Game Opportunities Become Reality Episode 179
============================================================
Game Opportunities Become Reality Episode 179
42. Dragonlands (5)
"Still, quite a lot of things came out."
Aside from that, there were 8 Holy Relics found by searching the room.
Blake and I spent a long time experimenting and observing, figuring out the purpose of each Holy Relic, and they were as follows.
'A ring that summons a 9th-circle barrier once per day.'
'A Holy Sword in the form of a bow that creates arrows of light, the Holy Bow.'
'Bracelets that amplify Divine power, Mana, and Aura.'
'A compass that hunts black mana.'
'An inexhaustible drinking cup of the Heavenly Tribe.'
'A canteen that produces a massive amount of water that relieves hunger and thirst with a single drop.'
'Glasses that see 0.1 seconds into the future.'
'A ring that distinguishes those with hostile intent within a 3km radius.'
The numbers were disappointing, but every single one was an item of tremendous value.
Even if a few were somewhat ambiguous, they were Holy Relics that lacked nothing when classified as top-grade.
But aside from these Holy Relics, there was also a fiery bonus reward...
That was the bodies of the Guardians we had destroyed.
[Red Mithril 68%, Mercury 21%, Orichalcum 10%, Holy Blood Stone 1%]
It contained nearly 10kg of Orichalcum, no less.
Did Orichalcum just lie around in abundance during the Mythic Era?
'Come to think of it, the earlier dimensional transfer device also contained a large amount of Orichalcum.'
Since that is an unparalleled treasure, I dare not destroy it, so I can't extract the Orichalcum, but these are different.
Blake was also lost in happy contemplation over how to process this Orichalcum.
"Can't we repair this Guardian?"
These are none other than Master-class and Lordmaster-class Guardians.
If we could use them as we pleased, they would be an enormous source of power.
But Blake shook his head.
"This isn't a simple artifact. Something was dwelling inside it. But now I can't feel that presence anymore. It's died, like a living creature."
"Something dwelling inside... you mean a soul?"
"A soul... that's not an inaccurate expression."
It was Blake's firm judgment that repair would be impossible.
It was a waste, but there was no helping it.
If we could have possessed an artificial Grandmaster and Lordmaster that followed orders, we could have secured enough safety to reveal that I was Grand Duke Lucas's disciple as soon as I reached 9th-circle...
"Is there another room beyond?"
Blake pointed to the door opposite the one we entered from, and we decided to distribute the Holy Relics later, finishing our exploration of that space.
"I don't see any traps."
"I don't sense anything from the other side either."
We caught our breath for a moment and opened the door.
But then.
-KWWWAAAAAAH!
The moment the door opened, an immense amount of water rushed in.
The amount of water was abnormal, and I pushed the water back with magic while tilting my head.
"What's going on?"
Blake brought the water on his hand to his mouth, then spat it onto the floor.
"It's seawater."
"Does that mean the outside is underwater and the ruins end here?"
At my question, he narrowed his brows and gazed at the underwater realm blocked by the barrier.
"Looks like it doesn't end here."
At his words, I examined the other side of the door closely through the Myriad Mirror, and soon my eyes went wide.
"A city submerged underwater?"
Did the terrain change over such a long time?
Or was this city originally in the water?
But what was certain was that the city was currently abandoned like these ruins, and it had been completely destroyed, creating a desolate atmosphere.
"Let's go out."
"Yes."
We left the ruins.
Then the ruins quickly closed their door, blocking the seawater from entering.
We approached the underwater city and found something peculiar there.
"Traces of battle."
The city was scarred all over, as if a beast had raked its claws across it.
What was unusual was that each of those claw marks seemed to be dozens of meters in size.
And shortly after.
"What's this?"
We discovered a massive skull.
It was a skull resembling a bovine, standing 20 meters in height.
[Bones of a Giant Demon Race]
-Having been oxidized in seawater for a long time, its strength has dropped to the level of steel.
If it were the bones of a powerful demon race, it would be a fine material comparable to Dragonbone.
But having been left in seawater for tens of thousands of years, it could no longer serve its purpose.
"That one looks usable."
Blake pointed to a black metal ring that looked like an ornament wrapped around the horn.
[Adamantite Ornament]
-Only the surface has oxidized; its strength remains unchanged.
Another treasure appears.
If Orichalcum is the metal of light attribute, then adamantite is the metal of darkness attribute.
Due to the nature of the attributes, Orichalcum is usually placed above adamantite, but adamantite's strength itself is not inferior to Orichalcum.
In fact, weapons and armor made from it are known to have even better rebound resistance.
It's just a bit heavy.
To retrieve the massive adamantite ornament, Blake used the Heart Sword the advanced version of the Aura Blade and the Lordmaster's secret art.
-Clang!
As he swung his sword in a flash, a change occurred in the adamantite that lay at a distance.
A deep sword mark had been carved into the adamantite ring.
But Blake, who had intended to cut through the adamantite in one strike, frowned and swung his sword once more.
Only then did the ring of adamantite split apart and fall to the ground.
"Come to think of it, I heard adamantite can be obtained in the Dragonlands?"
"Well, it's rare, but it does keep turning up here and there. The problem is that most places where adamantite or Orichalcum appear are claimed by dragons. I only have a single dagger myself."
That meant even he couldn't easily obtain this metal.
We divided the adamantite among ourselves in a 2:1:1 split.
Naturally, the 2 went to Blake, who had discovered the ruins.
But even my 25% share looked to weigh over 30 kg.
Combined with Arcia's share, that was a good 60 kg.
No matter how much heavier adamantite is by volume compared to Orichalcum or Mithril, it was still an enormous amount.
"A bit disappointing."
But when no further gains came after that, Blake expressed his thoughts like that.
In the 2nd section, we obtained numerous elixirs; in the 3rd section, we obtained the Holy Sword, a national-treasure-grade robe, Orichalcum, and 8 Holy Relics; and in the 4th underwater section, we obtained a large quantity of adamantite.
Yet Blake was not satisfied.
"Isn't this plenty impressive? Just what we got today seems to easily exceed the Empire's annual budget."
"That's true, but compared to the prestige I felt when we first entered the ruins, it feels a bit underwhelming."
"Is that so?"
"The value is inflated because of the large amounts of Orichalcum and adamantite, but the number of Holy Relics is too few."
These alone already seem incredible, though.
It seemed his expectations had been very high.
We turned our steps back toward the ruins.
"What on earth was this facility for? Was it just for traveling to Earth?"
"The Mythic Era was a history of war why would they need to build such a grandiose facility just to travel to another world? Especially while mobilizing Guardians on the level of dragons to guard it."
"Hmm...."
"If, as you say, the equipment in the first section isn't an illusion but something that allows contact with Earth, then it means a situation arose where they had no choice but to use such a thing."
We exchanged various thoughts about the ruins.
But we couldn't reach a definitive answer.
It seemed I'd have to ask Chester, the Opportunity Manager, for his opinion.
"Um, I think I know what it's for."
Just then, Arcia, who was walking ahead of us across the ground revealed by pushing back the seawater with her Magic Shield, suddenly cut into our conversation.
"It's for exchange with Earth."
At that, Blake and I looked at her with expressions asking why she thought so, and Arcia smiled brightly and pointed at the entrance of the ruins.
Following her fingertip with our gaze.
[Exchange Nation]
A plaque like this was affixed right beside the ruins' door.
Exchange isn't something done alone.
Just as there must be a return for every sending, exchange is conducted in both directions.
In other words, this facility can be interpreted as something built for the Heavenly Tribe of Rondel to exchange with the humans of Earth, or with certain beings.
* * *
"The Heavenly Tribe exchanged with Earth? Why? For what purpose?"
I laid out the Holy Relics obtained from the 3rd section, and Blake looked at them as he voiced his question.
"In my understanding of Earth's common knowledge, magic was a power that appeared only in imagination or myth. But when I learned that Grand Duke Lucas belonged to a Mage family that existed on Earth, my common sense was shattered. Perhaps that magic was also spread by the Heavenly Tribe of Rondel?"
"Hmm...."
Blake stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Then, he said something unexpected.
"Does the exchange partner really have to be a human from Earth?"
"Huh?"
"You said Earth has many myths, right? What if those myths aren't fiction but fact, and the beings in them were the ones who exchanged with the Heavenly Tribe of Rondel?"
It was an assumption outside the scope of my speculation.
But it wasn't something I could simply dismiss as fiction.
After all, Earth also has stories about angels and demons.
"True, Earth's various tales feature angels and demons, and they're always portrayed as opposing forces."
The countless legends that exist on Earth.
Perhaps the mythical beings in them were the Heavenly Tribe's exchange partners.
"It seems Earth and Rondel were more deeply connected than I thought."
"In the end, it's all just our speculation, though."
"That's true."
But I don't think this line of reasoning is wrong.
Because of this ruin, I've come to feel closer to the beings of Earth.
"For distribution, we'll do it like before 2:1:1."
"Yes, no complaints."
Considering Blake was both the strongest fighter and the one who found the ruin, me and Arcia splitting the other half between us felt like a generous deal.
There were some rough spots, but the members were so capable that it wasn't as dangerous as I'd expected.
We laid out the eight Holy Relics and discussed who would take what.
First, Blake took the Heavenly Tribe's ever-flowing wine goblet and the Holy Bow.
I was grateful he took the goblet I thought was the most useless, but I couldn't help being curious.
"I'm a drinker, believe it or not."
"But it's Heavenly Tribe liquor, isn't it? Are you sure that's okay?"
At my question, he brought the goblet to his lips, and the wine soon flowed into his mouth.
-Sssss.
"Kuh, that's potent."
Blake wore a satisfied expression, but I was horrified watching him.
Because steam was rising from his mouth as he called the Heavenly Tribe's liquor potent.
'Isn't that stuff made with holy water?'
Well, if he's happy, that's what matters.
The Holy Bow was a bit of a shame, but since no one around me uses a bow, I didn't hold onto it too tightly.
"Now you two each pick two. I'll take whatever's left."
After that, Blake gave us the choice.
Seemed like none of the remaining relics really appealed to him.
Arcia's first pick was the glasses that see 0.1 seconds into the future.
Knowing what happens 0.1 seconds ahead might not help an ordinary person much, but for Swordsmen at the Aura Master level and above, who fight in fractions of a second, it was an incredibly efficient tool.
I'd expected Blake to grab it first, so I sneakily glanced at him.
"My Observing Eye covers a fairly broad range of functions."
"Ah...."
"Of course, it takes quite a bit of energy to use since you need to focus, but there's no need to pick up something redundant."
I was surprised.
Just how much more impressive was this man planning to become?
Next, Arcia took the ring that detects anyone with hostile intent within a three-kilometer radius.
That was clearly chosen to guard me.
The Myriad Mirror could do something similar, but picking out an enemy hidden in a crowd wasn't easy, so it seemed quite useful in urban areas.
However, among Arcia's choices, the glasses looked like they'd need a long adjustment period.
I borrowed them briefly, and the dissonance between present and future made my head spin.
"It's not a bad pick for me."
Blake seemed satisfied with Arcia's decision.
Now it was my turn, and I deliberated for quite a while.
Then, as he looked at what I'd chosen, Blake wore a surprised expression.
"The bracelet that strengthens Divine power, Mana, and Aura that makes sense. But a compass?"
What I'd picked were a bracelet that boosts one's energy and a compass that detects black mana.
"To be honest, I'm not confident in my own choice either. I've encountered a Black Mage before, but there's no guarantee this will lead to anything else."
"Then why did you pick it?"
I gave him the most uncertain reason I could.
"Gut feeling."
"Gut feeling?"
At my words, he burst out laughing.
But it wasn't mocking my instinct.
"You sound just like your master."
"Is that so?"
Though he failed to return to his homeland in his lifetime, Grand Duke Lucas was certainly one of the greatest figures to ever change the human world.
There was no reason to feel bad about being told I resembled him.
"Then I'll take the ring that casts a 9th-circle barrier once a day, and the canteen that soothes hunger and thirst."
"Yes."
Both were mouth-watering items, but since he was already conceding so much on the compensation side, finding fault would truly be an act without conscience.
Next, we moved to the 2nd room, where a forest stretched out.
"This forest in the 2nd room will also be divided into a 2:1:1 split, with me and you two taking our shares."
There was no room for complaint.
Shia and I obediently nodded.
The types and levels of the elixirs differed by zone, but dividing it roughly in half kept both sides fairly even.
Now, for the last part, we returned to the room we had first entered.
"It seems that really was the back door after all."
Blake looked around the facilities of that room, appearing deep in thought.
The ownership of this ruin belonged to him.
So I had no choice but to carefully observe his decision.
"Let's co-own this one. As I said before, no destroying it I'll leave its use to your judgment. But you must always bring me along. Understood?"
"Of course. Thank you so much."
The value of a system that could connect with Earth meant even more to me than that.
Moreover, allowing me to use it at my discretion I could only convey my gratitude with a moved expression.
"Charging for 90 days just to stay on Earth for a mere 3 hours that must be frustrating."
But being able to monitor Earth's situation at any time was huge.
And so, the ruin expedition that had brought such tremendous discoveries and raised so many questions came to an end.
We returned to our daily lives, but my spirits remained highly uplifted.