Chapter 308: I Cannot Understand
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 308: I Cannot Understand
"Take this—
Heavenly Fire Greatsword!"
In the woods, fallen leaves drifted through the air.
The crimson-gold greatsword danced magnificently, its flames surging like a great dragon. Droplets of blood scattered from the heart of the firelight, blooming into eerie red lotuses.
Then, amidst the dying wail of the magical beast, the exquisite fireworks faded. All that remained was a young girl leaning on her sword, panting heavily under the now-stinging sunlight.
"Finally... I won!"
Ariel’s face was covered in blood and grime, yet she couldn't hide the excitement in her eyes. After several hours of bitter combat, she had finally defeated a magical beast far more powerful than she had anticipated!
Though her body was exhausted, she felt her spirit was exceptionally full. She felt as if her entire being had undergone a sublimation.
As expected, only this kind of life-and-death struggle between equals was enough to truly satisfy her!
"Congratulations."
Her Master’s voice, tinged with equal joy, rang in her ear.
"Being able to defeat an Overlord-class magical beast proves that your strength has already left your peers far behind. To possess such power at your age was extremely rare even in my era."
"Hmph, my goal isn't just to beat people my own age!" Ariel pouted, speaking with disdain.
"Having such ambition is for the best."
Master smiled and said, "Go on, take what is rightfully your trophy."
At the mention of "trophy," Ariel’s eyes instantly lit up. She looked at the carcass of the magical beast on the ground and felt her heart begin to thumping uncontrollably.
It was strange; she hadn't felt this nervous even when she was locked in a life-and-death struggle with the beast.
She subconsciously swallowed hard, slowly approached, knelt down, and pulled out her dagger.
Then, under Master’s guidance, she began to carve open the beast’s corpse bit by bit, harvesting the precious materials from its body.
"The pelt—worth at least fifty thousand Emiels."
"The claws—thirty thousand Emiels."
"The teeth—one hundred thousand Emiels."
Listening to Master quote the prices one by one, Ariel found her hands trembling. However, she forced herself to suppress her excitement. Taking a deep breath, she carved out the most important part from within the beast—the core.
A magical beast's core was the essence of its powerful body, and its uses were vast. The more powerful and pure the core, the more it became a priceless treasure with no fixed market price.
So, the value of this core was...
"At least one million!" Master’s voice was resolute.
One million...
One million.
One million!
Ariel felt as if she were standing in a deep valley, with those three words of special magic echoing endlessly in her ears.
One million, one million, one million...
This was a million!
A million so large that a massive chest couldn't even hold it all!
This was bliss!
"It’s so strange, Master."
Ariel took a deep breath and rubbed her tingling nose, saying, "Back when the black market wasn't closed, I could earn a million too. So why am I so happy this time specifically?"
"This is likely the reward for your hard work," Master laughed.
"I told you before, you won't be troubled by poverty forever because you'll never lack the means to make money. If anything, your previous situation was the anomaly."
"Right, exactly! That was just an anomaly!"
Ariel gripped the core tightly, feeling all the gloom and worry of the past days vanish.
She didn't have to eat black bread every day anymore.
She didn't have to be stingy, racking her brain to calculate the use of every single cent.
And she certainly didn't have to spend Liya’s money anymore, making herself look like some "pretty boy" living off a woman!
This was just the beginning—a very good beginning. From now on, she, Ariel Bugard, would never be troubled by money again!
One day, whether in strength or wealth, she would far surpass that damned Muen Campbell!
"Oh, right! Liya! I have to tell Liya the good news right away!"
Ariel was so excited she almost jumped. She instinctively glanced at the sky.
"Ah, it’s already so late. My secret outing has probably been exposed by now."
"But it doesn't matter! Liya won't blame me. Why? Because I earned a million! A million!"
The thought of the scolding or pouting she might receive from Liya for sneaking out in the middle of the night was completely tossed to the back of Ariel's mind.
She was already starting to think about how to allocate this huge sum of money once they reached Arielze.
First, she had to pay Liya back. Even though Liya kept saying she didn't need to, she absolutely had to. According to Rule Nine of The Experienced Lady's Seduction Guide, before a relationship is finalized, both parties must be kept on equal footing.
Then, she would maintain her beloved greatsword and buy various materials she and Liya needed—especially materials for making magic scrolls. Once she had those, she would definitely be able to make another fortune.
After all, a place like Arielze was bound to have a black market!
And then... and then came the main event.
She heard their group would stay in Arielze for about three days. With such ample time and the ample funds in her hand, she could...
Go on a date!
That’s right, invite Liya on a date!
Even if she couldn't use that specific word yet, she could invite her to go shopping alone, to enjoy a world for two, and use various methods to close the distance between them. How was that any different from a date?
This was a golden opportunity to advance their relationship!
"Haha! Lovely Liya, here I come!
Wonderful date, here I come too!"
And so, after envisioning all these beautiful things, Ariel began to head back the way she came with excited steps.
...
"Eh?"
"Eh-eh-eh?"
"Eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh?"
The excitement hadn't even faded from Ariel’s face, yet she stood frozen, staring at the scene before her.
It was as if a hurricane had swept through. The trees nearby had been flattened, snapped, and uprooted in unison, creating a massive clearing and a depression that looked like a meteor strike.
What was once a dense forest where sunlight could barely penetrate had now become as empty as a grassland. With one glance, she could see the distant, deep, and ominous Forest of Death.
"Ma... Master? Did I go the wrong way? Or am I under an illusion?" Ariel’s face turned pale as she asked, trembling.
"You aren't in the wrong place, and it's not an illusion."
Master’s tone carried a hint of gravity as he said solemnly, "There are traces of battle here—a battle between top-tier experts. Two... no, at least three Crowned! There’s also the lingering scent of powerful magic. This area was sealed off before, which is why I didn't notice it."
"Cr... Crowned?"
Ariel felt her brain practically stall.
What happened?
Why was it that she just went out to hunt a beast and came back only two hours late, yet things had escalated to this point?
And three whole Crowned-level experts?
Where did they come from?
Why?
Are you top-tier experts so bored that you just decided to have a brawl here?
I cannot understand this!
And the most important question was...
Everyone... and Liya... where did they go?
Could it be...
Looking at the mess before her, the most unacceptable possibility surfaced in her mind. Ariel suddenly collapsed to her knees with a thud, and she couldn't help but let out a long, mournful cry toward the sky:
"No—Liya—!"