The surface looked fine, but truthfully, Lee Ha-yul was completely lost.
He was staying in a crisis observation line prepared for surprise attacks.
Instead, he heightened the manifestation of spatial powers to sense the changes and flow of the dungeon.
In the black sea-like background, green waves undulated.
In the past, he could only perceive the outlines of objects, but now he could feel so much more.
The energy and spatial flow in the dungeon expressed themselves like waves.
Not as lines or planes, but spatially, hundreds of three-dimensional waves were etched onto the map.
Of course, fatigue piled up as he accepted and interpreted all of this.
‘Is that massive wave the core? It’s thick and has a wide impact, reaching here just barely. If I invest a day, I could reach the core.’
Though fatigue accumulated, there was a harvest of sorts.
By manifesting spatial powers all day, he became capable of capturing more spatial waves, changes, and flows.
‘Can’t use that as an attack. If I unleash a strike instead of a wave, it feels like the space would crack.’
Lee Ha-yul sensed the spatial waves flowing smoothly even beyond the barrier he had set up with a strange expression.
Even though it was a high-level protective magic, it couldn’t block the spatial waves.
From the outset, the magic added was ‘interference by spatial magic,’ not resistance against ‘space’ itself.
Whatever may be the case, his perception of space was rising.
It would probably be efficient to find the hidden entrance like this.
If he had to open a door, he’d similarly need to use spatial powers to do so.
Thanks to this, he gained a little confidence in an uncertain answer within just a day.
For now, he had practically accomplished his first goal of entering the dungeon.
– Yum
That was why Lee Ha-yul felt he had no room to spare.
He had been training his spatial powers, spirit arts, and necromancy all day.
By the time evening set in, he had inscribed complex magic on the foundation of the base prepared by Choi Ji-yeon.
Moreover, at this very moment, he was meticulously maneuvering his powers, leaving no mental space for trivial matters.
To put it bluntly, even casual chat was hard.
“How does it taste? After all—”
[It’s delicious]
“If you use a lot of this along with… what do you call it?”
Having thoughtlessly popped a pill that Choi Ji-yeon had given him into his mouth, he harbored a trust in her.
He didn’t even bother to use his observation.
If it were someone he didn’t trust? He would have analyzed it first to understand its ingredients.
If anything harmful like poison was detected, he would have used various methods to figure out the circumstances.
But because it was Choi Ji-yeon.
She had no reason to harm him, so he just took the pill.
– Omnomnom
So, enjoying the crunchiness in his mouth, he felt a vitality gently seeping into his body with every little crumble.
The freshness that felt like rain pouring on a dry desert was quite enjoyable.
If he had to compare, it felt similar to peppermint candy?
“…Junior.”
[Yes]
Responding while rubbing his cheeks with his tongue due to the lingering taste, he could perceive Choi Ji-yeon without actively monitoring.
The presence she occupied in space.
Taesan, solid as a heavy rock, akin to the earth itself.
The outline of the empty void where wind couldn’t fill, Choi Ji-yeon’s texture, her breath, and heartbeat…
He gathered all of them together and sketched them onto the map.
Since he already had a grasp of her appearance through observation, it came together quite well.
Choi Ji-yeon was standing stiff like a stone with her hands tucked into her pockets.
[?]
What’s wrong with her?
Lee Ha-yul tilted his head.
[Senior, what’s wrong?]
“……”
Suddenly, Choi Ji-yeon’s demeanor became weird.
He used observation.
Choi Ji-yeon’s distinct appearance registered in his mind.
A face drained of color, void of vitality.
She didn’t look well at all.
[Are you hurt? Why so suddenly…?]
With a stiff expression, Lee Ha-yul jumped to his feet and approached her.
Then, he conducted a detailed observation of her, including her inner state.
From the crown of her head to her toes, he scrutinized all her components.
‘…There’s nothing strange though?’
He found no physical injury.
Choi Ji-yeon was physically fine.
Lee Ha-yul, who intended to diagnose and treat her if anything was wrong, tilted his head even more.
“Junior.”
[Yes… Huh?]
In the middle of her reply, she somehow lifted him up.
With her hands tucked under his arms, Choi Ji-yeon raised Lee Ha-yul.
While gazing at Lee Ha-yul, who was filled with question marks above his head, Choi Ji-yeon set him on her thigh.
Suddenly held in her arms, Lee Ha-yul tilted his head, startled by the soft flesh brushing against his nose.
He had hugged her a few times before, but he wasn’t so familiar to bury his face in her embrace like this.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
– Plick? Bueeee…
At that moment, as he subtly pulled his head back, Choi Ji-yeon’s hand snatched his chin.
It was a gentle grip to ensure he wouldn’t feel pain, but mixed in with a hint of coercion… a peculiar gesture.
Suddenly held by the chin, Lee Ha-yul found himself unable to move.
Choi Ji-yeon forcefully squeezed his cheeks with her fingers.
His cheeks squished naturally, making his mouth open slightly.
– Beeee…?
Choi Ji-yeon peeked into Lee Ha-yul’s mouth.
In his slightly opened mouth, a tiny pink tongue flicked around.
Caught off guard by having his mouth examined, Lee Ha-yul blushed and twisted his body.
– Uh, bueeee, ehhh…
[Um, why are you suddenly doing this… wait, it smells…!]
“…It only smells good, so just stay still.”
Such resistance was immediately shot down by Choi Ji-yeon’s reply.
It wasn’t an empty statement.
Right now, Choi Ji-yeon had no leisure to care about smells, but the only scent felt was that of sweet honey.
“……”
Smells good? What should he respond to that?
He had buried his face in someone else’s embarrassing parts before, ended up saying it smelled nice.
But now that he was on the receiving end, he had no idea what to say.
Without a choice, unable to come up with an appropriate answer, Lee Ha-yul sought refuge in her embrace, opening his mouth willingly.
‘…On the outside, everything seems fine.’
Thus, Choi Ji-yeon could calmly examine Lee Ha-yul’s mouth and tongue.
‘No, this isn’t even an issue that would show on the outside…’
Typically, most medicinal ingredients have a strong bitter taste.
That’s due to the nature of the ingredients themselves, and they often intentionally add bitterness so people wouldn’t carelessly place them in their mouths.
Of course, that isn’t always the case.
Valuable medicinal ingredients carry a vibe that indicates what they are just by looking.
So, people can often figure out whether it’s medicine without even putting it in their mouth, and sometimes, it’s just adequately edible.
Especially for medicinal ingredients aimed at children, they may have a sweet taste.
In reality, most of the medicinal ingredients Lee Ha-yul encountered had been sweet.
He didn’t taste them himself, but the elixirs shared around him were all those that had some regard for flavor.
Hong Yeon-hwa always brought him sweet ones in case he disliked bitter flavors, insisting he try them because they were sweet.
Atra had been preparing sweet types since seeing him unconsciously whine about not wanting medicine while in a hospital bed.
Others assumed that Lee Ha-yul wouldn’t enjoy bitter tastes at first glance, so they prepared sweet elixirs as if he were a child.
But the pill that Choi Ji-yeon gave him was different.
That pill was primarily made from the roots of a beastly plant grown at the Taesan main house.
The roots of the beastly plant are basically very bitter.
Even after processing with other ingredients, a strong bitterness remains.
Thus, Choi Ji-yeon had handed him the pill first, fearing he’d whine about the bitterness, and offered him something sweet to ease it into his mouth.
– It’s delicious
Could it… actually taste good?
Choi Ji-yeon bit her lip.
Did Lee Ha-yul particularly like bitter tastes? But would he really refer to it as delicious?
‘…Poison.’
Amidst her troubling thoughts, an ominous idea surfaced in Choi Ji-yeon’s mind.
Poison harms living beings.
That was true even before the great upheaval.
In this world where the concept of uniqueness has emerged, varieties of poison exist, with many possessing malice.
They can easily end a life and, even if they don’t kill right away, they can cling stubbornly, torturing the poisoned victim.
‘Two-headed poison dragon.’
When thinking of monsters possessing poison, the two-headed poison dragon instantly comes to mind.
The poison it exudes from one of its heads is deemed debased and incredibly potent.
During the subjugation of the two-headed poison dragon, numerous superhumans had perished from its poison; many others suffered aftereffects and struggled.
The symptoms varied, too.
Bodies rotting from extremities, withering away, and skin cracking like parched fields…
Gradually losing their senses.
‘……’
Lee Ha-yul had fought against the two-headed poison dragon, teetering on the brink of death.
During that struggle, wasn’t he at risk of being poisoned?
Having battled a monster primarily using poison?
While engaging in a life-or-death struggle?
No matter how optimistically he thought, he couldn’t help but feel that it was unlikely.
‘Ugh…’
Suddenly a wave of nausea rose within.
Choi Ji-yeon pressed her lips tightly together.
– Gukgukguk…
He could feel vibrations in his head. It felt like solidified stone was shaking.
His head throbbed.
The past’s karma was rearing its ugly head once again.
It might not be true.
It could be her misjudgment.
In reality, Lee Ha-yul could be tasting nothing… or maybe, it wasn’t even her fault.
…To confirm that, he needed to ask.
But the prospect of hearing the answer frightened him far too much.
– Pooook
At that moment, warmth gradually enveloped him.
His body, which had been stiffening like a rock from the extremities, relaxed warmly.
Choi Ji-yeon stared down blankly.
[I’m not sure why you’re like this, but it’s okay.]
With arms stretched out, he hugged her tightly, and Lee Ha-yul nestled into her embrace.
Crumbling fire… A tiny flame ignited from his shoulder.
It was Gop-hwa.
But unlike usual Gop-hwa, it wasn’t threatening.
It simply flickered gently, as if to convey warmth.
[I don’t know the situation, but how about calming down for now?]
[Uh… It feels nice and warm, right? Also, holding on like this makes me feel better when I’m down, you know?]
Lee Ha-yul stammered as he spoke.
He didn’t understand why Choi Ji-yeon was acting like this.
Even with observation, some facts were beyond understanding.
But sensing that Choi Ji-yeon was rapidly sinking into despair, he embraced her tightly.
Since he felt better when held by someone, he thought others might feel the same—a simple conclusion.
– A tight hug…!
– Buup
Thankfully, it seemed to work; Choi Ji-yeon hugged him back tightly.
With all her strength, she buried him in her embrace.
Their bellies pressed together, his face buried in her full softness.
Lee Ha-yul felt the suffocating sensation while gently patting the back of Choi Ji-yeon, who was trembling slightly.
“Phew… Hoo…”
He could feel her labored breath brushing against his crown.
Though she had been heaving heavily like hyperventilating before, signs of improvement became visible.
The temporary base inside was painted in a mix of the light from magic artifacts and the glow of Gop-hwa.
It was a warm blend of colors.
Within that warmth, Choi Ji-yeon held Lee Ha-yul close for a while, calming her mind and body.
‘Hugging is a truly excellent method of healing.’
Lee Ha-yul, who had experienced it firsthand, realized this truth also applied to Choi Ji-yeon.
Sharing body heat through close contact was a wonderful remedy for the mind.
Nodding at that realization, he exhaled deeply.
…Though his face was buried in softness, making it hard to nod, and the flesh blocking his nose made it difficult to breathe.
‘…Wow…’
In that state, Lee Ha-yul had a strange expression.
Realizing anew just how massive Choi Ji-yeon’s chest was.
It was larger than his head… He could feel its softness even through her thick clothing and undergarments.
It was smaller than Lianna’s but larger than Hong Yeon-hwa and Atra’s.
About the same as Baek Ahrin’s, or perhaps slightly larger? Though it seemed smaller than Elia’s.
Lee Ha-yul subconsciously compared the fullness of her chest.
Above all, after the detailed observation earlier, he had significant data.
And soon, realizing it was inappropriate to think about this regarding Choi Ji-yeon, he immediately tossed that information into the garbage can.
– Please, someone help…!
A voice struck Lee Ha-yul’s mind like thunder at that moment.
His closed eyes flew open wide.
What an exotic sensation.
He had experienced voices resonating in his head multiple times before.
The premonition of thoughts immersed in mana and ringing in his ears.
His core ability originating from the Chlorophyll line.
Imagery conveyed to him by spirits.
This felt remarkably akin to the spirit communication method but even more direct.
The sound exploded in his head.
Not mere words or sentences relayed to him.
Also conveyed were despair, urgency, and a tiny hope they wished for.
The location of that voice was relayed as well.
Inside this dungeon, quite a distance away… close to the core?
It came through with pinpoint accuracy like a distress signal.
‘Manifestation, spatial leap.’
He reflexively activated his powers.
“Uh, uhhh…?”
As Lee Ha-yul calmed down in Choi Ji-yeon’s arms, she saw the surroundings ripple as if they were submerged in water.
It was a phenomenon they had experienced together once in China.
“Wait a moment, Junior… Damn it, not again…!”
The waves of space swallowed the two of them and one united scream.
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