“Number 2, Number 3. Provocation.”
Lee Yeon-hee occasionally used provocation to strengthen the defenses against the monsters. The summoned creatures were withstanding stagnation quite well, though I didn’t know their resistance level.
And then, I saw a being creating a sea of fire all around us amidst the summoned creatures.
“Looks like that one is from a whole different world.”
Bae Joo-ah said it with exasperation, but she was already immersed in the overwhelming scene. Her eyes diligently followed Yil-wol.
“I need to step it up… Or I really might have no place here.”
“This dungeon is special, after all. We just have to do well from tomorrow.”
Yeon-hee comforted a downcast Ah-rin and gazed at Yil-wol’s one-man show.
“Ha ha! This is easy. Too easy!”
I was really pumped for the first time in ages. No, it was always fun fighting monsters. I wanted to fully relish this time where I could truly feel my strength.
“Hmm—”
It seemed I wouldn’t need the Skeleton Bombs anymore.
[Fireball]
[Fireball]
[Fireball]
– Defeat 10,000 enemies using a skill with an attribute. (177/10,000)
“At this rate, I might achieve it faster than I thought?”
The over a hundred ghosts were too busy fleeing, panicking from the rain of fireballs.
– Kiiiieeek…!
Were they recalling memories from when they were human? I saw some of them grabbing their heads and fleeing in panic.
“Where are you going—?!”
[Stagnant Sneaky Drain]
– Absorbs 2 resistance temporarily!
– The enemy falls into a status anomaly [Stagnation]!
I tried using my newly acquired skill on the fleeing ghost.
As it fell into stagnation, it drooped like a wet rag on the ground, spasming like a mirage.
“Puh-huh! What a sight.”
Was I the first to see a ghost in stagnation? I’d never heard of a hunter with the ability to steal monsters’ skills.
Puh-weng! Puh-puh-puh-peng!
After firing dozens of fireballs in quick succession, other hunters from different parties suddenly started just watching me fight.
– Wow…
– This is insane. If we filmed this, it’d definitely get a million views.
– Isn’t this a bit too leisurely? I feel like we can’t even win if we all teamed up…
– Don’t say that. Words can become reality. Even if they’re summoned creatures under control, they’re still monsters. You never know when they might turn on us.
– No way…
“No, what are you guys doing? Instead of chatting, how about ending this quickly? Ugh—”
It didn’t feel great to be the only one doing all the work, but I was too busy dispatching monsters because of the fun I derived from watching my quest progress.
– Mana has been fully restored!
As my mana dropped below 50, the second effect of the mana circuit instantly restored my mana to full capacity.
Brrrr—
“Ughhhh— I’m gonna die— truly top-grade mana circuits!”
Even if it was once a day, just how huge that one time in the dungeon was… No words could express it. And as the mana quantity increased, the amount healed at once also grew, making it a skill that favored growth.
Hwa-rrr-rrr-!
As the flames only grew stronger, hunters who had been peeking around to help me gradually retreated to the outskirts.
– Go ahead, take it all for yourself. Damn.
– See? This is why they should split the ranks more. Who would believe that’s the same D rank? With how that one summoned creature is taking down the boss, it could be mistaken for a C rank.
– Exactly… The level difference is just too vast. It’s so deflating.
“What were those guys gasping at from the start?”
Even after helping a little, it was outrageous that they still talked like that.
I knew they were worn out not because of me, but because there were no defeat rewards. So, I decided to let it slide this once.
– All monsters in the area have been defeated!
– Trait [Obsession] frantically gathers mana stones scattered on the battlefield.
– You have obtained the 103rd Intermediate Mana Stone in this dungeon!
“Hmm… The mana stones that were supposed to go to Yeon-hee ended up with me. Not that it matters.”
Even though these were intermediate mana stones, they were of good quality, with one going for 70,000 won. Since I gathered over 100 of those, I felt pretty satisfied with today’s earnings.
“Wow— I really did it all by myself, Yil-wol.”
“That’s insane. Wasn’t he not that monstrous when fighting the orcs…? Is it really possible to get this strong in just a few days? Yeon-hee, is it true that the first summoned creature has some special ability?”
“No?! Uh, no… There’s nothing special other than the lack of mana consumption…”
“So that means his abilities are entirely his own? Is he the crème de la crème among Skeleton Soldiers?”
“Thanks to him, we cleared it easily. The number of ghosts today was just rude.”
“Told you.”
Joo-ah and Ah-rin made some complaints, but their faces were brighter than ever.
“Skeleton… Yil-wol…”
“Yes?”
“Uh-uh…?”
“Weren’t you saying something?”
“I didn’t say anything…”
Yeon-hee kept feeling uneasy hearing Ham Eun-young muttering, as she kept mentioning Yil-wol’s name. But since Ham Eun-young had done her part in both dungeons, she didn’t feel like objecting.
[Thank you, everyone. You completed it very quickly~ Thank you. The exit is on the opposite side of the entrance~]
The exit message from the staff echoed forth as if they’d been waiting for us. They seemed more than pleased to leave early thanks to our efforts.
“Doesn’t the way that person talks sound just like a cosmetics store employee?”
“Isn’t it weird not to say ‘the exit is the opposite side?'”
“Heh, is it?”
I returned to Yeon-hee’s side, holding the bulging bag of mana stones.
Even without looking, I knew this was our primary source of income today, so there was undoubtable satisfaction written on our party members’ faces.
“It’s over-!”
As soon as we stepped out of the abandoned school, Ah-rin spread her arms wide to fully enjoy the sense of liberation.
For her, this dungeon must have been stressful second by second.
At least, there wouldn’t be any more dungeons featuring incorporeal monsters like this, so she wouldn’t have to face hard times like today again.
Of course, in the D-rank dungeon’s end content ‘Nargul’s Dungeon,’ she would meet incorporeal monsters like Specters, but they’d only show up occasionally more like a garnish.
“You’ll need to shine next time.”
Of course, the next location, the ‘Harpies’ Nest,’ might not be the most suitable for her, but at least it would be far better than this place.
The return trip after the battle was quite relaxing. Since ghosts clustered nearby the abandoned school due to the dungeon’s nature, it couldn’t be helped, but the party members seemed to link that reason straight to me.
“Ha— with Yil-wol as the guide, this feels so comfortable. I’m sorry for not noticing until now!”
“Tap—”
“From the next dungeon onward, we’ll put in the effort too. We won’t be riding piggyback like today. I promise!”
“I got it, just… ”
The entrance to the abandoned school was about 5 kilometers away. If we walked straight without special encounters, we could cover that distance in 70 to 80 minutes.
However, during that time, they kept trying to talk to me, making my concentration a bit scattered. It seemed they were bothered about having handed over the whole fight to me.
Not that it mattered much. There are matchups. From the perspective of the dungeon’s monsters, I was the worst opponent due to my high resistance to status abnormalities.
Step—
On the way, we were joined by a few other parties who had just faced a boss battle with us. We agreed not to speak to each other, but we clearly fell into the conversation, focusing on our party.
“That’s the skeleton from earlier.”
“I heard he’s the Grim Reaper.”
“Was that ever a nickname it had? For a monster to have a nickname already… but it does suit him. But wouldn’t the actual Grim Reaper get into a brawl over that name?”
“Doesn’t that guy call himself a Shinigami?”
“That’s what it means. I heard he’s utterly insane. He’d pick a fight if there’s an incident.”
“I heard he’s strong enough to go crazy. Who would dare challenge him? Who would stop him if he complained about using his name?”
‘Shinigami… the image of a massive scythe springs to mind.’
… If I got tangled up in that guy, it’d be a hassle… Should I ask Kang Yeon-su for some media control?
Going to talk to her as my original self might be more effective. I wonder if a cup of coffee would be enough to cover the price?
I recalled her blushing face when she first saw me at the guild building. Of course, she hadn’t shown that expression again since then. Hmm… I’ll have to think it through.
But can I eat anything while in the [Mimicry] state?
Pop-pop-pop—
While thinking about this and even manufacturing Skeleton Bombs, we eventually reached the exit.
We stepped outside the gate, split the mana stones, and headed towards our homes. Ah-rin proposed another drink to Yeon-hee, but Yeon-hee seemed unprepared.
“I-I’ll definitely join next time.”
“You promised!”
“Yes.”
The journey home after dungeon exploration was always delightful.
Her profile sitting next to me on the bus caught the reflected light and created a deeper ambiance than usual. Wow… why does she look this pretty even without makeup?
…..
However, unlike usual, she had her mouth tightly shut during the bus ride. It was odd since there were no other passengers apart from the driver. Hmm…
I could feel my heart racing more than usual. Is she, too, perhaps feeling tense like me?
‘Mimicry… is this all happening because I’m becoming something else? I don’t know. I’ll just close my eyes. It feels like she’s resolutely trying to keep her thoughts from me.’
When we reached home, Yeon-hee dashed toward me like lightning after going through her usual routine.
She washed up, changed clothes, and had dinner all at least 40 minutes faster than usual.
“Ha— I can’t hold it anymore. Show me.”
‘……’
“About that Mimicry. You can do it, right? Or maybe the conditions for using it aren’t met right now? Is it the case that I can’t use it on the day I obtain the skill?”
Just from what she said, it was almost certain she couldn’t see the details of my status window.
If she could, she would’ve bombarded me with questions about who Yoon Han-gyeol is.
She likely only had vague conjectures seeing just the skill name.
Then I should call Ran as originally planned for the translation. Right now, you’re the only one I can turn into, Yeon-hee.
She was commanding me with her eyes to show her quickly. Since she hardly gives me orders, it was hard to resist when she’s that determined.
“……”
‘…… Something feels off…’
Having lived my whole life depending on senses, I felt a different intuition that rivaled a woman’s sixth sense. Of course, that’s just my belief.
Gaze—
‘She’s staring intensely… something feels subtly different from usual. What is it? Hmm… I can’t figure it out.’
“Ran, can you translate for me?”
(Yes, Master!)
‘… Whenever I don’t know what to do, my motto is to do nothing, but… it seems unavoidable. My body is reacting to her order to show myself.’
I may have a bit more freedom than other summoned creatures, but I’m still her summoned creature. A tidal wave of desire to quickly show her my mimicry was bursting out.
With an expression full of anticipation, Yeon-hee was looking at me intently. With such fervor, I couldn’t refuse. My mind went blank, and my gaze locked onto her amethyst eyes.
Was the unease I felt earlier just my misunderstanding? I don’t know. Who cares? Let’s just transform first and think later.
As I adjusted my posture, she suddenly jumped in surprise and began regaining her breath.
“Ha— just a moment, deep breaths.”
‘……’
Yeon-hee’s breathing was considerably erratic; she genuinely seemed tense. Ironically, I was the one who should be more nervous.
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“Okay! Show me, show me!”
“Tap, Tap, Tap!”
[Mimicry]
‘Transforming into Summoner Lee Yeon-hee.’
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