Chapter 13
“They say sages are also good at dirty knowledge, right? (3)”
I took back the magic stone from Yan and handed it to Jamie.
“Miss Jamie, could you cast an ice-type spell on this? Think of it as neutralizing the heat embedded inside the stone. Don’t freeze or destroy it—do it delicately.”
“…You’re giving me something really annoying to do. Hold on.”
Jamie carefully wrapped both hands around the stone.
A faint blue glow flickered over its surface, then disappeared.
“…Is it absorbing mana? I see. You’re neutralizing the heat inside a volcanic magic stone and restoring its original properties?”
Yan bounced slightly in excitement.
Now he actually looked his age.
“Exactly. Miss Jamie, could you keep repeating that process until all the latent heat inside is removed?”
This was essentially enchantment work—more difficult than simply casting a spell.
That’s why I needed someone at least 5th circle.
And luckily, I found one.
The Helpion Duchy really is something else.
You shout “Looking for a 5th circle mage!” in a tavern, and one just shows up.
“What are you even planning to use that for?”
Charles approached, clearly feeling left out.
“Mr. Charles, you said you’re knowledgeable about monster behavior, right?”
“Of course! In the Helpion Duchy, I’m one of the top experts on monsters! Top three in the Grizzly Mercenary Corps!”
Perfect. That’s exactly what I wanted.
“Normally, weaker monsters never enter the territory of stronger ones. But how do they even recognize those territories?”
Charles snorted confidently.
“Smell. Monsters all have their own scent. From their skin, mouths, even their droppings. Only experts like me can distinguish it!”
Good.
That’s the answer I needed.
“Well… this stone is used for exactly that.”
Everyone blinked in confusion.
“…You’re going to burn it like incense or something?”
I chuckled.
“To put it bluntly… this magic stone is monster feces.”
Charles recoiled in horror.
“This tiny thing is MONSTER POOP?!”
Rone froze.
Even Jamie’s expression twisted as she held the stone.
Their eyes slowly turned toward me.
“…You’re saying I’ve been holding poop?”
“Miss Jamie, please calm down. That mana you’re gathering—that’s an attack spell, right? It’s just a stone! The feces got hardened by lava—”
“Can you STOP saying poop?!”
She shut her eyes tightly in disgust.
Still… she didn’t drop it.
Honestly, that’s impressive.
“What you’re doing now is restoring the scent and mana trapped inside hardened feces. Lava covered it, solidified it into a magic stone. By applying ice mana, we restore it to its original state—”
“Ugh…!”
“Stop talking before I kill you.”
Wow. Strong reaction.
It’s not like it literally turns back into poop.
It just restores the monster’s aura.
Yan looked like he wanted to hear more but stayed quiet.
I promised to explain later.
He nodded vigorously.
“…Are you sure this will work?” Charles frowned.
“What if the scent belongs to a weak monster? This place is full of the most dangerous monsters in the world!”
“That’s why I hired all of you.”
Everyone tilted their heads.
“You’re experts in monster behavior and strong fighters. Why do you think I gathered you?”
“…Wait.”
Charles’ expression changed.
“Bring me a monster. Alive.”
I’ve only read about this in the Akashic Records.
I needed to test it.
I smiled and gestured for them to go.
Charles and his group left reluctantly, faces sour.
After they left, Rone asked:
“…So whose poop is that?”
Everyone turned to me.
“…Didn’t I say?”
“You just said feces.”
“I said it came from Mount Volprion.”
“…But nothing lives there.”
Jamie frowned.
“Exactly. So why is it considered one of the 12 most dangerous regions?”
“Because of the harsh environment—and because it used to be the territory of the Dragon Volprion—wait…”
She froze.
“…No way.”
I smiled.
“Yes. That’s right.”
“…It’s dragon poop.”
Everyone stared at me in shock.
“Of course, no guarantee it’ll work. That’s why we’re testing it. They went to catch a monster… though getting a sandworm would be ideal. But that’s probably too much luck.”
Meanwhile — Charles’ group
They hacked through the brush, grumbling.
“That so-called Sage? People are insane.”
“Monster feces? Nothing lives in Volprion! Not even insects!”
“He just drinks well and acts smug. In a battlefield, I’d cut him down in one swing.”
They were furious.
Elite mercenaries reduced to doing grunt work.
Unacceptable.
“…Hey, Charles. What if we don’t even get paid?”
Charles smirked.
“As long as we survive, who cares? Accidents happen in places like this.”
He grinned wickedly.
Ahead of them—
A Sandworm devouring a deer.
“Let’s see if that administrator can keep his secrets in front of this thing.”
The others smiled the same way.
Sandworm’s POV
The sandworm was excited.
Living creatures rarely entered its territory.
But today—
A deer had wandered in.
And now—
More prey appeared.
Fresh meat.
Plenty of it.
It roared and burrowed underground.
The chase
“Run!”
Charles and his group sprinted.
“Hahaha! We just need to bring it back alive!”
“Who cares how it shows up?!”
“At least we completed the mission!”
The ground exploded around them.
Sand erupted like blasts.
The massive creature surged like waves beneath the earth.
Its jaws nearly grazed them.
Sinkholes formed beneath their feet.
But somehow—
They made it back.
They saw my group ahead.
“…Looks like they’re frozen in fear.”
Charles smirked.
Perfect timing.
“Help! A sandworm is chasing us!”
His companions played along perfectly.
“Damn it! We told you this place was dangerous!”
“Run if you can!”
“Don’t blame us!”
They scattered—
Or tried to.
“…So you’re abandoning the mission?”
My voice stopped them.
They looked at me.
Confused.
None of us were panicking.
Not Jamie.
Not Yan.
Not Kane.
No one.
Only then did they realize—
The deafening noise behind them…
Had completely stopped.
