The Druid Who Swallowed Mother Nature - Chapter 77



Only Noblemtl

Episode 77. Traditional Solution

Exploring ruins is a task that carries great risk.

Before we could predict success or failure, we had to worry about whether or not we would survive.

No matter how many ruins I had cleared in the game, I could not let my guard down once it became reality.

Especially since this was my first time exploring the Druid Ruins, I had no idea what kind of traps might be lurking there.

There was nothing special to prepare, but I really wanted to replace the cheap pistol that was starting to wear out.

‘Hastock-400 is a product that wouldn’t be strange if it broke down at any time.’

It was a miracle that it never broke down while I was using it.

It was a very useful item, but it was time to replace it with something more proper.

“Gunsmith”

The gun shop’s sign was shining brightly.

This store sells the best quality items in this area.

I went inside without hesitation.

“… … .”

The boss with a bushy mustache just puffed on his cigarette and didn’t react much to the customers’ visit.

It is a courageous business that is possible because those who are meant to live will live anyway.

I walked towards the boss with steady steps.

He said as I stood in front of him.

“Just go and look at the items quietly. We don’t have friendly employees who gossip about every little thing to customers. You can find that at Smith & Weil.”

“I don’t need any staff… … If you have any valuables, please show them to me.”

“Ah, that’s what you wanted.”

The president suddenly got up, his laziness seeming to fade away.

A moment later, he emerged from inside, carrying a large carrier in his hands.

“Choose.”

Inside the unfolded carrier were stored a variety of firearms and ammunition.

This is why this gun shop became famous.

In addition to the company’s commercial products, they also traded small items here.

New products from a military company that were stolen by employees, unlicensed modified products that leaked out during gang conflicts, etc.

It was a store within a store frequented by demanding and sophisticated customers.

However, the adjective ‘picky and sophisticated’ was often expressed differently among players.

They’re called households.

‘I had to trade items based on just a few hints.’

A vicious gambling system where different items pop out every time you buy the same sentence.

Because the price was the price and it was a stolen product, it was a scam that didn’t even provide after-sales service.

‘But that doesn’t mean I can call it a scam.’

There was something here that could be described as a jackpot.

As always in a battle of luck, the only problem is that only the lucky ones end up winning.

‘It would be different in the real world.’

If you do business recklessly in this dangerous city, you’ll most likely get shot.

It was a visit that was based on a glimmer of hope, and it was.

“I’ll take this.”

“You look so hot for your age.”

The boss added, “Let’s choose the gun that looks familiar without hesitation.

“I heard it was used by a sheriff from the police department. I only received the item, so I don’t know if it’s true or not.”

The gun I chose was a revolver, the same type as the Hastok-400.

However, there was soot here and there, and it was so small that it could be covered with one hand.

A weapon of questionable effectiveness in this world where all kinds of monsters roam around wearing iron shields.

It was a tone of speech that even treated the president, who was a businessman, like a piece of trash.

It was an attitude that made me lose all faith, but I did not change my decision.

‘It’s genuine.’

Unlike the game system that made fun of people, I saw it with my own eyes and decided.

The highest quality items available in this store.

It was the M2 Maximum, a genuine weapon awarded to sheriffs of the Sheriff’s Office.

They performed all kinds of tricks with just one gun, so they didn’t need any special weapons.

A pistol that was easy to carry around would suffice.

That doesn’t mean the M2 Maximum is cheap.

It had specifications that surpassed pistols, such as being sturdy, having fewer malfunctions, and the application of special techniques to automatically assist shooting.

“I’ll trade without any hesitation, so please give me plenty of bullets.”

Anyway, my financial situation was comfortable thanks to the compensation Sylvester gave me.

Rather than haggling over a small price reduction, the intention was to take back the item without causing any complaints.

“Is this what you mean?”

The boss packed the items while muttering to himself.

The dancing smoky cigarette smoke visualized his delight at biting a single sucker.

“And I want to sell this.”

“This product… … That’s why you opened your wallet so cheerfully.”

There was no way the gunsmith was unaware of Hastok-400’s notoriety.

The boss looked at the items and then clicked his tongue.

“I can only give you the price of scrap metal for this.”

“it’s okay.”

Since I received it as a gift, I can sell it for a profit.

“Instead, I’ll give you a piece of information I heard from a customer as a service.”

“information……?”

What is so special about this unfriendly boss?

‘Does asking one question make you feel better?’

In fact, I saw the gains, but the illusion was free.

I listened to the unexpected good fortune.

“I heard there has been a terrorist attack in some areas of District 5 recently.”

“terrorism?”

“They say it was a bomb attack. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but it looks like the police are keeping a close eye on it.”

Surprisingly, terrorism was rare in this city.

The belief in terrorism fades in the face of a mountain of gold, and the city government’s stronghold is too strong to be overlooked solely by anti-social impulses.

So, there aren’t many terrorist incidents that I remember.

The Brotherhood’s civil war, the rise of the Madhouse, and… … .

“So, for a while, don’t go near the 5th district. You might get caught up in a terrorist attack or the police might arrest you.”

“All right.”

The urgent matter was to break through the ruins, so we would have to figure it out later.

I came out after thinking about the terrorist incident in District 5.

***

“Hey.”

“… … ?”

I was on my way back home.

The back window of a familiar vehicle rolled down and someone waved.

“What are you just staring at? Come quickly and get on.”

“her.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the way he asked for something as if he had left it for me.

Although it was an unusual occurrence, I obediently climbed into the back seat.

“You must be busy attacking Director Berman. Do you have the time to come all the way to this remote place and show your face?”

It’s not like Sylvester’s next successor came here for no reason.

Claire sighed deeply and answered.

“I don’t have time. That’s why I’ve even shortened my meal times to come here. I’m so busy that I wish I could just sleep well for one day.”

Even a toothless tiger is still a tiger.

Even if he had exposed a fatal weakness, Director Berman would not have been easily defeated.

“I guess that’s why your eye makeup is so thick today.”

“Do you have tea?”

“That’s how it looks to me.”

“No one has pointed it out yet… … You have a good eye for detail. Just pretend you don’t notice.”

She grumbled, touching her face reflected in the window here and there.

“There’s the android. Instead of just destroying it, I guess I should have taken care of it and tried to run it somehow.”

“… … ?”

“To be honest, I’ll forgive you. You didn’t sneak it out or anything?”

“no way.”

For a moment, my mouth went dry and I swallowed my saliva.

Are you asking because you know this?

“It’s something the Shadow Empress was after. There’s no way she could sneak it out in this time of urgency.”

“Well, even if you did sneak it out, it’s more likely that it was the Shadow Empress, not you.”

“The investigator you dispatched must have already confirmed the destruction.”

“That’s how much I regret losing one hand.”

Fortunately, it seems like it was just a tantrum.

I changed the subject before I could be nitpicked.

“So what’s your business?”

“I heard a rumor. I heard you’re planning to explore the ruins?”

“… … Is there no such thing as privacy on this floor?”

Rumors spread that it had been a while since the request was made.

Claire shrugged.

“Do you understand that now? Every move of a celebrity is like public property. And the exploration of a relic must be a big deal.”

“I didn’t even ask for opinions from any of the right places, but the conversation went by too quickly.”

“Where is it?”

“Matap.”

There’s no way the tower’s security would be that lax.

It was too short a time for Cromwell to have sold any information.

“Did you even do any background checks on me?”

There were people who had guessed.

When I gave Claire a quick glance, she responded with a shameless expression.

“That’s not important, is it?”

“That’s true.”

He is the legitimate successor to the Royal Family, aiming for the position of CEO of Megacorp.

Regardless of personal trust, it wasn’t all that surprising that the contractor would be followed.

I never told you about it, but it was something you could easily guess by looking at the route the car took towards my house.

“Rather than that, the rooftop? Do you think the connection there will be successful?”

“I’m sure there’s a more than 90% chance that it will happen.”

Because the investigation of the ruins of Matapju is still ongoing.

It would be difficult to refuse my offer to reveal the identity of many of the artifacts already excavated there.

Claire shook her head.

“How did the contractor make such connections?”

He looked quite regretful.

“Why, did you want to take advantage of the opportunity to explore the ruins?”

“It’s unrealistic to lead an expedition, so I thought I’d at least provide support. But with the Magic Tower involved, even that seems out of the question.”

Sponsoring expeditions is part of corporate PR.

Megacorp, which was brimming with money, secured a portion of the relics by interfering with many expeditions in this way and promoted them on a large scale.

“Don’t look elsewhere and just focus on what you have to do. If you don’t, you’ll be bitten as soon as you show any weakness.”

In all of the previous playthroughs, Claire had been defeated in the race for the succession and had to endure a long period of suffering.

She may not know it, but her current success is a miracle.

Even if you give it your all, it’s not enough, so if you look around here and there, you may end up falling down.

“You don’t have to nag me, I’ll do it. Or do you know anything else?”

“It exists.”

“What is it?”

Claire’s eyes sparkled.

It seemed like they had high expectations of me because of my demonstrated track record.

I said it without being grumpy, for the sake of our deep trust.

“Among the Centrim executives, look for Trika.”

“If it’s Trika… … hmm.”

As a smart woman, she probably had an idea.

What I added was confidence.

Claire took a moment to collect her thoughts and smiled with the corners of her eyes rounded.

“Oh, you’re just scratching the itchy spots. I want to force you to sign the employment contract, but I guess there’s no way to do it.”

“… … .”

I decided to pretend I didn’t hear.

In busy times like now, people will literally be thrown out.

I avoided the gaze of Milina, who was urging me to hurry beyond the rearview mirror.

“If you have any business requests, please contact me later.”

“Just a moment.”

Just as I was about to get off the car at the road near my house, Claire grabbed me.

“If something comes, something must go. In fact, that’s what I came here to tell you.”

She whispered, her face close to my ear.

“I heard that the Thorson Expedition has been desperately trying to discover a certain ruin recently.”

“Thorson?”

“It’s a new company that started to make a name for itself a few years ago. It has grown explosively and now even plans its own exploration of ruins.”

It wasn’t an unfamiliar name.

They are a rising star in the industry who started out with a small elite group of five and steadily grew in size.

but.

‘They are the ones who failed to explore the last ruins, suffered great losses, and disbanded.’

The Thorson Expedition, which had been steadily building up its achievements, suddenly disappeared without a trace.

And then a few years later, they reappeared and announced their disbandment.

The reason was the loss of the expedition’s ability to sustain itself after years of failed explorations.

The circumstances that were revealed were shocking.

The leader of the expedition lost his life while forcing the expedition through as if possessed by something despite opposition from all insiders, and the expedition gained nothing in the process.

Having lost all of its reputation and only seeing deficits, disbandment was a natural course of action.

The end of the Thorson Expedition was so shabby that it belied the assessment that it would become the industry’s top company within a decade.

‘I guess it was recently that they planned their last exploration of the ruins.’

Exploring the ruins did not proceed as quickly as frying beans in a flash.

It took at least two or three months, or at most a year, to prepare.

The final expedition of the Thorson expedition was scheduled to begin next year, so this would be a reasonable time frame.

“The nature of the expedition team is so harsh. I don’t think anything bad will happen if we go with the Magic Tower.”

Exploring ruins is a high-stakes business with the potential to make a fortune overnight.

The environment outside the city limits, beyond the administrative reach of the city government, fueled ugly competition and greed.

That was why the bloody fights between expeditions were not even gossip.

“I don’t know if it has anything to do with the ruins you’re trying to explore, but I thought it would be best to be careful anyway.”

As she said, it was unknown whether my destination, the Druid ruins, had anything to do with the ruins they were looking for.

However, the location of the last ruin explored by the Thorson expedition was a secret that was never revealed.

When I think about the obsession of the expedition leader who ruined the expedition he had devoted his youth to with his own hands… … it wouldn’t have been strange if he had done something when they had a relationship.

“Okay, I’ll take note of that.”

I sent Claire off and headed home, clearing my head.

The time it took to reach a conclusion was short and the results were simple.

‘If they interfere, we’ll have to follow the traditional solution.’

Survival of the fittest.

The expedition was an archaic term for the bloody conflict between them.

‘There isn’t much difference between inside the city and outside.’

Solving problems with force was my specialty.