Chapter 206: A Troublesome Monster
“Hmm… By the way, what happens if it’s blocked?”
I was currently blocked, but I refrained from mentioning it and asked instead. However, I immediately regretted my decision after hearing the response.
“That is indeed a concern.”
The old woman said this before reaching for her cup once more. It seemed she wouldn’t indulge in the aroma a second time. She took a sip of her tea and placed the cup back on the table.
“While it’s fine to block the vent and accumulate Magic Power, there are instances where some individuals accumulate too much.”
The old woman began her explanation without making me wait long this time. If she had taken as long as before, I would have left without hearing her out… Still, the fact that she avoided explaining what happens when too much is accumulated made me wonder if she was hoping I would ask. Perhaps it was time to leave after all.
What happens if it accumulates too much? Will it explode?
Rio seemed to pick up on the atmosphere, predicting the old woman’s answer.
Right? If it exceeds its limit, it might go berserk or cause some serious trouble.
“I understand. So, I just need to check if there’s something blocked, right?”
“Y-Yes… That’s correct.”
“Then I’ll be on my way. Excuse me.”
I wanted to ask what happens when it accumulates too much, but it was getting frustrating, so I decided to drop it. Worst case, if I surrounded it with a Spatial Isolation Barrier, an explosion wouldn’t be a problem.
It seems to appear regularly at the summit, so maybe I should ask the Guild Staff later.
I quickly stood up and communicated with the other members telepathically. Surely, the Guild Master wasn’t the only one who knew about this.
“Oh, wait…”
The old woman suddenly clutched her waist, but since I was on my way out, I chose to ignore her. As I reached the counter, I spotted the female staff member from earlier and called out to her.
“Oh, have you finished your conversation already?”
She seemed surprised that I had wrapped things up so quickly, but with that Guild Master, it was to be expected.
“I got the main points, so I decided to cut it short.”
“Ah, I understand.”
It seemed the old woman was still the same within the Guild. I asked the female staff member about the ecology of the Mole Balls, and we headed toward the summit.
After exiting the Adventurer’s Guild and climbing about halfway up the canyon, I noticed that the presence following us hadn’t faded. At this point, it didn’t seem like a mere coincidence that our paths were the same.
After rounding a bend on the uphill path, I took a moment to glance back.
“—!?”
I locked eyes with a man sporting rabbit ears.
＝＝＝＝＝
Name: Ronarl
Race: Rabbitfolk
Occupation: Stalker
Status: Normal
Status: HP 4897
MP 3809
Strength 3874
Endurance 2764
Agility 7843
Dexterity 8433
Mental Strength 6854
Magic Power 3210
Luck 354
＝＝＝＝＝
Upon appraising him, it seemed he was quite capable. Could he handle the requests at the summit?
“Was someone there?”
Rio joined me as I turned around. It looked like she had turned back, but I wondered what she was doing here. If she had no business at the summit, she might have been following us.
“Ah, yeah. It seems the rabbit-eared guy was behind us, but he’s gone now.”
“Really? I didn’t notice at all.”
“Hmm. He’s been behind us since we left the Guild…”
I continued conversing with Rio as we made our way toward the summit. His status was high, and if Rio hadn’t noticed him, he must have been quite skilled. Still, it felt like there were a lot of stalkers lately. The last one even had “Stalker” as his occupation. It was a bit irritating to have someone sneaking around us… I had placed a marker with Spatial Magic, so I would notice him in a crowd next time.
“Woofuuuuuu…”
As we neared the summit, an unpleasant whimper reached my ears from behind.
“What’s wrong?”
I turned around, curious, and saw Nil with drooping ears and a tail hanging low.
“It stinks.”
Phonia frowned in agreement. “Stinks” meant it was smelly.
“Ah, yeah, it really does…”
With Enhanced Sense of Smell activated, the odor became apparent. I could tolerate it, but Nil, with her keen nose, seemed to be struggling. Even Ivan was grimacing at the smell.
“With the enhancement, it definitely stinks…”
“What should we do? If it’s that bad, you can wait at the inn.”
As I patted Nil’s neck, her ears drooped even further. However, the little fox beside her clenched her fists tightly.
“…I’m going!”
She declared boldly.
Nil looked at Phonia in surprise, slowly raising her ears and tail, letting out a cheerful “Woofuu!”
“Hehe, I won’t lose to Nil!”
It seemed they were competing in spirit. If they were motivated to go, that was fine by me.
“Alright, let’s go.”
We continued our journey toward the summit, where the Mole Balls awaited. As expected, if they accumulated too much Magic Power, they would go berserk and could potentially explode. Moreover, this was the source of the foul odor. The aftermath of such an explosion would surely be catastrophic.