Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 300
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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300. Sesi is Anxious (2)
Sesi cannot stay still. What Hana said was the truth, neither exaggerated nor understated.
Sesi, who was to receive meditation lessons from Grey, couldn’t concentrate from the start.
Behind her closed eyelids, her eyeballs could be seen rolling around clearly. Her fingers fidgeted in sequence, and her crossed legs also trembled restlessly. Since she had learned acrobatics and her body was flexible, it definitely wasn’t because the cross-legged position was uncomfortable that she was squirming.
The angry Grey cried out.
“How can you have less concentration than my sister-in-law!”
Countess Randy had endured for 10 minutes out of loyalty to her master, but Sesi couldn’t even last 1 minute.
But Grey wouldn’t give up just because the first attempt failed. Grey changed the meditation method.
“Let’s meditate while moving your body.”
Originally, he had planned to have her meditate while doing earthworm dissection, but since she might hurt her hands before even meditating, he changed it to exercises.
Sesi followed the exercises quite well. In fact, Sesi was better at the exercises than Grey, who was demonstrating. Grey taught movements that helped improve concentration.
“Repeat until the distracting thoughts disappear.”
“Eh. That’s boring though.”
Sesi grumbled at being told to repeat simple movements that couldn’t even inspire a sense of challenge. Grey made an additional request to the delinquent student.
“If you keep having other thoughts, instead think about the movement of bones and muscles while doing exercises. Like ‘I’m maintaining this posture now, so this muscle is being stimulated.’ Things like that.”
“Yes~”
Sesi answered half-heartedly and took the posture Grey had taught her. At first, she seemed to concentrate a little, but.
“Cough. Grandmother Krom. I’ll attach your neck now.”
“Wait a little. I want to try something.”
Krom, whose bones weren’t attached and only half the flesh and skin of her neck was connected, rotated her head 180 degrees.
“Oh my, I can see well even like this. Movement works well too.”
Next, she bent her half-attached head completely downward. Krom’s head dangled back and forth.
“Even with my head upside down, I’m not confused. How fascinating.”
Krom moved her body, taking advantage of the undead’s benefits(?). While the deceased was free to do whatever she wanted with her own body, from Serena’s perspective watching, it was instinctively scary and gave her goosebumps.
“Come to think of it, yesterday when your head fell off, you spoke. Could you move your body then too?”
“It was possible.”
“Then can you move all severed body parts?”
“I don’t know about small pieces, but if cut into large parts, it seems possible.”
“If you severed your right and left hands, could you move both?”
“I won’t know until I cut them.”
Since this was the first time seeing an officially recognized undead, the magic users had many questions. The Old Man and the alchemist, whose curiosity overcame their physiological disgust, competed to ask questions. Countess Nex also looked like she had many things she wanted to ask, but seemed to hold back since the two impatient people asked first.
“Cough cough.”
At this rate, the knowledge-hungry magic users might dismember Krom!
Neet’s coughing grew louder as she became tense and anxious. For Neet’s mental health, Serena calmed the excited magic users.
“Everyone stop. Now, Neet. Please heal Grandmother Krom.”
“Yes! Cough!”
Neet, fearing the Princess might change her mind, quickly recited the magic incantation. Each time she cast the corpse restoration magic, Krom’s body, which had been beaten by the bear and chicken, was visibly restored.
The people in the lobby found it fascinating to watch a corpse being restored rather than a living person being healed with potions or healing magic, so they endured their revulsion and watched.
The magic users could see and feel more than others.
Serena sensed the amount of mana consumed each time Neet cast magic and was inwardly amazed.
‘Wow, even accounting for Neet’s poor mana control, the consumption is too much. You really can’t be a necromancer without mana.’
Thanks to Neet’s dedication, Krom was restored like a freshly dead corpse.
Without mana overflowing to the point of bursting the body like Neet’s, perfect corpse restoration would be impossible to dream of.
Krom, who had been moving her neck around to check if the bones were properly attached, made her mouth round. She seemed surprised by something.
“Cough, is the restoration insufficient?”
“That’s not it. Oh my, so that’s how it was.”
“What is it. What’s happening. Don’t keep it to yourself and tell us quickly.”
Grey urged the undead old woman to share information. Krom answered while checking the parts that had been damaged.
“I didn’t know. My body was rotting bit by bit. As it rotted, I was getting a little dull, but since I was getting dull bit by bit, I didn’t notice. Now that the child restored me, I understand.”
If illegal undead become stronger the closer they are to death, then legitimate undead are stronger the farther they are from death.
Even though it was information they already knew, hearing it directly from the undead party involved made it stick in their heads like they had properly reviewed it.
‘Mana is needed to maintain the undead. Corpse restoration magic must be used periodically too. It’s a mana-eating hippo.’
The more they learned about death attribute magic, the more they could understand why it was rare. It was also a profession that suited Neet perfectly.
‘Such a talented child. If the labyrinth hadn’t consumed Heuji City, and if I hadn’t sacrificed my eye, she would have died before her talent could sprout.’
The creation of the labyrinth in Heuji City was the greatest misfortune for Serena and the 100,000 citizens of Heuji City, but it was the greatest fortune for Neet.
While the Princess felt the impermanence of life at the paradox that even an unprecedented disaster that struck the capital could be fortune for someone, the Number Siblings were busy praising their youngest.
“Neet is amazing! The corpse’s neck is perfectly attached!”
“Yeah!”
“Grandmother Krom is all better now and doesn’t hurt, so it’s okay, right? You don’t hate your sister anymore?”
“Cough, I’m sorry for saying bad things… I like Sister Sesi.”
“I like Neet too!”
Sesi hugged Neet and was delighted. People watched the three-four sisters reconcile with warm feelings, then.
“Not doing the meditation you’re supposed to do!”
Grey’s scolding brought them back to reality.
The Old Man grabbed the back of his neck with one hand. His hand holding the staff tensed up, making both his hand and the staff tremble.
Sesi, as if sensing the future of the staff flying toward her, hurriedly resumed her exercises.
Grey, who could no longer trust Sesi who would do other things the moment he looked away, spent his precious time supervising Sesi.
With Grey sternly watching with his cool gray eyes, Sesi seemed to concentrate quite well.
But Sesi’s concentration didn’t last long. When the careless Grey wrote down his thoughts on paper, or when other people around had conversations, Sesi immediately focused her attention on where the sound came from.
“Sister Sesi. You need to concentrate.”
“But they’re having an interesting conversation over there.”
“Even if you hear interesting conversations, you have to endure it. If you keep doing this, Sister.”
The Empire’s Grand Mage was an old man stingy with praise. Grey decided to give the delinquent student punishment rather than rewards.
“I’ll remove you from the labyrinth conquest team. I’ll kill the Chicken Leader too.”
“What?”
Sesi’s eyes widened in surprise.
“That’s not for you to decide, young master! I’m the Princess’s monster tamer, so the Princess decides!”
Grey pressed his shoulder with his staff while shrugging his shoulders.
“If I say it’s too dangerous and can’t be helped, Her Highness the Princess will allow it too.”
“Lies! Everything you say is lies, right? Right, Princess!”
Sesi stared at Serena desperately as if she were a lifeline. Serena confronted the distracted monster tamer with reality.
“Sesi. I also think it’s dangerous for me when your monsters go berserk every time you get excited or surprised like now.”
“Eek.”
Sesi finally seemed to feel a sense of crisis at the words of the magic Princess she revered, showing a desperate expression.
“How do you meditate?”
“Hmm. Well, it’s good that you finally have the will.”
Grey held back his desire to hit Sesi’s head with desperate patience and taught her the meditation method again.
Meanwhile, the Empire’s genius alchemist was lost in happy worries looking at the high-quality earth dragon stones.
“Hmm. With so many earth dragon stones, I’d like to make something other than antidotes… We also have plenty of giant earthworm leather…”
The earthworm leather the Count mentioned here wasn’t from the earthworms Krom dissected, but from the Great King Earthworm that wore the treasure chest like a crown.
Since the Great King Earthworm was larger than the Sewer Emperor, even taking only the highest quality leather nearly burst the stone box.
‘With abundant leather, it would be good to craft equipment, but other materials are lacking.’
The stone box contained various alchemical materials diligently collected while exploring the labyrinth, but to the genius alchemist who had lived a lifetime without worrying about materials, it was woefully insufficient.
Count Randy, who had been seriously contemplating, finally came to find Serena.
“Lady Serena. Since the 2nd conquest team has broken through the 4th Layer, the next target is the 5th Floor, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“I’d like to join the next conquest too. To collect alchemical materials and also.”
Count Randy asked the Princess and spread out the magic map. The alchemist pointed to the autumn and winter gardens in the 5th Floor, which consisted of a total of 5 gardens combining the four seasons and all seasons together.
“Actually, I saw something strange when I was going around the 5th Floor before.”
“Something strange?”
“Yes. I saw plants that didn’t match the season of each garden. I found one each in the winter and autumn gardens. I expect there might be some in the spring and summer gardens too.”
“I see.”
Each garden had a designated season, so having plants that didn’t match their respective seasons was very suspicious.
‘It’s likely a labyrinth gimmick. If we investigate, we might get good rewards.’
“What what. I smell money? Yo?”
Olive, who had been pretending to laze around while listening to everything in the lobby, approached the Princess and alchemist with a sinister smile.
“I can’t be left out of such a money-scented exploration!”
“No, Olive is excluded.”
“Why! Yo!”
“If Olive comes, it won’t help Hana’s growth.”
“I just won’t find the way! Yo!”
“Those who don’t work don’t get rewards. And do you plan to unnecessarily increase the party size?”
“Aah, how annoyingly correct!”
When Count Randy spoke logically, Olive was left speechless. Count Randy spoke to Serena while Olive was flustered.
“I plan to replace Sesi in the 2nd attack group and investigate the 5th Floor myself. Among the monsters that appear on the 5th Floor, labyrinth bees can be easily dealt with using insecticide, and even if the Floor Boss has been restored, our combat power should be sufficient with my attack potions.”
While listening to Count Randy’s explanation, a shrill voice came from somewhere.
“What? You’re excluding me?”
“Focus!”
Grey, who couldn’t stand it anymore, finally swung his staff. Sesi, who was hit by the strange skull rather than just a wooden staff, made a tearful face.
“If, if I’m excluded, we’ll lack combat power! Our Chicken Leader is super strong, you know?”
Cluck cluck-.
The Chicken Leader, who had been sitting still like a statue, flapped its wings as if responding to its trainer’s words. It covered the food with its whole body to prevent chicken feathers from getting into the dish Prince Willow was preparing.
“I told you. Even without Sesi, our combat power is sufficient. And it’s not complete exclusion, just sitting out this time.”
“What’s exclusion? I’m meditating! I’m working hard at it!”
“The fact that you’re responding to everything hyung says right now is proof you’re not concentrating.”
“If you’re not going to include me, then hurry up and go get a sense of direction. Yo. Where’s there rest in a labyrinth.”
Following the active request from a certain labyrinth expert asking where there was a labyrinth exploration that returned to the 1st Floor after conquering just one layer, Heuji’s Labyrinth 2nd attack group with a slightly changed composition ended up exploring the 5th Floor the next day.
Sesi was removed from the party and Count Randy and Count Alpha joined. It was personnel selection to protect the genius alchemist from any possible mishaps.
Serena, who saw off the 2nd attack group to the teleportation room, sat next to Sesi who was sniffling while meditating. Sensing someone’s presence, Sesi opened one eye and looked at the Princess sitting beside her.
“Let’s meditate together.”
“Sniff, yes.”
If they meditated together in a group, wouldn’t Sesi be able to concentrate better too? Grey, Countess Nex, and Neet also started meditating along with them.
How much time had passed? Thinking that Sesi must be concentrating well since it was quiet, Serena quietly opened her eyes and discovered the red-haired girl sitting and dozing off.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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