Chapter 5

"...Ryan?"

Lilisa's voice calling my name jolted me awake.

I must have been quite confused by the unexpected situation.

So much so that I hadn't even noticed Lilisa was right in front of me, looking worried.

"Is something wrong?"

"That..."

Her question startled me again.

Something was indeed wrong.

The system message, specifically the D&K chat window, was prominently displayed between Lilisa and me.

It was showcasing an enormous presence.

But Lilisa's reaction was strange.

"You suddenly touched your eyes and stood still, so I thought something happened."

Lilisa acted as if she couldn't see the chat window.

Naturally, information about my power, the Dragon Eye, came to mind.

It was a minor ability that allowed me to see parts of the system messages.

I had naturally only thought of it in relation to the cultivation system, but it seemed to encompass a broader scope.

And the content was something only I could see.

"Just a slight pain in my eye... It's nothing."

"Oh, are you alright?"

"It's fine now."

"...Are you really okay? You're not enduring pain just to avoid being a bother, are you?"

"Not at all. I just caused you unnecessary worry."

"Not at all. We're comrades, after all. We'll be together for a long time, so it's natural to worry. More importantly, we've fallen too far behind the lead. I think we need to speed up a bit."

Lirisa smiled and returned to her spot, and I slowly followed the group.

Of course, even as I walked, my gaze remained fixed on the chat window.

Stage 1-1 is really nothing.

How many heroes have you cultivated so far?

My main character is level 2, and I have one level 1 hero... and 15 units.

What's the composition of your units?

I didn't know much, so I filled it with 15 of the fastest ones!

Oh dear... Still, it doesn't really matter.

Stage 1-1 is practically handed to you.

I'll tell you about unit ratios later and give you the strategy first.

First...

"..."

The chat was updating in real time.

In fact, I had one lingering question until now.

Was this place where I stood and breathed a world strikingly similar to the online game D&K but a separate, existing one?

Or had I been sucked into the game world and become an NPC?

Or, if not that, had D&K integrated a game-like system into the existing world, connecting players with this world?

Based on the information given, I couldn't reach a definitive conclusion yet, but one thing had become clear.

With the appearance of the chat window, the possibility that this world was separate from D&K had vanished.

In other words, the difficulty of survival had once again sharply risen.

"Can't I type in the chat?"

Just in case, I reached out my hand, but there was no particular reaction.

My hand, outstretched in disappointment, passed through the system message and grasped empty air.

The emptiness drained the strength from my body.

Anyway, what would change if I could type in the chat?

"I'm trapped in a game world, please save me?"

Or, "What you're playing isn't a game, but another world?"

"Check what happened to the real me and report it to the police?"

Whatever it was, I was clearly going to be treated as a low-level attention-seeker.

In online spaces where there's no need for face-to-face interaction, people tend to forget common courtesy and act aggressively.

I would surely be ridiculed for a day or two before being buried by the appearance of new rumors.

Still, being able to check the chat window through my power was not entirely meaningless to me.

On the contrary, it was quite helpful.

The chat window was like a sea of information, constantly spewing out details.

What I could immediately confirm was that a fresh, green newbie, who had just started the game, was about to challenge Stage 1-1.

"Damn it."

A simple mission that only required occupying an empty outpost had been changed to a life-threatening engagement.

Given that there were no benefits to be gained from engagement, due to the nature of D&K's cultivation system, it was best to avoid combat if possible.

The fortunate thing was that there was a way out.

I quickly calculated the difference in power between friend and foe using the knowledge I had learned from D&K.

The enemy's forces consisted of one level 2 hero and one level 1 hero.

And units... 15 ordinary soldiers who hadn't received the benefits of the cultivation system.

Since he said he had composed the units with fast ones, all 15 would probably be units specialized in scouting.

It was a common mistake made by beginners.

On the other hand, our forces were only five level 1 heroes.

Considering the gap between level 1 and level 2, we were overwhelmingly disadvantaged.

'It would be best to avoid engagement as much as possible.'

However, the newbie, having received advice from an experienced player, had gained confidence and was leading his troops towards Outpost 28.

Unit 707, who had no way of knowing this information except for me, was also relentlessly advancing towards Outpost 28.

At this rate, an engagement would occur at Outpost 28.

And the losing side would, with high probability, be our Unit 707.

'If that's the case...'

I looked ahead.

Except for The Blonde, who was like baggage, Theo and Lirisa were doing their best in their positions.

Perhaps it was her nature, but she kept looking back at me, checking my condition, even while guiding us.

The moment she spoke a few words to Theo and was about to turn back again.

I stopped in my tracks and, with a serious expression, stared intently into the distant, innocent air.

Even reflecting on it now, I think my acting skills were quite excellent.

If it were the Lilisa I knew, she would definitely sense something was wrong and speak to me.

"...Ryan?"

As expected.

Lirisa cautiously spoke to me.

I could see Theo and The Blonde stopping as well.

"Theo. May I request a short break?"

"A break?"

Theo gazed at the watchtower of the outpost in the distance.

Even without words, I felt I knew what he was thinking.

He probably wanted to say, "We're almost at our destination, so why do we need to take a break in the middle of a dangerous forest?"

I quickly continued before Theo could speak.

"Coming here, I saw a few traces that caught my eye."

"Traces? Come to think of it, Ryan, you said you were a hunter's son..."

In truth, I had no memory of being a hunter or any skills for tracking, but I armed myself with brazenness, not changing my expression.

"It's unclear whether they are traces left by the enemy or by our allies going to and from the outpost. I need a little time to confirm that."

"If that's the case... Alright. I'll follow your opinion."

Fortunately, Theo followed my suggestion without any particular suspicion.

The group searched for a suitable place where they could rest and hide.

Meanwhile, Theo followed close to me, as I was subtly trying to distance myself from the group under the pretext of looking around.

"I'm not doubting your skills, but it's still dangerous alone. I'll go with you. I'm a lumberjack, so I don't have enough knowledge to help you with what you're doing, but at least I can be a guard."

"That's..."

"Oh, no!"

Just as I was worrying about how to shake off Theo, unexpected assistance appeared.

The Blonde, tears streaming down her face as if all the moisture in her body was being extracted, clung to Theo's leg.

"Please, stay with me. Please..."

It seemed she found Theo, who was older and physically robust, to be reassuring.

The Blonde, clinging to Theo, loaded up another round of tears, and Theo gave me a look that clearly showed his helplessness.

"But I can't send Ryan alone... Lilisa. You go with..."

"No. It's faster if I go alone."

I quickly cut Theo off, just in case Lilisa might follow.

And I quickly walked away from the group.

Fortunately, there was no sign of Lirisa following.

From behind, I heard Theo's worried shout, telling me not to overexert myself.

Thanks to the dense bushes, I was quickly able to get away from the group, and I finally caught my breath.

Objective achieved!

Thank you!

Thanks to you guys, I was able to clear the stage.

I'm currently retreating towards the airship!

Looks like there was no engagement with the enemy.

You seem lucky.

Now, you just need to process the acquired fruits and cultivate your hero.

You shouldn't make the mistake of upgrading the airship first.

"Gasp."

Even at this moment, the White player was carrying out the operation at Outpost 28.

Judging by the situation, it seemed I only needed to stall for about 30 minutes.

"Come to think of it..."

It wasn't intentional, but the place I requested to scout was not far from the cave where the easter egg existed.

Originally, I had planned to occupy the outpost and retrieve it under the pretext of scouting the surroundings, but since things turned out this way, it seemed better to retrieve it right away while also killing time.

Finding the cave's location wasn't difficult.

Although my memory was a bit hazy from long ago, it was a place I had visited countless times whenever I cultivated a new character in the early days of the game.

"Found it."

A small cave cleverly hidden by bushes.

A familiar place I had faced countless times beyond the screen.

However, since it was my first time witnessing it directly with my own eyes, a subtle feeling where familiarity and freshness coexisted dominated my mind.

At the entrance, several very old footprints, only faint traces remaining, were imprinted.

"..."

It felt nostalgic.

Perhaps some of them belonged to the heroes I had cultivated.

And some of Reisia and my player character's.

"...Sigh. What am I even doing?"

Given the situation, even indulging in sentimentality felt ridiculous.

I entered the cave.

The interior was so dark it was hard to see even a step ahead, but it wasn't a big problem.

After all, I knew the path inside perfectly.

After carefully walking for a few minutes, fumbling along the wall, a faint light began to appear in the distance.

Light filtering through a small crack in the ceiling illuminated a section of the cave about 5 meters in diameter.

And at its center, a uniquely shaped flower bloomed, using the light as nourishment.

The stamen in the center of its petals glowed with a clear blue light.

"It's here."

The blooming cycle of the flower was not short.

I had been worried that someone might have picked the flower, but it was a relief that it turned out to be a groundless fear.

I picked the flower with joy.

Cha-rang—!

With a clear sound, blue light burst forth and seeped into the delicate petals.

You have acquired a magic-infused Cave Rose.

Information: Cave Rose.

A rose that blooms in a dark, damp cave when light permeates it.

Due to its rarity, adventurers who have discovered a naturally blooming Cave Rose are few and far between.

Magic amount: 12.

"Dragon Eye can even see things like this."

The Dragon Eye was showing me more than I had expected.

Perhaps I might be able to see even more than the system messages players saw.

Since I had achieved what I wanted more easily than expected, I pondered the characteristics of the Cave Rose.

Firstly, the Cave Rose is one of the very few consumables that can absorb magic by being consumed directly, without relying on the power of a magician... that is, the power of the cultivation system.

However, if consumed immediately without assistance, the absorption rate would drop sharply, and I would only be able to absorb about 3 out of 12 magic.

But I had no intention of consuming it right away.

The second characteristic of the Cave Rose.

It was that its properties changed so that only the person who directly collected the flower could absorb its magic.

Even though I had fallen out of favor with Viscount Lemming and had been told he would abandon my cultivation, if he was a human with any sense, he would have no choice but to grant me magic due to the special properties of the Cave Rose.

If that happened, I could gain a significant lead over other unit members with a magic stat of 12, and if I was lucky, I might even awaken a new power.

Placing the flower carefully in my backpack, I left the cave with much lighter steps than when I entered.

Perhaps because I had achieved my goal, the warm sunlight piercing my eyes felt pleasant.

And one more thing.

Objective achieved!

Thank you!

Thanks to you guys, I was able to clear the stage.

I'm currently retreating towards the airship!

Looks like there was no engagement with the enemy.

You seem lucky.

Now, you just need to process the acquired fruits and cultivate your hero.

You shouldn't make the mistake of upgrading the airship first.

Through the Dragon Eye, I could confirm that the White soldiers who were working at Outpost 28, the mission objective, were withdrawing.

Now, all that remained was to plant the Alliance flag at Outpost 28 and return, and the first operation would be successfully completed.

Everything was going smoothly.

It seemed like it would be a lucky day.

I couldn't think anything else.