—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Even in a game world, the moon set and the sun rose. As always, the dawn, born from the sun rising in the east, showered its grace indiscriminately upon the royal palace and the slums alike.
A new day began.
Workers, with weary bodies, dragged themselves out of bed for another day of tedious labor.
The same applied to the maids in the royal palace. In fact, they started their day even earlier than the sun that chased away the night sky.
And so did I.
“Mr. Sage? You’re already awake?”
“Yes.”
I had been given a building within the palace grounds, reserved for VIP guests. Currently, I was the only occupant of this building, accessible only to those deemed worthy by the royal family.
For several days, I had enjoyed exclusive access to this spacious and luxurious garden. Not that I was doing anything special with it.
I was too busy chasing achievements.
So, there was only one thing I did in this garden, something I had been doing every day since arriving in this world and adapting to my role as the Sage.
Morning meditation.
I wasn’t particularly fond of sitting still. But I meditated every morning for one reason.
To function as a Sage.
Being able to use all skills meant I had to perform the training regimens of all classes to improve my abilities.
Even though I was a veteran player, this game emphasized character growth.
If I wanted to return to reality safely, I couldn’t afford to neglect my training.
Meditation was particularly effective for enhancing magic-based skills, so I woke up early every morning to train.
“How would you like to have your meal? If you wish, you could dine with Her Highness…”
The Head Maid inquired politely. I shook my head. While increasing my rapport with the Princess through shared meals wasn’t a bad idea, I had more pressing matters to attend to.
“I have some business to attend to outside the palace today.”
“I see… Then, if I may ask, where are you going? Her Majesty and the Princess will be curious…”
“Just tell them I’m going out for some important business.”
I recalled the moon I had seen during my early morning meditation.
The crimson moon, a symbol of Hardcore Mode, had shifted slightly.
I had been postponing it, but now I had to prepare for an event I could no longer delay.
“Her Highness will be disappointed… Very well.”
I smiled at her.
Her disappointment couldn’t be helped.
There was Sage-exclusive equipment tied to this event, and several achievements.
And if I ignored it, the death toll would easily exceed tens of thousands.
Battles in Seeker of the Eight Stars typically took place on the field or in dungeons.
While there were certainly event-based battles in other locations, the majority were confined to these two areas.
Field battles had virtually no party size restrictions. You could have the minimum party of two, or even go solo. If you were capable enough, you could even recruit mercenaries, soldiers, or entire adventurer guilds.
Dungeons, however, were different.
They had strict entry limits. For example, if the limit was three, only three people could enter.
And no one else could enter until the current party either completed the dungeon or perished.
The lore explained it as divine protection, the rules of the world, and so on, but in reality, it was just for game balance.
Regardless of the reason, now that I was in the game, I had to follow these rules. And this dungeon,
Known as the Toad Dungeon, was no exception.
Annoyingly so.
“Hyaaaah!!”
A female warrior in bikini armor swung her double-edged axe, cleaving through the head of a monstrous toad with dozens of tentacles sprouting from its back.
The monster let out a grotesque shriek—KWEEEEEEK—and collapsed. The lizardman archer behind her immediately drew his bow.
“Haah!”
With a shout, he released the arrow. It transformed into a beam of light, piercing the exposed green brain within the monster’s split skull.
“KWAAAAAHHH!!!”
Despite its head being split open and its brain impaled, the monster didn’t die. It simply thrashed, its tentacles writhing as it tried to continue its attack.
The warrior’s eyes widened, and she shouted,
“Live tentacles! This is heaven! Do you know how much these fetch on the black market?!”
Her face flushed with excitement, she charged towards the tentacles. A volley of arrows rained down behind her. The lizardman archer’s Multiple Shot severed the tentacles one by one, and with each severed tentacle, the warrior screamed.
“No!!”
Despite her protests, every tentacle was pierced by an arrow. Finally silenced, the warrior glared at the lizardman, eyes narrowed.
“You should have left at least one!”
“Whatever.”
The lizardman archer flicked his forked tongue, his long tail thumping against the ground.
The warrior pointed her axe at him.
“You little…”
“Whatever.”
“Is ‘whatever’ the only word you know?”
“Whatever.”
“Hey! Sage! Say something!! You know how much a single one of those tentacles sells for in the back alleys!!”
I understood both the warrior’s fury and the lizardman’s indifference.
But I had something to say first.
“Stop stepping on the floor, you goddamn idiots.”
One of the monster’s attacks cursed the floor. It inflicted a continuous damage debuff. Any decent player would avoid touching the floor during the fight, but these two were stomping around carelessly.
I was about to throw up from having to heal them constantly.
It was boosting my “Master Healer” achievement progress, but it was still exhausting.
“Mr. Sage! You can’t say such things!”
Had I been that harsh? I reflected on my words and concluded,
“It’s perfectly acceptable to curse at people who step on cursed floors while you’re healing them.”
They should be grateful I wasn’t slapping them.
“Tch.”
While we bickered, the lizardman began gathering the tentacles.
He collected the severed tentacles, pierced by his arrows, and stuffed them into his bag. The warrior pouted.
“Ugh. Looks like I’m not getting any bonus rewards.”
“We completed the request, didn’t we? Human woman, you’re too greedy.”
“What would a lizard like you know?”
The warrior scoffed. The lizardman thumped his tail against the ground again in annoyance. Meanwhile, I walked past the monster’s corpse and examined the wall.
“Mr. Sage, what are you looking at?”
“Something I need to check.”
I wasn’t interested in the tentacles, the proof of quest completion. Even if I didn’t receive a reward, the quest would be marked as complete, and I would still get the achievement points.
What I was interested in was this.
“Sage, what is so fascinating about this drawing?”
The lizardman, hissing like a snake, approached and looked at the wall alongside me.
Painted on the wall was a grotesque monster with nine tentacles. The warrior, having collected all the tentacles, slung her bulging bag over her shoulder and walked towards us.
“Ugh~ Let’s go. I’m tired. Hey, lizard, Sage, drinks on me tonight?”
I ignored her invitation, continuing to examine the monster on the wall. Finally, I found what I was looking for.
“What’s that?”
I pressed a hidden switch. A mechanism within the wall clicked, and a small gem, cleverly concealed, dropped out.
The gem was the color of blood, like the moon in the night sky.
“Huh? What’s that?”
“A new discovery.”
“As promised, it’s mine.”
I had negotiated with my party members before entering the dungeon. You can have all the rewards. But any additional discoveries belong to me.
My objective had been the quest completion points and this gem, so I had no regrets.
The warrior looked back and forth between her bulging bag and the red gem in my hand, then grinned.
“Well… we did agree on that, but now that I see it…”
“See what?”
“My appraiser’s eye tells me that gem isn’t worth much. You should take a couple more tentacles. Here, take these.”
“…Uh… No, that’s unnecessary.”
I had been preparing a sneak attack, but I reconsidered. I hadn’t expected her to try this.
If she had tried to betray me for no reason, I would have cursed her and attacked, but it seemed she wasn’t that malicious.
“What’s with that look? Did you think I was going to take it too? Aww~ Mr. Sage, you wound me~. I’m not that greedy.”
Grinning, she took a step closer. A wave of her scent, a mix of sweat and perfume, tickled my nose.
“Of course, I am greedy in bed. Ahh, seeing those tentacles got me all hot and bothered~. I wonder who’s going to satisfy me tonight~?”
I had anticipated this. I had suffered enough from this warrior’s nymphomania during our previous party. She had relentlessly flirted with me and other adventurers at the guild…
“Foolish and lewd human. Take your useless copulation elsewhere.”
The perfectly rational lizardman thumped his tail against the ground again.
He clearly wanted to leave as soon as possible.
Dungeons were inherently stressful and anxiety-inducing environments.
The lizardman, despite his physical prowess, was vulnerable to mental attacks. He voiced his displeasure.
The warrior, her lustful advances interrupted, frowned.
“You’ve been really annoying me.”
“Hmph. YOU’ve been annoying me.”
“Oh, really?”
The warrior grinned menacingly, raising her axe. The lizardman notched an arrow.
The reason they were resorting to weapons after just a few words was probably due to the ominous red glow emanating from the gem and the stressful environment of the dungeon.
Knowing this would escalate into a bloodbath, I reached for the lute strapped to my back.
–Strum~
The gentle melody of the lute strings filled the air, washing over the warrior and the lizardman.
It was Stress Reduction Melody, one of the Bard’s skills.
If I left them alone, they would continue arguing and eventually come to blows.
Not wanting to witness that, I finished playing. The two of them lowered their weapons and started laughing.
“Ahaha! He cracked! He cracked a note!”
“…Is this human music? Though flawed, it is pleasant.”
As they said, I had messed up a bit, but the effect was still there.
Of course, focusing on controlling their stress had increased my own, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle.
“Let’s go.”
I slung the lute back over my shoulder. They nodded and obediently started towards the dungeon exit. I hung back, slipping the red gem into my pocket.
“Ah, Mr. Sage, what is that gem, anyway?”
“A precaution against an impending threat. But it’s nothing to worry about. I’ll handle it.”
“Sage, if you require assistance, I am willing to offer my aid.”
I simply smiled at the lizardman’s offer. Understanding my silent refusal, he flicked his tail. The warrior giggled.
I glanced at the pocket containing the gem.
Yes.
This was preparation for an event that had nothing to do with them.
Leaving the dungeon and returning to the guild, I listened to the warrior and lizardman chatter.
About the situation on the battlefield, about Leventia’s rampage,
About the Hero’s change in demeanor,
About the Elven Archer Evangeline’s sudden disappearance from the battlefield.
None of it was particularly useful information.
The adventurers at the guild offered similar useless gossip, so I declined their invitation for drinks and returned to the palace.
Lucille, who had completed the tasks I’d assigned her, was waiting for me. We strolled through the garden, chatting and continuing her lessons.
She was progressing surprisingly well.
After a long day, I returned to my room to rest.
A knight rushed towards me, her face pale.
“M- Mr. Sage!”
“Hmm?”
It was a female knight from the Lily Knights. Her face was ashen as she gasped for breath, her voice barely a whisper.
“A- Apparently, there’s been… an incident… on the battlefield where the Hero is stationed… General Leoden… requests your wisdom…”
Her urgent report made my senses tingle, and I unconsciously touched the gem in my pocket.
“N- New monsters… never seen before… have suddenly appeared on the battlefield… General Leoden requests… your presence… to offer your… advice…”
New monsters.
A new dungeon.
The omens of the “Pale Moon” event, an event with valuable items and several achievements, were spreading from the battlefield.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Benefits