Chapter 34, Clue

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

 

Kouhi’s opponent had been decided, but due to his elevated position, the actual match would take place much later.

 

It was obvious this would be a highly anticipated bout, so the Arena Guild was making ample preparations. This was merely the pretence. In reality, they were setting aside time to maximize profits from betting.

 

Since this was a match between the most anticipated fighter, Cory, and the number one ranked player, any previous opinions about potential cheating in the match against Gianna were quickly dismissed. If anyone were to interfere with this large-scale match, the likes of which hadn’t been seen in quite some time, even an executive could lose their head. That was how much money was expected to be involved.

 

As a result, the town of Seichun buzzed with talk of the upcoming match, fueled by strategic leaks serving as advanced notices.

 

Ignoring the reactions of those around her, Kouhi accompanied Kousuke on his conquest of the Tower. Although no official date had been set, Kouhi knew there would still be plenty of time, so she was excited to escort him. Of course, she hadn’t given any thought to making prior arrangements for her own battle.

 

Gianna, who happened to visit the Guild and discovered this lack of preparation, sighed in exasperation; but that was another story entirely.

 

However, Kousuke, being Kousuke, had predicted this would happen and already had the tools Kouhi would need prepared. He had given them to her when she announced she would accompany them.

 

With Kouhi now part of their group, Kousuke and his companions resumed their conquest from the 56th Floor.

 

The first priority was checking whether the magic tools Kousuke had crafted were working as intended. As soon as they cleared the 56th Floor and entered the 57th, Kousuke’s group exited Gazenran Tower.

 

Checking the card display, everyone’s reached Floor showed as ‘56th Floor’. It was exactly what Kousuke had intended.

 

All that remained was to see what would happen if they ventured beyond the 61st Floor in this state. If the conquered Floor on their cards remained at the 56th Floor while still allowing them to use the shortcut to the 60th Floor, that would be perfect. If not, they could simply restart their investigation from the 56th Floor.

 

Even if they had to begin again from the 56th Floor, it would be somewhat tedious work, but Kousuke resigned himself to the inevitable. Besides, after Kouhi’s match concluded, he intended to publicly announce they had reached the 61st Floor regardless. It would be inconvenient for a while, but he considered it within acceptable margins.

 

—

 

Kousuke and his group had been conquering the Tower with the goal of surpassing the 61st Floor, but they had also made significant progress investigating each Floor along the way. They had only completed their investigations to a certain extent because reaching the 61st Floor took priority.

 

However, the frequency with which they discovered springs on various Floors increased as they ascended. When Kousuke’s group reached the 58th Floor and headed straight for the portal to the next level, they found one along the way without even intending to search for it.

 

“Hmm, I wonder…” Kousuke tilted his head in front of the spring. “It feels like they’re becoming more and more obvious.”

 

Peach nodded beside him. “Doesn’t it?”

 

“Rather, it feels like they’re telling us to find them,” Lirica observed as she scooped up water from the spring.

 

As usual, no monsters were visible around the spring. Kousuke’s group had taken the shortest route to the portal, yet it seemed unlikely that other adventurers hadn’t discovered this spring. Everyone stood puzzled before it until Kouhi spoke up.

 

“Could it be…”

 

“Hmm? Tell me if you have an idea,” Kousuke encouraged.

 

“Yes. Is it possible that the water from these springs has some special effect and is being kept secret?”

 

Kousuke looked taken aback by her suggestion.

 

“Eh? But I checked with my left eye, and there was nothing particular about them.”

 

“That was on other Floors, right?”

 

Kouhi was suggesting that the springs might contain water with special properties.

 

“Hahaha. No, that can’t be,” Kousuke dismissed, though he had not actually examined water from every spring. He decided to investigate the spring before them.

 

After Mitsuki provided him with a container, Kousuke examined the water. His shoulders slumped. In his god’s left eye, it was clearly labeled not as ordinary water, but as <Aeris Water>.

 

“…I can’t believe I made such an oversight.”

 

Kousuke sighed deeply, and Mitsuki patted his shoulder consolingly.

 

“You were focusing on the shape of the springs themselves, not their contents, so it couldn’t be helped.”

 

“Y-Yes! Besides, this wasn’t a normal request, so it’s not surprising you didn’t notice!” Lirica added supportively.

 

Meanwhile, Peach was scooping up spring water and examining it herself.

 

“Hmm? This spring water doesn’t look any special. I wonder what effect it has?”

 

“It seems to have beauty-enhancing properties, whether used as a drink or applied topically…” Kousuke began to mention the water’s name, but Peach reacted dramatically.

 

“Wait, could this be <Aeris Water>?!”

 

Kousuke was surprised by her strong reaction, so different from her usual gentle demeanor.

 

“Oh, yeah. It seems to be called that.”

 

Peach sighed deeply at his casual confirmation.

 

“I never imagined that <Aeris Water> could be found in Gazenran Tower. That means there’s only a limited supply available.”

 

She spoke as if she had prior knowledge about the water. Kousuke glanced at Lirica for confirmation, but she shook her head.

 

“Peach, do you know about this water?”

 

“Yes, though I only know it as a high-end beauty product that only Nobles can afford. It’s extremely rare and apparently not available to the general public.”

 

“Hmm? Does that mean it’s diluted and processed into something like a lotion for sale?”

 

“Probably, but that’s only if they’re actually using genuine <Aeris Water> like what we’ve found here.”

 

Kousuke nodded at her explanation.

 

“That makes sense. Well, I don’t think you can obtain such high-quality material everywhere. Besides, it could just be ordinary water like the first spring we checked.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“So does this mean we need to check all the springs from now on?” Lirica asked.

 

Kousuke nodded in response.

 

“Yeah. Well, it’s not that much additional work. Also, we need to determine if this spring only contains <Aeris Water>, or if there are other types of special water as well.”

 

“I see. Understood.”

 

Not only Lirica, but Peach and the others also nodded in agreement.

 

After leaving the <Aeris Water> spring behind, Kousuke and the others thoroughly searched the entire 58th Floor. They discovered five springs total: one containing <Aeris Water>, another with <Laspica Water>, and three with ordinary water.

 

Kousuke was secretly relieved to find that not all springs contained named waters. This discovery made him curious about the springs on other Floors, but his current priority was checking the cards, so he decided to press onward. Based on what he’d observed so far, he expected to find similar springs on the Floor above.

 

Having finally discovered something that might serve as a clue, Kousuke and the others headed toward the teleportation gate, aiming for the next Floor.