DCRBG 35

Chapter 35

“Birds of a Feather (1)”

1.

This was the office of the Abyss Department at Korea University, the top university in South Korea.

“Huuuuuuuh!”

“…Professor? Are you alright?”

“Huuuuuuuh… Jaehyun, pinch my cheek.”

“Eh? Suddenly?”

Professor Oh Youngpil, one of the few professors in the Abyss Department, was trembling as he clutched his smartphone.

“C-Can this be real? Huh? In Korea? Huh? Something like this?”

“You’ll have to tell me what’s going on.”

“J-Jaehyun… how much research budget do we have left? Huh?”

“Budget… suddenly?”

“This… this must be researched. It’s the first in the world. First in the world!!!”

Even among his colleagues in the Abyss Department, Oh Youngpil was known as a bit of an eccentric—but today, he had taken it to a new level.

His assistant, Seong Jaehyun, sighed deeply and shook his head.

“Has the professor finally lost it?”

Lately, every day around this time, the professor would watch someone’s videos on his phone and chuckle. At first, Jaehyun thought it was just short clips, but upon closer inspection, it was a live stream.

But today, it was worse than usual.

Why was his face so red? He looked like someone utterly excited about what he was seeing.

“The Abyss Gate is allocated according to population—this has been the result of our research so far.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“…But that has just been shattered, Jaehyun. This is such a unique case that it should be reported to the academic society. To think I would witness this moment with my own eyes! We need sponsorship immediately to contact Megat! Jaehyun, get the research budget card! We need Megat’s blessing!”

This professor was always doing crazy things, so Jaehyun wasn’t particularly shocked.

He sighed and shook his head firmly.

“We’ve already spent all our research funds. Don’t you remember last time we spent it all buying mid-grade magic stones on the 4th floor?”

“Did we? But… where are those stones now?”

“You blew them all up experimenting with an alchemy player last time, remember?”

“Hmm… that’s a bit of a problem then.”

Professor Oh tapped nervously on his phone. Then, as if he’d realized something, he exclaimed in delight and tapped even more enthusiastically.

Shortly after, a notification echoed in the office:

[<Abyss Encyclopedia> has donated 1,000,000 KRW!]

-Megat Megat Megat Megat Megat Megat Megat Megat Megat Megat Megat

“…Professor?”

“I… must… meet them.”

His eyes were already bloodshot.

Jaehyun looked at his professor and sighed again. He had no idea how events had spiraled to this point, but it seemed the professor had gone completely mad again.

“Could it be…”

“This is my money! My personal funds! Huh? Do you have a problem with me donating my own money?”

“Ah… no.”

Because the professor had the phone volume on, Jaehyun could even hear the broadcast.

“Ahhhhhh! Abyss Encyclopedia CEO!!! 1 million won donation! Thank you so much! Such a huge sum? Thank you for sharing your knowledge every time! Thank you! Thank you!”

“Hehehe. One more time.”

“Professor, your wife will—”

“Anyway, she probably already got the payment notice? My fate is sealed once I get home. The dice have been cast, Jaehyun. Caesar-level courage is needed.”

“Yes… I’ll stay out of it.”

One minute later, another donation message came through:

[<Abyss Encyclopedia> has donated 1,000,000 KRW!]

-Megat, may I contact you separately about my work? Not for socializing, but to help with research.

First in the world… first in the world.

Securing a new starting point was unprecedented in human history. This couldn’t be compared to simple teleportation phenomena.

Even though he had watched the entire process on the broadcast, the streamer “Meteor” hadn’t linked the system messages. He needed to confirm which quests or achievements had been completed to properly conduct research.

“Even the Korean Abyss Society can pull off an incident.”

Professor Oh waited anxiously for Meteor’s next comment.

“Research? Are you a professor? Normally, you shouldn’t do this… but since the CEO has helped a lot, I’ll gladly help. You have my email on my channel, right? Contact me there, and I’ll leave you my contact info! Thank you again for the 2 million won donation!”

“…Done! Hahaha! Jaehyun! Jaehyun!”

“Haah.”

Jaehyun still didn’t fully understand what had happened, but one thing was certain: trouble had arrived.

Big trouble.

Sleep? Forget it, at least for now.

“First, I need to contact the department head!”

Ignoring his assistant’s sighs, Professor Oh excitedly made a phone call. After a brief connection tone, he shouted in a booming voice:

“Department head! Did you see that? Yes, yes! Starting point secured on the 2nd floor! I just got an interview with the main character! Budget? Just ask the president. If they don’t give it, we’ll threaten to experiment with magic stones in front of their office… Eh, the department head is mad again! Watch your blood pressure!”

Meteor’s actions had set South Korea abuzz.

2.

Had I achieved some world-first thing again? Donations poured in.

The most eye-catching was, of course, from our Abyss Encyclopedia CEO.

2 million won in a single minute—a new record.

They seemed like a researcher, but had agreed to meet. Firsts always carried significance.

Since then, countless donations had overwhelmed the system. Jaehyun decided to put donation messages aside and organize the situation.

“Oppa, this is my gift.”

Ruby, in a cute red cape, handed me a box.

“You didn’t have to give a gift.”

“It’s okay! I barely remember, but the Abyss is dangerous. I hope my gift helps you even a little.”

I couldn’t refuse a child’s sincerity. I smiled awkwardly and accepted it.

[Hidden Quest Reward Received.]
[Item Acquired: <Treasure Chest of the Red Cape>]

“I included the herbs I collected… ah! And the extra red cape my grandmother gave me!”

“Red cape?”

“I’d forgotten how to use it, but it’s also an artifact. Right, Grandma?”

“Yes. I made it to keep our little one safe. It can be very useful when you explore the Abyss.”

Was this a special item?

“Can I open it now?”

“Of course.”

Curious, I opened the box.

[Opening the chest.]

A copper-colored glow burst out.

Copper meant one thing:

Unique grade??
Hidden quest completed perfectly, so unique grade, lol
Another genuine item, not a replica?

The second unique-grade item already! The reward was generous. My transcendence level had increased by 2, and now a unique item?

Inside were three dirt-covered herbs and the red cape Ruby mentioned.

Herbs.

But these herbs looked familiar. The roots were humanoid—could it be what I thought?

A simple test: touch it and see the reaction…

Kkyieeeeek!

“Mandrake, right?”

“You recognized it! I can’t recall exactly when, but I picked it in the forest! There’s a small natural habitat nearby.”

“Ruby can do anything.”

“Thank you!”

[Material Item Acquired: <Mandrake>]

A very rare herb. Used in Avalon to make <Elixir>, a miraculous healing potion, even more valuable than gold.

This small forest contained wild mandrakes? Not an ordinary forest, then.

“Guys, do you know what this is? Herbs that look like people…”

At that moment, the chat exploded:

It’s real.
Real Kingdrake lol
Three roots? lol
Big companies will drool over this, lol
But they’re a bit small… only worth ~300 million won each
True, there’s a 5th-floor habitat
But harvesting from 2nd floor is impossible. Even on 5th floor, it takes nearly a week per root.

Failed to show off. Even Earthlings knew about mandrakes? Each worth 300 million won… more than a luxury car. Avalon considered this cheap for mandrakes.

No.

Only three roots, so they’re for the family. Money can be earned again, and the younger they eat them, the healthier their bodies. Good for Ian too.

Next, the red cape.

[Ruby’s Red Cape]

Grade: Unique, Bound
Description: A grandmother’s love imbued in a cape for her granddaughter’s safety. Enchanted with Eggerza Christine’s powerful stealth magic, allowing the wearer to hide from dangerous forest monsters. While hidden, wearer can see outside the cape.
Effect: Grants <Effect: Ultimate Stealth> upon wearing. Detectable by high-level detection.

Another genuine, bound item.

Eggerza hugged Ruby gently, smiling.

“It took a lot of effort to make. If someone brings materials, we can make a similar cape, though slightly weaker.”

[Material Quest <Red Cape> recorded in 2nd-floor database.]
[Quest Reward: <Ruby’s Red Cape (Unique)>]

The chat went wild: