Not A Stagnant Life
~Chapter 2: Not A Stagnant Life
'What are demons doing here all of a sudden?' Kirin wondered.
...
Demon Adjutant - Barka Yerl (LV 3)
Class: Hell Scribe
Race: High Demon
Health: 600
Mana: 900
Mana Color: Red - Green
Strength: 5
Agility: 5
Sense: 5
Vitality: 10
Intelligence: 175
...
System's Assessment: Person's threat level is [insignificant] to the host.
...
With the 'System's Eye'. Kirin easily identified the strangers. The information page of what seemed to be the leader appeared in front of Kirin. 'That doesn't look right… He's just level 3!? What the hell is going on?' Kirin doubted. He immediately rescanned the group with the 'System's Eye', thinking that he might have mistaken the Barka guy as the leader. 'Perhaps the person behind him…'
...
Assistant - Kalish Merkiel (LV 1)
Class: None
Race: Demon
Health: 300
Mana: 25
Mana Color: Red
Strength: 25
Agility: 10
Sense: 5
Vitality: 5
Intelligence: 5
...
System's Assessment: Person's threat level is [negligible] to the host.
...
Kirin's eyes went wide. It somehow became— worse!? He immediately scanned the others in quick succession. More and more screens popped open, but not a single one of the demons that followed had a level higher than one. "Then, that Barka guy... is really their leader!?"
Still baffled, Kirin remained hidden until he could find out more as to why they, the demons, were here in the first place. At the very least, he now knows that these people do not pose a threat to him. If he were to get caught, it would not be impossible for Kirin to overpower all of them at once. 'Wait. Perhaps they have something to do with the fish suddenly having mana?"
It wouldn't be too much of a coincidence if these two events were really connected.
Kirin quietly moved from boulder to boulder, closely following the demon party. If he could get to see what they were up to, perhaps he could get an answer to things that have gotten him confused. The group of demons went deeper into the cavern, a narrow path soon appeared,
'It would be impossible for me to keep following them without revealing myself.' Kirin thought; the tight path posed a problem for him. However, another concerning feeling welled inside Kirin, 'It had been a while since another Carrion fish showed up, and if one appears now…'
Minutes have passed since Kirin started stalking the group. If his gut feeling was correct, then more Carrion fish would eventually show up, and when that happens, "This group isn't strong enough to deal with a single fish…" Kirin muttered.
The weakest fish he encountered back then, around two weeks ago, was at level ten; that fish alone would be enough to deal with the demon adjutant who was leading the way. Kirin pondered, he was deep in thought on what to do when suddenly, the demon named Barka spoke,
"Among all the caverns in this shore, this one has the strongest aura by far."
Kirin, having invested a lot of status points to his senses, clearly heard Barka word for word. The person behind Barka, the demon name Kalish, nodded in approval. The two agreed that the nesting ground was the cavern that they had been looking for.
"So then, Lord Barka, you are saying that this place is the most probable location of the orb?" a demon queried. "Most likely." Barka briefly replied, "Although my senses are not as good as the demon general, I could, at the very least, assure that the mana flow in this place is a lot different than the other caverns that we have checked so far." he added.
Barka raised his right hand, his palm pointing at the direction where the narrow path led. In the next instant, a green smoke twirled around his fingers as they gradually became luminescent. Green lights flickered around Barka's arm, moving and drifting at an erratic pace.
"If I am not mistaken, the orb might have contaminated this place. It would be too dangerous for us to proceed without consulting the general." Barka said, lowering his arm as the flickering lights dispersed into nothingness. "It is not an exaggeration for me to say that this cavern might be a dungeon with a difficulty level that I myself couldn't handle. This place is certainly beyond me."
"..."
A moment of silence followed Barka's speech.
Adjutant Barka wouldn't be enough in dealing with a dungeon such as this one? That would be impossible! The group of demons highly revered him as much as they feared the demon general above him, Barka was simply too amazing for them to not respect and follow. But now, the man himself is saying that they had to retreat because it was too dangerous? The thought alone sent shivers down their spines. The group of demons, without making a single fuss, slowly retreated.
…
Kirin heard and saw everything that happened. He immediately made his way outside the cavern as soon as he heard the group retreat. From what he learned, Kirin decided that it would be best not to interact with the demons for now. The whole situation —a lost demon orb contaminating things in the human continent— wouldn't sit well with the demons if they found Kirin, a human, casually strolling around what seemed to be a precious object for them.
Of course, with the gap in strength, Kirin could easily deal with them. However, Kirin felt that doing so was unnecessary— what might look like a quick solution could end up becoming a pain in the ass later on. If he learned anything from running a business; it would be that anything, no matter how big or small, may it be for better or worse, could easily spiral out of control without anyone noticing until everything is too late, 'If that happens, then how am I suppose to live a modest life?'
If Kirin were to do something regarding the demons— the orb, specifically— he would rather do it in secret.
Kirin arrived at the entrance far earlier than the demons. Using his sharp senses, Kirin made sure that no demons were waiting outside the cavern. However, as soon as he stepped out of the crevice, his senses went into a frenzied state. Kirin raised his head, "Of course… a giant ship."
It was no wonder why his senses went crazy.
At a distance, hovering over the shoreline, was a ginormous pitch-black ship.
"It's airborne?" Kirin wondered, staring at the vessel. He had seen similar crafts while scavenging through the refuse of the invasion; a clue that those ships back then and the one docked in the shoreline right now, were of the same origin— They were ships made by the demon race.
"But how is this one floating?" Kirin tried using the 'System's Eye' to inspect the ship, but alas, nothing appeared even after several attempts. "No point in scanning this ship any further. I'll have to get away from here." Kirin immediately walked away from the shore— a good distance away from both the ship and the cavern.
From a vantage point, Kirin waited for Barka's group to exit the cave and report back to the ship. He chose to stay put and wait for everything to run its course and settle down. Kirin had no intention of meddling with the other party's business. He sat cross-legged atop a dry rock, bathing under the afternoon sun. "They need to pick up the pace. I don't have the entire day to just sit and wait,"
Of course, Kirin couldn't leave just like that; he still has his daily quest to do.
In the next moment, Barka and his group finally emerged from the cavern. Without thinking much, they headed straight back to the giant ship. However, contrary to what Kirin expected, as soon as the group boarded the ship, the vessel suddenly hovered higher and started sailing away from the shore. "Eh? What's going on? Why is the ship suddenly sailing away?" Kirin confusingly spoke.
Weren't they returning to the ship to request for back-up? From what Kirin sensed back then, the ship definitely had enough people to raid and retrieve the sought out "orb". Sure, having twenty low-level demons isn't quite enough to kill a mid-level monster fish, but increasing the number up to; say, thirty or forty more, and in addition, having at least one strong demon in the party, would surely be enough to raid a dungeon with an F-difficulty. "I wonder what changed their mind..."
---
At the same time, aboard the pitch-black ship cruising above the seas of Orestian.
'I saw someone strong on that shores… I could not be mistaken.' Demon General Valion thought, repeatedly pacing back and forth across the captain's room. He was in so much shock that he immediately issued the departure as soon as his adjutant returned from the retrieval operation.
The uneasy look on the demon general's face made the others worry.
"General… I— " Barka was about to speak when Valion raised his hand.
"No, I've already heard of the reports about the orb. If you're asking about why we're not retrieving it now, it is for a private matter I wish to not speak about as of the moment. For now, let's return to Horai. I need to meet up with someone." Valion briefly explained. Of course, he had to lie about the reason for the sudden retreat; a fabricated excuse felt necessary to not raise panic.
Barka and the others kept silent. They were in no position to question the general's decision in the first place. If it was something urgent that they had to retreat immediately, then it was for the best that they did so.
The pitch-black warship continued sailing across the Orestian Seas. With the vessel hovering above the surface, it was a much faster ship than those that move on water. Soon enough, the ship entered familiar waters. A cloud of fog started shrouding the ship, swallowing it entirely. The visibility dropped as soon as the mist grew thicker.
"Valion Ship has entered Horai Borders. Welcome back!"
An announcement coming from phonic cubes— wooden boxes imbued with magical acoustic properties— resounded throughout the entire ship. The misty veil that surrounded the ship gradually dispersed.
'I'll have to ask for another generals help.' Valion decided with a determined expression on his face.
The recovery of the coveted orb... wasn't a matter of pride anymore.
---
Kirin went back inside the cavern after the demons left.
Besides finishing the quest, he was curious to know what the "orb" was that the demons were talking about. He initially wanted to not intervene, but after what happened— the demon ship suddenly sailing away for no apparent reason— he was now left to do whatever he pleases.
Kirin walked deeper into the cavern. Oddly enough, not a single Carrion fish showed up. "Isn't this similar to what happened back then?" Kirin wondered. Besides the high-level Carrion fish that he encountered earlier, not a single fish has shown up, even when the group of demons appeared.
'That orb that they were talking about… might have something to do with it.' Kirin walked past the narrow pathway when a notification screen abruptly popped open.
System Notification: [???]
System Warning: Would you like to proceed? [???]— Doing so might cause system deletion.
Kirin instinctively fell a few steps back after seeing the notification. The screen then disappeared as soon as Kirin moved. His heart skipped a beat, as it gradually started pounding frantically. "Sys— system deletion!?" Kirin stuttered, still dazed at what he saw. If he had walked a few more steps, then the system— the thing that had helped him survive— would've disappeared in a snap…
'What is going on?' Kirin slumped in utter confusion. He hurriedly activated the 'System's Eye'.
However, the notification screen that appeared showed the same information about the cavern from when he first entered. It showed nothing about the "system deletion" that almost happened.
'There's no point in looking for that orb if it risks the existence of my system…'
Kirin was flustered, however, he soon regained his composure. Kirin walked back towards the entrance of the cavern. Although he was intrigued about the existence of an orb coveted by the demon race, Kirin was not stupid that he would risk something valuable in exchange for an object that basically held no value for him.
"Seems like today's quest is impossible to finish huh," said Kirin, exhaling a relieved breath as soon as he exited the cavern. It became apparent that forcing to finish the quest would just harm him and the system. The nesting ground was now a restricted zone that Kirin wouldn't dare enter.
Kirin was about to leave when he sensed a presence stalking him from behind, '...'
System Notification— Host took [334] damage.
Even before Kirin could react, the familiar-looking fish already found its way unto one of his legs. The fish bit and nibbled down the leg, however, it barely budged and bled. The poor fish crazily attacked, but its effort was futile. Kirin, on the other hand, dumbfoundedly watched the scene.
Another Carrion fish actually appeared…
And just when he was about to give up on the quest, a poor fish actually 'offered' itself to Kirin.
"I'll gladly take it then," Kirin said with a wide grin on his face.
...
Carrion Fish (LV. 21)
-Health: 21,400
-Monster Typ: Undead - Aquatic
-Monster Class: Deep Dweller - Assassin
...
System's Assessment: Creature [non-threatening] to the host.
...
[13,990]
A whistling noise followed by a loud boom echoed as soon as Kirin landed a punch. The fish could only wriggle in pain as it frantically tried detaching itself, however, its teeth got stuck the moment it tried pulling away; the force from the punch had locked its jaws!
[14,120]
Kirin threw another punch— truth be told; the easiest punch he ever needed to land. It doesn't take a fighter to deal with a fish caught in its own trap. The plump fish could only take a beating from someone it thought was easy prey. If it knew that things would end up like this, it would've been glad to just enter the nesting ground and lay its eggs in peace.
Successfully Killed: Carrion Fish (LV. 21) [+21,000 EXP]
[Required Experience Points to LV. 41: 400,000 EXP]
Kirin inspected the fish out of curiosity. Of course, he tried doing so without touching it.
'This fish just came from the ocean. It was about to enter the cavern to lay its eggs.' Kirin concluded. If it weren't for a fish roe slightly exposed underneath its belly, Kirin would've thought that it was just a fat fish. Although he was never a fan of the fishing industry, he was someone who found delight in eating caviar back then, which made him familiar with things such as sturgeon and other large fishes' roe.
However, excluding the visual clue of a fish roe present, the fact that the fish doesn't have mana or mana color made it clear that it came from the ocean rather than the deeper parts of the cavern. It was similarly high-leveled as the previous fish, but it doesn't have mana.
Kirin gently tapped the corpse. It then illuminated and disappeared into thin air.
Successfully Acquired: Carrion Fish
Successfully Acquired: Hard Roe
System Notification: Adding items into Inventory…
System Notification: New Item— Hard Roe
...
Hard Roe
-Type: Consumable
-Class: Uncommon
-Effect: Removes ailment caused by 'Undead'
-Description: Unfertilized eggs of a Carrion Fish
...
To Kirin's surprise, the fish roe actually became a separate item. Although the item was just a consumable, the effect that it had caused Kirin to feel ecstatic. In any games, potions that could remove ailments are godsent; the fact that this was real life and not a game anymore made the existence of such item even more noteworthy.
...
System Notification— Daily Quest Complete
Congratulations! Issuing Reward… [+ 20 Gold]
[Gold: 2000]
...
Kirin finally completed the quest. Unpredictable circumstances aside, it was a quest he could have done with much ease. If it weren't for the demons suddenly appearing, or the "orb" being a hindrance inside the cavern, Kirin could've done the task in less than an hour.
"Well, I couldn't ask for anything better to happen," Kirin muttered, smiling. If it weren't for the plump fish suddenly attacking, he would have gone home empty-handed. *Rumble* 'Ah… all this fish hunting made me hungry.' Kirin quietly muttered as he rubbed his belly. Closing down the notification screens, Kirin hurriedly made his way back to the village.
---
Morning, the next day
The fishing village was peaceful and serene— it was as quiet as ever. However, a certain noise was still able to awaken Kirin from his deep, uninterrupted, slumber. The noise incessantly rang; sadly, Kirin could not do a thing about it. If he could, he would have done it a long time ago.
The buzzing noise only grew louder, until it abruptly halted—
A bright notification screen then flashed open,
...
System Notification: Requirement for 'Mainline Quest' — Completed.
System Notification: Doing a final inventory check— Scanning…
— 40x [Iron Sword] 🗸
— 10x [Carrion Fish] 🗸
— 80x [Demon Horns] 🗸
Scanning Complete. Congratulations!' Mainline Quests' Unlocked— Issuing quest...
...
System Notification— A quest has been issued.
-Type: Main Quest
-Task: Head to the 'Heron Kingdom' and sell all [Iron Swords]
-Difficulty: D
-Reward: (500x) Gold - (System Issued) Peddler Stall
...
Special Requirement: Host must not sell item [Iron Sword] below the system's retail price.
Failure to do so will cause the item [Iron Sword] to disintegrate.