kscans

Chapter 155 - The First Day of the Event

A week after Hayato and the others had their consultation with Diite about the event, the "Treasure Hunting" event began.

It was only the first day, but various pieces of information were already flying around in-game, showing a decent level of excitement.

The event was particularly well-regarded because the skills being emphasized this time were not combat skills, but thief skills, allowing players who previously couldn't participate much in events to actively join in.

Of course, it wasn't as if combat or production players couldn't participate at all, so there were no complaints on that front. In fact, many players were trying Treasure Hunting for the first time, creating a festival-like atmosphere.

It was especially amusing that the price of an Adamantite treasure chest key, which normally sold for around one hundred thousand G at auction, had already soared to ten million G today. Other items like Ancient Scrolls had also seen a significant price hike.

(It's more lively than I expected. Maybe Diite-chan has regained her confidence now.)

Hayato thought this to himself as he strolled through the Royal Capital.

He had no particular business. He had just come here to experience the atmosphere on the first day of the event.

During the previous Stampede event, Hayato had been unable to log in when it started. Since he had only been able to enjoy the latter part of it, he had decided to log in from day one this time.

Hayato arrived at the central plaza, the most bustling area in the Royal Capital.

This was where the most players gathered, and many used the fountain in the center as a meeting spot.

Hayato had come here thinking he could gather a lot of information.

He sat on a bench near the fountain, basking in the warm sunlight and spacing out. However, he was concentrating on the voices he could hear.

"Dual Wielding is seriously insane. Apparently, there are exclusive Weapon Skills for it too."

"They said they had a cannon fight with a pirate ship! Then a Kraken showed up and it was total chaos!"

"Don't you think there have been a lot of part-time job offers lately?"

"Death Traps are just too much... When the trap went off, our whole party got wiped out..."

These words were packed with all sorts of information. Since it wasn't published on the web or anywhere else, information gathering was limited to within the game.

Truly important information would be kept secret, but people have a tendency to want to talk about what they know, and Hayato made sure not to miss these tidbits that slipped out.

It wasn't an admirable act, but it was something he often did when researching opponents for Clan Wars.

(Dual Wielding, pirates, traps... and part-time jobs? There's a lot of information floating around already, and it's only the morning of the first day. They must have been playing since midnight when the event started. A good start is important.)

Monopolizing little-known information wasn't a bad thing. When this game first started, Hayato had made money with Ney and the others by doing things no one else did. That had led to where he was today.

(I've gotten some spoilers from my talk with Diite-chan, but I can't help that. I don't need to aim for the top ranks for prize money anymore, so I'll just enjoy the game purely. Besides, what I want to do is acquire new recipes and manufacturing methods I haven't seen yet. Treasure Hunting is secondary, I guess.)

Hayato had previously been told by Jolt, the leader of the clan "Bandit Clan," about papers with manufacturing methods on them. They were apparently found in dungeon treasure chests.

Dungeon chests were part of the Treasure Hunting system. Hayato planned to collect these papers while gathering Treasure Coins.

Manufacturing methods for production items yet unseen. As a production player, Hayato wanted them so badly he could taste it.

However, there was a bit of a problem this time.

It would be difficult for Ash and Ren to participate in this event. The reason was that they were busy in the real world. They might have more time later on, but for now, they had none to spare.

Until now, Hayato had asked Ash and the others to act as his escorts when going to various places, but if that was difficult, Hayato's own combat power wouldn't get him anywhere.

In this case, Relic would be essential. Relic had mastered not only the Stealing Skill but all thief-related skills. With his Lockpicking and Trap Disarm skills, Relic would be the most important person for obtaining treasure.

But in terms of combat power, he wasn't that strong. In a place with many undead monsters like the Labyrinth Castle, he'd be fine thanks to his weapon "Requiem," but it would be tough for him to protect Hayato against ordinary monsters.

Depending on where they went, he would want two more members who could handle close-quarters combat.

Hayato was also thinking of inviting Diite as a healer.

He wasn't sure if AIs experienced stress, or if going on an adventure together would relieve it, but he thought it was important for her to forget her role as an administrator once in a while and just play.

That aside, his other potential combatants were the Demon Lord Lunaria, the vampire Mist, and the tamer Maris, but all of them presented some problems this time.

If it was a matter of combat power, Esha was also a candidate, but she was out of the question for a certain reason.

Esha had a negative Animal Taming skill, which had the demerit of making her a target for monsters that wouldn't normally attack. Just bringing her along would be dangerous.

Lunaria was currently confined to the Demon Lord's Castle for her attempted world invasion. It would be difficult for her to get out.

Lunaria had sent Hayato a voice chat before.

"I'm confined in the Demon Lord's Castle, so please rescue me. Preferably by appearing gallantly on a white horse and sweeping me away. It's a maiden's dream."

"Try remembering you're a Demon Lord before you're a maiden."

Since then, she had periodically sent voice chats asking for help, but he mostly ignored them. He felt a little sorry for her, but Lunaria's recent actions had been a bit problematic, so he thought she deserved to be scolded and hadn't done anything.

Mist the vampire was busy with various things due to the aftermath of the Stampede. For the most part, Hayato had delivered the restoration items so things were fine, but apparently, problems had arisen with some of her old companions, and she was literally flying all over the place.

The tamer Maris would also have a tough time in a narrow space like a dungeon. Her Griffon Lancelot was powerful, but that was only outdoors. In a confined space, its mobility would be crippled, so it couldn't display its true potential.

(It would be helpful if there were some strong people who were a bit more agile.)

Dungeons came in all shapes and sizes, and the width of their rooms and passages varied. In a wide space, you could swing any weapon, but in a narrow one, you couldn't swing anything but a small weapon like a knife or dagger.

Whether it was a giant two-handed sword or a small knife, they could both be handled with the Swordsmanship skill, so there was no problem skill-wise, but it was true that you were more comfortable with what you usually used. It was a common occurrence in this game for a player's ability to hit their target to plummet the moment the size of their sword-type weapon changed.

(It's difficult with the clan members. I'll consult Ney later. Actually, if me, Relic-san, and Diite-chan just go with Ney's party, that should solve the problem... Yeah, let's do that.)

Having thought things through and gathered a certain amount of information, Hayato decided to return to the base.

There was also the fact that while the event was important, he was itching to get back to his craftsman role-play, making items at the base and selling them.

During the Stampede, he had only made items for countermeasures, so the shop had been closed. He was thinking of fully reopening for business soon.

(I get regular shipments of World Tree lumber from the Spirit Country, so maybe I'll try making a few things... The idea of making a large ship out of World Tree lumber seems plausible. I want to do some salvaging eventually, so I should save up the lumber. In that case, I'll use something other than the lumber to make something else...)

Hayato walked through the Royal Capital, his mind filled with various thoughts.

He could have returned instantly using a Ring of Teleportation, but he had no particular reason to rush back, and it wasn't far, so he walked slowly.

As Hayato returned to the base, he saw someone pacing back and forth in front of the shop entrance. While not exactly suspicious, they seemed to be there for a reason.

Hayato was about to approach and call out to them, but they noticed him before he could get closer.

The person came towards him.

A black jacket and black pants. And a black ten-gallon hat with a red muffler. Slightly tanned skin and pure white hair. They looked to be in their early thirties.

(Wait? I've seen this person somewhere before...?)

"You're Hayato, I presume?"

"Uh? Yes, I'm Hayato, but who might you be? And how do you know my name?"

"What, that guy didn't say anything about me? In that case, I'll introduce myself."

The woman took off her hat.

"My name is Sonia Wellat. You can call me Sonia. Simply put, I'm an acquaintance of Relic."

"Relic-san's...? Ah, could you be the Guild Master of the Thieves' Guild?"

Hayato remembered seeing her during the final match of the Clan War. When everyone except Hayato and Diite fought their opponents one-on-one, this person had been Relic's opponent. Recalling their conversation about chess, Hayato asked the question.

"Ah, that's right. I came here because I wanted to talk to Relic. It would be a hassle for me to go to the Butler Guild, you see."

The Thieves' Guild didn't have a very good reputation. It would indeed be problematic for its Guild Master to go to another guild.

If she was capable of such consideration, and was also an acquaintance of Relic, then Hayato had no reason to be wary.

"He's not here right now, but shall I call Relic-san for you?"

"Ah, that would be a great help. I can send him a voice chat myself, but it seems that guy mutes my messages when he's working."

"I understand. Then please come into the base. I'll contact him now."

With those words, Hayato invited the woman before him, Sonia, into the base.