I Transferred to the SSS-rank Crafting Field - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

06 – The Lonely Sea (1)

Where were the owners of all these scales?

The truth would probably be revealed gradually; for now, I should do what I could.

I pulled myself together and looked at the circuit on the floor.

The circuit was composed of knots centered around space and transference equations, with protective enchantments layered on top.

Judging by its scale, it seemed capable of effortlessly transporting around twenty people simultaneously.

‘If I hadn’t activated the Explorer’s Eye, I would have missed this.’

Although the engravings were slightly recessed into the floor, the circuit wasn’t visible to the naked eye since the lines were quite worn and weathered. Praising my own insight, I touched the mana circuit.

I then circulated my mana around the circuit to check on its condition. While some parts had been severed by the passage of time, it seemed like the design would function properly with a little repair.

Unlike Carlos, I was someone with relatively low stats; I needed mana stones to create such a large circuit. I retrieved several C-grade mana stones from my inventory. Although I had brought more advanced mana stones from the guild warehouse, these were enough to repair the circuit.

I injected mana into the mana stones; their crystal-like form turned soft, like clay. I had learned from Carlos that mana stones could be used in this way.

‘I don’t know who drew this circuit, but they must have amazing talent.’

Because I had seen a similar design in a book Carlos had shown me, I could at least touch up the circuit. Otherwise, I would have had a hard time.

Considering how long ago this circuit must have been made, I was even more amazed. ‘Mmm… Is this good enough?’

After completing the remains of the overlapping circle shape in the center, my temporary repairs were finished.

There were peculiar and unique elements that seemed to reflect the style of the creator, but the design itself wasn’t overly complicated. I couldn’t touch the unique areas, so I haphazardly patched it up. Nonetheless, there shouldn’t be any issues with the circuit’s functionality.

As soon as my last stroke finished, a system message popped up.

‘So, I can raise my stats like this, huh?’

The unexpected reward made my eyes open wide.

If it weren’t for my new trait, I would have passed this area by without ever discovering the circuit’s existence. Even if I had stumbled upon it, somehow, I would have to slink away since I had no recourse to analyze or manipulate the circuit.

Since there weren’t many petals left, I immediately placed my palm on the circuit and activated it.

“Nngh. This is no joke.”

All my mana was sucked into the circuit. The sudden outflow of mana made my head throb sharply from the recoil.

Whoosh–

Magic permeated the old, engraved lines that had been left untouched for ages.

A slight vibration emanated from under my feet, and light began to seep out from the engravings. As if resonating with the circuit, ripples spread across the calm lake. The entire lake was soon filled with bright light.

The surrounding landscape became distorted, as if they were reflections in disturbed water. My view darkened.

When the dizziness subsided, I slowly opened my eyes.

***

Beautiful coral forests and an emerald sea stretched out beyond me.

I found myself in the middle of a coral forest beneath a lake that was within a coastal cave.

‘Where am I now?‘

The color of the seawater was different from my original location. Judging by the sunlight, the lake didn’t seem to be very deep.

I looked up and around at my surroundings. The most striking thing was a large, translucent hemisphere encircling the entire nearby area. And, next to the mana circuit on the ground near my feet, there was purple writing.

‘Nngh–it’s not any official, common language.’

Within the World’s Towers, there were as many languages as the number of floors. With the help of the system, the player could freely use the official language of that floor, but other languages did not fall under such allowances.

‘In other words, I can’t read it.’

I decided that I should request help from a Hunter with language skills and I took a picture of the writing with my Hunter Watch.

I couldn’t tell what the writing on the ground was made of, but the more I looked at it, the more eerie it felt. Setting aside that inexplicable uneasiness, I left the coral forest.

‘There must have been a master craftsman living in this area.’

The hemisphere surrounding the entire field was so wide that I wouldn’t be able to completely examine the area in my remaining time. I presumed the hemisphere functioned something similar to protective magic.

A protective enchantment that covers such a vast area… I couldn’t help but marvel at the deep and extensive world of magitek.

‘Shall I go that way first?’

There were about 10 minutes left; I needed to focus and make wise decisions. In situations like this, wasn’t it customary to examine the center? I swam towards the middle of the hemisphere.

Fortunately, the center wasn’t far.

As I approached the center of the hemisphere, a system message announcing the name of the city appeared.

OceanBloom: the city filled with white buildings located in the middle of this protective field.

Perhaps because it was built underwater, the buildings here had a free-spirited appearance unlike the squares and neat structures of Sheila. True to its name, the buildings surrounding the central tower of the city resembled a blooming flower.

‘An underwater city… Merfolk probably lived here.’

The city, which was so beautiful from a distance, looked more like a ruin when I drew closer. The once radiant white city had lost its original splendor. There was no sign of life or activity anywhere in the vast city. Only oblivious fish leisurely passed through the streets.

As I walked alone through the quiet city, I felt strange.

“Let’s start over there.” I thought I should check out the unusual tower first. I swam towards the flower-bud-like tower; the door at the bottom was locked, so I entered the tower through the terrace.

The cylindrical tower, surrounded by coral-like branches, was hollow at the center, allowing people to move up and down freely.

Rooms were arranged around the edges of the hollow center, but there were too many to examine them all. Since there was a high chance of finding important facilities or rooms at the top, I began my exploration from the summit.

Sure enough, the door on the top floor was made from particularly luxurious material.

I haphazardly threw the door open.

‘Ah–I’m basically blind here.’

I didn’t know what the room was for, but inside there were many different documents. The problem, of course, was that I couldn’t read these documents.

I tried to stash them in my inventory, but a system message informed me that wasn’t possible. However, I was motivated more than disheartened by this roadblock.

‘If this doesn’t work, then that must mean there’s an item I can use around here somewhere.’

I had no time–I scoured the room in a hurry. Until the very last minute though, I couldn’t find a clue.

‘No way–Was I mistaken?’

What if this room was a red herring… When I flopped to the ground, all energy seeping out of me, I found something on the floor.

A familiar scale–but different from what I had seen before. Unlike the brittle gray scales that were on the verge of collapse, these scales were a mysterious turquoise.

No–it wasn’t turquoise.

It only looked turquoise because the scale contained a glossy liquid–like the shine of an opal–that was the exact same color as the surrounding sea.

Seafolk? Isn’t that the name of this floor? I thought that it metaphorically referred to the NPCs in Sheila, but…

‘Was that referring to merpeople instead?’

If Seafolk meant ‘merperson,’ then the meaning–the goal–of this floor completely changes.

The floor’s name often penetrated to the core of the main quest. Did that mean the players had misinterpreted the quest?

‘No, that can’t be. Then, how would they have cleared this floor?’

I couldn’t ponder further; I had to leave the tower. The Umanta petals were nearly expired. I really cut things close by wasting time in the tower.

I couldn’t afford to swim to the circuit that led to the coastal cave, so I swam straight for the water’s surface.

Though I worried that I wouldn’t be able to cross through the protective hemisphere, I fortunately was able to pass through without much resistance.

However, I encountered a crisis elsewhere. I had to swim up quite a bit to breach the surface, but the Umanta flower petals had expired. My clumsy swimming skills wouldn’t be enough to cover the distance.

The sunlight looked so close, but I thought my life would end like this…

…Suddenly, I remembered a scene from a movie starring a wizard. I summoned my bow in a hurry.

‘Apply ‘Agglutination’ to slot 3.’ ¹ Agglutination = clumping of particles

A massive arrow, created by magic, was nocked on the bowstring. I aimed downwards with my back against the surface and released the arrow. As it flew, it cut through the turquoise sea with a fierce force behind its fletches.

Since my body wasn’t firmly braced against the ground, my body pushed up and was met with water resistance.

‘One more time!’ After the second launch, my body bounced to the surface as if I was being flung like a ragdoll. I quickly took a desperate gulp of air.

“Haaah, I’m alive…”

In the distance, I could see what I assumed was Shiela.

“How am I going to get over there, though…” Though I was worried, I couldn’t help but smile. A sense of accomplishment and pride welled up within me–I had found a clue to the Hidden Quest.

***

The words were neat–as befitting Han Cha-hyun.

He must be exhausted from being near Lee Kangto all day. ‘Stay Strong!’ I silently sent a half-hearted consolation his way.

Due to the considerable distance from Seaflower to Sheila, my body felt exhausted and limp. I don’t think I had ever swam for so long. If I was an unawakened person, I may have drowned from exhaustion.

****

Cha Taeyang had returned only when the sun had set. “You’ve already returned?”

“Taeyang-ah, say your greetings! You should say you’ve returned!”

“Hello! I’m back!”

Today, once again, the upright dokkaebi nagged Cha Taeyang about the strangest of things.

I don’t know where she had been, but Cha Taeyang’s head was covered in dust. The same was true of the dokkaebi and the young girl behind her.

‘…Wait a minute, a young girl?’

The girl, who seemed to be about thirteen years old, poked her head out from behind Cha Taeyang’s back.

“Atera, you should say your greetings as well!”

“Atera?” I asked.

A young girl with a head full of dark blue hair. Atera hid behind Cha Taeyang, avoiding my gaze.

Under the Special Act on Awakened Individuals, teenagers under the age of 15 were prohibited from entering the World’s Towers.

Therefore, there was only one conclusion left: Atera was an NPC.

Aigoo, my head. What on earth was she thinking when she picked up an NPC? My fingers automatically gripped my temples.

Cha Taeyang, who was ignorant of my feelings, put her hands on her waist and smiled brightly, “I brought her here!”

TL: I’m pouring a drink out for Han Cha-hyun, one of the only reasonable adults on this trip.