The Sage's Transmutation

The Transmutation Stone began to emit a mysterious light. I had no way of knowing what it would turn into. The only thing I was certain of was that whatever it became, it would undoubtedly be helpful to me. I had once taken the time to seriously research the Sage's Transmutation Stone. When is the most advantageous time to use it? Early game? Mid-game? Late game? My conclusion was that using it the moment you acquire it is the correct answer.

After all, the route of receiving a precious item early on and using it to create a snowball effect for growth is the most efficient way to level up. If you use the Transmutation Stone to get a rare item in the late game, it loses its luster. By then, you're already strong enough to sweep up artifacts on your own without needing the stone. It’s easy to understand if you compare giving 100 million won in cash to a destitute student who can't even pay their monthly rent versus giving that same amount to Bill Gates.

'I wonder what will come out.'

That aside, what does it actually give a Lich? I hope it doesn't give me something like a pretty dress for a little girl to wear. As I waited amidst a mix of anticipation, curiosity, and a sliver of anxiety...

The light from the Transmutation Stone faded, and it turned back into a pathetic-looking pebble. And in my hand, a book with a cover as crimson as blood appeared.

'Wow.' So this is what it gives me. The Book of Blood, a legendary magic book of which only a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠few copies remain in the world. I hadn't expected this at all. However, when I thought about it, it made sense. A Lich is the world's greatest expert in ice magic and necromancy. To regain my lost power, I absolutely had to master necromancy. The Sage's Transmutation Stone had made a very appropriate judgment.

'Besides, this book is insanely hard to get.'

A necromancy grimoire that raises the dead and wields all sorts of blood and curse magic. Even if you set your mind to finding it, you wouldn't be able to acquire it until well past the mid-game at the earliest. If I obtained the Book of Blood at this timing...

The calculator in my head started spinning rapidly. 'This changes everything. It’s like giving wings to my growth.'

I tucked the magic book and the Transmutation Stone carefully into my robes. The Transmutation Stone would give me two more appropriate gifts in the future. And once I used it the set number of times, a fantastic event would occur. I was already looking forward to it.

"Hey kid, you look like you're in a good mood?" Mitchell tilted her head, studying my face closely. "Something good happen?"

"We finished the dungeon exploration safely, so of course I'm in a good mood."

"I guess... it was dirty and smelled, but the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠loot was pretty decent, right?" Mitchell laughed with satisfaction. Wagner's bag was bulging much more than it had been before we entered the dungeon. We had used up our food supplies and consumables without holding back, but the loot we had gathered was far greater. His extra-dimensional storage was full, too, so we had to shove things into every empty corner of his bag.

That's all money. In my mind, I could already see the beautiful glint of gold coins. Especially since this time, we had filled it with monster byproducts that were far more valuable than rat tails or whiskers, so I could expect a huge profit.

"So, Estelle, are we heading back to Garden now?"

"Hmm. We've cleared the last area of the dungeon, so... let's head back."

Nod. Wagner slung his shield and mace over his back and adjusted the straps of his heavy bag. In a way, this guy was the one person our party couldn't do without. If it weren't for him, Flora, Mitchell, and I would have had to split that heavy load between the three of us.

'Alright, time to go back.'

I'd gotten almost everything I could get here. Yes, I'd done enough. I'd taken everything I could. However, I hesitated for a moment, unable to move my feet. I knew the reason.

'There's one thing I missed...'

I had cleaned out the Polluted Waste Deposit, but I had only collected the rewards you could get from a normal playthrough. If you really wanted to play for maximum profit, there was still 'that boss' left. A hidden boss that only appears under specific conditions. However, for now, it was a pie in the sky. I hadn't even considered it from the start, so I wasn't prepared. Above all, it wasn't a boss you could catch just because you wanted to; you needed luck to encounter it.

'If the vigilantes happened to come here, that would be a different story.'

I smacked my lips in regret.

"Estelle-ssi. Let's go quickly—"

"Ah, right."

Flora, who had been waiting, trotted over and took my hand. It couldn't be helped. I let go of my lingering attachments and left the boss room.

The atmosphere on the way back from the adventure was peaceful and cheerful. It was still a smelly underground waterway where fluorescent wastewater glowed, but now it even felt somewhat familiar.

"We conquered this whole vast area. I think we're pretty amazing, right?" Flora ran ahead like an excited child, or occasionally hung off Wagner's shoulder for no reason. No, she was more like an excited puppy than a child...

Mitchell and Wagner, their tension released, watched Flora with warm eyes.

"Senior, watch where you're walking. You'll fall into the sewage again."

"Yes—"

Flora, who had been bouncing around with her twin tails swaying, approached my side. "Estelle-ssi, now that I think about it, I heard a new cafe opened in Garden. Have you heard?"

"...No. First time hearing that."

"It's amazing! They say a mage from Nirvana brews the tea themselves. When we get back, shall we go together? How about it?"

I see, the time for that has come. The cafe is a place with only minor, fun events and no special rewards, but this information is quite important. If the cafe has opened, it means the main event of the Garden frontier, Dawson's 'Rebellion' event, is not far off. I'll have to prepare for the next quest when I get back.

"Mitchell-ssi, what do you think? You should come too. Okay?"

"What tea? I don't really like that stuff."

"Eh? Don't elves usually like tea? I heard that because your sense of smell is sensitive, you can enjoy the aroma more richly..."

"I don't know about that. It was just bitter and dry to me." Mitchell waved her hand, shuddering. It seems this oddball elf prefers alcohol above all else.

"As for me, I'm going to hit the jackpot this time. I have a good feeling. The dungeon exploration went smoothly, too—maybe I'll win ten or twenty times what I put in?"

Ukyahat— A laugh filled with greed, not at all elf-like. If you checked her traits, she definitely has 'Gambling Addiction'. Guaranteed.

"I want to buy some new exercise equipment..." Wagner muttered to himself from behind, though no one had asked.

Light conversation, a comfortable atmosphere. Everyone felt much more accustomed to each other than before we first came to the dungeon. My first non-named party in Nine Stars, gathered by chance. The mage, the warrior, and the martial artist didn't have any particularly outstanding abilities. There was no guarantee of rapid growth in the future, either. They were just common, ordinary adventurers you could see anywhere in this world.

But I didn't dislike them. It's okay to be ordinary. Because they were ordinary, I liked them.

'I wouldn't mind hanging out with them a bit longer.'

At the very least, I want to lay the foundation for their growth. So that they can do well even without me.

"You guys." I made up my mind and spoke. My companions, who had each been talking about their own things, looked back at me.

"By any chance—do you have any intention of joining the Adventurer's Guild?"

"The Adventurer's Guild?" Flora asked back with a puzzled expression. "Huh? I thought there was no Adventurer's Guild in Garden—"

"Senior, not necessarily right now, but later. You never know what might happen. Who knows if an opportunity will come?"

"That's true."

Living as a transient adventurer in Garden, earning a living day by day, doesn't offer a bright future. To step up, you have to play in the big leagues. You have to leave Garden and go out into the wider world. The fastest way to do that is to join a guild. I'm preparing to do that myself.

As Flora said, there isn't any proper infrastructure in the desolate Garden Western Frontier, let alone an Adventurer's Guild... but I am certain. Just once. A lifeline of salvation will descend upon this gloomy sky and ash-colored land. It's an opportunity you must never miss.

"Does joining that make you a lot of money?" Mitchell said, picking her nose nonchalantly. Ugh... I'm trying to have a serious conversation here. Stop using your pretty face like that. The round ball of snot was flicked away and fell into the sewage.

"Someone once asked me to join. I took a look, and ugh, it was complicated, so I said forget it back then—but well, my mind could change."

"If Mitchell-ssi does it, I'll do it too! Let's all four of us join together, okay?" Flora said, circling around us with sparkling eyes. If she were a dog, she'd definitely be wagging her tail excitedly right now.

"Wagner-ssi too—let's do it together, let's—"

"I don't know if I'm qualified..." Wagner seemed hesitant, perhaps lacking confidence. In a way, this was a realistic reaction. After all, the Adventurer's Guild isn't a local social club that anyone can join. They aren't exactly useless trash, but they need to improve their skills more than they have now. Even Mitchell, who is an ace in her own right, is barely cutting it. Especially Flora... she'll have to work very hard.

But if they really have the intention to join the Adventurer's Guild, they'd better not regret that decision later. Because I'm going to grit my teeth and drag them up to the level where they can join. Even if they cry and beg, there will be no turning back then. I'm the type of person who doesn't compromise once I've set a goal.

"If an opportunity comes, I also—"

"Shut it, Bear-guy!"

Suddenly, Mitchell's ears perked up. She covered the mouth of the wide-eyed Wagner with her palm and glared into the darkness ahead. The relaxed atmosphere from just a moment ago vanished in an instant, and a tense energy, like a drawn bowstring, enveloped Mitchell.

"They're coming... something's coming."

"Monsters, or people?"

"People. They're running... their footsteps are irregular. Are they staggering? They might be injured."

Thud. Wagner dropped his heavy bag ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to the ground. He didn't ask any more questions and immediately drew his shield and mace. Flora also closed her mouth, her eyes filled with tension.

"There are three of them. What are you going to do, kid?"

The party was ready to fight. The final decision was up to me, the party leader. "I'll decide after I see them. If I give a thumbs up, we'll just watch for now. And if I point it down—"

I drew my thumb across my throat. However, I only said that. My mind was already made up. The underground waterway is an area you cannot enter without the Guard Captain's permission. There shouldn't be anyone else in here besides our party. If, despite that, someone else had entered...

"Ugh, huff— damn it, who are these bastards!"

A rough roar, like that of a wounded beast, shook the waterway. Soon after, three men, soaked from head to toe in blood and sweat, suddenly appeared from the darkness.

So it is you guys. To run into the vigilante search party against one-in-five odds. Am I lucky, or unlucky?

"I'll ask just one thing." A vigilante member looked up at me with eyes filled with deep-seated hatred. "That trap back there... did you guys set it?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Trap? Was there something like that? You should be more careful." I smiled innocently on purpose. Estelle is a baby. Estelle knows nothing.

"So it was you." The vigilante spat out blood-mixed saliva. Looking at their state, it seems they had a very hard time because of the traps I'd laid out. I'd love to hear the details. I put a lot of effort into making them, after all. But they wouldn't have the luxury for that. We weren't on friendly enough terms to sit down and have a conversation. Shall we get started?

"Guys." With a cold smile—

Swish.

I pointed my thumb down toward the party members.