[Hrum- Ho-oh-]
My master continued to circle around me, scrutinizing every detail.
[The attributes I can handle··· have increased again?]
‘I have a water attribute skill from before, but recently I got lucky and became a bit closer to the power of water.’
[The power of water··· indicates a connection to the goddess, does it not?]
‘Yes, that’s correct.’
[The Goddess of Water··· such a nostalgic name. I owe a great deal to ‘Nabia’ and ‘Akurea.’]
My master reminisced with a soft voice, clearly having his own ties to the goddesses of water.
‘In our world, there are only two gods who govern the water attribute. Was it the same in your world, Master?’
I asked out of curiosity while taking a moment to cool my head.
[Is that even possible? Light and darkness, as well as water and earth, are the sources of all things. How could such active beings simply disappear?]
‘Right?’
[Hoo… Is it possible that thing from back then······?]
My master made a vague statement before drifting into thought while swimming in the air.
Having seen this happen once or twice, I decided to begin my training.
After about an hour, my master approached and opened a space for magical training.
In that space, I needed to devote myself to training for decades.
Creak- Creak-
After finishing my training, I emerged, weary, and lightly stretched my body.
Even though I had trained for decades, I knew that my real body needed time to fully absorb it, so I immediately dove into personal training.
[Just so. Hrum-hrum-]
My master seemed quite pleased, as the side effects of magical training had diminished, and he saw me diligently training.
[Prosthenamel]
[Thunderhorn]
[Empty Slash – Flame Cut]
Crack───!!
[Ho-oh…]
As I mixed three attributes and split the ground about 4 meters, even my master gasped in surprise.
[You keep trying new things··· Hoho. How did you manage that?]
‘U-uh… It feels like the power has increased compared to a few days ago. Is this the result of training?’
The depth surpassed the length of the slash.
With this, could I not injure that adult Hellacne I had seen before? Of course, he had been killed by Dnarr.
[Hohoho, what a ridiculous guy. A talent with swordsmanship that crawls on the ground, yet managing to blend different powers is remarkable.]
Clank-
I knew I looked ridiculous, but I wasn’t sure if it was a great talent.
‘I think it’s thanks to the power of water, but I should investigate more. Mixing two feels like a different dimension of difficulty.’
[Water encompasses all powers. A very commendable achievement. Continue your hard work.]
My master expressed his joy by quickly spinning around.
Even though the completion of the technique I had shown him was less than 30%, he was ecstatic.
[You can see it, the way to reach that guy!]
There was only one thing my master expected from me.
To defeat the blue-eyed one.
Though he had never expressed that expectation in words, I was sure of it.
‘Somehow, I must become strong and someday relieve my master’s regret.’
[Ugh…]
After a while of energetically circling me, my master soon lost energy and left without a word.
‘I guess he hasn’t recovered from sending me to another dimension last time…’
I couldn’t help but see the frail figure of my master drifting away.
I wanted to make him happier, but I was just a poor disciple with nothing I could do at the moment.
(Il-wol? Can I eat?)
‘Huh? Me? Oh, the magic power. Go ahead. As much as you want.’
After my master vanished, Rainy gently wrapped around me and hurriedly began to absorb magic power.
I felt a pang of sadness thinking that if I had visited every day, maybe she would have already fully recovered.
Chirp- Chirp-
Usually, Rainy would chatter on about how the flavor had changed, but today she focused silently on accepting the magic.
I could clearly see the roots and leaves noticeably recovering, emitting a vibrant light.
If I measured the phytoncide levels in this space, it would probably be hundreds of times that of the Amazon?
(You drink well-)
‘While training, I could see the branches trembling. You were really hungry.’
As I transferred magic power to Rainy, I reached for the dimensional rift we had worked on together.
‘Hmm… The sensation is definitely different from when I stuck my hand in last time.’
Was the ability to widen the rift also changing with my growth? It felt vastly different from before when I had no answers.
‘Let’s see······.’
I placed my hand into the rift that opened to a size not much different from last time and unleashed my attribute abilities at will.
‘Mixing the powers of flame and water······.’
[Prosthenamel]
[Empty Slash – Flame Cut]
Crackle──!!
‘Oh…?! Something’s happening?’
I saw the rift spreading near the hole like shattering glass.
(Uwuu- Chik-chik-?!!)
Even while absorbing magic power, Rainy reacted intensely to the changes I had created.
She must have been tirelessly trying to widen the rift when I wasn’t around, but judging by her reaction now, it didn’t seem very effective.
Tap- Tap-
Rainy tapped my thigh as if urging me to try again.
‘Alright, let’s swing until I collapse!!’
I was filled with determination, having owed so much to Rainy.
[Empty Slash! Empty Slash! Empty Slash!!]
Whoosh──!!
Boom!!
After wildly swinging my great sword for a while, the black flame activated, smashing the space where the rift had been all at once.
(Uwuu!! Chik-chik!!)
The dimensional rift visibly expanded.
Now the hole wouldn’t shrink, so there was no need to shove stones into the ground.
‘Waaaaah!!’
Elated, I swung my sword until I fell into a state of mana exhaustion.
It felt like the black flame was activating more often than before, and every time it did, the destructive power was so immense that the hole expanded by centimeters.
If the activation rate of the black flame reached just 50%, my attack power would grow on a different level entirely from what it was now.
Jeez- Jeek-
‘It’s working! It’s working!!’
Hope was shining!
Not immediately, but surely, my speed would increase.
With any luck, maybe in a few months, I’d see results. Then I wouldn’t have to leave Rainy alone in this space anymore…
‘Wait, what about my master?’
Leaving my master alone weighed on my mind.
Given his nature, he probably wouldn’t care at all, but…
‘I should ask him later. Also, I need to ask about this rift.’
For now, the task at hand was a priority.
*
‘Hah- Hah- This is not something I can take lightly.’
I swung my sword relentlessly until it was time for Yeon-hee to summon.
‘This is unexpectedly good training. It seems to help more to have a purpose than just swinging alone.’
Even though I poured all my strength into widening the rift, I didn’t feel fatigued at all.
Just a bit overheated, as if my head was slightly warmer?
It seemed the body of an undead without the concept of stamina was so remarkably useful.
‘Still, I feel proud.’
I had widened the rift to a size that could nearly allow three average adult men to pass through.
Although it was still not enough to pull out Rainy, who had almost overtaken the area, the fact that I had grown it over twice its original size was a positive note.
‘Rainy, you can stop widening the rift now and think about how to reduce its volume. Got it?’
(······ Okay??)
Rainy’s pronunciation sounded a bit slurred.
I turned around, wondering if she was crying, but she flinched and pretended to dance comically.
‘······ Rainy.’
(Oh? Oh?! What, why? What?)
Seeing her flustered made it clear she had been lost in her own thoughts.
‘It’s time for me to go. I need to resurrect the dead. What I said earlier, you should try to work on it?’
(Oh, okay. Yeah, you’re leaving again… Sigh! Take care! I’ll definitely find a way to shrink myself!)
I was bothered by the expression of regret in her voice.
It was a nuance I seldom saw before.
I thought I should visit every day during this time and greeted Rainy.
(Take care!)
As she said “take care,” Rainy’s voice filled with strength slowly faded away.
* * *
In front of the gate of a dungeon teeming with red-haired Dire Wolves.
I could finally meet my companions after a long time.
“What, you come all this way and you’re not going in together?”
It wasn’t possible for us to perform the task of resurrecting the dead in the area where we operated.
We were planning to wrap things up after crossing over to Jeju Island, so I wouldn’t be accompanying them today either.
‘I’m here to meet the Grim Reaper and the twins.’
This morning, Jung Tae-hyung sent me a message that had me quite anxious.
[Master, I might soon end up killing the twin girls.]
‘I need to find out what the heck is going on.’
“That’s not cool. Il-wol. No, should Yeon-hee say something about this?”
Noh Ha-yoon scolded me upon our reunion, clearly indicating I should be reprimanding her.
“Well, Il-wol has his own important things to do.”
Yeon-hee was sweating profusely, as her comrades’ reactions were more intense than expected.
“What kind of summoner goes around on her own?”
“Is she wandering around somewhere in human form?”
“Pfft, seriously. I had a dream about something like that before.”
“Right? There’s a person in that armor, right?”
“······.”
This discussion even sent chills down my spine.
Meanwhile, I began to feel it might be time to reveal some secrets to them.
‘I’ve been feeling a bit stifled.’
Even if I didn’t show myself in human form, I could at least claim to have grown to the level of being able to speak like the Ancient Empire Skeleton Commander.
– Hororong.
As I thought this, my gaze met with the beast “Hororong,” which was sitting on Eun-young’s shoulder.
‘You seem to be growing well.’
According to Yeon-hee, the beasts were so powerful that they wouldn’t even get a chance to join the fray inside the dungeon.
‘Quite reassuring.’
Ultimately, Yeon-hee and the companions threw themselves into the dungeon, leaving me behind.
‘Come along.’
As I moved to a quiet clearing away from my location, three hunters followed me.
[Mimicry]
“How’s it going? Is it manageable?”
I asked the Grim Reaper Jung Tae-hyung and the twins Hae-ryeong and Hae-min simultaneously.
Before we engaged in any serious conversation, the twins stepped forward before Jung Tae-hyung could respond.
“How long are we supposed to guard the summoner, Master?”
“It’s so boring. Honestly, he’s already strong enough that we don’t need to protect him at all. The beasts that Mrs. Kim handled could easily challenge even bosses here… Can’t we just stick with you, Master?”
‘Is that even possible?’
“Eww…”
“You’re being unreasonable.”
Despite their status as demons that obey my every command, it seemed they still had their own human traits.
I realized that beings like the twins had an unusually strong sense of self and would voice their opinions strongly.
“Tch… Even I’m quietly carrying out my duties, and you girls can’t bear to wait a few days?”
Jung Tae-hyung, unable to hold back any longer, intervened.
“Master, these are lowly bugs that don’t have the concept of receiving orders. You’d be better off disposing of them and giving the beasts to me. They would be much more useful and easier to handle.”
Jung Tae-hyung fired off criticisms at the twins all at once.
“Women are not good for this sort of thing,” he said, completely unfiltered.
“Oh… that damn old fogey really… he just doesn’t stop…”
“Hae-min, I told you to hold it in until then.”
The mood grew tense after Hae-min’s outburst.
While Jung Tae-hyung appeared unfazed from repeated confrontations, the twins were glaring daggers at him.
‘Hmm… Is this really how they behave just after a few days? Should I have been more specific with my orders?’
I could have stated to show an obedience to the level of loyalty Jung Tae-hyung owed me.
And it might be necessary to prohibit crude language.
I had anticipated some level of friction among the demons, but I hadn’t expected them to be at each other’s throats like this.
“All three of you, come here.”
Immediately responding to my command, the demons knelt before me.
For the first time, I spoke with emotion.
“Expressing your opinions is always welcome. However, I can’t forgive fighting among the same team. Hae-min, do you want to die?”
“Yikes… I-I’m sorry! Master-!”
I wrapped Hae-min with an Ent vine and lifted her into the air, giving her a few light smacks on her behind.
“Hah~! Ouch, it hurts, Master! Hic!”
She hadn’t expected me to be this forceful, and her face turned beet red. It was clear she was scared.
Thud-
“Ugh…!”
Hae-min fell from the air after receiving dozens of swats on her rear.
With just one of her cheeks puffed up, she squeezed out a few tears.
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