Chapter 183: Jinx (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 183: Jinx (3)
The Manticore was a rank-five monster with the body of a lion and the face of a human. This guy's essence was quite peculiar.
[Manticore]
[Discernment: +40
Appetite: +30
Leaping Power: +30]
Its stats were mainly just thirty points to Leaping Power. In a way, they were lower than the essence of a rank-nine monster, but its passive ability was related to stats as well.
[(P) Heredity—Mana stone consumption will permanently increase the user's stats.]
Heredity was a skill that let the user increase their stats by eating mana stones. That description alone sounded extremely overpowered, but there was an important constraint in place.
The sum of the absorbable stats is two hundred or so.
The total number of stat points you could obtain from the skill was two hundred. At first, I wondered what kind of trash essence this was. Among rank five monsters, there were many essences with a total of over three hundred stats attached. But for this one, you had to use its passive skill to get even basic stats. The active skill wasn't that great either, unless it came with the Manticore's core ability, Random Skill Rampage, but that was a unique ability that couldn't be acquired with an essence.
"Everyone, stop!"
However, the moment this essence came out, the looks in everyone's eyes changed.
Yeah, so you all know the true value of this essence.
"Raven, get out the dice!"
In time with my shout, the dwarf let out a growl. "I think it's best you take a step back first, barbarian."
What, you think I'll steal it if I lose?
It was ridiculous, but nothing good would come out of arguing right now. "...Let's all step back at the same time."
"Fine."
"Y-Yes! I think that would be good."
Starting with me, everyone stepped back together and began to settle the situation as quick as lightning. Essences only stuck around for an average of thirty minutes. So, I asked the question I couldn't ask earlier, just in case. "Are there any teams that will be giving up their bid?"
Hans G and the dwarf both shook their heads. "W-We will participate," said Hans. "Except the wizard or priest, a-anyone could use this essence."
Damn player bastard. Where the Manticore's essence truly shined was after it was erased. Even after it was gone, the user retained 20 percent of the extra stats. It was essentially the same as taking an elixir with forty bonus stats.
"Why would I give up on this expensive essence?" the dwarf asked.
"...Expensive essence? Are you thinking of selling it?"
"None of us have room for one."
Hmm, that made sense, but suddenly a possibility came to mind.
These bastards are from the underground city, right?
For adventurers of Noark, erasing an essence from the temple was a tricky procedure, especially if the city was locked down. Holding onto it and secretly selling it after the lockdown would make more sense. However, the biggest question still remained.
"...But your team doesn't have a wizard?" There were no wizards on the dwarf's team. The sorcerer, who had used all their essence slots on attack-type essences, played a similar role in terms of firepower, but you couldn't replace a wizard's skills.
The dwarf's reply was flippant. "But you guys do. We'll pay for the Magic Vial and the cost of labor."
Who are you trying to swindle?
"And if we refuse both?"
The dwarf laughed at my suggestion to stop being greedy. "The dice will be rolled anyway. And if we win, we'll watch until the essence disappears."
In other words, that meant that they'd choose to intervene if they couldn't have it. That left a bitter taste in my mouth. Underground or above, adventurers were still adventurers, it seemed. In this respect, both cities were remarkably similar.
Do we just ambush and kill them here?
Of course, such extreme methods came to mind, but I managed to regain my composure. Raven's help played a big part. "Mr. Yandel, there's no choice."
Yes, we hadn't even rolled the dice yet. It was not even a core essence in my build like the Orc Hero's, which had Giantization. Once I was able to get rank three essences, it would have to be erased anyway, and there were better alternatives.
"So how long are you going to stand there?"
I came to my senses at the dwarf's insistence. "Let's have a representative from each team." And so, the leaders of each team gathered in one place. I briefly explained the rules. "One person throws the dice at a time, and the person with the highest number gets the loot. However, if two people roll the same number, only those two will roll again."
"Are we going to use that wizard's dice?"
"This is a genuine Adventurers' Guild dice. I don't care if we don't use mine. Of course, I'll have to check before we roll in that case."
"Really? Then it doesn't matter to me."
The dwarf nodded coolly, and after Hans G's wizard came over to confirm the dice was fair, we were ready to begin.
"Hans, as promised, your rolls will be reduced by two. So if you have something to say, say it now."
"...W-We'll be content with just having the opportunity."
"That's that, then. Now, who will start?"
Should I go first or later? Not that it really mattered, but everyone gulped and carefully eyed each other.
Unexpectedly, Hans G was the one who stepped forward. "I-I will go first." He picked up the dice. Although they had the handicap of needing to subtract two from the roll, his teammates cheered him on with obvious hope in their eyes.
"Mr. Chrisen, you've got this!"
"Hans, you'd better be prepared for an ass-whooping if you don't roll properly."
"Chrisen, it's okay to lose, so don't feel too pressured."
Hans G met his team's eyes one by one: the rookie scout, the human warrior, the middle-aged wizard, and the elven archer. The elf nodded without a word. Anyone could see that the relationship between the two was very special.
Geez, are we in a shonen manga or something?
That made me laugh. The scout saw that and bit her lip in anger.
"Then... I'll roll!" Hans G gave the dice an enthusiastic roll.
Roll...
The dice rolled across the dry soil, the small and large numbers on each side flashing at us in turns.
Tap.
In the silence, the dice stopped rolling. The number written on the upturned side was a whopping ten, the largest number that could be rolled on the dice.
The dwarf's reply was flippant. "But you guys do. We'll pay for the Magic Vial and the cost of labor."
Who are you trying to swindle?
"And if we refuse both?"
The dwarf laughed at my suggestion to stop being greedy. "The dice will be rolled anyway. And if we win, we'll watch until the essence disappears."
In other words, that meant that they'd choose to intervene if they couldn't have it. That left a bitter taste in my mouth. Underground or above, adventurers were still adventurers, it seemed. In this respect, both cities were remarkably similar.
Do we just ambush and kill them here?
Of course, such extreme methods came to mind, but I managed to regain my composure. Raven's help played a big part. "Mr. Yandel, there's no choice."
Yes, we hadn't even rolled the dice yet. It was not even a core essence in my build like the Orc Hero's, which had Giantization. Once I was able to get rank three essences, it would have to be erased anyway, and there were better alternatives.
"So how long are you going to stand there?"
I came to my senses at the dwarf's insistence. "Let's have a representative from each team." And so, the leaders of each team gathered in one place. I briefly explained the rules. "One person throws the dice at a time, and the person with the highest number gets the loot. However, if two people roll the same number, only those two will roll again."
"Are we going to use that wizard's dice?"
"This is a genuine Adventurers' Guild dice. I don't care if we don't use mine. Of course, I'll have to check before we roll in that case."
"Really? Then it doesn't matter to me."
The dwarf nodded coolly, and after Hans G's wizard came over to confirm the dice was fair, we were ready to begin.
"Hans, as promised, your rolls will be reduced by two. So if you have something to say, say it now."
"...W-We'll be content with just having the opportunity."
"That's that, then. Now, who will start?"
Should I go first or later? Not that it really mattered, but everyone gulped and carefully eyed each other.
Unexpectedly, Hans G was the one who stepped forward. "I-I will go first." He picked up the dice. Although they had the handicap of needing to subtract two from the roll, his teammates cheered him on with obvious hope in their eyes.
"Mr. Chrisen, you've got this!"
"Hans, you'd better be prepared for an ass-whooping if you don't roll properly."
"Chrisen, it's okay to lose, so don't feel too pressured."
Hans G met his team's eyes one by one: the rookie scout, the human warrior, the middle-aged wizard, and the elven archer. The elf nodded without a word. Anyone could see that the relationship between the two was very special.
Geez, are we in a shonen manga or something?
That made me laugh. The scout saw that and bit her lip in anger.
"Then... I'll roll!" Hans G gave the dice an enthusiastic roll.
Roll...
The dice rolled across the dry soil, the small and large numbers on each side flashing at us in turns.
Tap.
In the silence, the dice stopped rolling. The number written on the upturned side was a whopping ten, the largest number that could be rolled on the dice.
"Kyahhh!"
"That's outrageous! Unreal!"
"Average market price! Mr. Parteian, what's the average market price according to the guild?"
Cheers erupted from his team. On the other hand, we fell into stunned silence.
The dwarf stepped forward, apparently disapproving of how fired up they were. "You speak as if the essence is already yours. You didn't forget you have to subtract two, did you?"
"Ah, yes... I'm aware." The celebratory mood subsided significantly, but Hans G's team was still festive. Eight was still a high number.
"I'll go next." The dwarf walked up to Hans G and snatched up the dice. He hesitated for a moment before scowling and tossing it crudely on the floor.
Roll...
The dice stopped moving before long on a nine. Was this real life?
"Ahhhhhh!"
"Fuck!"
"I believed in you! You son of a bitch!"
Beastly shouts erupted from the dwarf's team. On the other hand, Hans G's team froze, unable to rein in their expressions. The dwarf looked at me and Hans G and sneered. He spoke the sequence of words I'd probably uttered least in my entire life. "Luck is on my side."
What the hell was wrong with this bastard? An overwhelming feeling of despair swallowed me whole. However, I could not just lie down and accept defeat. I had too many things going for me to do that.
"Yandel! Don't be so dejected. It's not like you."
"I believe in you, Bjorn! You can do it!"
"Yes, yes, Bjorn! You can do anything, rrremember?!"
"I won't talk probabilities. Things like that mean nothing to you anyway, right?"
I still had teammates who believed in me. And I also had myself, someone who never gave up. For that reason, I grabbed the dice.
Squeeze.
The dwarf let out an arrogant laugh at the sight. The situation was familiar. Hans's number was eight. The dwarf's number was nine. I just had to roll a ten. Probability was just probability—it was meaningless. This kind of dramatic setup showed up in movies and cartoons all the time. Yes, judging by the way the scene was progressing, this would work!
It had to work.
"...Bjorn's eyes look different."
That strange certainty flowed through my hand. It felt like something invisible was giving me a warm embrace. Before that feeling could leave me, I threw the dice.
"Go! Great warriooor!" Ainar shouted as the dice began to roll. Surprisingly, my mind was calmer than ever as I watched.
Thump.
My heartbeat was steady. The air touching my skin was moderately cool, and as if time was passing slowly, every second of this scene was engraved in my mind. And with that pleasant sensation still blanketing me, I noticed the moment the dice stopped.
Tap.
The air changed instantly. Silence descended, cold and downcast. Instead of the dice, I was looking at the people around me.
"Holy..."
The arrogantly smiling dwarf, my teammates who had watched and believed in me... even Hans G, whose defeat was already confirmed, could not hide his astonishment. His jaw dropped.
"Kyahhh!"
"That's outrageous! Unreal!"
"Average market price! Mr. Parteian, what's the average market price according to the guild?"
Cheers erupted from his team. On the other hand, we fell into stunned silence.
The dwarf stepped forward, apparently disapproving of how fired up they were. "You speak as if the essence is already yours. You didn't forget you have to subtract two, did you?"
"Ah, yes... I'm aware." The celebratory mood subsided significantly, but Hans G's team was still festive. Eight was still a high number.
"I'll go next." The dwarf walked up to Hans G and snatched up the dice. He hesitated for a moment before scowling and tossing it crudely on the floor.
Roll...
The dice stopped moving before long on a nine. Was this real life?
"Ahhhhhh!"
"Fuck!"
"I believed in you! You son of a bitch!"
Beastly shouts erupted from the dwarf's team. On the other hand, Hans G's team froze, unable to rein in their expressions. The dwarf looked at me and Hans G and sneered. He spoke the sequence of words I'd probably uttered least in my entire life. "Luck is on my side."
What the hell was wrong with this bastard? An overwhelming feeling of despair swallowed me whole. However, I could not just lie down and accept defeat. I had too many things going for me to do that.
"Yandel! Don't be so dejected. It's not like you."
"I believe in you, Bjorn! You can do it!"
"Yes, yes, Bjorn! You can do anything, rrremember?!"
"I won't talk probabilities. Things like that mean nothing to you anyway, right?"
I still had teammates who believed in me. And I also had myself, someone who never gave up. For that reason, I grabbed the dice.
Squeeze.
The dwarf let out an arrogant laugh at the sight. The situation was familiar. Hans's number was eight. The dwarf's number was nine. I just had to roll a ten. Probability was just probability—it was meaningless. This kind of dramatic setup showed up in movies and cartoons all the time. Yes, judging by the way the scene was progressing, this would work!
It had to work.
"...Bjorn's eyes look different."
That strange certainty flowed through my hand. It felt like something invisible was giving me a warm embrace. Before that feeling could leave me, I threw the dice.
"Go! Great warriooor!" Ainar shouted as the dice began to roll. Surprisingly, my mind was calmer than ever as I watched.
Thump.
My heartbeat was steady. The air touching my skin was moderately cool, and as if time was passing slowly, every second of this scene was engraved in my mind. And with that pleasant sensation still blanketing me, I noticed the moment the dice stopped.
Tap.
The air changed instantly. Silence descended, cold and downcast. Instead of the dice, I was looking at the people around me.
"Holy..."
The arrogantly smiling dwarf, my teammates who had watched and believed in me... even Hans G, whose defeat was already confirmed, could not hide his astonishment. His jaw dropped.
Did it really happen...?
I finally checked the dice. It had landed on a one.
...I should've gotten Missha to throw it.
A loser had to stay silent because anything they said would just be an excuse. They could only take it on the chin, just like I was right now.
"Hahaha! A one with that expression! Did you see it? Did you? I was so scared there. His eyes were so confident." Sharp mockery erupted from Team Dwarf. A feeling of contempt covered me from head to toe. "I just want to ask. How the hell did you manage to get that look in your eyes? Ahahaha!"
"Don't make fun of Bjorn!"
"Go! Great warrior! Pft! Pft! Ahahahaha!"
"...I'll kill you!"
I grabbed Ainar, who was about to charge. "Enough."
"But! If I don't crush that head of his...!"
Yeah, that snout of his would never shut. I knew the feeling better than anyone, but now was not the time. The other team knew that very well too.
"You guys stop too." When I stared at him in silence, the dwarf also stopped his teammates from making any more taunts. After all, the winner was decided. I let go of my disappointment and shifted gears. "How much will you offer?"
"Fifteen million stones for a Magic Vial."
That was just the standard price. "And the cost of labor?"
"I'll give you five million stones."
Earning five million stones for casting one magic spell was a profitable business. However... "Seven million."
"You are greedy." The dwarf eyed Hans G's team. Since there were two wizards, he could just ask the other one.
"W-We don't have a Magic Vial."
What? I had highballed my price to split the cost of labor with them, but this changed things.
At Hans G's words, the dwarf accepted my proposal without hesitation. "I'll give you seven million."
However, that train had already left the station. "It's too late. It just went up to fifteen million." In effect, the cost of labor had become equal to the cost of the Magic Vial.
"Don't be unreasonable, barbarian," the dwarf sputtered, appalled.
It wasn't that I didn't get where he was coming from. Being so short, it must have been hard for him to see the bigger picture of how the world worked. Thus, it was only natural that he was unaware of the most basic principle of the market—aka supply and demand.
"Unreasonable? I think this is a reasonable price. Especially since you won't reject it."
"...Ten million stones."
"There is no negotiation here. If you don't like it, don't take it."
"Think this through rationally, barbarian. Are you going to throw this money away?"
"It is your choice. Throw away the essence, or just pay us, store it in the Magic Vial, and sell it." I boldly stuck to my guns to the bitter end. This was the reason why monopolies were able to cruelly throw their weight around in the capitalist market. Business deals still happened, even like this.
"...God damn it." The dwarf trembled in anger, then parted his lips. "I'll offer you fifteen million stones."
"That's a good choice—"
"I'm not talking to you." The dwarf looked at Hans G. "I'm talking to them."
"Pardon? I-I don't know what you mean..."
Did it really happen...?
I finally checked the dice. It had landed on a one.
...I should've gotten Missha to throw it.
A loser had to stay silent because anything they said would just be an excuse. They could only take it on the chin, just like I was right now.
"Hahaha! A one with that expression! Did you see it? Did you? I was so scared there. His eyes were so confident." Sharp mockery erupted from Team Dwarf. A feeling of contempt covered me from head to toe. "I just want to ask. How the hell did you manage to get that look in your eyes? Ahahaha!"
"Don't make fun of Bjorn!"
"Go! Great warrior! Pft! Pft! Ahahahaha!"
"...I'll kill you!"
I grabbed Ainar, who was about to charge. "Enough."
"But! If I don't crush that head of his...!"
Yeah, that snout of his would never shut. I knew the feeling better than anyone, but now was not the time. The other team knew that very well too.
"You guys stop too." When I stared at him in silence, the dwarf also stopped his teammates from making any more taunts. After all, the winner was decided. I let go of my disappointment and shifted gears. "How much will you offer?"
"Fifteen million stones for a Magic Vial."
That was just the standard price. "And the cost of labor?"
"I'll give you five million stones."
Earning five million stones for casting one magic spell was a profitable business. However... "Seven million."
"You are greedy." The dwarf eyed Hans G's team. Since there were two wizards, he could just ask the other one.
"W-We don't have a Magic Vial."
What? I had highballed my price to split the cost of labor with them, but this changed things.
At Hans G's words, the dwarf accepted my proposal without hesitation. "I'll give you seven million."
However, that train had already left the station. "It's too late. It just went up to fifteen million." In effect, the cost of labor had become equal to the cost of the Magic Vial.
"Don't be unreasonable, barbarian," the dwarf sputtered, appalled.
It wasn't that I didn't get where he was coming from. Being so short, it must have been hard for him to see the bigger picture of how the world worked. Thus, it was only natural that he was unaware of the most basic principle of the market—aka supply and demand.
"Unreasonable? I think this is a reasonable price. Especially since you won't reject it."
"...Ten million stones."
"There is no negotiation here. If you don't like it, don't take it."
"Think this through rationally, barbarian. Are you going to throw this money away?"
"It is your choice. Throw away the essence, or just pay us, store it in the Magic Vial, and sell it." I boldly stuck to my guns to the bitter end. This was the reason why monopolies were able to cruelly throw their weight around in the capitalist market. Business deals still happened, even like this.
"...God damn it." The dwarf trembled in anger, then parted his lips. "I'll offer you fifteen million stones."
"That's a good choice—"
"I'm not talking to you." The dwarf looked at Hans G. "I'm talking to them."
"Pardon? I-I don't know what you mean..."
"If you pay us that amount, I will pass ownership of this essence onto you."
On-site sales, huh? So that's how you're going to play this.
This was a purely emotional choice that abandoned all logic. I'll admit it made me flinch for a moment, but it turned out not to be a big issue.
"W-We don't have that kind of money right now."
"You can pay in kind."
"Let me discuss it first..." Hans G took a moment to talk it over with his teammates. Judging by the way their mouths were moving with no sound, it seemed they had activated a voice control spell as well. It didn't take long, and the conclusion they reached was also not all that different from what I had expected. "A-As we thought, we need our equipment..." The quality of Team Hans G's equipment wasn't bad, but it wasn't that great either, and at least three of them would have to toss in their main pieces of equipment to match the price. Exchanging their equipment for an essence that was useless right now was nonsense. "W-Which is why... how about we p-pay you in the city?"
"...That's not an option." There was no way these guys from the underground city could sell to Hans G on credit. Driven into a corner, the dwarf let out a rough sigh. Then he looked at me and said in a super unwilling tone, "Barbarian, at the price you mentioned—"
"Twenty million stones. It just went up again."
"You mother—"
"Or we can buy the essence from you at fifteen million stones, would you like to do that instead?"
"...I will pay the twenty million stones." The dwarf cursed me, but that didn't change the result. Even after having to pay me, he would still make a good profit of about 11.7 million stones.
No, wait. Then we earned a bigger profit?
Indeed, this was the taste of monopoly. Even though the number on our dice was the smallest, we were the ones receiving the greatest share. Quite ironic.
After the negotiations were over, things proceeded quickly. First, we received twenty million stones in kind from the dwarf's team. Obviously, they wouldn't have money like that on hand. They tried to hand us equipment, but I refused because they started taking out a pile of unused equipment from their backpacks. Just how many people had they plundered?
"Give us potions so that we can calculate the cash amount more easily."
"...We can't pay you that much money in potions."
"Then I'll take the remainder in equipment." Even after hearing their reasoning, I demanded as many potions as possible. Since we might end up battling these guys, I decided it was best to reduce their maximum power as much as possible before that. Taking the equipment they had on them would make them easier to deal with too.
"Seven bottles of advanced potion and one high-rank potion. Plus the rest of the equipment... sounds about right." With the help of Raven, who was a certified general appraiser, the spot transaction ended without argument and we set up camp in a suitable spot after that.
One person from each team was selected to join the night watch, so a total of three stood guard each shift. The first watch was Hans G, the dwarf, and Mr. Bear. Next in line was me.
"Yandel, it's your turn."
"Has anything happened? Like a suspicious conversation between them?"
"It was mostly the Hans guy talking to himself. I was even starting to think it would be more comfortable and enjoyable to stand watch alone."
"Right, good job. Get some rest."
My night watch group consisted of an elven archer named Meirin and a beast warrior from the White Wolf Tribe. It was an uncomfortable few hours in many ways.
I can see why he said he would have been more comfortable alone.
The wolf warrior was silent, and the elven archer kept shooting me icy looks the entire watch.
"Do you have something to say to me?"
"Everyone is sleeping, how about being a little quieter?"
Oh, you tree-hugger.
What was there to hate about kind barbarians? These guys clearly had a personality problem. Oh, except for Erwen.
Whatever, just stand guard.
I was more wary of these guys betraying me than a surprise attack from a monster, because the odds of them stabbing us in the back were now much higher. I didn't know about Hans G, but the dwarf bastard clearly had a knife ready for us in his heart.
That's probably why they paid us so generously.
Even considering the monopoly we held, twenty million was practically extortion. But he had paid the amount incredibly coolly... almost as if he thought there was a way for him to get it back.
Well, I'm in the same boat, I guess.
I still hadn't given up on the essence in that Magic Vial yet. I was just biding my time.
"Missha, get up. Shift change."
After my shift—which was unpleasant, to say the least—was over, I switched with Missha and fell asleep.
The next morning, the quest resumed. Except for the occasional meal break, we spent all of our time searching the forest and, as a result, were able to defeat the two remaining mini-bosses.
[You have defeated a Duocorn. EXP +5]
[You have defeated a Culves. EXP +5]
Unfortunately, no essence appeared.
"Huh? Isn't that it? The thing you guys told us about beforrre!"
However, we succeeded in finding and reaching the third stage, which I predicted would take another day.
[You have entered the Shadow Altar.]
As soon as we found the altar, a black shadow enveloped us. A huge barrier formed around us before we could blink. The concept of this stage and my duty here were clear.
[The sealed doppelganger now resides in the body of one of the members of your expedition.]
Okay, time to use some good old-fashioned politics, starting with this bastard. "Dwarf, your face looks off. Is there something wrong with your head?"
"If you pay us that amount, I will pass ownership of this essence onto you."
On-site sales, huh? So that's how you're going to play this.
This was a purely emotional choice that abandoned all logic. I'll admit it made me flinch for a moment, but it turned out not to be a big issue.
"W-We don't have that kind of money right now."
"You can pay in kind."
"Let me discuss it first..." Hans G took a moment to talk it over with his teammates. Judging by the way their mouths were moving with no sound, it seemed they had activated a voice control spell as well. It didn't take long, and the conclusion they reached was also not all that different from what I had expected. "A-As we thought, we need our equipment..." The quality of Team Hans G's equipment wasn't bad, but it wasn't that great either, and at least three of them would have to toss in their main pieces of equipment to match the price. Exchanging their equipment for an essence that was useless right now was nonsense. "W-Which is why... how about we p-pay you in the city?"
"...That's not an option." There was no way these guys from the underground city could sell to Hans G on credit. Driven into a corner, the dwarf let out a rough sigh. Then he looked at me and said in a super unwilling tone, "Barbarian, at the price you mentioned—"
"Twenty million stones. It just went up again."
"You mother—"
"Or we can buy the essence from you at fifteen million stones, would you like to do that instead?"
"...I will pay the twenty million stones." The dwarf cursed me, but that didn't change the result. Even after having to pay me, he would still make a good profit of about 11.7 million stones.
No, wait. Then we earned a bigger profit?
Indeed, this was the taste of monopoly. Even though the number on our dice was the smallest, we were the ones receiving the greatest share. Quite ironic.
After the negotiations were over, things proceeded quickly. First, we received twenty million stones in kind from the dwarf's team. Obviously, they wouldn't have money like that on hand. They tried to hand us equipment, but I refused because they started taking out a pile of unused equipment from their backpacks. Just how many people had they plundered?
"Give us potions so that we can calculate the cash amount more easily."
"...We can't pay you that much money in potions."
"Then I'll take the remainder in equipment." Even after hearing their reasoning, I demanded as many potions as possible. Since we might end up battling these guys, I decided it was best to reduce their maximum power as much as possible before that. Taking the equipment they had on them would make them easier to deal with too.
"Seven bottles of advanced potion and one high-rank potion. Plus the rest of the equipment... sounds about right." With the help of Raven, who was a certified general appraiser, the spot transaction ended without argument and we set up camp in a suitable spot after that.
One person from each team was selected to join the night watch, so a total of three stood guard each shift. The first watch was Hans G, the dwarf, and Mr. Bear. Next in line was me.
"Yandel, it's your turn."
"Has anything happened? Like a suspicious conversation between them?"
"It was mostly the Hans guy talking to himself. I was even starting to think it would be more comfortable and enjoyable to stand watch alone."
"Right, good job. Get some rest."
My night watch group consisted of an elven archer named Meirin and a beast warrior from the White Wolf Tribe. It was an uncomfortable few hours in many ways.
I can see why he said he would have been more comfortable alone.
The wolf warrior was silent, and the elven archer kept shooting me icy looks the entire watch.
"Do you have something to say to me?"
"Everyone is sleeping, how about being a little quieter?"
Oh, you tree-hugger.
What was there to hate about kind barbarians? These guys clearly had a personality problem. Oh, except for Erwen.
Whatever, just stand guard.
I was more wary of these guys betraying me than a surprise attack from a monster, because the odds of them stabbing us in the back were now much higher. I didn't know about Hans G, but the dwarf bastard clearly had a knife ready for us in his heart.
That's probably why they paid us so generously.
Even considering the monopoly we held, twenty million was practically extortion. But he had paid the amount incredibly coolly... almost as if he thought there was a way for him to get it back.
Well, I'm in the same boat, I guess.
I still hadn't given up on the essence in that Magic Vial yet. I was just biding my time.
"Missha, get up. Shift change."
After my shift—which was unpleasant, to say the least—was over, I switched with Missha and fell asleep.
The next morning, the quest resumed. Except for the occasional meal break, we spent all of our time searching the forest and, as a result, were able to defeat the two remaining mini-bosses.
[You have defeated a Duocorn. EXP +5]
[You have defeated a Culves. EXP +5]
Unfortunately, no essence appeared.
"Huh? Isn't that it? The thing you guys told us about beforrre!"
However, we succeeded in finding and reaching the third stage, which I predicted would take another day.
[You have entered the Shadow Altar.]
As soon as we found the altar, a black shadow enveloped us. A huge barrier formed around us before we could blink. The concept of this stage and my duty here were clear.
[The sealed doppelganger now resides in the body of one of the members of your expedition.]
Okay, time to use some good old-fashioned politics, starting with this bastard. "Dwarf, your face looks off. Is there something wrong with your head?"