The Villainous Me Turned the Losers into Blackened Bosses-Chapter 31 - The Anxious Heroine

“I see, I see.”

Shuna sat in the corner of the Adventurer’s Guild, seemingly detached from the bustling activity around her. Adventurers celebrated their dungeon victories, their loud laughter and the scent of champagne filling the air, but none of it disturbed her focus as she read a worn book.

The cover was half-torn, leaving only scraps of the title visible—Research on Witch Behavior.

“The magical circuits of witches differ from those of ordinary people. In addition to being closely tied to their blood, they are also connected to their nerves, senses, and emotions. In short, it is precisely because their magical circuits are so intimately linked to their being that witches often possess exceptional talent.”

Shuna nodded, jotting down “magical circuits” in her notebook. Twirling her pen, she fell into thought.

“Blood-red mint primarily stimulates the flow of a witch’s magical circuits. However, due to the high correlation between their circuits and their nerves, senses, and emotions, witches may develop an inexplicable dependency on it. This dependency could even transfer to the person administering it.”

“Historical studies on witch behavior suggest that rulers who used witches as pawns to achieve their goals often secretly procured blood-red mint.”

Shuna’s finger paused mid-turn of the page.

“Hmm… so blood-red mint wasn’t originally a catalyst for witches to enhance themselves. It was a tool used by those who sought to control witches, both mentally and physically.”

She licked her finger, carefully flipping to the next page of the ancient book.

“But… witches as a race already have unstable mental states. Using such methods to control them is ill-advised. Historical records indicate that blood-red mint increases a witch’s possessiveness, and rulers who employed witches often met tragic ends. Beware of playing with fire.”

Shuna fell silent.

She had started reading this book because W, in his letters over the past few years, had frequently mentioned his search for high-quality blood-red mint. In his most recent letter, he had jokingly mentioned being burned by a witch’s flames.

“Uh… W, you’re not seriously trying to use this stuff to lure a witch and then got burned for it, are you?”

No, no, that conclusion was too far-fetched. It didn’t align with logical reasoning. It was just an attempt to connect related pieces of information into a convincing narrative without any third-party evidence to support it.

“But still…”

Shuna’s fingers shifted the page slightly, revealing a sheet of elegant stationery beneath it.

“Should I tell him about this? Or maybe… it’s better to let him learn the hard way.”

As the night deepened, the noise in the Adventurer’s Guild gradually subsided. The celebratory crowd dispersed, leaving only Shuna’s solitary lamp and Isaac, the guildmaster, tidying up after the day’s work.

“Shuna? You’re still here?”

“I’m waiting for you to post tomorrow’s quests. I need to see if there are any requests for the fixed floors of ‘Snow Abyss’…”

Shuna carefully placed a bookmark in her book, closed it, and walked over to the large, blank quest board. As Isaac pinned up a request, she read it immediately.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you so focused and impatient,” Isaac remarked, holding a stack of quest slips. Their guild wasn’t particularly large, so they still used the old-fashioned method of writing quests on paper and pinning them to a board. Despite this, the guild attracted many strong freelance adventurers, likely because of Shuna’s presence. The influx of skilled adventurers meant more requests for assistance, keeping Isaac busy until late at night.

“I remember you went to Snow Abyss years ago to collect… what was it? Ice dragon stomach fluid?”

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“That was then. This is now. Hmm… doesn’t anyone need ice-element materials anymore? Why are there so few requests for Snow Abyss?”

“Tch, that’s because Snow Abyss isn’t the same as when you went there for ice dragon stomach fluid.”

Isaac removed the cigarette from his mouth, tapping the ash off. Every time he thought about the day Shuna returned covered in ice dragon stomach fluid, complaining about needing a hot spring in a fire-element dungeon, his fingers trembled slightly.

“Snow Abyss has grown from 30 floors back then to 60 floors now—you know what that means. The more floors a dungeon has, the more resources and monsters its Empress can allocate, making it exponentially harder to clear.”

“...I know. That’s exactly why I need to challenge it now.”

Under the dim light, Shuna’s eyes were resolute. Her gaze swept over the quest board with intense focus, a stark contrast to the little girl who had spent the evening reading in the corner.

Isaac found her behavior unusual. Normally, Shuna chose quests at the guild on a whim. As a student of Entark’s Second Academy, she would occasionally disappear for days at a time.

But recently, her goals had become clearer. She spent more time at the guild and paid particular attention to adventuring parties planning to challenge Snow Abyss.

This could only mean…

“...You’re in a hurry?”

Isaac had expected Shuna to immediately deny it, maybe even draw her blade in a show of defiance.

But…

She didn’t.

Calmly sliding her fingers over a quest slip, she replied:

“...A little.”

“I thought so. You’ve been like this ever since you got that letter two days ago. Did something happen with W?”

“Boss, you’re sharp. Ah, here it is—a team planning to go beyond the 60th floor.”

Without even reading the details, Shuna pulled the slip off the board.

“He probably sugarcoated his situation in the letter. But certain words he doesn’t usually use give away the truth. He’s been burned on his right hand by a witch’s flames.”

“That’s it? And you’re heading to Snow Abyss for that?”

“If my theory is correct, dungeons with ice attributes that reach 50 floors will spawn an ice-elemental boss, likely an ice spirit. The specifics don’t matter. According to records, snow spirit blood can heal any magical circuit blockages caused by burns.”

Shuna’s tone was calm, but Isaac, who knew her well, could tell her pace was quickening. This wasn’t her usual measured way of explaining dungeon lore.

Normally, when Shuna shared her knowledge, her speech was steady and deliberate. The urgency in her voice now was uncharacteristic.

“After all that, I think you just want to deliver something to this W guy and help him heal his burn.”

The more Isaac listened, the more he felt like this W was some freeloading pretty boy taking advantage of Shuna’s kindness.

“Mm. I don’t know why, but I want to see him healthy. His handwriting is terrible… though I’ve never met him, he seems… kind of pitiful.”

Shuna smiled softly as she looked at the quest slip.

“Besides… the bookmark he sent was beautiful. I wonder if snow spirit blood is just as beautiful?”