Bae Joo-ah, who had a slightly shameless tendency, couldn’t quite bring herself to ask for that much. She must have thought about it, though.
“Then, shall we go?”
Nod—
“Are you really okay with entering that girl’s house, Heo Min-sol?”
Nod nod—
Her face was filled with concern. She told me not to hide anything from her, but I had no idea what kind of thoughts she lived with.
“Um… how many meters away can you get from me now?”
I showed four fingers, then five.
“450 meters?! When did it increase that much?”
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
“Ah… I see… It’s like we’re getting further apart…”
“……”
“… Should I tie you up so you can’t go anywhere…”
“Tap…”
“Hehehe— Huh? Should I?”
She playfully asked while sticking close to me. It was possible since all the thorns were moved to the back. Indeed, once she began utilizing it in battle, her proficiency skyrocketed quickly.
“Clap, Clap, Clap!”
“Huh? Are you saying I can tie you up?”
Nod—
I told her to do as she pleased. After all, if she set her mind to it, what couldn’t she do? I would just do my best to accommodate.
“Hehehe…”
* * *
When we got home, it was already well past midnight. For tomorrow’s sake, it would be best for her to go to bed soon.
Swoosh—
She immediately took a shower when she got back, and I, as a habit, spread the waves of my senses lightly.
Everything within a 450-meter radius became perceptible as if I could reach out and grab it. Cats jumping over walls, people wandering through alleys with something bought from a convenience store.
Even at this late hour, there were people gathered in old houses chatting, and students smoking and gossiping in playgrounds… kids, hurry up and get home!
The sensations dulled a bit in the lower area with the underground waterway, but I occasionally picked up the presence of low-rank monsters like ‘Fog’ or ‘Weakened Slime.’
Those guys would surely increase in number but would never come up from below unless provoked. It’s better to leave those to the F-rank hunters.
Clack—
Yeon-hee turned the handle to come out into the living room. I quickly looked out the window, pretending to make a bomb. With plenty of corpses and bones to manufacture a bomb from, I felt like I had already become rich.
“……”
When she came out, she looked at me for a moment before heading back to her room. I felt like she was smiling slightly with one side of her mouth raised, but it was probably just my imagination.
‘Huh…’
I didn’t know why my body jolted at each glance from Yeon-hee. Sometimes it was scary, and other times I felt an insignificant desire for her to pay attention to me.
I thought it might be like the feeling of a puppy wagging its tail, but as a summoned creature bound to her, was it a mindset I was supposed to naturally have? I still found myself often confused.
Rustle— rustle—
After quickly changing clothes, Yeon-hee let out a big sigh and came back into the living room.
Flap—
‘……’
Looking at her again, gazing up at me with those sparkling purple eyes, the confusion I felt washed away, leaving only an exhilarating sense as if I could soar into the sky.
Sometimes she was so adorable that it drove me crazy. I could understand why Wang-wang circled her like a rabid dog every day.
“Today… um…”
She wiggled her fingers and flapped her lips. What did she want?
It wasn’t behavior one would expect from someone who completely dominated me, but I wondered if she knew the gap created by such a demeanor, contrasting her status, was driving me mad.
“Oh, today… just… in my form…”
‘…? Ah… is it shapeshifting…? Since it’s late, how about we just sleep?’
“Um, before transforming, there’s one thing I’m curious about!”
“??”
“That… the third special ability of shapeshifting was hidden. What is that?”
“……”
It seemed I didn’t have enough dominance to see that yet.
I gestured for Ran, the interpreter, to come over.
(I am not your exclusive interpreter, Il-wol—)
I ignored Ran’s grumbling now. She sounded like a parrot repeating the same thing over and over.
Anyway, the third special ability of [Shapeshift].
– When using shapeshift, it detects the location of one of the sneaky groups closest to you.
‘I should have mentioned this earlier; it’s a bit late now.’
“Um, that ability exists…?”
“Clap, Clap, Clap!”
Yeon-hee seemed unable to close her mouth in surprise when she heard this. It really was a skill that was difficult to wrap one’s head around.
A capability to accurately identify humans meeting certain conditions. Furthermore, once identified, a tracking ability is granted for a period, making it quite a powerful ability even S-rank hunters would drool over.
“Then— have you ever used shapeshift and gone outside?”
Hmm, should I admit that I had gone out alone while leaving her at home?
‘Are you crazy?’
“Clap, Clap!”
In situations like this, sticking to ignorance is the best. I’m not a skeleton prone to feeling guilt when lying.
“Ah… right. That wouldn’t happen, Il-wol. You said I shouldn’t have anything hidden from you. Right?”
“Clap, Clap, Clap!”
‘Gotta be careful.’
“Then what will you do from now on? Should we punish those kinds of people?”
“……”
I nodded slightly, but honestly, I didn’t know either.
On one hand, it was positive that it would increase my stats, and on the other, eliminating those doing bad deeds was necessary. However, logically reasoning through why I should be the one to carry out such judgments had its flaws.
“Yeah… then should I go with you?”
“Clap, Clap!!”
“Why? Is it no good? Is it dangerous? I can manage by myself…”
“Clap, Clap!!”
“Ah, okay… Don’t get so angry…”
I didn’t mean to make her mad, but it was dangerous.
I would take care of those who come into the range if the opportunity arose.
Quickly and secretly, alone. If I faced strong ones, I might have to risk my life to escape or even fight.
And Yeon-hee must not get involved in that.
“Tsk… But still… you have to be with me during the shapeshift time!!”
“??”
I couldn’t help but be startled by her suddenly yelling. What was she so unhappy about?
“Just stay with me. If you’re not going out with me, then stay with me. Got it?”
Nod—
Doing as told was terribly easy. Ultimately, she wanted to be with me while in human form… Though that made me feel a bit giddy, it also made me feel a sense of regret since I didn’t have such reactions when I was in my skeleton form.
‘Well… look in the mirror, you fool. Is this the kind of visual that inspires wanting to be together? You’re not Jason or anything. Ugh…’
Looking at my horrifying reflection in the mirror, I could easily accept that her reaction was completely natural.
“You can call me selfish… Just… ah, anyway, you have to do that. Will you?”
Nod nod—
“Okay. But… I’ll allow you to go out for a bit after the shapeshift. As long as you stay within the range, it shouldn’t take long, right?”
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
“Yeah… that much should be fine… after all, Il-wol deserves to feel freedom sometimes…”
“……”
In the end, we reached that compromise. During the shapeshift period, we would be together. After that, I would give her a little break.
‘It feels good to get this off my chest. Knowing I don’t have to sneak out makes it…’
While I was nodding in satisfaction, she showed a slight blush on her cheeks and spoke in a small voice.
“Then… now show me. You.”
‘… That wording feels odd…’
Her gaze was filled with anticipation, intermingled with various emotions.
Childlike mischievousness, and a strangely adult-like, seductive light resided in her mystical eyes.
‘So tempting. So tempting.’
Gathering my thoughts, I activated the shapeshift into Yeon-hee’s form.
‘Ugh…!’
Unlike last time, there wasn’t a mystical penetration into her life, but my mind was still forcefully filled with massive amounts of information, along with different sensations and emotions that pounded in, making my head feel like it would split open.
– Successfully transformed to Summoner Lee Yeon-hee through [Shapeshift].
“Heh… heh…”
For the first time since becoming a skeleton, I exhaled a breath heavy with exertion. Though it improved a little each time I used it, it still wasn’t a pleasant ability. If not for the third special ability, I’d prefer not to use it at all. Damn.
At the sound of my ragged breathing, Yeon-hee dashed to the refrigerator, came back with water, and thrust it in front of me.
“Muh?”
I couldn’t help but tilt my head.
Is she serious… I can’t even drink it. Well, maybe it will go into my stomach?
“Muuh! Kyaa! So cute! But can’t you drink?”
“Muh…”
I cautiously poured the water into my mouth as a test. Then…
‘Hmm? It goes in?’
Of course, it wasn’t drinking in the usual sense, but from the perspective of putting it inside, I was able to simulate the act of drinking.
While I quietly felt the water sloshing around in my belly, Yeon-hee suddenly took my hand and led me to her room.
‘Wha?! Why, why is this happening?!’
Thud—
“Ah…”
Yeon-hee threw me onto the thick mattress on the floor.
Having just transformed and with my stats significantly reduced, I could do nothing but collapse on it as she intended.
I had entered the room a few times, but it was my first time lying down here.
‘By the way, why is this happening?’
It was such a sudden development that I had never been this surprised in my entire skeleton life.
As a result, my face burned up, and feeling strangely embarrassed, I kept pushing myself into the corner, unsure of what to do.
Swoosh—
‘Ah- my clothes…’
As I rolled over, my clothes slipped down under my shoulders, and I instinctively took a defensive posture with my arms across my chest.
‘It’s so big it doesn’t cover everything…’
Rather, I was so preoccupied with trying to keep it concealed that I felt like I was pushing my chest out.
‘If I do this… it almost feels like I’m mimicking Yeon-hee.’
Yeon-hee looked down at me struggling on the mattress, breathing heavily, and eventually opened her mouth.
“Hah— huh, isn’t it weird? This is definitely my form, but thinking of Il-wol lying down… But don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t have different preferences or anything. Don’t worry. Hah— hah—”
‘I think it might be good to calm down. In this state, it seems like anyone would think I’m trying to pounce on her.’
“Stop…”
“Stop? Are you telling me to stop? T-that can’t be. Il-wol… Just stay with me until I fall asleep, okay? Let’s talk a bit…”
‘… What are you even saying? Lay down together?’
Yeon-hee was already snuggled under the covers, beckoning me closer.
So fast? Did she swap everything out with the Rune of Swiftness?
“Come, come here… I promise I won’t do anything.”
“Ugh…”
I felt like I shouldn’t go; she kept calling me over, yet it would be rude not to go, even though I felt nervous. My heart raced. Normally, I’d just be a bit flustered, but…
I had felt this before, but now I was convinced. When I shapeshift, I seem to take on the personality of the target. This was really dangerous…
“Hurry, we don’t have time!”
“Ugh!”
‘You startled me. Why are you yelling, Yeon-hee?’
“Ah, I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you… But anyway, come over…”
“……”
Though she said she was sorry, her face was anything but.
I’d never seen that excited a look during a battle before…
It was so different from the expression she wore when I transformed back into my original form. It seemed like that expression was… something I could have likely worn.
‘Could it be a form of retaliation…?’
In this sudden turn of events, my mind was in a haze. Now Yeon-hee was further raising the stakes by using her left hand to pull the blanket up, gesturing for me to come closer.
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