Chapter 45: Second Horn (2)

‘Wow.’

What on earth just happened?

I blinked and immediately checked Dania’s level.

……….

‘Lv 140’

「Dania」

★★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

……….

‘Huh.’

She’d reached Level 140.

Just a moment ago, she was at Level 130, so she’d gained 10 levels in one go.

“Amazing.”

[Dania’s body is overflowing with strength!』

Dania shouted with excitement.

Creak, creak.

Her body began to change.

She shot up in height—she must have grown at least 5cm taller.

Her beautiful, multicolored scales shone even more vividly now.

“Popo!”

“Chuuu!”

The guardians, seeing Dania’s growth, cheered and congratulated her as if it were their own achievement.

“Hehe. Thank you.”

I reached out and patted Dania’s head as she beamed, then turned my eyes to her newly sprouted second horn.

Unlike the first horn, which was mostly white, the second horn was a deep blue all over.

‘Second Horn of Amplification.’

I carefully reached out and stroked Dania’s second horn.

Vmmm…

The mana flowing through my hand resonated with the second horn, and I could feel the flow of mana intensifying.

I thought I was beginning to understand the mechanism behind “amplification.”

‘It amplifies mana. That’s why the effect of the Shine Muscat was boosted just now.’

Thanks to the power of amplification, the growth acceleration effect had skyrocketed in an instant.

Ugh, I’m so tired…

“Ah!”

I quickly pulled my hand away at Dania’s reaction.

She must have used up a lot of energy just now from using the second horn.

And now, as the power of the second horn tried to manifest again, she seemed to be hit by a wave of fatigue.

“Sorry, Dania. Get some rest for now.”

[Ugh! I’m going to take a nap!』

With that, Dania curled up and went to sleep.

In no time, she was snoring softly.

‘If I can make good use of Dania’s second horn from now on…’

Not just for growth speed, but it looked like the horn would be useful in many ways.

‘I don’t know how many horns she’ll eventually grow, but each one is incredible.’

I watched Dania sleep with a satisfied smile.

“Master, I’m going to go make the Exploration Drone now. I’ve finished all the designs, so it shouldn’t take long!”

“Oh, great. I’m counting on you.”

She’d looked spaced out for a moment, but it seemed she’d already finished her preparations.

Vellerin trotted out of the lair to start her work.

‘Guess I’ll grab some more kiwi.’

Pluck, munch, munch.

The unique tartness and sweetness of the kiwi filled my mouth.

Munch, munch, gulp!

‘Ahh.’

A pleasant sensation washed over me, as if the mana that had been welling up in my throat was now being digested.

As I kept picking and eating kiwi, I felt my mana settling down nicely.

‘Maybe I should eat a bit more Seondo Shard.’

I still hadn’t finished the last of the Seondo Shard.

Crunch!

I took a big bite.

That heavenly sweetness spread through my mouth again!

「Your total mana has greatly increased.」

「Your level has increased.」

「Your level has increased.」

My level went up again.

Now I was at Level 48.

I’d gained over 10 levels in just one day.

Even I could barely believe how fast I was leveling up.

‘Wow.’

With this crazy pace, I felt like Level 100 was already just around the corner.

“Popo, Chuchu, we’re going to have to ramp up the kiwi harvest. Oh! And the Shine Muscat, too.”

“Popo!”

“Chuuu!”

Popo and Chuchu responded immediately to my words.

Good.

From now on, our main food will be kiwi and Shine Muscat.

Just then, a system message popped up before my eyes.

「 <Lundaria>, LV ??? x5 has been sold at Auction.」

「 <White Sun Herb>, LV ??? x5 has been sold at Auction.」

「After the Auction House fee of 10% is deducted, the remaining amount will be paid.」

Oh!

Lunadria and White Sun Herb had been sold.

‘The amount…’

The moment I checked the sale price, my eyes widened like lanterns.

Five stalks of Lunadria.

3,561,500 Coin.

713,100 Coin per stalk.

Five stalks of White Sun Herb.

11,629,500 Coin.

2,325,900 Coin per stalk.

Total: 15,191,000 Coin.

I’d just made over fifteen million Coin.

‘Why did they sell for so much?’

Curious, I checked SuperNet.

……….

[TangTangMyeon]: Wow. The price for White Sun Herb and Lunadria that the Archmage Emperor put up is insane.

[Chapssaltteok]: Why are the prices going up like this?

[Mochiridofu]: I heard the rumors have even spread to China. They’re calling it a magic herb that lets you overcome any wall.

[Uyuktangmyeon]: That’s why even rich Chinese are bidding now.

[Ogyeopsal]: How did it get all the way to China… Oh! Was it because of Bangbaedong Gourmet’s interview?

[Ori Jumulleok]: That must be it, lol. Bangbaedong Gourmet did a great job promoting the Archmage Emperor in China.

……….

‘Ah.’

I understood the reason.

Chinese money was pouring in.

‘Next time I sell, the price will go even higher.’

The Lunadria and White Sun Herb I sold—

Once people experience their effects and taste, they’ll definitely come back for more.

Word of mouth will spread, and even more people will jump into the Auction.

‘Should I wait a bit before listing more? Or just put them up right away?’

If I space out the listings, the buyers will get anxious.

That’ll make the competition even fiercer.

On the other hand, if I put them up right away, I can get Coin faster.

‘Hmm.’

After a moment’s thought, I made my decision.

‘I’ll put them up right away.’

For me, time is money.

Losing time would be a bigger loss.

And judging by the current atmosphere, I didn’t think there’d be much of a price difference even if I listed them now.

‘This time…’

Five stalks of Lunadria.

Five stalks of White Sun Herb.

And this time, I’d add 100mL of Public Healing Oil.

I’d put all three up for Auction.

To get the Public Healing Oil, I approached the Well of Public Healing Oil.

But, huh.

What’s this?

‘The hole where the Public Healing Oil flows out looks wider than before?’

It wasn’t just my imagination.

The hole was noticeably bigger.

With a puzzled look, I began to inspect the hole inside the well more closely.

***

“Ah!”

Hong Seolhwa let out a sigh.

Lunadria and White Sun Herb.

She’d failed to win either in the Auction.

“That’s unfortunate.”

Hong Seolhwa looked disappointed.

Lunadria and White Sun Herb.

Even just getting one of the two would’ve let her rapidly boost her clan members’ growth.

“I’m sorry. I’ll try to increase our available funds next time.”

“Please do.”

Hong Seolhwa’s eyes sparkled at Hong Kanghyun’s words.

The Archmage Emperor’s magical herbs.

They’d be a huge help in increasing not just her own power, but her entire clan’s strength.

‘Where on earth does the Archmage Emperor even get these?’

Does he cultivate them?

She was truly curious.

If she ever met him in person, it was one of the first things she wanted to ask.

‘…But why hasn’t he replied?’

Not long ago, after much hesitation, she’d sent the Archmage Emperor a message asking to meet face to face.

But there’d still been no reply.

Was it a rejection?

She felt a little anxious, but since he was such a busy person… she tried to think positively.

“Master, what should we do about the Mithril the Archmage Emperor listed?”

“Bid as high as you can for that, too. I have a feeling it’s not just ordinary stuff.”

The Mithril he’d listed hadn’t gotten as much attention as the Lunadria or White Sun Herb yet.

Thanks to his name, it would probably sell for more than normal Mithril.

But she felt it was worth far more than that.

‘We have to secure the first Mithril no matter what.’

Not only for the honor of being the first buyer, but also as an excuse to contact the Archmage Emperor again.

She looked at the Mithril he’d listed, her eyes shining.

***

Far from the Rare Dragon Lair where Seojun was staying.

Whooooosh.

A place shrouded in dark mist.

‘So it has perished at last.’

A formless, flickering presence murmured softly.

Foolish thing.

Its eyes, a blend of crimson and gold, glimmered ominously.

‘Grim Reaper. The remnants of your existence will serve our grand design well.’

With those words, a sinister gleam flashed once again in the unknown being’s eyes.

***

The Forbidden Zone of the northern hemisphere, swept by bitter cold.

Today, as always, Aleksei and the Superhumans under his command were fending off the oncoming monster wave.

“Hoo.”

Aleksei took a deep breath and drew his fist back.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzing!!!!

A massive surge of ice-attribute mana gathered in his fist.

When he punched forward—

Boom!!!!

A third of the oncoming wave was obliterated in an instant.

“Uwaaaaaa!”

“As expected of the boss!”

“Man, ever since you made it to the Twelve Heavens, you just seem more incredible every time I watch you.”

Aleksei, equipped with .

Now over Level 80, his might in this place—where blizzards raged year-round—was such that he could truly call himself a martial god.

The monsters in the wave were clearly getting stronger.

But with Aleksei, it felt like they could keep holding out against the monster waves forever.

“Hm?”

That’s when it happened.

Sssssssssss.

A blurry silhouette.

An ominous aura.

A monster unlike any they’d seen before appeared.

“Huh?”

“What is that?”

Aleksei’s subordinates, noticing it belatedly, sounded puzzled.

“Kusta!”

“I’m analyzing it now!”

At Aleksei’s command, the man called Kusta rushed forward.

His trait was <Scout (SS)>.

He possessed the power to see through an enemy’s information.

“Replica Grim Reaper…?”

He blinked and continued.

“Its level is… 8, 80!”

“…!”

At his words, Aleksei and everyone else stared in shock.

Until now, not even in monster waves or Dungeon Breaks had an 80-level monster ever appeared.

“This… really isn’t normal.”

Aleksei narrowed his eyes and stepped forward.

“Everyone, fall back!”

He charged ahead with reckless abandon.

He judged that his subordinates wouldn’t be able to withstand the shockwaves from the clash.

Boom, boom, BOOOOM!!

Explosions erupted, the ground flipped, and the air trembled.

A long battle.

The victor—

“Huff… huff…”

—was Aleksei Volkov.

“Uwaaaaaa!”

“As expected of the boss!”

“I knew you could do it!!”

Aleksei raised his hand to reassure his subordinates.

But inwardly, he clicked his tongue.

Reflected in his eyes was his gauntlet, shattered by the recent battle.

If monsters like this kept appearing, it might eventually become impossible to defend this place.

‘I’ll need to obtain equipment that can fully withstand the mana of the arctic.’

Only then would he be able to hold out, no matter how many more of those things appeared.

But…

Would he be able to find it?

His worries deepened.

***

“Hm. Nothing else seems different…”

The Well of Public Healing Oil.

Looking through the widened hole, I couldn’t spot any particular difference.

‘The only change is that the Public Healing Oil’s level went up?’

「Public Healing Oil, Lv 100」

Previously, the Public Healing Oil was Level 99.

But now, for some reason, it had reached Level 100.

Unlike the other crops, which Popo had tilled the soil to raise to Level 100, nothing special seemed to have happened with the Public Healing Oil…

‘Oh!’

Come to think of it, last time when Dania hatched, the multicolored light that burst out.

That light lingered at the Well of Public Healing Oil, too.

Could that be the reason?

‘It does seem even more transparent now.’

I didn’t know why, but either way, it was a good thing for me.

“Let’s put them up right away.”

Five stalks of Lunadria, five stalks of White Sun Herb, and 100mL of Public Healing Oil.

I registered them for Auction again.

Then took another big bite of kiwi.

Kept eating without a break.

“Vellerin, make sure you eat while you work, too.”

“Yep! Thank you, Master!”

Vellerin answered with a bright smile.

Watching her work, I could see the Exploration Drone taking shape.

A small sphere with a Magic Stone lens attached.

Through that lens, it looked like you could observe the outside from within the lair.

‘Once that’s done, maybe I’ll finally have some idea of where this lair is located.’

Judging by what I knew so far, it felt like it had to be the Tower of the Abyss.

But there were still a lot of things that didn’t quite fit.

I needed to know exactly where I was, so that once I left the lair, I could figure out how to deal with the situation.

So,

‘The Exploration Drone will be crucial.’

I kept quietly watching Vellerin as she worked on the drone.

That’s when it happened.

Flash!

“…!”

A faint blue light flickered before my eyes.

The source of the light—

‘The Well of Public Healing Oil?’

The widened hole in the well.

I was sure I’d just seen a flash of light from there.