Chapter 10
THE GATHERED SYMBOLS appeared on Mira’s palm, and the door in the back of the Great Temple opened. After traversing down a long staircase, she arrived at the fifth level of the Ancient Underground City. A tunnel opened into the face of the northernmost cliff on the level.
“Another slog…” She grimaced at the sight before her.
Unlike the fourth level, the fifth was filled with thousands of giant towers, as far as the eye could see. Perhaps it was more apt to call them “pillars supporting the ceiling.” Either way, it was an extremely awe-inspiring sight. With the floor far below and the ceiling far above, it felt otherworldly. However, an extraordinary force gave off a grave aura. The eeriness didn’t stop there. Skeleton-type monsters inhabited this floor as well.
From the fifth-level entrance, an enormous staircase descended for what seemed like forever. The proper route involved going down these stairs, but Mira had no intention of doing so.
“I’m counting on you again, friend.” Mira jumped onto Pegasus’s back and flew through the fifth level. She was on her way to a conspicuously slender tower on the northwestern side of the floor.
From above, the bottom of the fifth level looked murky and dark, despite the ceiling’s lightness. Countless towers were connected by passages in a spiderweb-like pattern, making it impossible to fly in a straight line. This reduced their speed considerably. But even when it needed to rotate slightly to fit through spaces, Pegasus was always careful to never throw Mira off.
***
A while later, Mira landed in front of her objective, dismissed Pegasus, and summoned two dark knights.
The fifth level of the Ancient Underground City required the collection of symbols to proceed to the next floor. It didn’t help that Pegasus’s added efficiency was also halved by the labyrinthine towers.
I really think they should give you a shortcut once you’ve cleared the dungeon…
Mira stepped into the tower, her dissatisfaction plain on her face. She needed three symbols on this level. She would have to enter towers to the northwest, northeast, and south. Specific pathways had to be followed both through each tower, as well as to the other towers. Then, she’d finally reach the crystal chamber where each symbol could be obtained.
She could try to enter through places other than these three fixed towers, but she would be unable to reach the crystal’s chamber. Taking shortcuts was also impossible because the passages connecting towers were tube-like. People had considered opening holes in the walls, but the towers and passages that led to the crystals’ chambers were all impenetrable. In other words, there was no speeding up the process. So Mira pressed on with low expectations; maybe if she were lucky, she’d be on the sixth level by evening.
Will-o’-the-wisp-like lights graced the tower’s interior, so it wasn’t too dark. However, there were no windows or gaps for light to filter in, making the three-meter-wide passages feel especially claustrophobic. To add insult to injury, skeletons also attacked, making it quite the un-fun dungeon.
While the dark knights took the lead and crushed all the skeletons in their path, Mira picked up a fallen magic stone and conversed with the Spirit King to pass the time.
“Say, Spirit King, why can’t this tower be destroyed?”
“It may look like mere stone, but it’s actually an alloy. Knowledge of its manufacture has been lost to time. As I recall, it was called algorest alloy.”
“Oho, that is a fun fact.”
Casually asking him questions yielded the answers to so many long-lost mysteries. Now that she really thought about it, Mira realized he was like a cheat code. But there were still things that even the Spirit King didn’t know; when asked where the other Wise Men were, he could not offer a useful response.
“How long has this Ancient Underground City been here?”
“I can’t answer with precision, but it’s old enough to have firsthand accounts of legends of the Age of Myth that have long been passed down on this continent from the distant, distant past. Rest assured that it’s old.”
“Legends, hmm? Yet it remains intact. That’s ancient technology for you,” Mira replied vacantly, gazing at the lights that still continued to provide luminescence to this day.
She asked more questions, but the results were mixed. She didn’t know if the Spirit King was keeping secrets or if he really didn’t know, but most everything she learned from him was minor trivia. She loved minor trivia, though, and she arrived at the crystal room in what felt like no time.
After obtaining the first symbol, Mira used the menu to check the time. It was just before three in the afternoon. “Hrmm. Two hours and change.” Giving up on being done by evening, she entered the magic circle in the corner of the room.
Getting here was a pain, but at least leaving was easy. The magic circle glowed, and she was warped back to the first tower.
“Say, Spirit King, how exactly does this teleportation magic circle work?” Mira asked, not expecting to get any real answer. The Spirit King typically didn’t tell her much about special technology like this. Still, how convenient would it be for this technology to reach the modern world?
This time was different, however. He answered that it was a special magic circle that used the power of the god of space-time.
“The god of space-time?!” Mira was surprised that such a high-ranking being was involved, and excitedly pressed the Spirit King with more questions. He avoided giving her any details beyond one thing: typically, this was a taboo act.
Teleportation could be made possible by manipulating space-time, but doing so was permitted only to gods. It wasn’t meant to be in human hands. The fact that it was used here meant that there was a special contract applied to the magic circle. The contract limited the magic to work in a very narrow set of conditions. Only when the start point and destination were prescribed, such as “from the top of the tower to the entrance,” was it possible.
“You would need to be blessed with incredible luck, but if you ever meet the god of space-time, you should try asking for permission to use teleportation. When that time comes, I will do my best to help you persuade them,” the Spirit King laughed, half-joking and half-serious.
“I had no idea that was possible… But it’s definitely exciting!”
Mira wondered just how small the probability of meeting a god was. Could such a thing even happen? She was conversing with the Spirit King, however, a being comparable to gods. Maybe it was more likely than she thought!
I’ll just have to ask!
Overjoyed at this new hope, she summoned Pegasus and departed for the next tower. And since Mira was in such a good mood, Pegasus was, too.
***
Mira continued to chat with the Spirit King as she collected the second and third symbols. She then went to a plaza where skeletons frequently spawned. It was just after nine p.m., which meant that the fifth level had taken her all day. She was exhausted, so she summoned the mansion spirit right in the middle of the area.
“Time for some well-earned rest.”
While murmuring about how hard she’d worked today, Mira summoned her two dark knights and a holy knight before opening the door to the mansion, excited for tomorrow.
In the midst of bleak ruins, she had a peaceful living space. Mira took off her clothes, feeling like she’d come home, and refreshed herself with a hot shower. After cleaning up, she looked out the window and saw approaching skeletons being cut down mercilessly by her dark knights.
“Oho, hard at work already.” Mira smiled at the scene, mentally calculating her earnings. At this rate, she’d have 200,000 ducats by morning, maybe more. “It’s like a skeleton parade out there. Money’s marching right into my pocket.”
So little effort, so much profit. Certain that this was the ideal way to make a fortune, Mira thought of buying a technomancy-powered cooler to deal with the coming heat. Then she wondered, Will this mansion spirit be able to air-condition itself with spiritual power? It should be possible. She’d been able to heat the room as much as she wanted by linking a fire spirit. By linking an ice spirit, she should be able to cool it as well. She could even make ice or chill food through the same means.
She’d missed the optimal timing, but after getting out of the shower, Mira poured herself some ice-cold sangria and giggled in delight. “Ahhh… This is just too much luxury for one girl!”
An air-conditioned room, a well-equipped living space, and a perfect drink to top it all off. Mira lay down in the middle of the room, wearing just her underwear, so intoxicated by the comfort of the space that she started to forget about her mission.
“I used to take this for granted, but goodness, what luxury…” she murmured to herself.
After so much time spent with modern trappings, one could easily forget just how much of a privilege they were to have. Perhaps because she’d made a living space just like the one in the world in which she had been born, Mira suddenly remembered those times. Grateful for the present, she began making dinner.
***
After dinner, Mira was tipsy enough that she spilled the beans to the Spirit King about Ark Earth Online, the video game that had taught her about this world.
“Well, well. From another world, you say?”
“That’s right. I was floored when a world that was once a game became reality. Say… You don’t sound so surprised.”
A game had become reality. Fiction had become fact. To the Spirit King, a resident of the fictional world, that should have been a shocking revelation. But his voice was calm, betraying not a hint of surprise. Mira found herself a little disappointed at his lack of reaction.
“I recall Forsetia saying something along those lines. She’d come from another world too.”
“Say what?!”
The Spirit King claimed that the Hero-King Forsetia, who had saved the world long ago, was also a visitor from another world. He might not have been surprised, but Mira certainly was. She asked for more details, but his answers were as vague as always.
However, she learned two things. First, visitors had come from other worlds all throughout this world’s history and continued to do so to this day. The second was about Forsetia herself: apparently, her closest friends called her Yuina.
What does it all mean? Does that mean there were players so long ago too? Or were they taken to the past, just as I was brought thirty years into the future? Maybe she wasn’t a player at all. It’s possible that she came from a different world entirely.
This world was now reality, and former players were scattered all throughout it. Even if Forsetia was from another world, it didn’t guarantee that she was a player, though; she may have come from somewhere completely unlike Mira’s world. There was no reason to assume Forsetia had even come from Earth. This was a full-blown fantasy world, so the possibilities were infinite. In fact, it might have just been her set character background. Given the number of possibilities, merely thinking about it would yield no answer.
Having learned more about the Hero-King, rather unexpectedly, Mira pressed on with more questions. “Did she happen to say anything about the world she came from?”
She wasn’t trying to discover Forsetia’s true identity; she was mostly just curious. It was natural to be intrigued about famous people, whether they were in the same world or different ones.
“Hmm. I’m afraid she wasn’t willing to discuss that, so I don’t know the details. I apologize.”
“No, it’s fine. I apologize for pushing so much.”
It seemed he had no more information on Forsetia. Or rather, they hadn’t spent much time together. He’d merely lent her the strength necessary to defeat a great evil, toward the end of Forsetia’s regular exploits. In other words, the Spirit King only knew Forsetia just before she became the hero she was now known as. Anything before or after would be more easily found in historical documents or oral tales.
“But to think that you are another visitor from the beyond. It seems like more than mere coincidence, doesn’t it?” the Spirit King said softly, the words heartfelt as he remembered the distant past.
“I think you may be right,” Mira agreed with a smirk. She was sure that their partnership would be a long one.
Thus, with her interest in the Hero-King Forsetia stronger than ever, Mira decided she ought to research the subject more as she finished her dinner and went to bed.
***
The next morning, Mira ate a quick breakfast and departed the spirit mansion, excitement clear in her eyes. As soon as she saw it, her lips curled up into a wicked, vulgar grin. The magic stones lay in heaps.
“I can’t stop smiling!”
Undead monsters became more active at night, while adventurers typically slept. This allowed the skeletons to grow in number and increase their range of activities, leading them to Mira’s life force in the plaza. The dark knights waiting there culled them, resulting in a mountain of loot. And because this level’s monsters were stronger than the last, the magic stones were bigger too. If she sold all of these, it would result in jaw-dropping amounts of passive income.
When average adventurers camped or took breaks in places like this, they used technomancy-powered barrier devices like those sold by Dinoire Trading. These had effects that jammed the undead’s ability to detect life. They weren’t perfect, however, so parties often set up a watch rotation—but these devices were treasured for their ability to allow said watchmen to relax a little. Mira would probably never need to use it, but she’d bought one just in case.
***
Mira looked around in satisfaction, then summoned Cat Sith to address the situation at hand.
It took time, given the sheer number of drops, but since Mira had ordered the dark knights to limit their aggro range, the labor was minimal. The holy knight’s tower shield could also push the stones around like a bulldozer, allowing them to finish the work in under ten minutes. Then came the best part: counting. Like yesterday, the First Pupil counted the stones in no time. His final tally was 342 magic stones.
“Insane revenue without so much as lifting a finger. You can never have too much money.”
Mira gleefully deposited the stones into her Item Box. She was strong enough to earn millions to tens of millions of ducats in a single day if she put her mind to it. This was essentially pocket change. She was obsessed with the effortless trickle of money. Her working-class roots meant she was always on the hunt for a lucrative side hustle.
“Now we’re really gonna eat good tonight!”
Cat Sith hopped around, likewise excited by the pile of loot. Mira retrieved a cut of fish, handed it to the cat fairy, and dismissed him. While he was bathed in light, his voice echoed, “Cobalt king tu-nya?! Thanks for the grub, bub!”
He acted like a single cut of fish was a luxurious feast. Maybe he found pleasure in simple luxuries as well.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login