Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Golden Reed Forest (3)
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I fell asleep holding Sua in my arms and woke up feeling refreshed.
Falling asleep with Sua in my arms made it feel like I could wake up without a single worry.
So I felt incredibly refreshed.
Seeing Sua sleeping soundly in my embrace naturally filled me with energy.
Donghyun woke up at 6 a.m. It was about time to get up and head to the mines.
When I checked my Status, it looked like I'd earned about 300 diamonds from yesterday's mining.
I'd have to collect them through the Status at the mines, but it wasn't urgent right now.
My Status already showed that the Valkyries I'd sent to the mines had returned.
The Valkyries had each leveled up once to level 2.
I planned to send B-rank Valkyries to mine while heading out to hunt.
As I was about to head out, Erekina approached and said,
"Kai. Breakfast is ready. Aren't you going to eat?"
"Hm? Yeah?"
I wasn't usually one for breakfast, but there was no reason to turn down free food. Besides, it felt rude to refuse when Erekina was looking after me like this.
Following Erekina's guidance to the dining room, a savory aroma wafted over.
It was the smell of food I'd eaten plenty of times before.
"This is...?"
On the dining table Erekina led me to were doenjang jjigae and pork stir-fry.
"Do you not like it?"
Seeing my surprised reaction, Erekina glanced at me a bit nervously.
"Ah... no. Not at all. I love it."
Just like a Korean game, huh? Who knew they'd have stuff like this for food?
I sat down and took a bite. It was delicious.
"Whoa... this is really good."
"Thank you."
It wasn't just polite flattery. After years in a stuffy goshiwon with barely any proper meals, this tasted just like home cooking.
Thanks to it, I had a hearty, delicious breakfast.
"Hmmm... Do I have any Valkyries good at housework among mine?"
Demons like Garujan, Lussera, or Lije felt like they'd be out. Holla or Elastra seemed promising. Hmm... Sua would be fine too.
Sua was sitting beside me eating when she caught my glance and seemed to sweat a little.
Well... she's so pretty, even if she's not great at it, who cares...
After breakfast, I headed to the Mining Guild. The great thing about this mansion was how close it was to the mines.
Otherwise, commuting there every morning would've been a pain.
Seven a.m.
Early as it was, there was already a decent line. Just like Gurpu said, if you didn't come early, you might not register on time.
The line was long, but registration inside seemed quick, as it shrank fast.
Entering the Mining Guild, Gurpu wasn't there; another staff member was.
They mechanically directed me to an empty kiosk.
I didn't go right in and asked the staff instead.
"The mines rotate every week, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"So, can I register for a whole week instead of coming every day?"
The staff looked puzzled at my question.
"You could, but is there any reason to?"
"Why not? Then I wouldn't have to come to the guild every time."
"True, but... hunting grounds change too, and if you leave them in the mines for a week, you can't pull them out when you need them."
The staff's point made sense. Especially early on when Valkyries were new, not everyone had tons of them.
More importantly, regular Pilots only had high-rank Valkyries to send to the mines.
They couldn't afford to obsess less over diamonds, so for max efficiency, they needed top Valkyries.
But I needed mine for hunting too, so I rotated them daily—hence the morning commutes.
"I don't have spares I don't need right now."
"Ah... I guess that makes sense..."
The staff eyed my appearance, probably pegging me as a newbie Pilot, and nodded absurdly.
"How do I register for a week?"
Without annoyance despite the early hour, the staff came over to the kiosk.
"Before registering, there's a spot here to set the duration. You can set dates or periods. Up to you, Pilot."
The staff explained kindly and left.
Thanks to that, registration got even easier.
Today was Wednesday, so I set it for 5 days, filtered for Celestials and fire attributes, and picked the top six B-rank Valkyries.
Yesterday brought in about 300 diamonds, so today might be a bit less.
Still plenty, so no big deal.
After leaving the mines, I called a carriage to the Golden Reed Forest.
"Sua. Hang in your space for a bit?"
"Got it."
Sua's tone had grown much warmer lately. It used to be curt, but after maxing affinity, she was way friendlier.
She didn't even sulk at unsummoning anymore.
Worlds away from our first meeting, when she'd pale at just being summoned. Now, with trust built, she took it calmly.
After unsummoning Sua, I summoned Lije, Garujan, and Elastra.
With Sua, that made eight Valkyries, so I needed to balance the team a bit.
For now, I spread out Lije, Lussera, and Holla. Low-difficulty hunt or not, some defense was better than skimping.
We moved slowly into the Golden Reed Forest. Unsummoning required leaving combat, so this gave the low-level Valkyries time to adapt.
"Pilot! Kill all those bastards?"
The rough-and-tumble Garujan twirled her twin spears and charged into battle.
In contrast, the elegant Elastra walked in slowly.
The two Valkyries had totally different vibes.
But once in the field, Elastra showed her true colors.
She formed an orb in her hand and hurled it into the reed forest.
Boom boom boom!!
A massive explosion rang out, and hordes of Reed Sparrows burst from the reeds.
Matching the blast, rewards poured into my Status.
One explosion wiped out a ton of Reed Sparrows.
Garujan's level has risen.
Garujan's level has risen.
Garujan's level has risen.
Garujan's level has risen.
Elastra's level has risen.
Elastra's level has risen.
Elastra's level has risen.
Elastra's level has risen.
Lije's level has risen.
Status notifications for level ups chimed repeatedly.
"Da...mn, that's impressive."
Elastra was only level 2, yet she'd unleashed insane power.
Of course, after one attack, her face paled as she caught her breath—but that single strike left a huge impression.
The Reed Sparrows fluttering skyward dove at us like mad.
"Whoaaa!!"
Garujan, all bravado before, freaked out at the swarm incoming.
She swung her twin spears wildly, but two couldn't block them all.
Garujan braced for hits but felt no pain.
Lije's shield protected Garujan and Elastra.
"Ooooh!"
Garujan let out her signature shout and attacked boldly.
Without worrying about damage, she went all-out.
While Garujan attacked and Lije defended, Elastra gathered energy again.
Her first hit caught them resting in the reeds for big damage, but now airborne, unsure how much the next would do.
Moments later, Elastra's orb shot skyward.
It exploded amid the Reed Sparrow flock.
"Haa... haa..."
Elastra looked drained again after the second strike.
But I got why—she'd wiped another massive wave.
Attacking once every 10 minutes, yet pulling her weight fully.
After three blasts, Elastra looked truly exhausted.
"No good. Fall back and rest for now."
"Understood."
At Lije's response, we slowly retreated from the Golden Reed Forest.
Like before, the Reed Sparrows didn't pursue once we exited.
Lije and Garujan weren't tired, but Elastra was beat, so I unsummoned her first.
I'd need to give Elastra mana gear or accessories.
Her burst damage was nuts, but sustainability sucked.
"Next up, Heiji then?"
After tasting Elastra's AoE, Garujan and Heiji might not match it, but they needed growth anyway.
Checking Status, Elastra had earned a whopping 3 million gold in 30 minutes.
Top efficiency in the Golden Reed Forest.