“Right? A better today than yesterday. It can’t get any better than this.”
(Haha – That’s right! Il-wol speaks so well!)
Ping─
As I continued to work with Rainy for hours, I sensed that Yeon-hee was trying to manifest the Gate of Summoning.
Woooo—
After bidding farewell to Rainy with regret and returning to familiar scenery, I found myself facing familiar faces of hunters lined up behind Yeon-hee.
‘What the heck is this as soon as I arrive?’
I nodded at the summoned creatures surrounding Yeon-hee.
Then, they moved in unison behind me to clear the space.
“Il-wol…”
*Clap, Clap, Clap…*
“It’s been a while, Skeleton Guy.”
‘Mang Seong-yong… Choi Gang-han. And a girl I’ve never seen before.’
The scene was of renowned forces from the Association taking on the role of the girl’s bodyguards.
The entire large front yard was filled to capacity.
‘That girl… must be quite an important figure in the Association. Could she be… The One Who Shows the Way?’
Since the aura I felt had some resemblance to ‘Inessa’, I could easily deduce it.
‘Mang Seong-yong wouldn’t directly come find us from the upper ranks… So that girl must have wanted to see us badly, which is why Choi Gang-han had to come along.’
I had a rough idea of what was going on.
‘Still, bringing Choi Gang-han along is a bit much.’
Noticing my gaze, Choi Gang-han seemed a bit awkward and looked unnecessarily at the sky.
Thud—
As I stepped out of the Gate of Summoning, Yeon-hee quickly stuck by my side, and Mang Seong-yong silently stared at me before eventually speaking up.
“What do you think about my suggestion last time? Are you still contemplating it? When I asked the White Knight Guild first, they just kept repeating that your intentions were what mattered.”
“The suggestion… Are you talking about the plan to strike the base of the Blue-eyed Organization?”
“Right. To be more precise, it’s to gauge whether that’s possible.”
‘How could that be possible? If I hadn’t been around, we wouldn’t have even managed to subdue the Devouring Creeper. The Blue-eyed Organization, seriously.’
This was about the agreement we had in Mang Seong-yong’s office earlier.
We had agreed to assist in striking the base of the Blue-eyed Organization in another dimension, with the condition of receiving more rewards based on our performance in subduing the Devouring Creeper.
“I believe Ma Gwang-jin conveyed our intentions on that matter.”
“That’s right. That’s why I came back again.”
However, the contract we made had faded away after the battle with the Great Beast.
From the start, we couldn’t perform at a level high enough for the Association to monopolize the rewards, and crucially, the ones who became the main force in the subjugation were not particularly friendly toward the Association—Ma Gwang-jin and Yoo Min-jeong.
‘We ended up performing even better than expected. And the Association, which didn’t secure enough rewards to take care of us… but to consider the many hunters who joined to help the Association, they wouldn’t have been in a situation to offer us substantial rewards.’
Ultimately, we postponed participating in the subjugation of the Blue-eyed Organization, which meant we didn’t gain significant rewards from the distributions either.
Anyway, I had more than enough rewards from the Devouring Creeper, so I wasn’t disappointed at all.
During the week under Ma Gwang-jin’s protection, I had asked him to negotiate on our behalf, and thanks to his amicable assistance, things moved along smoothly as well.
‘I had proposed not to participate in the subjugation of the Blue-eyed Organization, so the Association must have thought it a delightful surprise.’
But as time passed, it was time for us to take action against the Blue-eyed Organization again.
To secure Yeon-hee as the key to opening that passage.
Of course, her will would play a big part in this.
“……”
The girl, with eyes shimmering brilliantly like the Milky Way, was staring straight at me.
‘…… Was she here to see me instead of Yeon-hee? Why is that?’
She smiled—
The corners of The One Who Shows the Way’s mouth subtly lifted.
She was clearly showing me goodwill.
‘I have no idea what she’s thinking.’
And Choi Gang-han was keenly observing the girl’s every move.
He seemed to be the one to show the most intense reaction upon seeing her smile, as if it were the first time he saw it.
“Hmm……”
Choi Gang-han looked at the girl and us with an intrigued expression.
It was as if he had noticed something was off.
‘Go away. We’re not going.’
“I…”
“Um!”
“I don’t think I’m ready to cross over to another dimension yet. I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline.”
“I…I see.”
‘…That’s an unexpected reaction. You didn’t expect me to decline.’
“Though it’s a lie to say it’s not dangerous, my first priority will be to protect you. The same goes for the lower-ranked hunters.”
Choi Gang-han, unable to hold back, intervened, but Yeon-hee was firm.
“I prioritize my intuition. My intuition tells me I’m not ready yet.”
“Huh… If that’s how you feel, then there’s nothing more to say. But if your mind changes, do let me know.”
“Of course. Thank you for coming all this way.”
Then, The One Who Shows the Way asked.
“Is that… your opinion, or your companion’s…?”
“Excuse me? Uh… It’s my opinion. Naturally.”
“Haha- is that so?”
‘She’s probing for something. Trying to catch me off guard.’
The girl, who seemed to have realized something, then turned away.
‘Does that mean she’s done here? She’s quicker at judging than I thought.’
“I hope to see you again.”
With the girl’s sudden departure, dozens of Association personnel simultaneously flowed out like a tide.
It clearly showed where the Association’s most crucial pillars were.
“What?! The Chairman and Examining Official Mang followed that girl out since this morning? That’s insane…”
Even Yeon-hee seemed taken aback by the unreal situation.
“But more importantly! What happened?!”
*Clap, Clap, Clap!!*
I entered the room, casting a protective barrier to block outside views, and took out the completed ‘Life Potion’ to show.
“Wow?! Why is it so big?!”
‘Seriously, I thought it was just a tiny bottle…’
It’s a world where everything’s on a grand scale.
[Camouflage]
With the day changing, the frequency of camouflage reset, and I explained the details about the potions to Yeon-hee.
“Bringing back the dead… No way, this is impossible!”
She was just as astonished.
After hearing all my explanations, Yeon-hee pondered for a while before she handed me a smartphone I hadn’t seen before as if she had thought of something.
“Isn’t it too late? When we’re apart, you might find it useful.”
“Oh, thanks. I was just about to mention that.”
“Hehe… Oh, and I received a message from Yeon-su unnie. She’s already in the process of recruiting one trustworthy Guild Master at a time to prepare for future threats. She said she would maintain secrecy through a Pact and prevent chaos in society.”
“Really? She sure works fast.”
“She plans to persuade and incorporate domestic organizations over about fifteen days. She’s also thinking of sharing information overseas.”
“Whoa— it seems she’s all in on that… This has to be thanks to Jo Gi-man.”
“It seems like Yeon-su unnie hasn’t been mentioning Jo Gi-man lately. She seems to be focusing on the Orc defense, and her talents are coming to light— Ah, geez. Since this morning…”
Squish—
“Phew— I’m gradually stabilizing now. I overdid it.”
I continued my thoughts while feeling the sensation of Yeon-hee’s ample chest.
I felt like there was something more I wanted to say.
“Oh, I made two more Demon Servants.”
“Again? Are they girls this time too?”
“Huh? Ah… Well, they’re twins. But they’re special ones with Twin Cast, so it’s a bit regrettable to eliminate them…”
“Hmm… Special, you say…?”
“No, I mean the skill is special. The twins are just ordinary messed-up kids. It’s nothing serious.”
“Hmph…!”
The more I talked about the twins, the more I felt like I was sinking into a quagmire, so I quickly changed the subject.
“Here, take this.”
I handed the ‘Talisman of Ibglas’ I had taken from the Dwarves to her.
“Wow— Another artifact?! This is a talisman.”
“It’s surprisingly effective.”
It was an artifact that had already been verified by Rainy.
Clink—
The luxurious talisman around Yeon-hee’s neck accentuated her beauty even more.
“How is it? Pretty?”
“Beautiful. The artifact has found a worthy owner.”
“Kya— you certainly know how to say embarrassing things.”
I brought up another topic.
“But are you alright?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“The dungeon. You entered a new dungeon, right?”
“Ah! It wasn’t bad! Plus, I’ve only explored the first floor so far. The Doppelganger is a little concerning, but ‘Azraelon’ has surprisingly been good at spotting them. No harm has come yet.”
“Oh… That cat has such a knack for that.”
“It seems like its combat power has increased a lot lately… But is it fine to leave it as is? After all, Azraelon is a Demon.”
“Hmm…”
I indeed had to chat a little with that fellow.
An hour later.
We entered a 24-hour unmanned café in front of the ‘Living Statue Dungeon of Power’ with our companions.
And I also felt the presence of three hunters watching us from a distance.
Grim Reaper Jung Tae-hyung, the twin sisters Hae-ryeong and Hae-min, I suppose.
‘Jung Tae-hyung must have already set up the twins’ positions. Did they try something? The twins’ faces look a bit damaged.’
It seemed they had made a move to gauge the Grim Reaper.
‘You guys are probably the first who’ve tangled with the Grim Reaper and lived to tell the tale…’
Anyway, the Hae-ryeong Hae-min twins were planning to attempt to enter the dungeon today.
They’re ranked A-class hunters, but considering the recent state of the dungeon, it seems very possible for them to enter.
“Why are we at the café so early in the morning?”
Noh Ha-yoon asked while already placing a large order.
“I have something to hand over to Eun-young.”
“Me…? Isn’t it about that animal sitting on Il-wol’s shoulder?”
*Clap, Clap, Clap.*
I handed over ‘Horror Long’ and ‘Grrrung’ from Beast Master Yoo Min-jeong.
I first passed the artifact ‘Derevaine’s Beast Whip’ to Eun-young.
Then the gazes of Horror Long and Grrrung were completely fixed on Ham Eun-young.
“Uh… Um, they’re staring at me.”
“This whip is an artifact meant for Beast Masters, so Eun-young may not be able to fully utilize it. But those ‘Beasts’ have been trained with this whip their whole lives, so it should work without needing any magic to be applied.”
“A whip… What am I supposed to do with this? Am I, seriously, going to hit these little kids?”
In response to Eun-young’s question, I smacked the two animals’ butts with the whip.
Then they puffed up to their original size, and the intimidation they exuded was far greater than facing an ordinary upper-tier monster.
“Wow— They can adjust their sizes on their own?!”
“Yes. It should be convenient to carry around. Plus, these two ‘Beasts’ can hold their own against an ordinary A-rank hunter. They’ll significantly boost our party’s power.”
“Absolutely… Controlling them during battle will be crucial.”
‘I’ll leave that to you, Azraelon.’
(Hmph, it seems like I’ve trained those lowly creatures of this world well. Good. I’ll take care of this properly.)
Surprisingly, Azraelon readily accepted my request.
‘After all, enhancing Eun-young’s power means increasing Yeon-hee’s safety.’
I nodded while throwing another question at Azraelon.
‘Can I ask a sensitive question?’
(Don’t.)
‘Hey, isn’t that a bit too blunt?’
(If it’s a sensitive question for you to ask me, it’s probably a cliché. Are you trying to ask about when I was captured?)
‘You got it right. You weren’t always this sharp, were you?’
(Hmph— I’ll see if you can still say that when I regain my power.)
‘Please find that power soon and show us. But more importantly, there’s something I really need to ask. Is the place where you were captured by the Transcendent of Reflux really the Demon Realm?’
(…… It could be called the Demon Realm or it could be dismissed as such.)
‘So it was somewhat near the boundary?’
(That’s correct. I never intended to go there either. Just as Reflux claimed he had an accident and fell there, I was the same. But why are you asking about this?)
‘The biggest force in our country is trying to strike the base of the Blue-eyed Organization. They seem to want to hit them to prevent the Blue-eyed from invading our world, and it’s said that the passage leading there opens about 27 years ago in our time. That’s why you came to mind.’
(Hmm…)
Azraelon rubbed his chubby cheeks with his soft paw before continuing his words.
(The Blue-eyed is not the Demon King. That’s for sure.)
‘Whoa… Can you read minds too? But how can you be so certain?’
(…… Because I know the Demon King well. That guy isn’t on the same level as the Evil God known as the Blue-eyed.)
‘…I see, you know well…’
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