Chapter 23: The Sleeping Forest Expedition

The woman who had taken my Bronze badge studied it for quite some time.

I told her that if she found it hard to believe, I could demonstrate my skills.

“Oh, no, it’s not that I don’t believe you. I’m just a little surprised. You must have trained as a knight from a young age, right?”

“Hmm…”

I nodded at her assumption.

Although I wasn’t certain whether the gatekeeper was a knight, I had definitely trained under someone similar.

The woman smiled lightly, as if my response confirmed her thoughts, and handed the badge back to me.

“Alright, both of you are approved.”

With that, she introduced herself.

“Nice to meet you. My name’s Luna.”

After introducing herself, Luna rummaged through her pocket and handed us a small piece of paper.

It was filled with a list of items that seemed essential for the dungeon expedition, along with the departure date.

The male adventurer skimmed through it and stuffed it into his pocket, but I carefully examined the list.

It included standard items that any adventurer would carry, like oil flasks, ropes, and flint, as well as some unfamiliar ones like powdered dried red deer antlers and puffball mushroom spores.

“Do we have to gather everything on this list?”

When I asked, showing her the paper, Luna chuckled and shook her head.

“Not at all. It’s just a list of things I thought might come in handy. What do you think? Useful, right?”

I shifted my gaze to the male adventurer standing beside me, curious about his opinion on the list.

“What do you think about it?”

“Hmm… Thorough preparation, I’d say?”

He replied with a light laugh, suggesting that not everything on the list was strictly necessary.

After bidding farewell to Luna, the man and I left the inn.

He wandered off alone, showing no interest in buying the items from the list. Left on my own, I unfolded my map and headed for the adventurer’s market.

Time flew by, and the day of the dungeon exploration finally arrived.

Excitement coursed through me as I sprang out of bed. The crisp morning air filled my room, but I didn’t feel the cold.

Although there was still time before the meeting, I had plenty to do, so I moved quickly.

First, I gathered all my belongings from the room and dashed out of the inn, making sure to return the key on my way out.

My first stop was the Swordsman Guild. Without wasting a moment, I sprinted inside and sought out the receptionist.

“Hello!”

“Hi, Seris.”

“I’d like to store some personal items.”

“For that…”

The receptionist nodded at my request and pulled out some paperwork, moving the pen briskly across the page. Then came her questions.

“For how long?”

“One month.”

“And the items to be stored?”

“This leather.”

I showed her the ogre hide and tendons strapped to my back, leftovers from crafting armor.

“One month of storage… Items are leather, so a moisture-proof location…”

Muttering to herself, the receptionist finished filling out the paperwork and handed me a small key.

“The fee is three silver. The storage room is on the third floor.

If you exceed the agreed storage period, additional charges will apply.

If more than six months pass without retrieval, the items will become the property of the guild. Understood?”

“Yes!”

With the key in hand, I made my way to the third floor, where a long hallway stretched before me. The entire third floor served as storage for guild members.

My key was labeled with the number 72, meaning I had access to room 72.

I quickly located the room, unlocked the door, and tossed the ogre leather inside.

With my first task complete, I left the Swordsman Guild with a lighter step and headed for the leather workshop.

Before setting off for the dungeon, I planned to collect the ogre leather equipment I had commissioned.

“Welcome to…?”

As I stepped into the workshop, the staff member who greeted me trailed off mid-sentence, apparently recognizing me.

“P-please wait a moment!”

He hurriedly turned and disappeared into the back of the store.

When he returned, he was accompanied by the workshop owner I had met before. The staff member was holding the ogre leather armor that had been custom-made to fit me.

“Welcome back, young mage!”

The workshop owner’s voice was far too loud.

As I stepped into the workshop, the eyes of other customers browsing the shop began to shift toward me. It wasn’t hard to figure out what the workshop owner was trying to do. Clearly, he wanted to flaunt his association with a mage.

“Well, your outfit hasn’t changed, I see…”

The owner examined me, muttering in apparent disappointment.

I chuckled, recalling what he had said a week ago. If I didn’t look like a mage, demonstrating magic should settle the matter.

I cleared my throat and waved my hand lightly.

Creating a gentle breeze using the mana within my body wasn’t a difficult spell.

“The air feels a bit stuffy. Are you ventilating properly?”

A breeze, faintly glowing with starlight, began to flow through the shop. It wasn’t the biting chill of a winter wind from outside but a soft, soothing breeze. Anyone could tell that this wind wasn’t natural—it was conjured by magic.

As astonishment spread across the faces of the customers, a satisfied smile finally appeared on the workshop owner’s face.

“Let’s inspect the equipment.”

“Ah, right, my mistake. Show it to her.”

“Yes!”

With the staff’s help, I began inspecting the gear crafted from ogre leather.

First was the pair of boots. I immediately took off my worn-out pair and tried on the new ones.

“How does it feel?”

“Not bad.”

The fit was excellent, gripping my ankles firmly and minimizing energy loss. I tested a few stances, nodding in approval.

Next were the bracer-style gloves. Once I secured them by pulling on the ogre tendon laces, I felt their sturdy elasticity. Swinging a sword with full force wouldn’t strain my wrists at all.

The equipment made from ogre leather was far more effective than I had imagined. It was tough enough to resist even the sharpest blades, leaving not a single scratch.

Boots, gloves, belt, cape, pants, and top—everything was ready.

After donning the entire set in the fitting room, I gave an approving nod. The weighty feel unique to ogre leather provided a reassuring sense of stability.

I handed over the agreed-upon 10 gold coins to the workshop owner.

With my second errand complete, I sold off my old gear at the leather workshop and moved on.

My next destination was the large inn that served as the meeting point.

In front of it stood a spacious carriage prepared for the journey and several adventurers gathered for the dungeon expedition.

Hurrying over, I spotted Luna among them, checking off names.

It seemed I was the last to arrive.

Smiling awkwardly, I approached Luna.

“Luna!”

“Oh, Seris. You made it just in time.”

“I guess I was a bit late.”

“No, not at all.”

Luna nodded as she checked me over.

“Then let’s head out right away!”

At her command, the adventurers quickly moved to board the large carriage.

The carriage was a large cargo wagon, already filled with plenty of supplies.

Being the last to board, I couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion.

The adventurers had split into two groups. Rangers, swordsmen, and a priest were tightly packed in the limited space, while a female mage sat alone in a separate, more comfortable spot.

I wondered why they had split up like that. With questions in mind, I walked over and sat next to the mage.

She glanced at me briefly before offering a mysterious smile and turning her head away.

“We’re off!”

Luna shouted from the driver’s seat, and the carriage slowly began to move.

It seemed they couldn’t pick up speed until we left the city.

As expected, once we passed the city’s border checkpoint, the carriage started picking up pace.

I absentmindedly gazed out the window, watching the scenery blur by as the shape of the Karma Empire grew smaller and smaller in the distance.

When the endless sea was no longer visible, the sound of the horses’ hooves clattering in the wind filled the air.

I stared out, mesmerized by the sight.

As the cold winter wind met the vast, snow-covered plains, a white wave seemed to rise up, riding the breeze toward the carriage.

Whooooosh—!

In an instant, the rushing wave of snow engulfed the interior of the carriage.

Snow fell over the adventurers, and curses quickly followed from their mouths.

I too was covered in snow, but instead of cursing, I laughed.

A day passed as we traveled by carriage, and Luna finally spoke to the adventurers about the dungeon’s location.

“The dungeon is located in the Sleeping Forest of Kalvain.”

“The Sleeping Forest of Kalvain…?”

At Luna’s words, all the adventurers except me wore intrigued expressions.

It seemed like a fairly famous place.

I quickly opened my adventurer’s guidebook and searched for the Sleeping Forest of Kalvain.

[The Sleeping Forest of Kalvain]

“The Sleeping Forest of Kalvain” is a mysterious place that formed after the death of the Red Dragon Kalvain.

Upon his death, the unleashed mana constantly changed the terrain and ecosystem, and monsters in the area have continued to evolve using Kalvain’s mana.

It’s an attractive region where new monster materials can be found, but it’s a place that requires extreme caution.

I see…

After reading the entry, I nodded along with the other adventurers.

They were all discussing enthusiastically, speculating that the dragon’s treasure or even its eggs might be hidden there.