"Hi-YAA! Who-CHA! Sei-YAA!!" - Lily
"Come on, come on, keep trying~. You almost got me there~." - Mira
It's been three days after the "hot spring Hidden Hideout raid," and things have returned to normal. Noire was out of commission after that big battle, mostly due to extreme exhaustion, due to her cat-ish nature back then, so we took a small break while waiting for her to recover.
During that time, Mira has taken up the habit of sparing with Lily at the training grounds at the Adventurers' Union's rest area. Those two have too much energy to spare. Rather, share some with Noire. She needs it.
Iron and Revi have used the time to help improve their skills and classes. Iron's been helping the adventurers in trying to expand the rest area, which allows him to earn EXP for his Pioneer class (it's a rare chance to level that thing up after all), while Revi's been cooking up food and potions in her free time, earning her experience for both Witch Apprentice and Cook.
Me? I've been slacking off. Two big incidents in a row take the wind out of any demon girl you can find. Also, that whole thing about the "Disruptor Constructs" that was mentioned by the System Message got me invested in investigating it. Because that wasn't the first time that a title suddenly appeared after a delay like that.
This title, which should have been automatically obtained back on the Tir na Nog island, did not appear in my title list until one random day, when we were still living in Velantas, but after the Iron Isle raid. Looking back now, this title might have been blocked by these "Disruptor Constructs", but enough of them were taken down that day that some of the titles could slip past this disruption barrier-whatever-thingy that the towers generated.
As for why those idiots managed to build towers like that, it is already proven by the Kigal-Note that it was the Ultimate God of Chaos who tasked the Chaos Church to do it in his place. I only needed to look up the quest with the book, and I got all the info I needed. Including the part that multiple towers were needed for the whole thing to work. Man, this little notebook is worth its weight in gold. Ehm, okay, maybe a bit more than just its weight. This thing's low weight compared to the giant encyclopedias I saw in the Adventurers' Union's HQ is another bit I'm proud of.
Oh, and since I mentioned the God of Chaos, the "evil-type skills" mentioned in the title are skills that require negative Karma Value to be obtained. Which includes various skills related to Necromancer, so I'm glad I got it, despite the nasty-sounding name.
Anyway, it's not just me who has gotten a ton of new titles. All the adventurers, heck, probably many civilians as well, have finally gotten their post-due titles now. And the ones who're able to fight are more willing to give the Chaos Church a knuckle sandwich or three, now more than ever. The minor problem is that, probably, monsters too had their title acquisition blocked, meaning we might see an increase in the combat powers of certain monsters in the affected areas.
"Still, to think the 'boss' of the Church is in this underground forest..." - Garami
"Someone" had managed to capture that rat of an Extra Skill user of the hot spring Hideout Hideout and sent them to the Adventurers' Union on a silver platter. There, they pumped out information from that rat, and it turns out the "boss" of the Chaos Church in this region is hiding in this Haunt. The "crystal orb" I saw the rat talking to when I snuck into the Hideout was a short-range communication magitech tool, so there's no doubt about it.
"It is a depressing thought, indeed."
"What the-!?" - Garami
I turned around and found...nobody? Wait just a second...!
"AHH! It's you!" I shouted after taking off my blindfold. It's that rabbit gentleman alchemist who destroyed the "Disruptor Construct" back at the hot spring Hidden Hideout! He's also the guy I just mentioned, the guy who caught that rat of a Chaos Church goon.
"Huh? Princess, who's that?" asked Mira while single-handedly fending off Lily's attacks without even looking in her direction. Girl, you don't need to flaunt that much. You'll hurt the little girl's feelings.
"Uh, this guy's the one who destroyed that tower. Rivert Flamel, the leader of the Alchemists' Union." - Garami
"Wow. What a bigshot." - Mira
That's not an impressed reaction, Mira. Please, try to do your best, even if it's just pleasantries.
"Ehm, excuse her...and this question. Why're you here? I doubt alchemists need to use the training grounds that often." - Garami
"An honest deduction. Though some extra muscles might be useful, come to think about it. The daily stacks of papers and documents that are sent to my office could easily kill someone's back. Well, that is why I have tailor-made golems for that feat." - Flamel
"Uhu, neat." - Garami
"Sorry, it seems I am not that interesting to you people. Working at the workshop all day does not improve my image much, I am afraid." - Flamel
Whoops. Did Mira's nonchalant attitude infect me or something?
"Jests aside, I came here in the hope of recruiting your guild for a quest." - Flamel
"Okay? Just be warned, we're just a mini-guild at best." - Garami
"That is even better. After all..." said Flamel before moving closer to me as he whispered the last bit into my ear. "A small force is all I need, as long as they have the command over a Dungeon."
"...How high is your [Identification] level?" - Garami
I did obtain the set of anti-Identification skills during my time in Velantas, but seeing how this guy can sneak past my blindfold's 3D map and everything...
"Oh, it is quite high, but no need to worry. I have specialized in identifying items, not status pages. No, a certain someone who recommended you people to me informed me about that little tidbit." - Flamel
A certain someone? Who could that be..., no, who am I trying to fool?
"It's Filyn, isn't it?" - Garami
"Correct. She and I are business partners, so to say." - Flamel
Argh! I already knew that woman was going to be a pest after she revealed she had already gotten info about the Damavand from somewhere outta nowhere, but I didn't think she would strike THIS fast!
"Fine! What's the quest? And can it wait? We still have other tasks to do here in the Underwoods." - Garami
"Other tasks?" - Flamel
"Nucklav Water," chimed in Mira. Lily had collapsed due to exhaustion, so it was breaktime, allowing Mira to enter our conversation. She didn't know that the secrecy of the Damavand was kaputt, so her tone was lighthearted.
"A poor fellow needs materials for a certain potion, so we're gathering it for him." - Mira
"I see. Nucklav Water is a precious resource. Even we in the Alchemists' Union have difficulties acquiring it... In that case, should I lend some of our Magic Water Tanks to you? They work like Item Bags, just for liquids." - Flamel
"In exchange for some of the Water? Sure, but that depends on how much they can store." - Garami
"I can have some decent-sized tanks sent down here by tomorrow. They should be able to store a few hundred liters." - Flamel
"...Did you just say 'hundred liters'? As in, plural?" - Garami
"Yes, as in plural. These tanks are wonderful when it comes to transporting liquids. They have helped with more than just one drought-related problem, you know. And of course, we, the Alchemists' Union, will still pay you for the excessive Nucklav Water that exceeds the price for renting the tanks." - Flamel
"You have yourself a deal," I said before shaking his hand. Man, I was worried about getting enough bottles to take 88 liters of that fancy water, but it seems Lady Luck still likes me. I'm still iffy that the Damavand wasn't as secret as I hoped it would be, but you win some, you lose some.
"Excellent. And might I ask, those fancy garments and weapons of yours, do they belong to a Unique Series?" asked Flamel, pointing at my clothes, my blindfold, and my scythe that was resting on a weapon's stand nearby.
"...You did say that you're better at identifying items." - Garami
"That is correct, but this time, it is more a case of familiarity. I, too, obtained a Unique Series in my youth." - Flamel
"You're joking!?" - Garami
"For real!? Old man, you cleared a Dungeon on your own?" - Mira
"Why, I did have some help from my creations, so you could say I did clear it alone, yet not alone. And the items I obtained had a form, yet were formless. Young demon, I think you might be in the same situation." - Flamel
"The same?" I asked. My Unique Series can grow and gain new abilities by customizing it, but calling them "formless" seems a tad overkill...
"I will tell you more...if you agree to the first quest I mentioned." - Flamel
"You sneaky bastard. Fine, but don't go run your mouth about 'that' to any others." - Garami
"No worries. I respect people's privacy, unlike some other demonesses I can think of. *Sigh*..." - Flamel
Ah, he means Filyn. We saw the old rabbit alchemist walk away before the quick strategy meeting began.
"Mira, get Lily to rest and have the others prepare themselves. We will move by tomorrow, after we retrieve those Water Tanks." - Garami
"Roger-dodger~." - Mira
After Mira left with Lily slung over her shoulder, like some bag of potatoes, I asked Bloom to come and tell me the results of her research.
"Ma'am, the rumors about the disappearing adventurers near the secret spring where one can obtain Nucklav Water have faded! Rather, the culprit seems to have fled the area!" - Bloom
"Your reasoning?" - Garami
"Several investigation quests have been ordered by the Guild, but nothing suspicious has ever found. On the other hand, disappearing cases have occurred in other sections of the region. When you trace the cases from newest to oldest, you can see a clear path that starts from the spring and goes deeper into the Underwood!" - Bloom
"That sounds promising. I was worried when I first heard the rumors about disappearing adventurers in that area, but if the threat's decided to pack up and move its turf, then I'm not gonna chase him." - Garami
"Also, regarding your request for Seal-resisting accessories, they seem to be low in number. Even the market on above-ground Shaharin has few of them for sale, if any at all." - Bloom
"Tch. At worst, I can ask Noire to try and make some, or buff up the level of the resistance skill I bought after that fight..." - Garami
"You did purchase that for a reason. Not to mention the various other ways to bind opponents." - Bloom
"If I'm gonna have this nasty advantage of having my AP doubled thanks to being a Champion, I better make the most out of it." - Garami
"Just be careful. Master is strong, but Waning can happen even to the greatest of them." - Bloom
Waning. The special "status ailment" that reduces your body's strength, makes you skill useless, and cannot be cured except by letting your body and soul rest for a good while. It's more a "soul sickness" than a status ailment, one that hits whenever someone gets too many skills or other abilities engraved in their soul.
I'm lucky to have Bloom, or rather, the [Gamemaster] skill. There are very few methods to detect the Waning sickness in advance, and the [Gamemaster] Champion Skill is one of them. Luckily for me, despite the huge load of new skills obtained from the recent title jackpot fever, I still have a huge margin left before I'm out. Maybe because I had such a massive load of them already.
"Anyway, we'll move out tomorrow. Bloom, double-check the routes to this secret spring!" - Garami
"Aye-aye, ma'am! I am going to make this trip a 180-degree different experience from that horrifying hot springs raid!" - Bloom
Let's hope so...
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Garami's status page:
Skill List:
Attack Skills:
Magic Skills:
Crafting Skills:
Active Skills:
Passive Skills:
Perception Skills:
Leadership Skills:
Resistance Skills:
Elements:
Monster Skills:
Extra Skills:
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Title List:
Hunting Titles:
Status Titles:
Pinch Breaker]
