Chapter 46

Theo stared down the alley where Green had vanished, then glanced at Blaine. Judging by the puzzled look on his face as he stared at the same alley, he had seen it too.

“You saw that?”

At Theo’s question, Blaine visibly flinched before slowly nodding. A trace of unease lingered on his face.

“That was him, right?”

“Yeah… I think so.”

“Something smells fishy about this…”

“Huh?”

Theo hesitated. He was curious about what Kilimanjaro was up to, but he didn’t want to drag Blaine into it again. Looking at him, Theo chose his words carefully. Curiosity would have to wait—Blaine came first.

“Want to head back to the boat? I’ll follow that guy and check things out.”

Blaine’s eyes widened. He looked between Theo and the alley, clearly torn. He fidgeted, lips parting as if to speak, but no words came out.

He seemed like he really did want to go back to the boat, just as Theo suggested. But then, with a strained expression like he was steeling himself, Blaine shook his head.

“No, I’ll go with you.”

“…You sure you’ll be okay?”

“Yes. You’re here, hyung, so I’ll be fine.”

Theo didn’t ask again. Any more hesitation and they’d lose Green. He strode forward, and Blaine followed close behind.

They slipped out through the village’s back gate. Ahead, they spotted Green’s back disappearing into a grove of palm trees.

The grove wasn’t dense, but it offered plenty of cover to follow unnoticed. Green walked deeper and deeper inside, deliberately avoiding any beaten paths or trails—even ones animals might use. Yet he moved without hesitation, as though the way was familiar.

Eventually, they came to the edge of the grove. A sheer cliff rose before them, and below it, the sound of rushing water echoed loudly—it must have been a river.

Green stepped right up to the cliff’s edge, looked down, and then leapt off without hesitation.

Startled, Theo and Blaine exchanged a glance before hurrying to the cliff.

When they peered down, all they saw was the endless drop of a steep cliff. No sign of Green anywhere. Just as Theo was about to think he might have jumped straight into the river, he noticed something not too far below—a ledge, large enough for someone to land on.

That had to be where Green went. The fact that both his presence and form had vanished suggested there was a hidden space tucked further inside.

Theo braced a hand on the edge of the cliff and crouched down.

“I’ll go check it out. You stay here.”

Since he didn’t know the exact structure inside, it wasn’t wise for both of them to go down recklessly. If something happened, being alone would let him react faster. Blaine seemed to understand, and simply nodded without protest.

“Someone else might come, so stay hidden nearby.”

With those last words, Theo leapt down the cliff. He landed lightly without a sound and carefully scanned the surroundings before looking back up at Blaine. Waving his hand as if to say “it’s safe,” he turned and walked deeper inside.

The space beneath the cliff was wider than expected, with a narrow passage stretching further in. As Theo crept along, keeping his footsteps quiet, he noticed sections where no light reached—places swallowed in darkness. Without hesitation, he cast a Veil there, just in case he needed a place to hide.

Not long after, faint voices drifted from around a bend. Theo pressed himself flat against the wall and peered inside.

The cavern opened into a space large enough to make him click his tongue in disbelief. There, he spotted Green and Kim Na. Around them grew rows of unfamiliar plants.

Theo tried to listen in, but their voices were too hushed and the distance too far. After a brief conversation, the two of them began tending the crops—trimming branches, removing pests. When they finally straightened up, talking again, they started walking toward Theo’s direction.

Theo immediately activated Stealth and slipped into the Veil. A moment later, he watched them pass right by his hiding place.

Once they exited the cavern and seemed to be heading back into the palm grove, Theo followed at a distance, moving like a shadow. His biggest worry was Blaine—if those two noticed him hiding above, things could get messy. But fortunately, nothing happened.

“Blaine, you okay?”

『Yeah, hyung. I’m fine. What about you?』

“I’m good too. Did they leave?”

『Yes, looks like they’re heading back to the village.』

“Blaine, I’m going to check this place out more. If they come back, let me know.”

『Got it. Be careful.』

“You too, Blaine.”

Exhaling slowly, Theo loosened his tension and turned back to the wide cavern the two had been working in. Inside, three distinct crops were growing: Nak grass, Sandia flowers, and Bayan Mushrooms.

Theo recognized the Nak Grass and Sandia Flowers, but the Bayan Mushrooms were unfamiliar. He carefully looked around the hidden cultivation site. Strange, unknown mushrooms growing here of all places.¹

“…”

Something about it felt ominous. Theo gathered a few Bayan Mushrooms, took clear photos of the area, and opened the guild chat.

“Guild, Anghee, do you know anything about Bayan Mushrooms?”

[Guild] [Holanghee: Bayan Mushrooms? What’s that?]

“Guild, you don’t know either?”

[Guild] [Holanghee: First time I’ve even heard of it.]

“Guild, then what about Father?”

[Guild] [Father: Also my first time.]

“Guild, just in case, can you both check the codex for me?”

[Guild] [Father: Ok]

[Guild] [Holanghee: Yep]

Holanghee was Tier 4 in alchemy, and Father was Tier 5 in cooking. Mushrooms were widely used in both fields, so if even they didn’t know about this one, then it meant one of two things: either it was an ingredient only accessible at higher tiers, or…

[Guild] [Father: Not in the codex either. Never even heard of it before, so probably a user-made hybrid species.]

[Guild] [Holanghee: Same here, not listed. Think Father’s right.]

[Guild] [Father: But why are you asking all of a sudden?]

“I came across something strange…”

[Guild] [Holanghee: Strange?]

[Guild] [Father: What did you find?]

“Guild, do Nak grass or Sandia flowers have any special uses?”

[Guild] [Holanghee: Huh? I’m not sure about Nak grass, but Sandia flowers are used to make an activator.]

“Guild, an activator?”

[Guild] [Holanghee: Yeah, Persona Activator—you know, the thing that spikes your combat power like crazy for three minutes.]

[Guild] [Father: Nak grass is poisonous. Put it in food and it makes you nauseous, even smells weird.]

Hearing both their answers only made Theo more suspicious. Narrowing his eyes, he looked over the hidden field again. Without hesitation, he harvested all the crops and left the cavern.

He regrouped with Blaine, and together they set out from the harbor back toward Ratteon. On the way, Theo explained everything he had seen in Rakvana to the guild members. Once they arrived at Ratteon, they headed straight for Lucilvania.

At the guild house, several members were around—including Marco, as well as Father and Holanghee. Thinking the timing perfect, Theo handed Marco the food he’d bought in Rakvana, then laid out the crops from the cliffside on the table.

“So this is the mushroom?”

Holanghee picked up a Bayan Mushroom, turning it over in her hands. But since it wasn’t a registered type, she couldn’t access any information. With a skeptical look, she muttered,

“This is seriously shady. If you create a new hybrid species, you’re supposed to register it. That way you get the achievement, rewards, even royalties later. Why wouldn’t they register it?”

Marco also lifted one of the Bayan Mushrooms.

“Exactly. The fact they were secretly cultivating it makes it even more suspicious.”

“Could it be the profits from this are worth way more than achievements, rewards, or royalties?”

Leather Flute Hip Song, who had been watching from the side, asked a question.

Everyone just shrugged or shook their heads, as if to say they had no clue. Their eyes all stayed fixed on the crops laid out on the table, until finally Theo broke the silence.

“Judging by how they told newbies not to enter Rakvana, it seems like they were deliberately hiding this. And it’s likely they’ve been cultivating it for a while now… or they’ve been in the middle of breeding it.”

Holanghee, propping her chin on one hand as she studied the plants, tapped her fingers against the table with a sharp tok-tok-tok.

“They definitely look like they’re being raised for some kind of combination. But whether the three are meant to be mixed together or used separately, I can’t tell. We don’t even know what Bayan Mushrooms really are. Ugh.”

“There’s only one way to find out their effect.”

That was Father, who spoke up suddenly. Holanghee blinked and asked back,

“And what way is that?”

“Eat it.”

Before anyone could stop her, Father popped a Bayan Mushroom straight into her mouth. Everyone jumped from their seats in shock. What if it really was poisonous?

Chewing calmly, Father glanced toward Holanghee, who sighed and handed her an antidote potion just in case.

With the vial in hand, Father swallowed down the mushroom. Everyone held their breath as they watched. Fortunately, she didn’t show any signs of poisoning.

After a few moments, however, Father’s expression turned peculiar. Her eyes flicked around, and she opened her display to check something.

“…My sensory filters are still on, but I feel… uplifted? Like my mood’s getting boosted.”

“What?”

“Doesn’t seem like it’s a harmful mushroom.”

She handed the antidote back to Holanghee.

“No other side effects?”

“None. And the uplifted feeling faded pretty quick.”

A mushroom that heightened the senses regardless of filter settings. Its purpose wasn’t clear yet, but the fact that some guild was hiding away to cultivate it in secret made one thing obvious—it was important.

Staring at the mushroom, Father suddenly let out a wicked grin. Rubbing her hands together, she leaned in and whispered slyly to the others.

“What do you say we register this ourselves… and screw over Serengeti?”

Her greedy, underhanded scheme left everyone momentarily speechless. Then, one by one, they began to grin just as wickedly.

“…Hijacking this is going to be sweet.”

Without wasting another second, they all dashed out of the guild house and rushed to register the Bayan Mushroom. The name of the discoverer displayed on the record: Blaine.