Chapter 81: Forest of Love (3)

TL: Haku

Editor: Hungry Panda

And as soon as he realized this, the name of the map popped up.

'For the meaning of the Forest of Love to be this. I feel like I'd be more comfortable fighting an endless surge of monsters instead…'

Ian, who was forever alone, was receiving pain.

Ian was only able to reach the end of the forest path after receiving about 10 more minutes of pain.

And an incredibly large tree waited for Ian there.

"Wow…"

The tree was big enough to almost equal Gripper's Dimensional Tower, and boggled by its magnificence, Ian momentarily stood still and admired it.

However, just then, an unfamiliar voice called Ian.

"Are you the one named Ian, who has come with a favour from Gripper?"

A clear, beautiful voice like a jade marble rolling by.

As if he was possessed by something, Ian turned his head and stared in the direction he heard the voice from.

"Hm? I am Ian, but…"

The person that called Ian was an incredibly beautiful woman.

At the very least, she was the most beautiful NPC that Ian had ever met in Kailran.

Ian's gaze slightly moved to the side towards her ears.

'If it's ears that pointy and long… She must be an Elf.'

Ian just found out for the first time that Elves existed in the world of Kailran.

No, not just Ian, but it was a truth that n.o.body knew of.

As the 'Elf' race had never appeared in Colonar Continent.

'Come to think of it, wasn't one of the options of the ring from earlier an option that raised the favourability with the Elf race?'

With the intuition that the woman in front of him was 'Iriel', the one he was searching for, Ian pulled out the ring from his inventory and secretly equipped it.

He needed to raise her favourability even by a little for the quest.

The Elf woman, who stood in front of Ian before he realized it, held out her hand towards him while smiling.

"Nice to meet you. I am Iriel."

Ian took her hand and slightly bowed his head.

"Nice to meet you as well, Iriel. I heard you were an exceptional Summoner."

"Exceptional Summoner, I'm flattered. I am just someone in charge of looking after the Forest of Love."

Ian, who shared a light greeting with her, was about to ask about the quest right away when he momentarily paused.

This was because he suddenly remembered something he was curious about while walking through the forest path.

"But Iriel."

"Yes?"

"You see… I met a lot of monsters in the forest on my way here."

"Yes."

"It seemed like the monsters here in the Forest of Love were somewhat avoiding me. Why is that?"

At Ian's question, Iriel was slightly hesitant.

However, her expression looked as if she knew the answer for sure.

Ian pressed her.

"I'm just curious."

And shortly after, Ian was able to hear a shocking response from her.

"That… Is probably because they couldn't feel an aura of love from you."

Ian's pupils shook.

"Huh?"

"Hm. In other words, you could say you have the scent of a solo…"

Ian cried and Bbookbbook cried as well.

Crunch- Crunch-.

The current largest of the snow mountains of the colonized northern continent, the Norman Mountains.

In a deep area of those mountains, Harin was diligently gathering something.

"Noona[1], how much longer will it take?"

And next to Harin, Carwin kept on complaining.

Because Harin, who was a little over lv 80 now, couldn't come alone to Norman Mountains, where the average level for the monsters was over 100, Carwin came with her.

"Just wait a little longer. I'm almost done."

Harin came to Norman Mountains in order to get the ingredients she needed to cook, and thanks to that, Carwin was acting as a guard and porter.

'There is definitely a lot of gathering ingredients that raise my seasoning level in Norman Mountains.'

In order to get to a higher cooking level, she needed more high-quality ingredients, but in order to get them, she needed to gather in more dangerous hunting grounds, or even hunt.

Harin wanted to bring Ian, but she couldn't forcibly drag him when he couldn't even help with the Public Order operation for a while because of an urgent quest.

"No, but why do you need so much ingredients? Exactly how much are you planning on making?"

While watching Harin, who had already been gathering just ingredients for several hours here and there on the snow mountains, Carwin wore an expression saying as if he didn't understand.

"It's because I have a lot of dishes I need to make."

"Why? There's enough food made for the buffing purpose of the guildmates to last for a while now."

Carwin's wonder was obvious.

In Kailran, a week after a dish has been made, its quality gradually starts to drop.

There was no change in the taste or the satisfaction part, but the stats of the buff gradually drop with a week as its starting point.

That's why there was no need to make more food after making enough for the guild members to intake for about a week, but as Harin was still gathering ingredients, he had just questioned about it.

On top of that, Harin was gathering a larger variety of ingredients compared to when she made food for the guild members.

"By any chance, is it because you're grinding for your Proficiency?"

Harin responded with an apathetic expression.

"None of your business."

"Ah, what the h.e.l.l. I'm escorting you and this is how you're going to be?"

Carwin tried to wear a pitiful expression.

However, Harin didn't even blink an eye.

"You didn't come because you wanted to. Taking credit when it was just your turn today."

The Lotus Guild was fully receiving the hunting buff effects from the food, and because of that, the highest-level guildmates were helping Harin's gathering on rotation.

Truthfully, as her words that it was just Carwin's turn were right, he couldn't think of a counter and just pouted.

"You're too sa.s.sy to this dongsaeng[2] lately, noona."

"What?"

"Truthfully, you're trying to make me something more delicious, so that's why you're continuously gathering right now, right?"

Harin silently continued to gather ingredients without giving a response.

Carwin pressed Harin for a response.

"Ah, noona, why aren't you responding? I'm the person you're closest with in the guild, no?"

Harin once again did not respond, and Carwin had an ominous feeling.

'No way, she wouldn't have already gotten close with Herz hyung[3] and Ian hyung just because they go to the same school, right?!'

Carwin and Harin's relations.h.i.+p was not only from Kailran.

While playing a different game before Kailran with Harin, he had developed a friends.h.i.+p with her.

It was to the point that Carwin's influence was the biggest reason why Harin played Kailran as well.

The duration that he spent with her was also several hundred times longer than the duration Herz or Ian knew her.

Because of that, he couldn't believe that Harin was already closer to the hyungs.

'For a while now, this noona has been really taking care of Ian hyung, by any chance, could it be that she likes Ian hyung?'

Carwin momentarily developed a hypothesis, but he shook his head shortly after.

'There's no way noona would like a slow-witted hyung who only games like a crippled everyday. And it's not like Ian hyung is super good-looking either. Then who is it exactly?'

However, just then, something suddenly popped up from his memory.

'By any chance, is it that turtle from before?'

Carwin recalled his memory from about a month ago.

As he did so, he remembered Harin, who was happy while giving Ian's Familiar Bbookbbook a drug meatball.

And as soon as he remembered that scene, Carwin started to understand everything.

'It's obvious that noona likes the big-headed turtle named Bbookbbook or whatever. That's why she was so nice to Ian hyung as well!'

Carwin's jealousy burned brightly.

'To lose to the likes of a big-headed turtle with a head as big as its sh.e.l.l, although it is a little cute…'

Whether Carwin was like this or not, Harin just gathered her cooking ingredients diligently.

"So then, what do I need to do?"

Ian asked Iriel with a dejected voice.

And next to him, Bbookbbook was also wearing a gloomy expression.

Bbook-

For the first time, Ian felt a sense of kins.h.i.+p with Bbookbbook.

'Bbookbbook, this hyung will at least make you a girlfriend.'

As his owner, he felt a tinge of responsibility that Bbookbbook didn't have a girlfriend.

However, whether Iriel knew of their sadness or not, she began speaking about the quest.

"What was it that Gripper wanted from me?"

Ian was in a state where his sadness had not yet left, but as the quest in front of him was more important than the pain of being a solo, he set aside his thoughts.

"He wanted me to learn how to crossbreed Familiars from you."

"Hm… If it's related to crossbreeding Familiars, then it's a part I can for sure help you with. However, may I first know the reason why you need to crossbreed Familiars?"

Ian told Iriel of the quests he received from Gripper as well as the procedures.

He also added the truth that Gripper wanted to crossbreed the ancient Familiars.

And as Ian's explanation ended, Iriel nodded her head.

Her expression had brightened.

"If it's for that reason, then surely you'll need my abilities."

"That's right, Iriel."

"Ian, you've done an admirable job."

She was talking about the operation where he restored the extinct ancient monsters into Colonar Continent.

After taking a breath, Iriel's words continued.

The reason why I asked for your reason, Ian, was because I was worried my abilities would be misused."

"Misused?"

Iriel nodded her head.

"If you receive my abilities, you will be able to gain the ability to safely crossbreed Familiars. However, that would change the providence of nature."

Ian, who didn't fully understand what Iriel was saying, waited for her next words.

"Originally, all animals can naturally crossbreed through the love of a male and female pair, which is a fact that you already know as well."

"Well, yes."

"However, that process requires a lot of time. I can give you the ability to reduce that time and process."

To shorten the crossbreeding time, at Iriel's explanation that caused one to have an incredibly strange(?) imagination depending on their thoughts, both of forever alone Ian's cheeks slightly reddened.

'What, what the h.e.l.l… This is too hard for me!'

Separate from Ian, who was in confusion, Iriel's explanation continued.

"And I asked for the reason why you need this ability in case you misuse this ability and raise Familiars like livestock."

Regarding this explanation, Ian also understood.

Certainly, if the ability to crossbreed Familiars at your own will developed, he felt that there could be thoughts to raise Familiars like livestock.

Ian nodded his head with a sour expression.

"I… see. Anyways, does that mean that you'll teach me that ability now?"

However, there was no way that he would be able to gain the ability that easily.

Iriel, who shook her head, continued her words.

"However, for you to learn that ability from me, your abilities are still lacking, Ian."

"My abilities are lacking?"

Iriel nodded her head.

"It's certain that you are an exceptional Summoner, but you need to understand more about relations.h.i.+ps."

Iriel killed Ian once more with a cutting remark.

And a quest window popped in front of Ian's eyes.

Ring-.

Iriel, the caretaker of the Forest of Love and an exceptional Elf Summoner, wants you to understand the feeling of love more.

And just in time, there's a burning desire that she had for a long time now.

To link two sprites in the Forest of Love that are the only ones without a couple!

If you link two sprites as a couple and are enlightened towards the feeling of love, Iriel will gladly give you her abilities.

Quest Difficulty Level: -

Quest Condition: Only a user that has completed at least a male and female pair of ancient monster Soul Stones from the 'Ancient Monster Restoration' quest. (Restricted to Summoners)

Time Limit: None

Reward - 'Familiar Crossbreeding' skill (Exclusive to Summoners)