[Stats]
[Strength: 11(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]
[Stamina: 12(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]
[Mana: 13(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]
[Agility: 18(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]
[Luck: 14(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]
My swollen calves flex with power and propel my body forward.
With the power control of the Guardian Knight, my body feels as light as a feather.
But it’s too late to catch Mi Jeong from falling into the spike pit.
“Reach out!”
There’s no other choice.
I have to jump down.
I kick off the cliff and accelerate downwards.
Then, I catch up to Mi Jeong, grab her hand, and pull her up, wrapping my arms around her waist.
Ugh!
Crack crack.
I draw my dagger with my left hand and stab it into the wall to reduce my speed just enough to stop.
But I was a bit late.
Even though I bent my legs trying not to get pierced by the spikes, I still ended up getting scratched on my shin.
“Phew. That was close.”
Looking down, it’s quite perilous.
If I had been any later, it wouldn’t just be a small hole but a beehive on my shin.
Of course, even a single stab would be dangerous due to paralysis poison and bacterial infection, but this is a fantasy world.
Just a sprinkle of low-grade healing potion bought from anywhere would heal it up quickly.
“Are you hurt?”
“…… No.”
I glance at Mi Jeong, who has her arm draped around my neck for support.
It doesn’t look like she touched any spikes.
No wounds are visible on her body.
Since her body heals quickly, I need to be particularly careful.
Carrying a kid covered in wounds would ruin my image, right?
I don’t want to be reported for child abuse and end up in jail.
“You look okay. Let’s go up now. Climb onto my back.”
“…… Yoo Jin?”
As Mi Jeong, who was obediently nodding to move behind me, hesitates.
Her gaze is fixed on my shin, which is oozing blood.
Then, in a slightly panicked voice, she calls my name.
It seems like there’s a bit more moisture in her usually dry, husky voice.
“Hurry up and climb on. My arms are hurting.”
“…… Yoo Jin, Yoo Jin!”
“Ugh. My ears are ringing. Why do you keep calling me?”
“…… My leg. My leg!”
“I know you’re hurt too, so just get on already.”
Mi Jeong’s voice begins to tremble, and finally, she buries her face in the nape of my neck and starts to sob.
No matter how much I assure her it’s nothing serious, it’s no use.
She keeps calling my name endlessly.
This is awkward.
It’s like she’s worried about me or something.
Is this really the same girl who barely cared about me before?
“…… Yoo Jin. You can’t die.”
“I won’t die.”
“…… I don’t want you to die. I don’t want it anymore. Not you, Yoo Jin…..”
Tsk.
Mi Jeong buries her face deeper into my chest, trembling and sobbing.
I’ve never seen this side of her before.
It looks like emotions are overwhelming her, and she can’t contain them.
‘This is going to be problematic.’
I was thinking of her as an emotionless monster.
It seems that would be a bit tougher going forward.
It looks like it’ll take some time for Mi Jeong to calm down, so I adjust my grip on the dagger and turn my head, only to discover something unexpected.
“Oh?”
Deep inside the spike pit.
There’s a suspicious-looking door embedded in the cliff.
A dungeon within a dungeon.
I’ve successfully discovered a double dungeon I’ve only heard rumors about.
Who knew you could only find it by falling into a trap?
In a game where you can revive after dying, this was something I’d never find myself.
I can’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
“Are you okay now?”
“…… Yeah.”
“This isn’t a mortal wound, so why are you making such a fuss?”
“…… What do you mean?”
Mi Jeong turns her head and pretends not to know.
It’s the usual, emotionless, blunt voice and face.
Playing dumb.
“Hurry and get on. I need to check inside.”
“…… Okay.”
Thanks to Mi Jeong, I’ve discovered a hidden dungeon.
Now that the items are starting to look human, I should get rid of them quickly…
But I decide to keep her around a little longer to acknowledge her contribution.
“What kind of room is this?”
Entering the hidden dungeon with Mi Jeong.
I wonder if this can even be called a dungeon.
It’s just a single large empty room without any other doors or passages.
For now, I sprinkle low-grade healing potion on the injured area and start bandaging up while scanning the room.
This hurts quite a bit, but it’s not enough to hinder my walking.
I can probably manage if I push through it.
“What are you doing?”
“……”
I say, feeling Mi Jeong’s gaze boring into me.
She finally turns her head after kneeling beside me and examining my wound.
Normally, she’d remain still unless specifically addressed.
But something seems off about her.
Has she broken?
It’s kind of unfair that I can’t return or get a refund for a defective product.
“Is a double dungeon supposed to be a bonus reward or something?”
It’s just an empty room in the center with a treasure chest sitting there.
No matter how you look at it, it resembles a final reward room, but I need to be cautious.
This is my first visit here.
“……”
I keep my vigilance as I reach for the treasure chest.
The ceiling could suddenly collapse, spikes could shoot up from below, or a monster could jump out from inside the chest.
Complacency is a no-go.
Focusing all my mana to maintain peak condition, I open the treasure chest.
“Phew.”
Inside are three small jars.
It really does seem like a bonus room.
There’s no need to wander about wondering if this is poison or an elixir.
Using ‘Identification’ will let me know right away.
[Choice Stat Buff Potion (Number of Possessions: 0)]
[Permanently increases your desired stat by 10.]
Jackpot!
They only give you one early on, and then you don’t see another one until the end of the game, but here are three!
Stats can only be increased so slowly with tough training and rare hidden items.
I’m feeling lucky.
“Alright. What should I boost? This happy dilemma… Oh?!”
Suddenly, I feel my strength drain from my legs, and my body collapses.
Before I know it, I’m face down on the ground, kissing the dirt.
What in the world is happening…?
‘Mana Exhaustion!’
That’s insane.
My mana is already depleted.
I never thought about lacking mana before.
‘Ah, Tay’s Mana Stone…’
Thanks to the high-grade Mana Stone, using mana control became way too easy.
Looks like it drained my mana pretty quickly.
I’ll need a lot more mana going forward.
Gulp, gulp! Ugh, ugh! Gack!
“…… Are you okay?”
With trembling hands from the exhaustion, I pour all the potions into my mouth.
[Mana stat increases by 10.]
[Mana stat increases by 10.]
[Mana stat increases by 10.]
Nice.
Now that this has happened, I’ll go for a magic swordsman concept.
Why can’t I use any powerful magic, you ask?
I’ll learn it properly later.
At least that’s the plan.
“Whoa. Already?”
Upon returning to the hotel from the dungeon, I find a note at the counter.
The processing of the Mana Stone is finished, and I’m told to come and pick it up.
It feels like it’s been less than 10 hours, but that was fast.
I want to go pick it up right away, but right now, my body is a mess.
I want to change out of these dirty clothes, take a shower, and re-bandage myself.
Mi Jeong doesn’t show it, but her strides are narrower, so she must be pretty exhausted.
I should probably feed Mi Jeong, too.
So first, I need to take a break in the room.
“Thanks for holding onto the note.”
“Sure.”
I offer a dry greeting to the innkeeper and leave.
“…… My waist hurts.”
“Why’s your waist hurting?”
“…… Yoo Jin, you were too rough.”
Is it from the impact of catching her while falling earlier?
Mi Jeong holds her waist and walks with a furrowed brow.
But the innkeeper’s piercing gaze at my back is really intense.
It’s like she’s looking at a bug or something.
It’s bewildering, and I head up the stairs to open the door.
“Do you want to wash up first?”
“…… Wash me.”
“Wash yourself, you brat. But do you prefer still water or flowing water when you wash?”
“…… Still water is fine. Flowing water is scary.”
So she says.
I thought she was afraid of water altogether.
After letting Mi Jeong into the bathroom first, I toss my sweat-drenched shirt aside.
“Status Window.”
[Stats]
[Strength: 11(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]
[Stamina: 12(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]
[Mana: 43(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]
[Agility: 18(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]
[Luck: 14(x5) *Guardian Knight effect applied]
My mana stat is a whopping 43.
With the Guardian Knight’s boost of 5, that’s 215.
Just looking at it makes my teeth feel like they’re going to rot from the sweetness.
Sure, my mana is ridiculously high compared to other stats, but it’s not excessively high either.
Jill’s mana stat reaches 200 as a baseline.
Yerina’s strength and stamina easily surpass 200.
If intelligence became a stat, I imagine Yulia would be around 300.
Moreover, the Four Heavenly Kings, the right-hand men of the final boss, all have stats exceeding 500, as I recall.
So while I’m strong, I’m not at an overwhelming level.
‘My mana may have tripled, but if I waste it, it’ll disappear quickly.’
Plus, if I use mana control at max output, my mana really depletes like water draining.
It’s true that my mana has increased, but I can’t relax and use it carelessly, so I have to stay cautious.
Going forward, I’ll have to invest all the stat potions I get into mana.
“Oh.”
I turn off the status window and grab today’s newspaper.
As soon as I see a familiar face on the front page.
Filled with a mix of hate and affection, I no longer even know what kind of feelings I have for this person.
Priestess, Jill Diner.
News reports that the anti-faction attempted to assassinate her, but it failed, and Jill is unharmed.
As soon as I see it, a sigh of relief escapes me.
If Jill had died, the Vatican would be in chaos, and the world would be in disarray.
What great news.
“What is this?”
However, the moment I flip the page, I can’t believe my eyes.
On the second page, there’s a photo.
– The ruined Hameln Cathedral. Due to an explosion of unknown cause, all the pillars have broken and the ceiling has collapsed. All assassins died on-site.
This is a photo of the cathedral where I destroyed everything on my first run, isn’t it?
“What the hell…?”
My pupils dart around, unable to settle in one place.
A foreboding thought comes to mind.
Could it be that Jill has regained the memories of her first run…?
