“Don’t shards drop?”
“Yeah, I guess they only drop for you.”
The rewards obtained from defeated enemies by the summoned creatures usually default to the summoner.
But shards were different.
Shards were only collected from enemies I had contributed significantly to defeating, and the dropped shards couldn’t even be stored in Yeon-hee’s space.
‘… Well, does it really matter? As long as someone collects them, it’s fine.’
So, the other summoned creatures just restrained and subdued the enemies, while I generally handled the finishing blows.
“I need to get this 500-monster quest done quickly… Hmm… it’s taking longer than expected.”
‘I guess I thought I could finish quickly.’
Yeon-hee’s quest, where defeating 500 monsters directly would earn her a ‘Mysterious and Auspicious Summoning Scroll’.
It would take quite a long time for Yeon-hee to take down 500 enemies normally with a bow.
Thus, it seemed necessary to operate within the limits of misleading the system, and since our power had significantly increased, it shouldn’t be too hard to accomplish soon.
That scroll, which sounded like it would summon something special.
Using it would surely get us a unique thing like a Shadow Drake, making it the first reward to grab when entering a C-rank dungeon.
‘The terrain of the first dungeon is a bit off… We’ll manage in the next dungeon.’
While having these thoughts, I easily dealt with ‘Do’ organization members, and the more I smelled the aura they gave off, the better I could distinguish them.
“I’m starting to get a feel for it…”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Their smell.”
“Really? You can tell just by being near someone associated with ‘Do’?”
“Yep.”
Now I could distinguish between blue-eyed organization members and ‘Do’ organization members even when they were in the same space.
Of course, if they were too far apart, or if they consciously tried to hide their presence, it would be hard to pinpoint, but it was a positive sign that I was getting used to dealing with them.
I put twelve corpses into my space and immediately took Yeon-hee with me as we left.
‘There’s only about 10 minutes left.’
Even though I tried to hurry, there wasn’t much time left on [Disguise].
It was the time when the sun hadn’t set yet and was doing its best to illuminate the world.
We felt the pleasantly warm sunlight as spring approached, and decided to take a walk together until my transformation time was over.
Stepping out of the narrow alley, we came to a bustling area filled with coffee shops. We strolled slowly, taking in our surroundings.
Walking among so many people with Yeon-hee was almost a first for me.
So, Yeon-hee eagerly glanced back and forth between the passing streets and me, her expression bright and excited.
Murmurs filled the air—
“Oh my…”
“Wow…”
I felt the eyes of people passing by suddenly darting towards us.
‘Hmm? Is it because there’s a smell of blood? Or maybe…’
It was warm weather not suited to the last month of winter.
Colors of vibrant outfits around.
‘It could be the clothes.’
I was dressed as a hitman, and for some reason today, my shirt was all black. It resembled a funeral outfit.
‘A date… but these clothes are a bit much for that. They’re indeed staring.’
And Yeon-hee, perhaps because she had struggled a lot in the waiting room earlier, was deeply wearing a hood and tightly secured a thick brown mask.
“It’s really a different look seeing your face brighten, Il-wol.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but your eyes are a bit red. What’s up with that?”
“Uh? Ahh— I can change that.”
I extinguished the flame energy inside me, and soon my original dark black eye color returned.
“Whoa— you look like a sorcerer. Do you want to go to a magic show later? They say it’s super fun!”
“Let’s do that. Definitely.”
The world has turned upside down, and now, sorcerers seem rarer than magicians. Ticket prices are said to be outrageously high.
I widened my perception to check if anyone was watching us again.
‘Those following us have already vanished.’
When we exited the association building, two people who looked like association staff came out and took away the person who had been tailing us.
The one stalking us was a pretty skilled tracker, but once the association people chanted some incomprehensible spell, he staggered away like a half-zombie and was taken by them.
‘He should be fine. Jo Gi-man was suspicious at first, but once he eases up, he tends to get careless.’
As long as that guy doesn’t personally manage the tracker, he wouldn’t notice any abnormalities in his condition for a while.
“That’s good.”
“Huh? What’s good?”
“Just everything. I feel good walking with you.”
“Hehe— me too!”
Seeing Yeon-hee beam like a puppy made me feel like I had truly become a person.
‘This is my original self… but now it feels strangely unfamiliar. By the way, I guess I don’t need to hide my face?’
If I sense someone trying to take a picture of my face, I can just activate stealth, so I didn’t bother covering my face.
There’s no denying there’s some risk, but if I don’t fully enjoy this sunshine, I feel like I’d regret it later.
‘Maybe I’m finally feeling a bit real…’
For two months, it felt like I was floating around aimlessly, wandering through a dream, but now, standing firmly in my own body.
I truly realized I had died and come back to life. It felt a bit overwhelming.
‘I am… alive…’
With that, I stood in the middle of the street, staring blankly at the sky.
‘It’s warm. I don’t even know if I feel it because I want to feel it, or if it’s a real physical reaction.’
Yeon-hee quietly observed him with her arms crossed tightly, lost in reflection.
She was incredibly happy right now, but there was also a hint of anxiety lurking.
‘Time… feels too short.’
While being Il-wol as a skeleton soldier was nice, the time spent with Il-wol as a human was truly special.
It felt even shorter than usually, but it wasn’t the only reason.
‘What do I do… there’s not much time left!’
We had already stepped onto the café street, and it had been 3 minutes.
But Il-wol was now deep in thought, and I felt that I shouldn’t disrupt him at least for this moment.
‘Just being together is enough…’
With that in mind, she stepped forward and snuggled into his embrace, immediately feeling the gazes from those around her.
‘…… What is it?’
Glancing around—
People of all genders.
A strange scene unfolded, with everyone looking in one direction.
Yeon-hee suddenly recalled the stares cast at her during the promotion exam, but this felt different.
‘They aren’t looking at me…’
Only when she realized that did she start to see clearly.
“Oh my… oh my goodness…”
“Wow… incredible, so handsome…”
“Are they filming? He’s just standing there?”
“Wow… look at that guy. His proportions are killer.”
“He must be a hunter. No ordinary person can have that kind of skin.”
Most of the people staring at Il-wol were women.
‘…… Hmph… he’s mine.’
In that moment, Yeon-hee felt a bit proud.
He was mine alone, yet every woman in the world was gazing at him with envy.
‘……!’
“Whoa… what a jawline…”
But such feelings were short-lived.
‘Still, it’s a bit much to stare like that.’
Yeon-hee began to feel uncomfortable as women gazed at his lips, collarbone, and eyes with blatant looks.
Shudder— shudder—
“…… Huh?”
As she violently shook his clothing, I snapped out of my daze.
I quickly noticed that Yeon-hee was feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
“Why?”
“Uh… Il-wol. Put on your mask. Quick.”
“Huh? Uh-huh.”
Yeon-hee handed me the Ent Mask and urged me to cover my face immediately.
Once I wore the mask, she finally smiled contently and pulled me close again.
“Aw, that was nice. But even with the mask, your handsomeness can’t be hidden. How is that…?”
“But that person next to him in ragged clothes, is that his girlfriend?”
“Come on, no way. Is she his sister?”
‘What are they even saying? Those pumpkin-shaped heads.’
To me, they looked cute and pretty, but those clueless idiots kept babbling.
Smack-!
“Ugh…?!”
I boldly kissed Yeon-hee’s lips, and her face immediately turned red as she playfully punched me.
As we passed through a strangely silent street, we turned back into a narrow alley since Yeon-hee seemed to prefer it that way.
Plop- plop—
“Doesn’t it feel like we’re on a date?”
“Yeah, it’s a date.”
“Is that so? I guess walking together, watching a movie, and eating delicious food is pretty much it.”
‘We talked about that last time too.’
Gently caressing Yeon-hee’s flushed cheeks and ears, I started to walk down the street.
How many minutes had passed since we began walking together?
Finally, when my disguise time was about to expire, I reverted back to my armored existence form.
But Yeon-hee still held on tightly to my arm despite my appearance changing.
Before heading home, we swung by the hunter market and picked up several items, including a large assembly tent.
I had plenty of money, and everything I felt needed to be bought looked cheap. I guess it’s the attitude of someone who can afford it.
We secured cooking appliances like a magic furnace along with provisions, and even stocked up on a large bed, blankets, pajamas, and ramen.
“…… Is this really enough? Since the supplies won’t spoil in the space, I might need to restock whenever I can. Maybe I should buy a lot of kimchi later?”
Nod—
Even though we stored enough food for one person to last several years, she still felt it wasn’t sufficient.
And that anxiety likely stemmed from her upcoming meeting with Maeng Seong-yong.
She felt the reality that the day this world stopped functioning could draw nearer, hence she couldn’t easily leave the market.
“Let’s visit often and stock up on things we can’t refill regularly. By the way, do you feel like space in your space is becoming tight or anything?”
“Clap, Clap.”
“Wow— is Il-wol’s space really infinite? How is that even possible?”
‘Well… I’m not sure if that space can genuinely be called mine.’
I refrained from mentioning the other residents besides me.
‘A grandfather from another world in the form of an orb and a talking tree from Australia…’
The mysteries of the world were slowly unraveling, but I still had no idea what that space truly was.
A few hours after returning home.
After Yeon-hee ate too much of the galbitang I made and her belly was round, she asked me to release my summoning before she went to bed starting tomorrow.
“Uh?! Why, why?”
Lately, as she often slept with her head on my leg, her expression was one that wouldn’t accept any explanation that wasn’t satisfactory.
I felt discussing the orb master seemed like a wild idea, so I just explained that I’d found it to be more efficient to train in that special space.
‘At least I’m not telling a complete lie.’
“Ahh… I guess with a space that special, that makes sense. If that’s the reason… but you have to come out right away if I call?”
“Clap, Clap, Clap!”
Since once Yeon-hee chanted the summoning spell, she would be immediately swallowed into the door, it was a request that shouldn’t be hard at all.
“Oh, and… I got a message from the person Yeon-su introduced, and I think I can move this week.”
“Clap, Clap, Clap!”
With my abilities, moving was truly no trouble, and I was glad to hear the good news because I wanted out of this place as soon as possible.
Besides, it felt like this neighborhood was cursed, and anyway, it just didn’t fit.
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