Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy-Chapter 374: Archipelago (4)

<Considering that the words inscribed there are in the archaic language used by the Church of the Main God, they wouldn’t have casually invoked the name of the Main God. This must mean that something truly left by the Main God awaits at the end!>

Grandpa was practically shouting in excitement, but I half-ignored him.

Why did I come to the archipelago in the first place?

The initial spark might have been my desire to mess with Lasha, but even without that, I’d have ended up here. With the Lazy Main God giving me a quest to resolve the Second Queen’s regret, I had no choice.

Even the chain of events that led to the Second Queen proposing her deal with me bore the fingerprints of the Lazy Main God. That divine clown wanted me to stand on stage and perform his antics. While much of what happened afterward was my fault, it was still true that the Lazy Main God had meddled.

...The Lazy Main God wanted me to see that map. He wanted me to find whatever he’d left behind.

The quest notification that popped up just confirmed it. The Lazy Main God clearly wanted me to claim that treasure.

But why? What on earth could be waiting in there that he wanted to lure me here?

The Lazy Main God loves playing pranks on me, but when it really counts, he does act somewhat divine. If he’s gone to this much trouble, whatever hidden piece is waiting there must be significant.

What could it be? I felt my lips curl into a grin as I waited for Karia and Heyshan’s discussion to end.

It wasn’t until the adventurers causing a ruckus in the middle of the tavern collapsed in drunken stupor that the two finally started consolidating their thoughts. While the staff muttered curses about wishing the drunkards would just drop dead, cleaning up their mess, Karia, after jotting down some notes in her journal, turned to address me.

"Employer, you were listening to everything we said, right?"

‘No, I wasn’t.’

"Why would I bother listening to a bunch of old ladies gossiping? Of course not."

Even Karia, who had grown accustomed to my Mesugaki Skill and provocations, couldn’t fully suppress her irritation this time, her face twitching with displeasure.

But I stood my ground. If they’d wanted me to listen, they should’ve explained things in a way even a newbie could follow instead of muttering incomprehensible jargon. Was it my fault for daydreaming while they talked?

"Then what were you doing instead?"

This time, I couldn’t answer confidently. How was I supposed to admit that I’d been smirking to myself, thinking about the treasure the Lazy Main God left behind?

It’s like when a guy daydreams about taking down a bank robber—he’d never want someone else to catch him in the act. That’s how it felt.

Still, Karia’s growing irritation left me no choice but to point at the scribbled, ancient text in the corner of the map.

‘I deciphered this.’

"You mean this weird, illegible text?"

"...You deciphered it? How?"

It seemed that even Karia didn’t recognize the language, which Grandpa had said was already falling into obscurity during his era.

So, for the first time in ages, I invoked the Lazy Main God’s name. I claimed that he’d granted me a revelation to understand the writing.

The word "revelation" was a cheat excuse that could justify anything, and Karia nodded along as if fully convinced.

"A miracle left behind by the Main God, huh? Something truly incredible must be waiting."

With that, I not only hid my foolish musings but also earned some credit for not having wasted my time entirely.

‘So...’

"So, are you going to share the conclusions from your old-lady gossip? I’m sure it’s worthless, but I might as well hear it out."

"Hmm. I’ll explain from the beginning. If you look at this map..."

Karia once again began explaining fluently in her own language of incomprehensible terms. At this point, I gave up on understanding the process.

What’s the point? As long as you get the right answer, you pass the test, right?

"So, it seems we’ll need to start searching this island."

That island, huh? I have a decent idea of the terrain there. In the game, Heyshan’s quest required me to scour the island thoroughly.

However, none of the areas I knew of had any ties to the Lazy Main God. While it’s possible that the real world has deviated from the game, that would open up too many variables.

For now, I’ll trust my in-game knowledge. If we fail on the first island, we can revise our approach for the next.

Hmm. Should we start by investigating the inaccessible areas I couldn’t enter in the game?

‘Karia...’

"Hey, spinster aunt. You’ve got a detailed map of this junk island, right? Hand it over."

Taking the map from Karia, I examined it, straining to recall my hazy memories of the game. I didn’t remember the exact paths, but the minimap layout was still faintly imprinted in my mind. If I was correct, there had been something here and here.

Yeah, that’s right. I remember the frenzy in the community over this area being DLC bait. It has to be here.

After marking the locations on the map with a pen, I stood up immediately. There’s no point wasting time. If you have something to do, you might as well get it done quickly. The daytime is busy enough with dungeon runs, so I’ll handle this at night.

It’s a bit of a shame that I won’t get to see Arthur writhing in humiliation until later, but that can wait until tomorrow morning.

"Are we heading out now, Employer?"

‘I plan to. Is that a problem?’

"What, Auntie? Are you tired because you’re old? I hear wrinkles get worse if you skip sleep."

"Hmph. You must have a lead. Fine, let’s go."

Seeing the area firsthand jogged my memory. I vaguely recalled the layout. If I was right, we needed to go this way.

"Lady Allen, have you been to this archipelago before?"

Heyshan seemed amazed as she watched me instinctively navigate the area under the faint moonlight. She remarked that even adventurers who had stayed here for years couldn’t find their way this easily.

I didn’t bother explaining. It wasn’t as though I could tell her I’d walked this path countless times in the game.

Instead, my knight, Karl, who was walking beside me, proudly took it upon himself to boast as if my talents were his own.

"Miss Lucy has always been exceptional at finding her way. Whether it’s navigating the outdoors or finding paths in dungeons."

"Wow, really?"

"Indeed. Back in the day, when I had the honor of accompanying her..."

As expected of someone who could befriend that temperamental Second Queen, Heyshan didn’t brush off Karl’s exaggerations. Instead, she attentively listened to his tales, even entertaining his inflated praises.

Amused by Karl’s heavily distorted recounting of my so-called "heroics," I walked on, smirking to myself, until the destination finally came into view.

The entrance to a cave located at the edge of the island. At first glance, it looked like anyone could enter, but in the game, this was an inaccessible area.

"Oh, this place."

Heyshan furrowed her brow as if recognizing the location. Karia noticed and urged her to explain.

"You know this place?"

"Of course. When I arrived at the archipelago, I scoured every suspicious spot."

"So, what’s with this cave? It looks ordinary."

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"It does at first glance."

Instead of explaining, Heyshan demonstrated. She approached the cave entrance, but, as in the game, an invisible force blocked her from entering.

Karia, curious, tried following Heyshan, only to meet the same resistance. The barrier at the entrance didn’t allow anyone through.

"What the...? I’ve never seen anything like this."

"I’ve investigated this place repeatedly, but I haven’t found any answers."

While the two pondered over the situation, Karl unsheathed his sword.

"Let’s try breaking through with brute force."

"...Wait, no! Hey, hold—"

"Haaaaah!"

Ignoring Karia’s protests, Karl unleashed a powerful strike imbued with his aura, far stronger than the one he’d used to break my defenses during our sparring match.

BOOM!

The blade crashed against the cave’s entrance with a deafening roar, but the barrier remained intact.

Unfazed by the impact, the barrier stood firm. Karl bit his lip, visibly frustrated.

"Sturdy, indeed. It seems I’m not strong enough."

"If Karl can’t break it, I doubt I’d fare any better. Seriously, this might require your family head to step in."

"Hey, you two Allen idiots. Instead of blaming your family head, why don’t you shut up and stand back?" Karia growled, rubbing her temple in frustration.

The two knights fell silent and obediently retreated, realizing that brute force wasn’t the answer.

"It seems to be related to divine power. Should we bring in someone from the clergy?"

<Young lady.>

‘Yes, Grandpa?’

<You should be able to enter.>

‘Do you recognize this kind of barrier?’

<Not quite, but... Hmm. Call it the intuition of an old hero.>

His evasive tone suggested he was hiding something, but I didn’t press him. There was no point in arguing—it would only frustrate me further.

Passing the others, I stepped up to the cave’s entrance. I raised my hand and touched the spot where the barrier should have been, and my hand passed through effortlessly.

The same held true for the rest of my body. The barrier that had rejected even Karl’s full-powered strike let me through without resistance.

While I moved back and forth through the barrier out of curiosity, Karia stared at me, her face blank with disbelief, before finally speaking.

"Employer, what did you just do?"

‘No idea.’

"Who knows? Maybe it’s because I’m cute, unlike you ugly lot."

"...So you don’t know. Wait a moment. Let’s run a few tests."

Under Karia’s supervision, we conducted various experiments, but all they confirmed was that I was the only one who could enter the cave.

This didn’t bother me. If the Lazy Main God had orchestrated this, there was no way the trials inside would be insurmountable for me.

"I can’t allow this! My lady, how can I let you go in there alone without knowing what’s inside?"

"Why are you barking so much when you can’t even pass the barrier?♡ If you’re useless, just guard the entrance properly, you useless mutt.♡"

"But! But!"

While Karl looked like he was about to cry from my verbal jabs, Karia approached me with an assortment of items from her dimensional pocket. Potions, protective amulets, and magic-inscribed scrolls—all handed to me as precautionary measures.

"Employer, I trust you’ll handle yourself, but just in case—if it gets dangerous, pull back. Got it?"

‘Don’t worry.’

"Pfft. You’re such a busybody. Shouldn’t you be more worried about finding someone to kidnap and marry, old maid?"

Even without Karia’s warnings, I had no intention of taking unnecessary risks. This wasn’t a game; I only had one life to lose. While I was eager for new content, I wasn’t reckless enough to gamble my life.

Waving off everyone’s concerns, I used divine magic to conjure a light and stepped into the cave.

After walking aimlessly through the empty cave for what felt like ages, I finally reached the end of the path. What greeted me was the entrance to a dungeon.

Unlike the dungeons created by the Evil God, this one exuded no malevolence. I couldn’t help but smirk.

This format was entirely unfamiliar, even to me as a seasoned player. Could this be a dungeon crafted directly by the Lazy Main God rather than the Evil God?

Interesting. What’s waiting for me inside? Excited by the prospect of new content, I opened the dungeon’s door.

"Puhahaha!"

Uncontrollable laughter burst out of me.

<...Young lady. What’s going on? What’s the matter?>

Grandpa’s worried voice echoed in my head, but I couldn’t respond. I was too overwhelmed by what I was seeing.

Puhuhuh. Puhahahah.

...

Damn it.

I’ve been here before.

Not in the game’s main story, but while clearing the many dungeon modes as part of my antics in Soul Academy.

Hey.

Lazy Main God.

Were you the one behind those cursed modes all along?