Trnalpria.
That’s the name of the air plant found in Eliya.
I had just received related information from Crea, the elder in Elysium.
“If you could explain the reason rather than just telling us not to go….”
- That’s right! We need Trnalpria if we want to go to the Dragon Palace!
Right now, we’re pushing back against Crea’s opposition to visiting Eliya.
Kasia usually listens to Crea, so when she opposed it, I felt uneasy.
But fortunately, Kasia is taking my side instead of Crea’s.
- This is the first time I’ve seen Kasia so disobedient. That place is too dangerous for you.
“Trnalpria? Is it because it only grows in dangerous places? If that’s the case….”
- I didn’t explain well enough. It’s not just because Trnalpria grows in dangerous places. Now, going to Eliya itself is risky. Time flows differently between Earth and Eliya.
When Monsters build up and reach a saturation point, they swarm and attack in what’s called a Monster Wave.
Up until now, the Elves had controlled the Monster population.
But now that all the Elves have crossed over to Earth, there’s no way to control the Monster numbers in Eliya.
In other words, unlike before, Monsters could pop up from anywhere at any time.
- The last Wave was especially different from the previous ones. Not only was it stronger, but it also happened a bit earlier than we expected.
Crea’s point was that the last Wave was unusual, so it’s better to be cautious and not risk ourselves unnecessarily.
Of course, I’m not planning to risk my life just to sightsee at the Dragon Palace.
“I understand.”
- But I really want to visit the Dragon Palace! If you go with your brother and his friends, wouldn’t it be safe since they’re so strong?
This is the first time I’ve seen Kasia insist this much.
She must really want to visit the Dragon Palace.
“I understand what you’re saying, Crea. You mean as long as we prepare for the Monsters, it should be okay, right?”
- I can’t stop you, can I. All right. Please be careful and return safely.
I acted tough in front of Elder Crea, but honestly, I hadn’t decided yet.
My terrible experience in the Dungeon still weighed on my mind.
On the way home with Kasia, I called Minjun right away.
But all I heard was the dial tone.
“What the. Jinsu’s here, so it’s not like he’s busy or anything.”
- He’s not picking up?
“Yeah. If he sees a missed call, he’ll call back.”
As soon as I got home, I saw Jinsu and Little Pepper playing together in the field.
Poking each other’s sides and tickling.
Oh, of course, with fingers, not swords.
“Were you two having fun?”
- The master’s back, chu!
“Oh, hey, hyung. Haha.”
Jinsu looked embarrassed to have been caught playing like that.
“Why are you embarrassed? It’s nice to see you two getting along. Honestly, I’m glad to see you having a good time instead of just sword training.”
It’s much better to see them like friends than in a strict master-disciple relationship.
They use the same weapon and have similar skills, so it seems they get along well.
“Haha. Before, when we couldn’t communicate, we just sparred, but now that we can talk, it’s much more comfortable. Little Pepper is smart and follows along well, so it’s fun to teach.”
- That’s right. The Guardians are not only devastatingly cute, they’re also very capable.
Well, of course. Look whose offspring they are.
“By the way, hyung, did you find out about the air plant?”
“I did, but… I’m not sure how helpful it is.”
“Why? Did something happen?”
“Well, you see—”
After I relayed the elder’s words, Jinsu thought for a moment and said,
“I’m most concerned about the Monsters becoming more ferocious than before. Sure, we can take down Monsters, but… doesn’t it seem strange?”
He had a point.
If there’s a difference, it means something has changed compared to before.
“Kasia, do you have any idea? You’ve experienced a lot of Monster Waves living in Eliya.”
- That’s true, but I haven’t experienced the abnormal Wave that happened at the end either. When we went together, we had already stopped it.
Suddenly, memories of what happened three years ago in the Dungeon came flooding back.
Uncomfortable memories flashed by, and I frowned before I knew it.
“Hyung, are you okay? You don’t look so good.”
Jinsu asked with a worried look.
Taking a deep breath, I slowly calmed down.
“Hoo. I’m fine. Just remembering old times.”
- So you have some painful memories. Maybe you should take it slow and think things through.
Their worried voices seemed to comfort me.
Do Minho, pull yourself together.
You’ve overcome it all, haven’t you?
You can’t stay tied down by the past forever.
I made up my mind.
I would go to Eliya.
I would face the Monsters and overcome my past and my fears.
“Thank you. I’m okay now. Anyway, weren’t Monsters always ferocious?”
- I’m glad you’re all right. Monsters in Eliya are actually far from being ferocious.
“Aren’t all Monsters basically the same?”
At Jinsu’s words, Kasia shook her head.
- Of course, when the Wave starts, they do rampage around following the Boss Monster, but they don’t all attack at once.
“Didn’t you say last time it lasted about three days?”
- Yes. Usually the Wave lasts about three days.
“So, isn’t that the same?”
- It’s three days by the calendar, but do you know how many Monsters swarm in a single day?
Hmm….
At least a few hundred would come, I’d think.
- Several hundred Monsters swarm over in a day, but they come slowly over about ten hours.
“So this time, they rushed all at once with several hundred?”
Kasia nodded.
“We have to wipe out hundreds of Monsters at once?!”
Even Jinsu, who’s cleared countless Dungeons, was left speechless, just like me.
“Th-then this trip to Eliya isn’t going to be easy.”
Usually, for a Hunter in a Dungeon, taking down hundreds—no, thousands—of Monsters is impossible.
At least the Elves could do it because they had many warriors in tribal units.
So, even if Minjun’s party, Kasia, and I joined forces, handling that many Monsters would be too much.
- Not all of them will be gathered in Eliya. If there’s nothing to attack, they’ll scatter elsewhere.
Monster Waves don’t just attack the Elves’ territory.
They attack all surrounding life indiscriminately, so if there’s nothing to target in Eliya, they look for something else.
“As far as I know… there are only insect Monsters in Eliya, right? Kasia?”
- That’s right.
“Then we’d better prepare in advance for dealing with insect Monsters.”
“Yeah. Since we still can’t reach Minjun, let’s think of strategies until then.”
We agreed to think about it and wrapped up the conversation.
Since I’d gone to Elysium in the morning, a lot of chores had piled up.
While I watered the field, I asked Kasia to check on the Gyesa Guardian’s feed.
- There’s still a little left from last time, but it’ll run out soon.
“Already? The feed disappeared quickly last time too, so I just had you check to be sure.”
It’s not like new chicks have hatched or the number has increased.
When it comes to the chickens, it’s best to ask the boss, Goldie.
I spotted Goldie far off, pecking at something on the ground.
“Goldie~”
(Master’s here. What’s up.)
“Is something going on with you all lately? The feed’s running out faster than before.”
Thankfully, Goldie seemed to know.
(Ah, that. I was going to tell you anyway.)
“Something happened? What is it?!”
(There aren’t any bugs around. Don’t know why.)
“No bugs? Hmmm.”
There were never many bugs around our field anyway.
And thanks to the free-range chickens, the few that were there were nearly wiped out.
“That’s odd. Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen a single small fly or anything.”
(If there are no bugs to eat, we have no choice but to just eat the feed.)
“I see. As expected of Goldie. Thanks for letting me know~”
(Of course. I’m off now.)
Our field is an open area, not closed off.
No matter how hard the chickens try, bugs could come in from anywhere.
After Goldie left, I tried to think it over, but nothing came to mind.
Feed can always be bought at the market, so it’s not urgent.
First, I need to think about how to deal with the insect Monsters in Eliya.
Bzzz~ Bzzz~
[ Caller: Little Brother ]
“Hey. What’s keeping you so busy when you’re not even entering a Dungeon?”
Just hearing Minjun’s voice makes me want to pick a fight.
“My, oh my. Only now telling me you couldn’t find anything. So, um, the thing is….”
This is bad.
I nagged him for not having new information on the Black Moon Sect, but—
Thinking about it, I have something to ask of him.
“Um, you must be really busy, but… want to go to Eliya with us? With your party members.”
Before he could refuse, I quickly explained why we needed him and why he should come.
I emphasized that there’s a rare plant vital for the Dragon Palace journey, that harvesting it is extremely dangerous for regular people, and that only an S-rank Hunter could do it safely.
Plus, I said it would be a great chance for us siblings to bond.
As I kept talking, Minjun stopped me, saying he understood.
I still had more to say.
Even though he leads his party, since he’s with the Association, he needs the Superhuman Association President’s permission.
He said he’d call once it was approved, but who knows when that’ll be.
Kka-tok, you got a message!
‘Huh?’
[ You’ve received a message from your little brother. ]
[ Okay. We’ll set the date and contact you. ]
It came so fast, it was like he was with the President.
Since I only have farm work anyway, I’ll match the schedule to the Hunters.
I’m the one asking for help, after all.
The next day.
Minjun must be busy; there’s still no word about the date.
But since I’m the one asking, I can’t rush him. I’ll just wait.
After finishing my chores, I was watching Jinsu and Little Pepper spar when I heard a strange noise mixed in with the clashing of swords.
Clang-!
Squelch.
Clang, clang!
Squelch.
Turning toward the sound, I saw a fishman—maybe Sailun—hopping toward us, kicking off the ground with his leg fin.
“Huh? Sailun? Is that you?”
- Huff, huff. I… huff…!
“Calm down and catch your breath first!”
I knew he could breathe on land, but seeing him out of breath like a fish out of water made me want to help.
“Should I pour some water on you?!”
I used the dimensional watering can to sprinkle water over the fishman, who quickly lifted his head to drink.
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
- Phew! I feel much better now. Hoo. Thank you, Do Minho.
“You are Sailun, right? What’s going on for you to come running like this?”
- Yes, I’m Sailun. Our Dragon King… is in critical condition.
“The Dragon King?!”
- I know this is sudden and shameless, but could I ask for your help once more?
When I met him after the East Sea Restoration Project, he’d already said the King’s illness was too severe for a visit.
And now, just a few days later, the situation has worsened.
Is there anything I can do….
“Oh! Potions! Would recovery with Potions help? Even if it’s not an injury, Potions boost recovery rates.”
- Please, I beg you!
Seeing him nearly kneeling in desperation, I could tell things were dire.
“If you’re in a hurry, I’ll give you what I have now. They’re just low-grade Potions, but I can get better ones. I’ll bring them to the sea myself.”
- Mr. Minho, thank you, thank you so much!
He almost started bowing to me.
I quickly helped him up and told him it was all right.
“Hurry, take these Potions and go. I’ll try to get more.”
I wanted to ask more about the illness, but since it was urgent, I sent him off right away.
It’ll still take some time for him to hop all the way back, though.
‘For Potions, Seonwoo is the one.’
I pulled out my smartphone and called Baek Seonwoo right away.
“Hello, Seonwoo. Um, so, yes?! Ah, well… sorry. Yes. Next time I’ll be sure, yes. Yes.”
I tried to get straight to the point, but Baek Seonwoo scolded me.
She said I only called when I needed something, never just to check in.
She was right, so I couldn’t argue.
All I could do was listen to her lecture.
I promised to check in from now on and ask about her research before finally mentioning Potions.
She said the research on high-grade Potions wasn’t finished yet, so she could only send me some mid-grade ones.
‘The mid-grade Potions I saw when the chief was hurt were definitely effective for healing and recovery… but I’m worried since it’s not an injury this time.’
Baek Seonwoo pointed out the same thing.
She said if she knew the exact symptoms, she could make a suitable medicine.
‘Guess I’ll have to head to the sea again.’
I briefly regretted not calling Baek Seonwoo first, but even sending low-grade Potions wasn’t a bad choice.
There’s still a chance it could help with the illness, even a little.
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