LIGHT NOVEL Chapter 172: Commander Of The Blue Forest (2)
The next morning.
Kim Hyunwoo looked at Adria.
Adria looked back at Kim Hyunwoo.
A deep resentment was evident in Adria’s eyes.
Kim Hyunwoo, guessing the reason, averted his gaze.
…That was the entirety of what had transpired in the three minutes since Kim Hyunwoo met Adria.
“Lord.”
“Yes.”
“Last time, if I recall correctly, I heard something about…keeping things under control?”
Kim Hyunwoo awkwardly smiled, knowing he didn’t really need to answer her question, though her words seemed to demand an explanation.“Isn’t Rhien watching?”
“No. The Dragon is currently bedridden.”
“…I see.”
“That’s right.”
“So, what happened?”
Kim Hyunwoo answered Adria, who looked as if she had suffered terribly from Rhien before she fell ill.
“It just ended up that way somehow.”
“I see.”
“Yes.”
Adria stared at Kim Hyunwoo for a moment and then sighed.
She knew from the start that she wasn’t in a position to say anything to Kim Hyunwoo and, if anything, understood that he was showing consideration for her, who had been tormented by the dragon.
Thus, having finished that conversation, Adria quickly brought up a different topic.
“First, I’ve acquired more Skeleton Scrolls.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“No, it wasn’t hard at all. It would’ve been better if you’d held out just a little longer.”
“……”
However, her resentment from being tormented by the Crimson Dragon since dawn hadn’t vanished, so her response came out slightly bitter. Kim Hyunwoo replied to her nonetheless.
“…By the way, you’re quite good at obtaining Skeleton Scrolls.”
Adria decided to go along with Kim Hyunwoo’s natural attempt to change the subject.
“These days, necromancers have started making scrolls more frequently than you’d expect.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, ever since Lartania started mass-producing Magic Stones, their prices have gradually been dropping, you know?”
Kim Hyunwoo nodded in response to Adria’s words.
Indeed, compared to before, the price of Magic Stones had significantly decreased.
Even though Lartania bought up most of the Magic Stones, it wasn’t as if mercenaries didn’t take them to other places.
Of course, that didn’t mean Lartania was suffering any major losses.
Even though the price of Magic Stones was slowly dropping, they were still a natural resource of this world, so their price wouldn’t fall beyond a certain level. In fact, higher-grade Magic Stones were still maintaining their value.
‘Actually, it would be helpful if the price of the lowest-grade Magic Stones dropped.’
The lower the price of the lowest-grade Magic Stones that Lartania was buying, the cheaper Kim Hyunwoo could produce Red Stones.
In any case, the falling prices weren’t entirely a bad thing, so Kim Hyunwoo silently nodded and soon guessed the situation.
“So, as the price of Magic Stones drops, Skeletons powered by Magic Stones are being made again little by little, right?”
“Exactly. As you know, Skeletons are excellent workers as long as you have Magic Stones… Though the price hasn’t dropped low enough to mass-produce Skeletons yet.”
Kim Hyunwoo nodded in agreement as they continued their conversation on various topics.
“My Lord, it’s about time to begin.”
“Ah.”
Soon after, Elena entered and made a report, to which Kim Hyunwoo nodded.
With the Labyrinth Package finished, a notice was given to the mercenaries to essentially block off the Labyrinth for about a day.
Kim Hyunwoo looked at the three heroes – Merilda, Rin, and Charyll – who had gathered around the Round Table, and began to speak.
“As I’ve mentioned before, today’s goal is to conquer the Labyrinth.”
“I know.”
“Me too!”
“I know.”
Looking at the three heroes, each giving their own reply, Kim Hyunwoo continued speaking.
“The goal is the 28th Floor. But as you know, there’s no need to push yourselves too hard. If you feel it’s dangerous, pull out immediately. The Labyrinth can always be conquered later. Got it?”
The heroes nodded again at Kim Hyunwoo’s words.
“Alright, let’s begin.”
After confirming that Merilda, Rin, and Charyll were heading into the Labyrinth, Kim Hyunwoo briefly thought to himself.
‘As expected, it’s probably impossible to reach the 28th Floor in one go, right?’
Honestly, he wished the three of them could clear up to the 28th Floor, but Kim Hyunwoo knew very well that it was impossible.
‘It’s different from before.’
Previously, heroes had been able to swiftly break through the Labyrinth not only because they were strong but because of Kim Hyunwoo’s strategies.
But now, Kim Hyunwoo couldn’t provide strategies in real-time, and more importantly, there were fewer people tackling the Labyrinth.
Back then, five heroes had gone down to conquer the Labyrinth, but now they were short by two.
Therefore.
‘It looks like I’ll have to challenge the 28th Floor after Rhien returns… Maybe they’ll manage to reach the 21st or 22nd Floor today?’
While Kim Hyunwoo was thinking this, he suddenly realized that the heroes currently inside weren’t 5-star but 5.5-star heroes, and this thought struck him anew.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t even checked their stats since I recruited them.’
With that thought, Kim Hyunwoo looked at the heroes entering the Labyrinth in the distance and, for the first time in a while, opened up their stats.
“…???”
Soon, Kim Hyunwoo couldn’t help but look bewildered.
Hero Name:
Merilda
Title:
Beast King
Star Rank:
5.5 stars ★★★★★☆
Affection Level: 5
━Stats━
🔸️Strength: 142
🔸️Agility: 282
🔸️Intelligence: 88
🔸️Luck: 92
🔸️Magic Power: 150
※The hero trusts you.
And with good reason – Merilda’s stats, which he had opened as a test, were absurdly higher than he had imagined.
“…Agility of 282?”
Kim Hyunwoo mumbled in disbelief, instinctively recalling Arteil’s star ranking system.
At the very least, he remembered that a hero needed a minimum stat total of 450 to reach 5 stars.
But Merilda’s current stats?
Just combining her Strength and Agility alone brought her close to the level of a 5-star hero.
If another player saw Merilda’s stats in the game, they’d call it completely overpowered.
Thus, dumbfounded, Kim Hyunwoo stared at Merilda’s stats and began adding them up one by one.
“Total stats: 754…?”
Kim Hyunwoo recalled that Merilda’s stat total had barely been over 500 ten years ago, and with his mouth agape, he immediately opened the stat windows for the other heroes.
Hero Name:
Rin
Title:
Absolute Ruler of Darkness
Star Rank:
5.5 stars ★★★★★☆
Affection Level: 5
━Stats━
🔸️Strength: 121
🔸️Agility: 230
🔸️Intelligence: 110
🔸️Luck: 42
🔸️Magic Power: 180
※The hero trusts you.
Hero Name:
Charyll
Title:
Hero King
Star Rank:
5.5 stars ★★★★★☆
Affection Level: 5
━Stats━
🔸️Strength: 240
🔸️Agility: 259
🔸️Intelligence: 79
🔸️Luck: 180
🔸️Magic Power: 322
※The hero trusts you.
“Crazy…”
Kim Hyunwoo couldn’t help but mutter a curse.
Meanwhile, as the heroes entered the Labyrinth, Adria was seated in the largest carriage, which served as the office for the Tienus Merchant Group.
[Adria…]
“I’m listening, Rhien.”
Hearing Rhien’s voice in her head, Adria spoke with an expression that said she knew this was coming.
[Sorry.]
“What?”
Surprised by the unexpected apology instead of whining, Adria instinctively responded with a bewildered expression.
[I’m sorry? When I think about it, this isn’t something you could control, but I think I made things too difficult for you.]
Hearing Rhien’s words, Adria suddenly felt an emotional surge.
It felt as if she were finally being acknowledged for things that had gone unrecognized all this time.
“It’s alright, Lord. I understand.”
Feeling such emotions, Adria smiled quietly as she responded to Rhien.
However,
[Then, maybe…perhaps…since you said that, could you do me just one more favor?]
“Pardon…?”
At Rhien’s continued words, Adria instinctively realized she had given a wrong response somewhere.
“What…exactly do you mean?”
Adria asked, her voice tinged with slight unease, and Rhien replied.
[So, it’ll still be about two months before I can come out, right?]
“That’s right.”
[Then, in the meantime, other women will devour the Master, won’t they…?]
“…Devour, no, wait, where did you learn such language all of a sudden…”
[The book I was reading expressed it like that… Anyway, won’t that happen?]
“I suppose…it will?”
[Then there’s only one solution. I have to eat him before anyone else does, right?]
“That’s true, but you’re currently unable to come out- …Oh.”
At that moment, Adria realized.
She realized what Rhien was about to request.
[…We’re of one body and soul, aren’t we?]
As Rhien’s voice grew increasingly eerie, Adria began to sweat coldly and screamed internally.