Episode 73 Ghostbusters (2)
A quiet office.
A man muttered while sipping his tea.
“It’s a small Vulcan… … .”
It was a story that made my mouth water for the first time in a while.
How many explorers have gotten tinnitus in three months? At least not three times since he took on this mission.
“That’s interesting.”
Even the essence details confirmed through the guild are interesting. Ordinary explorers start from level 9 essence and slowly progress through the levels.
But what about this guy?
Corpse golems, vampires, and even the essence of the orc hero that was eaten this time.
“This is something that can’t even be explained by the word luck.”
It’s like using a cheat key.
Well, if you look back in history, you will find quite a few people who have left behind comparable footprints.
Because there are definitely people in this world who are born with special fate, talent, and luck.
“I wonder which side this guy is on… … .”
Most of these people are recorded and praised by later generations as heroes or great people.
So what about this Barbarian?
At least so far, it seems quite possible.
Of course, the fundamentals must be proven before that.
“I should check it out before it gets any worse.”
This time we need to be even more careful and cautious than usual.
***
A typical upscale pub with a room format.
As I open the door and step inside, a dwarf sitting on a dwarf chair and a dwalki greet me happily.
“Oh, you guys are here! Hurry up and sit down! Hahahaha.”
“I’m really glad you both are safe.”
First, I sat across from Misha, who came with me.
“What about Rotmiller?”
“Not yet. Won’t you be here soon?”
After actually ordering food and chatting for a while, Rotmiller arrived.
The time was 8 o’clock in the evening.
Is it some kind of occupational disease to arrive exactly on time for an appointment?
“Bjorn, Miss Karlstein. I’m glad you’re safe.”
“No. It’s fortunate that Rotmiller is safe. I heard he got hurt while running away… … .”
“Well, even that is just a shame. If I hadn’t gotten hurt back then, I wouldn’t have left you there—”
Advertisements
“stop.”
I cut him off mid-sentence because I felt like he would keep complaining endlessly if I left it alone.
“Why don’t you sit down first? The food has already arrived.”
“… Okay.”
With Rotmiller also seated, it was truly the first time in a while that the entire team was together.
It’s a miracle that the team came back alive after all that shit happened in the labyrinth.
“It must really be God protecting us.”
A full-fledged conversation ensued, with Rotmiller’s impertinent remarks.
The main topic, of course, was each other’s recent news.
“So, Hikuro, what happened on your side?”
“Oh, is that what you mean?”
In response to my questions, the dwarf explained the events that had occurred in the labyrinth in chronological order.
The moment we separated, Rotmiller was attacked by surprise. However, he successfully defeated the enemy’s scouts with a decisive counterattack and escaped.
The beginning wasn’t much different from the story I had heard in the cabin, but since the subject of the conversation was the dwarf himself, I was able to hear more detailed information.
“Then I used [Emergency Restoration] to use ‘Guardian’s Wristguard’ once more to gain an opening.”
I had a hunch, and it turns out you used that combo.
“Wow, I didn’t know you could link Number Items to abilities like that.”
“Hahaha, how could I possibly be so great? It’s all just wisdom passed down to me by my ancestors.”
[Emergency Restoration] is not a repair skill, but a skill that returns the equipment to its state 5 minutes ago.
Number items are no exception.
However, there is a downside in that more MP is consumed than usual.
‘The wisdom of our ancestors… … .’
As expected of a dwarf race where number items are important, it seems that related tips are passed down within the race.
Anyway, to summarize the rest of the story, it was like this.
“First I ran far away and treated Rotmiller. Then I tried to find you guys… … .”
The distance was too far for Rotmiller’s search skills to find us.
But I didn’t give up and wandered through the Witch’s Forest.
But on the third day, they encountered Elisha.
“What? You met that crazy woman again?!”
“That’s right. I don’t know what tricks you used, but it kept chasing you even in the forest.”
“So? So what did you do?”
“Hahaha, what should I do? I have to run away!”
While running away from Elisa’s pursuit, they had no choice but to use the portal to go up to the 4th floor.
And that was the end of it.
The 4th floor [Tower of the Sky] has a stage-type structure.
Advertisements
Having somehow completed the first stage, they decided to stay there until the labyrinth closed.
I judged that if a 6th grade monster appeared in the next stage, we could all be wiped out.
“It was quite hard to kill time for over ten days… But I was able to endure it thanks to my friends Rotmiller and Dwalki.”
Hard work, my ass.
That’s what we have to say.
‘Ha, you said you were tired and just left?’
For some reason, my lower abdomen is already starting to hurt.
I guess it makes sense that they were resting while we were rolling around like dogs… … .
“Oh, by the way, I didn’t mention that. Strangely enough, the essence came out in the first trial.”
“The essence… came out… …?”
What the heck, is this a game?
The essence that never appeared despite fighting countless monsters in the Witch’s Forest without any regard for the doctor.
It just popped out from over there.
That too is a 7th grade monster, ‘Mimic’.
From that rare monster that is famous for having at least a medium attack when it hits.
“Once Rotmiller absorbed it, I opened [the treasure vault].”
[Treasure Chest] is Mimic’s active skill.
It is not a combat-type item, but when used, it can open a personal subspace storage.
The key here is… … .
“So? What came out?”
When you first open the [Treasure Chest], various items are randomly contained.
When you’re unlucky, you might just get a few high-level potions and be done with it.
I wish it were the same for them too—
“It contained about 2 million magic stones, three top-grade potions, and two number items.”
“crazy?”
“…Why are you suddenly swearing?”
“I’m sorry, I was so surprised.”
I felt like I was going to vomit, but I held it in and asked.
“So what number was the item?”
“Unfortunately, one is 8,000 and the other is 9,000.”
Wow, but you still earned well over ten million stones.
Of course, since the two of us weren’t there, they’d divide it among themselves into three parts.
Why is this little dwarf so lucky?
“After looking into it, it seems like it’s something we don’t really need, so we decided to sell it for now. The Rotmiller who absorbed the essence will deduct the standard price of the essence that was posted to the guild.”
“I see… … . Congratulations… … .”
Advertisements
Rotmiller ate the new essence, and the dwarf and Dwalki struck it rich.
Is that why?
I was able to somehow smile and congratulate him, but… … .
Snap-!
The spoon I was holding in my hand bent in half.
“Rain, Bjorn? Why did you suddenly break a perfectly good spoon!”
“It was because I couldn’t control my strength due to the orc hero essence.”
“Huh? That never happened until yesterday!”
Well, that didn’t happen yesterday.
You fucking idiots… … .
***
Now that we’ve heard the dwarf’s story, it’s our turn next.
“Actually, I’m more curious about you than us. I heard some rumors yesterday… What exactly happened to you?”
I’ll summarize it briefly because I might make a slip of the tongue if I leave it to Misha.
Life after being shipwrecked.
Misha’s awakening happened ‘by chance’.
“Miss Karlstein, I sincerely congratulate you. You must have been going through a lot of hardships… … .”
“No. What did I do? It’s all thanks to Bjorn.”
“… Thanks to Bjorn?”
“Oh no! That means if Bjorn hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have come back alive!”
Anyway, there were times when I got sidetracked for a while.
Three religious thugs met in a cabin.
When I came out, for some reason, the hierarchical monarch was walking around.
As the dynamic story continued, which was on a different level from the ones who had been killing time on the 4th floor, the three listened intently.
“Wow, that was really smart of you to think of going to the orc colony from there.”
“If it were me, I wouldn’t have had time to even think about the Djarwi Clan.”
“So? What happened next?”
A sincere reaction that makes you want to talk.
However, rather than getting excited and exaggerating things unnecessarily, I continued the story from an objective perspective.
but…….
“So, you’re saying that you asked for protection money in that situation?”
“Two of you paid two million stones… This is embarrassing. Hey Rotmiller, Dwalki, how about we pool our money together and give them some?”
“Good idea. We can’t say we’re not responsible.”
Did I feel sorry for you as I listened to your story?
The three of them pooled together to raise 1 million stones, after hearing that some of the equipment had been destroyed and that 500,000 stones had been spent on repairs.
Advertisements
To be honest, I was nervous.
“… Are you really giving this to us?”
“Of course. I made a lot of money this time, so how can I not give you that much?”
What is this?
Could it be that it wasn’t a dwarf but light?
“Hikurod, you are a truly great team leader… … .”
“Hahaha, thank you for the compliment. But please finish the story.”
“i get it.”
I reflected on myself for disparaging such a great dwarf by calling him a swindler, and decided to continue the rest of the story with more sincerity.
“Huh, so you’re saying that a hierarchical monarch appeared in that situation!”
The Lord of Chaos appears with 5 hours left.
“If you poured that much money into it, you deserve to receive protection money.”
A punitive war that presupposes massive resources.
And then the riots broke out internally.
The [Evil Crack] pattern is triggered no matter what.
“I see. I was wondering what the essence of the Orc Hero was earlier, and this is what you were talking about.”
Essence obtained through negotiation with the Djarwi Clan, which does not have tanks.
And the escape.
By the way, I told the story of how I had the vampire essence, and the dwarf was surprisingly generous in his understanding.
“Even I was reluctant to talk about the existence of the Number Item at first. We’re fine, so there’s no need to bow your head like that.”
Don’t bow your head?
Well, I just happened to see some food spilled on the floor… … .
There is no need to correct it.
“Anyway, congratulations. You’ve already eaten two 5th-grade essences? It’s almost like you’ve laid the foundation to become a top explorer.”
“…Thank you for saying that.”
After that, the story ends with him escaping from [The Crack of Evil] and calmly letting go of the fact that he was being chased by the Hierarch while carrying Misha.
The three people who were listening intently each expressed their admiration.
“Hahaha, I knew it all along. This guy was going to do something big.”
“Indeed! It was the greatest and most sublime story I have ever heard. It was such a shame I couldn’t be a part of it!”
“Surely… with this level of achievement, no one would dare disagree with calling you Little Vulcan.”
There was one thing that particularly caught my ear.
That’s what Rotmiller said… … .
“Wait a minute, little Vulcan?”
As I tilted my head, the dwarf kindly explained.
“I didn’t expect it, but you haven’t heard it yet? It must be your nickname!”
Advertisements
Little Balkan.
A new title was created following the Barbarian of Freedom.
However, I still couldn’t figure it out.
“It’s called Lee Myeong-i… … .”
Will this have a positive effect in the future or the opposite?
***
“The character’s fame level has increased by +1.”
“The character’s fame level increases by +1… … .”
「… … .」
***
The day after the meeting.
I met Hikuro early in the morning and visited the guild.
It was to report Elisa Behenk.
“… Are you speaking as a priest of Karui?”
Since this was not common content, the employee who received the report could not hide his bewilderment.
But his expression changed when I presented him with my five-star badge and the video recorder the dwarf had been wearing on his head throughout the expedition as evidence.
“This… doesn’t seem like something I can handle on my own. Could you please wait a moment?”
We were immediately called to the branch manager’s office, where we told him what had happened.
And as a result of that news reaching the temple.
Elisa was excommunicated from the Church of Atlas and immediately became a top-level wanted criminal.
“According to the checkpoint records, the villainess has definitely returned to the city, so we will be able to catch her soon.”
Although she spoke confidently at the guild and temple, I have a feeling that she won’t be caught easily.
There is no basis for this, but I have a feeling that it is.
‘Ugh, I feel uneasy for no reason.’
Therefore, we decided to carefully check the news about Elisa later and close this matter for now.
Isn’t there nothing more we can do now?
There was also an unexpected reward.
“Hahaha! By the way, you brought in unexpected income?”
“Justice is always followed by compensation.”
A bounty of around 3 million stones was offered from the temple for providing important clues.
Well, I guess I’ll have to divide it into five parts here… … .
‘Not bad.’
Originally, this level of luck was just right for me to enjoy. If it got any more than that, I would start to get scared because I didn’t know what would come back.
“Whew, I have a lot to testify about, so it took more time than I thought. Well, I guess I’ll be going now. Everyone will be waiting.”
After finishing the Elisa report, we headed to the meeting place we had agreed to meet and finalized the distribution through discussion.
Advertisements
“Let’s split everything we’ve acquired together into five equal parts before we split into two. After that, we’ll figure out how to balance out what we’ve acquired.”
The equipment and consumables of ‘Hanson’, who was Elisha’s faithful servant, and the magic stones obtained up to the 4th day were divided among the number of people.
Since I had anticipated this time and paid the protection fee only for the religious fighters’ equipment, the calculations did not get complicated—
‘Ah, shoes.’
I remembered Hans C’s boots that were blown away by a landmine later…
I decided to just stay still.
Not only is it a hassle to recalculate… … .
Didn’t they just use up all the holy water and potions they had anyway?
“Dwalkie?”
“Kye, I’m calculating. Ah! Let’s divide it up into 1.22 million stones per person!”
Misha and I combined for a total of 2.44 million stones.
1.2 million stones as a reward from the temple.
And the 1 million stones that the trio generously donated as support money.
3.11 million stones, the price of the expanded backpack and remaining equipment sold for protection by the three religious fighters.
About 800,000 stones for 15 days.
To put it simply… … .
‘A total of 8.55 million stones.’
If I split it with Misha here, my profit from this exploration would have been 4.27 million stones.
If that ‘promise’ hadn’t happened.
“Ugh… … .”
As you can see from Misha’s eyes, which seem to be dripping with foolishness, all the profits this time are mine.
That was the promise.
Well, at the time, I accepted the offer because it was for her convenience… … .
‘I think it would be better if I kept and managed it myself.’
Now Misha is my main companion.
Of course, the essence, the equipment to be worn in the future, and even the overall training method will all pass through my hands.
Of course, there are many things that require money.
‘In that sense, if you subtract the 300,000 stone for Misha and my equipment repair costs and medical expenses… … .’
The net proceeds from this exploration are derived.
7.65 million stones.
Even taking into account the damage from the broken boots, lost mace, etc. in the labyrinth, it was an absurd profit.
No matter what, it is still far beyond the amount of money you can earn simply by hunting.
‘It’s not much if you think about the money you’ll be spending in the future.’
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No. Just finish eating what you were eating.”
Advertisements
Things have changed.
After the vampire essence, I ate the orc hero essence, which I thought I would get much later.
Also, I found a colleague who I can grow with.
‘I guess I’ll have to do that when I get back.’
Therefore, a review of the plan is necessary.
