The illness of my younger sibling was a truth that not even Joo-ah knew, and I had no intention of revealing it in the future.
‘I don’t want to worry anyone…’
Just like Yeon-hee’s mother, the hospital expenses for Ah-rin’s sibling were no small matter.
Though my current income was more than enough to cover it, I didn’t want to live in a reality where this income would decline.
Mana sickness gradually causes one to lose consciousness and stiffens their body, so they say living like that isn’t really living at all.
Ah-rin had been feeding her sibling everything that was said to be good for the body, including potions, but surprisingly, the most effective thing was a mysterious water that Il-wol would always bring one bottle of whenever he entered a dungeon.
When she gave that water to her sibling, it allowed them to maintain their sanity for quite some time.
So even when she received water from Il-wol, she didn’t use it unless absolutely necessary.
It wasn’t enough; she was even looking for a way to ask Yeon-hee if she could get a bit more. No matter what proposal she made, she’d probably have to accept.
‘I can’t fall behind. I need to stay close somehow…’
Recently, she hadn’t had any small realizations either, which worried her.
As Ah-rin firmly pressed her lips together and steeled her resolve, Bae Joo-ah continued to speak.
“I’m a cautious person too, so I’m a bit surprised by Yeon-hee’s opinion, but we’re not a force that can’t clear dungeons without Il-wol. I think we’re more than capable.”
Joo-ah wasn’t 100% supportive but agreed nonetheless.
It was also a reflection of the tactical situation.
Maybe because they were gaining boss battle rewards while sharing Il-wol’s stat and getting buffs from the highest-grade mana circuits, the rewards from boss battles were increasingly concentrated on Yeon-hee.
Out of the dozen or so runes obtained from boss battles over the last few days, nearly 70% had been allocated directly to Yeon-hee.
Of course, Yeon-hee shared the minimum rewards, but it was only natural to want to receive rewards through one’s own efforts.
‘Since runes are the essence, even if the danger increases a little, it might not be bad considering the rewards.’
Bae Joo-ah nodded as she thought so.
Two years; if she kept up this trajectory for exactly two years, she could gather more than the amount she had aimed for.
Once she accumulated enough money, then she could say goodbye to monsters and the mundane world.
She planned to settle down somewhere peaceful and spend her remaining days researching magic.
“It’s a pity we won’t see Il-wol, but I agree. We need to narrow the gap somehow.
After all, as time goes on, the constraints of the dungeon will get tougher. Even if we want to be with Il-wol, there will be things we can’t do. It’s right to prepare in advance.”
Noh Ha-yoon had nothing to hold her back, so she was also in favor.
“I… I’ll go along with the majority…”
Ham Eun-young, looking puzzled as to how the discussion turned this way, followed the trend.
In fact, Eun-young was also finding enjoyment in watching Il-wol’s transformation.
The cat nestled in Ham Eun-young’s arms stared at Yeon-hee as if to say what nonsense was being spoken, but Yeon-hee was too lost in her own thoughts to notice.
Bang bang-!
The mackerel-patterned cat lightly tapped Ham Eun-young’s thigh with its fluffy paw, expressing its dissatisfaction.
(Why not use a capable subordinate like Il-wol? What’s the point of increasing elements that make Eun-young more dangerous!)
Despite silently shouting in frustration, it was just an empty echo.
* * *
“Ugh… here we go again?”
After losing my life, the cooldown was over, and I returned home.
Yeon-hee, waiting for me, looked like she had a lot to say.
“Haah- You can go a bit harder if you want.”
So, to have a deeper conversation, I activated my transformation, and before I knew it, we were more focused on bodies than words.
Creak- creak- creak-
Making love with our bodies.
Even without exchanging words, it felt like we completely understood each other in a mystical manner.
“So… Haaah! Th- for the time being, just us… Ugh, hmm!”
Yeon-hee cautiously brought up the idea of exploring dungeons without me.
She and her companions must have thought they could temporarily rest me, as I couldn’t fully demonstrate my abilities in dungeons, and try to narrow the gap.
But I was already looking in another direction.
‘Well, considering that I’m being rejected by the dungeon, it might be a natural flow of consciousness…’
I felt it was rather fortuitous. I was cautious about bringing it up, but now I had an excuse.
I pecked at Yeon-hee’s lips a few times while fondling her breasts, then I said to her, “Well then…”
“Ungh…! Ugh…!”
“I’m thinking of going into a dungeon separately.”
“Haaah- huh? Wh- what do you mean… Haa… tell me?”
Yeon-hee was accepting my intrusion deeply while sensing something unusual from my words.
“Are you saying you want to go into a dungeon alone?”
She understood me exactly.
“Yeah, there’s a B-rank dungeon that’s just within the range of our senses for the next one we’ll challenge. I thought I might go there… what do you think?”
“What do you mean, of course not!!”
‘As expected.’
“If that’s the case, just go with us. Anyway, if we go up one level, the constraints in that dungeon will weaken.”
This was a predictable reaction.
“If I’m there, the others’ ability scores will be abnormal. It won’t help with training.”
While changing classes, I became able to share two ability scores with my companions.
That meant I could share stats of strength or magic, meaning two figures could be shared.
That was an incredible perk, but it could also be a double-edged sword that hindered my companions’ growth.
Of course, for now, I was only sharing one with my companions and had just told Yeon-hee that I had gained that power.
Regardless, by having me around, my companions would fight in the dungeon with a great advantage.
“Can’t you just turn it off temporarily?”
Of course, I could probably do that.
“It’s not something that can just be easily switched on and off, you know.”
I hadn’t tried it yet, so it was half a lie.
“Phew… I don’t care if it’s okay inside me, but I don’t want to lose it.”
Yeon-hee was firm.
“Just once? Okay?”
“No! I can’t let you go alone!”
Thud- thud- thud-
“Ugh…! N-No! Stop…! I can’t let you go alone… Aah~!”
But after passionately loving every inch of her for nearly an hour while persuading her…
“F-Fine! Just stop! I-I got it! H-H-Just once… okay… Haa-”
“Sure. Let’s try it once and decide again.”
Completely worn out, Yeon-hee was begging me to stop,
Yet it was funny that she still kept moving her hips persistently despite saying that.
But it was true that she was really struggling.
It was the result of an increased gap in our physical abilities since I changed classes.
Beside the bed, there were balloons filled with the liquid that had spilled from my body, and Yeon-hee was busy panting with her mouth open.
Open mouth.
Wiggling tongue.
Every element of Yeon-hee was an enormous stimulation for me.
I could hold her for days, but the time I had was far too limited.
Slap-
“Aah…!”
I lightly smacked Yeon-hee’s bottom and headed for the front yard.
Slide-
The transformation I wore smoothly fell away.
And before long, there was the statue of Goddess Irmana on the floor.
‘What a beauty.’
The more I looked at the goddess statue, the more I felt captivated.
It was a sensation unlike mere attraction as a rational person.
It was something akin to the awe felt when gazing upon a supreme being.
‘Alright, after finishing up quickly today, I should go practice swordsmanship.’
Once the quest honoring Goddess Irmana was complete, I planned to enter the Dark Space again and train.
And after spending time with my companions until tomorrow, I would explore the B-rank dungeon alone starting the day after and level up my skills.
After growing to a reasonable degree, I intended to hunt down the Great Evil One Haseirin at least.
Thinking about the villain still committing evil deeds even now makes me feel an urgent need to hurry, but charging in recklessly wouldn’t be wise.
Of course, in order to take on Haseirin, who had two A-rank companions, I would need rapid growth, which wouldn’t be easy.
From B-rank, which is generally classified as a High-Rank Hunter, leveling up becomes significantly tougher.
Splash-
I poured Irmana’s water over my head, getting used to the sensation.
‘Phew- Refreshing.’
The water seeping into my armor felt fresh and invigorating.
‘Maybe I should create a pond…?’
It might be a good idea to make one so that ‘Fibryn’ could be summoned.
Even I thought he was quite cute, and it brought a sense of healing.
‘Irmana… beautiful goddess… a small, weak skeleton greets you today as well…’
I began to mutter a somewhat cheesy phrase in my head, just as I always had from the time I was really weak.
This phrase had a lot of humility embedded in it.
It had already been nearly three months since I started this quest.
While I had moved to another world, it was true that there hadn’t been any meaningful connections.
However, the effort that had never once received a response finally bore fruit.
– The Goddess of Water ‘Irmana’ grants a small revelation.
‘……?!’
The revelation came quite suddenly.
– If you accept the revelation, you will be transported to the ‘Boundary of Time.’
‘Another transport, huh… Well, fine. Let’s go for it!!’
– You are being transported to the ‘Boundary of Time.’.
Without waiting for a moment, the process was executed promptly.
I couldn’t even manage a proper reaction before I lost consciousness.
* * *
“Ugh… where is this place again?”
Before I could regain full awareness, a long message appeared.
– The Goddess of Water has been a powerful being influencing all dimensions under ‘numerous names’ since the beginning of creation.
– The Goddess of Water born under the name of ‘Irmana’ was the weakest among the numerous ‘names’ and also correspondingly the clumsiest.
– Unfortunately, ‘Irmana’ suffered the humiliation of having her world taken away by the Evil God.
– ‘Irmana’ will never forget that event.
– Complete the mission at the ‘Boundary of Time’ and rectify the distorted world!
‘…… What about the rewards?’
– Complete the mission at the ‘Boundary of Time’ and rectify the distorted world!
‘…… No rewards, huh?’
– ………
It seems there aren’t really any rewards, but if I follow Irmana’s revelation, something good will likely come.
For some reason, it’s said that hunters born with water attribute skills are exceedingly rare, and currently, among the transcendent beings, no hunter has been known to grow based on the water attribute.
Thus, the nature of water attributes is shrouded in mystery, and the only thing known is that its affinity with other attributes is better than that of light attribute.
‘If I carry out the revelation well, it will surely help me.’
Nodding my head, I couldn’t help but sigh at the message that followed.
– The use of all abilities infused with fire attributes is restricted!
‘…Huh? Isn’t that a bit too much?’
Perhaps it was due to the Goddess of Water’s revelation, but I couldn’t handle fire anymore.
‘Oh no…’
Simultaneously, all the hot energy that had been within me vanished completely.
And in its place came the energy of lightning, a mild water aura, and the energy of rock.
For now, I set aside my astonished feelings and hurriedly surveyed my surroundings.
A swarm of thousands with familiar silhouettes were divided on either side, engaged in a fierce battle.
‘What is going on? Is it a war…?’
On one side were… beings resembling humans but were not human, and on the opposite side…
‘Wait? Fibryn?’
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