Chapter 47

When they registered the hybrid species, a new achievement notification popped up along with a reward. The prize money totaled one billion won—a much bigger amount than expected. Blaine insisted Theo should take it all, since Theo was the one who had discovered the mushroom in the first place. But Theo flatly refused, and in the end, they agreed to split it fifty-fifty.

Theo, now suddenly five hundred million richer, sprinted straight to the exchange and converted it into cash. He combined it with his own funds and paid two months’ worth of town maintenance fees. Blaine, on the other hand, donated his entire share to the guild, saying he wanted everyone to benefit from it.

The registered Bayan Mushroom turned out to be classified as a rare species. But despite the expectation that it might have some special properties, its effects were unimpressive. All it did was elevate mood. The only noteworthy thing was that the shop bought it for a surprisingly high price.

So why had Kilimanjaro been secretly breeding and hybridizing it without registering? Why hide something so ordinary? Suspicion only grew deeper.

While the guild debated selling them all for profit, Holanghee scooped up the mushrooms and asked,

“Mind if I take a few?”

In truth, she had already pocketed some before asking. Theo gave her a questioning look.

“What for?”

“Because they’re too plain. There has to be more to them. I’ll extract seeds, cultivate them, try combining them with Nak Grass and Sandia Flowers. Something will come out of it.”

It was clear Holanghee wasn’t about to let her suspicion go. Theo also couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in his chest, so he pushed the rest of the mushrooms toward her. No one objected.

Thus, all the Bayan Mushrooms went into Holanghee’s hands. Before she began cultivation, Father added one important warning: until they figured out exactly what the mushrooms were for, she was never to hand them over or sell them on the market. Getting outsiders involved could drag the guild into unnecessary trouble.

Several days passed after Holanghee started cultivating the Bayan Mushrooms. But no matter how long she waited, they simply didn’t grow. The seeds never sprouted—they just rotted away in the soil.

She reported the setback, and the guild gathered in the guild house to discuss what to do. In the main hall, Holanghee laid out the few seeds that remained on the central table. What had started as a large batch had dwindled to less than ten.

“The mushrooms won’t grow?”

Father picked one up and asked. Holanghee nodded.

“Seems like they’re tied to some kind of cultivation condition.”

“Condition?”

“Yeah. An environmental factor. Like a safeguard, so if the seeds leak out, others can’t raise them easily. Basically, a lock.”

“Normally, things are bred to grow anywhere, right?”

“Then what’s the condition?”

Noquia and Father pressed her.

“I don’t know. I tried a bunch of things, but all failed. These are all that’s left.”

She gestured toward the seeds with her chin, then turned to Theo and Blaine.

“Where did you say you found them?”

“The cliffside cavern in Rakvana’s palm grove.”

“…”

At Theo’s reply, Holanghee leaned back, frowning deeply.

“If it was in a cavern, humidity could be the factor… or sunlight, or moonlight. Since there was a river under the cliff, maybe it’s moisture. And if it’s really tricky, the condition could even be a person. The system might have tied cultivation to a specific individual.”

“…The only ones we saw in the cave were Green and the Chief.”

Holanghee slowly nodded.

“If it really is person-based, then odds are it’s tied to the Chief. In that case, we might have to give up on cultivation.”

“Then what do we do?”

Noquia asked, and Holanghee raised her index finger with a grim look.

“Let’s raid them. Every last crop they’re growing.”

With Holanghee’s declaration, they decided to head for Rakvana to strip the Bayan Mushrooms. To be ready for any emergency retreat, they avoided the regular passenger ships and instead used Theo’s sailing vessel.

Crossing the open sea from Ratteon, they arrived at Rakvana. Before entering the town, they disguised themselves so Kilimanjaro’s guild members wouldn’t recognize them.

They donned traditional robes resembling those of the local Jilleba people, threw cloaks over their shoulders, and even changed their hair colors.

Theo removed his Eternal Fog, dyeing his honey-blond hair into a dull brown. Blaine, who had taken off his wolf ears, turned his black hair into khaki. Looking at him, Theo gave a piece of advice.

“Block all whispers except from our guild members. It’s inconvenient, but if they find out you’re the registrant, they’ll raise hell. Better be ready.”

Theo wondered if it had been a mistake to put Blaine’s name on the registry. He felt a twinge of guilt, but Blaine just smiled innocently.

“As long as I don’t block you, I’ll be fine.”

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

Even with his wolf ears hidden, it almost felt like Theo could see them perked up.

When they finished disguising, Father—her black hair tied neatly up—walked toward them.

“Now that I think about it, haven’t they tried to whisper you yet? If they knew you were the registrant, they’d be making a huge fuss already.”

Though she directed the question at Blaine, her eyes rested on Theo. She must have overheard their earlier exchange.

“My guess is they’re replanting since we raided them before. If they had already harvested, they’d know by now.”

“Then they won’t catch on this time either.”

“Exactly. Because we’ll just steal from them again.”

Father and Theo leaned in, grinning wickedly together.

They waited until nightfall, then slipped out through the back gate of the village and headed toward the palm grove.

But this time, likely because of the last theft, a player was standing guard atop the cliff. The sight was troublesome. They pulled back a little distance to come up with a plan.

After some discussion, Noquia and Holanghee boldly walked toward the sentry. They started chopping down palm trees, collecting coconuts, all the while throwing puzzled glances at the guard standing idly by the cliff. After several rounds of this, the guard finally left, as if wanting no suspicion to fall on him.

He clearly didn’t want to be questioned about anything suspicious going on there. Once he was gone, Theo cast a Veil where they were hiding. The darkness of night covered them even better, making the Veil almost impossible to notice.

Noquia and Holanghee continued their act of felling trees to look like they were just foraging, while Father, Theo, and Blaine descended the cliff and slipped into the cavern.

Inside, the darkness was heavy. Blaine conjured flame magic to light their path, and the three of them carefully advanced.

As they went deeper, faint light began seeping from ahead, just enough to outline the path. Rounding the corner toward the glow, they entered a vast space.

The walls, slick with moss and moisture, were lined with wall lamps that emitted a dim, eerie light.

It was Theo’s second time here, but for Father and Blaine, the hidden cavern left them speechless.

“How the hell did those bastards even find a place like this…?”

Father muttered while looking around, and Blaine dimmed his flame spell as his eyes caught the dense clusters of crops.

“They’ve got a whole bunch of Bayan mushrooms growing here.”

He picked one and stowed it away. Theo strode closer.

“Looks like we timed the harvest just right.”

Father brushed her hand over the mushrooms growing near her.

“If we’d been even a little later, they would’ve noticed. Let’s take everything and get out fast.”

Theo and Blaine nodded and quickly began gathering mushrooms. With three people working together, the pace was fast—but the tension never left them. At any moment, the enemy could arrive.

[Guild] [Noquia: They’re here!]

[Guild] [Holanghee: Get out, now!]

Noquia and Holanghee’s urgent voices rang out. Instinctively, the three of them jerked their heads toward the entrance. The problem was, they hadn’t harvested everything yet. Father and Blaine faltered, uncertain whether to run or stay. Theo whispered firmly.

“Keep picking. We’ll use Stealth before they catch us.”

Realization dawned on Father and Blaine’s faces, and they nodded before hastily finishing the harvest. Just as they collected the last of the mushrooms, faint voices echoed from deeper in the passage.

Theo grabbed their hands and activated Stealth. In an instant, the three of them slipped outside into the Veil. At the same time, a low rumbling rose from beneath their feet—muffled shouts, screams, and curses carried up from underground.

They regrouped with Noquia and Holanghee, then hurried out of the palm grove. Their second raid was a success.

They boarded the ship at the harbor and left Rakvana behind, heading back to Ratteon. Their inventories bulged with Bayan mushrooms.

Back home, Holanghee locked herself away with the haul. She tried mixing the mushrooms with Nak Grass and Sandia Flowers, experimenting with various combinations. Meanwhile, Theo and Blaine calculated the growth cycle. Judging from the first discovery and the second raid, Bayan Mushrooms seemed to mature in about three days.

For the next three days, they scouted Rakvana whenever they could. This time, Kilimanjaro had tightened security: in addition to the cliff guard, three more patrolled the palm grove. By the third harvest, sneaking in wouldn’t be so easy.

Still, when the time came, they decided to use Camouflage Actions. They bought the skill through NPCs, enchanted Intelligence heavily to extend its duration, and slotted it. At night, they set up a Veil in the grove, activated Camouflage, and even stifled their footsteps and breathing. The guards never noticed them slip past, and they reached the cavern with ease.

Kilimanjaro lost their mushrooms for a third time. In response, they stationed sentries not only at the cliff but at the village back gate too, screening everyone who passed. But it didn’t matter. Theo’s party simply exited through the main gate and circled around.

When the fourth harvest came, they raided again. Hidden under cloaks, their faces obscured, they vanished into the night after emptying the cavern once more.

Kilimanjaro grew increasingly anxious. They knew piling on guards and patrols didn’t help. If they overdid it, others might suspect something and their secret would be exposed.

Then came the fifth harvest.

Theo’s group approached with Camouflage active, wary of the cavern they knew Kilimanjaro would have fortified. But strangely, there were no guards at the back gate, in the grove, or even on the cliff. Suspicion prickled through them as they descended and entered the cavern.

The inside was oddly bright. They hesitated, and that was when Noquia noticed a cleverly hidden trap. She signaled for everyone to halt, pointing at the mechanism underfoot. After examining it, she quietly scanned the surroundings.

[Guild] [Father: What is it? What kind of trap?]

[Guild] [Noquia: A Show Trap. Step on it and Stealth gets dispelled. They’ve hidden the traps carefully and even pulled back their guards—means they’re trying to expose us.]

Theo checked the area as well.

[Guild] [Theo: Then they’re probably hiding nearby, watching.]

[Guild] [Noquia: A hundred percent.]

[Guild] [Blaine: What do we do now?]

[Guild] [Holanghee: Even if it triggers, our disguises should keep us from being exposed right away.]

[Guild] [Noquia: Still, I’d rather not get caught so easily.]

[Guild] [Holanghee: Fair point.]

[Guild] [Noquia: I’ll take the lead. Follow carefully.]

Noquia guided them through, avoiding every trap, until they reached the wide chamber where the mushrooms grew. Checking once more for traps, they quickly began harvesting.

When the last mushroom was picked, they retraced their steps and reached the entrance. Just before climbing the cliff, they all turned back, deliberately canceled Camouflage, and scaled the wall with their cloaks pulled tight over their faces.

It was a taunt. They knew their faces couldn’t be seen, but they wanted Kilimanjaro to know they had been fooled again.

As expected, shouts erupted from within the cavern. Instead of running, Theo’s party lingered outside, waiting. When Kilimanjaro’s members scrambled up the cliff in a frenzy, the raiders laughed mockingly and melted into the darkness of the palm grove.

Five times now, the Bayan Mushrooms had been stolen. Enraged, Kilimanjaro screamed curses and gave chase—but in the thick night, catching shadows that had already vanished was impossible.