Chapter 82

I'm bored.

Lying around and casually browsing the bulletin board has gotten old.

I can see information from the real world through external links, but...

It's not fun to look at.

It's not a problem to gather information with a purpose.

Just browsing makes me feel down.

It's tough to face reality head-on.

I just watched the marionette move around.

I'm bored.

I feel like talking to someone through telepathy.

This is something that rarely happens to me, though.

《You have a message from a friend.》

Oh.

Is this something to pass the time?

It's from Margrid.

Come to think of it, I asked for a necklace, and the deadline was two days, wasn't it?

Not today, right?

"The item you requested is ready. I'm currently based in the village of Legias. I'll definitely be there in the morning. I hope to hand it over at the Legias stall."

An image of the created necklace and the [Appraisal] results were attached.

[Decorative Item: Silver Necklace] Quality C+ Rarity 3

M·AP +5 Weight 1 Durability 120

A necklace made of silver beads. It is quite durable for a silver chain.

It has been reinforced for magic activation.

[Material Item] Blue Spinel+ Quality C Rarity 3 Weight 0+

A translucent mineral in the form of an octahedron.

It has been polished and set in a silver base.

[Custom]

The base is engraved with a charm pattern 'Lattice'.

Necklace, or rather, a necklace.

The name doesn't really matter.

Since there was an image, I could see what the bead chain looked like.

It's a chain of small spheres.

Still, isn't the durability a bit high?

There was also an image of the Blue Spinel set in the base.

It shone beautifully, far more than the raw stone.

Well, if I equip it, it will be under my leather armor, so it might be a waste of beauty.

[Decorative Item: Silver Necklace+] Quality C+ Rarity 3

M·AP +8 Weight 1 Durability 120

A necklace made of silver beads. It is quite durable for a silver chain.

It has been reinforced for magic activation.

[Custom]

The bases with the Blue Spinel are connected and reinforced.

* Status resistance judgment slightly increased

Combining the two items was quite surprising.

The performance is good, but what stands out is the bonus to status resistance.

I wish I had gotten it sooner.

It's often the case that preparations don't keep up.

Oh.

How should I receive it?

If it has this much performance, it's worth interrupting my current exploration.

Tomorrow morning, then.

In that case, it would be better to head back to the Legias area today.

But my last login was in the village of Wind Spirit, and using Return Home will bring me back here.

If I have to recover from status abnormalities while heading back to the Legias area, it will take up the whole afternoon.

Well, that's fine.

I have plenty of time.

Oh.

I should reply.

Messages are a hassle.

I'll use telepathy.

I cast the spell and set Margrid as the whisper target.

"Margrid, do you have time now?"

"Huh? Uh?"

"Sorry, it's Keith."

"Huh?"

"I'm using telepathy through a time-space magic spell. Sorry for the suddenness."

"Huh? Oh, so this is it? I was surprised."

I startled her suddenly.

I'm sorry.

It's all because I'm lazy.

"I'll be in the village of Legias tomorrow."

"Got it. By the way, I have two magic stones left, so I'll return them to you."

"No, I have another request."

"Huh?"

While continuing the conversation, I took out the gems, took a screenshot, and saved the image.

I also saved a hard copy of the [Appraisal] results and sent them to Margrid via a message.

"I have two Aquolites and a Zaboline."

"What do you think?"

"I think the performance will increase if you attach them to the necklace, but the efficiency will drop. Is that okay?"

"Is that how it works?"

"Yes, it's what my master said."

Upon closer inspection, it seems there are issues with attaching multiple gems to a necklace to serve as a magic activation body.

Symmetry.

If the symmetry is disrupted, there is a hindrance effect.

The ideal is to place the most powerful gem in the center.

On either side, place gems of as similar quality as possible in a symmetrical arrangement.

Margrid mentioned that she needs one more, whether it's a Blue Spinel or a Zaboline.

"Is the ideal a Blue Spinel? I think a Zaboline in the center would be better."

"Ah."

That should be a raw stone I picked up on the riverbank north of the town of Remto.

No, I haven't been using the earth magic spell, Dowsing, here, have I?

There might be better gems available somewhere.

"Thank you for the information. I'll talk to you again tomorrow."

"Got it. Still..."

Huh?

What is it? I don't want to be interrupted.

"This telepathy spell is convenient, isn't it?"

"It's handy and useful."

"Yes, it seems so."

Ugh.

It feels like I'm being seen through.

Scary, scary.

"Well, the spell's time is almost up, so I'll end the communication here."

"Got it. See you tomorrow."

"Sure."

Not good.

I could clearly hear her giggling.

It seems I'm getting more and more players who can't stand me.

And they're mostly women.

Am I cursed or something?

The marionette seems to have tidied up the abandoned house where I sleep.

It looks a bit better, but that's about it.

I also returned the marionette here.

I think having a summoned monster around slows down the recovery from status abnormalities.

There's no evidence for this.

I might just want to believe it.

There was a noticeable change in the village.

I can see several green markers.

Other players have arrived.

And there seem to be quite a few of them.

The players who entered the village are taking off their helmets and relaxing.

No, no, no.

I have acquaintances here.

The first party to enter consisted of six people.

Yuzo was at the front.

The lumberjack I fought in the arena.

There are also familiar faces among the party members.

Fey, the glassworker.

The other four members are unfamiliar.

The next party that entered the village seemed to be on high alert, and their faces were not visible.

The frontliners seemed to be heavily armored.

They might be part of the raid group.

The next party that entered was quite easy to recognize.

Adele and Irena.

I can only see four summoned monsters, so they might not be in a union but in a party.

I thought so, but it was different.

Two hawks were flying down toward my shoulder from above.

Hey, it's crowded.

When I raised my left arm, one of them moved over.

It's definitely one of Irena's Sky Eyes, even without [Identification].

The other one must be a new hawk Adele has summoned.

Is it okay for me to be unguarded with a new player?

The last party to arrive was Fina and her group.

Saki, Reina, Mio, Shihara, and Fudou were with her.

They are the production class members I often see.

"Hey!"

"Ah, you're here!"

Mio and Adele are as energetic as ever.

I just came back from a death, so I'm not in the mood for that.

I greeted all the players, but there were too many new players to remember their names.

Important things will naturally be remembered.

Unimportant things will naturally be forgotten.

That's just how it is.

Yuzo and Fey's party were all production class.

They seem to have formed a temporary group.

Fina's Players' Guild doesn't discriminate by class, but the characteristic of this party is its diversity.

Fey is a glassworker, a rare class with few players.

There was also a dwarf stonemason.

Yuzo, the lumberjack, and two others formed the frontliners.

The backliners were an alchemist, a farmer, and a pharmacist, a diverse mix.

The all-new party was indeed the raid group.

They seem to frequently exchange information on the bulletin board.

Their equipment looks well-equipped.

I think I saw two of them in the arena preliminaries.

"Hey, where are Keith's summoned monsters?"

"I've returned them. I just came back from a death."

"Huh?"

The first to react to my words about coming back from a death was Yuzo.

Huh?

Almost everyone was focused on me.

The question came from Yuzo.

"What happened!"

"I thought I'd fight a bear in the adjacent map, but I got a status effect from a butterfly and died in one hit."

"Wow."

An awkward silence fell.

Well, I ended up being asked various questions.

We exchanged information lightly, except for the three cooks preparing lunch.

They were surprised that I had opened four area portals.

However, they already knew I had opened the area portal in the S1W1 map.

"Among the players who can use Return Home, there's only one summoner so far."

So Fina said.

It seems Goodie had posted on the information board.

Hmm.

As long as there's no real harm, it's fine.

Fina and her group came here in force to see if this place could be a base.

The raid group came to escort them, assuming they would receive support from the production class.

They had already fought raptors and cranes several times on their way to the village of Wind Spirit.

Escort, huh.

If Yuzo is here, it's not necessary, right?

I thought so but didn't say it out loud.

I briefly explained the situation of each map.

I felt like they were a bit disappointed, but I ignored it.

"So, no monsters come to this village at night, right?"

"Right."

The production class seemed to be having fun.

"This place absolutely needs to be developed by players! I think that's the intention of the developers, right?"

"But the problem is circulation. Even if only players can come and go, it's not enough."

"It's different from the fishing village ruins found in the east. You can't travel by boat."

"How about detouring from the north or south?"

"From what Keith said, the north is a high mountain area, and the south is a volcanic area, right?"

"Is the forest labyrinth the bottleneck?"

"But there's so much land that can be used for fields and pastures."

"Hold on, hold on."

The conversation was getting heated and out of control.

"Alright. Let's stop here for now!"

Fina's voice cut through the heat.

The tension immediately dissipated.

"Remember the original plan? First, let's make this place a more usable base. Got it?"

The production class members nodded silently.

"I'll ask the raid group to explore the south. Absolutely do not step into the adjacent map, okay?"

Fina was 'asking' the raid group, but it didn't sound like an 'ask' to me.

"Roger."

"Si!"

"Got it."

The raid group had a smug attitude.

But it seemed they were under Fina's command.

If you control food, clothing, and shelter, you can't win.

"What about Keith?"

"I'll head back to the Legias area. I need to pick up the requested item."

"Oh, that's right. It was supposed to be ready today."

The other members of Fina's group looked worried.

What's up?

"Well, I wanted to see Keith's fighting style."

Yuzo.

I feel the same way.

I'm very interested in how you fight.

"Lunch is ready!"

Mio's shout seemed to shift everyone's attention to lunch.

Bad timing.

I've already eaten.

"Keith?"

"I'm already done, so it's fine."

Irina called out to me, but I had to decline.

I'm already full.

Lunch was over.

Yuzo's party changed their formation and headed north.

The farmer and stonemason were replaced by Saki and Shihara.

The raid group headed south.

The remaining producers were investigating the village and its surroundings.

"First, we need to assess the materials in the village. We might be able to repair some of the buildings."

The stonemason and Fudou started investigating the village.

This place might become a base.

It seems reasonable.

As mentioned earlier, there are some challenges, but...

How is my recovery from the death penalty?

I'll check my status.

Status

Dexterity 16 (-3)

Agility 16 (-3)

Intelligence 20 (-4)

Strength 16 (-3)

Vitality 15 (-3)

Spirit 20 (-4)

I feel like I've recovered quite a bit.

Was it right to return the summoned monsters?

My HP and MP are recovering, not at the usual pace, but almost fully.

Well.

I should head through the forest labyrinth early.

If I have time, I'll continue making potions and experimenting at my master's house.

"Then I'll head back too."

"Huh? Have you recovered from the status abnormalities?"

"I'd like to hurry, if possible."

It's a lie.

Actually, I'm embarrassed about coming back from a death and don't want to be seen in a bad mood.

"Oh, right. Here, take this."

I remembered the antman's honey.

If it's a food item, I can give it to them.

Mio's eyes lit up.

She always reacts like this to food.

"Is it okay?"

I reflexively answered.

"Sure."

"No, you should pay for it."

Fina quickly calculated the price.

I had a little more money.

"I have other items I'd like to sell."

"Sorry, but it wouldn't be a good business deal to buy them here."

Yeah.

That's true.

I'll stop by the village of Legias on my way back, where Rick and the others are.

Well.

I summoned Voluf, Crescent, Helix, and Rig.

This formation is for movement and attack.

"Wow, four summoned at once!"

"Huh? So, what's your summoning magic level?"

"Yeah, it just reached 10 recently."

The conversation suddenly stopped.

Is something wrong?

"Isn't that pretty fast?"

I understand Fina's question.

But.

I've survived several encounters with over 100 monsters.

It was by chance.

I didn't aim to level up.

"I've encountered a lot of monsters in large numbers."

When I explained the situation, Fina made a hypothesis.

It might be a kind of Monster House.

So, what's a Monster House?

"Think of it as a state where monsters have accumulated without being touched."

She didn't look surprised.

I don't think I should be ashamed, but there's nothing I can do about it.

In short.

Whether it's a map or a dungeon, the first person to step into it might face a large number of monsters.

That's all you need to remember.

I thanked her and left.

Needless to say, Adele was petting Voluf and Crescent during this short exchange.

Before leaving the village's territory, I cast four Physical Enchantments and two Mental Enchantments.

I have enough MP.

If it can reduce the death penalty, I should use it.

Here's how my stats look after the buffs.

Status

Dexterity 16 (-1)

Agility 16 (-1)

Intelligence 20 (-1)

Strength 16 (-1)

Vitality 15 (-1)

Spirit 20 (-1)

I can fight, but not at my best.

I want to return to my master's house early today and start over.

I headed east as if I were fleeing.

Main Character: Keith

Race: Human, Male, Race Level 10

Class: Summoner (Summoner) Level 9

Bonus Points Remaining: 8

Set Skills

Staff Level 8, Blunt Level 5, Kick Level 5, Joint Techniques Level 5, Throwing Techniques Level 4

Evasion Level 5, Guard Level 4, Summoning Magic Level 10, Time-Space Magic Level 2

Light Magic Level 5, Wind Magic Level 5, Earth Magic Level 5, Water Magic Level 5

Fire Magic Level 4, Dark Magic Level 5, Ice Magic Level 3, Lightning Magic Level 3

Wood Magic Level 3, Dust Magic Level 2, Melt Magic Level 2, Burn Magic Level 2

Alchemy Level 5, Pharmacist Level 4, Glassworking Level 3, Carpentry Level 4

Coordination Level 7, Appraisal Level 6, Identification Level 7, Insight Level 2, Cold Resistance Level 3

Grapple Level 6, Horsemanship Level