Chapter 48
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Encounter
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- So, the monster I saw in the Ogre’s Sanctum was…
Ju Jisan had spoken in a hushed tone, his voice trailing off as if he couldn't believe it himself.
- A phoenix.
- No, really. According to the hunters who saw it, its appearance perfectly matches what we know as a phoenix. You know, the immortal bird, also called a Vermilion Bird.
At the time, I hadn't fully believed him.
After all, there was no way an S-rank monster, one that had appeared once right after the Great Cataclysm and then vanished, would be in a mere B-rank dungeon.
Still, there was a chance a similar monster could exist.
I came here hoping to find at least a lesser version of a phoenix.
To put it simply, it started as a gamble.
But.
“It’s a real phoenix.”
The bird, huddled in a nest precariously perched on the cliff and wreathed in flames.
It was undoubtedly a phoenix.
[The Sage wishes to analyze the monster before you.]
It was asleep.
Its head, crowned with a crest of feathers that burned like flames, lolled out of the nest.
Its body, covered in magnificent feathers with a neck as gracefully long as a crane's, rose and fell with each regular breath.
It was enormous.
Large enough for three able-bodied adults to ride on its back.
I could now understand how the hunters had managed to spot this creature even when it was flying far away.
[The Sage wants to analyze the monster before you!]
The Sage bounced excitedly beside me.
It seemed this creature was a fascinating specimen, even for a Beholder Sage.
‘Analyze it.’
As soon as the command was given, an information window appeared.
[Ru]
[Type: Named Monster]
[Rank: 8-Star (MonMonMak Standard)]
[Stats: Strength 100, Agility 155, Stamina 90, Intelligence 80]
[Skills: Flame Wave Lv.1, Resuscitation Lv.1, Rain of Fire Lv.1]
[Ru is a descendant of a phoenix that once ruled a world in the distant past. This creature, with the blood of a divine beast flowing through its veins, will mercilessly incinerate your enemies. That is, if you can make it follow you, though the conditions are next to impossible.]
‘Incredible.’
But that wasn't all.
[The Sage wishes to analyze the other monster as well.]
That was a variable I hadn't anticipated.
The other monster was hidden from view, obscured by Ru’s massive body and the flaming nest.
“Alright, let’s check it right now…”
It was then, just as I was about to borrow the Sage’s power again.
*Srrk.*
The phoenix’s closed eyes opened.
Its pupils were an ordinary black.
No, was this really ordinary?
The color was reminiscent of burnt-out embers.
Devoid of life.
Just like the ogres before they witnessed a proxy of their god.
“…”
The phoenix’s gaze drifted to the gray sky.
Its eyes, which had been wandering across the blizzard-swept heavens, soon turned toward me.
Its large eyes met mine.
“Hello.”
I tossed out a single word.
“…”
The surroundings fell silent in an instant.
Only the wind, brushing past the mountain peak.
The sound of snow, carried on the light breeze, rustling as it settled, was all that filled my ears.
The phoenix, Ru, which had been staring at me, slowly raised its head.
Its red, snow-dusted feathers began to stand on end.
“----.”
After lifting its head to gaze at me for a moment, the phoenix let out a weak cry before lowering its head once more.
The phoenix was clearly wary of me.
Its eyes, opened with great effort, never stopped tracking me.
But that was all.
What that meant was…
[The Sage informs you that a significant portion of Ru’s life force has been depleted.]
It was so weak it couldn't even face me.
[Furthermore, the Sage has completed its analysis of the monster in Ru’s embrace.]
And yet, it had something it needed to protect.
[The monster’s condition is unstable, so the Sage could not specify detailed information. A general overview is provided.]
[Phoenix Egg]
[An egg containing a phoenix chick. It has not yet hatched.]
“A phoenix egg…?”
Weren't phoenixes supposed to be monsters that enjoyed eternal life?
When their life force waned, they would turn to ash and be reborn from it as a new life.
The Sage beside me explained with a smug air.
[The Sage informs you that phoenixes can also produce offspring. However, phoenix eggs are rare because the parent expends a great deal of life force to hatch them. Therefore, there is a possibility that both the parent and the egg may perish before hatching.]
The explanation immediately clarified the situation.
“So, Ru is currently expending its life force to hatch its chick. And because the environment is so harsh, it’s using up far more than it normally would.”
[The Sage expresses admiration for your high level of comprehension! ଘ(੭ˊ꒳ˋ)੭✧]
I silently gazed at Ru.
Did Ru begin incubating the egg before the dungeon mission was manipulated by the “Interference”?
Or after?
‘It was most likely before.’
According to the Sage, it was extremely dangerous for a phoenix to bear offspring.
It was unlikely Ru would have undertaken such a task without any preparation.
Ru must have recognized the Ogre’s Sanctum as a sufficiently prepared environment before it started incubating the egg.
But then the dungeon’s mission was manipulated by the “Interference.”
As the dungeon’s environment began to deteriorate.
The phoenix had to pour all its life force solely into the egg it was protecting.
Naturally, it lost all its influence and had to remain confined to its nest.
- Saksarva has abandoned us.
The ogres who revered Ru fell into despair, believing their god had abandoned them.
As they became powerless, what little warmth remained vanished completely.
And so, a harsh winter came to the land of flames.
“Your name is Ru, right?”
My gaze fell upon the flame bird’s listless eyes.
I slowly began to walk.
[The Sage warns you that approaching a phoenix incubating an egg is extremely dangerous! (оﾟдﾟо)]
The Sage tried to stop me from the side.
But it didn't matter.
I kept moving.
Toward the snowfield where Ru’s head lay sprawled.
“-----!”
Wariness filled Ru’s eyes.
Finally, a cry escaped its beak.
The screeching sound was far too faint for a creature of its size.
“I’ll help you.”
Having approached right up to the nest, I said as much.
“----.”
The phoenix’s cry was buried by the blizzard and faded away.
Its pupils, reminiscent of embers, darted back and forth.
I placed my hand on the feathers near its neck.
Just as I expected.
The immortal bird’s red body was as cold as ice.
“I’ll help your egg hatch safely. And once it does, you have to grant my request.”
“…”
This time, Ru didn't cry out.
It just watched me silently.
“You wanted this too. That’s why you let me in here, isn’t it?”
The wall of fire that had spread across the cave entrance.
It was a final defensive measure.
But my body had passed through that barrier unharmed.
An impossible feat without Ru’s consent.
“-----.”
Its bright yellow beak opened.
It was an answer.
“Good.”
Immediately after, I climbed onto the burning nest.
[(；◔д◔）, (⊃д⊂), ( ꒪д꒪ )ﾉ]
“I’m not going to die, so stop overreacting, you.”
And try to hold back on communicating through status windows.
In reality, the flames that licked at me as I climbed the nest weren't hot at all.
Using the protruding branches for leverage, I descended into the center.
“Found it.”
There, nestled among Ru’s red breast feathers, I found an orange egg.
It was large enough to reach my neck.
I quickly touched the egg.
I felt a rough surface, and a lukewarm warmth enveloped my fingers.
“Sage.”
I quickly called the Sage attached to me.
“What’s the egg’s condition?”
[The Sage asks for the precise meaning of ‘condition.’]
“How long until it hatches, and is the temperature suitable for hatching? That’s what I’m asking.”
*Vroom!*
The Sage bobbed up and down.
After staring at the egg for a moment with its bespectacled eye, the Sage brought up a status window.
[The Sage has determined that this specimen is in a state of difficult hatching. The individual inside the egg is ready to hatch but has not yet regained consciousness.]
In other words, it could break out of the shell at any moment.
The reason the chick remained motionless inside the egg was…
[The environment is extremely unsuitable for a phoenix to hatch. The temperature is very low.]
Even pouring all its life force into it, the most Ru could do was keep the egg from freezing.
It was like a fully formed chick inside an egg stuck in a refrigerator.
“I need to warm up the egg.”
I suddenly recalled the cave I had passed through on my way up.
There had been a section where lava seemed to be boiling.
If I moved the egg there…
*Vroom!*
But the Sage stopped me.
[The Sage warns that moving the egg forcefully could sever its life force!]
The egg was in an extremely weakened state.
Separating it from Ru could mean it might lose its life altogether.
‘But Ru is too big to fit inside that cave.’
I sat on a protruding branch and started racking my brain.
What if I summoned Odolph and had him blast it with the flames of hellfire?
…No.
It was doubtful Odolph would even obey such an order.
And I had no guarantee he could maintain the skill until the egg hatched.
Something to wrap the egg in warmly…
“Ah.”
Just then, a thought struck me.
I stood up and patted the Beholder on my shoulder.
“Sage, let’s go check something out.”
* * *
“This must be the area.”
I muttered quietly, wiping away the sweat that beaded on my forehead.
The Sage and I were back inside the cave.
It was hot.
If it weren't for the flame resistance potion made in the Lord's Castle, I would have been cooked alive by now.
I headed toward what I presumed was the source of the heat.
Indented spaces dotted the cave walls.
Embedded within them were stones tinged with a red aura.
“Analyze this.”
*Vroom.*
The Sage immediately brought up a status window.
[Through special analysis, the Sage has identified these stones as a special type of magic stone.]
[Flame Stone]
[A mysterious stone. It emits an incredibly intense heat.]
I nodded.
Yes, this was the answer that could save Ru and its egg.
*Tuk, clatter.*
The spheres I held in my hand fell one by one.
Immediately, my summoned monsters appeared.
“Kiruk.”
“Shhhk.”
Gono, Odolph, Jen Karuk, and a squad of twenty Lizardmen.
I wanted to hire Akasha, but she was still busy building her kingdom.
For now, I had to be content with this group.
“Alright, everyone. It’s been a while, but let’s get to work. It’s not a bloody fight, but a different kind of job.”
“…Kiruk?”
At my words, Gono wore an anxious expression.
Ah, right. He’d done this once before in the Garden of the Deep.
…This is why I hate sharp-witted goblins.
I smiled brightly and opened my mouth.
“It’s fine, it’s not that hard.”
The grind had begun.
* * *
A system was quickly established.
“Ki, kiruk!”
“Huph!”
First, Gono and Odolph used their clubs and staves to strike the cave walls and mine the Flame Stones.
Odolph was thrilled, exclaiming, ‘Finally, this humble body can be of service to Saksarva!’ as he swung his pickaxe with gusto.
Gono, on the other hand, had looked quite displeased when I first gave him the job.
But after I whispered, ‘Extra pay. You pocketed it, didn't you?’, he became the most diligent goblin of all.
Once they mined the Flame Stones.
“Shhhk.”
Jen Karuk and the Lizardmen used their shields and such to scoop them up and carry them to Ru’s nest.
My job was to take the Flame Stones piled outside the nest and move them into Ru’s embrace, right up to the egg.
“Hoo.”
I climbed the nest with several of the heat-radiating stones piled on my shoulder.
I would place the new Flame Stones under the egg and toss out the ones that had cooled.
I repeated this process without rest.
The inside of the nest had long since turned into a steam bath.
My hoodie was soaked with sweat, and my stomach, filled with nothing more than energy bars and flame resistance potions, was screaming in protest.
But I couldn't rest.
[The Sage calculates that, assuming a steady supply of Flame Stones, it will take a minimum of 5 days to hatch.]
I chugged another flame resistance potion and nodded.
Thick beads of sweat dripped down.
It’s fine.
The more I kept moving without rest, the more vigorously the life inside the egg would pulse.
So, for the next 5 days, which amounted to 120 hours.
It was more than doable.