Chapter 147
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: Sandwind Hill (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
2nd-tier item, World Tree's Root.
However, this wasn't gear that saw much use in the game.
And for good reason—it was long-range communication equipment with no distance limit. But it wasn't something he could use right away.
The World Tree's Root was currently locked in a deep slumber.
To awaken it and unlock its true power, he needed the "World Tree's Leaves."
'Not only are those not easy to get, but you have to head to a specific dungeon...'
The "Ancient Elves' Forest," where the World Tree's Leaves could be found, was a place you couldn't reach without at least layer 7.
Jun and his companions heading there right now was out of the question.
Of course, that was only via the official route.
But Jun knew of another way.
"Your face has a pretty shady look to it... Well, anyway, glad you found what you needed. So, when are you setting off for the Ancient Tower? The count's already reached out."
"Soon as the others are ready."
He'd stocked up on all the necessary supplies, and the World Tree's Root—the last piece—had come into his hands sooner than expected.
No reason to wait any longer.
"Got it. Just... try not to cause any major incidents this time. Think about me having to file all these reports."
"......"
Jun inwardly lamented that if not for the mountain of paperwork piled around Cloi, he could've shown off some proper mercenary crudeness for old times' sake.
Aiden and Maya returned to Black Forest Fortress a few days later.
"Good work out there, Aiden. Nothing too rough?"
"Don't even ask—it's pitch black."
Maya grumbled in his place.
Aiden just gave an awkward smile beside her, prompting Jun to tilt his head.
Guys who'd survived layer 5 struggling in layer 2?
But sure enough, their gear showed clear signs of heavy use.
"What happened?"
"It's a long story..."
"Irregulars show up or something? Even so, layer 2 shouldn't have been that bad."
Jun and his team had encountered an Irregular in layer 2 once before.
Back when they'd entered eternal slumber alongside Colton’s mercenary corps.
The Assimilator encampment had made it tough, but the Irregular itself hadn't been too bad.
"If it'd just been one, we wouldn't have struggled so much."
"Oh... two of them?"
"Five times, Senior."
"...??"
What kind of curse would make someone run into Irregulars—rare even once a year—five times?
Then it hit him, and Jun clapped his hands.
"If Irregulars are popping up often in layer 2... don't tell me it's the Lizard Swamp?"
"How did you know?!"
"Boss monsters there are two types: Lizardman Warrior and Lizard Queen."
The Lizardman Warrior was an elite variant of the layer 3 Lizardmen, while the Lizard Queen was a prolific breeder subspecies.
"Especially if the Lizard Queen turns Irregular—her offspring have a chance of going Irregular too."
That must've been why they'd faced so many varieties.
"Ah... But we ran into Irregulars in another dungeon too. Could that be related?"
"Nah, that was just bad luck..."
"......"
"......"
Aiden and Maya both shook their heads, at a loss for words.
Thanks to that, though, the Irregular drops were fitting rewards for their ordeal.
"Anyway, Break Mercenary Corps got lucky having you around. Might've been a wipe otherwise."
"They were pretty skilled, though. Learned a lot from them in various ways."
"Oh yeah? Joseph's crew lives up to the hype..."
As Jun marveled at Joseph's eye for talent, Aiden glanced at him cautiously.
"But... you holding up okay, Senior?"
"Huh? Me? Why?"
"Dark circles..."
"Ah... I'm fine. Just been learning a ton lately. Working with Shylock on all sorts of stuff."
"......"
Aiden recalled Jun's usual schedule.
Up at dawn for physical training, reading grimoires over breakfast, retreating to his room with more grimoires, coming down for lunch while still reading...
And now he was collaborating with an authority like Shylock on enchantment magic.
'Maybe we're better off.'
Aiden liked books too, but that was back when he was cooped up in the Imperial Family—mostly adventure tales and novels.
Being holed up all day with tomes full of complex formulas? No way.
"Still, I've made solid progress lately. It's been good time. Stick around—you'll see in the next fight."
"That's... great, but."
"I'm good, really. I nap for a full hour every day."
No mana user cut sleep that drastically.
But Aiden's protests fell on deaf ears.
Above all, the next arrival made even Maya instinctively reach for her sword, her presence that chilling.
"Ah, Eleanor. Finished those equations you were pondering?"
"Uh... yeah, wrapped 'em up."
"Don't forget to compile them into a report. You'll lose track otherwise."
"Did that too... Ugh! The sunlight!"
Why was someone with an eyepatch complaining about sunlight?
More importantly, wasn't she a healing priestess who wielded light?
"......You okay?"
"Ah, you're back. Good work. Don't worry about me. I nap 30 minutes a day at least."
"......"
For some reason, their reunion turned solemn as they planned the next leg.
After two days' rest to shake off the fatigue, the group packed up and left Black Forest Fortress.
"As I mentioned before, our destination is Sandwind Hill in layer 5."
In the rocking carriage, the party listened intently to Jun's briefing.
Having dropped to layer 5 once and barely survived multiple brushes with death, they all knew this mission wouldn't be easy.
"It's a field in all sorts of ways."
"Field effects too?"
Jun shook his head at Aiden's question.
"Nah. Just annoyingly huge monster numbers."
"A desert with that many monsters?"
"Encounters are rare, but they travel in packs. Problem is, most are small types."
Small-type monsters.
Sounds easy at first glance, right?
Usually, those were insectoids.
And they swarmed by the hundreds... or thousands...
"Dealing with them is a hassle, and looting's a chore too."
Drops from tiny bugs were even tinier, and you had to gather them under the blazing desert sun.
Naturally, all sorts of thoughts crept in.
Why am I putting myself through this hell...?
"Ugh..."
Aiden grimaced, clearly not wanting to dwell on it.
That was why Sandwind Hill was half-abandoned as a field.
"Mages visit occasionally, though. Micro mana stones are hard to come by, and they're key for artifact crafting."
Plus potion ingredients—decent gains if you ignored the difficulty.
"Mage AoE spells aren't ideal for those swarms either."
"I see..."
Aiden looked subtly disappointed.
He'd wanted to test his gains from the trip, but with Jun's magic handling it, there wouldn't be much room for heroics.
"Oh, don't let your guard down. Large monsters pop up sometimes too. Rage Worms, Desert Wraiths, that sort."
"Know Rage Worms, but Desert Wraiths?"
"Geologists say Sandwind Hill was once a vast forest. Something turned it into a desert, and the elves who lived there became wraiths wandering the sands."
"Ghosts?"
Jun shook his head at Maya's ghost-averse question.
"They don't fly."
"Good enough."
She just hated them bursting from floors or walls. If they had form and didn't fly, Maya had no issue.
With the Sandwind Hill rundown complete, Jun and the group arrived in layer 5 after nearly 40 days.
"Phew... We made it."
Stepping off the layer gate revealed a vast desert, scorching sun baking their skin, and sand-laden winds.
"Senior, it took quite a while to get here. Planning to head back down later?"
"Too much time sink. Waste of effort."
Level 5+ powerhouses rarely descended to lower layers.
"There's a big [Checkpoint] nearby, though. Head there if supplies run low later."
This was one reason Jun had been building his intel network.
Higher layers meant travel alone could eat months.
Best to station scouts nearby, take requests as needed, and move to the next spot.
"Was gonna push on, but... we'll camp here today."
"Huh, why?"
Sun was still high, and stamina held up fine.
Jun stared into the distance.
"Sandstorm's coming."
His eyes caught irregular mana flows churning about.
Instinct told him it heralded the storm. Nearby, he spotted sturdy rocks.
"Over there."
Dig
Enchantment: Elemental Armory
Attribute: Gold
He dug a pit by the rocks and reinforced it with various spells.
Then drove long rebar from his bracelet into spots and secured with [Rock Hold].
Rock Hold
Finally.
Enchantment: Memory Page
He imprinted all the spells onto a blank book, so it would auto-maintain with mana even without his oversight.
"Whoa... super cozy!"
Aiden's eyes sparkled at the finished improvised bunker.
"Get used to it—this'll come up a lot. Higher layers, you get wiped not just by monsters but natural disasters like this."
"Ah..."
Aiden's face fell at the grimmer-than-expected reality.
And the next day, he'd grasp exactly why.
"......Senior."
"Yeah?"
Early dawn.
Aiden scanned the shadowed surroundings.
"Pretty sure there wasn't a mountain-sized thing like that yesterday."
"Sandstorm did it. Damn. We'll have to go around."
"Whoa..."
Aiden's admiration for higher-layer survivors surged anew.
Living in a mad world where mountains formed overnight!