Thinking I wouldn’t see Rainy here anymore made me a bit sad, but since she’s trying to join us, I should cheer her on.
“It’s okay. You can definitely get out. But when you do, you’ll probably see a lot of dangerous things and dirty situations. Are you okay with that?”
(Anything is fine! I just hate being alone.)
“Ah…”
Maybe Rainy wants to be by our side more than she wants to face the outside world.
Hours passed as I comforted Rainy.
“Hmm… I think it’s successful. I can hear Yeon-hee calling me. I guess going to Australia was right? It must have taken this long.”
If she called me as soon as I got out, I would have reached home faster. Did she try to handle it on her own somehow?
(Are you leaving already?)
“Yeah. I’ll go for now and come back in the early morning.”
(Ah! I’ll be busy cleaning this crystal diligently!)
Come to think of it, the murky light enveloping the “Evil-Infused Ancient Crystal” seemed to have noticeably faded.
“Wow…”
It was astonishing because it was not just the power of the skill granted by the system, but truly a pure act of purification.
Clank─!
As the summoning gate opened, it roughly pulled me in, and I saw Rainy fiercely whipping the contaminated crystal with a branch before being sucked into the portal.
* * *
“Il-wol!”
Seeing Yeon-hee again at home, I felt relieved and hugged her tightly.
“It’s okay…”
“Clap, Clap, Clap…”
She comforted me by patting my back instead.
She asked how I had endured in that dark place; she had no idea it was so difficult.
As she hugged me for a while, Yeon-hee plugged her phone into the charger.
“By the way, you know! I was so surprised when I came out through the gate earlier!”
“Clap?”
The brief story after Yeon-hee returned to Earth through the newly manifested summoning portal was like this.
As soon as she opened the door, she plummeted straight down towards the sea, and her heart sank.
Hearing the keyword “Australia,” she naturally thought of being on land, which made her panic greatly.
However, with her amazing quick reflexes, she called upon “Castle,” which had the property of floating, and avoided the disaster of falling into the sea.
Then she called out “Sword Dragon” to get here.
“I don’t know for sure if the place we connected to was Australia.”
“Right. Since you fell into the sea… how did you find your way home?”
(I was the guide!)
A plump white bird perched on Yeon-hee’s head flapped its wings and boasted about how capable it was.
“Ran has many talents. Heh heh. According to him, he saw the path he flew.”
“Did he have such a skill?”
“Oh, how cute. Our Ran.”
Peck~
After getting a kiss from Yeon-hee, Ran turned into a gooey puddle on the floor.
Leaving the puddle of Ran behind, I was exchanging silent dialogues with Yeon-hee through eye contact when…
Bzzzz— Bzzzz—
The smartphone that had been charging started vibrating incessantly.
“What do we do, Il-wol! I think people are worried because we were missing for a day!”
“Ah… right.”
The people who should have come out of the dungeon didn’t show up, and since we didn’t answer any calls, a whole day passed.
My companions must have been in chaos.
Unexpectedly gifted a day off, Yeon-hee hurriedly began making clarification calls.
“Wang-wang!”
Sitting quietly and watching us, Wang-wang approached me and wagged his tail when Yeon-hee got busy with something else.
He was the one that used to ignore me, but now he’s just a fluffy little thing after we established our hierarchy.
I gave Wang-wang’s belly a few pets before handing him the bones of the Orc and Weasel.
Chomp- Chomp-
A unique monster that eats only bones without touching the flesh.
Rumbling—
“Oh?”
And what a splendid creature that produces exceptionally expensive poop.
“Before long, I will have over a hundred reinforcement stones.”
Looking at the reinforcement stones filling the extra-dimensional space warmed my heart.
At this rate, I could afford to give one to each of my companions as a reward.
The reinforcement stones spat out by Wang-wang were larger and had a more varied color than the existing ones.
[Intermediate Equipment Reinforcement Stone]
– Can reinforce equipment once, excluding accessories.
– As the rank increases, the reinforcement level rises.
“Ohhh?! This is an Intermediate Reinforcement Stone!!”
Perhaps because I’d been feeding him the bones of Orcs and Weasels these last few days, Wang-wang produced an upgraded output right away.
I took out the Great Sword I had just received and used the reinforcement stone directly.
As the stone melded into the Great Sword, a bright light flashed, and a message appeared.
– The reinforcement of the Kadinite Great Sword by the Gray Artisan was successful!
“Great! But is there a chance of failure?”
Where there is success, there must be failure.
While I’ve received quite a few reinforcement stones from Wang-wang, the more of these items, the better.
Clatter—
“Wang-wang!!”
I dumped bones all over the front yard.
Wang-wang trembled in excitement before the mountain of monster bones.
“Eat well and poop a lot.”
Wang-wang has already grown to the size of a husky.
Though his fur is fluffy, he actually has quite the bulging belly.
“Well, if he becomes obese, that’s just how it is.”
Chomp- Chomp-
– ‘Blood Mosquito’s Bloodstone’ 169/500 (+1)
As I was watching Wang-wang’s eating show, the message from the “Small Skeleton” popped up again.
The “Small Skeleton” was still engaged in dealing with the mosquito remnants.
“My precious little guy. Good job!”
– The “Small Skeleton” has escaped the Temple of Light and feels liberation for the first time!
– The “Small Skeleton” clinks its teeth excitedly!
– The “Small Skeleton” crouches down to search for objects with bones and moves.
“Oh… I like seeing it develop over time.”
He seems to have a more boisterous nature than the last one I spawned, but watching them grow is quite fun.
Pleased with the growth of the “Small Skeleton” and Wang-wang’s eating display, I checked the upgraded stats of my Great Sword.
=====
Kadinite Great Sword of the Gray Artisan
– This is a work of a blacksmith who has just begun to earn a reputation. It boasts high performance thanks to a rare material and budding talent.
– Attack Power: 138 (+35)
– Durability: 1350/1350 (+150)
– Reinforcement Count: 1/3
=====
“Wow— Intermediate reinforcement stones are no joke.”
While the basic ones raised it by about 10%, the intermediate ones did about three times that.
Plus, its durability rose by 150, and the number of reinforcements can go up to three.
Once all three reinforcements are filled, the attack power will nearly double.
“I’ll have to reinforce the next two with intermediate stones. Should I use the basics to strengthen my companions’ equipment?”
Yeon-hee had already reinforced her orb and armor with basic stones, so there was definitely enough leeway.
Whoosh— Whoosh—
The Great Sword swung through the air like flowing water.
It was a weapon so well-honed it made me feel like I had become a master of swordsmanship.
“I really want to try it out soon.”
I still hadn’t decided whether to enter the dungeon tomorrow and challenge myself with a crazily intricate strategy involving entering through a small gate again.
I gained major benefits today, but there were simply too many overwhelming enemies that could cost me my life.
“That said, I can’t just stay stuck in a B-rank dungeon.”
Clack—
As Yeon-hee returned outside, exhausted from explaining to our teammates, she sniffled.
“Il-wol— are we not going to do it today…?”
“Clap.”
She turned red in the face, asking if we could get closer.
“It’s past midnight already. Were you waiting for our forms to be filled?”
Seeing Yeon-hee’s face, which seemed more flushed than usual, made my nonexistent heart race.
“Kyaah—!”
Taking Yeon-hee inside, we explored each other’s bodies intensely.
“Yeon-hee’s eyes…?”
Could opening the new summoning portal have brought her to the realm of enlightenment?
Her eyes had taken on a deeper shade of purple and sparkled brightly like a child’s.
Peck- Smooch—
What words were even necessary?
She loved me far more passionately than usual, and I responded in kind.
As I warmly embraced Yeon-hee, I washed her and put her to sleep, having safely completed the consciousness of Irmana.
“I wonder when the Goddess Irmana will call for me again.”
A world where the lake stretched endlessly.
Irmana, wishing to correct past mistakes.
She was quiet lately, challenging achievements that even the system claimed to be impossible.
“Summoning me must also consume her strength.”
Nodding my head, I stepped into the front yard, briefly watching the summoned creatures sparring under the moonlight.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Growl!”
“Uwooooh!!”
The Alpha Orc and Lizard were taking on Alpha Rakan.
No matter how strong Rakan was, it wouldn’t be easy for him to face both of them, who clearly possessed the stature of B-rank monsters at once.
Still, their faces were filled with joy and excitement.
“I wonder if they find fighting that enjoyable.”
I shook my head and listened to a TV program blaring from afar.
“News has emerged that a hidden space well-known as the top-tier A-rank dungeon ‘Nando’ has been discovered. It is a dungeon within a dungeon, often referred to as a hidden dungeon by hunters. Unfortunately, the person who has opened the tightly shut door has yet to appear. Correspondent Sang-chan, what are the circumstances over there…?”
“They found a hidden space in Nando?”
I couldn’t find any such information even when I searched through my memories.
Was it a result of my appearance as a singularity?
“At least it’s good that no one has opened the door yet.”
Recently, Jo Gi-man had gone to Jeju Island and repeatedly moved to different areas.
Though it was a place tightly held by the Dwarf Guild, there was a chance that Jo Gi-man was involved.
Considering Jo Gi-man’s strength, it might be possible for him to enter “Nando,” but if that guy has reached the unknown territory, he would probably have a smooth entry into any dungeon.
“I should hope Jo Gi-man lacks the qualification to open that door.”
There are some hidden dungeons like the one where the Skeleton Knight ‘Natalan Jackman’ lurked, which open the door at regular intervals, but others like the one in ‘Nando’ only allow certain qualified individuals to enter.
While I wondered if I might fit that condition, just hours later, I heard the news that someone had opened the door and entered, making me put those thoughts aside.
“Dammit… who could it be? Jo Gi-man? Or someone else? The leader of the Dwarf Guild? I hope it’s just him.”
The representative of the Dwarf Guild, known by the moniker “Heaven’s Hammer.”
He is a monumental figure who disliked compromise, uniting the stubborn Dwarves and creating a massive guild that quickly placed him among the top three guilds in the country.
He’s also the owner of ‘Vulcanus’s Fortress,’ a place where only the most skilled blacksmiths can enter.
If a hidden space has risen in the Dwarf’s favorite hunting ground “Nando,” he undoubtedly has found it.
“For now, it’s a place I can’t access. But it will be a destination soon.”
My focus shifted to another matter, but I had a mountain of decisions to make.
“Hmm… For now, should I just smoothly rotate through tomorrow and consider attempting it at the last moment?”
I decided to trust my instincts once I enter the dungeon.
But there was one thing I had to do first.
“The Great Evil One Haseirin. It’s time.”
The time has come to deal with the Great Evil One Haseirin, whom I had procrastinated confronting until I was strong enough.
Back then, I couldn’t even think about taking her on, but things are different now.
“I can stealthily ambush her for sure. My attack power should be sufficient. I’ll behead her in one swift move.”
With my space-cutting ability, even if she’s heavily armored, she won’t be able to hold up. Two guards shouldn’t pose much of an obstacle.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
