Chapter 20
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: The Mother Goddess's Garden (2)
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Beholders, as they're commonly known, are terrifying-looking monsters.
First off, they're nearly two meters in size.
Then there's the large eye embedded in the center of its pufferfish-like body, with countless other eyeballs extending out like tentacles.
And from those eyes, they shoot beams that petrify their targets.
It's a monster classified as A-rank due to the danger of its petrification magic.
And yet.
[Type: Named Monster]
[Rank: MonMonMak Standard, 5-Star]
[Unable to analyze stats.]
[Skills: Baby Petrification Lv.1, Spying Lv.1]
[This is the last remaining Beholder Sage. Having realized all the truths of the world, the Beholder Sage was reborn in its current form. It's so baby-like. Please handle with care!]
This slime-like creature before me was supposedly that Beholder.
No matter how I looked at it, this was no two-meter-tall, spiny pufferfish-looking Beholder.
“And what's with the skill, Baby Petrification?”
Petrification is one thing, but what in the world is 'Baby Petrification'?
Is it like a mild version of petrification?
And 'Spying'.
It seemed to have been using this skill to watch me while invisible.
Wriggle!
The baby Beholder in my hand.
No, the Beholder Sage wriggled violently.
“What a letdown.”
Ever since I'd gotten a hint of information through the 'Beholder Sage's Spectacles,' I'd had my hopes up.
But to think this thing, which looked vaguely like a Poké Ball, was the sage's true form.
“Still, it's 5-star, so it should be helpful.”
As I stared down at the Beholder with cold eyes, it flinched, its eye widening.
But I paid it no mind and, still holding it tight, held it out to Gono.
“Let's hit a home run, Gono.”
It was definitely spying on me while invisible.
This thing was on the side of the garden's invaders.
With that conclusion reached, I could dispose of this eyeball monster without a shred of guilt.
“Kiruk.”
Gono nodded immediately and took a batting stance.
“----!”
The Beholder wriggled, but it was useless.
The moment I let go, Gono's club would smash right into it.
“Become a slave of the Lord's Castle!”
Just as I was about to let go of the Beholder with those words.
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess urges you to free the Beholder Sage!]
“?”
A voice boomed inside my head.
It was a voice I'd never heard before in my life.
It was neither male nor female, an androgynous voice that echoed deep within my mind.
Someone conveying their opinion through a medium.
I've heard of this phenomenon before.
“A Divine Seat...?”
This was undoubtedly the method of communication used by the transcendent beings known as 'Divine Seats' to speak with Awakened Beings.
People usually called this 'hearing the voice of a Divine Seat'.
'Come to think of it, there were cases where Hunters who weren't chosen by a Divine Seat were selected after clearing specific dungeons.'
It seemed this was one of those cases.
Anyway, it was fascinating.
Of course, since I'd never heard the voice of a Divine Seat before.
The reality is that sixty percent of active Hunters have never heard the voice of so much as a stray imp, let alone a Divine Seat.
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess bellows once more.]
The voice echoed again.
First, it was clear that the Gardener of the Mother Goddess was a Divine Seat.
Furthermore, it was highly likely they were the master of this 'garden'.
And this being was telling me to release the Beholder in my hand.
In other words.
“...So you sent it to spy on me?”
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess wipes away sweat and whistles.]
A Divine Seat, of all beings, not only tries to spy on a mortal but now pretends nothing happened?
What a disappointment.
I feel pathetic for ever having held any illusions about transcendent beings.
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess urges you to carry out the mission.]
“I'm not soft enough to just let this go.”
Seeing this, I no longer wanted to let this wriggling Beholder Sage go.
A moment ago, it was just some extra monster spying on me while invisible.
'So this creature is a monster favored by a Divine Seat, of all things?'
And the Divine Seat had relied on this creature to observe me up close.
It had only revealed its existence just as Gono was about to hit a home run with the Beholder.
In other words.
“No matter what I do, you can't interfere directly, can you?”
My eyes gleamed.
Meeting my gaze, the Beholder squirmed anxiously.
It seemed the Divine Seat had read my thoughts as well.
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess frantically shakes its head.]
“I'm protecting the garden you cherish. Let's call this an advance.”
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess laments that this mortal must be crazy!]
Anyone watching might say I've lost my mind.
Messing with a subordinate so cherished by a Divine Seat.
But I genuinely coveted the Beholder before me.
A monster favored by a transcendent being, no less.
The collector's greed, which had been with me since MonMonMak, overwhelmed my reason.
“I'm not killing it for good. I'll just summon it again right after. Gono.”
I said the contradictory words without feeling a hint of strangeness.
“Kiruk!”
Of course, Gono couldn't hear the Divine Seat's pitiful cries.
He once again assumed a major-leaguer's batting stance.
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess makes an X with its hands!]
“Oh, why not?”
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess waves its hands in refusal.]
“It's fine. It'll be over in the blink of an eye. Gono, do it!”
At that moment, a new status window appeared before my eyes.
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess proposes a special mission!]
[Keep the Beholder Sage alive until the waves end.]
[Reward - Ownership of the Beholder Sage]
“Hmm.”
Wow, it's even creating a new mission?
At this point, it seemed this Beholder was really important to the Divine Seat.
Is it because it's the last remaining Beholder Sage?
“Why did you send a creature you cherish so much?”
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess hangs its head sullenly.]
I see.
It seemed this Beholder served as the Divine Seat's hands and feet in the garden.
Without this creature, it likely had no way to intervene in the current situation.
In any case, the Divine Seat's earnest plea cooled my head, which had been heated by collector's greed.
“Understood.”
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess sighs in relief.]
As I opened my hand, the Beholder shot into the air and wobbled before my eyes.
It seemed thoroughly enraged.
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess gives you a thumbs-up.]
“I'll be counting on you. Oh, and one more thing.”
I paused for a moment before continuing.
“I'll show you the entire process of preparing the garden's defense. I'll even give you detailed know-how, like which plants are best to use in which situations.”
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess is puzzled.]
The sentiment was, 'Since you're the one doing the defending, why would I need to hear the know-how?'
“Aren't you observing me as a form of entertainment?”
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess nods.]
“Any form of entertainment only becomes truly fun after you understand the rules. If you learn the know-how, the fun of watching me will be doubled.”
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess strokes its chin.]
“In return, you'll have to provide a better reward. I'm spending my time on something completely unrelated to the mission, after all.”
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess gets angry.]
It was probably thinking, *How dare a mere mortal propose a deal?*
I said with a grin.
“If you don't like it, you can just bury the Beholder in the ground and wait.”
Now that I knew about the Beholder, the Divine Seat had no way to watch without my permission.
After all, I held all the cards.
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess laments.]
I could tell just by the way the Beholder was lingering before my eyes.
Its movements were full of reluctance.
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess sighs and nods.]
In the end, the Divine Seat threw in the towel.
* * *
The 'garden' mission was much more manageable than the previous missions or trials.
Of course, that's from the perspective of an ultra-hardcore tower defense player.
[The last monster of the 9th wave has been eliminated within the garden.]
At first, I was intimidated seeing the A-rank and higher monsters pouring in.
But the strategically placed plants crushed them regardless of their rank.
All I had to do was place the plants according to the next wave's information, then watch from the highest point in the garden with a full view of the battlefield.
[The 10th monster wave is heading towards the garden. Prepare yourself!]
“Wave information.”
A new information window popped up in response to my voice.
[10th Monster Wave - Cerberus × 3, Golden Bee × 10, Golden Bee Queen × 1, Iron Golem × 5]
“What would you do, Divine Seat?”
As I had been doing, I asked the Beholder floating beside me.
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess yawns.]
At the same time, the Beholder's eye flashed, and a bird's-eye view of the garden unfolded like a hologram.
The Gardener of the Mother Goddess was writing its opinion on the map.
“...Just sticking twenty Zyras at the entrance? No way, not even close.”
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess scratches its belly.]
And through our past exchanges.
I had become certain of the reason why a being like a Divine Seat had entrusted the garden to me.
The Divine Seat didn't entrust the garden's defense because it was too difficult for them to protect it.
It was simply because they were lazy.
Because they had no interest in the act of 'protecting the garden' itself.
They just looked for a proxy.
“Now, think about it, Divine Seat.”
After realizing that, my goal changed slightly.
It wasn't just about following the Divine Seat's orders and ending as a mere proxy.
I saw beyond that.
“Zyra's movements are too sluggish. That's why you must place them with the Alluring Ari Tree. After luring them in with the charm effect, it buys time for the Carnivorous Plant to completely devour them.”
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess scratches its head.]
“But look. As far as I know, Cerberus is one thing, but Iron Golems are completely immune to magic. On top of that, the Golden Bee Queen is resistant to charm.”
In the end, since the charm doesn't work, the sluggish Carnivorous Plants can't attack the monsters either.
The combination I've been using effectively until now won't work.
“Therefore, I won't use the Zyra and Ari combo here. Instead, I'll line the path with Bean Weeds.”
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess scoffs.]
The Bean Weed wasn't a plant managed by the Gardener.
To be precise, it's a weed that's parasitic to those plants.
It's a grass that resembles a clover, and as its name suggests, it has the characteristic of shooting bean-like projectiles when monsters approach.
“I checked earlier, and the projectiles shot by the Bean Weed have a sticky adhesive property. I'm going to use that.”
Since they're only the size of a bean, the adhesive power of each projectile is insignificant.
However.
What if I plant hundreds, or thousands, of Bean Weeds?
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess looks on in horror!]
The reason for the Divine Seat's horror was obvious.
The Bean Weed is a parasitic plant in the garden.
Strictly speaking, it's a 'neutral' unit, an object outside the system.
Therefore, unlike with the plants I've placed so far, I can't just move them around with a single word.
So, to move them.
“Divine Seat, could you make me two shovels?”
I grinned and stared at the Beholder.
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess shakes its head vigorously.]
The Beholder shot a beam at the ground I was standing on.
Then, a shovel that looked like it was carved from a tree root shot out of the dirt.
“Gono.”
“Kiruk?”
I handed one of the two shovels to Gono beside me.
Gono's eyes wavered anxiously as he took the shovel.
I said with a smile.
“Let's do some digging.”
“K-Kiruk.”
It's okay.
It'll be over after we repeat this about 1,000 times at most.
Together with Gono, I started digging up the Bean Weeds in front of us with the shovel.
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess watches, at a loss for words.]
“No need to be at a loss for words. Defense games are all about grinding.”
This Divine Seat still had much to learn.
* * *
The waves continued all day.
It was a battle of mind and time.
The battle raged on as the bright sky gave way to a red sunset, and didn't end even as the cool night fell.
And all the while, I continued not only defending against the waves but also 'tutoring' the Divine Seat.
“Now, look. It's a Leviathan. A mid-tier behemoth, as I recall. Blocking it from the entrance is impossible. Here, we use the Remnant Vines of the World Tree to...”
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess rests its chin on its hand, looking bored.]
Up to the twentieth wave, the Divine Seat couldn't even be bothered to listen to my explanations.
It was content just to watch me struggle with interest.
That was its purpose in the first place, after all.
But I didn't give up.
I coaxed and cajoled it as if handling a child, adding explanations.
“This time, it's a mix of monsters with high magic resistance and high physical resistance. Their attack power is mediocre. They'll try to push through with sheer health.”
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess watches with interest.]
Before long, the Divine Seat began to take an interest in the defense of the garden itself.
“This is the thirtieth wave. One large behemoth this time, and the rest are clusters of small to medium monsters. What would you do, Divine Seat?”
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess ponders.]
Around the thirtieth wave, the Divine Seat began to ponder and offer its opinions.
“You've divided the garden into sections and placed different types of plants. You decided it would be better to defeat them separately, right?”
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess nods.]
“Exactly. That's it. In defense, excessive greed is poison. You have to defeat them one by one, step by step, with certainty. You're a quick learner.”
Every time the Divine Seat offered an opinion, I agreed and gave it a thumbs-up.
And then, the thirty-fifth wave.
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess sends a layout it created.]
“Alright. This time, I'll set up one side of the path according to your suggestion, Divine Seat.”
The Divine Seat understood how 'defense' worked.
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess enthusiastically submits a layout it created!]
“You've thought out the placement for two paths. This should be enough to stop the wave. Shall we proceed with this?”
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess gives a thumbs-up.]
From the fortieth wave onward, the Divine Seat became engrossed in the 'fun' of defense.
And then, the long-awaited forty-fifth wave.
[The Gardener of the Mother Goddess readjusts the mission!]
The Divine Seat readjusted the original mission.
[A great change has come over the Gardener's heart. It now willingly takes on the role of protector! All you have to do is sip the sap of the World Tree and check if there are any problems with the placement.]
[The existing defense mission has been changed to the hidden mission 'Backseat Gaming'.]
I bowed my head to the Beholder, which was darting about restlessly.
“Indeed, a sense of responsibility befitting a Divine Seat.”
“Ki, kiruk.”
Only Gono, who was still digging, flinched upon seeing the smile playing on my lips.