Chapter 2

Munch Munch.

Chomp Chomp.

“…This isn’t the taste!”

After finishing the meal, I threw aside the now-bare bones of the Cockatrice leg.

The flavour is quite stable.

I was worried it might taste gamey, but surprisingly, it was clean, tender, and had a pleasant chew to it.

It just wasn’t the taste I was looking for.

I’ve cooked quite a bit, so I had some confidence, but I guess it’s too much to ask to replicate the pinnacle of modern science in one attempt.

“Guess you can’t be full after the first bite, huh?”

In fact, if I had succeeded on my first try, I might have been disappointed, thinking, “The taste I’ve been searching for was this easy to make?”

So, instead of feeling discouraged by the failure, I should take comfort in the fact that I found a good ingredient.

Some people might dislike the idea of eating monster meat, but I don’t have any particular aversion.

After all, monsters here are like wild animals back on Earth.

They’re just a bit more ferocious, a bit more dangerous, and have a much higher reproductive rate than wild animals.

At first, I was reluctant too, but after eating it to survive, I realized it’s tastier than expected.

Since then, I’ve been eating without hesitation.

“…Ah.”

As I basked in the fullness, a breeze brushed past my cheek.

I pressed down on my cape to keep it from flying off and enjoyed the wind for a moment, then glanced around at the mess I’d made.

There’s still a lot of ingredients left….

Because the Cockatrice was so large, I had prepared a lot of ingredients, but it seems I bought way too much.

Even the food I made was left over.

Spices can be saved and used later, but the milk and food will spoil if left out. I should have bought a storage artifact.

I could just drink the milk, but I’m too full to drink anything right now.

After contemplating for a moment, I made up my mind and poured the remaining milk into a cup.

Gulp Gulp.

“Phew…!”

Ugh, I feel like my stomach’s going to burst….

But drinking this much, maybe I’ll grow a bit taller?

“…Sigh.”

I let out a deep sigh, knowing full well that it wouldn’t happen.

I don’t need to be tall, but I’d like to not be so short.

In my past life, I was tall. Maybe this time, it’s fate that I live small. Sadly, my height hasn’t changed in years.

Even though I’m at the age where I should still be growing!

I know the reason, and I know it couldn’t be helped… but it still stings.

“Let’s finish cleaning up.”

There’s still some tidying up to do.

I put the spices back on the shelf by type, and I’ll eat the leftover chicken tomorrow.

The weather is so cool, there’s no way it will spoil in just one day, right?

Once I finished tidying up, I nodded in satisfaction.

“Now, let’s wrap things up.”

Clank.

Srrrng.

The sword at my waist slid out of its sheath with a metallic sound.

The old and cracked iron sword looked like it could break at any moment.

It sure has lasted a long time. For an iron sword I hastily grabbed from a small village blacksmith, it’s impressive that it’s held up this long.

I didn’t even take good care of it, either.

With this blacksmith’s skills, they might be able to forge a legendary sword one day.

I smiled slightly, thinking of the blacksmith’s face, which looked rough but showed pure passion, and then swung my sword.

Shing!

A sharp silver arc slashed through the air, scattering blood.

Red blood splattered onto the blooming red flowers.

It would have been a problem if the flowers were blue, but luckily they weren’t.

“…!”

It looked human at a glance, but the way it skittered around made it clear it was just a rat.

I mean, who comes crawling around in the middle of the night like that? It couldn’t be a person.

And I’m not the type to feel guilty about killing a rat.

Oh, is this where the word Agape doesn’t fit? Well, as long as the meaning is clear.

It did feel a bit wasteful to use the sword that would one day be made by a future master craftsman just to kill a rat, but I didn’t have anything else to use.

Sorry, unknown blacksmith. I’ll make it up to you by buying a better sword next time.

“Hmm.”

The rat’s corpse vanished into a shroud of light.

The same thing happened when I killed that thief this morning, and I narrowed my eyes.

“Could there be an organization I don’t know about?”

One… no, two cases of this happening make it reasonable to suspect something.

I’ve heard that certain information guilds and assassin guilds use poison or artifacts that dissolve their bodies upon death to eliminate evidence, but I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this.

And now I’ve realized something else.

It was strange that the thief this morning managed to bypass my aura and touch the Crimson Aegis, but now, after killing this rat, I’m sure.

These guys have a different kind of presence.

It’s not that I can’t feel them, but their presence feels oddly off.

I was careless because it felt different from the usual presence of people I know, which is how they got so close.

On top of that, their image was so faint that I couldn’t make out their features clearly.

“The stealth I know involves reducing one’s presence, but there’s a method like this, too.”

Coming up with something like this… human creativity truly is amazing.

But why would these people—or whatever they are—come here?

I thought about it earlier too, but this is deep in the mountains with no path and difficult terrain.

No matter how skilled an herbalist is, it wouldn’t be easy for them to get all the way here.

“Could it be…?”

I subconsciously tapped the sword hanging at my waist and shook my head.

“No, it couldn’t be.”

Yeah, it’s just a coincidence.

I tried to calm the uneasiness in my heart.

‘But what if, just maybe, it’s not a coincidence…?’

I looked down at the sword hanging from my waist.

The same red color, but unlike Crimson Aegis, this one had a deep, saturated hue.

***

A short time after a post on the community became popular, the author posted an update.

[Indiana Jones Update]

(You Died)

I failed miserably, lol.

I tried my best to sneak up without making a sound, but they spotted me right away and came to kill me.

Attached to the post was the familiar death message that anyone who plays Silia Online has probably seen at least once.

Those who had been eagerly anticipating the result were disappointed, while those secretly hoping for failure probably laughed.

But that wasn’t all.

When I got closer, I entered combat mode, and…

(Health Bar.jpg)

I didn’t think to take a screenshot earlier, but judging by the health bar type, this is definitely a Raid Boss, right?

But do both the name and level usually show up as ??? like this?

I don’t do raids much, so I’m not sure. If anyone knows, please let me know.

Here’s a picture of the boss taken in third-person view:

(A person wearing a hooded cape.jpg)

I thought about taking a first-person screenshot, but I got cut down so fast I didn’t have time.

If I hadn’t already switched to third-person mode, I wouldn’t have even gotten this shot.

[Comments]

Oh, it’s definitely a new boss.

How slow is your reaction time that you couldn’t even take a proper screenshot?

┕ He’s just an old guy who likes to explore… cut him some slack.

┕ If you react like that, what am I supposed to say?

┕ Garbage?

┕ Boo, garbage.

I was curious about the sword’s stats, but it’s a dead end.

A reclusive swordsman living in the mountains? I can’t resist; I’m heading there right away, lol.

┕ This was the last will and testament of the deceased.

The name shows up like that when there’s not enough information about the boss. But I’ve never seen the level hidden too.

I wonder if you get the sword as a drop if you beat it.

┕ Since it’s stuck in the ground, the drop item might be separate, maybe a first-clear reward?

Even in a game with immense freedom like Silia Online, players’ thirst for discovery never seems to end.

New clothes, new phone, new computer.

There’s always a certain excitement that comes with new things.

That’s why the players of Silia Online are constantly thirsting for new information, and information posts make up a large portion of the popular posts in the community.

The discovery of a new boss, in particular, was like rain during a drought for these eager players.

***

[Looking for mercenaries for new raid]

[Let’s learn about herbs]

[Summary of the hot new boss rumors]

[Speculation: Identity of the new boss]

[The importance of basic skills]

[About the free mercenary city, Liberi]

***

Posts like these popped up left and right.

*** Searᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“A new raid boss has appeared?”

– Well, technically, it’s not that it ‘appeared,’ but that it was ‘discovered.’

– Yeah, they haven’t had a single update yet, so that’s true.

– The fact that there hasn’t been a single update and there’s still so much to do in Silia Online is pretty amazing.

– There’s still a lot that hasn’t been revealed, and we haven’t even finished the stuff that been revealed, lol.

– And there’s not a single common bug.

– Truly a god-tier game.

“It really is amazing. How did a game like this come out of our country…?”

– ?

– ??

– Watch your words.

– Are you dissing Korean games?

– Streamer Joanie / Controversy

“No, no! That’s not what I meant…!”

Sensing the potential for disaster, streamer Joanie frantically waved her hands.

“I just mean it’s surprising! Honestly, compared to overseas technology, our country’s tech is a bit behind.”

– Hmm…

– That’s true, but

– ??? We made Silia, what are you talking about? You clearly don’t know anything, lol.

– Before Silia, it’s true most of the big games were from overseas.

“But look, they didn’t even do any testing, and there’s not a single bug. It’s so optimized, there’s no lag. Even the best triple-S-tier overseas games weren’t like this.”

– True.

– It’s only explainable if they used aliens to make it.

-I always waited for bugs to get fixed in those other games before I’d play them, lol.

– Same, lol.

The chat, which had been on fire, gradually cooled down, and people began agreeing with Joanie.

Breathing a secret sigh of relief, Joanie quickly avoided the incoming disaster.

“Well, the raiders must be pretty excited.”

-Are you going to try it, though?

– Honestly, you’re not bad at controlling your character. It might be fun to watch you try it.

– It’s not really your main content, but watching you get cut down would be fun, lol.

– True, lol.

“I’m not planning on trying it yet.”

Joanie took a somewhat negative stance.

“Raiding is fun, but I enjoy exploring more. That’s why you guys watch my streams, right?”

– True, true.

– There’s a certain vibe to Joanie’s adventures.

– It’s always fun when you run into high-level mobs and die, lol.

“Unexpected things are part of the charm of traveling.”

– Charm (getting killed)

– Charm (getting hit)

As Joanie bantered with her viewers, her eyes skimmed through the community posts.

The newly discovered boss had only been found recently, so the posts were filled with speculation and little confirmed information.

“It’s definitely interesting. Gives off an Excalibur vibe from the Arthurian legend. Maybe it’s guarding the grave?”

– That’s what people are speculating.

– They’re calling it the Gravekeeper for now.

– The real name hasn’t been revealed yet.

“The Gravekeeper, huh? That’s a good name. I wonder what its story is? I’m curious.”

-Most people are more curious about the drop items.

– Or its attack patterns.

– You just love the story, don’t you?

Joanie didn’t deny it.

“Maybe I’ll check it out sometime, if I get the chance. But don’t get your hopes up; I didn’t say I’m going to try it.”

As a streamer, Joanie knew how her audience would react to certain things she said.

Sometimes, she used that knowledge to get the reactions she wanted.

Just like now.

As expected, her viewers’ comments immediately speculated about her trying the boss, but she had already shut it down, causing her to smile.

‘The Gravekeeper…’

Even though the cape covered most of its body, it was clear the figure was small in stature.

A child? A dwarf? Or maybe an old man with a hunched back?

What kind of story did the Gravekeeper have? And what was the significance of the sword stuck in the grave?

Joanie’s heart pounded with excitement at the mystery ahead.

She wasn’t planning on going anytime soon, but…

She had a feeling she’d meet the Gravekeeper before long.