MTLNOVEL Chapter 5 - Overpowered Magical Item
There are about 2000 NPCs in LAOA.
Siwon was someone who memorized their characteristics, information, and even the lines they spoke, one by one.
Is that all?
How to raise their favorability.
Whose favorability should be raised and whose should be lowered for a smooth clear.
Back when he played LAOA, Siwon memorized all of these things.
The reason Siwon went to such lengths.
It was because crucial clues for clearing the game were hidden in the dialogues of NPCs.
For example, in front of the East Coast branch of the Explorers’ Guild, a beggar NPC named Haul Barof sits and begs passing explorers.
Most newbies think of him as just an extra and click the x button on the dialogue box that pops up before passing by.
But users who have tasted LAOA even a little bit give him at least 1 dong as alms before entering the Explorers’ Guild when they first start the game.
If you keep giving small amounts of money as alms and conversing with him every day, you become friends with him.
There’s a text that can only be seen after that.
[You know what? The guild master here is holed up in his room from 1 PM to 2 PM, and during that time, he doesn’t let anyone in or out.]
A text suggesting that the East Coast branch guild master has a secret.
Only by seeing this can you find out the guild master’s secret, blackmail her, and obtain a magical item or skill that allows you to break through the 7th underground floor of the labyrinth.
The lowered favorability with the guild master needs to be resolved using another method, but putting that aside.
LAOA is designed so that you can never clear the 7th underground floor without using this method.
‘…Usually, it’s not like this.’
Most games typically include such dialogues or situations essential for clearing the game under the name of quests.
Some games even put light bulbs or exclamation marks above NPCs’ heads in case users might miss them.
But there are no quests in LAOA.
Therefore, to clear LAOA, you must interact with all the NPCs in the game and find the information needed to clear the game yourself.
Even such important text can only be heard by becoming friends with an extra NPC who seems useless.
‘…Thinking about it again, it really was a shitty game.’
Siwon had no right to complain since he was a pervert who played because he liked that aspect.
LAOA is a game where conversations with NPCs are this important.
When you talk to NPCs in the game, about one in ten will always display text like this:
[Does the Room of Wishes really exist?]
[They say emerald light blooms in the Room of Wishes.]
[There’s a story that the Room of Wishes is a room that deviates from the labyrinth’s truth of equivalent exchange.]
[…What’s the Room of Wishes? It’s exactly what it sounds like. It grants someone’s wish.]
[Room of Wishes? It’s just a superstition. No one has ever been there, right?]
[…Room of Wishes? If you have time to talk about such things, why don’t you go mine more magic stones? My wish is for you to fulfill your quota as soon as possible.]
There are many more, but most are similar to these.
Siwon became interested in these texts and began to thoroughly search for a way to go to this place called the ‘Room of Wishes’ that they talked about.
…After thousands, no, tens of thousands of retries.
“Shit, this is just bait.”
Siwon realized he had been thoroughly fooled by those shitty developers.
Think about it.
They’re the kind of people who hide the only clue to clearing the 7th floor with just a beggar in front of the guild.
If they plastered such obvious bait dialogues all over, surely it must be nothing more than a legend?
It was like that based on circumstantial evidence, and he couldn’t find any concrete evidence or clues about the Room of Wishes.
A story like an urban legend.
…Or so he thought.
“No way, this really exists…?”
Siwon muttered to himself, still unable to believe this situation.
“No, this isn’t the time, quickly….”
There’s no time.
Siwon had only heard rumors about the Room of Wishes, he didn’t know any definite information about it.
There might be a time limit.
He needs to check the treasure as quickly as possible.
“The treasure must be around here somewhere….”
In the world shining with emerald light, Siwon kept looking around.
A moment later.
“…Huh? Is that it?”
Siwon discovered one place where the emerald light uniquely didn’t shine.
Usually, in such cases, it’s one of two things.
Either a hidden trap pops out and kills you when you approach.
Or a hidden treasure chest pops out.
There are cases where the treasure chest is actually a monster disguised as a treasure chest, but let’s put that aside as it gets too complicated.
Here, the former is the price, and the latter is the reward.
It perfectly fits the ‘equivalent exchange’ considered the truth of the labyrinth.
‘…But that can’t be the case here.’
If the Room of Wishes really exists, then all the dialogues of the NPCs that Siwon saw and investigated gain credibility.
Some NPCs said that the Room of Wishes ignores such truths of the labyrinth and only gives rewards.
No more deliberation was needed.
Siwon stepped onto the platform where no emerald light shone.
“…?”
Nothing happened.
“What, could it be broken…?”
Creak….
At that moment, a sound and vibration similar to what was heard when the stone door opened earlier reached Siwon’s ears.
Simultaneously, the platform Siwon was standing on began to shake.
“Huh?!”
An animalistic movement.
As Siwon threw his body to the side, a stone pillar shot up from beneath the platform and pierced the ceiling.
“…Shit, they said there was no price.”
He could have lost his life if he had made a mistake.
‘What’s that stone pillar?’
As if answering the naturally arising question, the middle part of the stone pillar opened.
“…?”
In the center, a brilliantly shining orb caught his eye.
“…What’s that?”
It seems to shine white, but the inside also seems to sparkle with a pink light.
Judging by the fact that its color didn’t fade even in this place full of emerald light, it might be quite an extraordinary magical item.
Gulp.
Siwon swallowed the saliva that filled his mouth.
The naive thought that there would be no price was shattered by the stone pillar just now.
How could he be certain that this too isn’t a trap?
‘…But it feels like I should take it.’
There’s a saying that you should do things you think you must do, and never do things you think you might be able to do.
Right now, it’s something he thinks he might be able to do, but something in Siwon’s heart was shouting that he must take this jewel.
Even if he dies now.
“….”
In the end, Siwon grasped the orb in his hand.
“…Huh?”
At the same time, the floor where Siwon was standing turned black.
No, it wasn’t just the floor.
The space where Siwon was standing, the Room of Wishes itself, began to change as if being dyed in darkness.
“Uh, uh?!!!”
Siwon’s body fell into the darkness of the labyrinth, and soon his consciousness was also engulfed by the darkness.
“Mmm….”
“Hey, wake up!”
“…?”
A familiar voice reached Siwon’s ears.
When he opened his eyes, Rabbit Gondu was in front of him.
“…You’re alive.”
“Look who’s talking! More importantly, do you know what I got from the Hidden Street?”
“…Hidden Street?”
“Yeah, the Hidden Street. Why? Didn’t you go too?”
“….”
He momentarily pondered how to answer.
The Room of Wishes is a very famous legend spread throughout Argan Kingdom, the country that serves as the background for LAOA.
But now Rabbit Gondu didn’t call it the ‘Room of Wishes’ but referred to it as the Hidden Street.
‘…She doesn’t seem like someone who wouldn’t know about that.’
Although her text in LAOA didn’t specifically mention the Room of Wishes.
It’s nonsensical that she wouldn’t know about a legend so famous that about one in ten NPCs mention it whenever they get the chance.
‘…Could it be that she didn’t go to the Room of Wishes?’
He thought that might be possible.
“Well, I went too.”
So for now, he decided to hide it.
Even if she’s not someone who overpowers the weak with force.
Everyone has greed inherent in their hearts, and this occasionally breaks even their own beliefs.
“What did you get?”
“Is there really a need to say?”
“…Ah, I guess you got something not so good?”
“….”
Siwon couldn’t bring himself to refute.
It must not be an ordinary item since it came from the Room of Wishes.
Nevertheless, for some reason, he couldn’t feel anything special about this item.
Unless the hidden truth is revealed, this is just a pretty marble, nothing more, nothing less.
There might not even be a hidden truth in the first place.
“…You say that, but what great thing did you get to be acting like that?”
“Me? Well, I got my hands on an amazing magical item!”
Rabbit Gondu’s boastful appearance momentarily irritated him, but he didn’t show it.
“…A magical item?”
“Yeah! A very good magical item that I needed the most right now! I’ve never seen such a magical item in my life!”
“…What is it exactly?”
“Now, don’t be surprised, okay? This magical item can constantly defend against light magic just by wearing it, and it doesn’t even obstruct your vision!”
“…Huh.”
He thought that sounded quite good.
“It even hides the wearer’s gaze! And, don’t be surprised, okay? It barely uses any magical power! You can wear it all the time!”
“…What?”
A magical item of that level.
Siwon had reset the game tens of thousands of times, but he had never heard of or actually seen such a magical item.
“…There’s such a thing?”
“Yeah, isn’t it amazing? If I just wear this, I can easily catch Medusa or Lux!”
“…Can I see it just once, by any chance?”
It’s nonsense that she got such an overpowered magical item.
Isn’t it too different compared to this unknown orb he got?
“…I was originally going to show it only to my clan members or other friends, but okay! It’s thanks to you that I got it, after all. I’m in a good mood too.”
Saying that, Rabbit Gondu took out the magical item she had preciously hidden in her bosom.
“….”
Siwon’s brow furrowed.
“What’s with that expression?”
“That’s… just sunglasses….”
In Rabbit Gondu’s fingertips was a pair of sunglasses with quite a stylish design.