Chapter 223: A Place Full of Stars 3
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Mon-Fri
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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From what I've heard from adventurers who have occasionally come down from there, including Ellis and other guild connections, the 41st floor is a rugged high mountainous area.
It's described as having razor-sharp mountain ranges, steep trails, endless cliffs whose bottoms can't be seen, and monsters that freely climb or even fly around these cliffs.
Single-horned goats and shadow leopards move across the cliffs as if they were flat ground, while harpies fly above in the sky.
There's a subtle suffocation that feels like a protest every time you breathe, the lack of air evident.
Single-horned goats charge down the cliffs as if they were flat ground, attempting to knock adventurers off to their deaths.
Shadow leopards silently bite at the ankles of adventurers, dragging them away, and harpies use gravity to glide down and snatch their prey.
What's this now...
"Get the exact story from Rebecca."
She came down again?
It's unimaginable how such a terrible field could become even worse.
I can roughly understand how a marshland becomes contaminated, but how does a high mountainous area with hardly any footing change?
With these thoughts, I sheathed my sword and, along with Katie who was catching her breath, headed inside the guild building.
There werent many people, but at a noisy guild table sat a familiar figure with red hair.
Rebecca's hair was all tousled like the fur of a large dog that had run around for three laps, and she was furiously yelling about something.
Those motherf**kers have gotten even worse!!
What, how, and why did it change...?
How the hell should I know, you idiot! Thats for you guys to find out or ask the Magic Tower!
She usually behaves like a beast following her instincts but maintains a line with the guild members.
Seeing her spouting curses at everyone she speaks to meant she was really angry.
Her face, as red as her hair, heaving rough breaths, looked almost like a child on the verge of tears.
She looked around, seemingly seeking someone to vent to, and then her red eyes turned towards me.
Hmm, this seems like it could be troublesome.
Hey! Roland! You broke through the 40th floor, right?
Just as I thought, she charges towards me, not just passing by the table but shoving it aside.
Looking at her like this, she seems more like a bear than a large dog. The adventurers and guild members listening to our conversation also follow in a crowd.
Regardless, Rebecca, true to her own pace, continues to speak her mind.
Whats this? The kid broke through the senior level already? Kid's got talent.
Ah, hello, Miss Rebecca!
What's with the 'Miss'? You're from a noble family, right? Since you're a senior now, speak casually.
That was why Rebecca's eyes were rolling back in fury, hissing in anger.
When a startled Rebecca slaughtered a harpy, the harpies started throwing heavier single-horned goats to block the narrow paths.
When even this tactic failed, they picked up gravel and rocks to throw, but even these were blocked by Rebecca's sword.
Then, as if resigning themselves to not being able to kill her, they switched to throwing sand instead of rocks.
...Seriously, did they have to make named mobs this vicious?
"About a dozen old ones were led by one smart one. When they played a flute, single-horned goats would come, but after being blocked once, they wouldn't play it again, so I'm not sure how many there were."
Ah, just hearing about it is daunting.
Right? I feel like setting fire to the mountain, but it's a rock mountain. This is when we need some skilled mages.
Isnt there a mage in your mercenary group?
They dont bother with rock-throwing if they see a staff-bearing mage, just watch from a distance. Our guys are not enough. Should we bring in an old mage from the Magic Tower?
Listening to Rebecca's story, the adventurers and guild staff around us visibly darken.
Only top-tier adventurers can deal with these assailants, but if they don't attack and escape to the sky, there's no way to handle them.
If the mages are out of range, the only option is for a skilled archer to successfully snipe them.
While mages excel in firepower and versatility, archers have much longer range.
As we were having this gloomy conversation, Han Se-ah, who had gone towards the alchemy workshop with Grace, entered the guild.
Three brightly colored heads blonde, silver, and red soon gathered at one table, easily found by the following camera.
Whats going on, Roland?
Hmm, theres a problem on the 41st floor.
Knowing about it but wanting to hear the explanation, Han Se-ah casually moved closer to me.
Pretending not to notice the camera positioning itself in front of my face, I began to explain.
Rebecca, the original bearer of the information, still not fully appeased, abruptly left the guild after venting to me.
Shes likely going to drown her stress in drink, so explaining to Han Se-ah and her viewers falls to me.
-Seriously, this game is ridiculous lol
-Will it take like 3 years to complete this game?
-Even with a born 6 it looks awful. What are we supposed to do??
-Feels like it'll take half a year just to beat the boss on the 40th floor
-Well, they said they'd give you the company if you clear the game, so they made it this difficult because they dont want to give it away, right?
[Chat deleted by the mod]
So, we have to face monsters on a high mountain trail on a cliff thousands of feet high, ones that are trying to knock us down with rocks?
Yes. We're up against monsters as smart as humans, harassing us the whole way through.
...Hey, should I learn some alchemy before heading to the 41st floor? I think I need to prepare a bunch of alchemical arrowheads for Grace.
Han Se-ah, having heard the entire story, and her viewers showed a similar reaction to mine.
Regardless of the temple's support or the royal family's recognition, if we can't find a way to deal with those harpies, a hard time is surely in store for us.
