Chapter 9

EP.9 Omen – 1

Even in the world of the game, the moon sets and the sun rises. The dawn created by the sun rising from the east, as it always does, shone its grace upon both the royal palace and the slums where beggars lived.

A new day was beginning.

Workers, tired of their monotonous labor, reluctantly got up from their heavy bodies.

The same went for the maids in the royal palace. No, they were even more diligent than the sun that dispelled the night sky, starting their day early.

Of course, I was no exception.

“Sage? You’re already awake?”

“Yes.”

The building assigned to me was a guesthouse within the palace, reserved for distinguished guests acknowledged by the royal family. Currently, I am the only one using this building.

Thus, I have been able to monopolize this vast and luxurious garden for several days. Of course, monopolizing it doesn’t mean I do anything special.

I’ve been busy with achievements.

So, the only thing I do in this garden is what I do every day after getting used to this world as a sage:

Morning meditation.

I don’t particularly enjoy sitting still, but I meditate every morning for one reason:

To function as a sage.

Being able to use all skills means I need to perform the necessary training to enhance my abilities, just like other professions.

Even though I was a veteran, this game emphasizes growth.

To return to reality safely without dying, I couldn’t stop training.

Meditation is good for enhancing the power of magic, so I wake up at dawn to train.

“How would you like to have breakfast? If you say so, I can arrange for you to have it with the princess…”

Shaking my head at the head maid’s polite question, I replied. While increasing intimacy by having meals with the princess isn’t bad, there was something more important now.

“I have to go out today for some business.”

“I see… Then, may I ask where you are going? His Majesty and the princess will be curious…”

“Just tell them I’m out on important business.”

I recalled the moon I saw when I went out for morning meditation.

I noticed a slight change in the appearance of the red moon, which proves the hardcore mode.

I had managed to delay it during the main story, but now I had to prepare for an event that couldn’t be postponed any longer.

“The princess will be disappointed… I understand.”

I smiled at her.

There’s nothing I can do if she’s disappointed.

Besides, there’s a sage-exclusive equipment obtainable only through this event.

And if I ignore it, the death toll will easily exceed tens of thousands.

In "Pursuer of the Eight Stars," battles are primarily fought in fields and dungeons.

Of course, there are cases where battles occur in other places through events, but most battles happen in fields and dungeons.

In fields, there’s almost no limit to the number of participants. It can be a minimum party of two, or even a solo player, and if capable, mercenaries, armies, or adventurer groups can also join.

But dungeons are different.

Dungeons strictly limit the number of participants. For example, if the limit is three, only three can enter.

And unless they are wiped out or complete the dungeon, no one else can enter.

This is ostensibly due to divine blessings and the rules of the world, but in reality, it’s for balance.

Regardless, since I’m in the game, I have to follow these rules, including this dungeon.

The dungeon, known as the Toad Dungeon, is no exception.

It’s frustrating, but…

“Yaaaah!!”

A female warrior in a bikini armor swung her double-bladed axe at the head of a monster with a toad-like body and dozens of tentacles on its back.

With a grotesque squelch, the monster fell, and the lizardman archer behind it drew his bow.

“Haaah!”

The arrow, shot with a battle cry, transformed into light and pierced the green brain exposed by the split head of the fallen monster.

“Gueeeeeeek!!”

Even with its head split and an arrow in its brain, the monster didn’t die. Instead, it tried to continue attacking by transforming its tentacles.

The female warrior, eyes wide, shouted.

“Living tentacles! This must be heaven! How much is each one worth!!”

Blushing, she ran towards the tentacles, and a rain of arrows fell behind her. The lizardman archer’s multi-shot skill dropped the tentacles one by one, and each time one was destroyed, the warrior screamed.

“No!!”

Despite her screams, all the tentacles were hit by arrows. When the dungeon’s master finally fell silent, the warrior glared at the lizardman with wide eyes.

“You should have left at least one!”

“What?”

The lizardman, thumping his long tail on the ground, flicked his forked tongue like a snake.

The warrior aimed her axe at him.

“Damn brat.”

“What?”

“Is that all you can say?”

“What?”

“Hey! Sage! Say something!! You know how much a single tentacle can fetch in the back alleys!!”

I understood the warrior’s anger and the lizardman’s sarcasm.

But I had something to say to them first.

“Stop stomping the floor. You filthy trash.”

One of the monster’s attacks is to curse the floor, causing continuous damage. Proper players avoid the floor during the dungeon, but these two ignored it and stomped around.

Because of that, I almost vomited from healing.

Thanks to that, the count for the "Healing Master" achievement increased, but it was still tough.

“Sage, is it okay to say such harsh words?!”

Did I really say something that harsh? After reflecting, I concluded:

“It’s fine to curse those who stomp while I heal.”

Be grateful I didn’t punch you.

“Tch.”

While we were bickering, the lizardman started collecting the tentacles.

As he put the destroyed tentacles into his bag, the warrior pouted.

“Oh, we won’t get the bonus reward.”

“We completed the quest, didn’t we? Human woman, you’re too greedy.”

“What would a lizard like you know?”

She blew a raspberry, and the lizardman thumped his tail in dissatisfaction. Meanwhile, I examined the wall.

“Sage, what are you looking at?”

“I need to confirm something.”

I’m not interested in the tentacles as proof of completing the quest. Even if I don’t get the reward, the quest will be marked as completed, and I’ll earn points for achievements.

What’s important is this.

“Sage, what is this picture you’re looking at?”

The lizardman, hissing like a snake, joined me in looking at the wall.

The wall depicted a monstrous creature with nine tentacles. The warrior, with her bag now bulging, approached us.

“Ugh, let’s go. I’m tired. Hey, lizard, Sage, how about a drink tonight?”

Ignoring her invitation, I continued examining the wall and found a hidden mechanism.

“What’s that?”

Pressing a secret button, a small gem hidden in the corner of the wall fell out.

The gem was dyed a blood-red color, like the moon in the night sky.

“Huh? What’s that?”

“A new discovery.”

“It’s mine, as agreed.”

Before entering the dungeon, I negotiated with my party members. You can take all the rewards, but I get any additional finds.

Since my main goal was the points from completing the quest and this gem, I had no regrets.

The warrior alternated her gaze between her bulging bag and the red gem in my hand, then smiled.

“Well, we did agree… But now that I see it…”

“See it?”

“It doesn’t look very valuable to my gem appraiser’s eye. You should take a couple more tentacles. Here, take this.”

“…No, that’s not necessary.”

I had been preparing to ambush her, but I reconsidered. I didn’t expect her to act like this.

If she had betrayed me with such a trivial act, I would have cursed and ambushed her, but it seems it’s not that serious.

“What? Did you think I’d take it too? Oh, Sage, that’s too much. I’m not that greedy.”

Smiling, she took a step closer. The scent of her sweat from battle tickled my nose.

“Of course, I’m greedy in bed. Ah, maybe it’s because I saw those tentacles, but my body feels really hot. Who will soothe me tonight?”

I had expected this. The last time we were in a party, I suffered a lot from her nymphomania. She had tried to seduce other adventurers and me at the guild…

“Stupid and lewd human. Take your pointless mating outside.”

The lizardman, thumping his tail, seemed eager to leave.

Dungeons are inherently stressful and anxiety-inducing spaces. Despite his excellent physical abilities, the lizardman is vulnerable to mental attacks and expressed his dissatisfaction.

The nymphomaniacal warrior, who had been trying to seduce me, frowned.

“You’ve been annoying me since we got in here?”

“Hmph. I’ve always found you annoying.”

“Really?”

The warrior aimed her axe with a cruel smile, and the lizardman raised his bow.

The reason they’re drawing weapons over a few words is probably due to the ominous red light from the gem and the special nature of the dungeon.

Knowing this would only lead to bloodshed, I grabbed my lute.

-Twinkle~

The soft melody from the lute’s strings soothed the lizardman and the warrior.

It’s a stress-reducing performance, one of the musician’s skills.

If left unchecked, they would have continued arguing and likely ended up in a bloody fight.

I didn’t want to see that, so I ended the performance, and they lowered their weapons and started laughing.

“Hahaha! Off-key! It was off-key!”

“…Is this human music? It sounds off-key, but it’s not bad.”

As they said, the performance was a bit off-key, but the effect wasn’t bad.

Of course, managing their stress while I was stressed myself, but this is nothing to me.

“Let’s go.”

As I slung my lute back over my shoulder, they nodded and started leaving the dungeon. I followed behind, putting the red gem in my pocket.

“Oh, Sage, what is that gem?”

“It’s a precaution for an upcoming threat. It’s not really related to you, so don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”

“Sage, if you ask, I’m willing to help.”

I just smiled at the lizardman’s offer. Realizing my smile was a refusal, he flicked his tail, and the warrior giggled.

I glanced at the pocket with the gem.

Yes.

This is for an event that’s not related to you.

After leaving the dungeon and returning to the guild, I heard various stories from the warrior and the lizardman.

About the situation on the battlefield, how Leventia, a member of the hero’s party, was going crazy, how the hero seemed to have changed, and how the elf archer Evangelina had suddenly disappeared from the battlefield.

None of it was particularly useful information.

The same went for the information I could get from the guild members, so I declined their invitations to hang out and returned to the palace.

After finishing my walk and idle chat with Lucille, who had completed her homework and was waiting for me, and teaching her a few things, today’s lesson was over.

I was glad Lucille had followed along well.

As the day passed and I returned to my room to rest,

A knight rushed over with an urgent look.

“S-Sage!”

“Hmm?”

It was a knight from the Lily Knights. Her pale face and panting breath indicated urgency.

“I-It seems there’s a problem on the battlefield where the hero is active. General Leoden has requested your wisdom…”

Her urgent report made me move, and I unconsciously touched the gem I had obtained earlier.

“It seems new monsters, which we haven’t seen before, have suddenly appeared on the battlefield. They’re asking for you to come to the battlefield and give advice.”

New monsters.

A new dungeon.

The signs of the "Pale Moon" event were spreading from the battlefield.

Author’s Note

Hello! I hope you enjoyed today’s chapter.

I’ll see you in the evening.

If you enjoyed it, please leave a recommendation. Thank you!