Ch.414414 – The Decisive Clue

<414 – The Decisive Clue>

Mandela Castella’s laughter prevented monsters roaming the lava zone from approaching.

“Mana control that has reached mastery can imbue even ordinary everyday actions with tremendous effect. For me, it’s my <voice>, you see. Aaahahaha!”

“If only he wasn’t so full of himself, he’d be a truly admirable senior.”

Dorothy pouted.

Just looking at Irene’s sullen face walking beside her, she could tell they were thinking the same thing.

Senior Mandela is strong.

He effortlessly eliminated the danger factors they had been most wary of.

He breezed through the lava zone without even using a protective charm.

“Are we going to reach the end of the path at this rate?”

“Your confidence is admirable, but to put it bluntly, that’s impossible!”

“Why?”

“Beyond the lava zone lies the depths of the <Dropout Exclusive Zone>. It’s the epicenter of chaos with a history where countless unauthorized challengers have clashed and fallen!”

“And Oknodie is in such a place…”

“That’s why we need to hurry, right? Before that fearless junior recklessly enters a place even I can’t reach!”

Dorothy, following behind the senior, hesitated in her gaze.

It was brief, but she thought she saw Zhang stumbling.

With his mask firmly in place, his light steps looked perfectly fine.

‘Was I imagining it?’

Dorothy tilted her head before turning back to look ahead.

Unaware that Zhang’s face beneath the mask was contorted with pain from injuries that hadn’t yet healed.

“Senior, isn’t there a way to send news to our classmates in the other group? If we’re much closer to Oknodie, they’re just wasting their efforts.”

“The rest of the sophomores except me have joined that group. Your concern is admirable, but right now you should worry about yourselves rather than your classmates, don’t you think?”

The tension that had eased now pulled taut again.

The depths of the mana disaster.

Beyond the level 5 lava zone, the level 8 <Depths of Chaos> appeared before them.

* * *

While Irene’s route had Dorothy, Rockpell, Zhang, and Mandela Castella, Giselle’s route gathered everyone else.

“Our objective is neither to ambush seniors who are scrounging for food throughout the mana disaster areas to extort points, nor to acquire lost items located in the center of powerful mana disasters. Remember that our purpose is solely to rescue Oknodie.”

Thanks to purchasing reliable information and strategies from seniors, they could advance steadily even after entering the <Consecutive Disaster Zone> where ten mana disasters occurred simultaneously.

“Here are Oknodie’s footprints.”

“The scent remains, though faint. This way is certain.”

The problem was that the direction indicated by Morb and Sing, who were tracking Oknodie’s traces, differed from the safe path pointed out by the information they had purchased.

“That’s the epicenter of disaster phenomena that even the seniors who sold us the information explicitly warned against entering.”

“Our fearless little princess would naturally charge into such places without hesitation.”

“What now? Take the safe route around, or charge into what’s obviously dangerous?”

Giselle made her decision.

“We’ll take the safe route. However, I’d like the sophomore seniors to accompany Sing and Morb.”

The follow-up search party that joined late with Mandela Castella was able to meet in the safe zone thanks to Giselle’s active information gathering near the entrance.

The sophomores nodded, judging that with Giselle’s amount of information, the freshmen would be safe enough on their own.

BOOM!

A <Pushing> trap section where walls moved like cannons, slamming passersby into the opposite wall.

Oknodie had angled the trap mechanism diagonally and, incredibly, used the <Pushing Trap> like a cannon to pioneer her own creative shortcut.

<Joint Protective Barrier>

<Shock Absorption>

<Collision Resistance>

<Physical Resistance Level 2 Enhancement>

A large sphere reinforced by the combined power of the sophomores collided with the ground, creating a thunderous noise.

Crack, pop.

The sophomores emerged from the protective barrier that had cracked and suddenly burst, staggering with pale faces.

“What are you dawdling for? Oknodie is that way.”

“Ugh, we need to find footprints…”

Sing, who hadn’t contributed to creating the protective barrier, immediately resumed walking after landing, followed by Morb in his heavy armor.

The sophomores made pitiful faces at this tough forced march that seemed nothing like freshmen.

“Why did we agree to come along?”

“I’m dying…”

After leaping over three disasters at once, they arrived at the next disaster in the consecutive disaster zone—a cannon section where <Water Cannons> would sweep them back to the starting point.

As if bad premonitions always came true, where Sing and Morb had tracked the traces, they could see water pillars shooting high into the air.

“If you’re done sightseeing, hurry up and cast a protective barrier.”

“Is this a junior or a master?”

All the sophomores sighed in agreement with the grumble one of them let out.

* * *

“They’re like flying squirrels. Do they always soar through the sky at the slightest provocation?”

Son Ocheon clicked his tongue at the sight of the shortcut party—consisting of Sing, Morb, and the sophomores—who had already taken to the air three times to pioneer creative shortcuts.

“It’s not very ladylike. But I find it reassuring. Don’t you feel certain we’re on the right path?”

“I’m not sure if that should even be called a path.”

Isabelle wouldn’t dare take such a route even as a joke.

Unless she was planning to hold a raining cookware event, dropping kitchen utensils like rain from the sky, it was an absurd act for her.

And Giselle, who carried far more items in her magic bag than herself, would find it even more impossible.

Isabelle couldn’t help but chuckle as she imagined a rain of gold coins.

“Isabelle. What’s so funny?”

“I was imagining Giselle falling from the sky while pouring gold coins like rain.”

“Hahaha! That’s a masterpiece. I should definitely make her ride one next time.”

“Don’t say such horrible things. I absolutely won’t ride one.”

Unlike the others whose tension had eased, there was one freshman who couldn’t smile.

Zigoku, following at the very back with a gloomy face, showed none of his usual cheerfulness.

“What’s wrong with that guy?”

“Zigoku needs time. Leave him be.”

“Hey, scholar. Do you have any idea what’s going on?”

“Sigh. Please don’t make me say it. It would hurt him more if he heard it.”

As Giselle said, Zigoku was burning inside.

‘Oknodie. I thought you had come to follow me enough to attend weekend lectures. Were you just using me?’

Creating the Kraken Incident to infiltrate the Dropout Exclusive Zone during a lecture.

Oknodie’s unhesitating series of actions convinced him that she had attended the lectures solely for this purpose from the beginning.

That made him even angrier.

‘What was I to you?’

When he suggested attending lectures, Oknodie had looked at him with a “hmm~” sound as if measuring something.

The time spent attending lectures with the Zigoku Pirates, teaching them knowledge necessary for naval combat and correcting their sloppy postures even while mocking them as “pathetic pirates.”

The way home afterward, dissolving rock-hard biscuits in their saliva while giggling together.

‘After spending such times together, how could you do this and disappear without saying a word to me?’

Zigoku’s fist was clenched tighter than ever before. The firmness of this fist stemmed from anger at his own weakness for not being designated as a reliable adult.

This time would be different.

He would definitely find Oknodie and grab her with this hand to ask.

What was I, what were we Zigoku Pirates to you?

“Kuk, so such monsters appear in places that aren’t shortcuts! Everyone step back. This giant rock monster can’t be destroyed with weapons…”

KWANG!

While even upper-class students were struggling and backing away, Zigoku alone charged forward and instantly shattered the rock monster with a single shot enchanted with <Penetration>, <Crushing>, and <Explosion>.

The students gulped nervously as Zigoku, without a trace of his usual playfulness, turned to them with a cold expression.

“Don’t stop. I don’t care what comes out.”

That’s how he felt.

The feeling of wanting to blow up anything that stood in his way.

“Was Zigoku always this strong?”

“I don’t know.”

Giselle answered Isabelle’s question honestly.

“It means no one knows Zigoku’s true worth.”

“What? I’ve had strength contests with that brute many times, so why wouldn’t I know? Wasn’t he about the same as me?”

“He’s different from you, Son Ocheon. Throughout last semester, Zigoku never once fought with his full strength. He always seemed relaxed, uninterested.”

When he formed the Zigoku Pirates, there was hope he might do something, but even that turned out to be just playing pirate with a bunch of bottom-tier students.

This was the first time anyone had seen Zigoku fighting with such an angry, serious expression.

“Damn it. Him too? Are you also going to climb over me and pass by?”

Giselle stopped Isabelle as she was about to reach out to comfort Son Ocheon, who was grinding his teeth.

Seeing him shake his head quietly, Isabelle also realized.

In this period when everyone was either growing or revealing their hidden true worth.

The frustration of those falling behind could only be assuaged by their own growth.

Where might Oknodie, the instigator of this growth frenzy, be right now and what might she be doing?

‘Whatever the case, I’d like to give her about ten swats on the bottom with a switch.’

It wasn’t just Son Ocheon who felt powerless and was stimulated to grow—Giselle was the same.

“Now they’re not even visible.”

After a few explosions, Sing’s group, who had been flying through the air, completely disappeared beyond their detection range.

Giselle’s main group was the most behind in the Oknodie search party.

To make matters worse, the sun was setting, making tracking even more difficult.

“We’ve reached a safe zone. What do you want to do?”

“Mana cultivation techniques can easily drive away drowsiness. We’ll continue pushing forward.”

Sleep is a luxury.

If those who fall behind maintain their own pace while taking care of their health, the opportunity to catch up with those ahead will never come.

“Are you sure that’s okay? This isn’t your style.”

“What is my style?”

“Thorough information gathering, weakness analysis, and strategic approach. All I see in you now is impatience.”

“Would you say such leisurely things if an Esonia Adventure Guild comrade was in danger ahead?”

“I would. If the main force collapses from overexertion, then any stragglers hoping for rescue would lose their chance of being saved forever.”

“…”

The freshmen were all eager to help when it came to Oknodie.

Isabelle’s reminder helped Giselle regain her composure.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I almost made an uncharacteristic mistake.”

“Don’t waver. You’re our center. The information you’ve collected and the connections you’ve maintained for Oknodie are proving helpful right now.”

A smile curved Giselle’s lips at the warmth of relationships she had momentarily forgotten.

“I wonder if she’s eating properly. Our high-maintenance little lady.”

This sincere concern that unconsciously escaped her lips made Isabelle’s hair stand on end.

“That’s it!”

“Pardon?”

“Food. Track the location of ingredients that exist only in this Dropout Exclusive Zone.”

“!!”

“You know. Oknodie would think about ‘efficiency’ and collect new ingredients wherever she goes.”

Not Oknodie herself.

Find ingredients that Oknodie would chase after.

The beginning of the thread.

The clue to solve the case.

They had realized the decisive clue that would expedite their search.