“I have no desire to get tangled up with an Adjudicator either.”

With that, Yuki headed toward her original destination—the northern region of Trivik.

Rather than blindly searching for ruins, she focused on compiling the rumors circulating through the Northern Region.

“There were plenty of foolish people out there. From those crudely digging up the ground to others recklessly radiating mana everywhere. Thanks to them, I was able to cut my search short.”

Once you eliminated the areas people had already dug up, only a handful of locations remained.

And by applying a few additional conditions, she could narrow down where the ruins might be located.

“The entrance to ruins reveals itself by reacting to mana. Think of it the other way around—that means the entrance is most likely hidden where mana cannot reach.”

I mulled over Yuki’s words.

Could a place where mana doesn’t reach even exist?

In this world, mana drifted through everything—water, earth, sky—everywhere.

But Yuki’s expression brimmed with confidence.

As though she already knew the location.

“Did you know? A mana herb was once discovered in the Regalavak Great Plains.”

“What’s a mana herb?”

“A mana herb is a plant that absorbs surrounding mana and uses it as nutrients. It’s commonly used as an ingredient for elixirs.”

Why bring this up so suddenly?

Yuki whispered with a sly undertone.

“Around a mana herb, a space forms where mana cannot reach.”

In other words…

Did she mean the entrance to the ruins was hidden where a mana herb grew?

It sounded plausible enough, but…

Something didn’t add up.

“With so many people searching, isn’t it strange that it hasn’t been discovered yet?”

Surely Yuki wasn’t the only one to have thought of this.

The fact that it hadn’t been found yet might mean her reasoning was wrong.

Yuki raised her index finger and spoke.

“How do you suppose the rumor about ruins in the Northern Region started?”

Now that I thought about it, it was strange.

The entrance to ruins only reacted to mana and showed no warning signs beforehand.

How could information about undiscovered ruins spread?

The fact that rumors about ruins had spread meant…

“Someone has already found the entrance to the ruins.”

“Then why haven’t they entered the ruins yet?”

Yuki’s words implied that despite finding the entrance, someone was deliberately delaying their attempt to conquer the ruins.

It didn’t make sense.

The first person to discover ruins was granted a 24-hour exclusive access period.

What reason could there be to gather people instead of entering the ruins?

“If there’s something more important than conquering the ruins, then it makes sense.”

Even with 24 hours of exclusive access, one couldn’t explore the entire ruins.

Still, it was an excellent opportunity to obtain Item combination formulas without competition…

Could there be something more important than that?

It was beyond my comprehension, but Yuki was certain.

“I believe the key to this whole matter is the mana herb.”

“The mana herb?”

“A mana herb’s color changes depending on how much mana it has absorbed, so you can determine its quality just by looking at its color.”

Mana herbs were graded into five tiers, with their color varying based on how much mana they contained.

“The grades ascend in order: yellow, green, blue, indigo, and black.”

Most mana herbs were yellow.

Yellow mana herbs held almost no mana, making them no different from common weeds.

“They only become commercially viable from green onward. The green mana herb is the one most commonly used in elixirs.”

Mana herbs could be cultivated artificially, but only up to the blue grade.

Anything higher could only be found in nature.

If you asked why…

“The indigo mana herb goes by another name—’Mandrake.'”

+++

The landmass of this world was so vast that Earth felt like a mere island by comparison.

Accordingly, the Empire focused on granting qualifications to players and expanding its territory.

Yet, despite the efforts of countless champions and players…

The land conquered by humanity was only a fraction of the whole.

If you asked why…

Because on this land, humans were not yet the apex predators.

“A Mandrake is technically a plant, but by classification, it falls under monsters.”

Monsters.

I had encountered them countless times in the battlefield.

But since monsters didn’t exist in settled cities, I had never actually encountered one in person.

What was the definition of a monster?

The word “monster” derived from the ancient word “monstrum,” meaning a warning or ill omen.

It was easy to see why such a name was given.

Run.

Because monsters were beyond what humans could handle.

But not all humans were so helpless.

Among humans, there existed those of exceptional ability.

Only beings called “Champions” could hunt monsters.

The word “Champion” meant “a warrior who fights on another’s behalf.”

It referred to warriors who slew monsters on behalf of all people.

Though that meaning had faded in modern times, the original significance of the word “Champion” remained just that.

“…Are you saying there’s a Mandrake at the entrance to the ruins?”

“If you piece together the rumors from the Northern Region, it’s certain.”

The reason indigo mana herbs could only be found in nature was simple.

Monsters could not be raised artificially.

The creation of a monster required layer upon layer of coincidence.

A mana herb touched by human hands would never transform into a Mandrake, no matter how much mana was poured into it.

Monster byproducts possessed exceptional value.

Among them, a Mandrake was essentially a winning lottery ticket.

Provided, of course, that you could actually hunt it.

“Can you deal with a monster without a weapon?”

“When hunting monsters, the use of weapons is exceptionally permitted.”

‘Weapons are allowed?’

Champions were fundamentally prohibited from carrying weapons in cities.

This rule, in place since the Empire’s founding, had never once been changed.

What had brought about such a rule?

Champions, possessing power far greater than ordinary people, were objects of reverence—but simultaneously objects of wariness.

Because taking a human life was far easier than slaying a monster.

Not all champions shared the same mindset.

Some would find satisfaction in helping people; others would harbor resentment.

Among them, some would crave power, while others would not.

In history, ideological conflict always ended the same way.

And so, conflict began.

It was a conflict that arose to redefine the meaning of “Champion.”

Those who sought to stand above ordinary people.

Those who sought to represent ordinary people.

Whom would the people support?

The latter, naturally.

But the prevailing opinion among champions overwhelmingly favored the former.

For a powerful predator to stand at the top of the food chain was the natural order of things.

With their power as its foundation, champions could stand above ordinary people.

And the people grew increasingly weary of their tyranny.

But such a system did not last long.

Compared to the total population, champions were an extreme minority.

As the saying goes, one hand cannot defeat ten.

An individual’s power was inevitably limited.

The few champions and the overwhelming majority of ordinary people joined forces and drove them out.

“The Empire never forgot that memory and enacted a powerful law. A law prohibiting champions from carrying weapons in cities, to prevent them from harming ordinary people.”

It was also around that time that the battlefield system began to be actively utilized.

Before the Empire’s founding, battlefields had been nothing more than training grounds for champions.

The Empire leveraged the battlefield to forge an entirely new system.

A new power hierarchy connecting ordinary citizens, champions, and players.

Once the system stabilized, the Empire began to develop at a rapid pace.

Under Players’ direction, champions hunted monsters.

Under Players’ direction, ordinary citizens began building cities.

That framework was refined over time, ultimately giving rise to the Empire as it existed today.

“Even so, monsters remain a headache for the Empire. And among them, the Mandrake is one of the more troublesome ones.”

The exceptional permission to carry weapons was granted only when facing monsters.

If an exception clause was carved into such a powerful law, it meant monsters were dangerous enough to warrant it.

Which meant…

To summarize Yuki’s words…

Someone had discovered the entrance to the ruins.

But because a Mandrake—a monster—was there, they deliberately spread rumors to gather people…

“Is the Mandrake really that powerful a monster?”

There were many champions in Trivik—was she saying that even if all of them charged in together, they still couldn’t handle it?

“No, the Mandrake is dangerous, but it’s not so powerful that hunting it is impossible.”

“Then why hasn’t it been dealt with yet?”

Yuki grinned and spoke.

“If the person who spread the rumor isn’t after the ruins but the Mandrake, it all makes sense. The ruins are bait to lure people in.”

Bait?

“To Alchemists, the Mandrake is treated as a divine ingredient. Artificial cultivation can only produce blue-grade mana herbs at best, and Mandrakes can only be found in nature.”

“Is a Mandrake valuable enough to justify passing up the ruins?”

“Not quite, but there’s a grade above indigo in the mana herb hierarchy.”

“Black mana herbs…”

“For a Mandrake to grow one stage further, it requires a tremendous amount of nutrients. And the most reliable source is absorbing human mana. Humans possess refined mana, making them highly efficient.”

They weren’t gathering people to hunt the Mandrake.

Were they gathering people to feed to the Mandrake?

If that were true, it would be shocking enough to turn Trivik upside down.

Hearing her words, one person instantly came to mind.

“What would happen if an Adjudicator learned of this?”

“If my hypothesis is correct, the mastermind who cultivated the Mandrake would be punished, and the illegally raised Mandrake would be confiscated by the Empire.”

“Then…”

Did that mean I needed to borrow Ariel’s power to resolve this?

‘Should I contact Chasey?’

Ariel was probably with Chasey.

She was someone who cherished her younger sister dearly, after all.

Just as I was about to tap my Device—

“Wait a moment!”

Yuki thrust her face toward me urgently.

“How about we take a look first before deciding? I could be wrong, after all.”

If her hypothesis was wrong, everything she’d said would amount to needless worry.

But I couldn’t help hesitating.

If Yuki’s hypothesis was right, I could end up as Mandrake feed myself.

Yuki reassured me as if to say not to worry.

“Considering the Mandrake’s characteristics, simply observing from a distance should be fine.”

The Mandrake—a monster with the ability to absorb mana.

Before a Mandrake, even mana was useless.

It possessed the ability to swallow even completed skills.

Furthermore, upon entering a Mandrake’s domain, one’s mana would be gradually drained, rendering even the use of skills impossible.

Ultimately, the only way to deal with the creature was through projectiles like arrows or guns, or long-range magic.

But given the immense mana it contained, it possessed tremendous magical resistance.

Overwhelming physical force was the only way to hunt a Mandrake.

And since it could retreat underground to nullify attacks, drawing it out was the first step of the hunt.

“In other words, simply watching from a distance is perfectly safe.”

After hearing everything she had to say, I deliberated.

Should I contact Chasey immediately and summon Ariel?

Or should I verify the Mandrake’s existence first, then reach out?

Either way, it was better to be certain.

“Where is the location?”

At my words, Yuki smiled faintly.