Chapter 23: The Archmage
Chapter 23: The Archmage
Having finished his dungeon exploration early, Guwon first went to see the guide to report the Transcendent Species and sell the magic stone.
“Ma’am! I’m back!”
“Welcome back. You seem even more energetic than usual today.”
She didn’t even bat an eye at me being covered in blood anymore. It’s scary how quickly people get used to things.
“Of course I am! Ma’am, look at this! I took down a Transcendent Species!”
“A… a what?! A Transcendent Species?! What on earth…”
“Well, I went to the wolfdog habitat, and what do I see but a wolfdog the size of a house! It was a pretty tough bastard, but who am I? I took it down in one go!”
“W-Wait a moment. I need to record this properly, so please tell me again, slowly. First, how large was it exactly? You said it was the size of a house, so are we talking three to four meters?”
“…T-Two meters? No, maybe 2.5…”
“Why tell such an obvious lie…”
The guide shot me a pathetic look.
Hey, is it really such a crime to exaggerate a little when you’re bragging to a pretty woman?
“Haa… So, what items did you get after defeating it?”
“This stuff.”
Guwon took the magic stone and the Transcendent wolfdog’s penis out of his inventory and placed them on the reception desk.
“Now this is quite a unique item. I’ve never seen one like this before.”
“Really? Judging by the reaction of the person I was with, it seemed like they’re rare, but not completely unheard of.”
“The penis itself isn’t something I haven’t seen before, though it is rare. But they usually remain in a shrunken state and require processing. I’ve never seen one remain this large.”
The guide gripped the object and squeezed it firmly, as if to check its hardness.
Whoa! She’s so bold!
Guwon felt like he was finally beginning to understand the true purpose of this useless item.
Does this mean I can stage a handjob scene whenever I want by asking beautiful women to appraise items like this?
The wolfdog’s dick, which had seemed so disgusting just a moment ago, suddenly started to look like a divine artifact.
“Judging by the size of the magic stone, its appropriate level is similar to a 2nd Floor monster. Were there any other distinguishing features?”
“Yes. It was surrounded by a massive number of female wolfdogs. It was like this one male had every single female in the area with him.”
“You’re exaggerating again… If that were true, there’s no way you would have made it back alive.”
“It’s true this time! Thankfully, the mage I was with was incredibly strong and wiped them all out.”
When Guwon pointed toward where Sara and Diana were waiting, the guide’s eyes widened.
“A strong mage who looks like that… Don’t tell me! Sir Guwon, do you happen to know that person’s name?”
“She said it was Diana.”
“Lady Diana!”
Lady Diana? Was she really that big of a deal?
I figured she wasn’t ordinary, seeing as she expected me to know who she was just from her name.
“Is she that amazing?”
“You were traveling with her without knowing?! That’s Lady Diana! The Lady Diana! It’s no exaggeration to say that the entire system of magic used by humanity has been influenced by her. She is the one who stands at the pinnacle of all mages, from the distant past to the present day! The legend among legends, hailed as the Supreme Mage and revered by all magic users! That’s Lady Diana!”
A torrent of what sounded like overpowered, cheat-character descriptions washed over me.
What? The Supreme Mage? The one who stands at the pinnacle?
And I was about to make someone like that carry a dog’s dick for me? It’s a miracle I’m still alive.
More importantly, she’s from the distant past? Just how old is she?
“First Sara, and now her. You seem to attract a lot of very unique people, Sir Guwon.”
“Sara? What about Sara? Don’t tell me she’s some legendary archer or something, is she?”
“Of course not, but… if you don’t know, then never mind. We are sworn to protect the personal information of our adventurers, even from their own party members.”
That was a rather unbelievable statement coming from someone who had just leaked Diana’s personal information.
Does that just go to show how famous Diana is?
“In any case, your reward for providing information on the Transcendent Species will be available tomorrow. Here is the payment for the magic stone.”
The money she handed over was actually more than what I’d earned yesterday.
I guess hunting strong monsters is more profitable than slaughtering weak ones.
No wonder adventurers are so desperate to push deeper into the dungeon.
When I returned, Sara was still looking around curiously, while Diana stood silently beside her.
Try not to look like such a country bumpkin and learn a thing or two from Diana.
“Alright. We’ll split today’s earnings three ways, including Lady Diana, right? After all, she took care of about half the females.”
“Why the sudden formal speech? It doesn’t suit you.”
“What do you mean, why? How could I possibly speak informally to the great and powerful Supreme Mage?”
“What?! The Supreme Mage?!”
It seemed she was famous enough for even our country girl Sara to know of her. But then why didn’t she recognize the name?
“Hoho. There is no need for such formalities. Just speak comfortably.”
“Oh, really? Is that okay? What a relief. So, how old are you? You sound like you’re ancient.”
“…You truly are a remarkable one. There is no need for you to know this one’s age. It is rude to ask a woman her age.”
People who say that are usually so old that asking becomes rude in itself.
But Guwon kept that thought buried deep in his heart.
If he pushed his luck too far and she really snapped, there was no guaranteeing he’d keep his life.
“Well then, shall we head to the inn first?”
We needed to sort through the materials, and I wanted to look into that armor we talked about earlier, but first, I really wanted to wash up.
“This one has a brief errand to attend to. Let us part ways here for now.”
Huh? But I haven’t even let her taste my skills yet.
[I shall visit you this evening. We can experience the skill then.]
A voice seemed to echo directly inside my head.
As expected of an Archmage. She could use something like telepathy without a second thought.
“Oh? Alright, can’t be helped. See you later, then!”
“Mm.”
With that, Diana vanished on the spot.
Magic really can do all sorts of things.
I should ask Diana how to become a mage later.
“Will that be alright?”
“Hm? What is?”
“She’s the Archmage. You don’t know when you’ll ever get to meet her again. Isn’t it a waste to just part ways like this?”
“She said she’d see me later. We’ll meet again soon.”
We really would be meeting again soon, but Diana probably used telepathy out of consideration for Sara.
There was no need to tell Sara everything.
Mainly for my own peace of mind.
We stopped by the inn to wash up, then Sara and I went straight to Hans & Erina’s. For once, Erina was managing the shop by herself.
Right, I guess this is my first time coming at this hour. Perfect timing.
Guwon immediately took the wolfdog’s penis from his inventory and placed it on the counter.
“This dropped from a Transcendent wolfdog I killed. How much is it worth?”
“Oh my? Is this a first discovery? How unique. An item that remained enlarged before it was even processed.”
Erina poked it with her fingertips to inspect it.
A married woman with a face like that. That bastard Hans is a thief!
No. A true gentleman must be able to enjoy any situation with any partner.
Let’s enjoy this. A baby-faced married woman holding a dildo, panting heavily.
“What are you thinking about right now?”
“Wh-What?! What do you mean?!”
Sara narrowed her eyes and stared at me intently.
Can she read minds now, too?
“Are you really going to sell this to our shop?”
“Yes. Ah, do you not buy things like this?”
“Oh no, we certainly do. Noble ladies pay a high price for these items… but they are usually given to the party’s priest.”
“Huh? Given to a priest?”
“You didn’t know? The penises of monsters are one of the core materials for crafting staves for priests.”
What? Why would they make staves out of this crap… Ah, right. The goddess of this world isn’t exactly sane.
I guess that means the priests who follow her aren’t all there, either.
“I see. Thank you for letting me know. In that case, I’ll hold onto this for now and just sell the other materials.”
A staff… I definitely do need a healer.
I could recruit a priest for the party, or I could get the Priest job myself and act as both the tank and the healer. Either way, I might need a staff, so I should save this for now.
“Oh, by the way. Could you recommend a good armor shop? I need to get some armor, but I don’t know any places.”
“In that case, why don’t you visit the blacksmith shop run by Hans’s younger sister? It’s not far from here. She’s still young, but her skills are top-notch.”
The sister of that bear-like Hans…
Well, I guess it’s a luxury to expect a woman at a blacksmith’s.
With that thought, I went to the location Erina told me about with no expectations, only to find a sign that read ‘Hanna’s Blacksmith Shop.’
Hans’s younger sibling was a woman?
When I went inside, I saw a warrior-like woman behind the counter, boldly showing off her muscular, bronze-skinned body.
She didn’t look anything like Hans.
She had healthy, bronze skin, and her muscles weren’t grotesquely large but instead formed a healthy physique that maintained her feminine curves. Her face was wild but uniquely beautiful.
So this is what it looks like when one sibling wins the genetic lottery.
That guy really is a pitiful bastard. Not that I’ll sympathize with him.
On top of that, the shop seemed to be doing quite well, as there were a fair number of customers.
I’d considered various options for armor, but I came to the conclusion that I was reluctant to wear anything that would hinder my movement.
So, the alternative I came up with was to wear leather armor that prioritized mobility over defense, and then equip iron gauntlets and boots over it.
As a Martial Artist, I use my hands and feet a lot anyway, and I naturally block most attacks with my limbs. Just by doing this, my defense would increase incomparably.
Plus, I’d get an attack power boost as a bonus.
“Wouldn’t it be better to ask the clerk for an explanation?” Sara said, looking at me suspiciously as I observed the armor.
“Don’t worry. I know exactly what I’m looking at.”
Because I could literally see it.
Until now, my game-like system vision had only been applied to material drops, so it wasn’t very useful, but it worked on items as well.
For example, comparing these two identical-looking gauntlets, their defense values were 10 and 11, respectively. The one on the right was subtly better.
The reason I hadn’t thought to bring the knowledgeable-looking Diana along was because I was counting on this ability.
“Sara, is there anything you want to buy?”
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t be like that. At least buy a light leather armor. I’ll chip in if you’re short on money.”
Even if she was in the rear guard, there was no guarantee she’d never be attacked.
It would be best for her to wear at least some minimal armor.
“I’m fine.”
“Well, I’m not. If you get hurt again, you might have to have sex with me in the dungeon like yesterday.”
“W-Well, then…”
After I put it like that, Sara seemed to find it hard to refuse any longer. She blushed and reluctantly agreed.
I picked out the best quality items from the reasonably priced armor on the shelves and took them to the counter, where Hanna’s eyes gleamed.
“You look like a rookie adventurer, but you’ve got a good eye. You know how to judge quality?”
“Well, it’s one of my many talents.”
“Ha! You’ve got a smart mouth on you, too. I don’t mind guys like you.”
“Really? I don’t mind women like you either. No, I’m sorry for being cocky. Actually, I like you. If you’re free, maybe we could level up together sometime…”
“What are you suddenly talking about?!”
Shut up! This is the first beautiful woman in this world to show any interest in me! Don’t interfere with my love life!
“Hahaha! You’re a funny one.”
Hanna took it as a joke, laughing it off as she rang up the purchase.
Dammit. I wasn’t joking.
Though Guwon failed to woo Hanna thanks to Sara’s interference, all hope was not lost.
He still had his promise with Diana.
By the time dinner rolled around, he was so excited for the night ahead that he could barely contain himself.
He was eating and talking with Sara, but none of her words were registering.
“Are you listening to me?”
“Huh? Yeah. Of course, I’m listening.”
“What’s wrong? You’ve been fidgeting this whole time.”
“No, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
If she found out, there was no telling what kind of sabotage she’d pull.
“So, anyway. I had a bit of a realization myself.”
“Really?! That’s great! Let’s do even better tomorrow, then! Good night!”
Guwon, who had been giving half-hearted replies to Sara, spotted a familiar piece of cloth in the corner of his eye and didn’t hesitate to return to his room.
Hehehe. The greatest mage, she said.
She must be a world-class high-level. And surely, her beauty is world-class, too, right?