＜ 108. Baeksuje (8) ＞
#108
“I have to do it. at any cost.”
“…what happened? Since morning, your expression is not very unusual.”
“It’s not a big deal, I think we should hurry up a little more.”
Ronan licked his lips. What happened last night was making him impatient. The omega doppelganger, who transforms into a hated tooth, has turned into a former self, not anyone else.
Blood flowing like sweat, a broken sword. The eyes that lost everything and the empty eyes and the seven curses that were consuming the body. The doppelganger’s repeated words echoed through his mind.
– I couldn’t keep anything.
It was a pathetic rant. The moment he heard those words, the sense of crisis that had been diluted and diluted in daily life returned to its original color.
I had to build up my strength so that something like that would never happen again. In order to do that, the curse that restricts growth had to be removed from the body. Secret, who had been silently blinking, opened her mouth.
“This is amazing.”
“What?”
“Just a few days ago, I succeeded in interpreting one of your curses.”
“yes?”
Ronan’s eyes widened. Secret got up from his seat and headed towards the desk.
After rummaging through the pile of papers for a long time, he pulled out a notebook. It was impressive that it was so thick that it could even be used as a pillow.
“This is Volume 52. Even if I live another thousand years, I don’t think I will ever see such a curse.”
Sacred glanced through her notebook and placed it on the bookshelf right next to her. A bookshelf was filled with the same notebooks as before.
“They are all written down analysis of your curse. I was able to design only one Haeju recipe after making that fuss.”
“Tell me in detail. What can I do?”
“Do you remember the first time you did Haeju? It was when I untangled the taboo that was entangled in my eyes.”
“Absolutely.”
Ronan nodded. It was an experience not to be forgotten. Haeju method to directly enter the image world and remove the culprit of the curse.
In a world made up of memories, he saw his old hometown, his memoryless mother, and his father boiling in the form of a shadow. The feeling of cutting his father at the last moment was still vivid.
“okay. I will use that method again this time. But there is one problem.”
“what is that?”
“The curse to be inflicted this time is so strong that it can’t even be compared to the first one. It takes a tremendous amount of magic power and catalyst just to enter the imaginary world. Magical power seems to work somehow now that Jarrodin has come to his senses…”
“The catalyst is the problem.”
Secret nodded heavily. Ronan shrugged his eyebrows.
“What do you need? Is it very expensive?”
“It’s not because it’s expensive… it’s because there isn’t a lot of it. Have you ever heard of the name Dainhar?”
“When you go to Dainha, it’s there. A horseshoe in the southwestern desert.”
It was a name I had heard in my previous life. Dinehar. It was one of the places called the magic landscape that you can’t get unless you’re hit hard among the rough places scattered across the continent.
The rugged terrain surrounded by the desert, the fucking monsters, and the natives who do not know how to treat outsiders have taken the lives of countless adventurers so far. Ronan, who was reflecting on information about Dinhar, opened his mouth.
“Ah, is that black stone what you need?”
“You know, it’s easy to explain. okay. You need a Manastone from Dainhar. No matter how hard I try to find a replacement, I can’t find enough catalyst.”
Secret sighed. He explained that among the materials used in the experiment so far, only the Manastone from Dainhar has shown potential as a catalyst.
“Usually, about three pieces a year go up on the Imperial Auction House or on High Lumien. And as soon as it comes up, it wins a bid at an unexpected price. “Unfortunately, all I have is one of the fragments I bought for an experiment a long time ago.”
“Isn’t that enough?”
“right. It must be at least the size of a thumb before it can be used as a catalyst.”
Ronan nodded. It was definitely not something that could be obtained with a lot of money. The Manastone from Dainhar, which literally means price, was the biggest culprit in causing people to crawl to that far-off hell and die.
Not only did it contain much richer mana than the highest-grade manastone, but it also had special characteristics, so it was an irreplaceable material. One in a million hits. Only a handful of adventurers, with luck and skill, were able to come back alive with the stone in the majestic realm. The grass-dead Secret continued.
“…Actually, because of this problem, I didn’t contact him even after I found out. Could you please wait a little longer? I must find another catalyst.”
“That’s Okay. I’ll just save you.”
“yes?”
Ronan said quietly. Secret, who was standing dumbfounded, narrowed his brow.
“Are you serious…?”
“yes. If you don’t know, please continue your research, thank you. Anyway, if you have the Mana Stone from Dainhar, you can do it right away, right? Do you need anything more?”
“…for now, though.”
“I see. Don’t worry, I’ll try and wait.”
Ronan tapped Secret on the shoulder. He even felt confident in his confident gestures. In a way, it was natural. In fact, Ronan had been to Dainhar once in his previous life.
‘I’m sure I’ll go back to that fucking place.’
Ronan frowned at the memory. It wasn’t a very pleasant experience. Dainhar was a terrible place even for him, who crossed the crossroads of life and death as if eating rice.
‘It will be better than last time.’
Still, the second one would have been much better than the first one. If there was one problem, it was the time it took, but due to Dainhar’s location, club activities could not handle it.
‘I’ll have to leave as soon as summer vacation starts.’
Fortunately, summer vacation was not far away. Ronan, who had been devising a plan for a moment, nodded.
There were many things to prepare for, but it seemed like it was going to turn out somehow. Ronan, who had finished his duties, handed a farewell handshake.
“Thank you, Secret. It’s a long-awaited festival, so go out and have some fun.”
“By the way, today was the Baeksuje Festival. Is the doppelganger coming?”
“yes. If you have a chance, go and see it. Because it was really, really hard to catch.”
“Uh? do you catch it?”
“There is such a thing. See you next time.”
With those words, Ronan left Separaccio one last time. Jarudine nodded and saw him off.
Ronan, who had simply trimmed his clothes, headed straight for the main gate of the Gallerion Hall. It was to keep the promise I made with someone yesterday morning.
****
The morning air was cool. A warm glow surrounded the campus. I couldn’t believe it was the place where such a riot took place last night.
“It’s embarrassingly peaceful.”
Ronan looked around and grinned. Originally, the streets that should have been quiet were filled with students in school uniforms. They were all people who gave up their morning sleep to enjoy Baeksuje.
Before long, a familiar outline caught my eye. In front of the huge front door, a tall girl was waiting for someone wearing a stiff school uniform. Ronan shouted, waving his arms wide.
“senior! I’m here.”
“Oh, Ronan.”
Adeshan, who found Ronan, smiled softly. The contrast between pure white skin and black hair was beautiful.
The two people who met each other went straight to the Phileon Plaza. It was to watch the Baeksoo Festival’s opening ceremony and the most famous white water parade. Ronan, who was examining her complexion, opened her mouth.
“How are you, are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m completely better now. thank you.”
“I am grateful. Thanks to you, we ended a fight that could become dirty in an instant. Hey, the senior should have seen the expression on the child’s face when the stinger was pierced.”
Ronan giggled. In fact, Adeshan performed an incredible performance in the battle last night, even if he was the victor. Controlling a Manticore while in a state of drowsiness and inserting a poison stinger was never something anyone could do. They were walking side by side on the street.
“Hey… can I ask you one thing?”
“What?”
Ronan tilted his head. Adeshan, who hesitated for a moment, spoke with difficulty.
“Hey, it was yesterday… wasn’t it heavy?”
“yes?”
“No, when I was lifted. I’m taller than men…”
“What, were you awake then?”
“hot···!”
Adeshan, who noticed the mistake later, covered her mouth. Her white ears turned bright red. After being silent for a moment, she stuttered.
“My, I must have misunderstood. Come to think of it, it can’t be. i was asleep Keep going until you wake up this morning. yes. I must have confused it with another day.”
“Have I ever lifted a senior?”
“Oh, wasn’t it? Then I guess I got confused with the dream. yes. often.”
“Adeshan, aren’t you sick yet?”
Ronan asked worriedly. Her usual gun was nowhere to be found in her gibberish appearance. Adeshan answered in a somewhat elevated tone.
“Well then…! I’m perfectly fine. don’t worry.”
“Hmm, I don’t think so. If you’re still sick, tell me. I will take you to the infirmary.”
“It’s okay, because it’s okay.”
Adeshan couldn’t meet Ronan’s eyes. He couldn’t speak even when a knife was put in his throat. The fact that he had been awake from that moment on. She licked her lips as she remembered what had happened last night.
‘You idiot, on a topic I almost found out yesterday…!’
His back was wide and warm, so it was a mistake to just stand still. She remembered what the Alpha doppelganger had turned into when she met her eyes.
It was a car that Adeshan was drooling in a panic. Ronan, who was staring at her quietly, shrugged.
“Well, that’s fine.”
“Yes. I really misunderstood. don’t mind.”
Adeshan sighed in relief. Then, loud cheers erupted from the direction of the plaza. Ronan turned around and grabbed her hand.
“Ike, I think I’ve started. A little hurry.”
“Ro, Ronan? Hands…!”
“Why are you doing this all over again after you caught it yesterday? If you don’t know the shortcut, follow me.”
Ronan and Adeshan crossed the campus holding hands. When the two arrived at the plaza, the march was already in full swing. All kinds of sounds were resounding over the sky of the plaza full of people and beasts.
“Crazy, I brought you a real Manticore.”
“Kyaah, there’s a salamander over there too!”
“Is Professor Baren at the forefront?”
ridge···! ridge···! The loud drumming was resounding at slow intervals. Under the blue sky, all the phantom species and monsters displayed in Baeksuje were marching in line.
Faculty members stood between the procession and the students, acting as lifeguards. Adeshan covered her mouth in admiration at the scene she had never seen before.
“Wow, that’s great. Much more than what I saw in the tent.”
“It’s amazing.”
Ronan shook his head as if in agreement. I realized that my hard work last night was not in vain.
Baren, who was the conductor, was beating a huge drum at the front of the procession. Since the race was a race, it seemed that they were playing the roles of almost 100 humans at the same time. Just behind him, a Manticore with a poison sting at Aarondale was walking proudly.
“Uh-huh!”
“Waah!!”
When the Manticore roared in style, all the students burst into cheers. Ronan giggled, pointing his finger at the Manticore.
“Why don’t you try one more control and try to make an unforgettable beaksuje? This time, I’m going to stab Baren in the butt with a stinger.”
“Yes? Is that so?”
“I’m sorry, senpai. Don’t do that.”
“It’s a joke.”
The two men stared at each other and giggled. Suddenly, Ronan’s gaze fell on the instructor Kidokan, who was playing the role of the security guard.
For some reason, the Werewolf, wearing armor instead of a shabby shirt, seemed quite plausible. Suddenly, Ronan snapped his fingers into the air.
“Hey, where are you going on the weekend after the festival?”
“I don’t have anything…why?”
“Then go somewhere with me. I took all the others, but only the senior did not.”
“···yes?”
Adeshan tilted her head. Suddenly, Ronan, who was rummaging through his inner pocket, pulled out a shiny metal plaque.
The Platinum plaque was engraved with the Grancia family pattern. Bills that can be used throughout the continent became a pass to any place at the same time.
“I heard that it was rebuilt quite a while ago, but I am looking forward to it.”
There was only about a week left until summer vacation. In order to go to Dainhar and use it, I had to put in a quest now.
It’s time to go craft a second weapon.
