Chapter 25
"Why do they only sell eel here?"
"This restaurant's concept is based on the 'Ancient Species of the Forest.'"
"And what does that have to do with eel?"
"I heard that the Ancient Species of the Forest mainly ate eel."
Trying to resolve my question only led to an even deeper one.
Before worrying about the eel—what exactly is the Ancient Species of the Forest?
"What even is that? You nerd."
"Nerd? What’s that supposed to mean?"
"Never mind that—just tell me what the Ancient Species of the Forest is."
"Oh! Oh! I know!!"
I had directed my question at the black-haired guy, but suddenly, Linia jumped up excitedly, waving her hand like she was eager to show off.
"Alright then, let's hear it."
Honestly, I wasn't sure I could trust her, but since she was making such a fuss, she probably knew something.
"Oh, wait… do you actually not know?"
As soon as I called on her, Linia placed her fists on her hips with an annoyingly smug expression—one that made me want to punch her.
Come to think of it, she was mimicking the way I had spoken to her in the elevator earlier.
For some reason, that really ticked me off.
"The Ancient Species of the Forest was an intelligent race that lived in the forest but has now gone extinct. They had long lifespans, loved the forest, and mainly ate eel."
"What a weird race."
"They were also known for being stunningly handsome and beautiful, and they all had long ears."
Wait a minute. This is starting to sound familiar.
[Isn’t that just elves?]
'But did elves mainly eat eel?'
They sounded just like elves from a fantasy novel—except for the eel part. That kind of ruined the image.
"Why was eel their staple food?"
"They farmed them in their settlements, apparently."
So they not only ate eel as their main food but also farmed them?
"But if they lived in the forest, wouldn’t there be plenty of other food? Like fruits and vegetables?"
"A race that loves the forest wouldn’t eat plants, would they?"
That explanation… oddly made sense.
"Then what about fire? Did they eat eel raw?"
"How could they eat eel raw? They used fallen branches and leaves for fire."
So they compromised on that part, huh?
What an incredibly picky race.
"They sound really annoying. I wouldn't want to meet them."
"You wouldn't be able to even if you wanted to—they're extinct."
Oh, right.
The ancient species that loved the forest and farmed eel had gone extinct.
"Why did they go extinct?"
"Since they had long lifespans, they were naturally lazy, had no desire to reproduce, and the only thing they really did was farm eels. So they just… faded away."
So they looked like gorgeous men and women but acted no different from pandas.
Well, pandas not wanting to reproduce isn’t actually true, but that’s the image people have of them.
"What a bizarre race."
"Right? But here’s something even stranger—they’re the ones who created the magic that’s still used today."
"They keep getting more and more incomprehensible."
"That's why they’re such a common subject in novels! In fact, in the one I’m reading right now—"
Linia kept rambling on about her favorite novel, but I let it all go in one ear and out the other.
So that's why she knew so much—she read about it in a book.
A race that created magic, lived in the forest, farmed eel, were lazy, had no drive to reproduce, and eventually went extinct.
Each trait on its own wasn’t too strange, but when combined… it made sense why they disappeared.
"Come to think of it, I’ve heard something else about them," El suddenly spoke up.
As I continued to half-listen to Linia's story about the Ancient Species of the Forest turning to eel farming after retiring to the countryside, El started his own tale.
"They say that the ancestors of modern-day mages obtained magic by exploiting them."
"Exploiting?"
"They took over the land where they originally lived, enslaved them, and ultimately drove them to extinction."
Linia’s story had ended on a ridiculous note, but El's was downright brutal.
That doesn’t quite add up, does it?
“If we go by what Linia said, they went extinct because they were lazy.”
“That’s just a hypothesis. What you just said is also a hypothesis. The exact reasons for the extinction of the ancient species of the forest are still unknown.”
I see. So it was just a hypothesis.
I shot a slight glare at Linia, who had spoken as if it were a confirmed fact. She quickly averted her gaze.
“I know something about the ancient species too.”
This time, it was the black-haired guy at the counter, wiping dishes, who chimed in.
“It’s connected to the story that the wizards of El wiped out the ancient species of the forest. They say the spirits of the unascended ancient species still wander around the wizards.”
So now we’re moving on from fantasy and academic discussion to ghost stories?
Personally, I’m not a fan of those.
“Every night, those spirits roam around and curse any humans who—”
“That’s a pointless story.”
“No, but it’s not like the other stories were particularly meaningful either…”
“Enough.”
I immediately cut off the black-haired guy’s words.
[Scared, are you?]
‘Shut up. It’s just that ridiculous, baseless stories like that don’t sit well with me.’
I can’t stand those absurd tales of spirits and curses.
[Curses do exist in magic, though, don’t they?]
‘A spirit’s curse and a human’s curse are different things!’
I quickly shut down the AI’s nonsense too.
Ghosts and curses—those are the most useless, unproductive stories of all.
“Raniel, don’t tell me… you’re actually scared of ghosts?”
I silenced the AI, only for the black-haired guy to start up again.
“Now that I think about it, Laniell, you do often leave the lights on when you sleep.”
Revealing such pointless information—what a completely useless Linia-like Linia!
“Oh? Be careful now. They say the ancient species of the forest drag anyone they set their eyes on deep into the woods. And those people are never seen again…”
“Enough. If you have time to spout such nonsense, go study instead.”
Honestly, these guys are getting out of hand with their nonsense.
“There are tons of ghost stories about ancient species at the academy.”
“Oh? That sounds fun! Tell us more!”
“Break time is coming up, so count me in too.”
They’re getting all excited by themselves now.
“I have something to do, so I’ll be leaving first.”
“Huh? Raniel, where are you going?!”
“We were just about to start telling stories!”
“You guys do whatever you want! I’m going to borrow a lab and do some research!”
I quickly got out of there before they could start spouting even more ghost stories.
I really don’t understand why they love such meaningless things so much.
[Aw, come on, stay a little longer. It might be fun.]
‘Shut up. Be quiet. You don’t have rights or choices!’
I stepped out of the shop and casually glanced around the shopping district.
‘I should buy some miranium and mana stones before heading back.’
[You mean miranium, the most widely used metal in this world, and mana stones, which are basically this world’s equivalent of batteries?]
‘Why the sudden, overly scripted explanation?’
As the AI said, miranium is a metal commonly used in this world for making various appliances. It has decent strength and conducts mana reasonably well. Mana stones, on the other hand, store natural mana and function like batteries. I plan to buy some of both.
[So, you’re finally starting on the particle cannon replica!]
‘That’s right. Now that I’ve gathered most of the materials, it’s time to get started.’
This world has its own unique metals, but modern metals from Earth also exist, though they’re much harder to obtain.
With my current knowledge, relying solely on this world’s metals to craft equipment is a bit challenging. That’s why I’ve been taking my time gathering familiar materials.
Although it wasn’t as convenient as online shopping or delivery services, there was at least a somewhat similar system, which was a relief.
‘Come to think of it, this really is a strange world.’
[Thanks to the modern-like infrastructure, it was easy to adapt.]
‘Well, that was a relief. And there are also unique energies derived from mana.’
In a way, it’s like an upgraded version of Earth.
Except for the slight inconvenience in living infrastructure, that is.
After purchasing some reasonably useful items, I headed straight to the Magitech Department’s laboratory.
---
The main building and the lab didn’t look much different, but since the focus was on practical work rather than lectures, the attire of the people walking around seemed much more comfortable.
After a simple verification process, I followed the guide’s directions to an available lab, Room 102.
Opening the door labeled “102,” I stepped into a room that, while not particularly spacious, was well-equipped with everything necessary.
Despite the well-furnished facilities, academy students could use them for free—just this alone made coming to the academy worthwhile.
I immediately started up the furnace.
I powered it with mana and set the desired temperature.
The controls felt just like operating a microwave.
After confirming that the temperature was rising, I placed the Miranium I had purchased into the furnace.
Next, I activated the fabrication tool to create the mold.
The furnace was just a furnace, meant for melting metals, but this fabrication tool was advanced enough to rival a modern 3D printer.
Of course, it didn’t have that level of freedom, but the lack of material restrictions made up for it.
In other words, it was perfect for making tools.
This time, I was creating a mold for a part of a particle cannon.
Carving each piece manually would take too much time, effort, and money, so this was the best approach.
Once the mold was ready, I poured the molten Miranium from the furnace into it and let it cool.
While the mold was cooling, it was time to craft the detailed components.
There were no off-the-shelf parts to replace them, and the work required extreme precision, so I had no choice but to make them by hand.
I carved out each part meticulously, assembling them with the cooled components as I went.
Finally, I embedded the core component—a mana stone.
I was designing and manufacturing simultaneously.
“Hmm, as expected, just using a mana stone results in poor output….”
[Not just the output, but the durability is also weak, so continuous firing would be difficult.]
“I know, I know! But there aren’t any good substitutes.”
[The Miranium you’re using is already an excellent metal, though?]
“But it still feels lacking.”
The more I built, the more unsatisfied I became.
I needed a stronger metal!
A metal with better conductivity!
“If only I had an Ether Crystal….”
[That’s a rare material even in the Gates. How would you find it here?]
“Well, I did manage to get a small amount before.”
Back when I wiped out goblins in my previous territory, I somehow acquired an Ether Crystal.
It was too small to be used for weapon manufacturing, but it did help stabilize the Ether Engine.
[And after that, there hasn’t been any way to get more….]
“There isn’t.”
There was nothing I could do about it, but it was still frustrating.
“Well, whatever. I’ll call it a day.”
[Good work, Master.]
After making some progress, I decided to wrap up for the night.
It didn’t feel like I had done much, yet it was already dawn.
Since I had booked the lab for an extended period, all I had to do was lock up properly before leaving.
After securing the lab, I stepped out and walked aimlessly for a bit.
That’s when I spotted a black-haired guy heading somewhere in the distance.
Had his part-time job just ended?
Without much thought, I raised a hand to wave at him.
But he didn’t even glance in my direction.
“Hey, black-haired guy!”
I even called out to him, but he just kept walking as if he hadn’t heard me.
He just walked with a hunched posture, staggering along.
[Maybe it's because his name isn't "Black-haired guy"?]
‘No, but still, if someone calls you and there's no one else around, you should at least turn around.’
I felt puzzled but decided to brush it off and turn back.
[But Master, the black-haired guy’s condition seems a bit strange.]
‘Huh? What do you mean?’
[That hunched posture aside, his steps are unsteady, his eyes are unfocused, and he seems to be experiencing slight dizziness... Almost like he's hallucinating.]
Isn't that kind of dangerous?
Suddenly, something the black-haired guy said earlier today popped into my head.
—They say that the ancient beings of the forest drag anything they spot into the woods.
"......"
[Master, are you concerned?]
‘Who’d be concerned about such a ridiculous guy?’
[But according to my scan of your body data, your interest level toward the black-haired guy is quite high.]
‘I’m just curious about the truth behind the rumor. And besides, you’re the one who made me start worrying in the first place!’
I really feel like taking this AI apart.
[Hehe, pretending not to care while actually being concerned! This is how deep, sticky friendships start in school stories!]
I swear, whoever trained this AI on light novels deserves a punch in the head.
[Ah, but Master.]
‘What now? Why? What!’
[While we were talking, the black-haired guy walked into the forest.]
"Ah."
By the time I came to my senses, he had completely disappeared from sight, leaving only the dense forest ahead in the direction he had been heading.
"Energy levels are good, right?"
[Of course! With the current energy reserves, even if we end up in the middle of the forest, we can escape anytime!]
Alright, alright. What’s the worst that could happen?
‘Maybe I’ll even get to see one of those ancient beings.’
Nodding to myself, I stepped toward the forest.
"Let’s go in."
