This time, the reward for the hunt is none other than the byproducts of the Great Beast.
Considering it’s already claimed the title of the biggest Great Beast in the world, the amount of byproducts is bound to be enormous.
Of course, the extract will come from the corpse found at the root’s center, but even the countless small roots spreading out aimlessly will certainly make excellent materials.
“Is there no way to grow in another dungeon? I really want to reach the late 70s and move up.”
“Well… It’s important to make even a single day meaningful.”
I quietly listened to my companions talking.
“It could go either way, right? Rest, or push ourselves a bit and challenge a new environment.”
“Resting, we can do that later when we die.”
“I’m also good with a new place.”
With Yeon-hee leaning towards challenge, the others appeared to be deep in thought.
“If it’s a new place, it must be the ‘Fallen City of the Moon,’ right?”
The Werewolf, known as the strongest in C-rank dungeons alongside the Orc Fighter. They were talking about the dungeon where those guys are the established residents.
“That place is good too… but taking a more challenging route might be alright.”
However, Yeon-hee seems to have something else in mind.
After I shared the story of the Temple of Light with her, she showed a keen interest, knowing well that entering such a hidden mysterious place has a high chance of triggering positive events.
“Where? No way… is it that place in Ilseom?”
Joo-ah recalled the dungeon exclusively managed by the Ilseom Guild, and Yeon-hee nodded in agreement.
“That place has a higher difficulty than the Fallen City of the Moon. If we’re not careful, we might miss the national destruction-level Great Beast hunting event.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The place infested with insects.”
“… Ah! That place! I forgot about it. But didn’t we say we’d go to that dungeon later? The one with Frizkana, which is A-rank, right?”
“I guess now is that later.”
Once everyone realized where we were discussing, they each fell into their own thoughts.
For them, who were unaware of the Temple of Light’s existence, it was a reluctant choice.
I signaled to Yeon-hee, who cleared her throat and began to persuade them again.
“Actually… Il-wol has been going through dungeons alone these days.”
“?!”
At Yeon-hee’s words, Ham Eun-young, who rarely speaks, asked in a quiet voice.
“Alone…? How far can Il-wol fall…?”
Though her voice was barely audible, I quickly understood what Eun-young was implying.
Given that Azraelon was also slowly expanding its activity range beyond Eun-young’s purview, it was understandable that she would be curious.
Of course, it was limited to within 20 meters for now.
(…………)
Azraelon looking at me with a peculiar expression was quite amusing, almost with a tinge of envy in its eyes.
“About… 10 km.”
“Wow?! Is that, really? Wow—”
“No, wait a minute. If it’s a dungeon within 10 km… are you going to ‘The Living Statue of Power’? You mean you’re going there alone?”
“Yep. Surprising, right? Hehe.”
Yeon-hee responded playfully, but seeing the shocked expressions of my companions made her awkwardly laugh.
“I knew you were strong, but the gap really widened.”
“I thought I would close the gap while Il-wol was gone, but it turned out the opposite.”
“Playing around high up alone, aren’t we?”
I try to evade the gazes of my companions, who looked at me with half-dazed eyes.
“Anyway, Il-wol stumbled upon some valuable information while wandering alone. By a stroke of luck, that information pointed to the dungeon managed by Ilseom.”
“What’s there?”
“Surprisingly, there’s the ‘Temple of Light’ there. The temple of the god known as ‘Areina,’ the god of light and justice.”
“─?!”
The moment they heard about the temple, my companions’ expressions changed drastically.
“Areina? That’s like a pot of honey! Just entering it feels like we’d earn some achievements or something!”
“I’ve never been to a temple of a god, so that must be the case!”
‘It’s not that simple…’
As the excited companions chatted away, Eun-young, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke up.
“But, um… isn’t it being blocked by Il-seom right now…?”
“Ah?! Right! They said they’d turn it red and block access!”
“Are we still in that time period? The otherworlders haven’t shown up yet. So there’s no reason to block it, right?”
“Regardless of the reason, it’s important that Il-seom is preventing us from entering.”
At that moment, Ha-yoon, who had been scratching her head quietly, made a suggestion.
“How about using the sleeping powder we have in our guild? We have powder that puts someone out for just a bit. They wouldn’t even remember what hit them.”
‘If we had something like that, it should have been mentioned long ago.’
I was clumsily approaching to take them out while staying hidden, but if we can put them to sleep, that would be the best.
“It’s in our guild storage, so we can just sneak in and grab it.”
“Wow— Ha-yoon, you’re not shy about stealing, huh? Then it’s just about making the decision.”
“There’s no need for hesitation, right? The stronger ones come out as you enter from the entrance toward the center, so we can stealthily enter and back out if it feels wrong. Apparently, you can exit directly through the entrance.”
As A-rin, who had been giving conservative opinions, showed a more open attitude, others naturally agreed.
“We need to start the hunt team early, so we should aim to finish by around 3-4 o’clock.”
“Sounds good. I hope we can achieve some meaningful growth before moving up.”
“Really. We’re the lowest rank, so it’s a bit concerning.”
“But we have an A-rank Hunter and we’re with Il-wol and at the castle.”
Joo-ah’s words made everyone glance at me and smile gently.
It’s nice to be trusted like this, but I knew deep down that when faced with an overwhelming force, I would prioritize Yeon-hee, causing a slight pang in my heart.
‘If things go south, I’ll have to shove everyone into the space and get out.’
Having the potential offered by Ran’s skill meant I could move even living beings without much issue.
I realized I needed to synchronize with Ran soon.
“Lee Yeon-hee Hunter? You have a short program appearance coming up in about 30 minutes. Please start preparing.”
“We need to do your makeup first, Hunter.”
In the end, Yeon-hee got invited to a popular program.
It was a broadcast connected through the White Knight Guild, so it was hard to decline.
Wow──
A little later, Yeon-hee came out after her makeup.
She looked like an angel. Her beauty overshadowed any idol, and even the companions were showering her with compliments.
“He… hehe…”
Yeon-hee scratched her head and turned red.
Seeing her beautifully done makeup for the first time made me feel like I couldn’t think of anything else, as her face blushed like a ripe peach.
It was supposed to be an interview for the competition’s winner, but because she won so overwhelmingly, most of the questions focused on her personally rather than the contest itself.
‘She’s really become a national star, huh.’
I found myself thinking it might become hard to walk the same path with her from now on.
“Look at the real-time viewer count. It’s incredible.”
“Everyone’s going crazy saying how pretty she is. Hmph! If they saw my face, they’d faint.”
“Noh Ha-yoon, where’s this confidence coming from?”
“Am I not pretty?”
“Compared to Yeon-hee, you pale in comparison.”
“What?! If I really put in the effort, wouldn’t I look cute?”
“Do whatever you want. First, we need to win to even get noticed.”
Joo-ah and Ha-yoon stood at a distance, watching Yeon-hee’s interview with somewhat envious eyes.
Eun-young and A-rin just cheered her on with applause.
Thanks to that, Yeon-hee was able to finish the broadcast without too much nervousness.
“The last part was funny. Again with world peace. Are you dreaming of being a world president?”
“I think Yeon-hee really means it, which makes it even cuter.”
When asked about her goals, Yeon-hee once again mentioned world peace.
She must have felt that something big is approaching this world, as she might be appealing to the people.
‘Soon… it’s time to talk about the Orc Legion Commander as well.’
After this Great Beast hunting wraps up, I would have to have a serious talk with her. It won’t be easy since it would require me to share that I’ve regressed.
“See you tomorrow!”
“Rest well~!”
Just because we won the competition didn’t mean we had a feast or anything.
We were still parched for growth, which meant we had enough patience to postpone the festivities.
‘Tomorrow holds promise.’
Once I got home, I offered a prayer to Goddess Irmana in the front yard and relaxed in the water with Fibryn.
‘I feel my mind is getting a little clearer.’
“Fib?”
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
“Fib! Fib!”
Fibryn flitted around me, rubbing against me, showing affection.
A cute spirit with water-like charm. Just looking at it is healing.
“Fib?”
Somehow, since clearing the small revelation from Irmana, it felt like Fibryn looked at me with more affection.
Could it be that my past involvement has continued to affect things? I’m not sure right now.
– ‘The Small Skeleton’ has eliminated the ‘Blood Mosquito’ swarm!
– ‘Blood Mosquito’s Blood Crystal’ 377/500(+4)
– ‘The Small Skeleton’ has leveled up!
‘Ooh, have I finally reached a point where I can handle a C-rank Blood Mosquito swarm alone?’
Having taken out fairly high-ranking monsters shortly after being born, my level up was pretty rapid.
– ‘The Small Skeleton’ has two class change options presented!
‘Huh?! So this guy also gets to change classes?’
If that’s the case, it means my growth system isn’t fundamentally different from theirs.
– ‘The Small Skeleton’ shows a lackluster response to the two presented options.
– ‘The Small Skeleton’ insists that it likes being itself now!
– ‘The Small Skeleton’ changes class to [Skeleton Soldier]!
‘This little guy. At least think about it a bit. You didn’t even read the descriptions and just charge in blindly, did you?’
Still, whichever option chosen, there would be advantages, so it’s not that bad.
But if it diverges completely from the job chosen this time in the next class change, it might lower efficiency.
‘By the way, this guy is inherently strong in combat since birth, but it seems the class change route follows the basic first change. I wonder if he’ll be stronger than me later?’
I allowed myself to indulge in those hopes while submerged in Goddess Irmana’s waters.
However, the system shatters those fantasies effortlessly.
– The growth of ‘Small Skeleton’, born from [Trace of Existence], shows distinct limitations.
‘Ah? System! Long time no see!’
I greeted the system, which was responding to me after a long time, warmly.
– ······?.
But the usually taciturn thing gave no response, only saying what it wanted to say.
Still, I know it’s listening to me carefully.
– ······.
Anyway, it seems there’s a limit to the growth. Hmmm…
‘Is there a difference in stat allocation upon class change? Or maybe a limit on the number of changes allowed? That’s a bit disappointing.’
If I can keep producing beings with the potential to surpass me, then raising some in advance while sacrificing a few lives isn’t a bad option.
‘What was the Skeleton Soldier class change like again?’
[Skeleton Soldier]
– One of the most basic forms of the undead. Its initial stats are incredibly low, but if you can endure the early stages, you can transform into a powerful warrior based on rapid growth.
Special Ability: Growth experience points required -20%
‘Oh… that’s right. I was confused back then and made a different choice because I had to extinguish the immediate fire. Looking at it now, picking this would not have been bad.’
As I nodded, a new message popped up from the system.
– [Skeleton Soldier] grows quickly but has a distance from magic classes.
‘Oh, really? I see. Then I should think this over a bit… Wait a minute, you didn’t tell me that back then?’
– ······.
‘Well, the perspective of me then and now has changed a lot, so maybe it’s just the flow of information has changed as well.’
Agreeing somewhat, I looked at the new message handed down from the ‘Small Skeleton’.
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