Chapter 401
However, the names the two used were ‘Muljeo-ri’ and ‘Dick’, which were far from the cursed names.
So, to put it simply, there was no (old) Hans among them.
But what the hell is this feeling?
‘It’s strange to say there’s no one…’
It’s not that I don’t feel relieved that (old) Hans isn’t here, but there is a sense of regret that coexists to some extent.
If he exists, it could be that the series of events was just a mere coincidence…
or else the suspect would be narrowed down.
‘……No, wait.’
“troll.”
“yes?”
“What are the names of the three trolls you use as summons?”
I asked just in case, but speaking of the results, this too was in vain.
In order of tallest ones, beep, poppy, pretty?
It’s a naming sense that I can’t understand as a normal person.
‘Anyway, with this, it’s clear that someone else did it intentionally.’
An unfortunate coincidence?
I can’t completely rule out that possibility, but I don’t believe in such coincidences.
At least, unless Hans was involved in the process.
Even the collapse of the ground on Ice Rock was not common enough to be experienced twice during an expedition.
And besides…
‘There’s also a trick.’
I put it on for a while, then quickly took it off again and carefully put the ring into my bosom.
“It seems that the probation is almost over.”
“yes.”
“What about the loss?”
“It’s a little fortunate to say that, but first of all, the proportion of food is not large.”
yes that’s right
Other exploration supplies are also important to survival, but less important than food.
“…What are we going to do now?”
“How to resume the journey again.”
After confirming the extent of the damage, I started the expedition again.
Well, you don’t have much time, do you?
Killing time here doesn’t mean the culprit will come out, so you have to think about it as you go.
“How far can the ice troll go?”
“……I can do it wherever I can see it!”
Was he worried that he might be held accountable for this incident? A summoner who responds promptly while looking at me.
‘…is it smoke?’
Actually, the most suspicious thing is this guy.
I didn’t dig deep, thinking that it wasn’t the right time yet.
“The remaining three sleds will be divided into the front, center and rear.”
After that, in preparation for an unexpected situation, the sled was divided into a moving formation.
And…….
trud trudge.
He continued to march into the transparent ice cave and continued to worry.
If the culprit who really destroyed the goods is among them, who the hell is that?
The problem is that there are too many suspects.
But first, in the case of a traitor, we need to take a closer look at those who will be hit the hardest.
For example, the team leaders of each team.
“…I’m sorry Shuitz. This is my responsibility. Sharing the sleigh is actually something I should have done a long time ago.”
First of all, Titana Aqurava.
Not to mention the suspiciousness of this woman.
She was in charge of managing supplies, and whenever it happened, she was the closest.
“Sir Akurava probably didn’t do that on purpose, but it’s already the second time. Whether you like it or not, everyone will look down on you if you don’t punish it.”
Suspiciously, Kaislan is similar.
I appreciate all the kind advice and sacrifices, but that’s more questionable.
It was this guy who was most greedy for the position of captain.
“I think it’s an accident that’s hard to see as someone’s mistake. But… this time, I think holding someone accountable is one way.”
James Carla.
It’s the least suspicious, but if you look for the motive, it’s not that there isn’t.
Isn’t that the one with the least personal position among them?
He would have been able to hold and shake him enough from the back of the boat.
“…Everyone do as you please. It is the duty and right of those who lead.”
Finally, the paladin Jun.
It’s just that he’s been strangely friendly to me since before, and I’m feeling very uncomfortable.
“Mr. Shuitz’s crew is extremely tired.”
The march lasted about two hours longer than the usual schedule.
“We’re camping!”
At this point, we settled down, prepared for camping, and held a meeting with each team leader.
The first thing that came up was this.
“Loss of consumables such as potions and body temperature is also lost, but the biggest problem is the reduction of tents and sleeping bags.”
“If you’re hungry but can’t sleep properly, your dissatisfaction will skyrocket.”
“It has to be resolved in a way that doesn’t have a problem with equity. If someone sleeps comfortably and someone inconveniently sleeps without a sleeping bag, we will resent each other.”
A tent and sleeping bags that could not be used by all 30 people.
The solution I chose was simple.
“What are you going to do about this?”
“Increase the vigil as much as there are not enough beds.”
“…A night watch?”
Anyway, the number of sleeping bags doesn’t match, right?
As the number of people standing guard outside increases, so does the number of people who can sleep indoors.
“… in a way that’s too extreme.”
“The consumption of stamina will increase.”
“Why don’t you just rotate the sleeping bags and tents in order?”
The team leaders expressed their concerns, but with the authority of the expedition leader, they ignored them and proceeded with the work.
“Suitz, if it’s that way, the resentment toward you will surely grow.”
Well, their concerns were incomprehensible.
A solution that eliminates the problem rather than solves it.
Maybe starting tomorrow, that savage man who doesn’t even know tactics will chew on you for doing weird things.
People will say that you don’t have the qualities of a leader.
But…
“It doesn’t matter, so just let them know, pick a vigil from each team, and decide the order.”
There was no choice but to increase the number of vigils.
If the number of people who are not sleeping increases, the security at night naturally increases, right? From now on, I must be wary of traitors within the expedition.
That’s why…….
“Lavien.”
As if she was tired, she caught a dragon woman trying to enter the tent.
“What happened?”
This woman is also a little suspicious.
I’m a bit curious about what kind of relationship he has with the Marquis.
“I wanted to talk to you for a minute.”
“Is it because of what happened earlier?”
“So what do you think?”
“Seeing you ask such a question, you’d think someone did it on purpose.”
“Because all possibilities must be kept open.”
Still, since we worked together as a team for a long time, we had conversations in a more comfortable atmosphere than before, but there was no particular gain.
“Even if you say that, I don’t know. I’m not good at that kind of thing.”
“Is that so…”
“Is this the end?”
“Yeah, you must be tired. Go to bed.”
I wanted to talk more, but it seemed like nothing would come out, so I let Ravien go.
And…
“…….”
After heading to the back of the tent where others could not see, he took out a ring from his pocket and put it on his finger.
「The character is wearing No.6111 Destiny Seeker.」
As usual for the past few days, light leaked from the ring as soon as it was put on.
“The ring sensed the fate of the character.”
A very bright red light.
I quickly took off the ring, hoping that someone would see it.
‘Nimiral.’
It has been in this state since entering the 7th floor.
***
Some number items cannot be used in cities.
Typically, No. 399 The Silent Us and the Destiny Seekers are the same.
Therefore, as soon as I entered the labyrinth, I put on the ring first.
And…
‘At that time, the red light didn’t come on.’
This was the same when facing other expedition members on the 6th floor, and it did not change during the voyage.
The moment I arrived at Hana Ice Rock.
Shaaaaaaa-!
The ring emitted red light.
A positive part means that there is a negative event nearby that is not mixed with any one.
Until then, I hadn’t thought of the traitor.
But…
‘If the time to betray us was set after arriving on the 7th floor, then it makes sense that the red light came on after not appearing the whole time.’
A low probability of misfortune overlapped throughout the journey, but the light of the ring was still there.
It’s not all over yet, which means more negative events remain in my radius…
“Uncle, how long are you going to sleep!”
When I opened my eyes at some point, I saw Erwen.
The number of heat-insulating stones was not enough, so the supply was reduced.
“Gyeonggam and Ashed?”
“I’m up and I’m getting ready.”
“Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?”
“Your uncle must have looked tired.”
Hmm… I’m grateful, but as a warrior, it’s disgraceful to be worried about my stamina from magicians and magicians.
“Can I shave you?”
As soon as I stood up, Erwen smiled and said that.
Inadvertently, he touched his chin and touched his thick beard.
Of course, I didn’t think it was a problem.
“It’s okay. It’s not uncomfortable.”
Rather, beards are helpful in this environment.
First of all, since this is also hair, it will keep you warm, right?
“Hey, he looks much better without a beard…”
Ignoring Erwen’s whining, he came out, and cold air enveloped his skin and lungs.
Well, the biggest problem is probably hunger.
Rurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
A terrifying feeling of hunger in the stomach upon awakening.
“Are you awake?”
“Let’s hurry up and dismantle the tent first.”
I dismantled the tent where I spent the night with Didi and Ashed, who were waiting outside, and loaded it onto the sled.
And…….
Jjimjjjjjjjok.
After chewing sparingly the pieces of beef jerky supplied for breakfast, we resumed our journey.
The 10th day after entering Ice Rock.
The route we will have to take in the future is simple.
If you explore the ice cave in the form of a maze under the huge mountain range in the center of the continent, you will come out with the eyes of a huge sinkhole glacier hidden deep in the depths, and from then on, you can see it as the second half.
End point of ‘Glacier Eye’.
Long story short, there’s a portal to the eighth floor in the basement—
“Essence… Essence!”
Suddenly, a commotion came from behind.
“Is it true that Merian just came out after Merian died?”
“What? Wait a minute, then it’s a level 3 essence?”
Incidentally, it’s not just a level 3 essence.
A rare essence that can only be obtained here on Ice Rock.
“Get out of the way everyone!”
First of all, after being bitten back by the crew, the wizard was sent to put the essence in the test tube.
As a result of the confirmation, the essence of Merian was indeed correct.
Does the good news come right away because there was bad news yesterday?
Although they are high-ranking explorers, everyone’s eyes brightened as if they were coveted for a level 3 essence.
“Everyone, calm down. If there are any future purchasers of this essence, we will give them the right to purchase first after deducting the test tube price based on the average price! If there’s a competitor, we’ll put up an auction!”
Kaislan hurriedly grabs the discipline within the expedition before it turns into a big commotion.
“…….”
A few explorers smacked their lips with regret, but most didn’t care and were genuinely happy. I did.
During the expedition, a few integers came out, but they were all lower grades. The
3rd grade is different from the amount.
Well, if 30 people divide it, the amount that falls to each individual won’t be much.
Still, income is income.
“. …..The spoils from the Noarks were equally distributed later on.” ”
In addition, the royal family will reward you according to your major, so you won’t be able to ignore that either.
” Otherwise, there’s no way the money would exist.”
“Even if you do this and that, you’ll be able to get the price for your hard work.” ” I’m
talking about when the expedition was successful.”
Even after that happened, the atmosphere within the expedition was quite bright.
Well, it will make me hate myself behind the scenes.
If I can take care of my mentality with something like that.
As the expedition leader, there is no reason not to welcome it
. You have to have a name, right?’
Three more days passed in that state.
Thankfully, there were no other mishaps in which supplies were lost or crew members lost their lives during battle.
However…
“The ring sensed the character’s fate.”
The color that the ring emits is still red.
So, as I continued my journey, I investigated the traitor as if I was being chased, such as interrogating the summoner or checking the information of the expedition members over and over again. And
finally
. It’s
the 13th day of entering Ice Rock.
The second half of the 7th floor is just around the corner.
“What’s going on?
After giving the order, we called all the leaders together,
for a simple reason:
there was still some time before nightfall, but
“there’s a traitor among us
. ”