Chapter 60
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Foxkin Beastkin Tipina
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Supreme Awakening Stone?
With that, I recalled what the Ice Queen had told me yesterday about the Awakening Stones.
Low-grade Awakening Stones grant E- to F-rank abilities, and mid-grade ones grant C- to D-rank abilities.
'High-grade would be A- to B-rank.'
Therefore, a Supreme Awakening Stone, which was even higher than high-grade...
Yes. It probably grants an S-rank ability.
As I expected, the Ice Queen also guessed it would be an S-rank ability.
As you know, Castaway, S-rank abilities are incredibly valuable. There are only five S-rank Awakeners in Korea right now.
Only five? That's pretty few.
Yes. But with this Supreme Awakening Stone, we could add one more S-rank Awakener. It would obviously be a huge boost to our forces.
Moreover, judging by how eagerly the Ice Queen was explaining, it seemed like she wanted the Supreme Awakening Stone too.
'Of course. Supreme Awakening Stones are impossible to obtain even if you want one.'
It had been revealed that Supreme Awakening Stones came from stage-5 variant zombies.
But stage-5 variant zombies only appeared after the Zombie Queen showed up, so they were unobtainable right now.
'If I used an Awakening Stone...'
I thought it over based on the info the Ice Queen had shared yesterday.
My Telekinesis was currently A-rank, so consuming a Supreme Awakening Stone could make it S-rank.
'She said that consuming an Awakening Stone higher than your current rank upgrades it.'
Of course, it wasn't without risks.
'Just a 50% chance.'
The exact probability hadn't been confirmed, but the Ice Queen said it was about 50%.
So, if I used the Supreme Awakening Stone, there was a 50% chance my Telekinesis would become S-rank.
To be honest, I really need that Supreme Awakening Stone. But if you want it, Castaway, I'll give it to you.
I briefly imagined my Telekinesis breaking through all odds to reach S-rank.
How would my combat style change when delving into the labyrinth afterward?
'Obviously, I'd just shoot guns.'
Whether A-rank or S-rank, I'd probably stick to firing guns with Telekinesis anyway.
I might swing a melee weapon depending on the situation, but I doubted it would make a dramatic difference.
'I could give it to the Hero Party...'
But that might cause other issues.
In any case, I figured the Ice Queen needed it more than I did, so I decided to yield it.
You take the Supreme Awakening Stone, Ice Queen. In exchange, please gather as many mid-grade, low-grade Awakening Stones, and bloodstones as you can.
Mid-grade and low-grade Awakening Stones?
Yes. I need them for something.
The Golden King had told me to gather as many Awakening Stones as possible too.
Plus, I'd have to focus on Channel 4 for a while, so I chose mid-grade and low-grade over the Supreme one.
I think we can gather them by trading items like before.
No. Offer 1,000 points worth of items for low-grade, and 3,000 for mid-grade.
Trading items for Awakening Stones and bloodstones like before wasn't very efficient.
I was steadily earning points anyway, so I switched to buying them directly.
At those rates, you'll gather a ton. Is there a reason?
Something came up on Channel 4. I'll stop once it's sorted.
Got it. Oh, what if someone offers a high-grade Awakening Stone? What then?
High-grade Awakening Stone?
10,000... no, offer 15,000 points worth of items.
I raised it to 15,000 points, but I doubted anyone would trade for that.
It was far easier to gather 15 low-grade Awakening Stones than one high-grade.
'Low-grade come from stage-2 variants.'
High-grade required taking down stage-4 variants.
It was just the difference between 2 and 4, but in reality, it was like 100 zombies versus 10,000.
'Stage-2 have the power of 100 zombies. Stage-4 have the power of 10,000.'
So, getting 15 low-grade from stage-2 zombies was the better deal.
'Mid-grade might be the same if I think about it.'
I considered raising the mid-grade price too, but decided to leave it for now.
Yes. Luckily, a long-range teleporter Awakener just joined us, so trading should pick up.
A long-range teleporter?
It means we can expand item sales across all of Korea. Oh, don't you need bloodstones too?
Of course I needed bloodstones.
Got any good ideas?
How about offering 20 points worth of items per bloodstone, like the Awakening Stones?
'Guess that's the way to go.'
I needed bloodstones for myself and everyone around me, so I had to gather them somehow.
I wasn't sure if anyone would sell at 20 points each, but I agreed to give it a shot.
Yes. Please do that.
I'll get moving right now. And... thank you so much. For yielding the Supreme Awakening Stone.
No problem. I got plenty of other stuff in return, so it's fine.
Besides, it wasn't an exaggeration to say I hadn't done much directly in this war.
'The Dream Demon was taken down by Channel 7's Yoo Hyun-min and Channel 5's witch Viena.'
The Explosive Pulverizer was just something the Quick Fix Doctor☆ from Channel 4 got by threatening the military.
I'd sold modern gear via Modern Item Purchase, but it hadn't been decisive in the war.
Oh, Castaway. Um... do you... by any chance...
Yes. Go ahead.
Do you like photos of women in underwear or stuff like that?
"...?"
Pardon?
Nothing. Forget I said that.
【1:1 conversation has ended.】
"...".
What was that about just now?
If I had to pick between liking it or not, I'd say I like it, but I couldn't figure out why she'd ask.
I pondered her intent for a moment but came up empty, so I checked my haul instead.
'Exactly 21 Awakening Stones.'
Checking them one by one: 2 high-grade, 7 mid-grade, 12 low-grade.
'Huh? Two high-grade ones.'
Even high-grade granted A- to B-rank abilities.
They were items that could boost combat power right away, depending on the case.
'And 5,696 bloodstones total.'
Adding my 132 made 5,828.
This was definitely enough to level my Telekinesis to 30.
'But factoring in the Hero Party, Quick Fix Doctor☆ from Channel 4, and the Golden King...'
Maybe stopping at 20 was better.
"Castaway. Time to go."
"Ah, yeah."
For reference, the Hero Party and I had left the bustling beastkin-filled 1st floor and spent the night on the 2nd floor.
The next day, after handling things like registering items at the exchange, we headed back to the 1st floor.
'Now we're really delving into the labyrinth.'
A bit tense at the thought, I calculated the bloodstones needed to reach Telekinesis level 20.
'About 1,500, give or take.'
And I'd have to pierce that 0.1% chance to hit level 20.
With that in mind, I decided to hand the Awakening Stones from the Ice Queen to the Hero Party too.
"By the way, I got these Awakening Stones as thanks for helping with Channel 3's war."
"Awakening Stones?"
"Yes."
I hesitated on whether to mention the two high-grade ones.
Elisicia the Hero had eaten a mid-grade one, so if someone else got high-grade, it might cause friction.
'Same with the Supreme one earlier.'
But on second thought, if we decided as a group, it should be fine, so I came clean.
"Plus, I got two high-grade Awakening Stones. Eating them should grant A- to B-rank abilities."
Rubyel perked up with interest after my explanation.
"What changes with an A- to B-rank ability?"
"Not sure. They say you might get something unique, or an ability with special effects."
"What if Elisicia eats a high-grade one?"
"50% chance it upgrades to B-rank. Failure just gives EXP."
Rubyel scowled at the 50% odds.
"50%? That's ridiculous. It should just upgrade."
"Channel 3 abilities are basically just handed out anyway."
Channel 3 abilities weren't something you earned through hard effort.
Since Awakening Stones guaranteed an ability, maybe that's why they added probability here.
"Castaway. What do you think we should do with them?"
"My opinion?"
"You got them. We're just benefiting from your generosity. So we'll go with whatever you decide."
I pondered Rubyel's words, that they'd follow my lead completely.
It was fine if we discussed as a group, but me deciding alone might cause issues.
"If I hand them out, someone might feel uncomfortable."
"Huh? Why?"
"There are only two high-grade ones."
Rubyel and the rest of the Hero Party stared at me like they had no idea what I meant.
"Like, 'She got mid-grade, but he gives that one high-grade?' Something like that?"
Rubyel might not get it, but people could feel uneasy over stuff like that.
"Maybe."
"Doesn't matter who eats it, as long as our strength goes up, right?"
I gave an example.
"Imagine someone eats mid-grade and gets a meh ability, but high-grade gives an amazing one."
"Ah. Yeah, I get it a bit. That person's strength doesn't go up."
"So, maybe give high-grade to others as we get them, or everyone gets mid-grade."
For me, the Hero Party conquering the labyrinth was priority, so I leaned toward giving them high-grade.
But high-grade Awakening Stones would be super useful on Channel 4 too, so I hesitated a bit.
'Need to think it over more.'
Anyway, as we ascended to the beastkin-inhabited 1st floor of the labyrinth...
"Ah, you're here."
The beastkin tribe chief, Sirien, was waiting and greeted us right away.
She'd even prepared to enter the labyrinth, her hair in a ponytail and clad in leather armor.
"Sirien. You're out here?"
Elisicia asked, and Sirien nodded briskly.
"You showed sincerity yesterday, so I'm returning the favor. We can head out anytime."
Sirien said that, then remembered something and introduced the woman beside her.
"Oh. This is the foxkin beastkin you mentioned, Tipina."
"Tipina."
At the same time, the woman bowed neatly to everyone.
She had long, straight rust-red hair like a fox's, and an appearance that blended calm poise with sultry allure.
'And...'
I couldn't help but glance at Tipina's chest.
It was about the same size as Aila's, the biggest in the Hero Party.
"...".
Lately, with Elisicia and Rubyel, my eyes kept drifting to chests without me realizing.
I snapped out of it quick and looked at Tipina properly. She met my gaze and gave a subtly deep smile.
"Nice. There's even a man here with such a delicious... no, fine aura."
"Pardon?"
What did she just say?
'Delicious? Looks delicious?'
As I puzzled over it, Rubyel explained.
"Foxkin beastkin like the aura of a pure man."
"Pure man's aura?"
"I hear it's the aura of someone who hasn't been with a woman."
"...".
Hearing that, I turned back to look at Tipina.