Chapter 9

For the first time, I was defeated.

And not just any defeat, but a perfect one with no solution in sight.

It was a fight that didn’t make sense from the start.

The difference in stats was just too overwhelming.

It was like trying to deal damage in a game when you haven’t surpassed the level cap—no damage at all.

That was the gap between me and the Ice Queen.

But it’s frustrating, really frustrating.

Facing such an insurmountable enemy for the first time made me laugh hollowly.

I needed a way.

A way to beat the Queen without just mindlessly grinding for stats.

[Why not try treasure hunting?]

“Treasure hunting?”

It was an interesting topic. Surely, she wasn’t talking about ordinary gold coins.

[In this world, it’s not just living beings that grow. Minerals, gems, and such also flourish. If you give them to me, I’ll sell them for you.]

I got it.

She’s suggesting a kind of business.

Things that are common here but sell for a high price in other dimensions.

[Yes.]

“That’s a good idea. Let’s do it right away.”

Come to think of it, why didn’t I think of that?

I looked at the high-priced weapons, armor, and objects at the bottom of the shop window.

Some were made of special metals, not just steel.

They helped transmit magic power or amplified output.

Ordinary steel-made items can’t withstand the Ice Queen’s attacks.

Even special alloys probably wouldn’t last long.

But if I could imbue weapons with magic power, that would change everything.

Magic power has no limits.

If it can withstand a sufficient amount of magic power, it can block any attack.

My still-living body proves that.

Right, let’s change the equipment first.

No matter how I think about it, that’s the fastest way to boost my specs in a short time.

While I’m at it, I’ll also do some tracking and detection training.

Let’s not rush.

There’s a lot of talk about the end and all, but if I die before that, it’s all pointless.

Take it easy and move in the right direction.

I’m not wrong yet.

[That’s right. I’ll say it again, you’re fast enough, so you can take it slow.]

Not really.

[Oh, come on.]

When I felt sufficiently recovered, I got up, brushing off the frost from my bare legs and hair.

This time, the goal is to become a treasure detector myself.

To do that, I needed a psychic ability like the fantasy natives, spreading magic power like a field to detect surroundings.

Honestly, does that even make sense?

It’s hard enough to pull it out of my body, and now I have to do that?

After sitting cross-legged for about 15 minutes, I felt nothing.

I started to doubt what I was doing.

Am I doing this right?

Am I just wasting time?

Just as I was getting more distracted by such worries, Belva shouted at me like she had a eureka moment.

[There’s a theory book in the shop!]

“…Really?!”

[Yes! It’s like a diary written by a famous hunter. Since it’s a hunter, there must be some helpful tips in it, right?]

I immediately searched the shop window.

<Memories of the Hunt> by Eris Orwell.

Price: 10,000 coins.

The price was steep. 10,000 coins for just a book?

It seemed too expensive, but on the other hand, it meant that even a diary like this was worth that much.

Alright, let’s think of it as an investment and buy it.

This is not the time to save money.

With a pounding heart, I bought the book.

A portal appeared in the air, and as I reached into it, a book snugly fit into my hand.

I blew off the dust and flipped through the thick hardcover.

The luxurious cover caught my eye first.

It was inscribed with characters from another dimension that I couldn’t understand.

Oh… this is getting interesting?

The thick, square shape reminded me of a big birthday box I received as a child.

I remember being so happy when I saw it.

By the way, it was a prank prepared by a friend to tease me,

and inside was just one Pocky stick,

and I lost a friend that day.

Ah, suddenly I felt uneasy.

“It’s okay. It’ll be fine.”

Taking a deep breath, I opened the book.

The first page.

A thick hardcover with about 700 pages in total.

The first sentence of this 10,000-coin book started like this:

「Oh, I ate pig with mom and dad! It was soft!」

What the hell.

[I’m really, really sorry. I didn’t expect it to be like this…]

“It’s fine.”

I should have known when she said it was a diary. My mistake.

This must be what it feels like to lose money in stocks.

Of course, I don’t think it’s not worth 10,000 coins.

Although it’s in a different format than expected, the tips and experiences inside must be worth more than the money spent.

But that’s only for someone who has the leisure to meticulously read and analyze someone’s randomly scribbled diary.

I don’t have that kind of time.

Moreover, it’s hard to even take out a book in such a cold place.

The book was already starting to freeze.

“No choice.”

I picked up the fox curled up beside me and rubbed it all over the book.

The frozen paper softened instantly.

It worked.

But it won’t work forever.

It’s just a temporary fix.

I boldly skipped the beginning and flipped to the middle.

If I look carefully, there might be something useful, but I don’t have time for that.

I need to quickly pick up and remember only what’s helpful.

[I’m watching too!]

Focus.

Middle, page 411.

[Hunting giant dimension monster species…]

Success. The guy with six hundred million tentacles continuously affects the target’s mind…]

Just skip it.

Even a quick glance tells me it’s still too much for me to handle at my level.

Just remember that the weakness of the six hundred million tentacle Dimension Monster species is a plasma railgun.

Let’s rewind a bit.

[…My husband died. It was Colobus’s doing.]

I almost threw the book in that moment.

I felt an inexplicable surge of anger.

“Seriously, though.”

Why would someone write such personal stuff in their diary?

Shouldn’t a diary be about recording control techniques for spreading magic power to detect surrounding objects?

[That’s not normal.]

I know. Shut up.

After some time passed, I’d occasionally pet the fox to warm up and sneak in some speed-reading.

By the time the exhausted creature flopped over and the once-useful book turned into a rag, I finally found the part I was looking for.

[The amethyst flower was buried underground. So even if I spread the waves, it didn’t reach. I asked my mom. She said I’d have to go down myself.]

Surprisingly, the helpful stuff was concentrated in the early parts.

Back when she wasn’t yet familiar with magic power.

Between the ages of five and seven, after many trials and errors, she gradually grew, and there was some really valuable information written down.

Does this mean my magic control is on par with a kid that age?

That’s a bit of a blow to my pride.

Anyway, I found the keyword I needed.

Waves.

She deliberately detonates magic power concentrated at a single point.

And then detects the objects touched by the spreading magic.

Doing it that way would definitely consume less energy than spreading magic power from start to finish on my own.

But the problem is that the spread magic can’t have any physical force.

Hmm…

I closed my eyes and imagined.

What if I compressed my magic power into a single point and then detonated it?

“I’d die.”

My magic capacity is already higher than my physical abilities.

Trying to replicate that would be impossible.

Let’s rethink this.

I think I have enough clues. The rest is just combining them to find a solution.

What if, from the start, magic power and physical force can’t be separated?

What if the energy Eris Orwell used wasn’t magic power?

“Belva.”

[Yes?]

“Do Dimension Monsters also have Dimension Power?”

Thinking back, nowhere in the diary did it mention using magic power.

It’s Dimension Power.

Similar to magic power, but without physical force. Transparent and capable of spreading widely.

From what I can tell, Dimension Power fits all those conditions.

[They do! All Dimension Monsters carry Dimension Power within them.]

The moment I heard that, I could clearly feel the Dimension Power I had within me.

Why hadn’t I noticed it before?

Was it because of the talk about bringing the apocalypse? I’d completely forgotten about it until now.

I closed my eyes and focused my mind.

[But the Dimension Power the monsters carry isn’t much. Dimensional Stones themselves are extremely rare.]

The diary’s author achieved significant results with just that amount of Dimension Power.

There’s no way I can’t do it.

I absorbed it directly from the Dimensional Stone, after all.

Slowly, I drew out the Dimension Power.

Since it was similar to magic power in every way, handling it wasn’t difficult.

I gathered the Dimension Power, designated a center point, and applied a gravitational pull within it.

The transparent, mist-like energy condensed into a tiny point.

Now, I needed to detonate it.

In all directions. As fast and far as possible.

But using only Dimension Power to generate that level of explosive force was impossible.

After a moment of thought, I mixed a tiny amount of magic power into the center of the point.

As expected, the two energies, being of similar nature, merged as if they were originally one.

Now, that magic power would act as gunpowder.

Gunpowder to assist the explosion of the lacking Dimension Power.

If my plan worked, mixing just that amount of magic power would increase the detectable range by at least three times.

Maintaining my focus, I detonated the magic power.

Then.

Zzzzzz—

The next moment, the Dimension Power mixed with a tiny amount of magic power swept across the entire land.

“Ugh, uweeeek!”

My head jerked violently, and at the same time, the magic power in my entire body started going haywire.

I was wrong.

I thought the compressed Dimension Power mixed with magic would be launched far.

But the two were more tightly bound than I expected.

The fusion of Dimension Power and magic power struck me in the form of an absurd wave.

The force field, like radiation, swept through my body, twisting and shattering my internal organs.

Even with a minuscule amount of magic power, the impact of it penetrating my body without resistance was beyond imagination.

My head drooped involuntarily.

Blood flowed incessantly from my half-open mouth.

“Ugh, kkuk…”

I’m going to die.

I can’t hold on.

I wanted to save my coins, but at this rate, death is certain.

The internal bleeding is too severe.

“Po… Potion… Quick…!”

I barely managed to whisper through the blood rising in my throat.

[What did you do this time, seriouslyyyy!]

Belva’s scream, mixed with tears, pierced through my muffled ears like a sharp blade.