The Divine Incantation (1)

Elon Busker’s eyes widened in disbelief as the report came in. “What? He transferred as an orc? Does that even make sense? What the hell were you doing instead of checking the character when you installed the game gear on day one?”

“Even Orchan assumed he had created a normal human character. It wasn’t until he saw his own reflection in the water that he realized he was an orc.”

“This is ridiculous. He must have customized a character. How does something like that even happen? Any other anomalies? What about his status window?”

“The transfer team ran an emergency diagnostic. The status window appears normally, which suggests that Lord Busker’s power is functioning without issue.”

The fact that the status window worked meant the subject was still operating under the divine authority of Busker—the very power that connected them to the other world. Yet the man had transferred as an orc. The contradiction left Elon unsettled.

“Aside from the orc transformation, there were no other problems. The transfer team believes there may have been a momentary glitch during connection.”

“Find new testers immediately. We need to confirm whether this monster-transfer issue continues after Orchan.”

“Understood. I’ll select candidates and begin preparations at once.”

After ending the emergency call, Elon Busker found sleep impossible. Every previous tester had transferred as a human. Orchan was the first to become something else entirely.

“Could it be that having more than ten simultaneous connections is causing dimensional interference?”

Elon spun his electric wheelchair and hurried toward another section of the facility.

Once breakfast was finished and the campsite tidied, I cast buffs on Yanne, the goose, and even the dog. I dressed Yanne in boy’s clothing and had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her wear a cloak, then we set off downstream along the river.

“Master, the direction to Hool Lake where the Blue Moonlight Grass grows isn’t this way. It’s the opposite direction.”

“I know. Before we head there, there’s something I need to pick up, so we’re following the water. Also, we’ll need to stop by the castle again in a few days, so think about anything else you might need while we’re out.”

Yanne looked curious about what we were retrieving but followed without argument. A full day passed before we spotted people fishing along the riverbank. I approached them.

“Aha! So you’ve come to buy a boat for use on Hool Lake and the swamps.”

“That’s right. I don’t know how extensive the wetlands are, but with so much water, traveling by boat seems far more convenient.”

Better yet, if I could store the boat in my inventory, it would prove useful in many other places as well.

I paid the villagers ten gold for a small fishing boat and a fishing rod, then spent half a day learning how to row. While I was at it, I taught Yanne how to swim since she didn’t know how.

Once we reached an empty stretch of river, I tested storing the boat in my inventory. Fortunately, it fit neatly into a single slot. We retraced our steps to the castle, collected the equipment I had ordered, then changed clothes and geared up outside the city walls.

I put on the quilted armor, leather helm, and slung a kite shield across my back. With a mace and dagger at my hip, I looked like any other mercenary.

“So you won’t be wearing your robe anymore?”

“That’s right. Robes are common enough, but because mages favor them, they can put you at a disadvantage. Especially during ambushes or surprise attacks.”

“Ah, I think I understand. If I were planning an ambush, I’d target the mage first too.”

“Exactly. That’s why I’m wearing quilted armor and carrying weapons—so I look like an ordinary mercenary. You should change into those boy’s clothes as well and pull up your hood.”

Once Yanne tied her hair back and donned the boy’s outfit and cloak, she looked exactly like a young lad.

“Until we tell them otherwise, even people who saw us before probably won’t recognize us.”

“Hahaha. That’s the idea. The guild had too many people pestering me to join their mercenary bands. All right, let’s get moving!”

“What do you mean the mage Jinu has already left the castle?”

Vice Guild Master Eld of the mercenary guild pressed the errand-runner for details.

“He checked out of his inn room four days ago and left the city.”

“Four days ago?”

Come to think of it, the man had taken the request and departed the very same day.

“He did mention he had companions. So he went straight to fulfill the request after accepting it.”

Eld had planned to mention that people occasionally went missing around Hool Lake despite the lack of monsters, then offer guild escorts to build a closer relationship. But the mage had already left. It felt like a slap to the back of the head.

“Do you think he realized our intentions and left?”

The vice guild master had hoped to pair Jinu with the guild’s promising young talents and have them complete a few requests together. He had wanted to use the mage for their growth. The fact that the man had seen through the scheme suggested he was far more experienced than expected.

After traveling at a leisurely pace, we reached Hool Lake in five days. It was so vast that the opposite shore looked like a faint horizon. The wetlands surrounding it were even more extensive, and something felt off.

Normally a lake this size would have settlements, yet there were no villages. And with swamps this large, it was practically a cliché for lizardmen or frogmen to have made their homes here. Yet neither Hool Lake nor its marshes showed any sign of such races.

I wondered if monsters had driven away all the locals, but the request had specifically stated there were no monsters. The lake itself teemed with fish. The complete absence of inhabitants felt deeply strange.

“So now we just need to find the Blue Moonlight Grass in the swamp?”

Yanne had seen the plant before and eagerly tried to leap into the marsh. I stopped her. The wetlands were full of dangers—leeches, swarms of insects, and sucking mud that could trap you forever. There had to be a reason no people or demi-humans lived here. We needed to be cautious.

The safest approach seemed to be putting Yanne and Col in the boat while I pulled it from the front.

“Master, give me the weapon you used when we fought the wolves last time.”

“The slingshot?”

“Yes. If you’re pulling the boat through the swamp, your reaction time will be slower. I can buy us time from the boat with this.”

She was right. If Yanne could distract threats with the slingshot, I would have time to retrieve my mace and shield from inventory. I handed her the slingshot and showed her how to draw and release the rubber band.

I worried her slender arms might not manage the strong tension, but by anchoring it against her wrist, she could fire with enough force to be lethal.

“I may not look it, but years of hard labor have made me stronger than I seem. Don’t worry about our backs. Hehe.”

Yanne puffed out her chest with a confident grin. This was the opposite of what I wanted. I had hoped she would stay safely behind as support, but now I would have to act as the frontline tank. Finding a trustworthy, self-sacrificing tank was now high on my priority list.

To protect against blood-sucking leeches, I wrapped cloth over my leather boots and tied it securely, then wound bandages tightly around my thighs like greaves. It made movement slightly awkward, but it couldn’t be helped.

I checked the map and began walking in a straight line toward the center of the marsh.

“Um, Master? Are you sure we should only go this way? There’s dry land over there. Shouldn’t we check that area too?”

Thanks to my status window and map, I could see exactly where the Blue Moonlight Grass was located. Yanne, unaware of this, worried that I was charging forward blindly.

“A mage can see everything! Om Mani Padme Hum!”

While walking silently through the desolate swamp, I decided to tease her by covering one eye and reciting the ridiculous chant the Four-Dollar Uncle used to say. Since Yanne didn’t know the meme, she didn’t laugh. I continued muttering “I can see everything!” to myself as we moved.

Yanne apparently decided this was some important magical incantation, because she began chanting “Om Mani Padme Hum!” repeatedly from the boat. Truly, one must be careful what one says in front of children.

“There it is.”

When ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we reached the spot marked on the map, four stalks of Blue Moonlight Grass were growing there. One more was needed, and these specimens had leaves whose tips had not yet turned blue, meaning they were not fully mature. The guild would have accepted them, but since this was my first request, I wanted to deliver perfect specimens. I also wanted to test my growth buff on plants, so I cast both an active buff and a growth buff on the grass.

Because they grew in a cluster, all four stalks received the buffs at once. While we waited three hours to observe the changes, I pitched a tent nearby and gathered as many damp branches as possible, lighting fires around us. The smoke from the wet wood was meant to drive away the swarms of mosquitoes.

“Master! The tips of the leaves are changing!”

At Yanne’s shout I approached the plants. In that short time they had grown nearly a span taller, their leaves spreading outward. The tips had begun turning a vivid blue.

“When the leaf tips turn blue like this, it means they’re fully grown. It’s amazing how quickly magic made them mature! Oh? Master, look at this.”

Beside the mature plants, two or three new slender stems had sprouted, each producing leaves and becoming complete specimens. In the blink of an eye, four plants had become ten.

“The mature ones are sending out new shoots! This is incredible! How is this possible? Magic really is amazing! Om Mani Padme Hum!”

“Yanne, you can stop chanting that now. That’s not what it’s for.”

The sudden voice startled me. I quickly pulled out my sword and shield, scanning the surroundings, but saw no visible enemies. Still, Col had tucked his tail between his legs and was backing away, so I knew something was there.

I should have listened to the mercenary guild and come with a party.

“Master! Up there!”

Yanne, who had drawn her slingshot, pointed at the trees. I looked up.

“Huh? Ti-Tinkerbell?”

On the branch Yanne indicated sat about ten moths the size of two cupped palms. But they were no ordinary moths. Between their wings were the bodies of small children. They had the forms of infants with moth antennae and wings, and their eyes were completely black, as if filled with ink.

“I’ve only heard stories, but I think they’re forest fairies.”

Even as Yanne called them fairies, she kept her slingshot raised. Apparently she didn’t think they were the friendly kind.

“Honored fairies, we came to gather Blue Moonlight Grass. We did not intend to disturb you.”

Since they seemed capable of speech, I explained our purpose.

The Tinkerbell-like fairies descended from the tree and began inspecting the Blue Moonlight Grass. When they saw the count increase to fourteen right before their eyes, they all cried out in astonishment.

Fortunately they didn’t seem hostile. Things appeared to be going well. I almost told them it was because of my buff magic, but I quickly shut my mouth and thought fast.

Yanne still hadn’t lowered her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠slingshot. That suggested these so-called fairies might attack. If the fairies in this game were based on European legends, these Tinkerbell-moths were probably mischievous, eccentric, and quite possibly insane forest lunatics.

There were tales of woodcutters who played with fairies in the woods only to emerge thirty years later as old men. Other stories told of people who gave fairies delicious cookies and were imprisoned, forced to bake cookies for the rest of their lives before escaping. Since this game felt all too real, there was a genuine risk they might lock me in the forest and turn me into an ATM that spat out buffs forever.

“Didn’t you all hear the chant earlier? It is thanks to that spell.”

“Om Mani Padme Hum!” Yanne answered without thinking.

The eleven Tinkerbell fairies surrounded the Blue Moonlight Grass and began chanting. Since the buff duration still had time left, it looked as though the grass was multiplying in response to their voices.

“It is not magic. This chant is a prayer asking the god named Sadollar to bestow his blessing.”

To avoid being imprisoned by these insane forest fairies, selling them a god seemed like the best option.

“Om Mani Padme Hum!”