I needed to buy a knife.
That thought weighed on my heart.
Losing my trusty blade plus this unexpected expense were making me pretty nervous.
I wanted to take a break, but I still had to work.
I headed into the junk pile.
Super ultra rare.
I aimed for the blue light and chipped away at it with my Relic, Banish.
Right now, this super ultra rare was my lifeline.
If I sold it, I could buy a knife.
I could buy a knife.
"Whoa..."
The ceiling shook a little and I flinched.
Maybe I was pushing too hard.
The shock of losing my knife had made me lose my composure.
No, but this was seriously tough. Daggers were weapons, so they cost a lot.
Even a used iron one ran over 1,000 oro.
With what I had in my wallet right now... I could afford it.
But that would mean starting tomorrow completely broke.
No, in reality I still had some money.
But that was my savings for the registration fee to become a delver. If I could help it, I didn't want to touch it.
"—Maybe I should ask her about it."
I'd talk to Arifa.
Once I decided that, my heart felt inexplicably lighter.
Was it the sense of reassurance?
"………………"
Focus. Carve with Banish. Carefully, cautiously, carve.
I carved and carved and carved, carving... how much time had passed?
At last... I reached the blue light.
What was there was a black box draped in white cloth.
It was made of metal, and strangely, only the corners of the box were made of wood.
On the surface of the box, a white great tree was depicted in relief.
A magnificent, intricate great tree.
What is this? From my memories in my past life... Yggdrasil?
The World Tree or something — but whether something like that even exists in this world, I have no idea.
The box was locked.
"............Can't be helped."
With a bitter decision, I used Banish to carve away the box.
What was inside the box was... an egg? No, it was a bottle shaped like one.
"How incredibly detailed..."
It was an egg-shaped bottle so realistic you'd swear it was the real thing.
I knew it was a bottle because the texture I felt wasn't that of an egg.
Plus it had a gold rim and luminous characters etched into it.
They were in the ancient script, but I could read them.
"...Wait, an elixir...?!"
That's what it said.
Inside the egg-bottle was a liquid.
An elixir. Legendary. A divine remedy from the age of the gods.
A mysterious water that could heal any wound.
I could tell it wasn't a fake.
Super ultra rare.
The genuine article, without a doubt.
And then there was that overwhelming aura.
There was no way an ordinary bottle could be wrapped in such otherworldly presence just from its contents.
But I understood in an instant.
This was...
"What do I do. I can't sell this."
My shoulders slumped. More than that, I couldn't show it to anyone.
An elixir was a drinkable legendary.
Far too precious, far too rare — its value was beyond measure.
People would definitely die.
Not just a few — potentially thousands. It could spark a war.
"...!"
That thought sent a chill through me, but it wasn't some far-fetched nightmare.
That was exactly why no one could know about it.
I couldn't even consult Arifa about this.
If something happened and the elixir was discovered...
Arifa would be in danger too.
The only other person I could possibly talk to — one name came to mind, but... no.
I had a feeling that would only invite even more trouble.
"......Haaah."
I let out a deep sigh and tucked the elixir into my pouch.
There was no way I could just leave behind something I'd spent months working so hard to obtain.
Or rather, something this dangerous absolutely could not be left lying around.
I'd figure out what to do with it later.
When I climbed out of the mountain of trash, the Junkyard was deserted.
Damn it. Had I stayed out too long?
I hurried toward the exit —
The ground heaved violently.
Garbage and I went flying in a spectacular crash, rolling like a wave.
The world flipped upside down as a cascade of armor, swords, and junk came raining down.
Ah — the short sword.
I caught a glint of something. That was the mithril knife.
I reached for it, and then my vision went black — after that, I don't remember a thing.
I think I heard the sound of a massive amount of something crashing down.
When I came to, my whole body ached and creaked.
I waited for the pain to ease enough to move, then slowly got to my feet.
"Wh… where is this…"
A ceiling of glittering rock, like lamé. Rock floor. A cave…
A cave? That's wrong.
There's nothing like this on the first floor — and besides, I was in the Junkyard.
The Junkyard is a space built of stone.
It's not some cave-riddled place with stone pillars jutting up everywhere.
So then — where is this place?
Where am I?
I scanned my surroundings, and that's when I noticed.
My heart hammered. Goosebumps erupted across my skin.
"—!?"
Two girls and one woman lay collapsed on the ground.
And they were drenched in blood.
Just from the bleeding alone, a massive pool of blood had already formed.
Wait, why—? Anyhow, all three of them were submerged in blood.
Then it hit me.
I recognized them.
"The Third-Rank… why are they in a place like this?"
The Third-Rank delver party, Torquetam.
A beautiful cat-beastkin girl with pale green hair streaked with white.
A gorgeous blonde elf.
A sci-fi-esque beauty with peach-white hair.
Without a doubt.
And this amount of bleeding… this was bad. Oh… they were beyond saving.
I knew what this state was.
On the verge of death. Dying. No matter what you did, it was futile.
Potions wouldn't help, and a Relic with Healing wouldn't reach them in time.
Without those things, I had nothing to—wait. I did.
I pulled the egg out of my pouch.
A bottle so exquisitely crafted you'd mistake it for a real egg.
And on its surface, the golden letters spelling "Elixir" were engraved.
A divine-era elixir. A miraculous water of the soul.
With this, surely—without hesitation, I searched for the lid and opened it.
I poured the contents onto the lips of the cat-beastkin beauty who looked the worst.
It's pretty bad. I'll use a little extra.
Next was the elf beauty. I'd use a bit more for her too.
That didn't leave much.
Last was the sci-fi-looking beauty... Hm?
She was... um.
"She's unconscious."
Only she was unconscious.
I couldn't find any visible injuries.
Probably thanks to that white bodysuit.
It might actually be tougher than anything else in this world.
"She seems fine, but should I use what's left? The other two are..."
I used it on her as well, just to be safe.
Looking at them, both of their complexions had improved.
They were sleeping peacefully, breathing softly.
"...They're saved?"
That's definitely what it looked like. I sat down, relieved.
Thank goodness.
"As expected of an elixir."
Before I knew it, I closed the now-empty egg-shaped bottle.
I ended up using it all without really understanding what it was.
It might've been a waste.
But I'm also just relieved that it's gone now.
The contents are gone, but the bottle itself is still a keepsake.
I tuck it into my pouch.
I didn't hesitate at all about using the elixir.
That's probably because I have memories from my past life.
I think I was… a doctor. At least, that's what I seem to remember.
It had nothing to do with getting anything in return.
I just couldn't bring myself to let a life end when there was something I could do about it.
There were plenty of lives I couldn't save. That's precisely why.
And honestly, part of me also just wanted to let go of the elixir.
I used it to save someone and now it's gone. So much better that way.
*Rrrrrruuugh…*
"!"
What is it?
A beast's growl came from deep among the scattered stone pillars.