chapter 27
It seems that the reason Calderik’s geography is bright was because he had such a past.
‘By the way… the biggest tree?’
I pondered for a moment and tried to interpret the meaning of the sentence.
You mean the biggest tree is the biggest tree in the forest, and when the twilight is completely gone, you mean the night?
But what is the last lifeless branch?
“Do you know what a lifeless branch means?”
“I’m sorry, but that’s fine…”
I asked Baros again, but he didn’t seem to understand the meaning either.
As she turned her gaze to Ashel, who was standing a little dazed, she pretended to think in a hurry and shook her head.
‘·······You have to go and see for yourself.’
Then, the immediate goal is set.
Go to the forest marked on the map and find the biggest tree.
extrasensory (2)
The day was bright and we left the city of Bilpek.
To the nameless forest on the northwestern border of the 5th and 4th monarchies.
‘Is this a dungeon again?’
I looked out the window at the scenery while thinking in the carriage.
This time, the place where the mystery was hidden was probably a dungeon. Because Taylor said so.
The difference between the ruins and the dungeon was whether there was a risk factor or not.
If only the treasure was quietly hidden, it was a ruin, and if there was a danger such as a guardian or a trap, it was a dungeon. Just like the last time I found the floating veil.
The dungeon I had to find this time was a place with no information at all, so the danger was also unknown.
‘It’s said that Taylor eventually broke through the dungeon and found the mystery, so it doesn’t seem like a very dangerous dungeon…’
When I looked at it before, Taylor was only at level 20, so there was a high probability that the level of the dungeon was about that level.
Of course, this is just a guess, and in the end, nothing is certain unless you experience it yourself.
‘I haven’t been able to find it yet, but I’ve been drinking kimchi soup since then.’
Aside from the risk, it is a problem to first find the dungeon by interpreting the password.
In time, they arrived at the city of Oron, located on the northwestern frontier of the Fifth Monarchy.
This time, we arrived quite early in the day, so we grabbed a lodging and immediately moved to the Adventurer’s Guild. to hire an assistant.
If it was expressed as the biggest tree in the forest, it would be remarkably large, so I wondered if many people knew it.
Upon entering the guild building, the hall was noisy with adventurers overflowing with it.
I glanced around them once, then spoke in a slightly louder voice.
“I will hire the best guide who meets the conditions for 10 gold.”
drop.
Like a lie, the commotion ceased, and all eyes turned to this side at once.
I said it again because everyone had a long, confused expression on their faces.
“I will hire a guide for 10 gold. Does anyone know of the largest tree in the forest on the northwestern border?”
For some reason, it seems like every time I hire a guide, I get paid.
Well, there’s plenty of money, and it’s the most effective way, but what about it?
I wondered if the adventurers looked at each other, and then voices came out one by one.
“Aren’t you talking about the Mengrodi Tree?”
“I think you’re right. What else could be the biggest tree in the Northwest Forest.”
From the reactions, it seems that it was a famous tree that everyone in the know knew.
It was a good thing. At least you won’t have a hard time finding the tree.
“········ Hire me! Wherever there are mengrodi trees, I know very well!”
Soon an adventurer raised his hand and shouted.
Starting with him, other adventurers joined in one by one.
“You’re damned, who among the adventurers in this city doesn’t know that!”
“I’m much better than that guy! I can guide you to your destination as quickly and safely as possible!”
In an instant, even the hiring auction house became an open atmosphere, and the staff at the counter were bewildered.
I said a little sorry to them. Did this go too far?
Then a loud cry was heard from above.
“Shut up everyone! You said you’d hire the best adventurer!”
The mouths of the adventurers who were making a fuss at the roaring voice that sounded like an animal roaring were all shut at once.
I looked upstairs.
At the same time, someone jumped off the railing and came down.
【Lv. 41]
A beast woman with scars all over her bare skin, carrying several short swords around her waist.
“Come on, I’m the best here, so hire me.”
She walked over to me and said with a confident smile.
Among adventurers, there are very few talents who are above level 40. Are you a super adventurer?
“No, Leilo-san… There are too many appointment requests, isn’t it too much to take such requests?”
An adventurer raised a dissatisfied voice.
However, as soon as she turned her gaze to stare at her, she immediately shuddered and subsided.
“Well, you bastards. If you’re dissatisfied, your skills are better than me. You’re going to give me 10 gold for a guide with those skills? Is your conscience cleared?”
There were no adventurers who came forward and complained. He just frowned or sighed and turned around as if he had given up.
It was harsh, but it wasn’t wrong. The commission you receive is proportional to your skills.
She turned her gaze back to me and introduced herself with a slightly merciful smile.
“I am a super adventurer, Railo. There is no adventurer better than me in this Oron city, so you won’t regret hiring it.”
I nodded and took the money out of my pocket.
“Is it okay if the advance payment is half?”
Leilo, who was handed the five gold coins, smiled.
“You’re hot. When do you plan to leave?”
“As soon as possible.”
“Okay. Then let’s go right away.”
So I quickly hired a pretty good guide.
***
The forest was quite a distance from the city, so we rode a horse-drawn carriage.
There was no problem because only one person had to ride on the rail.
“Hey, it looks ordinary, but this is a fairly high-end carriage? It’s the first time I ride a carriage that shakes so little.”
Leilo, who was sitting on the other side of the table, said, shaking his hips.
In the seat next to him, Ashel, sat quietly as usual.
On the surface, Ashel was always expressionless, but as she continued to look at it, it became clear that there was a slight difference in that as well.
Now, I felt that the noisy railroad was annoying or not very good.
“Oh, I’ve been making so much noise. I’m sorry.”
As soon as she noticed, she calmed down and started looking out the window.
Then after a while he asked me.
“But can you tell me why you’re looking for mengrodi trees?”
Are you asking that now?
If you were going to check who the client was and what the purpose of the request was, it would be normal to check before receiving the request.
Or do you know that you will get involved in some dangerous thing and accept any request at once?
This adventurer named Railo seemed to be confident in his own abilities. If you look at the level, it was okay.
I turned around and changed my mind.
Come to think of it, is there any reason to hide this time?
Maybe it could help you find the dungeon. If you have a different mind, you have Ashel.
“Have you ever explored a dungeon?”
Leilo answered my random question.
“How many times. Why are you asking that?”
“The reason we head to the Mengrodi Tree is to find the dungeon.”
“Ah…were you like that too?”
She nodded.
“Honestly, I got a rough idea. Most of the senior citizens who ask for directions to an unexpected place are looking for the ruins.”
The tone seemed to have taken on quite a few requests of this kind.
I asked again.
“Is there something about that mangrody tree called a lifeless branch?”
“·······Lifeless eggplant? Well, I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
Leilo tilted his head, and soon there was a sign of interest.
“But it looks like that’s the password to the dungeon? It’s fun to find a dungeon with a password.”
After saying that, he mumbled the word lifeless branch, fell deep in thought, then swung his head away.
“Anyway, finding dungeons makes things a lot more fun. After guiding you to the tree, can I continue to help you? Of course, I don’t want to take any more commissions.”
“It doesn’t matter, but once we find the dungeon, we have no intention of even exploring the inside.”
At that, Leilo giggled.
“Please give me an extra allowance as much as I thought it was helpful. And frankly, I don’t expect much. Ninety-nine out of a hundred is a bummer when it comes to finding relics, what?”
That’s right.
Perhaps because I was successful in finding the mystery, I also tended to think a little easier.
Dungeons aren’t really that easy to find.
***
After arriving in the forest, he got off the wagon and started moving.
Baros had to guard the carriage, so he left it at the entrance to the forest and went into the forest of Ashelman. Railo took the lead and led the way.
“But when you think about it, isn’t it funny?”
“···········?”
“Don’t they say that dungeons are a legacy that ancient wizards left behind. But then, they just pass it on to their students and inherit it, making a dungeon like a dungeon and killing all the coming fire moths is a dirty symbol.”
Well, then I guess it wasn’t made by wizards who didn’t have a disciple to succeed him.
Or the eccentric wizards just made it out of boredom.
It’s just the game’s settings in the first place, so I never really thought about it.
It’s okay if you add the background appropriately, but it’s weird if the RPG doesn’t have a dungeon.
As we went deeper into the forest, monsters slowly appeared.
A giant rat, larger than a human, appeared, blocking the way. Is it a giant rat?
I had no idea what kind of monsters appeared in this forest.
No matter how much I was there, I didn’t even know what kind of monsters appeared in an ordinary forest without such a name.
“Ah, I was still chubby.”
Raylo clenched his throat and walked over to the Giant Rat.
Cheeky!
The bastard jumped in with an annoying roar.
At the same time, Leilo, with his feet clasped, swung his fists without pulling out his sword. and bang.
The giant rat was thrown away with a sound like something exploded, and its head was smashed to death.
Leilo said with a slightly refreshed face, shaking his fists.
“Keep going.”
After that, the other monsters were hardly encountered. Even if you do run into them, there are only 10 level mobs like giant rats at best.
‘It looks like there aren’t many monsters inhabiting it in the first place.’
As the sun went down, we reached our destination.
It didn’t take much time because it wasn’t that big of a forest in the first place.
“Now, this is a mangrody tree.”
I looked up at the huge tree in front of me and admired it a little.
I thought it would be big as it was the biggest tree in the forest, because it was much bigger than I had imagined.
It would be several tens of meters tall and the circumference was wide enough for ten people to stand holding hands.
After touching the surface of the tree for a moment, he turned his gaze to the setting sun in the sky.
‘The sun is setting, but….’
The greatest tree, when the twilight has completely subsided, the lifeless branch.
These were the three keywords of this dungeon search.
I’m not entirely sure, but I’ve found the biggest tree, and it’s almost night time, and all that’s left is the ‘Lifeless Branch’…
‘What is a lifeless branch?’
I looked up and looked at the cluttered branches of the Mengrodi Tree.
As I was doing this, I started to look at the branches with Ashel and Railroad.
Then, all of a sudden, Ashel opened her mouth.
“Hey, look at that.”
She stared at something and pointed with her finger.
I looked there, but I didn’t see anything. I narrowed my brow.
What is there…
“······································································!
I immediately opened my eyes.
A twig mixed with lush twigs.
But on closer inspection, it was different. Because there were no leaves on that branch alone.
. . . can’t be a lifeless branch?
extrasensory (3)
“Huh? There are no leaves on that branch alone. It’s amazing.”
Railodo put his palm on his forehead and looked at the open branch.
I narrowed my eyebrows and fell in thought.
‘Lifeless branches.’
It must have been that branch of the tree that meant that.
If not, what else is there? It was an unnatural sight no matter how much you looked at it to be a coincidence.