Chapter 252 - Go! Go! Fairies!
It seems Sweee and the others are discussing something, so I'll drink another Hermit Bamboo Grass Potion and wait for my HP to recover. While I'm waiting...
"I've got leftover SP, and I might as well assign the BP I've saved up to my stats..."
You have 30 points, what will you do with them?
"I'll leave 10 points for now and distribute the rest evenly among everything but LUK."
I had kept my remaining SP in BP because it was getting low, but it increased from [Guardian of Selkies] and [Island Population Exceeds 50]. I quickly allocated 4 points each to STR, DEX, AGI, INT, and VIT, leaving 10 BP. With 13 SP remaining, it should be fine.
Also, my [Elemental Magic] reached 9, [Spirit Magic] became 7+1, and [Applied Earth Magic] became 6. So, these skills really level up faster through practical experience.
"Woof?"
"Oops, sorry, sorry. Shall we go ahead?"
Sweee and the others seem to have finished their 'discussion.' As I was about to head into the passage visible past the [Venom Slime],
"~~~!"
"Ow! Sweee, what's wrong?"
Sweee, who was sitting in her usual spot, pulled on my earlobe. Is she telling me to do something... with my hand? Should I offer my hand? Like she'll give me something? I held out my left palm, and Sweee touched her hand to it.
[Alliance Formation requested by Sweee. Accept?]
"Huh?"
Eh?
An alliance is where multiple parties team up, right? Sweee's party... is the Fairies. And with Lupi and me as a party, we can form an alliance?
"~~~!"
"Ah, sorry, sorry. 'Yes.'"
[Joined Alliance 'Queen and her Merry Companions']
Merry Companions... Well, whatever...
Shou-kun, what's an alliance?
"Ah, well,"
I gave a rough explanation of parties joining together to form an alliance. Come to think of it, you can usually see the stats of party members and alliance members with this, right? I opened the menu, and the 'Party' section, which I'd never used before, was blinking. I quickly opened it...
[Queen and her Merry Companions]
☆Fairies
Sweee, Twoorie, Sooshea, Fora, Fifi, Sisl
・Fairies (1)
Warne, Safeh, Eila, Naay, Teneh, Elevi
・Shou's Party
Shou, Lupi
Two parties of six Fairies each is fine, but the second party's name is way too arbitrary...
Shou-kun, something was written in your status.
"Eh, really?"
I wondered if there was some alliance-specific display, and then I saw:
[Fairy Queen's Blessing]
Huh? No, yeah, I get it, but... Right, if I tap this, I should see the details.
[Fairy Queen's Blessing]
The flower fairies are beloved by many spirits. The Queen's Blessing grants great power. Reduces MP consumption of Light, Water, Wind, Tree, and Earth [Spirit Magic] by 10%.
"Whoa, that's incredibly powerful..."
"~~~♪"
Sweee had a smug look on her face in front of me, but I had to admit, she deserved it.
"Why don't you usually do that for me...?"
"~~~..."
She looked away. Well, I guess it's not good to rely on her too much, and she probably saw how much I struggled earlier.
"I wonder if other players know about this?"
I wonder? Shall I look it up?
"No, it's fine for now. I can just ask on Monday."
I wonder if Bell-san would know? No, Nat's more likely. It's possible he formed an alliance with the Gnome Village Elder during the previous World Quest or the recent Former Gnome Village investigation.
"Alright, let's move on."
"Woof."
"~~~♪"
"~~~♪"
I looked at the Fairies, and they all gave me a thumbs-up as if to say 'It's fine!' I really feel like they're being 'corrupted' by Sweee...
The passage ceiling glowed faintly, so this area was probably still part of the same section as the previous hall. After going straight for about 20 meters, the passage seemed to turn right.
"Lupi, please."
"Woofn."
Lupi, moving silently and smoothly, cautiously peeked around the right turn.
"Woof."
There didn't seem to be any monsters, so I caught up with Lupi. Beyond where I peeked was a staircase leading up after about 3 meters, and it looked somehow familiar...
Doesn't it look like the stairs leading out to the Mountain Cabin's basin?
"Yeah. That's what I thought."
"Woof."
Lupi looked up the stairs, and I, too, found myself looking up. After reaching the top, there was a landing, and then a left turn, perhaps? If it's the same as the stairs leading to the basin, then turning right again and climbing the stairs would likely lead outside.
"~~~♪"
"Yeah, let's go."
I climbed the stairs, paying attention to [Presence Detection]. Up, turn left, up, turn right, up...
"Oh, is this outside after all?"
It wasn't bright, but faint sunlight was filtering in. The stair exit in the Mountain Cabin's basin had a roof like a subway exit, but I didn't see anything like that here.
"Lupi, be careful."
"Woofn."
There didn't seem to be anything right outside, but Lupi climbed up first to check the surroundings for me.
"Woof~"
"Thanks."
The spot where Sweee, the Fairies, and I exited the stairs looked like a space carved, no, gouged out of a large rock. The ceiling rock is so close, it feels incredibly claustrophobic...
"~~~♪"
"Hm? Oh? Whoa..."
It's amazing!
Called by Sweee, I turned around and saw the vast sea stretching out before me.
"There's even a proper safety fence."
As I slowly approached, I could see the lighthouse and the port below. It's higher than the Drab Wolf territory cliff, so it seems we've climbed quite a bit. I'd like to see more of the northern side, but the visibility is poor, and it's cloudy with a light drizzle, so I can't really make anything out.
"Hm, it's sturdy."
I grabbed the [Magic Safety Fence] to peek over, but it didn't budge even with a little force. Maybe it's also supporting the rock ceiling? I feel like I'm trapped in a cage...
Is the fence made of metal?
"Seems like it, but it's not rusted."
Time for [Appraisal].
[Magic Safety Fence]
A safety fence made of Mithril, inscribed with [Barrier Magic] and [Spatial Magic]. Currently inactive.
"Eh?"
I instinctively pulled my hand back. This island, they hide magic tools in unexpected places, so you can't let your guard down.
'Inactive' is concerning.
"Yeah. I wonder if it's like the room lights."
I looked around the space again, and there was one of the usual doors at each end. Given the lighthouse's position I saw earlier, it feels like one is to the south and one to the west...
Which way shall we go?
"Hmm, this way, maybe the south door. I have a hunch it leads beyond the [Collapse Site]."
I think there might be passages running clockwise around the mid-slope of the volcano in the center of the island. There was a cliff past where the Drab Wolves and Lycos ate on the east side, so maybe a passage runs through that cliff?
Shall we take a short break?
"No, I'm fine, but... how about everyone else?"
"Woof!"
"~~~!"
Lupi, Sweee, and the Fairies all seemed to be saying "Go, go!" so I guess we'll just go with the flow.
[Update History]
April 11th: From Chapter 221, "To the Lighthouse Rear" ~ Current Chapter