in just a day or two.
We'd left the city full of confidence, but actually trying to get the job done wasn't so easy.
I quietly followed behind her and approached a Yet Slug corpse. The massive yellow slug lay there oozing slime in death, a truly repulsive sight.
I approached the Yet Slug because of the Yet Powder. I figured I'd give making it a try. I'd heard the method roughly before.
'There are two reasons Yet Powder is more expensive than drugs.'
One was that Yet Slugs only existed on this Yet Mountain. The other was salt. Salt wasn't as precious as in the medieval era anymore, but compared to the modern world, it was still outrageously expensive here.
'I can just bring salt from the real world, so I can use it lavishly.'
First, I had to wait for the Yet Slug corpse to dry out. Once dried, it would shrink down to about 50cm.
'No time to wait for drying.'
Seira was taking a short break right now. Since I had to keep following her, my available time was roughly 15 minutes at most.
'Lightning.'
Blue lightning crackled in my palm. The electric tendrils moved toward the Yet Slug corpse. I'd planned to dry it using electric heat, but it didn't go as imagined. The corpse started bubbling and boiling instead.
'...Not like this? Maybe a hair dryer would've been better?'
I stopped the lightning and stood there blankly for a moment. The unexpected reaction left me a bit flustered.
'Whatever. Who cares.'
I sprinkled a bag of salt from my inventory onto the bubbling Yet Slug corpse. The moment the salt touched the body, a strange smell assaulted my nose. But the odor vanished quickly, and the boiling corpse began to shrivel up.
After some time, only white salt grains remained where the Yet Slug had been. They were a bit coarse, but it was Yet Powder. Even scraping it all together, it probably wouldn't amount to 20g.
'...What? Did it actually work?'
Dumping a ton of salt must've helped. Or maybe the electricity caused some unknown effect.
'Dissolve the Yet Slug with salt, burn it, and repeat to produce fine Yet Powder?'
I couldn't be sure if it had succeeded. It felt off somehow.
I pondered for a moment, then generated lightning in my palm again. The electric tendrils began burning the coarse Yet Powder scattered on the ground.
The Yet Powder evaporated into the air.
'Oops. Not like this... Hm?'
Suddenly, my senses sharpened. It felt similar to ingesting Yet Powder. The difference was that now they were even keener. The sound of the wind grew louder, and the breeze against my skin felt like tiny pebbles.
I cast my gaze far away. Without using mana, my vision had more than doubled.
'When Yet Powder vaporizes, it enters through the respiratory system?'
I absentmindedly touched my jaw and jolted in surprise. The texture felt unfamiliar. My senses had become too acute.
I gave an awkward smile. With my senses overly heightened, my own body didn't even feel like mine. Breathing felt strange, and I could sense mental fatigue setting in quickly.
'Hold on. If I use this right...'
I eyed Seira from afar, racking my brain.
???
"Milady. How about I step out now?"
I emerged from behind the rock and approached her. She didn't seem startled. I knew she'd already sensed my presence.
"I'm glad you're safe, Lady Seira."
"You ignored my orders without a second thought."
"I'm not a knight of Arphis."
"True enough. Mind if I punch you?"
Seira clenched her fist. A bluish aura gathered around it. That would definitely break something if it landed.
"I'll pass. And for someone who charged out so boldly, you seem to be struggling, Lady Seira."
Seira's face flushed slightly. She'd left the city confident she'd handle it quickly, but now she was lost. It had to be embarrassing.
"I thought I'd find the Yet Slug Queen right away. As a special monster different from regular Yet Slugs, its presence should stand out."
"Were you trying to locate the Yet Slug Queen with your ki sense?"
Seira nodded.
"I thought it would work. I'm confident in my ki sense."
"Did you really set out relying on that alone?"
"Father said the Yet Slug Queen is where Yet Slugs gather in droves. I figured if I found a big pack, that'd be it."
"And it failed."
"No excuse. I found several Yet Slug packs, but no Queen. The number of Yet Slugs on this Yet Mountain right now is abnormally high."
"Isn't the Yet Slug Queen probably near the summit? Special monsters usually nest at the top, right?"
"You're right. That's why I was thinking of heading to the summit. It'll take quite some time, though..."
The Yet Mountain was rugged and towering. There were no trails, of course. And it wasn't just bare rock everywhere—plants that Yet Slugs fed on grew in spots throughout the slopes.
"I'll follow you."
"You won't obey my orders anyway. You're a knight of Valdert."
Seira's words carried thorns. She was clearly upset that I'd so casually defied her.
I grinned and said to her,
"Lady Seira. Do you have any rations?"
"......"
Seira shut her mouth. She'd assumed it'd be over quickly and hadn't packed any food. All she'd brought when leaving the city were her greatsword and zweihander.
"Just in case, I packed a week's worth of emergency rations."
I showed off the backpack on my back like a trophy. I had my inventory, but no intention of revealing it. Inventory was too convenient. Sometimes, you need to rough it.
"I'm glad you came along."
Seira said with a serious face. It was already past noon. She hadn't eaten or drunk anything since dawn.
"Let's have a late lunch here."
"Sure."
I handed her some emergency rations.
"This is food?"
"Emergency rations from my world. It's combat rations from the military, slightly improved. No taste, but high calories."
Seira took a bite following my lead, then her eyes widened.
"This is plenty tasty, isn't it?"
"...You think this is tasty?"
"It's more than tasty enough. A completely new flavor, too—fascinating. What's this dish called?"
"Just fried rice. To me, it still tastes bad even now."
"You rarely said anything tasted good even back at the mansion."
"Did I? The Arphis ducal cuisine was decent enough."
"'Decent'? Your palate must be far more refined than mine."
I couldn't argue with Seira's words. It was true.
Lately, most food tasted bland. It was palatable when I was hungry, but otherwise, it was all the same.
I had one guess why.
Yuria's cooking from the [Hundred Returns] world. And the dishes from the kitchen maids she'd trained.
I was certain a Michelin Guide inspector visiting my mansion would award three stars without hesitation.
"You saved my life."
"Glad I could help."
"No empty words. I was considering heading back due to lack of food. Thanks to you bringing rations, I can save face."
"The knights in the city must resent me now."
"Doubt it. They'd have rushed straight here with rations anyway."
After finishing our meal, we walked side by side toward the summit. Yet Slug packs posed no issue. She didn't even need my help—just a sword beam, and they dropped dead.
I eyed the Yet Slug corpses with regret. I wanted more Yet Powder, but Seira was watching. Yet Slugs were the Arphis family's asset.
We reached the summit as the sun began to set. Reaching out felt like I could touch the clouds.
"No sign."
"Pardon?"
"Of the Yet Slug Queen's location. I thought it'd be near the top, but not even regular Yet Slugs around."
"Don't you know any traits of the Yet Slug Queen?"
"Only that it's surrounded by tons of Yet Slugs."
"Hm..."
I looked down the rocky slopes. Focusing mana into my eyes, I spotted a few Yet Slug packs. But no Queen.
"Yet Slugs, being slugs, prefer shady spots."
"Right."
"The Yet Slug Queen is likely holed up in some damp cave, isn't it?"
"Makes sense. But I don't know the terrain of Yet Mountain."
"Neither do I."
"......"
"......"
We both sensed it. A long, grueling road ahead.
Night fell. We settled between rocks to block the wind. No tent or blanket, so we had to sleep wrapped in our coats. At least our bodies weren't ordinary.
Seira looked quite dissatisfied.
"With our skills, we could move at night no problem. Do we really need to sleep?"
"You and I are still human, milady. The dark night drains you fast and builds fatigue. Harder to spot the Yet Slug Queen, too. Better to rest fully and move actively by day."
"We need to kill the Yet Slug Queen ASAP to secure the city."
"The city has knights and soldiers. Don't you trust them, Lady Seira?"
"...Put like that, I have nothing to say."
"Lady Seira, I'm an expert in this. Trust and follow my lead."
"...Fine. Wake me in exactly four hours. No special treatment just because I'm a lady, or else."
"I'll wake you sharp. I like sleeping anyway."
I like sleeping with a woman even more. I swallowed those words.
Seira gazed at the night sky, then closed her eyes.
I waited until she was fully asleep. She wouldn't be completely defenseless, of course. Touching her was out of the question—she'd snap awake if I got close.
'One hour passed. She should be in deep sleep now. Just what I was waiting for.'
I pulled a bottle from my inventory.
A transparent bottle.
But inside was Yet Powder vaporized into a substance.
Next, I took out a gas mask and put it on.
I gauged the wind direction and opened the bottle. The colorless, odorless Yet vapor rode the breeze toward Seira. Less than a minute later, her body twitched. I pulled another bottle from inventory and opened it.
'When she wakes, she'll be extremely sensitive. Heh.'
After using all five bottles, I moved away from her. I headed off to hunt nearby Yet Slugs. Needed to restock the Yet vapor.