“Excuse me?”
I was taken aback by the statement that didn’t quite fit the situation, but I recalled Leo’s unique traits.
A beneficiary of race change, Nymph.
Possessing superior physical abilities compared to humans and high affinity with spirits, he has the unique trait of having the mindset of a “young child.”
Of course, it doesn’t mean his intelligence is at the level of a child, but right now, it seemed like he was more consumed by penalties, making him seem closer to a child.
“Hmm.”
Seeing those bright, sparkling eyes, it didn’t seem like there was any scheme at play.
It really looks like he just wants to see it.
“Hatchling.”
“Yes! I really, really want to see it!”
Leo seriously clenched his tiny fist.
[LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL]
[Leo is so cute]
[What’s with the sudden temperature change]
[?]
[He was acting cool just a moment ago, and now he’s turned into a child]
[Hatchling is a definite yes]
[Suddenly?]
[The penalty is seriously scary for real]
[The cost of becoming the strongest…]
[Are you going to show it?]
[Something feels off]
[That’s a bit…]
[Isn’t it fine though LOL]
[It is cute]
[Are you planning to act innocent before attacking?]
Many people here, including those in the chat, expressed concerns about whether there was some sort of scheme, but showing it wasn’t difficult.
After all, I had quite a good relationship with Leo, and we weren’t on bad terms at all.
Moreover, no matter how much of an empire or a penalty it was, if it’s the Leo I know, he wouldn’t attack a hatchling or play any tricks.
However, there are quite a few eyes watching now.
I’m with the kingdom.
Leo is with the empire.
Leo truly just wants to see it, but there would be those who would be dissatisfied with showing ‘Sugarado,’ the core of this raid.
Exposing the crux of it all to the enemy just like that.
It was an ambiguous situation to agree to without any reason other than mere friendship.
I momentarily pondered while looking at Leo and suddenly had a thought.
“Oh. That could work.”
“?”
“Sounds good. Very, very good. Please come over.”
“….What?”
Leo stepped back hesitantly, looking somewhat uneasy.
But it was already too late.
[?]
[No way…]
■
Why are Nymph’s cheeks so soft?
I had touched them in the past, but it’s still one of the unsolved mysteries.
The softness and elasticity that can’t even be compared to an ordinary human’s body.
“Whoa…”
Of course, the celestial race’s body has superior performance, but this was more about the feeling.
The specs may be better in the celestial race, but the ‘feeling’ is definitely much better with the Nymph?
“Can I resist this…?”
The addictiveness was so strong that I felt like I could touch it all day…
“Th-th-that’s enough!”
“Got it!”
Leo, who was being rubbed on the cheeks, stepped back, puffing with anger.
They were so shiny from all the rubbing, but they didn’t seem to have worn down at all.
Nymph, being part ethereal, always maintained a clean state without needing special care.
I lowered my hand with a disappointed expression.
“Already?”
“Wha-what do you mean already! It’s been 30 minutes!”
It’s only been 30 minutes though.
[Hahaha!]
[Rubbed Leo…]
[I wanna…! I wanna rub too!]
[Cute Lily pouting]
[So funny, lol]
[What are they doing?]
[It’s amazing Lily can rub for 30 minutes]
[Leo being treated like a hatchling, haha]
[Those cheeks are a definite win, lol]
[Is this really the Leo who talked about empires?]
[What happened to the cool Leo? Why is only the chubby Nymph left?]
[For real, lol]
[Hahaha!]
“Ugh… I want to see the hatchling too. I’m getting dizzy here.”
“Oh. Was that the problem?”
Speaking now, huh?
I flicked my hand.
A pure white hatchling Sugarado popped out of the space.
“Woooorrr!”
“Oh.”
Sugarado looked around the room designated for me and Leo.
In just 2 weeks, it had grown quite a bit and now boasted the size of a large dog.
For a dragon, it was still small, but compared to Leo…
“…It’s big, right?”
“Of course. It’s a dragon.”
Despite appearances, it belonged to the ancient dragon race.
And it was an ice dragon that boasted quite a size compared to other dragons.
Though it was about the size of a young large dog, it was huge compared to Leo, who looked like a young child.
If it stands up, it might be 2 to 3 times Leo’s size?
Leo’s eyes sparkled with the sight of Sugarado.
Its face still retained that baby look, but it was ten times bigger than when I first saw it.
Especially considering how small Nymph was compared to it.
“Wow?”
“Ah.”
Flap.
Sugarado flew over in front of Leo.
As it tilted its head in observation, it soon lost interest and passed Leo to come over to me.
It seemed to react like it didn’t want to get too close.
Leo approached me with a look of despair, as if the world was ending.
With his tiny hands, he made a little circle.
“It was definitely this small a week ago… like, this small…”
“A week ago? Oh, that was before it molted.”
Back then, it was about the size of Leo.
I could have held it in one arm back then.
‘Now that’s impossible.’
Still, not wanting to let go of hope, Leo cautiously reached out his hand.
He pushed.
Seeing Leo like that, Sugarado snorted.
Leo looked at me with trembling pupils.
“Can I touch it?”
“Whoa!”
“It’s okay.”
Despite appearances, he’s a decent student.
Ugh! Leo suddenly hugged the hatchling.
“Wowww…”
“…Ugh.”
‘Who is cuddling whom?’
It honestly looked more like being cuddled…
“Hehe… It’s not that stiff after all. I knew it.”
Leo seemed genuinely happy.
[So why are you really here?]
“Did you really come for the raid?”
“Yup.”
Leo, who was petting Sugarado earnestly, replied.
It definitely seemed plausible…
“Really? Is there absolutely no other reason?”
“Even if you ask like that, I don’t know. What I heard is that the empire is joining the raid. Hehe.”
“So when did you log in?”
“Other than a quick trip to the bathroom and to eat, about 38 hours ago…?”
SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1YkU5K2Zzb2pjcGdEU3o1ZEJZRy94YVI1Rkd2bkhwVkptOHhjd2U5bUJvaA
?
[?]
[Huh?]
[38 hours?]
[Is Leo insane?]
[What have you been doing lololol]
[No wonder he wasn’t in his right mind]
[The kid must have been losing it]
[Penalty MAX lolololol]
[? lololololol]
[It’s serious, isn’t it?]
[The penalty must be insane]
[This is serious game addiction!]
[Compared to Lily’s 70-hour streaming…]
[Gasp]
’38 hours?’
No wonder he looked more excessive than usual, but it was way longer than I thought.
Even I knew that when you log out, the penalty doesn’t just disappear immediately; it takes some time for the penalty number to decrease.
But in this case, he was going in and out before the penalty could even start dropping…
“At this rate, it feels like he’s going to end up living here permanently.”
“Huh?”
Isn’t the penalty not lifting anymore?
[Agreed]
[For real lol]
[Get a grip!]
[This kid’s lost it; shouldn’t Deoen compensate him for this?]
[lololololol]
“Still, isn’t Leo acting normally? He seems fine coming in and out.”
“At this point, it might be more normal to have the penalty.”
“Let’s just have him live as a Nymph forever.”
“But doesn’t Leo have a real-life to live?”
[Gasp]
[The penalty is so scary lol]
[This might not be so bad?]
Leo wasn’t just ignoring it; he suddenly whipped his head!
“Ah, no, that’s not it. I’m okay.”
“Usually, someone who’s not okay says they’re okay.”
“So does that mean someone who’s okay says they’re not okay?!”
“Is that so!”
Suddenly, Leo shot up, causing Sugarado, who was clinging to him, to jump back in surprise.
As if waiting for this moment, Sugarado hid behind me.
“Ah.”
“…….”
“This is, um, a mistake. Really.”
“Sure.”
“I’m serious. Really, really serious.”
“I believe you.”
Anyway, the imperial army, including Leo, is participating in the raid.
If the empire’s goal is indeed to hunt the World Boss, then there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Right now, various kingdoms, alliances, and users with many objectives are gathered here, and the empire is just one of them.
Leo stared at Sugarado with quite a bit of disappointment before walking over to a chair and sitting down.
“I’m actually more curious about Lady Lily.”
“?”
“She sealed an incredible boss, raised a hatchling, and, well, as the first discoverer, she doesn’t claim any rights!”
“……”
“Usually, first discoverers claim such rights. Even if they can’t defeat it alone, they still get recognized.”
The rewards for defeating the World Boss are beyond imagination.
The baseline is mythical, and sometimes items that can be called ‘beyond mythical’ appear.
And the guild or kingdom rewards the first discoverer with either the rewards that came out or previously held treasures.
They value the rights of the first discoverer that much.
“But? Lady Lily just says to go ahead and defeat it without claiming anything. She even released the seal for those who were agitated because of the empire.”
Oh, and…
“People attacking the hatchling, she just lets them be! If it were me, I would totally smash them all!”
“…You seem a bit different now.”
“I’m the same as always.”
No, not really. Quite different.
The penalties are the same, but something changed.
If anything, yes…
‘Is it the empire’s stance now?’
[Why suddenly thinking rationally? LOL]
[ROFL]
[So the penalty isn’t a lie?]
[Why are you so calm all of a sudden?]
[Info) The penalty doesn’t lower intelligence, just acts like a child.]
[Sharp observation.]
[But seriously, why doesn’t Lily get anything?]
[True, but it’s weird she gets nothing.]
Leo leaned forward with his short arms resting on the table.
“And the most important thing.”
“……”
“Why could you defeat it alone but still give it to others?”
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