Chapter 124: Enjoying the Game 4
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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Wasn't there an old saying about how once you know the taste of meat, you don't leave even a crumb in the bowl?
Having crossed the line*, Han Se-ah delved even deeper into the virtual world.
More precisely, her camera drone began to fixate on me with the intensity of a beast in heat.
If the subject is merely a virtual NPC, there's nothing to hold a person back.
Just like how players hunt thousands of monsters daily in a world of maple leaves*, be a soldier with infinite lives in an FPS world to gun down enemies thousands of times, and constantly raid villainous bosses with tragic backstories to obtain items.
In games, it's normal for players to unleash carnage on NPCs with guns and bazookas, or trap them forever in a theme park after putting them on a roller coaster*.
So why would they feel guilty for peeking on NPCS?
Thanks to that, the camera started moving in a weird manner.
-Is this meant to be some kind of naughty angle?
Of course, the camera couldn't reply, but I felt its intentions.
Not just when I was alone with Grace, but also during my visit to the Magic Tower discussing the golem's mana stone, when I met Charlotte Cavendish, or even when talking with acquaintances like the spear-wielding Lily Debthe camera clung closely, intrusively.
"Alright! Today's the day we finally climb to the 30th floor. I wonder what awaits a colossal jewel golem surpassing the golden golem, or a cave boss monster unrelated to golems?"
That said, it didn't get in the way of our climb up the tower.
When the stream was off, Han Se-ah might be as eager as a middle schooler discovering an adult website for the first time, but when on-air, she transformed back into a serious gamer and streamer aiming for the world's top rank in tower climbing.
Why she's so obsessed with the pleasures within 'Heroes Chronicle' instead of real-world entertainment, and particularly fixated on me, I truly couldn't fathom.
But as long as it doesn't interfere with our climb, there's no real need to raise a fuss about it.
'Yeah, f*ck it. Just enjoy the view and get it out of your system...'
If some creepy, overweight old man were peeping, that'd be one thing.
But being spied upon by a beauty?
That's a different story.
It's human nature to excuse pretty facesthere are fans who'd dub a hardened criminal an 'angel' and argue their innocence just because of good looks.
In the grand scheme of things, a little peeping isn't worth getting worked up about.
Not after all the bizarre experiences I've had in this fantasy world over the past decade.
Pushing those thoughts aside, we began discussing our strategy for the 30th floor.
We gathered around a table at the guild.
"Roland! Who's the boss on the 30th floor?"
"On the 30th floor, we'll encounter the Blind Serpent. True to its name, it's a massive snake without eyes. It might not have sight, but its sense of smell is incredible, so it can detect and hunt prey from a distance. Likely, it will detect us before Grace spots it."
The group widened their eyes at my explanation.
Up until now, all monsters had been detected first by Grace's scouting.
Thanks to her, we always had the element of surprise, whether the monsters were hidden or moving loudly in groups.
But this time, things were going to be different, and understandably, that came as a shock.
But of course.
It wasn't just an average monster but a boss... no, any bosses appearing in the main quest storyline would be a 'Named' monster.
Surely, adventurers won't have the upper hand against Named Monsters using just stats?
Blind Serpent or another typical cave monster - 47.2%
Golem or a new maze monster - 52.8%
Immediately, the pink and sky-blue bars start to move.
Because the poll is straightforward, even foreign viewers seem to be betting points for fun.
The chat rapidly fills with broken translations, English, and Russian comments.
Seeing her viewers frenziedly placing their bets, Han Se-ah grins cheekily.
She's not just fanning the flames but throwing logs into a house already on fire.
"Oh, speaking of which, I haven't updated it at all. Should I add something related to Heroes Chronicle in the point shop, aside from subscriber emotes? Like the Q&A vouchers I had before."
-Can we ask about Grace's three sizes?
-Release the video of you guys drinking after adventuring.
-I wonder when you became like siblings, really curious about that.
-Take all my 386,985,385 points... Just show us you guys in casual clothes... Please...
-Everyone's accumulated a lot of points since the last time.
As so our party left the guild and headed towards the gate leading to the tower.
Taking a deep breath, and savoring the fresh air of the forest, we entered the 21st floor.
We passed a few adventurer parties seemingly searching the walls for golems and we continued upwards.
It seems like every adventurer here is looking for golems.
Well, I think that might be because of me.
What? Why? Golems are notoriously hard to defeat. If you're unlucky, it can take hours. Compared to regular requests, hunting golems doesnt seem like a good use of time.
Grace, always the first to detect fellow adventurers, tilts her head in confusion.
Perhaps she believes that, despite the current profit for golem mana stones, the inherent toughness of golems makes them an unattractive target.
Without Han Se-ah's magic and myself, our party wouldn't even be able to take on the Rock Golems.
As for the Steel Golems, they're formidable enough that only senior adventurers can defeat them.
Thats the case if youre only thinking about the money.
Oh, is it because of the Magic Tower? I heard they buy a lot.
Grace still looked puzzled.
It was Han Se-ah, joining the conversation from behind, who provided the solution.
We were the first to discover them and also the notion spread that senior adventurers are collecting these unique mana stones for 10 gold each. If the Rock Golem's mana stone costs 10 gold, it's common sense that the Steel Golem's would net even more money.
10 gold for a single mana stone may seem extreme.
But when you frame it as 'a mana stone, with a unique color, discovered for the first time on the 21st floor by a famous senior adventurer,' its rarity justifies the price.
Especially the Steel Golems stone, described as a unique color and shape, first ever discovered in the world, requiring a senior adventurer to obtain, the price soars well beyond 10 gold each.
Moreover, mages from the Magic Tower are like enthusiastic scholars thirsty for new research topics.
They dont hesitate to purchase such unique mana stones.
While I hadn't intended it, setting a high initial price seems to have become the benchmark.
If the 30th floor doesn't require the mana stones, I'll sell them all to the Magic Tower for 12 gold each through Ellis.
The approximately 50 golem mana stones accumulated in Han Se-ahs inventory, which I told her not to sell, wasn't something hoarded for money.
It's just that I had networking in mind.
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