Chapter 171 - Memorize | Novel Seeker

Unexpected Encounter (2)

We pushed together eight tables, and I couldn’t help but sigh at how unnecessarily long it seemed. But Go Yeon-ju quickly dispelled my sighs by preparing a feast of dishes that put our previous meals to shame.

As everyone settled into their seats, I noticed a bit of sauce on An-sol’s lips. It seemed she had snuck a few bites while moving the food, unable to resist her hunger. When Vivian pointed it out, everyone burst into laughter, leaving An-sol blushing and looking down in embarrassment. (For the record, Vivian didn’t laugh. She seemed genuinely annoyed.)

With a cheerful smile, Go Yeon-ju encouraged everyone to eat as much as they wanted, saying it would help her since we’d soon have to clear out the inn and the ingredients. No one hesitated at her offer. In fact, the moment I took a bite, the group descended on the food like they hadn’t eaten all day. As the drinks flowed, the gloomy atmosphere that had lingered since our exploration of the “Cave of Screams” seemed to lift.

Once everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the caravan’s attention naturally turned to the Chaos Mimic. Ever since we discovered it, they’d been eyeing it eagerly, and now, with the cleaned-up mimics in front of them, they looked at me with pleading eyes. I was planning to open them soon anyway, so I gave a slight smile and picked up the two mimics slumped in their chairs.

Just then, I felt someone tugging insistently at my sleeve. I turned to see An-sol, her face flushed from a drink, pulling at my clothes with both hands. Her voice was slightly slurred, as if she were tipsy.

“Brother… I want to do it too… I want to open the mimic… the mimic… I want to do it too…”

From the context, it seemed she wanted to retrieve the treasure from the mimic herself. Since the mimics were already cleaned out, I handed her one without hesitation. Of course, I gave her the slightly smaller one, which she had dubbed the “mommy mimic.”

An-sol’s eagerness sparked a commotion among the group. Everyone started clamoring to open the remaining mimic. Even Vivian joined the fray, but I ended the debate by giving the mimic to Yu-jeong, who had been the first to express interest.

With their mimics in hand, An-sol and Yu-jeong moved to the center of the room, their faces alight with excitement. I wasn’t worried, as each mimic had a sword and an elixir inside. As they took their positions, they opened the tightly shut boxes. Instantly, the room fell silent.

In the quiet, Yu-jeong’s voice counted down, “3, 2, 1…” And as she reached “0,” they both flipped over the greatest treasure chests of the Hall Plain.

Thud! Thud! Clang! Clang!

Unlike the light clinking from the baby mimic before, these sounds were heavy and resonant. Just as I expected. While there weren’t as many coins or jewels as before, heavier, more valuable items were dropping out. These were treasures far beyond mere currency or gems. Watching the mimics reveal their true worth, I couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.

It didn’t take long for the mimics to empty their contents. The stream of items, including heavier ones, quickly narrowed. The lack of coins and jewels was due to the space being taken up by other items. Finally, the “daddy mimic” spat out a long, thin wooden box, and the “mommy mimic” a round shield, and then nothing more came out.

Yu-jeong and An-sol patted the backs of the mimics, but only dust came out. The group sprang into action with surprising speed, as if they had planned it all along. They quickly gathered the coins and jewels and began moving the equipment. An-hyun even kicked aside piles of gold coins in his haste, a sight that would make any adventurer without 10 gold for lodging scream in horror. Meanwhile, Jeong Ha-yeon, Shin Sang-yong, and Vivian, holding appraisal scrolls, approached the equipment being moved.

Go Yeon-ju, looking intrigued, joined them, and I leisurely activated my third eye.

First, I calculated the coins and jewels. Last time, we had over 60,000 gold in coins alone, with even more in jewels. This time, the total gold barely exceeded 30,000, though the jewels were still plentiful, with over 200 top-grade gems. I mused that if we combined all the jewels we’d collected so far, it might exceed a thousand—a truly staggering amount.

After quickly tallying the coins and jewels, I turned my attention to the heavier items. The group had already sorted them, making it easy to take stock. I first examined the nearest helmet. It was a helm, crafted from bent metal plates, with a striking red plume on top.

Behind it, I saw a brigandine armor. It was a coat of mail, with small metal plates riveted onto sturdy, flexible leather, then covered with more leather. At a glance, it was hard to tell if it was armor or just a leather coat. As the group continued to bring in equipment, I used my third eye to slowly inspect each item.

Soon, messages began to appear in the air.

『Helm of Courage』

Description: A magical helm containing 17% mithril. The red plume on top is a symbol of the Knights of Courage, revered before the rise of wizards. Wearers are immune to fear, curses, and other status effects, though the effect depends on the wearer’s magic ability and only applies while wearing the helm.

『Mighty Sun』

Description: In ancient times, there was a temple dedicated to the sun god in the Hall Plain. Invaders attacked, and a hero was sent to fight them. Though he fought bravely, he was outnumbered and fell. The sun god, moved by his sacrifice, blessed his armor. While the sun is up, wearers gain a slight increase (+5) in endurance. The armor offers substantial physical defense and reduces magic damage from spells with a magic power of 75 or less, based on the wearer’s magic ability.

『Legend of Hoplon』

Description: A large, round shield with a 60 cm diameter, used by soldiers of the strongest army in ancient times. The Legend of Hoplon was used by elite guards protecting the king, praised as the best shield of its time. It can reflect physical and magical attacks, depending on the user’s magic and luck abilities.

『A Four-Leaf Clover』

Description: A ring made from ten drops of dew collected annually from a four-leaf clover, said to bring luck. It is beautiful and protects the wearer (maintains constant temperature, resists curses and mental magic). Wearers with a luck ability below 90 gain a slight increase (+2) in luck.

『Twin Head Ogre Power Gauntlet (TOPG)』

Description: Gloves made from the twin head ogre, a variant of the ogre king. Crafted by a skilled non-human blacksmith and a legendary sage, they increase the wearer’s strength ability by a small amount (+2) unconditionally. The gloves contain the ability “Rage.”

<Rage: A unique ability within the gloves. When the wearer’s health falls below 30%, they enter a rage, slightly increasing strength, endurance, and agility. The gloves’ magic prevents the wearer from losing their mind while using “Rage.”>

『Coat of Plate』

Description: This is a one-piece coat plate, elegantly adorned with mithril, making it suitable for formal events. However, the creator’s unique taste is evident, as it resembles a leather coat rather than traditional armor. It offers high physical defense and some magical resistance, though its weight is a drawback. It has a self-repair function.

『Bow of Purity』

Description: Purity - The First Wing. It holds the power to shatter evil and corrupt energies. It boasts overwhelming attack power against demonic forces. However, the power of Purity is based on the user’s own magical abilities, which limits its maximum attack potential.

『Glory of Heaven』

Description: A black robe named Glory of Heaven. It is woven from the silk of the male spider monster, Acraned, infamous in ancient Hall Plain. After defeating the spider, the robe was offered to a temple, granting it mystical powers. It is nearly impossible to cut or tear and provides excellent physical defense. It has self-cleaning and repair functions.

『Glory of Sun』

Description: A red belt named Glory of Sun. It is woven from the silk of the female spider monster, Arachne, also infamous in ancient Hall Plain. After defeating the spider, the belt was offered to a temple, granting it mystical powers. When worn with the Glory of Heaven, the two garments react to each other, unleashing their true power. The belt generates high anti-magic resistance, but this ability is based on the interaction between the two garments and cannot be adjusted by the user.

『Elixir (x3)』

Description: Restores all status ailments. Recovers all health and mana. Can revive anyone as long as they are not dead.

“……”

I paused my reading and rubbed my temples. It wasn’t because I was tired. The items that had just been revealed were far beyond my expectations. Honestly, when I first saw the Helm of Valor, I thought maintaining that level of quality would be satisfactory. But most of the equipment that followed surpassed even that first impression. I was so overwhelmed that I could barely keep my composure.

But it wasn’t over yet.

“Hey, I found another one. It’s a long wooden tube. I wonder what’s inside.”

“I found something too! But what is this? It looks like an ostrich egg.”

“Ouch! I got poked by a horn.”

“Ew, what’s this filthy pouch? Gross.”

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

After checking twelve pieces of equipment, I watched as they brought in more items, and I swallowed hard. I couldn’t bring myself to read any further, so I decided to check the equipment list instead. What else could possibly be in there…

『Divine Moon Sword』

『Egg (Pegasus Egg)』

『Unicorn Horn』

『Rare Class (Twilight Priestess)』

“Cough! Cough, cough!”

I barely managed to hold it together until the Unicorn Horn. But when I saw the last item on the list, I couldn’t help but cough loudly. What on earth was in that pouch to list a rare class like Twilight Priestess? As soon as I read it, I racked my brain, but nothing came to mind. It seemed to be a class that hadn’t appeared in the first round.

I was too stunned to be surprised anymore. So, I sank into a nearby chair. I was happy, but the sudden influx of fortune was making me anxious. I mean, the invisible sword was one thing, but how did two more elixirs show up?

While I was busy being amazed, the others were carefully arranging the equipment like sacred relics, sorting the gold and jewels separately. They weren’t counting meticulously, just roughly sorting them before stuffing them into a mimic, indicating they weren’t particularly interested in those anymore. Meanwhile, the three mages were sweating profusely as they appraised the equipment with their scrolls.

Watching them, I quietly pulled out a cigarette and lit it. An inexplicable sense of unease lingered. I had a feeling we needed to leave Mule as soon as possible.

In hindsight, I think I was vaguely aware of it. I was so distracted by the equipment that I ignored the unease, but I probably didn’t know at the time. Even now, I couldn’t have imagined that the anxiety I felt would soon become a reality.

The person I least wanted to meet in Hall Plain, the one I desperately wanted to avoid in the early stages, was about to find me, and I had no idea. I just stared blankly at the equipment.

---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=

Reader: “I heard you made a mistake yesterday.”

Ryu Jin: “It was my oversight. Please don’t worry.”

Reader: “I see you unintentionally did a continuous update. It’s nice, but can you manage a midnight release?”

Ryu Jin: ”…I’ll try.”

Reader: “I heard you have a mountain of assignments. Is that true?”

Ryu Jin: “I still have a working screen and fingers to type with.”

Reader: “Are you sure you can do it?”

Ryu Jin: “As long as I’m alive, no assignment will stop me from a midnight release.”

『 Reader Comments 』

破天魔痕: Wow, first place again! This is your third time getting first place so easily. Congratulations. Are you the new top reader following in the footsteps of 휘을, MT곰, and 쿠로시온?
dydy0114: Ah, I got caught. But I escaped with a midnight release!
Martial Arts Novel Fan: Haha, so that’s what they say. Haha. Haha. Sigh. Is there anyone who can heal this pain? If left like this, it’ll fester meaninglessly.
Blood Flower: Thank you. I feel like a superhuman today. I quickly reviewed 50 slides of presentation material and assignments. Haha.
Akleo: NO. I have an ending planned, but it’s a bit early to reveal it. I originally had an ending in mind, but it changed midway. Haha. And Kim xx is involved in the change. No more spoilers!
Gentleman Kojiro: Thanks for the coupon. Your way of speaking is unique. Haha.
Demon Shrine: Some of it was revealed today. For reference, just the Glory of Heaven alone is much better than the shirt Yoo Jung is wearing now. Haha.
Groover: The chaos inside the Chaos Mimic was probably filled with confusion. They’ll have quite a dilemma when they sell the inn again. Haha.
Hyun Oh: Haha. Thank you. I’ll always strive to ensure that assignments don’t overshadow the novel. So please, stop giving me so many assignments! Please! (Crying out here.)
letzgo02: Haha. I’ve signed an electronic publishing contract. It hasn’t been released yet. I’ll probably announce it when it comes out. And it’ll be after significant revisions.
GradeRown: Not a gourd, but an egg appeared. Haha. Finger sucking(?) is a hard play. Haha.

Your recommendations and comments are the driving force behind continuous updates. (This is the truth.)