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＜ 19. Arpan’s Burnt Offering (3) ＞ After exiting the
78th floor, a passageway full of bricks appeared as usual. However, there was no one in the party who did not like this ordinary passage. The cool energy unique to stone cooled the heat that had risen to the top of your head from the heat of the desert .
Trisha takes off the hood she wore on the outside. It wasn’t enough, so I grabbed the neck of my sleeveless leather jacket and brushed it out to let the air flow .
The mimic next to him waved his hands in front of his face without a nose .
“ A bow man, damp…. It stinks …”
“… what? You want me to tear off the cover like a crab shell ?”
“… I, I, didn’t say anything .”
It wasn’t even the cover, but it was ready to tear off a few jewels, so Mimick trembled and distanced himself from Trisha. Trisha sighed deeply and decided she wasn’t going to deal with that damn monster at all .
“ How did you do that anyway, Andrea ?”
Andrea also took off the cape and coat around her neck and was busily fanning her hands. I turned my head when I heard Trisha’s voice, but I turned my head because it was a costume that made people feel embarrassed for no reason .
“ What? Did you summon a lot of spheres ?”
“ Yeah. Is that a card that changes the number of orbs depending on mana? How were you able to collect so much mana ?”
“
Remember the artifact I bought right before I got out of the 66th floor shop ?”
Trisha nodded. A goblet-shaped artifact that I purchased without hesitation even after hearing the formidable price. Andrea said that it was a fraudulent artifact she needed, but did not explain its effect .
“ What is the effect of that artifact ?”
“… The mana not used this turn is carried over to the next turn. I collected 25 mana like that, and doubled it through ‘Mana Runaway’ .”
Cup of Preservation. If there was a card whose effect depended on the cost, it was an artifact that made it possible to collect mana and make a one-turn kill .
As everyone has already seen, the compatibility with ‘Shadow Bombardment’ is excellent enough to be said to be outstanding. Dozens of shadow spheres were not enough to break the glass barrier, creating a huge crater in the middle of the desert .
Of course, it wasn’t always a viable strategy. Basically, it was premised on lasting several turns without spending any mana, so it was better to fight with cards as usual against overwhelmingly strong enemies .
Anyway, the idea of collecting mana and pouring it all at once was something that could not be easily imagined. The other party had no choice but to admire Andrea again .
“ Sometimes I think Andrea-sama is so good at everything that she explored dungeons many times …”
However, Emilia’s thoughtless words caught her off guard. Andrea pretended to be calm and turned around .
“ Well… all of this is thanks to Calisis-sama’s revelation. Ah, there are rewards for this floor. Let’s go check it out .”
In Trisha’s box, an abnormal status arrow card and a gray-white goat’s horn came out. Andrea advised to give the ingredients to herself and to keep the cards in the second deck instead of discarding them as before .
Emilia’s reward was somewhat disappointing for defeating an elite monster. A bunch of crafting ingredients, such as Nightmare Powder and Radish Leaf, and some gold. Still , there will be something to write about someday , so I packed everything .
The only thing worth mentioning was Andrea’s reward. As the dazzling golden glow faded, an epic-grade artifact emerged. A silver wick and a white candlestick sway with a small flame .
Andrea carefully lifted the object .
‘… immortal beeswax .’
Like the ‘ Elixir of Stone’, it was an artifact with a fixed number of uses. However, the number of such cases was less than that of ‘Leap of Elixir’. You can only use this artifact once. Instead, as the rating is the rating, the effect was unconventional .
‘ If you use it on a card with the ‘Destroy’ keyword… it will erase that keyword .’
A one-of-a-kind artifact that allows you to use ‘ Destroy’ cards multiple times in a single battle .
It was a relic that had the potential to blow up the game, given that
‘ Destroy’ cards were usually only usable once, but were powerful .
Instead, it also has some limitations. If you don’t use it immediately after acquiring it, the artifact will disappear. When Jung-hyeon obtained this artifact in the game, he had a bitter memory of saving it to use when he obtained a powerful ‘Disappear’ card, but losing it as the candle melted .
‘ I can’t do that this time either .’
Andrea poured wax wax onto a card she took from the deck. Then, the silver flame burned fiercely, and the candle wax that fell on the card soaked into it .
‘ If this card doesn’t disappear, it will definitely be of great help .’
Having collected all the rewards, Andrea received the map from Emilia and examined it. It wasn’t to see what was on the next floor. It was only to leave the 70th floor and look back on the journey they had passed .
Doppelganger, imp lord, grand sorcerer. Three elite monsters in a row. It was a journey full of malice, but the party was able to safely break through without anyone getting hurt .
Little doubts were left behind. It wasn’t an easy journey, but Arpan said that he would give the maximum disadvantage, but it felt a little bland .
However, Andrea dismissed the suspicion for the moment, saying that it might have been easy to break through as the party had grown .
“ Everyone, thank you all for your hard work. It’s not like there’s anything urgent to do anyway, so let’s rest for a while on the next floor .”
Upon hearing this, everyone in the party forgot all their hardships and smiled calmly with relaxed faces .
The
79th floor was a rest area .
*
A pleasantly cool breeze blew through the low fields. The thick bushes and fresh grass lay down all at once following the wind, then raised their bodies to create a soft swell. The wind that touched the greenness carried the smell of earth and the scent of flowers and went far and far .
A creek with flawless water, sunlight shattering on the surface of the water. It wasn’t as vicious as the desert, but it was warm enough to make your whole body feel tired. The herd of deer, who were drinking at the water’s edge, didn’t run away even when they saw the strange visitors, only shining curious eyes .
Andrea and her party were walking along a secluded trail beside a creek. Except for occasional exclamations, there was no conversation to speak of. Everyone was looking around enchanted by the beautiful scenery without paradise .
Tricia, who was looking ahead with her hand shade, suddenly opened her mouth .
“ Hey, what do you think there is in the front ?”
It wasn’t long before everyone was able to ascertain what it was. An idyllic two-story building with a red roof and white walls. Rather than a house, it looked more like a villa built by nobles in a resort .
There was no fence, so there was no boundary between the yard and the outside. In other words, it was like a villa with a vast meadow as its yard. There was a tent on the lawn, and there was a long wooden table and a brazier under it, so it seemed like we could have a barbecue party .
Upon entering, the first thing that caught my eye was the soft sofa. On top of that, there is a library full of old books, as many bedrooms as there are heads, and a restaurant full of all kinds of delicacies. Everyone’s eyes widened at the unprecedentedly luxurious composition .
“… Andrea, it’s the same resting place, but how can there be such a big gap ?”
Marco seemed bewildered that he could still enjoy such a space. After all, the first resting place he reached was a dusty bed and only a fireplace, so it was not unreasonable to think so .
“ I told you. The deeper you go into the dungeon, the better the rest area is .”
“… Huh true. I didn’t expect it to be like this, something .”
Looking at Marco scratching the back of his head, Andrea smiled .
The bedroom was stocked with extra clothes. The party took off their sweaty clothes and put on new clothes. Emilia suggested that we wash the clothes since they will be worn again anyway .
‘ I didn’t know how to wash the clothes of a lunar eclipse hermit after living …’
So, the party carried the cloth on their backs and headed towards the water’s edge .
“ What is that harpoon, Mr. Marco ?”
“ Oh, this? I saw it earlier and it was in the front yard. Since I was going to the waterside, I wanted to catch some fish. Would you like to try it too ?”
“ It’s no fun just doing it, so I make a bet. The one who caught less will do the laundry instead .”
“ What? Do you want to do laundry like that? nope I can’t cause trouble to you who always suffer .”
One of the most powerful ways to provoke a man. Andrea responded to Marco’s provocation with a meaningful smile .
“… you will regret those words .”
Iron puck, iron puck .
After a while, Andrea was eagerly doing the laundry for Marco .
I had forgotten for a while, but Marco was someone who had caught fish in the sea with his bare hands. Now that it even has a harpoon, it’s like putting wings on a tiger .
‘··· I would have won if I had detected the fish using the shadow imprint ···.’
How a man becomes a child in front of a bet. It was Andrea who regretted not using it for fear of looking too petty .
“ Andrea, give it to me. Will that do the laundry ?”
Trisha approached Andrea, who was doing the laundry while thinking about other things. She took the laundry and started washing it herself .
“ It’s okay, Trisha. I’ll do it .”
“ All right, all right. Watching you do the laundry is more painful .”
I tried to take it back, but I was so good at it that I got much faster every time I did it, so I had nothing to say .
“ Thank you, Trisha .”
“ Good if you know .”
Trisha replied with a smile .
Marco, who had left the job, was splashing around with the Mimic. Mimic was quite excited as it was the first time he had seen so much water. After finishing the laundry, Emilia also pulled her skirt up to her knees and dipped her feet into the stream .
Andrea stared blankly at the scene. Trisha looked at the party for a while following that gaze, then lowered her head again .
“ Something is awkward. Because it is so peaceful .”
“… that ‘s right .”
It was the first complete peace they both experienced after entering the dungeon. The moment when you realize how breathlessly you have been running without being able to rest. Trisha’s eyes, shining black and red, were soaked in emotion .
“ I wish I could stay like this forever. Between us .”
“…”
Zira Andrea, whose tone was strange, stared at Trisha. Trisha later realized what she was saying and looked around in a hurry .
“ Oh, no. I mean… not with you and me, but with our companions !”
“… I didn’t say anything in particular ?”
“ Be quiet .”
Trisha’s face turned red in an instant. Andrea just kept silent, feeling that whatever she said would only make the atmosphere more awkward .
Fortunately, at that time, Mimic, who was playing in the water with excitement, approached Trisha .
“ Army man, you, come in too. A lot of water, a lot of excitement .”
The mimic was already swimming with so much excitement that its limbs were already shriveling. Tricia let out a deep sigh and waved her hands excitedly .
“It ’s okay. I will decline .”
“ Hey, what is the reason? Wealth, high mass relative to volume ?”
“… what ?”
“ A bowman, it’s heavy…. I can’t go in because I’m afraid I’ll sink in the water …”
After Trisha entered the creek, Mimick managed to tear off one of the jewels on the outside. Mimic, who must have been quite sick, howled sadly for a long time even after coming ashore. However, there was no one who sympathized with Jira’s party, who was self-employed .
＜ 19. Arpan’s Burnt Offering (3) ＞ End