Chapter 149: City-state Bigdareio

On the way to Bigdareio, I received a message from Eiji through friend chat. The message was quite straightforward, simply stating that he had just logged in.

Whether Usaji was logged in or not was unclear, but even if she wasn’t, it wouldn’t be a problem. Why, you ask? Well, that’s because…

“What did you find out after your investigation? Since we’re going too, you might as well tell us.”

Yeah, it’s all because of Jigoro. That guy is clearly planning to stay for a long time, at least until the monster causing the current situation is defeated. Given these circumstances, persuading him to leave Bigdareio would be difficult. So, the only option was to cooperate with the orc warriors in their hunt to get back as soon as possible.

“Hmm. The creature resides in an oasis south of here. Many warriors, including us, have gone to investigate, but none have yet to catch sight of it.”

“Never seen it, you say? How come?”

“That’s because the oasis it has taken over is constantly enveloped in a sandstorm.”

“What’s that about? Brother, what do you think?”

So, he turns to me for an opinion? Even though I know nothing of the situation?

“Who knows? It might be a monster’s skill, perhaps using the Sandstorm spell continuously.”

“Is that all just speculation?”

“Of course it is!”

I couldn’t say anything definitive! Does he think I know everything?

“Just like Sir Isam, we’re also contemplating the same idea. We conducted an investigation to confirm that, but this time we failed as well. Many warriors besides me went to investigate but none succeeded. The only consolation is that there were no casualties.”

See? My guess was nothing more than what anyone could have thought of. Surely the people of Bigdareio must have some knowledge of monsters capable of creating similar situations.

They must have had the plan to identify which monster it was by confirming whether it was using another skill or casting the sandstorm spell of the [Sand Magic]. The strength of a monster that wouldn’t even allow them to check that was unimaginable.

“Even if it’s a powerful monster, the oasis is quite far away, right? Can’t you just ignore it?”

“That’s not an option. That oasis is one of the few places where agriculture is possible, and it serves as a base for our expeditions. There were even people residing there permanently. We must reclaim it as soon as possible.”

Is that so? If you think about it, in a desert like Bigdareio, places suitable for farming should be very rare. Having one of these few spots occupied by a monster could indeed be a crisis for the country.

“We keep investigating because it’s dangerous to attack without information, but it’s been a series of failures. The younger warriors are all frustrated and advocating for an attack, even if it’s reckless. We need to show some results soon…”

Mr. Booi clenched his fist in frustration. As a warrior living in Bigdareio, he must feel deeply embarrassed. Like the younger warriors, he too must be eager to reclaim the oasis as soon as possible. But it would be foolish to incur unnecessary sacrifices for this cause. That’s why he keeps investigating, even though it’s taking a toll on him.

What a heart-wrenching story! Jigorois is also enthusiastic about it, and to be honest, I’m also interested in fighting in the desert. If so, it would be fun to cooperate with them. It feels like I’m getting carried away by the situation, though.

“I can’t promise anything about the hunt, but Karl and I might be useful for scouting,” I said.

“What, really?”

“We can scout from the air. We flew here, after all… Ah, have you already tried that?”

I thought observing from above might be a good idea, but they might have already attempted it. If so, it wouldn’t be very useful, would it?

“From above, you say…? That’s something we definitely need! In Bigdareio, there are beastmasters who command bird monsters, but none of the monsters have the intelligence to bring back information from reconnaissance.”

“Then it looks like we have a role to play. We can discuss the details once we arrive in Bigdareio.”

This could lead to progress in investigating the monster. If so, the hunt would likely go more smoothly. If we officially accept it as a quest, there might even be a reward. It’s a win-win situation!

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As we exchanged various opinions along the way, we arrived in Bigdareio. Bigdareio was a city-state surrounded by strong, rustic walls with no unnecessary decorations and a huge oasis in the center.

This oasis served as the main source of water for all the residents, where the cultivation of aquatic plants and the breeding of fish were also undertaken. Indeed, it was a vital spring of life, nourishing the entire population of Bigdareio.

“The walls are more impressive than those in Illeves where we went for the event.”

“It’s hard to compare with human cities. More powerful foreign enemies are rampant around here.”

“That’s true.”

I was convinced by the explanation I received from Mr. Booi. Outside the city walls, monstrous creatures like sand worms were widespread. The monsters that appeared around the city were generally weak. Still, the fact that there were many enemies over level 20, coupled with conditions like Iris’s reduced mobility in the heat, indicated that the difficulty of this field was reasonably high.

“Hmm? That’s…?”

As I admired the imposing city walls, my eyes caught sight of an orc standing near the city gate. He seemed a bit larger than before, and while some of his equipment had changed, it all looked too familiar.

“Eiji! Long time no see!”

“Ah! Isam-san!”

Indeed, it was Eiji. It seemed that he, like Seventh Armor and Moth-san, had evolved after the fierce battles in Illeves.

“These must be the members of the guild… Wait, why are you with the centurion?”

“I’ll explain everything one by one. First, lead the way to your base.”

“O-okay, I’ll guide you to the inn where we’re staying.”

On our way here, we had two interesting encounters. Even these alone made for an exciting adventure story. I should definitely share these stories with Eiji and Usaji.

“So, Mr. Booi, I think this is where we part ways for now. I’d like to have a meeting after a short break. Where should I go for that?”

“I understand. Given the situation, I’d like to discuss this at the royal castle.”

“The royal castle?”

“It’s built on an island floating in an oasis. I’ll make the arrangements, so please come by later.”

“Got it. See you later.”

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We followed Eiji to the inn where he was staying. The lobby was larger than I expected. That made sense, as this place was designed to accommodate large creatures, including orc-like beings.

Bigdareio was a country of monsters and many travelers and wandering monsters from other desert regions often dropped by unexpectedly. The city seemed to have a policy of welcoming anyone, as long as they abided by the laws of the land.

In fact, when I entered the country, I took off my mask and revealed my identity as undead but no one was surprised. This was because among the merchants forming caravans in this desert, there were mummies. The only time they were truly surprised was when they saw Karl who is a dragon.

By the way, Karl was waiting outside the inn. They understandably wouldn’t let him inside, as it would startle the other guests. It was an unavoidable situation, so we had to accept it. He looked rather sad, so I made a mental note to give him some extra attention later on.

“A giant riding a sheep… I can’t tell if that’s fancy or not.”

“He must be really strong. I wish I could’ve fought him.”

“Uh, who is this guy? Some kind of battle maniac?”

“Ah, Ahaha…”

After we arrived at the inn and introduced ourselves, Usaji logged in, so we quickly wrapped up the introductions. Yeah, it looks like everyone will get along just well.

After the event, Eiji had evolved into an Orc Heavy Warrior and Usaji into a Ghoul Sword Dancer. Let’s take a closer look at each of their respective races.

Eiji had evolved into an Orc Heavy Warrior. This race specialized in handling heavy weapons, boasting enhanced power and toughness. However, this came with a downside: agility and magic use were compromised. Essentially, Eiji had become a tank that specialized in pure defense and physical attacks. If I were to use my [Soul Art] to constantly heal him, he would undoubtedly serve as an impregnable shield. His evolution was natural, and I’m quite sure he will be able to show his race’s strength without any peculiarities.

In contrast, Usaji had become a Ghoul Sword Dancer. According to Usaji, there was one condition to evolve into this race: one must have been a Sword Dancer in their Job. And the prerequisites for becoming a Sword Dancer were specific: “The combined level of [Sword Mastery], [Dancing], [Singing] and at least one type of magic skill must be 20 or higher”.

This was a tough condition to meet without prior knowledge! Usaji was fortunate to have accidentally met all the requirements. As for her racial traits, they were the exact opposite of Eiji’s. Instead of high defense, she had lower defense but compensated with her agility, confusing enemies with her swift movements as a speed fighter. This also meant her evasion ability was high. Her [Acrobatics] skill further enhanced her evasiveness, making her a difficult opponent to face. When fighting her, one would need to patiently wait for the opportune moment to land a significant, heavy blow.

Additionally, her [Dancing] and [Singing] skills could slightly enhance her and her allies’ stats and on rare occasions, she can confuse enemy attacks. However, Usaji suggested that these should be considered as mere bonuses.

Although it might sound like she was capable of everything, that was certainly not the case. Needless to say, her magic, and even her [Sword Mastery], were not as powerful as those specializing purely in these fields. Similarly, her [Dancing] and [Singing] skills were slightly inferior to those who specialized in them, like dancers and minstrels. If she could master all her skills perfectly, she might surpass them all, but failing to do so would result in her being a jack-of-all-trades but a master of none. It was a race and job that truly tested the player’s skill.

“Now that we’ve finished our introductions, let’s discuss what to do next. Before we leave Bigdareio, we’ll help resolve the strange happenings surrounding this country. Does anyone object?”

I looked around at everyone, but no one objected. Although the matter was something we had taken upon ourselves, both Eiji and Usaji felt indebted to this country and were not reluctant to offer their help.

“Alright, then let’s head to the royal castle first. I’m planning to accept the quest there.”

“Sure thing, brother.”

“Eh, us too?”

“Of course! We’re in a party, aren’t we?”

“That’s right. Let’s go.”

And just like that, our party consisting of me, Jigoro, Iris, Eiji, Usaji, and Karl, set out for the royal castle of Bigdareio.

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TN: Usaji’s previous race was something along the lines of “Ghoul Saif”. Saif basically means sword in Arabic. So her race was Sword Ghoul or sword-wielding ghoul. After her evolution, the author called her “Ghoul Sword Dancer” in Arabic as well. I thought that English speakers would forget her race eventually, so I’m translating it as it is.

Still, there should be a reason he’s doing that. Or maybe it just has connotation to her origin as a monster character in the desert. So keep that in mind, maybe.