Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: The Lord's Path
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Barathrum's mine.
The spider, Anetium, was kicked off the site by Harman, who showed up while she was mining for gold.
The reason was that she was so infuriatingly slow.
Anetium tapped the head of Ogong, who was now smaller than her large dog-sized self, with a foreleg and made a fuss.
"Former Boss Ogong, what do we do now?"
Annoyed by Anetium, who never failed to emphasize the 'former' part of his title and brazenly tapped his head, Ogong retorted bluntly.
"What do you mean, 'what do we do'? We just have to do what we're told."
Anetium drummed on Ogong's head with her foreleg and said playfully.
"Geez, it's because you're so laid-back that you got kicked out of being this Anetium's boss! Don't you see we're about to be abandoned because of that mage? Ugh, to think this was my boss? Poor past-me."
"Kicked out of being your boss? The hell I was! I got my ass handed to me by the Lord and was thrown in here! And you! If you dare tap my head one more time, I'll chew off all your legs!"
Startled by Ogong's fierce threat, Anetium cautiously withdrew her foreleg.
It seemed she had enjoyed the thrill of touching her former boss's head a little too much.
Anetium rubbed her forelegs together like a fly and spoke cunningly.
"Our former boss is being so harsh. Are you really being this petty when you know who's got my back?"
Ogong growled at Anetium, who was flaunting her backing as usual.
"You little brat, if you keep acting so sneaky, I won't let you..."
Bbi-bbi!
Hearing its chilling cry, Ogong froze on the spot.
Bbi-bbi trotted past the rigid Ogong, who looked as if someone had hit a pause button, wagging its tail.
Anetium quickly settled beside Bbi-bbi, rubbing her forelegs together with a swish.
"Oh my, Master Bbi-bbi, you're here! I was starting to feel a little sad you hadn't visited. You should come by like this sometimes and let us underlings gaze upon your noble form."
Bbi-bbi~ Bbi-bbi-bbi!
Puffed up with pride from Anetium's flattery, Bbi-bbi lifted its chin arrogantly and placed its front paws on its hips.
At that insolent posture, Ogong subtly pressed his body to the ground and turned his head away.
*'Damn that spider bastard. She's so infuriating.'*
Unaware of Ogong's thoughts—he had already killed her over a hundred times in his imagination—Anetium neatly groomed Bbi-bbi's fur with her foreleg.
It was clearly a practiced skill, as delicate and meticulous as if a spider were a professional groomer.
"Oh dear, look how your fur has gotten damaged. Master Bbi-bbi, that's why I asked you to visit often! This Anetium is an expert at fur care, an expert! Still, it's a good thing you were born with such great fur. Most squirrels' fur gets dry and brittle when they're as active as you are."
Bbi-bbi~♪
Thrilled by the praise, Bbi-bbi wiggled its butt.
Sensing that Bbi-bbi was in high spirits, Anetium seized the opportunity to tattle on every little thing.
"By the way, Master Bbi-bbi. Master Ogong hasn't been working very well lately. He's been slacking off, complaining that mining gold is too hard, and he even hits me whenever he feels like it, saying it's to relieve stress!"
With the expression of a king enraged by a sycophant's tattling, Bbi-bbi stomped its feet and pointed accusingly at Ogong.
Bbi? Bbi~ Bbi-bbi-bbi?!
Outraged by Anetium's ridiculous slander, Ogong threw his head back and yelled.
"Anetium! When did I ever do that?! Stop making things up!"
"When did I make things up? Just now, you gave me a hard time for just patting your head! Have you forgotten? You were threatening to kill me and everything!"
Bbi?!
As Bbi-bbi glared, as if to say, "Is that true?", the incredibly frustrated Ogong whined.
"I'm telling you, it's not true! Hah, I'm not that petty. I am a White-Horned Ape-Monkey who has lived over 500 years; why would I bother with a little spider like her..."
While Ogong was busy defending himself, Anetium was giving Bbi-bbi a satisfying scratch on the back with her foreleg.
"Feels good, right? I'm the best, aren't I? You can't even hear that nonsense, can you?"
Bbi~♪
Just when she thought she could persuade Bbi-bbi to send Ogong to the punishment room, an explosion erupted from deep inside the mine's cave.
*KWAANG-!*
Startled by the deafening blast, which sounded like dynamite, Bbi-bbi whipped its head around like a meerkat, then sniffed the air and went inside the cave.
A moment of awkwardness passed between Ogong and Anetium.
A tense, hair-trigger situation had suddenly arisen.
But neither of them dared to make a move.
They both sensed that the one who slipped up here would be the one to fall into the abyss.
Bbi-bbi-bbi!
Just then, Bbi-bbi, who had disappeared into the cave, shot out and dashed off somewhere.
Bbi-bbi was gone, and Anetium was suddenly left high and dry.
She cautiously shifted her gaze to the side and found Ogong right next to her.
Anetium rubbed her forelegs together sweetly.
"Oh my, Master Ogong~ Your fur is looking a bit dry to—"
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Let's start with a beating."
"..."
That day, Ogong learned a new fact: that a spider could squeal like a stuck pig.
***
The bird-person mage, Lime, gaped with her beak wide open, fluttering her wings.
The gold mining, which had been progressing sluggishly even with Lime's constant barrage of Blade Winds, had been finished by Harman's merciless bombardment of Magic Arrows.
Looking at the mine, where the walls had not just collapsed but a tunnel had formed, Lime muttered.
"My goodness, a gold deposit that my Blade Winds could barely scratch was taken care of by mere Magic Arrows..."
Unlike the astonished Lime, Harman's expression was grim.
*'The gold mining was easy enough, but the next step is the problem. I wanted to finish the next stage as well, but the difficulty of mining is higher than I thought.'*
The greatest weakness of a mage from the School of Mysticism was their weak offensive magic.
To compensate for this weakness, Harman had always utilized a variety of high-level artifacts, but for that very reason, it was difficult to display his full skills inside Barathrum.
That was because Isabelle had taken his inventory containing the artifacts.
*'Even if I'm a 4th-Circle master, mining won't be easy, given the nature of a Mystic mage who has no offensive spells to use other than Magic Arrow.'*
*Clap, clap, clap.*
Lee Si-woo, who appeared along with the Butler's applause, looked at the devastated mine site in amazement.
"Have you completed the gold mining? In such a short time? That's incredible."
As if overwhelmed by Lee Si-woo's admiration, Harman prostrated himself.
At the same time, a faint ripple spread through Harman's heart.
His heart, forcibly seized by the Lee Si-woo of this world, and his mind, which until just a day ago had looked down on Lee Si-woo, were at odds.
*'I was definitely consumed by Lee Si-woo, and I lost. But does that mean it's normal for me to kneel to this person? Is defeat a reason for loyalty? Then why am I begging for his attention and volunteering for uncompensated labor? This is... not right, is it?'*
It felt as if his emotions and reason were acting separately.
The reverence and respect he felt for Lee Si-woo clashed with the reason that still held doubts about him, throwing Harman into confusion.
The doubt was brief; words of gratitude unknowingly escaped his lips.
"I volunteered because I wanted to be of some small help to you, my Lord."
Lee Si-woo looked down at Harman, who was kneeling on one knee at his feet, and tilted his head.
He could feel the small seed of distrust that had sprouted in Harman's mind.
"This is surprising. I didn't think one time wouldn't be enough."
"Pardon?"
"It's fine. But I'll have to be more careful in the future. I've learned that for someone with the mental fortitude of a 4th-Circle master, a single conquest isn't quite enough."
Lee Si-woo patted Harman's shoulder in encouragement.
The boundless gratitude left in his heart by that touch devoured every last seed of distrust that Harman's mind had conceived.
Harman fell to both knees and prostrated himself flat at Lee Si-woo's feet.
Ashamed that someone like him had dared to harbor distrust towards Lee Si-woo, Harman couldn't bring himself to speak and simply bowed his head.
Seeing the complete one-eighty in Harman's mindset and attitude, Lee Si-woo nodded, thinking it was a good thing he had followed the Butler's advice to come.
"Butler, I wish to give Harman a reward. What would be good?"
"How about giving him a house?"
"A house? Aren't there plenty of houses here?"
"It is my principle that those who have not achieved merit cannot possess anything in this world..."
In other words, not only Anetium and Ogong, but even the mage Lime had been living with the sun and the earth as their only companions.
Lee Si-woo frowned at the Butler's surprisingly harsh management style.
"From now on, please provide them with at least minimal shelter. They need to have their basic needs met to work properly."
The Butler offered no excuses and immediately apologized.
"My apologies. I failed to comprehend your heart, my Lord. I will rectify this at once."
"I'm not blaming you, Butler. If anything, my own indifference towards them is the problem... And Harman?"
Harman cautiously raised his head and answered.
"Yes, my Lord."
"You acted proactively without any specific orders and achieved merit, so I will grant you a reward. However, since you've only just arrived and may not yet know what you need, tell me when you think of something you want as you continue to live here."
"Thank you for your consideration, my Lord. I will do so."
Lee Si-woo took out the Omage grimoire and handed it to Harman.
"And this is a 2nd-Circle school-less grimoire, but it's too advanced for me. So, I want you, Harman, to study it, master it completely, and then report back to me."
"I will handle it as quickly and accurately as possible."
After ordering Harman to master Omage, Lee Si-woo's attention turned to Lime.
"Lime."
Lime, who had been standing around awkwardly like a forgotten sack of barley, jumped in surprise and answered.
"Yes? Y-yes, my Lord."
"From now on, you will assist Harman and help him with his work."
"Ah, I understand."
Having assigned duties to Lime and Harman, who could be considered the key personnel, Lee Si-woo then contemplated the futures of the trio: Will, Anetium, and Ogong.
"Butler, was it platinum after gold?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Hmm, then it would be absurd for those who struggled with gold to mine platinum. I'm hesitant to assign them to the mine any longer... Is there any other way to utilize them?"
In fact, contrary to Anetium's fear that they might be abandoned, their usefulness was not yet exhausted.
Anetium's Crisis Detection and Will's Mana's Blessing were irreplaceable Talents, and Ogong's Antennae, which could perceive a target's emotional state, was also a Talent that Lee Si-woo had secretly coveted.
After a moment of thought in response to Lee Si-woo's question, the Butler spoke.
"I will create a simple training ground and train them."
"Train them? Would that be meaningful? It's not like we can take them out of Barathrum anyway."
"Will, being an elf, has a physical structure not much different from you, my Lord, a human. Therefore, if Will hones his weapon skills and accumulates related knowledge and experience through combat with Ogong and Anetium, it will be of some small help to you."
In essence, the plan was to use Will as a sort of training macro.
Even while Lee Si-woo was occupied with other things or resting, Will would be devoted to training, and all the knowledge and experience accumulated that way would become Lee Si-woo's through the library.
"That's quite a good plan. Excellent. Please proceed."
"Thank you for entrusting me with this."
Having roughly finished the personnel assignments within Barathrum, Lee Si-woo clenched and unclenched his hands.
His skin transformed into a golden hue, and his body overflowed with vitality.
Confirming that the enhancement of his physical abilities from the Mineral Body phenomenon had increased beyond comparison, Lee Si-woo brought up his status window.
「Lee Si-woo」 ★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆
Level: 121 > 199
Race: Human
Talent: [1] Crisis Detection (Anetium) [2] Mana's Blessing (Will)
Technique: None
Unique Ability: Mineral Body (Silver) > Mineral Body (Gold)
*'Crazy... Level 199?'*
Just by Harman completing the gold mining, his level had risen to that of a 1st-Circle master.
The implications of this growth were significant.
He, a 1st-Circle beginner, now met the requirements to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the aces of the selection tournament on physical ability alone.
*'I was already feeling anxious with only Omage, so this will be a huge help. Hah, I really owe Harman big time for this.'*
Now that he had confirmed his level growth, it was time to choose his third Talent.
But this outcome was already decided.
It would be Ogong's Talent, 'Antennae'.
The Butler subtly spoke to Lee Si-woo.
"As you are aware, my Lord, the selection tournament will soon begin."
As the Butler mentioned the selection tournament, one of the key external events, Lee Si-woo spoke with a meaningful look in his eyes.
"The selection tournament... Now that you mention it, Butler, it seems you know everything I see and hear. Is that correct?"
"Yes. As long as you possess Barathrum, my Lord, I can know your every move. However, if this displeases you, you may control it at any time. If you simply think, 'I do not like this part,' Barathrum will sever the link on its own."
"I see. Well, it's not that I was particularly displeased. I just had something to ask you, Butler."
After taking a short breath, Lee Si-woo asked the Butler again.
"Jin, what do you think of him?"
The Butler answered Lee Si-woo's abrupt question immediately.
"He is a wretched fellow."
Lee Si-woo was slightly taken aback by the unexpected answer.
"...Pardon?"
"Daring to make you his brother without knowing his place... I find it displeasing."
Feeling that the point was slightly missed, Lee Si-woo smacked his lips.
"Ah... yes, I see. A wretched and displeasing fellow, you say..."
"Of course, this is merely my personal and subjective opinion, not something for you to consider, my Lord. Therefore, I hope you will not ask for the opinion of a subordinate like myself, but act as your heart desires."
"...As my heart desires, you say?"
"Yes. Therefore, it would be best to refrain from entrusting judgment to others or asking for their opinions in the future. The path you walk is the shortest path, and the answer you decide upon is the correct one."
Lee Si-woo could only give a wry smile at the Butler's bottomless trust.
However, that didn't mean it wasn't helpful.
The Butler's reply—that his path was the shortest, so he shouldn't ask others for directions—left a strange resonance in Lee Si-woo's heart.
*'Trust myself... Indeed, at this point, there's nothing more foolish than relying on someone else's judgment.'*
Afterward, Lee Si-woo set his third Talent to Antennae and left Barathrum.
It was to meet Jin and prepare for the upcoming selection tournament.