Chapter 286

286th Episode

Delphi, Delphi Again 286? Delphi, Delphi Again #1

As a result of our scuffle with giant bees the size of human heads, Luna, while rubbing her belly, said:

“This should be enough to make about two Moai statues, right!”

And so, in the deep evening, Luna made two small totems and handed them to me.

Ding-, Ding-.

Without hesitation, I invested in strength and task values, and luckily, for the first time in a very long while, a bonus stat popped, allowing me to increase my strength value by three points with just two totems.

『Name: Hassan Lv. 26 29

Strength: 12 15

Agility: 6

Vitality: 8

Task: 420 220

Grace: Blessing of Chaos』Bright Hands』Armor of the Night』Dark Eyes』Singed Skin』

『Your Strength value has reached its limit.』

『You can no longer increase your Strength value.』

『For a further breakthrough, you need Nectar of Authority.』

But the following text was rather strange and miraculous.

If Actaeon’s words were true about the limit being 15, the message indicated that I could no longer increase my strength. The issue was the next sentence.

To break the limit, I needed the Nectar of Authority?

Nectar of Authority-.

The word “nectar” seemed familiar in this world. You couldn’t be an adventurer without hearing about it.

Somewhere in the world right now, adventurers are probably raiding Pluto’s labyrinth late into the night. And what they seek at the end of that labyrinth—the end of the Underworld—is said to be nectar.

It’s some kind of mystical beverage; drinking it would supposedly make an ordinary person immortal and an already powerful demigod ascend to become a god.

But its existence was often treated as a legend or dismissed as a joke. Yet, looking at the words right before my eyes, perhaps it truly existed somewhere in the world?

Of course, drinking something so extraordinary would probably break any limits.

In this strange world where superstitions run rampant, if I wanted to inquire about something mysterious like nectar, who would be the best person to ask?

I decided to visit one of the strangest people I had met. The next morning, after the crematorium’s work was mostly done, I headed to the North Gate without hesitation.

But my journey didn’t stop at the city’s North Gate—it continued to a hidden rock entrance half a day’s walk beyond, then through various caves.

And at last, I reached the strange being who lived near the Life Gorge, a place accessible only by descending on a peculiar gondola.

“You’ve come. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? Your gait has changed; I thought it was someone else.”

He was a Skeleton Knight, once a legendary hero known as the Weapon Master in life, but now a mythical existence that could hardly be called human.

Grerrr…

And beside him was Agumon, the Bone Wyvern I had created.

“It’s been a while, so I’ve been busy. Here’s a bottle of wine I brought for you.”

“Oh, wine, good!”

Since I first encountered this Skeleton Knight, I realized that despite being composed of only bones and armor, he enjoyed food. How does he taste anything without a tongue?

“The smell of divine wine is strong; it seems you used winter grapes.”

“That, I don’t know. I just bought it off the street.”

Certainly, that would be the case.

No doubt he’s a truly remarkable being. If such an extraordinary being might know about the nectar I wondered about, I decided to ask.

“Do you have any knowledge about nectar?”

Nectar? Why are you interested in that?

“If I had it, I could become stronger, right?”

Ah, that’s certainly true. However, it’s something ordinary humans rarely encounter. Only those chosen by the gods can obtain it.

I see…

“Then, how does one be chosen by the gods?”

I’d like to know that myself. If I could get that, it might alleviate the immortal suffering I endure. If you ever obtain the nectar, I’d appreciate it if you set aside a drop for me.

“I’ll try.”

And beyond that, I see you’ve made quite significant progress during your absence.

Ssssshh…

The hollow blue light in the Skeleton Knight’s eye shone faintly. At that moment, I felt as if I had been completely exposed under an X-ray machine.

The Knight says:

You’re stable, both internally and externally. The club you’re using seems weightier as well.

At that, I could vividly feel the weight of the club strapped to my back.

Even with a Strength value of 15, it was still a challenge for me to wield—a weapon that felt as if it were moving me rather than the other way around.

I asked:

“Can you tell its weight without touching it?”

At my level, I can tell the flavor without tasting and the weight without touching. It might be a kind of curse, but…

I didn’t quite understand what he was saying, but it seemed like he had reached an extraordinary level of mastery.

However, since he didn’t seem to know much about the nectar, and I was already pressed for time with various preparations, I decided to leave the abyssal ravine.

Next time, bring white wine harvested in the summer, and I’ll give you a simple tutorial on how to use aura.

“I might not come back for a month—because I’m heading to Delphi.”

“Delphi? Ah, I see. Are you going for an oracle consultation? Then go and come back.”

Grerrr…

“Agumon, take care too.”

And with that, my unusual interview with the Skeleton Knight ended. There were no further questions or attempts to linger, making it a surprisingly clean conclusion. Perhaps when one is reduced to just bones, they transcend such trivial matters.

Next time, I should ask why his body became like that. As I headed back to the surface, I had much to prepare since I would be heading to Delphi next week.

“Hassan, will this much dried food and jerky be enough?”

Luna picked up a rather heavy bundle. The bag, as large as Luna’s body, looked stuffed full of all manner of goods and seemed quite heavy.

“How much did you put in there?”

“About a week’s worth. We can always stop by a village or town and restock if needed. There are supposed to be two villages and one city on the way to Delphi.”

“In that case, this amount should suffice. As Luna said, we can always buy more along the way.”

These everyday kinds of conversations continued, brimming with a sense of life.

After all, it’s a month-long journey just one way. There was no shortage of preparations needed. After the carriage starts moving, it would be pointless to regret, “Ah, I forgot that.”

“Hassan, how many passengers can the carriage take, and how much luggage can it hold?”

“We’re planning on getting a large freight cart.”

Rather than the carriages that nobles use to travel through the city, I decided we should rent a covered freight carriage designed for long-distance travel, the kind traveling merchants use.

It might be a little uncomfortable, but in exchange, we can pack lots of items in it.

“Then, we should load everything we can!”

“But, Luna, will your shop be alright if you’re gone for a month?”

I’m glad Luna is joining me on this journey, but I’m a bit concerned if leaving the shop for a month is alright given that it’s only just getting on track.

“There’s no better time to visit Delphi! We will definitely learn amazing things there!”

“Indeed.”

“So, have you decided who else will come with us?”

“Well, you and me—”

My gaze fell on Paranoi, who was busily moving luggage.

“Lady Luna, I’ve put all my belongings in there…!”

Paranoi seemed certain that she, too, would be joining us on the trip to Delphi.

“To look at the beautiful coastline and sea! It truly feels like a dream! Perhaps I will encounter the water nymphs of the sea—!”

“I, Doris, absolutely detest the sea! Gutter water nymph, Paranoi! The sea is dangerous! Think it over again! Stay here with me!”

“Travel to Delphi is only for the wealthy—! I may not get another chance to go…!”

Indeed, Delphi was reputed to be a beautiful tourist destination among the people of the Gaia Continent.

Much like how devout Muslims aim to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime, visiting the Sun Temple of Delphi at least once in their lives seemed to be a great dream for those living on the Gaia Continent.

Before ending up in this strange world, my dream was to travel abroad. The Grand Canyon, the Pyramids at the Giza plateau in Egypt, and such.

Sigh, I guess I’ll never see those in this life. Though I did see something not too dissimilar to the Grand Canyon in the northern Sodomora ravine, so that’s lucky in a way. But where would I find pyramids in this world?

“Delphi will be my first group trip with everyone…! It will surely be fun…!”

In the end, I’d have to take Paranoi, wouldn’t I? The thought of telling her, “You’re taking up space; you can’t come. Stay and guard the shop,” makes me worried about how she’d react. Still, it wouldn’t be bad to have one noisy nymph on the trip.

I said:

“Paranoi, this isn’t just a fun trip. We don’t know what might happen on the way, and there might be some dangerous situations. Are you sure you’re okay with it?”

“I, Paranoi, am the watchman of the carriage and a devoted follower of the god of fire! I want to go so much. I want to see the palace of the Sun God!”

This girl realized I was trying to exclude her and looked extremely sad and pitiful, directly appealing to my emotions. She did look genuinely heartbreaking.

“Sigh, if you come, you’ll have to fulfill your duties.”

“What duties will do, Paranoi?”

“You’ll help carry luggage and keep watch twice a night.”

“I, Paranoi, am also a devotee of the hearth fire god! I can guard the campfire better than anyone else at night!”

“Alright.”

In that case, there are two more spots left on the carriage.

It’s better to travel with as many people as possible since there would be a larger group to defend against bandits and we could take on more tasks. I pondered whom to include in the remaining spots.

Elpride had also expressed that she wanted to go to Delphi. Let’s assume she takes one spot, leaving one more. The decision worried me.

“Ms. Daphne, I’ll be leaving the city for about a month.”

“Ah, you’re going to Delphi! I’m envious. If I could take a long vacation, I’ve always wanted to visit Delphi. Summer might have ended, but the sea will still be picturesque.”

I headed to the Mars Guild to prepare the necessary procedures for leaving the city. It seems that adventurers with Silver Tier status receive a small stipend for activities outside the city.

Thanks to that, I could rent a large two-horse-drawn freight cart. Without the Silver Tier benefits, it would have cost me 4 gold coins for the cart and driver, so I could rent it on installment.

Indeed, a higher rank is advantageous.

“So, Mr. Hassan, could you buy a luminous stone from the Sun Temple for me when you return from Delphi?”

“What is that?”

“It’s a kind of souvenir sold at the Sun Temple. They say it enhances one’s fortune!”

Recalling Daphne’s words, I pictured the rocks sold at the temple. Luminous stones must be shiny, right? It’s just a souvenir.

“I’ll do that.”

It’s not a difficult task, and I’ve unintentionally owed Daphne a lot because of this fire accident.

Daphne was also functioning as my manager, handling schedules and compensation when I made my rounds around the eastern street.

Sigh, thinking about it now, it was quite a hassle, wasn’t it? Nevertheless, I could definitely buy her some souvenirs.

“Are you leaving tomorrow?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then, how about updating the Karma values before you leave? I’m curious to see how they might change after your trip.”

Daphne extended a quill pen towards me.

Wasn’t that called the Emotion Quill pen or something like that, a treasure of the narrative-grade item? It was a device that could mark one’s level and stats through a drop of bl**d on it.

Clack, clack—.

Daphne used the bl**d droplet on my thumbtip to write down the figures on a small scroll.

However, her hand stopped abruptly while writing.

“The total value is 29. Your Silver Tier promotion standard seems appropriate, but your strength value is now 15?”

“Ah, I reached that recently.”

“Wait, your strength value is 15! What about the Grace section with Scorched Skin?

Daphne let out a loud exclamation, making me jump back a step.

“Is something wrong?”

“Wrong?! How did this happen!?”

Did I do something wrong?

I suddenly felt like a criminal.

[Author’s Note] Thank you, Mr. Chaego Wonjaebop, Mr. Iguhun, Mr. SE0K, Mr. GuguKKK, Mr. PotatoServer! Thank you for the sponsorship coupons…

There’s been a lot of people sending me manuscript fee coupons! I might prepare a new illustration soon…

I hope to see you again with some great artwork!

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