The Ancient Transit Tower

The interior of 'The Ancient Transit Tower' could only be described as a modern high-rise building. Apparently, 'The Ancient Transit Tower' was a ruin buried in a mountain.

"Ugh! It's dusty!"

The only catch was the epithet 'turned into a ruin.' Every fluorescent light—or whatever they were—on the ceiling had shattered, and all the room doors visible from the entrance had come off, presumably because their hinges had rotted away. It was a truly miserable sight.

"What did you call this sort of world after its civilization collapsed?"

"I don't know. I've got a manga at home about people who fight their way through such a world with nothing but their fists, though."

"You mean, the one about the North—"

"It's called post-apocalypse."

For some reason, I was suddenly overcome by a powerful unease, so I cut Ruby off and answered the question. Post-apocalyptic fiction, commonly called an 'end-of-the-world story.'

The ruins made it clear that the world of FSW had once possessed a civilization at least as advanced as the modern world—no, perhaps even more advanced. I had no idea what had caused its downfall, though.

Perhaps this was the civilization that perished because of that idiot's obsession with the moon, as Agnasrerim-sama had said. Still, if that idiot had walked through a high-rise building in that outfit, it would have been quite surreal. Somehow, I didn't think that was the case, and I hoped it wasn't.

"Even so, it's nothing but junk."

Genzuro picked up some sort of Magical Device that had fallen on the floor and no longer retained its original shape, then sighed. So that was how it looked to them.

"It's not all like that. Isn't that right, Iris?"

"Yes. They all look like they could be disassembled. I think I could draw up blueprints from them. If we could gather the necessary parts, we should be able to reproduce them."

"Is that so?"

Genzuro openly showed his surprise. Iris had 【Magic Circle】 and 【Crafting】 for handling Magical Devices. In addition, she had 【Linguistics】 and 【Archaeology】, so it was possible for her to analyze these ancient relics. And if she could analyze something, she would probably be able to reproduce it.

"Besides, even rust-covered garbage that can't be repaired at all is treasure to us."

Iris also possessed 【Smithing】, so she could work with metal. The problem was that we currently had very few ways to obtain the metal itself, which was the crucial part.

It wasn't as though we had none at all, and we had gathered as much as possible. At Jigorou's hometown, the Northern Mountain, and at Bird Mountain, we had all collected ore whenever we found a mining spot. The metal weapons dropped while Jigorou was rampaging, and when he and I defeated the subjugation force, could also be melted down and quickly turned into metal ingots.

But whether this was simply because it was an online game, or because the area around Fars was poor in mineral resources, the amount we had gathered so far was nowhere near enough. That meant every metal object here had to be taken home, regardless of its condition.

"Oh, really?"

"Then we'll gather them too!"

"Yes, please do. If you find something that seems like it might be useful, ask me or Iris. We both have 【Appraisal】 and 【Archaeology】."

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――――――――――――

Your 【Archaeology】 level has increased.

Your 【Linguistics】 level has increased.

Your 【Appraisal】 level has increased.

――――――――――――

By continuing our exploration in this manner, we acquired a great deal of scrap metal and Magical Devices. Some of the Magical Devices unmistakably resembled computers, and all sorts of interesting things might be possible if we could reproduce them.

"Kyuu... kyuu..."

However, the baby had apparently grown bored. At some point, Kal had fallen asleep in my arms. After that, everyone continued rummaging through things while trying not to make any noise that might wake Kal.

It was downright comical that Jigorou, who couldn't be bothered with hiding, acquired 【Sneaking】.

The results were excellent. On top of that, 【Archaeology】, 【Linguistics】, and 【Appraisal】 had all risen considerably. In the case of 【Linguistics】, it seemed as though everyone had leveled up. We had probably gained experience simply by seeing the writing scattered throughout the building and written on the objects lying around.

If I brought monster players here, they would probably be able to converse almost immediately. I wouldn't bother teaching them once the second wave arrived, though.

Mutual aid among monster players? Don't make me laugh. Seeing the working devices before us would make us want to keep this place absolutely secret.

"This is basically an airport, isn't it...?"

That was the conclusion I reached after exploring the interior of 'The Ancient Transit Tower.' Actually, calling it an imitation wasn't quite right. This place was far more convenient.

For the ancient people, travel apparently meant teleportation. Yes, teleportation. It seemed they could teleport from one city to another. I had read on the forum that even now, it was possible to teleport from one city you had visited to another if you paid a great deal of money. Perhaps some of the technology from that era had survived?

Be that as it may, it wasn't hard to imagine that the ancient people flourished after eliminating the concept of transportation. If anything, going back a few hundred years from this standard medieval-style world might have led to a futuristic world that would make even science-fiction novels look tame.

And this place was apparently the center of teleportation. You couldn't travel directly from Point A to Point B, but you could reach places by passing through here. In other words, it served as a hub.

Amazingly, one portal was still operational. Because the tower was buried in a mountain, the interior was pitch-black, but the circular portal so often seen in science-fiction movies gave off a faint glow.

"'Welcome to the Continent of the Sky!' Right?"

The ancient words 'Welcome to the Continent of the Sky!' were written around the portal. In other words, that was the destination.

The Continent of the Sky... It had to be the 'Vetus Floating Island' that Agnasrerim-sama had mentioned. It would be terrifying if there were another one!

Iris had offered a convincing theory as to why this particular portal was conveniently still working. It was because there were almost no signs that this latest model had ever been used.

I recalled the incantation—or rather, a phrase that served as a key, like the one to our hideout. Could 'The great sky we once gazed up at is now our paradise' mean that they had floated a continent into the sky? Perhaps they had only just finished celebrating the floating continent when some sort of calamity destroyed their civilization.

And then, just before they could begin offering a service for sightseeing on the Continent of the Sky from this airport-like facility, something happened, leaving it abandoned in practically brand-new condition. That would explain why it was in such good shape and still usable. As theories went, it seemed to hold together, didn't it?

Let's leave the historical speculation there. More importantly, the Gravekeeper had given us a reward suited to us. For someone who had come all the way to an underground cemetery out of curiosity, this transit tower that could take us to all sorts of places would be extremely appealing. Well, there was only one destination...

"Now, everyone. We have two choices."

"Go or return, right?"

"No, that's not it. We can either go right now or return once and then go."

Going was a certainty. We had finally found an easy way to reach another continent. There was no way we would choose not to go.

The problem was that someone might discover our hideout while we were on the Vetus Floating Island. Ruby had told me while we were searching the transit tower that a report had finally appeared on the strategy thread saying the sewer had been found.

There were no worthwhile monsters left there for the strategy group. Only the remnants of the Ratmen and the Big Slugs remained. It would quickly become clear that it was a place filled with smelly, disgusting monsters that offered little experience, so it was unlikely that the strategy group would visit repeatedly.

The second wave arriving soon would be different, however. There would surely be people willing to endure the smell and disgust to descend into the sewers. If that happened, someone would inevitably approach our hideout.

Nobody was likely to say the door's keyword, 'the laughing femur,' but there was no denying that the hideout would become harder to use. Besides, some event might bring the strategy group into the sewers and lead them to notice the hidden door.

According to Ruby, someone in a scout class at her level could detect the existence of the door. Underestimating the enemy was something only a sacrificial lamb would do, and I was no such thing. It would be wiser to act on the assumption that we would be discovered.

And there was no guarantee that whoever found it would be a gentleman. They might be the sort of musclehead who thought, If I don't know how to open it, I'll just break it. The room contained books I'd stolen—no, purchased—as well as reports from its previous owner.

If those were seen, the existence of abyssal magic would be revealed among the players. That would be unacceptable. I wanted to keep it hidden as much as possible. You could also say that I wanted to keep it for myself.

In that case, we might as well take every item with us and establish a new base on the Vetus Floating Island. There would be no turning back afterward, but that's what adventure was all about!

"I want to return first. We need to replenish our healing potions, too."

"I don't care either way."

"I'm against it."

"Why?"

Surprisingly, Genzuro voiced an objection. I had to hear his reasoning.

"If the forum reports are accurate, there are probably more members of the strategy group there now than ever before. Returning now would be extremely dangerous."

"True..."

I see. I had overlooked that. There was no doubt that more members of the strategy group were there now than at any other time. The thought that there might be something there was enough to move people. There had to be a certain number of people willing to endure the smell in pursuit of a new discovery.

Of course, we had already collected every bit of the 'something' they sought. The only things left were probably the grave goods in the underground cemetery, but facing a level 60 Gravekeeper would take some resolve, wouldn't it?

"Then I'll sneak in and get them!"

"No, no! It's too dangerous alone!"

"Then I'll go too."

I couldn't match Ruby's concealment, but I also possessed 【Stealth】 and 【Sneaking】 at level 10. I shouldn't slow her down.

"Hmm, I suppose that will do. However!"

Genzuro pointed at me with such force that I could almost hear a sharp sound effect.

"If you lay a hand on my granddaughter, I'll never forgive you—geh!?"

Before he could finish, Ruby's body slam struck Genzuro in the stomach. He doubled over. Huh? There shouldn't have been any Friendly Fire...?

"Ignore Grandpa's stupid comments, everyone."

"O-of course!"

Ruby was usually a bright, energetic girl, but this was what she was like when she got angry! Her voice had lost all inflection, which made her extremely frightening! It would be best not to say anything unnecessary right now! My instincts were telling me so!

"I-Iris! If there's a Universal Workbench, we can craft things on-site, right?"

"Y-yes!"

"Jigorou! If you're bored, go outside and kill some birds to gather materials!"

"O-okay."

"Genzuro, you join in gathering materials too! Ruby, let's go!"

"Okay."

I handed Kal, whom I was still holding, to Iris, then hurried outside with Ruby, whose voice remained completely flat.

◆◇◆◇◆◇

"Hahahahahaha! This is amazing!"

"I'm glad to hear it."

We had left the Lizardman village early in the morning, defeated two bosses, and then explored the inside of the tower, so it was pitch-black outside.

To spare us the trouble of walking on the ground while cheering Ruby up, I was flying through the sky with her perched on my head. Thank goodness for the 'Moon's Feather Robe.'

"But don't tell Iris! She'd be sad!"

"Hmm?"

Why had Iris's name come up there? Was she perhaps hoping to fly too? Since I was getting to experience it before her, was that why it had to remain a secret?

If that was what she meant, I would keep quiet. I'm sure Iris could ride Kal once the little one grew bigger!

"Speaking of which, there's something I'd like to take care of once we arrive. I need a little time for it. Is that all right?"

"I don't mind, but what are you planning to do?"

"I was thinking of providing the Gravekeeper with some reinforcements."

Other players would discover the 'Forgotten Underground Cemetery,' which we had already found and cleared, before long. I didn't think the Gravekeeper would lose easily, but he had given us the opportunity to reach the new continent. As a thank-you, and to raise my 【Necromancy】 level, I would present him with an Undead I had created.

"...Izam, you really are conscientious, huh?"

"Is that so? I thought I was fairly ordinary."

What was there to question about showing gratitude to someone who had helped us? That was how I had been raised, but perhaps Ruby was different?

"Huh. Is that what Iris likes about you?"

"Hmm? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, it's just something I was thinking about. Anyway, can I tell you about the friend of mine who's coming with the second wave?"

"Yes, go ahead."

She would soon become one of our companions. It was important to hear about her and learn what sort of person she was. Judging from Ruby and Genzuro's attitudes, it was certain that she wasn't a bad girl, though.

After that, Ruby told me story after story about her friend until we reached the shortcut in the western forest that led to the sewers.