The exhilarating sensation of recovering stamina and magic power after hitting rock bottom is something non-awakened ones could never understand. That’s why there are hunters who really push themselves to the brink just to experience that recovery over and over.
Of course, intentionally doing such things is akin to doing drugs, which is a dangerous game. It’s not uncommon to hear tales of hunters who ended up ruined that way.
“Ugh…! Hah…”
If someone made such lewd sounds in society, they would immediately be treated as a weird person, but hunters would understand. They know exactly what Joo-ah is feeling.
“Gulp- gulp- Phew! Tasty, for water! Huh? Why isn’t this coming out?!”
‘Ah… I just handed it over with the jug. Well… does it matter?’
I went over to Joo-ah, grabbed the jug, and spread the sensation again to make the water come out.
“Hey…? It’s coming out again! Wa, water…!!”
As Joo-ah quenched her thirst with the water pouring from the jug, Arin too drank the world’s water and tilted her head up to the sky, making strange sounds.
‘… The effect is pretty good. I should offer my devotions to Goddess Irmana diligently today as well.’
“Ah… Hoo…”
At least Yeon-hee was trying not to show it outwardly. But the way she kept glancing at me and pouting her lips looked like she was wanting something more. Does she want a head rub…?
‘I can give you a massage to your heart’s content when we get home… but what can I do about that here?’
More than that, I wanted to discuss what to do next. Joo-ah and Arin seemed to have levels that had dropped just as much as Yeon-hee. There’s no way they came all this way just to give up on the boss battle, right?
“Il-wol! Did you get the storage ability?”
Nod-nod-
After drinking, Yeon-hee seemed to have recovered her energy and approached me with shining eyes.
“What else? Did you get anything else?”
“I didn’t just get that, did I?”
Before I knew it, Joo-ah and Arin had crowded beside me, chattering away, when the three of them suddenly stopped in unison.
“Uh? What is this…”
“Woah… Mana is swirling…!!”
“Is this perhaps the reward for defeating the mimic…?”
“Clap, clap, clap!!”
It looks like they only just now noticed after recovering a bit.
– The amount of mana you hold has dropped below 100, increasing recovery speed by 50%.
That message must be popping up in their heads.
Brrr-
All four of them, including Yeon-hee, are shaking like people thrown naked into a freezing winter.
“Wait, if it’s recovering this fast all of a sudden… Ugh…!”
I’m sure they’re experiencing a recovery speed they’ve never felt before. Being hunters who are sensitive to changes, their reactions were completely natural… I’ll just think of it that way.
After not being able to steady themselves for quite a while, they naturally sank back down, and about ten minutes later, we could finally start our unfinished conversation.
“Ran, do me a favor.”
(I-I will relay it accurately, Master!)
Yeon-hee wanted to hear everything I had experienced from the beginning, so I asked Ran for translation.
Ran, feeling Yeon-hee’s touch, blushed bright red, even the white fur on her.
(Hmph…)
‘… She’s even reacting like that now.’
Anyway, I began recounting my adventures, summarizing only the main points as best as I could. They all shared their thoughts after enjoying the story.
“A werewolf… a golden werewolf at that. I’ve never heard of a monster like that. It must have been incredibly strong, but thank goodness the mimic balanced things out…”
Yeon-hee gazed at me with teary eyes. There wasn’t really a sad point at all…? She looked more upset that I got broken once again, it seemed.
‘Should I just ignore the part about talking to the mimic? It’s probably better not to tell her.’
For some reason, I felt it best not to mention that to Yeon-hee, so I boldly skipped over it.
“If we had been caught, we would’ve definitely died… Hah! Come to think of it, I almost died twice today, right? Almost got caught by the wraith earlier too.”
“Whoa… Really! We definitely need to grab a drink after we finish today?! Are you coming, Yeon-hee?”
“Ah… I-I’ll come next time…”
“Boo hoo, do you not want to drink with me, boo hoo…”
“N-no, it’s not like that…”
Does that mean she doesn’t feel close enough to me yet? Can’t we get closer through drinking together…?
“Then you got the storage ability called [Obsession] and were granted the mana circuit. Wow… to be given two god-tier abilities at once… the mimic must be incredible.”
“Is the storage ability really that OP?”
“What do you mean? Saving time is super valuable as we go up! Intelligent monsters even plot to take timing when acquiring loot. It’s probably a way better ability than we think!”
“Oh… When you put it that way, it does seem that way.”
“Hehe…”
“I’m so happy that Yeon-hee is here, I want to pinch her cheeks.”
“Huh?”
“Hehe, just kidding.”
I purposely didn’t mention that I got the [Mimicry] skill to the other party members.
“……”
Yeon-hee likely realized my mimicry ability when she had contact with me, but she nodded slightly as if she understood why I wanted to hide that ability.
‘Should I show it to her when we get home? Showing my true appearance is kinda… troublesome.’
Yeon-hee still seems to harbor some resistance towards men. Plus, I have no way to clearly explain transforming into a mysterious man…
Although I haven’t confirmed it, based on when I got the Flame Cut skill, she probably won’t see the details of my status. She would only guess based on the skill name. So she probably won’t know my list of mimicry possibilities either.
‘For now, let’s keep my appearance hidden. I’ll have to reveal it someday, but there’s really no way to explain it.’
Wouldn’t it be weird to say, “I was Korean but turned into a monster!”?
And right now, I’m already sulking at the thought of her feeling sad when I die; surely if she found out I was once human… She would be so much more distressed every time I fall apart.
In the end, I have to show her when I turn into Yeon-hee. It’s a bit embarrassing, but I’ll hide my original form.
“Excuse me… Are you planning to try the boss battle?”
Just when I finished my worries about the mimicry, a girl from another party who had been staring at us asked.
“Uh… We’re still debating. Why do you ask?”
“Well, you know the minimum number of people for the boss battle is 30, right? But it’s getting late, and there aren’t many parties left. Your party needs to participate to meet the minimum, so if you’re not joining, we’ll be heading back now.”
Come to think of it, with us excluded, there are only 27 people left here. All the other parties seemed to be staring at us. Was Joo-ah’s moan earlier the reason?
“Give us 5 minutes, just 5 minutes.”
“Alright. Please think of joining as much as possible. We have two healers and a cleric on our side.”
“… Yes, we’ll keep that in mind.”
Joo-ah responded calmly, and after the girl walked away, she signaled us to gather a bit closer.
“To be honest, I thought we’d dropped too low in level to even attempt the boss battle until Il-wol showed up.”
“Uh-huh—”
“Honestly, doesn’t it seem doable? Our mana has significantly recovered and feels like my head is clearer after drinking. But I wanted to ask if this actually restores mental strength too?”
“Who knows… Maybe it’s just your imagination?”
“Hmm… I don’t think so…”
Including Joo-ah, the other party members already figured out that the jug was indeed some ancient artifact because of the information they had while holding it.
When we were supplied water for the first time in the fight against the orcs, I managed to vaguely hint that one of our summoned creatures had that ability, but it turned out to be a connection to the Katahrin Lake.
Moreover, the jug wouldn’t pour out water unless Il-wol touched it.
“… Looking at the other party compositions, they seem to have their own agendas.”
“Uh-huh!”
“… At least none of us seem to be holding us back from being tortured. In fact, it seems like if we just hold on, the other side will take care of it for us?”
“Hmm~”
“… Baek Ah-rin, if you don’t have an opinion, then shut your mouth.”
“Hehe…”
From what I can see, they definitely didn’t seem competent enough to take care of us, but I was all for them trying.
Anyway, during the boss battle, there would certainly be at least one ghost and one wraith appearing.
‘I need to take down the wraith as soon as we enter.’
Once I take down the ghost and the wraith, I wouldn’t have much left to gain from this dungeon.
“Still, it was also because Il-wol wasn’t here that we struggled so much, but also because the water supply increased dramatically, right?”
“Exactly. And we barely reached the minimum number of participants. There’s no way we won’t struggle like last time in the wolf den.”
“Hmm…”
“But I have no desire to come back here again. I’d rather get it done and over with today…”
Yeon-hee showed a moment of contemplation after hearing Arin’s words, but then she clenched her fist and declared.
“If we can finish today, it’s best to do so. I don’t really want to come back either…”
“Okay! So we’re on?”
As soon as Joo-ah finished Yeon-hee’s sentence, she stood up and headed toward the staff.
– Ooh! It’s the Lee Yeon-hee and Baek Ah-rin party. Then it might be worth a try!
– Phew… I was worried I’d have to come back tomorrow. If it weren’t for the guild membership test, I’d never come to this annoying place, damn it…
– But my mana is empty, so I’ll probably just sit here and they’ll take care of it, right?
– If the cleric can’t even manage their mana, how pathetic.
– What? Have you said everything?
‘…… As expected, it seems most of them just want to ride on our coattails or hitch a ride.’
By focusing my senses in a particular area, I easily gleaned the reality of the other party’s situation through their murmuring conversations.
They looked fine on the outside, but their condition when I joined wasn’t too different from our party’s.
Joo-ah was only able to judge what she could vaguely feel and see, so she presumed all other parties were perfectly fine.
‘They’re all thinking someone else will do the work for them.’
It’s typical for almost all parties to approach a group boss battle with such a complacent mindset.
Think of it as a group project with 30 people.
In any case, during times like this, someone must step forward and gather at least one representative from each group to coordinate opinions.
Then they could quickly assess whether it’s feasible to challenge or if they could clear it. But maybe they lack the time for that or confidence.
‘I need to wrap this up quickly.’
Available bombs: 62/62
Bombs stocked up in the dark space.
– Goddess Irmana’s blessing is being applied imperfectly.
And with the refresh of Goddess Irmana’s blessing now reapplying and the greatly improved accuracy of the Fireball…
Even considering the fact the other party wouldn’t be able to help at all, I had sufficient factors to feel confident.
Returning from registration, Bae Joo-ah had an expression like she had stepped on five cockroaches in a row. She seemed to have heard something while constantly looking around.
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