Chapter 89. Drifters #4
Labyrinth, Day 47.
I decided to hold off on using the Vending Machine Tracker Ticket.
It was too valuable of an opportunity to find a vending machine to use hastily.
What if I went there only to find it filled with expensive tickets?
And then, a disaster: not having enough coins to buy the tickets I needed.
To prevent such a catastrophe, I decided it would be better to gather plenty of funds first and only then use the Tracker Ticket.
Until then, I would rely on the luck of discovering vending machines during my exploration.
『DIAMOND-tier Assistant ‘Rizenova’ has contributed 10,000 coins!』
『DIAMOND-tier Assistant ‘Rizenova’ has contributed 10,000 coins!』
『DIAMOND-tier Assistant ‘Rizenova’ has contributed 30,000 coins!』
Rize was regularly and consistently supporting me with coins.
Thanks to that, my current balance had reached 200,000 coins.
Converted into South Korean currency, that was close to 2 billion won.
I wondered if I wouldn’t be able to exchange it for money when I returned to Earth.
【Pururu】─Is it just me, or does the tribute keep increasing?
【Yumi】─It’s not just you. They gave 50,000 coins today.
【Mysticism】─😱
【Bubble Bubble】─50,000 coins… I should try harder to send more too. This is making me competitive.
【Rizenova】─I’ve been overdoing it lately. Until the day I can buy the Radiant Evolution Ticket, I’ll scrape together every last bit of energy I have and send it all to you.
At this rate, I really might be able to buy the Radiant Evolution Ticket someday.
“Thanks. Seriously, what would I do without you? But you’re not, by any chance, dipping into the national treasury, are you?”
【Rizenova】─I haven’t touched the national treasury. I’ve only been using the energy owned by Therio and Ayulla.
“Well, that’s a relief.”
As long as it was Therio and Ayulla’s money, I didn’t mind.
After all, they had received my help as well.
As long as Rize wasn’t extorting them, I had no problem with it.
After double-checking my coin balance again, I stepped out of the crystal orb house and looked around the area.
That’s when I noticed some figures dancing enthusiastically.
［Dance joyfully! Doodoomba!］
“Doodoombayang!”
“D-Doodoomba…”
The Hedgehog Summoner’s dance class was in full swing.
Naturally, the instructor was the Hedgehog Summoner.
The students were Merino Ula and Iara Yoon.
［Merino! Shake your hips with more passion!］
“Doodoombayang! Doodoombayang!”
［Iara! Your movements are awkward! Put more snap into your waist!］
“Doodoomba…”
【Mysticism】─Doodoomba!
【Pururu】─Iara looks utterly embarrassed.
Iara Yoon had stayed behind and hadn’t returned.
It was highly likely that the six Drifters who died yesterday were members of her party, but she couldn’t say for certain yet.
She wasn’t wrong.
Before six Drifters died and the number was reduced to five, there were a total of 11 Drifters in the labyrinth yesterday.
Iara Yoon and Merino Ula made up 2 of them.
Iara Yoon’s party consisted of 6 people.
There were 3 other Drifters.
There was an extremely slim chance.
It was still possible that 3 of Iara Yoon’s group and 3 other Drifters had died elsewhere simultaneously.
There were other scenarios as well.
Maybe 2 and 4 had died, or maybe 1 and 5.
In theory, up to 3 members of Iara’s group could still be alive.
Of course.
That was merely wishful thinking.
As I mentioned before, the chances that any of Iara’s party members were still alive were extremely low.
‘Well, if the two groups had merged and were attacked by monsters together, the odds would go up slightly.’
But in truth, Iara didn’t seem to be holding out much hope.
She had already begun to accept the deaths of her party members in her heart.
Nevertheless, she stayed behind in the labyrinth to confirm it for sure before leaving.
After all, there was still a chance, however small, that some of her party members might still be alive.
For reference, unlike Iara, who held onto a small glimmer of hope,
I had already decided that the other three Drifters were not from Iara’s party.
That was the realistic view.
‘Besides, I wonder what those three other Drifters are up to.’
Suddenly, I became curious.
Those three had survived longer than expected.
If they had managed to survive in such a dangerous world for this long, they couldn’t be ordinary people.
***
…Encountering another Drifter was purely by chance.
I hadn’t used the tracker, nor was I actively searching for one.
I was simply on my way to a pond to wash up when I spotted a man with the word ‘Drifter’ floating above his head.
“Kuh! This guy’s really tough!”
A monster, charred black and burned to death.
The man was busy taking pictures of its corpse with a camera.
“I almost died. But it feels like it suddenly got weaker… Oh well, let’s take pictures first.”
【Pururu】─What’s up with that guy? He just beat an S-rank?
【Yumi】─Wow. He doesn’t seem like an ordinary human.
【Rizenova】─Hoho.
【Mysticism】─😮
【Bubble Bubble】─He does look strong.
【Pururu】─Is he part of Iara’s group?
【Yumi】─I don’t think so. There’s no way Iara’s group could be that strong.
【Pururu】─True.
As expected, the other Drifter was no ordinary human.
And it wasn’t just luck that had kept him alive this long.
“Huh? Who are you guys?”
The man sensed our presence, turned his head sharply, and stared at us.
Then, cautiously, he slowly aimed a flamethrower-like device slung over his shoulder at us.
The man’s threat level was B-rank.
His actual threat level was S-rank.
There were no other Drifters nearby.
【Bubble Bubble】─He’s aiming a weapon right off the bat? Gauntlet, give him a lesson.
【Pururu】─That bandage on his nose makes him look like some edgy middle-schooler.
【Mysticism】─He’s ugly.
【Yumi】─Honestly, it’s not that he’s ugly. He just looks like a squid standing next to you, Gaon.
Why were they suddenly praising me…?
Anyway.
The man looked like he was ready to attack at any moment.
I was thinking of talking to him since he was a Drifter, but at this rate, he was no different from a monster.
Then.
“Huh? Wait a minute… You over there…?”
The man’s eyebrow twitched.
He hesitated for a moment, then locked his gaze on Azeras standing next to me.
He looked genuinely shocked.
“Half-wit Azeras?”
Azeras’s name came out of the man’s mouth.
What? How did he know Azeras?
“Hahaha! I almost didn’t recognize you with how hideous you’ve become! What are those things on your head? Absolutely repulsive! They suit a lowly creature like you though!”
【Pururu】─What’s with this asshole?
【Yumi】─Who could he be? Is he someone Azeras knows?
【Bubble Bubble】─That would mean he’s from the Celestial Realm too.
“You got caught in the Dark Portal and ended up here too? I thought you had died somewhere! But seeing that you survived in this Ancient Labyrinth until now, your luck must be something else, trash!”
I glanced at Azeras.
She met my eyes, then looked over at the man before tilting her head.
“…Who are you?”
“What?”
“I asked… who, are you?”
“Don’t mess with me. Are you seriously telling me you don’t remember me?”
“…”
“…”
“Ah. I remember… now. You’re the wannabe God of Destruction, Ignis Ashbringer…”
【Yumi】─What?! A God of Destruction?!
【Mysticism】─😱😱😱
【Bubble Bubble】─Is that guy really a god?
【Pururu】─Maybe he’s just pretending to be a god?
【Rizenova】─Oh. It seems he’s also from the Celestial Realm like Lady Azeras. What a coincidence.
As soon as Azeras said the man’s name, he frowned and shouted angrily.
“I’m not a wannabe! I was officially recognized as a God of Destruction a long time ago!”
“…”
“Remember this, trash! I’ve become a real God of Destruction, with the title of Conductor of Flames! A being so great that someone like you can’t even look me in the eye! Hahaha!”
“Hmm… So, these days, even dogs and cows can become God of Destructions…”
Azeras turned her gaze away from the man.
She then looked at me again and briefly explained who he was.
Name: Ignis Ashbringer.
He had once aspired to become a God of Destruction, and, like Azeras, was from the Celestial Realm.
And according to what Ignis said, he had now officially become a God of Destruction with the absurd title of Conductor of Flames.
Oh, and by the way,
Azeras suggested that it might be better to kill him sooner rather than later.
Apparently, he was a piece of trash who massacred those weaker than him for no reason.
“If you’re jealous, just say so, trash Azeras!”
“…Not, jealous.”
“Haha! You’re so angry you can’t even speak properly!”
“…”
“But who are those monsters with you? Don’t tell me you’ve become an Explorer?”
“I’m no longer an Explorer… The Explorer here, is Gauntlet.”
“What do you mean you’re no longer an Explorer? And Gauntlet, you say…?”
Only then did Ignis show some interest in me.
Up until now, he had treated me as if I didn’t exist.
“Hey, musclehead. Are you the Explorer?”
“Yeah.”
I responded while sketching Ignis’s figure into my notebook.
Judging by his arrogant behavior, I figured I’d end up killing him soon anyway, so there wasn’t much point in chatting.
It would be easier to talk after killing him.
【Pururu】─Even in this situation, you’re working on your guidebook. 😅
【Mysticism】─Completely addicted to drawing!
“This great being is deigning to speak to you, yet you dare to doodle? You really don’t know your place.”
“Yeah.”
“…Hey, Explorer.”
“What.”
“Are you mocking me right now?”
“No.”
“…”
“…”
“Musclehead. Just in case, did you weaken my power?”
“Yeah.”
“Just as I thought.”
Ignis sneered out of the blue.
Then, he turned his back and muttered under his breath.
“Well, even with this much power, killing someone like you is easy, but… Since you have so many monsters with you, I might struggle a little. So, I’ll let you live… for now.”
He was about to run away, spouting nonsense about bringing two others back to kill me.
How he’d kill me and all the other Explorers, becoming the next Explorer himself.
Kekeke.
As he was busy cackling and trying to escape, the following message appeared:
『Number of Drifters: 4』
Ignis didn’t even have the chance to scream.
He was devoured by the Black Magma Slime hanging from the ceiling and met his end.
【Pururu】─That so-called god just died like that.
【Mysticism】─Wasn’t he a fake god? 🧐
【Bubble Bubble】─The Black Magma Slime is just too strong.
Seriously, though.
Did he really think I’d let him leave after saying he’d come back to kill me?
If he was going to run away, he should’ve at least kept his mouth shut.
What an idiot.
“He was always… famous for being… dumb.”
［Weakling.］
【Pururu】─Huh? Did the Black Magma Slime just speak? I swear it just said ‘weakling’!
【Mysticism】─🤔 I didn’t hear anything.
【Rizenova】─I didn’t hear it either.
【Yumi】─Pururu, you must’ve misheard.
【Pururu】─Is that so?
【Bubble Bubble】─It said something.
“Puppet Master. Make him into a puppet too.”
［Understood.］
Watching the Necro Puppet Master turn the Celestial Ignis into a puppet, I slowly closed my notebook.
—
■God of Destruction: Conductor of Flames (Ignis Ashbringer)
─Real Threat Level: S-rank.
─Current (Nerfed) Threat Level: B-rank.
─Abilities: Fire?
─Special Notes: From the Celestial Realm.