Episode 42 – Stepping Stones (1)

Stepping Stones (1)

Saturday morning. The suite room of Parascale’s only four-star hotel. The person in charge, Asillen, is reporting to the association.

“……Nothing special happened. Except for the dispel.”

The video conference being conducted via laptop has only two participants.

One is herself, the person in charge,

—Dispel. An unpredictable magic phenomenon, so let’s exclude it.

The other is Theia Esil, this year’s external advisor to the college board and the supervisor dispatched for situation management.

An unexpected magic phenomenon occurred during the college board, which led to an unnecessary one-on-one meeting.

—However, a monster was found.

“More accurately, a trace.”

Asillen shrugged her shoulders and replied.

“Most of the bodies were eaten by bears when they were found.”

—A monster was defeated by a bear. Because of the special situation called dispel. It’s convincing.

The knights and investigators who were dispatched also speculated that in an environment where magic cannot be used at all, a bear becomes the top predator.

—Why was the monster there-

“It ran away. I heard from the underground world’s host, because he couldn’t pay for the surgery.”

It’s a common occurrence. Those who undergo modification surgery in the underworld mistakenly believe they will enjoy wealth and honor when they come to the surface.

In the underworld, I’m a loser, but on the continent, I’m the strongest?! It’s such a rosy delusion.

On the contrary, it’s the opposite.

A monster that comes up to the upper world, that is, the continent, is considered a violation of the taboo, and is killed without question.

—I see. Asillen, the person in charge. I won’t question your responsibility for the duty of surveillance and management. The failure to detect the foreign body that invaded the task area is largely due to the negligence of the university association.

Just when Theia was saying ‘It’s not your fault, it’s the association’s fault’ in a very difficult way.

Ring-!

The smartphone rang. Asillen was startled and turned off the smartphone on the desk. She swallowed her saliva and looked at the monitor.

—……

Theia’s eyes had already cooled down.

I’m screwed.

I touched the reverse scale of the young old man.

—We’re in the middle of a report. And you’re at work. Silent mode on the phone. It’s basic.

“……I’m sorry. I’m an investigator, you know. So…… an important bounty has come in.”

Asillen is a third-ranked active knight and an investigator of the university association.

The University Association is not simply an ‘association’ because it is too large and has its own institutions for various purposes, and the parliament also tolerates it, and Asillen is a member of the investigation department.

—It must be a very important bounty. It should be. Definitely.

In the intimidation of the young old man, Asillen carefully checked the text message.

Fortunately, it was quite, no, incredibly important news.

“It’s ‘Noah Lucille’……”

Noah Lucille.

A serial killer who killed as many as 77 people, and a top-class criminal who escaped from Recordark XIII a year ago.

It was a statement from the host of the underworld who claimed to have heard his sighting.

—That makes sense.

Fortunately, Theia Esil also recognizes the big name. After all, it’s the ‘Demon of Mirina’ that once made the world buzz.

Asillen patted her chest.

“Now, do you mind if I go back to grading?”

—Go ahead. Let’s end the meeting here.

Ding-

Theia was the first to end the call.

“……Ah, such an old fart. Always telling me to go, but she’s the one who hangs up first.”

Asillen picked up the report, shaking her head in disbelief. She leafed through the 22 bundles of paper.

“It must have been tough~”

As expected, it was a total disaster. Most of the teams had definitively identified the mana attribute as ‘water’, and their reasoning was far from convincing.

“What’s this about a goblin?”

One team even had the audacity to claim they had discovered a goblin in the mountains.

Shush- Shush-

As Asillen was grading with a red pen, a certain name caught his eye.

“Huh? Is this that guy?”

Shion Ascal. He had earned discretionary points in the paper bird observation, but this time he had come alone for the group project.

Asillen unfolded the report with an interested expression.

“[◆ Mana

: The mana concentration in the air of the Fog Mountain is more than three times the continental average, and it is presumed that mana contains a spiritual energy……

(Abridged)

……Therefore, this mist is not a phenomenon composed of moisture. It’s a magical power imbued with spirit. In other words, it’s a byproduct of the spores released by mushrooms mixing with the mana in the atmosphere.]”

“Oh~ He got it right away?”

The Fog Mountain was the most difficult exploration area. It was tough enough to identify the ‘spirit’ property, let alone associating it with fungi, which was the key point.

[However, all the beasts and monsters of the Fog Mountain feed on mushrooms. They may already be infected with the mushroom spores.]

He even caught the spore infection.

It’s almost similar to what the professional association personnel investigated. No, how can a guy with a D- grade do so well on the college board? He’s an odd character.

[◆ Dispel]

The report even had a section on ‘dispel’. Dispel was a phenomenon unrelated to exploration, so there was no need to analyze it.

Asillen read it anyway.

\[Firstly, fungi possess the will of the spirit. It is no different from ‘consciousness’. They can think and act like humans.\]

She turned the page with a rustle.

[I saw the scene of the dispel. The natural mana formed a special magical power, and spores were mixed in it. In other words, the fungi of the Fog Mountain were clearly involved in the magical phenomenon of dispel, and they were able to be involved.\]

She read on with interest.

[But why didn’t they stop the dispel? Why, rather, did they become a part of nature and cause the dispel?]

[I speculate that it’s because they are alive.]

Asillen’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

[The fungi have made the mountain’s ecosystem their own. But their consciousness was not satisfied at that point. They wanted to thrive more, and to do so, they released spores. So that their spores could go outside the mountain and take root in another area…….]

[However, the mana concentration outside the Fog Mountain was infinitely lower than inside the mountain. Therefore, as soon as the spores left the mountain, they withered and became trapped in the mountain as mist, unable to go outside. That’s why the mist in this mountain has thickened.]

Shion Ascal had his own theory about why the Fog Mountain became what it is.

Quite convincing.

[The conscious collective may have realized then. That they are forever trapped here. That their world is confined to this narrow mountain. That as time passes and the mountain becomes saturated, they can only wait to suffocate.]

Hmm- Asillen let out a small sigh as she read.

[Therefore, before they met such a slow death, they destroyed themselves.]

Now it was the last page of the report.

[Therefore, dispel was not a phenomenon created by the coincidence of nature.]

[It was a method of suicide they tried themselves.]

[They wanted to announce their existence to the world rather than slowly dying. Ironically, they proved their consciousness and self-determination through a self-destructive magical phenomenon called dispel…….]

“……Suicide.”

Asillen muttered under her breath. It was quite an interesting report. It gave the person in charge something to think about, even though it was a senior topic.

“Well done.”

This time, it could be selected as the highest-grade model answer. Why, it’s the teaching material that comes out when private education companies solve the college board’s past questions.

“Congratulations.”

Asillen drew a large circle on the entire report.

It meant a perfect score.

______________________________________________________________________

Saturday. A precious weekend where I can lie in bed and stretch out.

I am suffering from growing pains.

My joints feel like they’re twisting 360 degrees, and my skin feels like it’s going to tear. Isn’t this going to tear my organs?

Ding-

Then a text came. I reached out with my creaking arm and picked up my smartphone.

[I sent the first draft, check it.]

“What’s this first draft.”

When I squinted and looked, it was an unknown number.

Ding-

[You have to present it next Tuesday, so make sure you can memorize it.]

But just by looking at the tone, I think I know who it is.

It’s Elise.

“This crazy woman is knocking on the window all of a sudden…….”

I’m dying of pain. I threw my smartphone and buried myself back in bed.

Then the door opened.

“Hey. Are you okay?”

It was old man Belthos. The old man had a crutch in one hand.

“……What’s that?”

“It’s a painkiller.”

“Oh?”

A painkiller. Was old man Belthos such a person who expresses his emotions so honestly?

“How did you know? That I’m in pain.”

Of course, it won’t help. It’s not a pain that can be endured with a painkiller.

If this growth pain was before regression, I would have already fainted. I’m enduring it with my mental strength.

“The sound of a lost dog whining can be heard down in the basement.”

“……Is that so?”

I scratched the back of my neck and looked at the painkiller. It was a regular Tylenol.

Ding-

[Are you memorizing it? Why aren’t you replying after reading it.]

It was Elise again. I ignored her as is.

Old man Belthos asked.

“Do you plan to live here all your life?”

“Well……. Until I get caught?”

If I get caught by the school, I’ll find a place to live. I can’t afford rent now.

“But how do you find this place? Didn’t I build it well?”

My room has a bit of a winter cabin style. The recycled wood doesn’t have a fine color, but it has everything necessary, such as a bed, dining table, chairs, and a fireplace.

“…It’s better than the basement.”

Old man Belthos turned around grumpily. I laughed and opened the painkiller.

I’m not sure how much it will help.

Ding-

[EasyCash customer. The rider has left to collect your item!]

[It will arrive at your designated location in 1 hour and 37 minutes.]

It’s a dark web alert saying that they’re coming to get the mandrake.

So I can’t just sit here.

I blew Perion into the Tylenol pill. To ‘upgrade’ the pain-relieving effect of the painkillers.

“It’s a bit creepy…….”

If I use Perion indirectly like this, the side effects will be much less than when I use it directly on my body.

Crunch-

After chewing two pills and getting up.

“…Let’s go.”

It was excruciatingly painful until I casually got dressed, but the effect of the medicine kicked in quickly. After about 10 minutes, I was able to walk reasonably.

Ding-

[Hello? Didn’t I ask if you’re memorizing it?]

I left Elise’s message unread.

______________________________________________________________________

Cadillac Hills, a wealthy neighborhood about 40 minutes by bus from Endex.

I’m sitting on a park bench in that affluent neighborhood, quietly catching my breath.

With both hands in my pockets, hood pulled up, I’m watching the wealthy people walking their dogs or jogging and waiting.

[The rider is nearby!]

At the same time as that alert, thud—

Heavy footsteps.

The presence of someone approaching, stepping on the ground.

I casually stuck to the bench and pointed with my finger at the triple vacuum box containing the mandrake. Someone quietly approached and sat next to me, putting it in a paper bag.

Literally a paper bag. A bag the size of a sandwich.

The triple vacuum box fit snugly inside.

Is this the dark web rider?

He fiddled with his smartphone and then quietly disappeared.

Ding-

[The rider has collected your item!]

This is the core of the dark web: anonymity, honesty, and the system. Anonymity and honesty may seem contradictory, but they can be reconciled within the system.

The dark web app itself is the ‘system’ of the underworld that connects anonymity and honesty. In just 5-6 years, it will surge as a tremendous black enterprise.

In that sense, I’m somewhat of a pioneer. After all, the app only came out two years ago, in 2013.

[Hey]

A message came in then. It was Elise again.

[I asked if you’ve memorized it.]

[Not replying?]

I’ve been ignoring her for about three hours. Elise hates being ignored more than not being read, so I’m deliberately doing what she dislikes.

I was about to put my smartphone away when…

[I asked if you’ve memorized it!!!!!!!]

Quite a few exclamation marks. She must be angry.

I chuckled and sent a reply.

[Why should I read your script?]

Ding-

The reply came immediately.

[You replied pretty quickly. Then why don’t you make it? Who would want to do it with a moron like you!]

I replied immediately this time.

[🖕]

“Your fucking insane!”

“……?”

At the same time, a voice echoed from somewhere in the park.

I looked in that direction. There was Elise, dressed in a tracksuit.

She was fiddling with her fingers, muttering.

Ding-

[Are you fucking insane? Don’t you know you’re the only one who loses if you don’t cooperate? You’re barely hanging on with your keyboard skills, you should at least take care of your manners……\]

I picked up a small stone. Whisk- I threw it in her direction. It traced an arc in the air, and plop-.

It landed lightly on Elise’s head.

“……Huh?”

Elise lifted her head. She looked around confusedly at the innocent trees, the clear sky.

I threw another stone at her.

Plop-

“Huh, what the……?”

She looked around with a dumbfounded face, then belatedly spotted me.

“Oh. There you are.”

I waved and took off my hood.

“Since we’ve met, let’s do it right away. What do I need to memorize?”

Elise’s face turned ferocious in an instant.