Chapter 73 - Ghost Busters (2)

In a quiet office, a man sipped his tea and murmured,

“Little Valcan...”

It had been a while since a story had piqued his interest. After all, how many explorers earned an epithet in just three months? Since he had taken on this assignment, at least, it had happened fewer than three times.

“Interesting.”

Even the list of Essences he had verified through the Guild was intriguing. Ordinary explorers started with Grade 9 Essences and worked their way up gradually.

But this fellow?

Corpse Golem, Vampire, and now even an Orc Hero's Essence, reportedly absorbed on this latest expedition.

“At this point, good luck alone doesn't explain it.”

It was as though he had used what they called cheat codes.

Well, looking back through history would turn up quite a few people who had blazed comparable trails. There certainly were people in this world born with extraordinary destinies, talent, and luck.

“I wonder which sort this fellow will be...”

Most such people were remembered and celebrated by later generations as heroes or great figures.

What about this barbarian?

Judging by what he had done so far, he certainly seemed to have enough potential.

Of course, his true nature would have to be established first.

“I'd better check before he grows any more cunning.”

This matter would require even more care and caution than usual.

* * *

At an upscale tavern with private rooms, I opened the door and stepped inside. The dwarf, sitting in a chair made for his kind, and Dwalki greeted us warmly.

“Oh, you're here! Sit down, sit down! Hahaha!”

“I'm truly glad you're both safe.”

Misha and I sat down across from them.

“Where's Rotmiller?”

“Not here yet. He should be along soon.”

Sure enough, after we ordered food and chatted for a little while, Rotmiller arrived.

It was eight in the evening.

Was showing up at exactly the appointed time some kind of occupational habit?

“Bjorn, Miss Karlstein. I'm glad you're safe.”

“No, we're glad you're safe, Rotmiller, nyah. I heard you got hurt while escaping, nyah...”

“Ah, even that only makes me feel guilty. If I hadn't been injured, we would never have had to leave you there—”

“Enough.”

I cut him off, since he looked ready to wallow in misery forever if I let him.

“Why don't you sit down first? The food's here.”

“... All right.”

Once Rotmiller took his seat, the whole team was together for the first time in what felt like ages.

After the whole fucking team had been scattered in the Labyrinth, everyone making it back alive was a miracle in itself.

“God truly must have been watching over us.”

With that overly sentimental remark from Rotmiller, the conversation began in earnest. Naturally, the main topic was what had happened to each of us.

“So, Hikurod, what happened on your end?”

“Ah, that?”

In answer to my question, the dwarf carefully recounted their time in the Labyrinth in chronological order.

Rotmiller had fallen to a surprise attack right after we split up. But a well-timed counterattack had killed the enemy Scout, allowing them to escape.

The beginning wasn't much different from what we had heard at the hut, but with the dwarf himself telling the story, we got the finer details too.

“I used [Emergency Restoration] to activate the Guardian's Wristguards again and create an opening.”

I'd wondered about that. So he really had used that combo.

“Wow, I didn't know you could combine a Numbered item with an Ability like that, nyah.”

“Hahaha! It's hardly my own cleverness. It's all wisdom handed down by our ancestors.”

[Emergency Restoration] wasn't classified as a repair skill; it returned equipment to the state it had been in five minutes earlier.

Numbered items were no exception, although using it on them did have the drawback of consuming more MP than usual.

'Ancestral wisdom, huh...'

Given how important Numbered items were to dwarves, apparently they passed down useful tips about them within the race.

Anyway, the rest of their story went something like this.

“First, we fled a good distance away and treated Rotmiller. Then we tried to find you, but...”

We were too far away for Rotmiller's tracking abilities to locate us.

Even so, they hadn't given up, searching all over Witch's Forest. But on the third day, they had run into Elisa.

“What? You ran into that crazy woman again, nyah?!”

“Yes. I don't know how she managed it, but she kept chasing us even through the forest.”

“So? What did you do, nyah?”

“Hahaha! What else could we do? Run!”

Fleeing Elisa's pursuit, they had been forced to take a portal up to the fourth floor.

And that was the end of it.

The fourth floor, [Sky Tower], was divided into stages. After somehow clearing the first, they had chosen to stay there until the Labyrinth closed, reasoning that they could be wiped out if even a Grade 6 monster appeared in the next stage.

“Killing time for over ten whole days was quite an ordeal... Still, I managed thanks to Rotmiller and our friend Dwalki here.”

Ordeal, my ass.

We were the ones who should be saying that.

'Ha. And after all that, they just left saying they were tired?'

My stomach was already starting to twist with envy.

I could live with them kicking back and relaxing while we were worked like dogs, but...

“Oh, come to think of it, I haven't mentioned this. Strangely enough, an Essence dropped in the first trial.”

“An Essence... dropped...?”

What the fuck kind of game was this?

Despite fighting countless monsters in Witch's Forest whether we wanted to or not, we hadn't seen a single Essence drop.

Meanwhile, one had just popped out for them.

From a Grade 7 Mimic, no less—a Rare variety monster famous for delivering at least a decent windfall whenever its Essence dropped.

“First, Rotmiller absorbed it, and then we opened [Treasure Room].”

[Treasure Room] was the Mimic's active skill. It wasn't a combat skill; activating it opened a personal storage space in a pocket dimension.

The important part was...

“So? What was inside?”

The first time you opened [Treasure Room], it contained a random assortment of items.

If you were unlucky, you might find nothing but a few high-grade potions.

Please let that have happened to them too—

“There were about two million Stones' worth of magic crystals, three Top-tier potions, and two Numbered items.”

“The fuck?”

“... Why are you suddenly swearing?”

“Sorry. I was just so surprised.”

For some reason, I kept feeling like I might throw up, but I held it in and asked,

“So, what number ranges were the items in?”

“Unfortunately, one was in the eight-thousands and the other in the nine-thousands.”

Whew. So they'd still made well over ten million Stones.

Of course, since we hadn't been there, they'd split it three ways among themselves.

Why was this dwarf bastard so damn lucky?

“After looking into them, they didn't seem particularly useful to us, so we've decided to sell them. Since Rotmiller absorbed the Essence, we'll deduct its standard price as listed by the Guild from his share.”

“I see... Congrat...ulations...”

Rotmiller had absorbed a new Essence, while the dwarf and Dwalki had hit the jackpot.

Was that why?

I somehow managed to smile and congratulate them, but...

CRACK!

The spoon in my hand bent in half.

“B-Bjorn? Why are you suddenly ruining a perfectly good spoon, nyah?!”

“I'm having trouble controlling my strength because of the Orc Hero's Essence.”

“Huh? But that didn't happen at all yesterday, nyah!”

Well, nothing like this had happened yesterday.

Lucky fucking freeloaders...

* * *

Now that we'd heard how things had gone for the dwarf's group, it was our turn.

“Honestly, I'm more curious about you two. There are rumors going around, so I heard the broad strokes yesterday... But what exactly happened to you?”

Misha might let something slip if I left it to her, so I stepped in and gave a brief account.

Our life after getting stranded.

Misha's awakening, which had happened “by chance.”

“Miss Karlstein, my heartfelt congratulations. It must have weighed heavily on you all this time...”

“No, I didn't do anything, nyah. It's all thanks to Bjorn, nyah.”

“... Thanks to Bjorn?”

“Oh, no! I mean I wouldn't have made it back alive without Bjorn, nyah!”

Despite the occasional detour, I continued through the three religious fanatics we'd met at the hut, and how we had emerged to find a Floor lord wandering around for some reason.

As the eventful tale unfolded, on an entirely different level from their time-killing on the fourth floor, the three listened intently.

“Hah, thinking to head for the Orc Habitat from there! That really was clever.”

“I wouldn't even have had the presence of mind to think of the Djarwi Clan.”

“So? What happened next?”

Their earnest reactions made the story worth telling. Still, rather than getting carried away and exaggerating, I kept my account objective.

However...

“They demanded protection fees in that situation?”

“Two million Stones for the two of you... I feel ashamed. Rotmiller, Dwalki, why don't we pool some money and help them out?”

“A fine idea. We can't claim we bear no responsibility.”

Had they started feeling sorry for me as they listened?

When they heard that, on top of the protection fee, some of our equipment had been destroyed and repairs had cost five hundred thousand Stones, the three of them pooled a million Stones.

Honestly, I didn't quite know how to feel.

“... You're really giving us this?”

“Of course. We've made a great deal of money this time. Surely we can do this much for you?”

What was this?

Was he not a dwarf, but a being of pure light?

“Hikurod, you're a truly excellent team leader...”

“Hahaha! Thank you for the compliment, but do go on with the story.”

“All right.”

Reflecting on my shameful slander of this splendid dwarf as a freeloader, I decided to put a little more effort into the rest of the story.

“What? The Floor lord appeared in the middle of all that?!”

The Lord of Chaos, appearing with five hours left.

“If they poured that many supplies into it, I can understand the protection fee.”

The battle to bring it down, reliant on immense resources.

The riot that had erupted within their camp.

The [Crevice of Evil] attack pattern that had finally activated.

“I see. I wondered what you meant earlier about an Orc Hero's Essence. So this was it.”

The Essence I had negotiated out of the tankless Djarwi Clan.

And our escape.

Incidentally, I also told them here that I had a Vampire's Essence, and the dwarf was surprisingly understanding.

“Even I was reluctant to mention my Numbered item at first, wasn't I? We don't mind, so there's no need to hang your head like that.”

Don't hang my head?

Well, I had just spilled some food on the floor and glanced down without thinking...

No need to correct him.

“At any rate, congratulations. Two Grade 5 Essences already! You've practically laid the foundation to become a high-level explorer.”

“... Thank you for saying that.”

I finished my account with a matter-of-fact description of how, after escaping [Crevice of Evil], I had fled the Floor lord with Misha on my back.

The three, who had been listening intently, each voiced their admiration.

“Hahaha! I knew it from the start. I knew this fellow would do great things.”

“Indeed! That was the greatest, noblest tale I've heard in recent memory. So much so that I regret not having been part of it!”

“Certainly... With such deeds to your name, no one would dare object to calling you Little Valcan.”

One thing in particular caught my ear.

Something Rotmiller had said...

“Wait. Little Valcan?”

When I tilted my head, the dwarf kindly explained.

“I suspected as much. You haven't heard yet? It's your epithet!”

Little Valcan.

Following Barbarian of Freedom, I'd acquired another name.

But I still couldn't tell.

'An epithet...'

Would this turn out to be a good thing down the line, or the opposite?

* * *

「The character's Fame has increased by +1.」

「The character's Fame has increased by +1...」

「...」

* * *

The day after our gathering, I met Hikurod early in the morning and visited the Guild.

We were there to report Elisa Vehench.

“... A priest of Carui, you say?”

It wasn't an everyday report, and the clerk receiving it couldn't hide his dismay.

But his expression changed when I presented my five-star identification badge and submitted the video-recording orb the dwarf had worn on his head throughout the expedition as evidence.

“This... seems to be beyond my authority. Would you please wait a moment?”

We were promptly called into the branch manager's office, where we told him what had happened.

The news then reached the temple.

As a result, Elisa was excommunicated from the Followers of Leatlas and immediately became a wanted criminal of the highest category.

“Checkpoint records confirm that wicked woman returned to the city. We'll be able to apprehend her soon.”

The Guild and the temple sounded confident, but somehow, I doubted that bitch would be caught so easily.

I had no evidence. Just a feeling.

'Tsk. This leaves a bad taste in my mouth.'

So I decided to keep a close eye on any news about Elisa and leave the matter at that for now.

There was nothing more we could do, anyway.

We'd even received a reward we hadn't expected.

“Hahaha! Well, this was an unexpected windfall!”

“Justice always comes with a reward.”

The temple had awarded us about three million Stones for providing a crucial lead.

Granted, we would have to split it five ways...

'Not bad.'

This was just the right amount of good fortune to accept without hesitation. Any more than that, and I started getting scared of what might come back to bite me.

“Whew, there was so much to testify about that this took longer than expected. Let's get going. The others must be waiting.”

Having wrapped up our report on Elisa, we headed to the agreed meeting place and finalized the distribution by mutual agreement.

“Let's split only what we acquired together before we were separated into two groups five ways. Each group can work out how to divide whatever it acquired afterward.”

We divided the equipment and consumables belonging to Elisa's faithful servant, “Hanson,” along with the magic crystals we'd collected through the fourth day, equally among us.

Anticipating this, I'd used only the religious fanatics' equipment to pay the protection fee, so the calculations wouldn't get complicated—

'Oh, shoes. Shit.'

I belatedly remembered Hans C's boots, which had been blown up by a mine...

But I decided to keep quiet.

Recalculating would be a pain, and besides... hadn't I already gone through their holy water and potions like there was no tomorrow?

“Dwalki?”

“I-I'm calculating. Ah! We each get 1.22 million Stones!”

Misha's share and mine came to 2.44 million Stones.

Another 1.2 million from the temple reward.

The million Stones the three had given us as charitable “support.”

The 3.11 million Stones from selling the three fanatics' Expanded Backpacks and the equipment left over after paying the protection fee.

About eight hundred thousand Stones in magic crystals collected over fifteen days.

In short...

'A total of 8.55 million Stones.'

Splitting that with Misha would have made my earnings for this expedition 4.27 million Stones.

If not for that “promise.”

“Ugh...”

As Misha's visibly reluctant gaze made abundantly clear, all the earnings this time were mine.

That was the promise.

Well, back then I'd accepted her offer largely to put her mind at ease, but...

'It's probably better if I hold on to it and manage it anyway.'

Misha was now my main companion.

Not just her Essences, but her future equipment and overall development would all pass through my hands.

Naturally, that would cost plenty of money.

'With that in mind, subtracting the repair costs for Misha's equipment and mine, plus three hundred thousand Stones for treatment...'

That gave me the net profit from this expedition.

7.65 million Stones.

Even accounting for losses like the boots destroyed in the Labyrinth and my lost mace, I'd made an absurd profit.

Whatever else had happened, this was far beyond anything I could have earned through hunting alone.

'Though it's not much considering what I'll need to spend.'

“Why are you looking at me like that, nyah?”

“It's nothing. Finish your food.”

Things had changed.

Following the Vampire's Essence, I'd absorbed an Orc Hero's Essence, which I'd thought I wouldn't get until much later.

I'd also found a companion who could grow alongside me.

'I'd better take care of that first when I get back.'

It was time to reassess my plans.