Chapter 686: Travel Plans
A good number of my skills and traits were cooldown-based, so once the pocket watch was completed, my combat power would jump dramatically.
Managing things like [Austerity] and [Invitation] would become much easier too, which meant my companions’ growth would accelerate as well.
So I spoke politely into the crystal orb.
“I’ll come by as soon as I can.”
Make sure it is within the month. Meteor Dragon says the time permitted to him is not abundant.I had already promised that if I went to Hyeseong New City, I would meet Meteor Dragon as well.
“Not much time” sounded less like he was busy and more like, physically, we might not be able to meet if I waited too long.
Is something going to happen?
Meteor Dragon, true to the name, had deep ties to the stars and was skilled in astrology as well.
There was a chance he had foreseen some ominous event.
“Of course I’ll be there before then.”
Good. Consult Manager Ahn as well.“Understood.”
Just as the Dark Dragon Lord said, the moment the call ended, we handed things over to Ahn Jeongmi.
Then I relayed the entire conversation we had just had.
They asked in a polite tone,
In that case, when are you planning to visit?“I think it’ll be two weeks from now.”
Because for the time being, it was raid week.
I needed to complete the pocket watch as quickly as possible, but I could not afford to give up dungeon rewards either.
Especially this time, since I would be going around gathering related items.
“More precisely, I’m planning to leave on the first day of next PvP week.”
In other words, clear my quota and sub quest, then board the train right away.
At that, Ahn Jeongmi’s gaze shifted slightly to the side, as if they were rapidly reading through something.
I checked the requests our side has registered for that period. It does not seem lacking, but if you need more, please let me know at any time.“I’ll pick from the list. As long as it doesn’t interfere with the schedule.”
Yes, understood.“I’ll settle it for sure and contact you.”
The call with Ahn Jeongmi ended soon after.
I pulled my eyes away from the crystal orb and looked at Seo Ye-in.
Her gray eyes, along with Fast-Luckless’s, were shining brightly.
From both sides, they took turns tugging lightly at my clothes.
“Our house.”
Our house.“Depart.”
For the train.“Just bring yourself.”
Everything’s at our house.Rocking left and right under the assault, I answered,
“You two sure are in a hurry. First we need to make something called a plan. When we’re going, how long we’ll stay, that kind of thing.”
“...Leave now.”
Let’s go stay for a year.“I cannot accept demands that ridiculous. You heard everything I said to the butler, so don’t start being unreasonable.”
“...Our house.”
We couldn’t go together during winter break.“I know. Me too. But calm down first, and let’s talk about it leisurely.”
“...Confirmed.”
“Should we eat first?”
“Yeah.”
Soon after, we moved to the student cafeteria and finished a simple meal.
Then, spooning up the sherbet that came out for dessert, I pulled up the .
An external request list immediately spilled down the screen.
Each entry included information like difficulty, region, required time, reward, and the like.
A few examples:
[Mine Exploration(C)]
▷Client: Blacksmith Guild
▷Explore undisclosed sections and eliminate hazards
▷Duration: The sooner the better
▷Reward: Ingots equivalent to C-rank, plus partial distribution of items obtained during exploration
▷Note: Additional compensation if a search-type mage participates
[Blood Cult Extermination(B)]
▷Client: Murim Alliance of the Righteous Path
▷An extermination force is being assembled to strike a Blood Cult branch
▷Time remaining: 8 days
▷Reward: Spiritual medicine equivalent to B-rank
[Clinical Trial(E)]
▷Client: Alchemy Guild
▷Test the effects of a new potion
▷Reward: Extra units of the new potion
▷Note: Healthy, sturdy applicants preferred
That was the general idea.
The last one was a little suspicious, but honestly, I would probably be fine.
Anyway, for now, it’s fixed on Hyeseong Group.
So I filtered out every other client, and the endless list instantly shrank to almost nothing.
And match the rank too.
The grades of requests we could accept followed our dungeon raid authorization.
Officially, we were D-rank.
Once I applied that condition too, only around ten requests remained.
[Construction Site Watch(E)]
[Gang Cleanup(D)]
[Sewer Purification(E)]
......
......
As I scanned through them, I found one that suited me perfectly.
[Puzzle Solving(D)]
▷Client: Hyeseong Group
▷Solve a large puzzle discovered in nearby ruins
▷Time remaining: 37 days
▷Reward: An item equivalent to C-rank, or partial distribution of the puzzle’s reward
Looks like it was too ambiguous, so they passed it over here.
With puzzles, the time it took varied wildly depending on the difficulty and the person solving them.
If it was a large one, it would easily take several days.
The dungeon exploration personnel were probably made up mostly of people with graduate-level skill, and that meant their daily pay would be substantial too.
From the client’s perspective, it made sense that tying them down in one place for too long would be a burden.
So first they pushed it over, then tossed it in Dragonslayer Academy’s direction.
Students are in a different position.
They came in after receiving all the information in advance, and since their rank was lower relative to the professionals, the reward would feel bigger to them.
Spending a few days might feel wasteful, but if they could build up experience, it was still profitable.
Of course, my case was a little different.
A puzzle is nothing.
After all, I happened to be the unrivaled king of minigames.
Even if it was large, one or two days at most. And if Seo Ye-in tagged along as my assistant, I figured we could finish it in a single-day trip.
Of course, her opinion mattered too, so I shared the request window and asked,
“Doesn’t this look fun?”
“...Interesting.”
“Should we take it?”
Seo Ye-in tilted her head, as if thinking carefully.
“How long?”
“Hard to know until we get there, but probably not long?”
“...Another one.”
“Suddenly?”
“...Another one.”
One that takes a long, long time.At Fast-Luckless’s words, I realized what the two of them actually wanted.
“So you’re not especially interested in the request. You just want to go there and stay a long time, is that it?”
“With you.”
Together for a long, long time.Honestly, I was not that different. The side dishes mattered more than the ritual.
So after thinking for a moment, I made a suggestion.
“That doesn’t mean we need to pick something that takes a long time.”
“...?”
“We can just go there, solve the puzzle, and then hang around.”
The sloth and Fast-Luckless looked at each other.
At the same time, exclamation marks practically popped over their heads.
“Excellent idea...!”
Total genius.“A model for butlers.”
Lifetime contract.Every time I start to forget, they shove the contract back in front of me.
I pretended not to hear that part and kept going.
“Then should we make it a full week?”
“Sounds good.”
Seo Ye-in nodded in satisfaction.
Of course, I was not budgeting that much time just because we planned to loaf around.
No telling what might happen once we get there.
Just like how I had learned [Time Resistance] from the Dark Dragon Lord during summer break, there was a chance I might get or learn something from the Chairman or Meteor Dragon this time.
Or, if Father-in-law No. 1 made something for me, I might have to wait until it was finished.
Depending on circumstances, there was a fair chance we might extend it by a few days.
I had also factored in unfortunate possibilities like running into the Witch of Death on the road again, or having a dragon come flying in.
For Seo Ye-in, it was practically her hometown. I could not very well let it turn into a battlefield.
“Then the puzzle it is~”
“Yes.”
Once I got final confirmation and selected “Accept Request,” [Puzzle Solving(D)] vanished from the main list and moved into my personal list.
Naturally, I would have to inform Ahn Jeongmi, but I also needed to tell our 담당 teacher, Lee Sudok.
That was what I was thinking when, from somewhere, I heard the flutter of tiny wings, and something small landed on my shoulder.
It was none other than Chaemi, an eagle shrunk down to sparrow size.
CHIRP, CHIRP—
“You’ve been away a while.”
CHIRP-CHIRP-CHIRP-CHIRP—
As if happy to see me, the thing rubbed its beak and head against my cheek.
At my feet, I also heard a familiar cat’s cry.
MEOW.
That was obviously Beomi, the miniature tiger.
It tapped Seo Ye-in’s leg with a forepaw, then leaped up and settled comfortably in her lap.
“Beomi! Chaemi!”
Soon after, Park Nari came running over with a frantic expression.
She went momentarily speechless when she saw the two lounging around as though they owned the place, but apparently decided she could not leave them like this and tried coaxing them nicely.
First to Chaemi on my shoulder,
“Why are you sitting there...? Come here already.”
CHIRP—
At that, Chaemi fluttered into the air and moved, not to Park Nari’s shoulder, but to my other shoulder.
It even turned its body away sharply, like it did not want to hear another word.
Park Nari made a face on the verge of tears, but still reached toward Beomi to lift it up.
“Beomi, at least you listen to me. Okay?”
MREOW.
It smacked her hand away with one paw.
Every time I saw it, I was reminded that it really was a little hellcat.
The eagle was not much better.
In the end, unable to do anything either way, Park Nari apologized to us instead.
“Sorry... they’re doing this again....”
“They’re just happy to see us. We’re fine, so leave them for a bit.”
“Mm. Thanks....”
Park Nari answered with about 1.8 Hong Yeonhwas’ worth of timidity.
After that, I exchanged a few light greetings with the others trailing behind her, like Gwak Jicheol from the Emerald Mage Tower and Jeong Suji.
Then I asked in an everyday tone,
“You all eaten?”
“Just now...”
“What are you doing next?”
“We were talking about... schedules for outside requests....”
Meaning the conversation had been cut off by Beomi and Chaemi’s sudden attack.
I idly stroked the chirping creature on my shoulder with my fingertip.
Then I kept asking questions.
“Have you decided where you’re going?”
“The Guild Alliance is looking for... a druid and a wood-earth mage....”
Park Nari pulled up a map and even pointed out the location.
As befitted their class, it was a request that required going deep into the forest.
The instant I saw it, several hidden pieces flashed through my mind.
Coincidentally, all of them were related to druids and wood-earth mages.
I could probably tell them about these.
They were not especially useful to me or to my [Bond] members anyway.
And if revealing them strengthened the group’s overall power, that would make world peace that much easier too.
And they’re good about give and take.
I had already traded with Park Nari and the Nature Club several times.
I was also building a decent relationship with Gwak Jicheol, so if I shared a hidden piece, I expected more than enough in return.
So I broached it in an offhand tone.
“If I’m remembering right, there should be a hidden piece somewhere near there.”
“Hidden... piece...?”
“Yeah. Want to grab it while you’re there?”
At that, Park Nari’s group exchanged startled looks.
At the same time, there was some visible hesitation, and I got the reason for it through Gwak Jicheol’s mouth.
“I do not know whether we will have time. We arranged the schedule very tightly.”
“Jicheol. Come over here.”
“?”
He frowned slightly, but did as he was told.
I leaned in and whispered into his ear.
“The hidden piece for the wood-earth mage there? You could use it yourself, but it’d fit your older brother perfectly.”
“......!”
“Haven’t you always just been the one receiving things from him? Every once in a while, you ought to be the one giving a gift.”
“...That is true.”
Gwak Jicheol’s face went stiff as he let out a low hum, then his attitude flipped as completely as turning over a hand.
“I was mistaken. To say we would go only if time allowed, when an opportunity had been given to us... We ought to make the time and go.”
“So you’ve attained enlightenment.”
“If you tell us, I will go and confirm it. And if there truly is a hidden piece there, I will repay the favor.”
Park Nari added quietly in her timid tone,
“Th-thank you.... Please come visit our clubroom later...!”
“Of course, my friend.”
Soon, wearing a warm smile of friendship, I started writing up the hidden-piece walkthrough.
Then, in the middle of that, something suddenly occurred to me.
I told Senior Kim Gapdu about a hidden piece too.
It was one of those tower-climbing types, so I had no idea how many floors he had reached by now.
Considering his skill and persistence were both pretty decent, he should have gotten pretty high, and earned a commensurate reward for it too.
The next time I saw him, I figured he would be A-rank at minimum.
And while the odds were not especially high, if he actually succeeded in conquering the tower completely—
He might come back out as S-rank.