I Transferred to the SSS-rank Crafting Field - Chapter 21 - Finding the Hidden Mermaid (4)

Chapter 21

05 – Finding the Hidden Mermaid (4)

Everyone questioned the sudden leap in the story from the raid boss Avenger to mermaids.

“W-We’re not talking about Avenger?”

“Kim-Seobang, what’s a mermaid? Can you eat it?”

“W-What a barbaric little mite. ¹ The original is something akin to “droplet” or “bauble” aka riffing on the Dokkaebi’s size. I localized that into ‘mite.’ How is that a question?” Lee Kangto said to the dokkaebi.

Choi Kwon-young stepped in and stopped their comedic conversation, “I’ve been roaming all over the World’s Towers in order to find clues about the 76th floor.”

When he visited the 16th floor again, he had stumbled upon a coastal cave, “And, in that cave, there were these scales as well.”

Choi Kwon-young didn’t ignore this suspicious coincidence. He said that he felt a sense of unease while searching for information about the scales. “Isn’t that strange? Mermaid scales?”

“Really? I don’t particularly…”

“Sheila is a port city. If there were mermaids, there is a high probability those mermaids would have been in contact with humans. There would be fairytales, songs, store-branding names, so on and so forth.”

Listening to him, that all made sense. The human imagination knew no end. When species that didn’t exist inspired legends, it was only normal for there to be stories about species that did exist.

Placing the scale on the table, Choi Kwon-young continued, “But, strangely, there was nothing. Even KOD, who occupied this main quest, claimed to have heard nothing about it.”

Even the raid team, who had the most direct contact with the NPCs, didn’t know anything.

Furthermore, that scale dropped from the raid boss. That meant the scale was connected to the core of this floor.

There was nothing without context–nothing meaningless–in the World’s Towers. This was worth investigating.

Simultaneously, Choi Kwon-young’s insight made goosebumps rise along my skin. To draw such inferences from an F-grade item he had obtained a while ago…he truly was a person I didn’t want to get close to.

“So, you’ll depart as soon as you’re ready.” After barking out that short order, Choi Kwon-young left the meeting room. Gazing at the spot where he had disappeared, I fidgeted with the scale in my hand.

The port city Sheila, the Avenger, and a mermaid. Will the end of this investigation lead us to a Hidden Piece?

Anxiety and anticipation mixed within my chest; I clenched my fist tightly.

***

“Wow, that was amazing by the way!” Lee Kangto rushed at me, eyes sparkling.

I didn’t want him near me in that outfit: the robe was distractingly flashy.

“It wasn’t black magic, but it was truly beautiful!” He cried.

Not only the NPCs but even the Hunters, who would never blink an eye at strange happenings, glanced our way for a moment.

Not wanting unfamiliar people to stare at me, I pulled my hood tightly over my head. The outer surface of his hood was adorned with gleaming golden threads, making it more eye-catching than anything else. I heard that he was a close-range damage dealer, so why was he wearing such equipment?

I stepped back discreetly from Lee Kangto. “Maybe luck plays a role when it comes to S-rank items.”

“I wouldn’t even dare to experiment with average courage and resources. Although, this time, the results were very, very impressive!” he said.

Lee Kangto’s robe shook so vigorously–an artificial tail protruded from underneath. The dokkaebi, who had been lying atop Cha Tae-yang’s head, jumped up in fright. “Kim-seobang! Quickly get rid of that hideous thing! It’s a bad omen.”

“Even if you say that…”

“What do you mean, ‘bad omen!’ Don’t speak on things you know nothing about. Look at it! This perfect curve, this glossy surface, the flexible segments! The tip of this tail is so finely crafted as well! Guildleader-nim made it for me!” Lee Kangto twisted his body around as he praised his tail.

As a self-proclaimed black magic enthusiast and aesthete, Lee Kangto was known to be extremely shy but selectively rushed at things that interested him with eyes wide and shining. This peculiarity must be how Midnight Sun had Lee Kangto tightly wrapped around their fingers.

When I looked back, I saw Han Cha-hyun following the group a few steps back, pretending as if he weren’t affiliated with us. I tried to follow his lead, but Lee Kangto grabbed my wrist with his tail as I attempted to make my way towards Han Cha-hyun. “When this contract is finished, please take care of my weapon as well.”

“Hey! Don’t cut in line! I was here first.”

“Do you really have any claim if you haven’t made a formal contract?”

“I made a promise with Gaho Unni. You were there next to us when we did it!”

“Yeah, we had witnesses. As soon as Taeyang-ie gets her own weapon, the black Kim-seobang will take care of it!”² Black, here, probably refers to her clothes or her hair.

Cha Taeyang and Lee Kangto started growling at each other with me in the middle. Even the dokkaebi joined in, siding with Cha Taeyang.

In response, Lee Kangto primly raised his chin. “Y-you’re too naive.”

“What did you just say?” Cha Taeyang grabbed my hand; Lee Kangto’s tail was still wrapped around my wrist. With a squeak, she twisted the tail off; Lee Kangto squawked as he retrieved it.

Lee Kangto, looking over his tail to see if it was broken, hugged it and shouted, “Are you ignorant? What are you doing?”

“Ignorant? You’re the one who’s ignorant. Why are you just grabbing someone’s wrist willy-nilly? You can’t just recklessly grab Unni like that because she’s weak!”

“W-Well, things like that happen! Hmph–among hunters, contracts are essential. If someone breaks a verbal agreement, well, that’s the end of it. If you want to assert your rights, bring a contract!”

“Unni, Gaho Unni, is that really true? You remember making a promise with me, right?”

Breaking a verbal agreement was just that–the end of an agreement. That wasn’t necessarily untrue.

There were plenty of people who could flip their words around as easily as they flipped the back of their hand. There was a reason why the demand for contract items was skyrocketing.

As someone raised by a dokkaebi that was famous for being unable to lie, Cha Taeyang looked like she had some difficulty understanding that. However, she’ll have to get used to such duplicity.

‘Of course, I won’t do that to her.’

There’s nothing wrong with developing some healthy caution, though. When I told her that I would keep my promise, Cha Taeyang’s expression brightened.

Nevertheless, Lee Kangto’s and her argument did not end there.

“That’s enough.” Although none of the party members were particularly famous, there was nothing good about attracting undue attention. Han Cha-hyun, mirroring my thoughts, stopped both of them. “We’ll arrive at the house soon.”

On certain levels, players could own buildings, called ‘houses.’ The process of obtaining a house was so complicated that there were few privately owned houses. Most of them belong to a guild. There happened to be a house owned by Wastelands on this floor.

As there was a fierce competition for reservations, this was the first time I had been able to experience it in person.

When I opened the door to the house, I saw Yoon Suho who had arrived ahead of the group. His expression was filled with dissatisfaction; he probably didn’t like that I had sent him ahead because he would draw too much attention.

“You’re behind schedule.”

“We’re not too late.”

“Weren’t you supposed to arrive at 11:30? You’re seven minutes late.”

Ignoring Yoon Suho’s criticisms, I explored the interior of the house. It looked a bit worn on the outside, but the interior was exquisitely decorated.

This must be Hwang Jae-hui’s influence, as Choi Kwon-young probably wouldn’t pay attention to something like that.

Han Cha-hyun, who was in charge of the party, gathered the party members, “As we discussed in the meeting a few days ago, our goal is to find clues to the hidden quest. Finding traces of the mermaid is our first step.”

He took out the floor’s map from his inventory, “The main quest on the 16th floor centered around the southern port city, Sheila. However, we’ll widen our investigation range.”

“H-How wide?”

“We’ll divide the party into three groups and explore the largest cities: Ninea, the capital: Orbiche, and Shiela. To get a comprehensive view of the situation, we’ll need to investigate to those borders.”

Yoon Suho, rubbing his chin with his mouth closed, finally spoke as if he were waiting for this moment, “Gaho, you and I will…”

“N-No! I want to go with Hunter Yoon Gaho…”

As soon as Han Cha-hyun mentioned dividing us into teams, a war erupted.

‘I don’t like either side…’ One person was overly protective of me, while the other side was excessively clingy.

It would be too dangerous to travel alone on the 16th floor. If I had to pick a partner, I would prefer Han Cha-hyun or Cha Tae-yang. Han Cha-hyun was, without a doubt, an excellent colleague, and Cha Tae-yang was a junior worth teaching.

I took a deep breath, “I’d like to decline your request. Since you’ll attract attention, Yoon Suho, please proceed by yourself. It would be problematic if you were seen going back and forth from the Wastelands’s house, so it would be best for you to stay around the capital or Ninea if possible.”

“If that’s the case, then I… I…!”

Han Cha-hyun stepped in, “No. Lee Kangto-ssi stands out in a different way, so please accompany me. I didn’t want it to be this way either, but please move under my supervision.”

Lee Kangto, who slumped down and clung to Han Cha-hyun’s ankle, whimpered that it couldn’t be like this. Yoon Suho also resisted, citing my safety as the reason, but Han Cha-hyun was firm. “I’m insensitive to safety concerns, hm? That’s a fresh opinion. Objectively, the only thing that could threaten Yoon Gaho-ssi on this floor is the raid boss. However, he has long been subjugated.”

“But…”

“I’m the party leader; please follow my instructions. Besides, don’t we have Cha Taeyang? She may not be as outstanding as Yoon Suho, but she is a Hunter with excellent abilities.”

Yoon Suho shut his mouth because there was no reason for him to oppose this formation, although he didn’t look too convinced. Han Cha-hyun rubbed his temples.

Having taken on the role of party leader in place of Yoon Suho, who was an outsider, and Lee Kangto, someone who was difficult to appoint as the leader, Han Cha-hyun seemed to struggle with managing the free-spirited, stereotypical examples of high-ranked party members.

While I felt pity for him, I felt fortunate that I was not the leader. The mere thought of trying to herd these people raised my blood pressure. It was questionable whether or not I could have responded as calmly as Han Cha-hyun.

Han Cha-hyun said, “I don’t want to force Yoon Suho-ssi’s hand, but… If it continues to be like this, I’ll have no choice but to expel Yoon Suho-ssi after consulting with our guild.”

“…Understood. Then, I’ll take care of Ninea. Hunter Han Cha-hyun’s team should take charge of the capital.”

“Yes. Thank you for cooperating.”

“Yoon Gaho, contact me as soon as anything happens,” Yoon Suho ordered.

I nodded reluctantly.

That bastard–he must have chosen Ninea to be located a little closer to me. See if I keep in touch.

As if a weight had been lifted, Han Cha-hyun’s expression brightened even though Lee Kangto still had a grip on his ankle. Han Cha-hyun forcefully made the clinging man stand after shaking him off. Then, he continued, “Look at the situation from various angles and contact me immediately if something feels suspicious. Don’t forget to report every evening, even if nothing special happened. Now, Kangto-ssi. Please stand up. We have to arrive in time for the portal.”

Except for Cha Taeyang and me, the group dispersed to their respective assignments.

Despite all the back and forth, Sheila still had the highest probability of having clues. My team needed to move diligently as well.

***

Along with Cha Taeyang, we moved to the most bustling seaport in Sheila. The smell of the ocean stung my nose.

“Where do we start?” Cha Taeyang asked.

“Let’s start by collecting rumors. We need to explore as much as possible, so let’s move separately. Is that okay with you?”

“Of course! Mmm, then I’ll look around here. I can hide in the crowds using my skills.”

“Yes, that’s very good. I’ll look around the coast and then afterwards go to the coastal cave where our guild leader found the scales. That place bothers me for some reason.”

“Kim-seobang! Have a safe trip!”

Cha Taeyang also said her farewells as she disappeared amongst the passersby.

I took out the map and confirmed the location of the cave that I had marked in advance. It wasn’t too far from here. “Well, shall we go and take a look?”

TL: Han Cha-hyun doing the god’s work and making Lee Kangto his partner to let Cha Taeyang and Yoon Gaho group together instead. What a saint.