Even if I tried to let go of my lingering feelings, I just couldn’t shake off my thoughts completely.
On my way home, I pondered various possibilities.
[Incompatible Rage]
– Attack power increases in proportion to the gap between me and the opponent.
“The effectiveness of this achievement depends on how much power it displays. It hasn’t been activated yet.”
If she’s an A-rank bodyguard, then there’s quite a gap between us, so she should be of considerable help.
“There’s no need to kill the bodyguards… they’re not villains. I have to get by without resorting to self-destruction somehow.”
I thought that after my job change, I’d see some kind of shape to my abilities.
“I’ll teach those Ilseom guys a lesson tomorrow, and if I’m lucky, I might even level up. A few dungeon runs, and it shouldn’t take long.”
I calculated that I’d be able to strike down the Great Evil One Haseirin within at least a fortnight as I stepped into my home.
“What are they doing, staying up all night?”
My companions seemed exhausted in the afternoon, as if they’d collapse at any moment, but as soon as training ended, they were wide awake, chatting away in the living room.
They started discussing how much money I must have made to move into such a nice house and how long I’d keep working as a hunter.
Most of the conversation revolved around our landlord, Yeon-hee.
But the talk eventually drifted to the impending battle with Ilseom.
“I mean, who walks right into a trap? Does the ‘Vision Guild’ not do anything? Is that their style of training?”
“Ah, they said they’d send someone. An A-rank top-tier hunter, no less.”
“Even so!”
Noh Ha-yoon kept telling me not to worry since I’d handle everything, yet she kept wandering into Yeon-hee’s bedroom.
“Hey, Noh Ha-yoon. Why are you so interested in Yeon-hee’s bedroom?”
“I don’t know, just thought it’d feel… different doing it here…”
“What are you talking about? Speak clearly!”
‘… Is this for real? Do you have to fill in all those imaginative gaps?’
I shook my head and went outside for Irmana’s ritual.
In the front yard, the laughter of children drifted out like a song.
‘It’s peaceful. I should invite the kids over to play more often. Being with Yeon-hee feels different and brings a unique joy…’
As I was placing Irmana’s statue on the ground, a woman entered my sensory area.
A woman with a small height but hiding quite a bit of volume was a shadow member from Ilseom, who once got caught spying on our house.
The one I had scolded at the church and had set my own traps for.
‘Her name was Mi-yeon. She arrived quickly.’
She had told me to contact her whenever something happened with Ilseom, yet here she was the night before the battle.
Using my remaining disguise, I approached Mi-yeon, and she greeted me with slightly less tension than the last time we met.
“Hello…”
“Why are you so late?”
“Uh… s-sorry…”
“Let’s go over there.”
“Where- Aah!”
I picked her up and moved to a secluded place where I had activated my disguise earlier.
Tap-
“Haah… Ugh!”
Even after arriving, I didn’t let her out of my arms.
– [Disguise] activated, greatly increases attractiveness.
Since I had confirmed before that this effect was quite useful, I needed to enchant her even more in this moment.
“Haa…”
As I gently wrapped my waist around her and looked at her, Mi-yeon’s eyes darted around.
I briefly locked eyes with her, verifying her focus was fading, then spoke.
“Tell me the information you brought.”
“Ah… um, yes. It’s about…”
Seeing that Mi-yeon was having trouble gathering her thoughts, I loosened my grip for a moment.
As we separated a bit, she let out a trembling sigh, struggling to extract meaningful information from her mind.
“The people competing tomorrow… they’re hunters not registered with the Ilseom Guild.”
“… Are they outsiders?”
“No, it’s not that… There’s another shadow organization focused on physical strength, and they’re from there. People trained around hidden dungeons since they were young…”
“Ah… so they are specialized in the arena where we’re set to duel tomorrow.”
“Y-yes. Plus, I heard they selected those with the most exceptional talents.”
“Well, that’s obvious. That can’t be all? That’s something I can predict. We have Ah-rin, who’s from Ilseom on our side, so I knew people training in that specific space would show up.”
To be more precise, that was only half the story.
‘To think they were cultivating talent there from such a young age? Did they gather orphans? What could they possibly gain from doing something that sneaky? Unless the whole world changes the environment…’
My head became a bit tangled, but I focused back on the present.
“Of course there’s more. This is actually more sensitive information…”
“Ooh- great. Spill it.”
“Uh… It’s just…?”
“?”
I momentarily wondered what she was getting at, but then realized Mi-yeon wanted something from me.
“Uh… what do you want?”
I could just brush her off aggressively, but she might come in handy later. I should at least hear her out.
“I just… want your contact info…”
‘That’s not happening.’
I simply couldn’t provide that. After all, I don’t have a phone!
“That’s a no-go. Suggest something else.”
“Um, well…”
Mi-yeon looked disappointed but quickly began brainstorming.
“Just… just hold my hand once…”
“What?”
‘Holding hands? Is that enough?’
“Are you asking me to hold your hand?”
“Yes…”
Since it was nothing significant, I immediately took her hand.
“Ah… wow…”
But unlike how I thought it’d be a light moment, Mi-yeon closed her eyes, looking overjoyed as she concentrated on the sensation.
‘I don’t get it. Did she really fall under my spell or something? That seems too far…? Showing personal feelings toward a target while spying…’
Mi-yeon played with my hand for quite a while, and soon her skin flushed red up to her neck.
‘Come to think of it, she wore a skirt today, huh?’
Her knee-length blue skirt paired with a white blouse and cardigan only just caught my attention.
Feeling like I had taken enough of this, I finally let go of her hand.
“Ah! N-no, don’t.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Th-that… I’m s-sorry—”
She fumbled her words and hesitated to say anything more.
‘She really is naive. Or is my ability making her comply?’
Since it wasn’t confirmed through a skill, I couldn’t be sure.
“Now, spill it.”
“Haa… um, about an item. There’s a special kind of drug.”
“Drug? What kind of effect does it have?”
“It temporarily enhances physical abilities with almost no side effects.”
“There’s no way there are no side effects to artificially boosting combat power.”
I tilted my head in disbelief, and Mi-yeon stared at me intently as she continued speaking.
“I heard they mixed materials harvested from hidden dungeons to make it.”
“Hmm… I see. Hidden dungeons, huh…”
‘This is some impressive information?’
Keeping a neutral expression, I spoke.
“You must have had quite a hard time. You didn’t just hear about it, did you? You must’ve put in a lot of effort to dig up this intel, right?”
No way such high-level information would simply be floating around as rumors.
Mi-yeon quietly nodded, her face flushed.
“Manage your risks wisely. If you get caught, it’ll be a headache in many ways.”
“I’ll be careful…”
“Good. Then come see me next time you have more valuable information.”
“Ah! Uh, um.”
“Yes?”
“I was wondering… could we stay together for, um, ten minutes… no, just five minutes?”
“If you keep wanting more, that’ll be a problem.”
“Please, just once…”
I hesitated for a moment, but considering her cautious attitude and various factors, she didn’t seem like the clingy type. I eventually agreed.
“But you have to stay quiet. Just sit still for real, okay?”
“Okay… thank you…”
‘Isn’t that a bit overly dramatic?’
For the first time, I felt a bit scared of my ability.
Since we weren’t too far from a walking path, we moved in that direction and sat to quietly observe those passing by below.
Seated on a bench, Mi-yeon swayed her legs gently, completely revealing her excitement.
I felt a slight sense of guilt, but maybe due to the lingering mental pollution, that feeling quickly faded away.
‘I don’t know. She had it coming even if I had killed her, so just letting her live is more than enough.’
I made excuses to myself and stared blankly at the sky.
Feeling her gaze focused on me and vaguely sensing an unfamiliar perfume wafting through the air.
‘She even put on perfume. Seriously not in her right mind.’
After a while, I left her behind as she was too enthralled to move and returned home.
I sensed Mi-yeon’s gaze following me from afar, but if she wanted to see me again, she’d have to come with more interesting information.
Back at the house, the lively atmosphere continued.
It was as if a bunch of schoolgirls had just gone on their first field trip, chatting non-stop, and even though the conversations weren’t particularly interesting, the laughter never stopped.
Looking at them chatting and lying down, I felt an inexplicable sense of happiness welling up inside me.
It felt somewhat exhilarating but also a bit bittersweet.
‘To think a skeleton could get lost in such sentimental thoughts.’
Not wanting to disturb them, I stepped out to place my hands on Irmana’s statue and began the ritual.
I really didn’t understand why Irmana invoked a quest to meet me, but the moment I finally faced her, more questions just piled up.
‘She looked incredibly scary when she looked at me… Did she summon us just because she needed a punching bag to relieve her anger?’
That memory made me feel a bit intimidated, but I couldn’t stop the quest that had continued for over two months.
‘I, the humble skeleton, fervently wish to meet you… oh, Irmana…’
It was the same process as usual.
And as familiar sensations spread, my vision shifted again.
Chirp chirp chirp—
The unidentifiable sound of birds.
Two moons floating in the sky.
The refreshing scent of grass carried by the warm breeze.
‘It’s dark… Did I come during the nighttime?’
Considering the energy I felt, it seemed I had returned to the lake I saw then.
I was even manifested in my body, not as a mental projection.
“Clap, clap, clap.”
I cautiously tapped my teeth together.
‘… No reaction.’
Since no one responded after I made some noise and waited, I walked wherever my feet led me.
‘It really is the same place.’
Before long, I spotted the lake.
‘I’d believe it even if you called it an ocean.’
The tide was even rising and falling like a real sea.
‘I wonder how this differs from the water that comes out of a jug?’
With that thought, I carelessly splashed some of the lake water onto my body.
Splash—
– You have discovered the Divine Water blessed by the Goddess of Water Irmana.
– You have achieved the achievement [Irmana’s Little Follower]!
[Irmana’s Little Follower]
– Resistance to all water attribute magic greatly increases.
– Possesses the potential for all water attribute magic.
‘… Wow.’
I hadn’t imagined I’d gain an achievement by coming all the way here, and as I breathed a sigh in surprise, I suddenly sensed something strange and quickly looked around.
‘What is it? Didn’t something just happen?’
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