172 – Tactician of the Blue Forest (2)
The next morning.
Kim Hyun-woo looked at Adria.
Adria looked at Kim Hyun-woo.
A deep resentment appeared in Adria’s eyes.
Kim Hyun-woo guessed the reason and turned his gaze away.
…That was what happened for the past 3 minutes since Kim Hyun-woo met Adria.
“My Lord.”
“Yes.”
“Last time, I’m sure, what was it…I think I heard that you were doing well.”
Kim Hyun-woo knew that he didn’t need to answer the question as she was speaking as if demanding an explanation, but he replied with an awkward smile.
“Isn’t Rien watching?”
“No. Right now, Yongnim is sick.”
“…I see.”
“Yes.”
“So, what happened?”
Kim Hyun-woo answered Adria’s question, who looked like she was dying before Rien fell ill.
“Somehow it turned out that way.”
“I see.”
“Yes.”
At Kim Hyun-woo’s answer, Adria stared at him and sighed.
From the beginning, she knew very well that she couldn’t say anything to Kim Hyun-woo, and she knew very well that he was considerate of herself, who was plagued by Yong.
So, Adria, who had finished the story, soon brought up another story instead.
“First of all, I brought you additional skeleton scrolls.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“No, it’s not difficult at this level. If only My Lord had endured a little longer, it would have been a little better.”
“…”
However, it didn’t mean that the resentment she had suffered from Salyong since dawn disappeared, so Kim Hyun-woo replied to her, who answered a little crookedly.
“…By the way, you seem to be getting skeleton scrolls quite well.”
Adria decided to go along with Kim Hyun-woo’s natural change of subject.
“Necromancers have started making scrolls more often than I thought these days.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, because the price of magic stones has been falling little by little since Lartania began to produce them in earnest, right?”
At Adria’s words, Kim Hyun-woo nodded his head.
Certainly, the price of magic stones had come down a lot compared to before.
No matter how much Lartania bought most of the magic stones, there were mercenaries who took the magic stones to other places.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that Lartania is suffering a big loss.
Even if the price of magic stones is gradually falling, the price of magic stones is not falling below a certain level because they are natural resources in this world, and the price of intermediate or higher magic stones is still being maintained.
‘Rather, it would be helpful if the lowest grade magic stones fell.’
The fact is that the lower the price of the lowest grade magic stones that Lartania is currently buying, the cheaper Kim Hyun-woo can make red stones.
Anyway, Kim Hyun-woo nodded silently because the falling price was not a bad situation, and soon guessed and spoke.
“As the price of magic stones begins to fall slightly, skeletons that use magic stones are beginning to be created little by little?”
“That’s right. As you know, skeletons are excellent workers if they have magic stones… Well, the price of magic stones isn’t low enough to mass-produce skeletons yet.”
Kim Hyun-woo nodded in agreement with Adria’s words, and the two began to chat about various things.
“My lord, I think it’s time to get started.”
“Ah.”
He nodded at Elena’s words as she entered and reported.
####
Immediately after the dungeon package ended and he notified the mercenaries, effectively closing the dungeon for about a day,
Kim Hyun-woo looked at the three heroes who would be going down into the dungeon this time, Meryl, Lynn, and Charles, who were gathered at the round table, and spoke.
“As I mentioned last time, today’s goal is to conquer the dungeon.”
“I understand.”
“Me too!”
“I know.”
Kim Hyun-woo continued, looking at the three heroes who answered individually.
“The goal is the 28th floor. But as you know, there’s no need to push yourself that far. If it seems dangerous while conquering the dungeon, come right back out. Dungeon conquering is something that can be done anytime. Got it?”
The heroes nodded once more at Kim Hyun-woo’s words.
“Well, then let’s get started right away.”
With those words, he watched as Meryl, Lynn, and Charles headed for the dungeon, and then thought briefly.
‘Going up to the 28th floor all at once is impossible, isn’t it?’
In fact, he wished that the three of them could break through to the 28th floor, but unfortunately, Kim Hyun-woo knew all too well that it was impossible.
‘It’s different from before.’
In the past, the reason why the heroes were able to quickly break through the dungeon was because the heroes were strong, but Kim Hyun-woo’s strategy was key.
However, now, not only could Kim Hyun-woo not devise strategies in real time, but above all, there were fewer people conquering the dungeon.
Considering that there were five heroes who went down to conquer the dungeon in the past, there were now two fewer.
That’s why.
‘I think I’ll have to wait until Lien returns to challenge the 28th floor… Should I aim for the 21st or 22nd floor today?’
As Kim Hyun-woo was thinking about this, he suddenly realized that the heroes who had just entered were not 5-star, but 5.5-star heroes.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t checked their stats since I recruited them.’
With that thought, Kim Hyun-woo looked at the heroes who were heading far into the dungeon and brought up their stats for the first time in a long time.
“???”
Soon, Kim Hyun-woo couldn’t help but make a bewildered expression.
—–
Hero
Name: Meryl
Title: King of Merfolk
Star: 5.5-star ★★★★★☆
Intimacy: Stage 5
Stats
Strength: 142 Agility: 282
Intelligence: 88 Luck: 92
Mana: 150
※The Heroine has trust in you.
—–
From Noble mtl dot com
No wonder, the stats of Merilda he opened just for a test were ridiculously high, more than he had imagined.
“…Agility is 282?”
Kim Hyun-woo, who blurted it out blankly, instinctively recalled the star system of Arteiel.
At least from what he remembered, the minimum stat required to become a 5-star was 450.
Then what about Merilda’s current stat?
Just combining her strength and agility would bring her close to a 5-star hero.
If another player in the game had seen Merilda’s stat, they would have called it a perfect imbalance.
That was why Kim Hyun-woo, looking at Merilda’s stats with a dumbfounded expression, soon started to add up all of Merilda’s stats one by one.
“Total stats 754…?”
Kim Hyun-woo, who soon recalled that Merilda’s total stat was just over 500 10 years ago, opened his mouth without realizing it, and immediately opened the stat windows of other heroes.
—–
Hero
Name: Rin
Title: Ruler of Darkness
Star: 5.5-star ★★★★★☆
Intimacy: Stage 5
Stats
Strength: 121 Agility: 230
Intelligence: 110 Luck: 42
Mana: 180
※The Heroine has trust in you.
—–
—–
Hero
Name: Sharl
Title: Hero King
Star: 5.5-star ★★★★★☆
Intimacy: Stage 5
Stats
Strength: 240 Agility: 259
Intelligence: 79 Luck: 180
Mana: 322
※The Heroine has trust in you.
—–
“Crazy…”
Kim Hyun-woo couldn’t help but utter a curse.
####
As the heroes entered the labyrinth, Adria, who was sitting in the largest carriage that could be called an office at the top of Teinus,
[Adria…]
“I’m listening, Your Majesty.”
She spoke with an expression that seemed to say, ‘Here it comes,’ to Lien’s voice that soon rang in her head.
[I’m sorry.]
“Yes?”
Adria asked back with an expression of bewilderment that she couldn’t help but make at the strange words that came out instead of whining.
[I’m sorry? Thinking about it, this isn’t something that Adria could do anything about, so I think I made things too difficult for you.]
Adria suddenly felt a surge of emotion at Lien’s following words.
It was as if she had received recognition for things that had not been recognized for a long time.
“No, Your Majesty, I think you can do it.”
Adria, feeling such emotion, smiled quietly and replied to Lien’s words.
However,
[Then maybe…maybe…s, since you said you could do that, can you do one more thing?]
“Yes…?”
At Lien’s following words, Adria instinctively realized that she had answered something wrong.
“What do you mean…?”
As Adria spoke with a slight sense of unease, Lien said,
[Well, if I were to go out now, I would have to stay for another 2 months, right?]
“That’s right.”
[Then wouldn’t other women be taking my master in the meantime…?]
“…Taking, no, where did you suddenly learn to say such things…”
[That’s how it was written in the book I was reading…Anyway, wouldn’t they?]
“I…guess so?”
[Then there’s only one way. I have no choice but to eat before someone else does?]
“That’s true, but Your Majesty is currently unable to come out-…ah.”
Adria realized it by the time she said that.
What Lien was trying to ask her to do.
[…We’re one, right?]
Adria screamed inwardly, breaking out in a cold sweat at Lien’s increasingly sinister voice.
I feel sorry for adria
……….
Rien might be the craziest here