Chapter 35 – The Bird That Sings of Destruction

Rea​d on​ Ka​t​R​eadingCafe

The phenomenon of colors draining away, as if my field of vision was melting, was something that occurred when I activated my skill, “Gaze of the Void.”

However, I can confidently say that I had never activated that skill here, not even once.

I had also never heard of a skill activating automatically without the player’s will.

Unless, of course, it was a passive skill that was always active.

“Hmm…”

As my stomach settled, I fell into thought.

Was it a special effect triggered by meeting certain conditions?

Or perhaps an ability from the “Hidden Aspect,” something whose effects were still unknown?

I continued to make rough conjectures, but the information I had was limited.

To uncover the exact abilities of the two skills I possessed, I would need more information and time.

Feeling my stomach calm, I looked up at the sky.

The gray sky, which had melted away and lost its color, was now shining blue again.

The giant eye that had been floating in the sky was gone, as was the transparent something.

As if they had never existed in the first place.

Just in case, I tried using the “Gaze of the Void” skill. At the same time, the blue sky began to melt away.

As the melted blue disappeared, the sky turned gray.

However, even though I had activated the skill, I couldn’t find the giant eye I had seen earlier.

At this point, I began to wonder if what I had seen earlier was just a hallucination.

I asked Isolin.

“Hey, Isolin.”

“Yeah? Are you okay now?”

“Ah, I’m fine now. But, did you see anything in the sky earlier?”

“The sky…?”

At my question, Isolin tilted her head and looked up at the sky.

Glady, who was standing next to her, also looked up.

It was as if they hadn’t seen the giant eye that had appeared earlier.

“Was there something in the sky?”

“I didn’t see anything.”

Both Glady and Isolin gave the answers I had expected. But I was certain.

The giant eye that had appeared in the sky wasn’t just a hallucination. If it had been a mere hallucination, the boss that had entered the combat phase wouldn’t have died so pitifully.

Right now, at this very moment, the three of us would have been running around frantically, fighting.

“No, I thought I saw a big bird flying by.”

There was no need to make the party’s atmosphere too serious.

Whether it was a hallucination or not, it was a phenomenon that had saved us from danger.

At the very least, it wasn’t a situation that would harm me, Isolin, or Glady.

I let out a sigh and smiled brightly.

“Well, shall we check what the boss dropped?”

“Ah! The boss loot!”

“I almost forgot. This is that kind of world… Since we defeated the boss, we should collect the loot, right?”

As we approached the remains of the boss, we could see the items scattered on the ground.

There was one gem, a dagger, a small magic wand, and a necklace.

                      [Ruby]
A beautiful gem cut using a special technique.
Purchased at a high price by shops.

• Selling price: 500,000 gold

[The One Who Sings of Destruction]

• Level requirement: 30
  
• Class restriction: Mage
  
• Magic attack power +20
  
• Mana regeneration per second +20
  
• All elemental attack power +10%
  
• Casting time increased by 10%

-“To summon that bird, you’d burn the world? Are you out of your mind?”
-Radanheim

             [Ritual Dagger]

• Level requirement: 30
  
• Class restriction: Archer, Warrior, Thief
  
• Physical attack power +10
  
• Agility +4
  
• All speed +10%
  
• Maximum health -10%

-“Sacrificing living beings? Isn’t that no different from an evil god?”
-A disciple who participated in the first ritual

            [Choir’s Emblem]

• Level requirement: 30
  
• Class restriction: Cleric
  
• All defense +10
  
• All stats +2
  
• Recovery power +20
  
• Mana regeneration per second +20

-“Will that bird really lead everyone to a new world? Without leaving anyone behind?”
-Radanheim in his childhood

As I checked the options and descriptions of the dropped items, I fell into thought. In RPG games, there are various devices to help players naturally engage with the game’s world.

Splitting specific stories and inserting them briefly into various items is one such method.

It seemed that the descriptions on the items dropped this time followed that convention.

When I thought of “The Bird That Sings of Destruction,” one group came to mind.

The advance team that had left Fox Tail, only to return in shambles.

They had said that defeating the Bird That Sings of Destruction was the key to returning to the original world.

Perhaps they had also obtained similar information to ours.

“Wow! Can I take this?”

While I was examining the item descriptions, a small hand reached in and snatched the magic wand.

I looked at Isolin with a hollow gaze, and she gave me an awkward smile, sticking out her tongue.

“Hehe… Is that okay?”

“Well, it’s not that it’s not okay…”

It wasn’t like there was anyone else who could take it anyway. I nodded and handed the [Ritual Dagger] to Glady.

“I think you should take this, Glady.”

“Ooh…”

After distributing the magic wand and dagger, the remaining necklace, [Choir’s Emblem], naturally became mine.

It wasn’t like anyone else could take it due to the class restriction.

Even though all the party members had obtained new items, there was no change in our specs.

None of us had reached the required level to equip them.

It seemed like we would need to focus on hunting for a few days to equip the items we had obtained here.

“What about this ruby? If we sell it at the shop, it’s worth 500,000 gold.”

“Sell it and split it three ways.”

“That sounds good.”

In the end, it was decided to sell the ruby and divide the gold equally.

“Phew…”

As the situation settled, the tension finally left me. A sense of relief that we had survived.

And for some reason, a feeling of emptiness and a strangely thrilling pleasure swept over me.

“But why did the boss suddenly die?”

“Wasn’t that its original pattern? It was an undead, not a normal monster. I think the power that was animating the undead was destroyed when the ruins collapsed…”

“Really…”

Listening to Isolin and Glady’s conversation, I sat down on the ground and looked up at the sky.

The wide, open sky was clear.

The warm sun shone down pleasantly, and the gentle breeze was cool.

In reality, there are people who risk their lives to enjoy extreme sports.

People who enjoy thrills with minimal safety measures. I couldn’t understand their actions.

But now, I could somewhat understand their feelings.

The extreme tension that comes from a dangerous situation.

The relief that follows after solving all the problems.

The dopamine released as these emotions alternate makes your head spin.

Perhaps they were addicted to this sensation?

“Ah! The portal!”

After lying down and enjoying the pleasant breeze for a few minutes, Isolin’s sudden voice made me sit up.

As Isolin had said, a portal had appeared in the center of the ruins.

The dazzling portal was an exit that would take us out of the dungeon.

“It’s really over…”

The three of us approached the portal without hesitation.

The shining portal emitted light and swallowed us all.

---

On the day we returned to Fox Tail from the ruins, I waited until late at night and sneaked out of the inn.

Before leaving Fox Tail, the story I had heard from Isolin naturally came to mind.

She had said that she bought a random jar in front of the tavern and found a treasure map inside.

The cowboy hat she had worn before setting out on the adventure had also come from a jar.

Honestly, I was tempted. By that cowboy hat, I mean.

Even though it was late at night, when most players had finished their daily tasks and were slowly returning to the inn to sleep, the area in front of the tavern was packed.

It was clear that most of the people there hadn’t come to drink but had other purposes.

Most of them were holding small jars and breaking them open.

-“Ah…! How many is this now? Are high-level items even supposed to drop?”

-“It’s here! It’s here!”

-“Gold! Can someone lend me some gold? I think I’ll get something this time!”

People’s reactions varied. Those who had come here weren’t just players.

NPCs were also naturally mixed in among the players, breaking open jars.

Gulp-

As I watched them, I swallowed dryly.

At that moment, a dark shadow approached me and spoke.

“You. Interested in the draw?”

[Level 40]
[Ancient Jar Merchant]

“Ah, no. Not interested.”

I quickly shook my head.

I hadn’t come here to open jars.

My goal was the cool cowboy hat.

I planned to buy it from those who had drawn it here.

“Hmm…”

The jar merchant, who looked very suspicious with a jar on his head, stepped back disappointedly at my answer.

I slowly looked around. It was a place where intense emotions swirled—sadness, joy, anger, and euphoria.

I cautiously opened my mouth.

“Uh, excuse me. Does anyone have a cowboy hat?”

As soon as I finished speaking, sharp gazes flew toward me. I swallowed dryly under their stares and carefully continued.

“I’m buying a cowboy hat…”

-“I have one! I’ll sell it for a thousand gold!”

-“No! Buy mine! I’ll give it to you for five hundred gold!”

-“I have a spotted cowboy hat! Buy this one!”

That day, I was able to buy ten cool cowboy hats. The purchase price was 300 gold each.