Chapter 18
BEYOND THE BOSS CHAMBER was the Chalk Chamber, home to a crystal called the Chalk Orb. According to a lore-loving friend, that one item maintained all the Ancient Underground City’s functions.
As Mira approached the chamber entrance, Soul Howl returned from inside.
“Oh ho!” exclaimed Mira. “You finally return. Took you an awfully long time just to recover a fragment.”
When she greeted him that way, Soul Howl grimaced. He looked even more tired than he had after the battle. “You make it sound simple. I wish it were as easy as that.”
He explained the process for obtaining a Chalk Orb fragment, sounding more like he was complaining than offering a genuine description. While it was straightforward, it required great concentration. First of all, Soul Howl explained, the Chalk Orb was made by scooping high-purity mana from ley lines and crystallizing it. That was essentially the very energy circulating through the world, so the Chalk Orb was harder than orichalcum.
When she heard “orichalcum,” Mira was plainly surprised. “My word. It’s that hard?” After all, orichalcum was an extremely rare item used in legendary-class gear. It was tough to find even on raid boss drop tables. Calling orichalcum “legendary” was no exaggeration.
“Human tools could probably never damage the thing.” Soul Howl grinned at Mira, as if saying, Get it now?
One hot topic among players was just how hard orichalcum was. The fantasy setting didn’t betray them. When they’d experimented by dropping a one-ton hunk of steel onto orichalcum wire from a high place, the wire won, cutting the steel clean in half. This game faithfully recreated the laws of physics, so the one-millimeter wire defeating an enormous, sturdy hunk of steel produced a legend worthy of the vaunted metal.
“So, how did you get the fragment?”
All players knew just how hard orichalcum was. If the Chalk Orb was even harder, getting even the smallest shaving would surely be impossible, let alone a fragment. Just how had Soul Howl obtained it?
“First, you need one of these.” Soul Howl unsheathed a dagger hanging from his waist and showed it off.
Seeing the metal’s reddish tint, Mira exclaimed, “And he whips out orichalcum!” Indeed, the dagger in Soul Howl’s hand was made of the stuff. Its color—reminiscent of fire—was characteristic of simply forged orichalcum, though the metal’s color varied based on how it was processed. “Okay. Then what?” she demanded. Based on the flow of the conversation, that couldn’t have been all.
Complaining that this had been the hardest part, Soul Howl described the method for carving off a Chalk Orb fragment. It came down to mana. Since the Chalk Orb was solidified high-purity mana from ley lines, you could insert your own mana little by little, synchronize it, and temporarily decrease the orb’s hardness. That alone didn’t make it soft enough to carve, however, necessitating the orichalcum dagger.
“On top of releasing and adjusting mana, you’re synchronizing simultaneously. That’s what took longest.” Soul Howl had been controlling his mana this whole time. The physical act of carving the fragment had only taken a second.
“I see. Sounds like a lot of work,” Mira told him nonchalantly.
Soul Howl—who’d focused so hard, the fatigue was evident on his face—just shrugged to himself. Mira was always like this, after all.
***
“I’m surprised by how thorough you were, Elder,” Soul Howl mused as he surveyed the scattered wreckage. When the necromancer left, the Machina Guardian had only been cut in half. Now it was so disassembled, its original shape was impossible to discern. Anyone could tell that Mira had put real care into salvaging its drops. “How was it? You made all this mess; did you find anything notable?”
He’d said he didn’t want the loot, but he was still interested in the items. As a top player, that was natural, given the rarity of some of the raid boss’s drops.
Mira knew exactly how he felt, so she answered smugly, “Anything? I found everything!” She showed off the most valuable drop of all—the Eye of Apollo.
“Wow. So that’s the Eye of Apollo. It’s bigger than I expected.” Soul Howl approached, his fascination clear.
Mira hugged the crystal close protectively. “I don’t care if you changed your mind,” she insisted. “It’s mine.”
“I know, I know.” Soul Howl lifted a piece of the wreckage and asked, “How much other stuff did you get? If I remember right, all this thing’s drops were parts. That must mean you found them all, yeah?”
He’d picked up a mere piece of scrap metal, but the Machina Guardian was made of a metal superior to average iron or steel. If they took it all home, they could sell it for a nice sum. The fact that Mira had ignored all the scraps implied that she’d found things worth much more.
“Yes, a full set,” Mira answered confidently.
“There was a Neuron Crystal in it? Can I have it?” Soul Howl asked.
“A Neuron Crystal? Why? Do you want to upgrade your equipment?” she demanded, looking him up and down again.
Soul Howl’s outfit was more or less what one would expect—primarily focused on looking cool. Still, Mira knew what good gear looked like, so she could tell it was high-quality gear altered to suit Soul Howl’s tastes. In fact, it was even stronger than the gear he’d worn back in Alcait. Neuron Crystals were powerful, yes—but surely not so much so as to justify an upgrade, so Mira was bemused.
Soul Howl’s answer was a little surprising. “Upgrade… Yeah, I guess it’d be kind of like that. I didn’t expect to unlock my advanced magic. Now that I have, I can update Irina’s grave goods again. I planned to use the Neuron Crystal on her.”
Irina was Soul Howl’s trump card, summoned with [Necromantic Arts: Hadean Cycle]. The grave goods stored via Martyr’s Coffin greatly bolstered her abilities. Unfortunately, Soul Howl had been forced to abandon updating the grave goods halfway, but the Neuron Crystal would help him complete them.
“I see. You want it for Irina.” Mira certainly understood. Neuron Crystals were highly compatible with magic; one would surely bolster Irina’s fighting power.
“Of course, it is yours. I’ll pay you for it,” Soul Howl said matter-of-factly. He began calculating. “How much are they these days? You don’t see them on the market often, so I don’t know the price. Back then, I think they were thirty million. So, given their rarity, supply, and demand…”
Even when top players had defeated the Machina Guardian weekly, Neuron Crystals had sold for thirty million ducats. The raid boss was now defeated far less often—perhaps this had even been the first time in the past thirty years. Since the crystals seldom made it onto the market, it was hard to gauge their modern price.
Soul Howl made a quick calculation based on the price he remembered. “Will three hundred million do? If the market price is higher, eh, I can pay the difference once I’m done with my work.” He threw out the incredible sum casually, sounding like an aristocrat with no need of money. That reminded the frugal Mira of just how vastly different their wealth levels were.
“O-oh…three hundred million…” Her head spun. That would be a massive windfall. How much luxury could she enjoy with such a sum? She could stay in nice inns and eat as much delicious food as she liked. Feeling an odd déjà vu, she fantasized about what she’d do with the payment.
As she daydreamed, Soul Howl raised the offer further, taking her reaction as uncertainty. “If that’s not enough, let’s make it five hundred million. It’ll be a few more months after I get back, though.”
Mira’s brain halted. Then the sheer ridiculousness of a two-hundred-million-ducat increase brought her back to reality. “Sure. Take it.” She pulled a Neuron Crystal from her Item Box and shoved it violently at Soul Howl.
“Whoa. The deal’s on? I can pay in cash or by check. Which do you want?” Soul Howl asked, still casually.
Mira puffed out her chest, resolving not to be bested. “I’m fine. You fought quite well in your own right, so consider it your cut of the loot.” She didn’t mention that she still had four more Neuron Crystals in her Item Box. Still, she’d hand over the loot he’d previously said he didn’t want, offering it without expecting money in return.
“Man, you sure? Five hundred mil isn’t a big deal for me. Don’t you worry about my funds,” Soul Howl said with overwhelming composure.
Mira held her ground. “I’m telling you, it’s fine. Besides, bolstering your magic with the Neuron Crystal will help you finish your business faster, yeah? Come back sooner, and the peace of mind will be worth just as much to me.”
It was true that the promise of five hundred million ducats had seduced Mira, but she was being genuine. Announcing the Nine Wise Men’s return and building a military would be much easier if he returned sooner.
“…Yeah, you’re right. If Irina can fight at full power, I can accelerate my plans. Two, three months at most, if all goes well,” Soul Howl muttered to himself, then added, “In that case, I graciously accept.” He placed the Neuron Crystal in his Item Box.
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