Mistress Of The Evil Forest

Case 153: Adventurers.

The original story of [Astra Magical Academy] is quite convoluted.

Despite being marketed as a mainstream academy's tale for young adults, its overarching plot is a bit hard to follow for conventional novel readers. This is mainly because of its large cast and an overwhelming number of secrets and sub-plots, not even counting the numerous easter eggs scattered all over the scenes.

Casual players often complain about how hard to follow the story is, to which the hardcore ones respond by theorizing that it is intentional by the developers, meaning they want to spread the experience over several playthroughs.

I don't know much about storytelling, but when thinking about it a bit further, isn't it obvious that one would want to tell a clear and engaging story? Everybody wants to avoid redundancy in their tales, and for games that have other elements like combat occupying screen time, this is even more true.

There are debates, and there are many theories being raised. However, as someone who has lived in this reality for over half a year, I can't help but feel that the original story... is based on a real one.

The more I hear about it from Chloe, the more I am convinced that the 'game' is not really a game. There are simply too many elements working alongside or with each other in it, and it plays out too randomly at times, suggesting the presence—or lack thereof—of an author who creates the story.

Of course, there are choices for the players, and there are just as many routes that can play out. Determining the real worldline might require the developers' input, which we have no idea who they are.

''Hmm... hey, Silaerob. Can I have this thing? I want to take it apart to see what's inside.''

''Sure.''

''Thanks!''

Now, back to Becky.

Becky, quite obviously, is the very grandmaster that she pretends to be an assistant of. If one really looks at the way she acts, she does speak the words of a grandmaster, just, everything else is pathetic, leading to the misunderstanding.

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Her name is Quantum. Not a real name, of course.

According to the original story, Quantum pretends to be her own assistant because she doesn't want people to fixate on her status all the time. 'It's annoying,' Chloe quotes. I also know from the same Chloe that Quantum is supposed to be the 'body' of goddess Neveah, who has gone into hibernation at this stage.

Neveah vanished twenty years ago, and Quantum is also twenty years old. Coincidence? Maybe not. Many don't know the silent yet neck-breaking fast rise of Quantum. It's a bit ridiculous to think that she is even younger than me.

Now, Neveah apparently planned something for this generation of protagonists, hence all these preparations, but I'm not sure if we can rely on that information anymore. My presence has changed everything.

In short, we don't know how it will turn out anymore.

But that doesn't mean we are allowed to stay still. There's nothing major happening at the moment aside from Efil slowly winding up its influence, meaning we can take this time to consolidate our power.

I have been thinking of taking my horror crew and the undead siblings to hunt outside of Zircon for a while. At this point, their strength falls a bit short compared to the lords like Kyomu, Nova, or Sikare.

So then, shall we go on an adventure?

The territory of the Astra Empire borders the ocean. To be exact, around a quarter of its borders face the salty water.

The humans living on dry land rarely ever notice it, but the amount of monsters coming from the sea is staggering. Unlike there, one can't really control the monster population underwater, and it is well-known that the deeper one goes into the abyss, the more freaky the biology of the creatures becomes.

In short, the sea monsters are stronger, freakier, and harder to deal with. Humans aren't made for the oceans, after all.

Thanks to that, the number of adventurer guilds near the shores is big, and for some reason, the Neveah church is equally present. I won't get too deep into the reason the church is so active here, but it has something to do with what lies beyond the ocean.

''Hoh... there are lots of priests here.''

''Yep. And they are more decent than the ones I know.''

''Is it because they have to worry about the monsters?''

''Yup. Their minds are full of monsters, yikes.''

Accompanying me is a lone girl named Luxia Neveah, now in disguise. I am in disguise, too.

'I wanna go on an adventure, too...!'

Or so she whined to me. In the name of self-training, Luxia abandoned class and clung to me like a bug, refusing to stay home. I suppose it isn't bad if Luxia gets stronger.

For now, let's register as adventurers and get some commissions going.

It's more convenient this way since I don't have to go out of my way to find monsters to defeat, and I can choose between many options as well. I already researched the most reputable guilds before coming here, so we arrive at our destination within minutes.

''Welcome, miss. How may I help you?'' The receptionist greets us.

''I want to register as an adventurer.''

''Understood. May I see your status screen?''

To prevent reckless ventures that are no different from suicides, they do need to see if the registering people are strong enough. I can disguise my status screen, of course, but Luxia can't. Having her rare name registered might be risky, so... I made her invisible right from the start, using light magic.

As expected, the magic courses I've consumed help.

Other than that, the registration process is completed rather swiftly. Maybe it's because I made my level 42, meaning I am already quite strong.

''We have indeed registered your name, Miss Beaver. We wish you luck on your adventures.''

''Okay.''

Grabbing the metal card containing my information, I head toward the commission board. We can fabricate Luxia's card later if needed. I only plan to use this name once, anyway.

Let's see... Mutated Swordfish, Berserk Octopuses, Man-eating Sharks, and... a fleet of ghost ships?

This is interesting.

I think we should start with the small ones first to get the feel of battling on the ocean. Thankfully, they do have the approximate range of levels for these monsters listed here.

''Mutated Swordfish... yes. I have indeed confirmed your participation. Please follow the procedure written behind the paper.''

Apparently, each commission has different requirements and participation methods. Companies might want to systematically harvest a certain ingredient from a type of monster, in which case a large-scale raid may ensue. Individuals might just need a certain group of monsters removed from their farms or property, requiring only a small subjugation team.

This one is a common request sent by the local authorities, aiming to reduce the number of these Mutated Swordfish, which means anything is fine as long as we get the job done.

So, we immediately rent a boat and set to the sea.

The pristine blue water, now reflecting the early sunlight, casts off a majestic aura.

And beneath that layer of beauty, dozens of swordfish have already gathered, waiting for their prey. For now...

''You go first, Blob.''

Deer fish, good luck.