Chapter 375: Treasure Hunter (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 375: Treasure Hunter (3)
The guardian of the Green Coal Mine, King Slime, had an essence that could come in handy up to the middle stages of the game. None of us would be taking it even if it dropped, though, and it ended up not dropping anyway.
[You have defeated the King Slime. EXP +4]
[Guardian Kill Bonus. EXP +3]
As I watched the King Slime disappear into a cloud of light, I pursed my lips in disappointment. "Wow, really? Nothing?"
I didn't care about an essence; I was hoping to at least get a Numbered Item. How was there not even a Rift Stone? The individual drop rate of each should have been 33.3 percent.
Come to think of it, there weren't any essences on the way here, either.
That was why I had had my hopes up, thinking the guardian might spit out a good Numbered Item at the end.
"There was one essence, at least."
I laughed at Amelia's words of comfort.
What kind of essence is that? That's just trash.
When the essence of the rank-nine monster Slime was taken, physical stats like Bone Strength, Physical Resistance, Strength, and Agility dropped, and it only gave you stats with low combat value, like Poison Resistance, Intuition, and Digestion. Even the active skill was so-so, although it could be useful depending on the situation. Normally, it wasn't worth the other penalties, though, so most people considered it one of the worst essences you could take, even among rank-nine essences. The essence popped out while we were killing a trash mob in the middle of our fight against the King Slime.
Welp, it would have been better if nothing showed up at all. Then at least there would have been hope of a jackpot next time.
"Mister, there's an open portal there! Are we going straight out?"
"Of course."
I led my comrades to the portal with absolutely no hesitation. This was supposed to be a rift, but the only thing that dropped was a Slime essence. What the hell was with this trash level?
[You have entered the Crystal Cave on the first floor.]
Let's get out of here quick. If we stay any longer, the bad luck might infect us.
After we left the rift, we didn't waste time. Now that we had nothing to see on the lower floors, we headed up and reached our target floor on the twenty-sixth day.
[You have entered the Great Sea on the sixth floor.]
The Island of Beginnings, Laemia, wasn't crowded with adventurers and soldiers like last time, nor was the coastline filled with warships. The naval force heading for the Dark Continent departed on day twenty-five, so this was natural. That was actually why we arrived a day late on purpose.
"Okay, let's head to the shore."
There was no reason to waste time on an empty island, so we headed straight to the coast, then took out our ship from sub-space. Unlike the previous ship I owned, which had to be rowed, this one looked different.
Yeah, this is what you call a ship.
The vessel was of similar size and shape to the fishing vessels commonly seen in Korea. There was a large, square sail at the center of the ship, and in the back part of the hull was a mana propulsion system, so it was possible to increase the speed by inserting mana stones. Put simply, as long as we had enough mana stones, we could get through any windless waters.
Actually, I don't know if we'll be going out to the windless areas without a sailor or navigator...
Once we all got on the ship, Amelia gulped and stood at the helm. It seemed she didn't look all that reliable, because Erwen cautiously expressed some concerns. "Can that woman really sail this ship properly even though she's not a sailor...?"
"She said she has experience steering a small ship, so she'll be much better than me, since I only have experience with oars. And she apparently learned the basics of how to operate it when she bought it."
"Hmm..."
"Right, Amelia?"
"...Don't talk to me. I'm thinking."
Dang, I'm kind of getting worried now.
Amelia, wheel in hand, had on a serious expression like she was running simulations in her head. Only after she was done did she officially start giving out orders. "First...we have to row to get away from the island. Only then can we ride the wind, I think."
"You think...?"
"If you have a problem, you can do it yourself—"
"No, no problem. I'll do as you say."
Instead of getting on Amelia's case, though she was clearly a novice, I faithfully followed her instructions. Of course, I didn't intend to exert myself by rowing. Why else would we have paid so much for this ship?
Slide!
When I inserted mana stones into the tube connected to the mana propeller, the ship started gliding forward.
"...Ugh!" Amelia was surprised by the sudden speed, but she soon regained her composure and turned the wheel to change directions. "N-Now! Sail! Unfold the sail!"
When the sail was unfurled, the ship began to glide forward with the wind.
Whew, it worked out somehow.
"What direction?"
"We're heading east, so don't worry."
"I see..." Amelia sighed in relief, but I noticed she had a white-knuckle grip on the wheel. It was a refreshing sight. To think someone who didn't even flinch when killing another person would get so nervous about something like this.
"I'm starting to see it."
After we sailed for about fifteen minutes east, we spotted an island on the edge of the horizon. This was the closest island to the start point after Farune Island, where our fierce battle against Storm Gush took place: Gurkha Island. In reality, there was no reason to stop by this island. The monsters here were all low-ranking, and all of them could be encountered on other floors as well. There was little demand for EXP from this place.
But we don't have a sailor, so we have no choice.
It was next to impossible for us to head straight to our desired destination with our navigation skills, so we had no choice but to go step-by-step, visiting each island one by one. Well, there were other reasons to stop, too.
"...Mister, are you okay?"
Jeez, this goddamned seasickness. It definitely seemed a little better than before, but it was still hard to deal with the way my insides were churning.
"Schuitz, if you want, we can take a break."
"Please."
After anchoring the ship on the coast, we took a short break. Still, this was the good thing about having a barbarian's body. The motion sickness may have been bad, but it went away in ten minutes.
Actually, I don't know if we'll be going out to the windless areas without a sailor or navigator...
Once we all got on the ship, Amelia gulped and stood at the helm. It seemed she didn't look all that reliable, because Erwen cautiously expressed some concerns. "Can that woman really sail this ship properly even though she's not a sailor...?"
"She said she has experience steering a small ship, so she'll be much better than me, since I only have experience with oars. And she apparently learned the basics of how to operate it when she bought it."
"Hmm..."
"Right, Amelia?"
"...Don't talk to me. I'm thinking."
Dang, I'm kind of getting worried now.
Amelia, wheel in hand, had on a serious expression like she was running simulations in her head. Only after she was done did she officially start giving out orders. "First...we have to row to get away from the island. Only then can we ride the wind, I think."
"You think...?"
"If you have a problem, you can do it yourself—"
"No, no problem. I'll do as you say."
Instead of getting on Amelia's case, though she was clearly a novice, I faithfully followed her instructions. Of course, I didn't intend to exert myself by rowing. Why else would we have paid so much for this ship?
Slide!
When I inserted mana stones into the tube connected to the mana propeller, the ship started gliding forward.
"...Ugh!" Amelia was surprised by the sudden speed, but she soon regained her composure and turned the wheel to change directions. "N-Now! Sail! Unfold the sail!"
When the sail was unfurled, the ship began to glide forward with the wind.
Whew, it worked out somehow.
"What direction?"
"We're heading east, so don't worry."
"I see..." Amelia sighed in relief, but I noticed she had a white-knuckle grip on the wheel. It was a refreshing sight. To think someone who didn't even flinch when killing another person would get so nervous about something like this.
"I'm starting to see it."
After we sailed for about fifteen minutes east, we spotted an island on the edge of the horizon. This was the closest island to the start point after Farune Island, where our fierce battle against Storm Gush took place: Gurkha Island. In reality, there was no reason to stop by this island. The monsters here were all low-ranking, and all of them could be encountered on other floors as well. There was little demand for EXP from this place.
But we don't have a sailor, so we have no choice.
It was next to impossible for us to head straight to our desired destination with our navigation skills, so we had no choice but to go step-by-step, visiting each island one by one. Well, there were other reasons to stop, too.
"...Mister, are you okay?"
Jeez, this goddamned seasickness. It definitely seemed a little better than before, but it was still hard to deal with the way my insides were churning.
"Schuitz, if you want, we can take a break."
"Please."
After anchoring the ship on the coast, we took a short break. Still, this was the good thing about having a barbarian's body. The motion sickness may have been bad, but it went away in ten minutes.
"Now, let's set sail again."
Once I recovered, we went through the process of setting sail again. Our next destination was the second island on the eastern route, Anos.
"It will take us about three hours to get there—are you sure you can make it?"
"...Don't worry. I heard we just have to move northeast," said Amelia.
"According to who?"
"...A book."
Erwen, who wouldn't have ever participated in such a reckless voyage before, looked dubious. But Amelia seemed to have quite a talent for sailing as an island appeared in the distance after about three hours.
Amelia clenched her fists in satisfaction. "We came to the right place."
"But why is the island east of us and not straight ahead?"
"...That is within the margin of error."
Amelia turned the bow, and before long, we arrived at the island of Anos. Unlike Gurkha, which we pretty much skipped, we had business on this island. There were no hidden events or treasures, but we had to get XP that we hadn't obtained yet. Also, we planned to spend the night here since the sun was already setting.
"Blaaargh!"
But before that, I needed to empty my stomach.
***
[You have defeated a Raffle Monkey. EXP +3]
[You have defeated a War Snake. EXP +4]
[You have defeated a Nigel Panther. EXP +4]
[You have defeated a Belgaro. EXP +5]
[You have defeated a Black Tree...]
***
Almost 99 percent of Anos Island, excluding the coast, was jungle. After camping out on the coast for a night, we officially began exploring the island the next day. By the time we finished roaming the entire island and collecting EXP, the sun was setting again so we had to camp out for one more night.
Hmm, I thought we'd be able to do a full sweep in half a day and move to the next island.
The monster we hunted last played a big part in messing up our schedule. Even after we searched the entire island, it was nowhere to be seen. We ended up having to look for it until nightfall.
"Mister, aren't the stars super pretty—"
Honnnk!
"Oh, you're sleeping..."
The next morning, we set sail toward the next island early and we were thankfully able to arrive in one piece once again. We repeated this process several times.
"We're already at the seventh island."
"It's called Fione Island, right?"
We arrived at the seventh island on the eastern route within ten days. To be honest, this was quite an impressive—and surprising—feat. After all, we got here safely with a sailor who only knew how to move forward, stop, and park.
I thought we would miss at least one island. Is sailing easier than I thought?
With that thought in mind, I watched Amelia sail the ship from the sidelines and learned bit by bit. I was slowly getting used to the seasickness too.
"Wow, the island is just as pretty as I heard."
"Erwen, is this your first time here too?"
"Yes. Normally I skip past it."
"True, if you're unlucky, it's just a waste of time."
Fione Island, the seventh island on the eastern route, was often referred to as Treasure Island among adventurers. Compared to the islands with mountains at their center, Fione was relatively flat and on the smaller side. You could walk around the entire thing in about three hours, and there was only one type of rank-four monster that spawned here.
"Are you going to skip it too?"
"The sun is starting to set so we'll stay the night."
Erwen looked rather pleased with my answer. Which was fair, as it was safe to say there were no monsters on the island itself. If we did happen to run into one, it would essentially be the equivalent of winning the lottery.
"Mister! There's still a lot of time until nightfall, so let's look around the island together! Hmm?"
"...We can do that."
"It could be dangerous," said Amelia. "I'll go with you."
After we landed on the island, we put the ship in sub-space and walked around to get a feel for the terrain.
Shaaaaa.
The cool ocean breeze caressed my skin. After a short walk, we stumbled upon a wide-open field full of colorful flowers.
"Not bad."
The comment tumbled out of my mouth involuntarily and Erwen flashed a shy smile in apparent agreement. "Hehe, right?"
"Yeah, since it's open on all sides we'll be able to spot any plunderers that come our way easily."
"...What?" Erwen tilted her head in confusion, but this was important.
This place wasn't called Treasure Island for nothing. Even if most of the top adventurers were currently at war on the seventh floor, there was almost zero chance there were no adventurers on this island. Aside from rifts, this island was the only place where you could obtain Numbered Items.
"Enough scouting, let's set up camp over there. I saw a good spot earlier."
"Ah, right..."
As we were all seasoned adventurers, we set up camp in good time and went to sleep, leaving Amelia's doppelganger on watch.
An indeterminate amount of time later, Amelia shook me awake. "Schuitz, wake up."
When I looked around, rubbing my eyes, I saw that Erwen had also gotten up and taken out her bow. There was only one possibility that came to mind, and it made far more sense than encountering a monster on this island.
"How many?" I asked only for the critical information, omitting any unnecessary chit-chat.
Amelia's response was just as brief. "Fifteen."
"It's a clan, then."
We had gotten an uninvited guest in the middle of the night.
"Now, let's set sail again."
Once I recovered, we went through the process of setting sail again. Our next destination was the second island on the eastern route, Anos.
"It will take us about three hours to get there—are you sure you can make it?"
"...Don't worry. I heard we just have to move northeast," said Amelia.
"According to who?"
"...A book."
Erwen, who wouldn't have ever participated in such a reckless voyage before, looked dubious. But Amelia seemed to have quite a talent for sailing as an island appeared in the distance after about three hours.
Amelia clenched her fists in satisfaction. "We came to the right place."
"But why is the island east of us and not straight ahead?"
"...That is within the margin of error."
Amelia turned the bow, and before long, we arrived at the island of Anos. Unlike Gurkha, which we pretty much skipped, we had business on this island. There were no hidden events or treasures, but we had to get XP that we hadn't obtained yet. Also, we planned to spend the night here since the sun was already setting.
"Blaaargh!"
But before that, I needed to empty my stomach.
***
[You have defeated a Raffle Monkey. EXP +3]
[You have defeated a War Snake. EXP +4]
[You have defeated a Nigel Panther. EXP +4]
[You have defeated a Belgaro. EXP +5]
[You have defeated a Black Tree...]
***
Almost 99 percent of Anos Island, excluding the coast, was jungle. After camping out on the coast for a night, we officially began exploring the island the next day. By the time we finished roaming the entire island and collecting EXP, the sun was setting again so we had to camp out for one more night.
Hmm, I thought we'd be able to do a full sweep in half a day and move to the next island.
The monster we hunted last played a big part in messing up our schedule. Even after we searched the entire island, it was nowhere to be seen. We ended up having to look for it until nightfall.
"Mister, aren't the stars super pretty—"
Honnnk!
"Oh, you're sleeping..."
The next morning, we set sail toward the next island early and we were thankfully able to arrive in one piece once again. We repeated this process several times.
"We're already at the seventh island."
"It's called Fione Island, right?"
We arrived at the seventh island on the eastern route within ten days. To be honest, this was quite an impressive—and surprising—feat. After all, we got here safely with a sailor who only knew how to move forward, stop, and park.
I thought we would miss at least one island. Is sailing easier than I thought?
With that thought in mind, I watched Amelia sail the ship from the sidelines and learned bit by bit. I was slowly getting used to the seasickness too.
"Wow, the island is just as pretty as I heard."
"Erwen, is this your first time here too?"
"Yes. Normally I skip past it."
"True, if you're unlucky, it's just a waste of time."
Fione Island, the seventh island on the eastern route, was often referred to as Treasure Island among adventurers. Compared to the islands with mountains at their center, Fione was relatively flat and on the smaller side. You could walk around the entire thing in about three hours, and there was only one type of rank-four monster that spawned here.
"Are you going to skip it too?"
"The sun is starting to set so we'll stay the night."
Erwen looked rather pleased with my answer. Which was fair, as it was safe to say there were no monsters on the island itself. If we did happen to run into one, it would essentially be the equivalent of winning the lottery.
"Mister! There's still a lot of time until nightfall, so let's look around the island together! Hmm?"
"...We can do that."
"It could be dangerous," said Amelia. "I'll go with you."
After we landed on the island, we put the ship in sub-space and walked around to get a feel for the terrain.
Shaaaaa.
The cool ocean breeze caressed my skin. After a short walk, we stumbled upon a wide-open field full of colorful flowers.
"Not bad."
The comment tumbled out of my mouth involuntarily and Erwen flashed a shy smile in apparent agreement. "Hehe, right?"
"Yeah, since it's open on all sides we'll be able to spot any plunderers that come our way easily."
"...What?" Erwen tilted her head in confusion, but this was important.
This place wasn't called Treasure Island for nothing. Even if most of the top adventurers were currently at war on the seventh floor, there was almost zero chance there were no adventurers on this island. Aside from rifts, this island was the only place where you could obtain Numbered Items.
"Enough scouting, let's set up camp over there. I saw a good spot earlier."
"Ah, right..."
As we were all seasoned adventurers, we set up camp in good time and went to sleep, leaving Amelia's doppelganger on watch.
An indeterminate amount of time later, Amelia shook me awake. "Schuitz, wake up."
When I looked around, rubbing my eyes, I saw that Erwen had also gotten up and taken out her bow. There was only one possibility that came to mind, and it made far more sense than encountering a monster on this island.
"How many?" I asked only for the critical information, omitting any unnecessary chit-chat.
Amelia's response was just as brief. "Fifteen."
"It's a clan, then."
We had gotten an uninvited guest in the middle of the night.