The massive tooth caught in his grip trembled.
It was the tooth of a monster that had nearly hit him in the face right after a spatial leap.
After scrambling to find the location of an unidentified distress signal, he almost got slapped in the face instead.
– Clack clack…!
A chilling sound slipped from the tightly clenched grasp.
Even the artificial arm and tooth were sparking from the friction.
The force gripping his hand was considerable.
Lee Ha-yul frowned slightly.
‘What rank is this? 5th tier top… no, considering the dungeon boost, barely 4th tier…?’
Its body resembled that of a lizard.
It had a long tail and an elongated snout.
Thick armor-like scales with spikes sticking out like thumbtacks.
‘Its unique ability is detection-based. It’s rare for monsters to be born with detection abilities.’
But it wasn’t directly impactful in combat.
In the end, it was just an impressive specimen in terms of physicality.
– G-graaaah!
But even just that made the monster inherently threatening.
Thus, avoiding a contest of strength with monsters was generally the way to go… but he couldn’t stick to that plan because of what was behind him.
– Woooong!
He tightly grasped the lower jaw, which was trying to escape, and began to channel his mana.
The mana dormant in the air circulated around him.
With the precision of a solidification spell, his body was activated.
– Kududuck…!
He clenched his hand, roughing up the resistance.
The monster screamed as fingers dug into its tooth and jaw.
The wind whipped around, tangling his hair.
Accompanied by the monster’s pained cries, mana swelled right before his eyes.
From the wide open mouth, mana surged forth.
A rough blast of raw monster mana.
Facing it, Lee Ha-yul spread his wings. From the multi-colored wings burst forth a beam of elemental energy…
“How dare you…”
Before it could launch, Choi Ji-yeon, with fire in her eyes, charged in.
Dizzy from the side effects of the spatial leap, she managed to move during the combat situation.
Shortly leaping, she pulled one arm back.
Channeling Taesan and applying body enhancement, a rippling sound erupted from her clenched fist.
Immediately, the rock created from her fist formed into thick gauntlets, imbued with brown strong energy.
It was as if they had rehearsed it; Lee Ha-yul released his grip and pulled back.
At the same time, Ji-yeon brought her hand down behind her.
– Kwaaaang!
With a sound that shredded the air, her fist struck just above the monster’s nose.
The jaws that were gaping went shut, unable to even scream before its head hit the ground.
– Paaang!
The head embedded in the ground shook violently.
Mana exploded from its mouth.
Thick black smoke billowed out from the gaps in its jaws.
Ji-yeon, landing gracefully, didn’t stop there but slammed her hands into the earth.
Lowering her stance, she brushed her hands against the ground.
In her hand now lay a hammer woven from rock.
With a long handle that scraped the ground, she charged forward.
– Kwaaaang!
The hammer swung down with force, barely missing the monster’s raised head.
The monster, unable to scream from the tremendous force filled with strong energy, rolled across the ground.
It was a chance to press the attack.
Having struck its head continuously, it surely would be disoriented.
Time to charge in with momentum.
“Phew…!”
That thought momentarily crossed Ji-yeon’s mind, but she quickly shook it off and slammed into the ground again.
Not towards the monster, but behind Lee Ha-yul.
Positioning herself to support him.
[?]
Lee Ha-yul tilted his head in confusion, thinking Ji-yeon would push forward.
[Senior, wasn’t it better to just press the attack?]
“No, we don’t have enough information yet, so it’s better to step back first. Besides, I need to protect you.”
[…That’s not something I dislike, but, um… thanks?]
“Don’t mention it.”
Thanks to Ji-yeon’s return, their standoff continued.
The lizard-like monster was also gathering itself and remaining cautious.
The monsters crowding around were kept at bay by the spirits and the undead summoned by Ji-yeon and Lee Ha-yul.
“By the way, is the reason you kidnapped me again at this late hour because of those kids?”
[…Yes, I’m sorry for doing it without any notice.]
“So you are self-aware… we’ll discuss this when we get back to base.”
As Ji-yeon relaxed her stance, she glanced over Lee Ha-yul’s shoulder.
He followed her gaze.
‘…Fairies.’
His expression became even more complicated at the sight.
Gathered behind him were fairies.
Their hair colors were different instead of the usual white, and they were barely larger than Lee Ha-yul’s palm, but…
The multicolored wings spread behind them clearly marked their species.
When they had just arrived, they were mixed up in the chaotic melee of monsters, fleeing for their lives.
He had set up a defense spell for safety first and then used telekinesis to pull them together and examine the situation.
[Hah]
[Hah]
[Hek]
The fairies, who had been staring blankly at Lee Ha-yul, trembled at the sudden focus on them.
[Wings…]
[Six?]
[So shiny…]
…They flinched, precisely at the sight of Lee Ha-yul’s face.
Seeing their frantic reactions, Lee Ha-yul took on a strange expression.
There were numerous small scars on his body.
They seemed to be the result of just being chased by monsters.
He was also clad in the leaves he needed to quickly return to the earth’s nutrients…
He looked pretty pitiful all around.
– Poke
[Uweh?]
The yellow-haired fairy in front poked his cheek with a finger.
A spark of light from his fingertip seeped into the fairy’s body.
A simple healing spell. The minor injuries gradually faded away.
The once shocked fairy’s eyes widened in amazement.
That adorably cute reaction made Lee Ha-yul’s lips twitch.
[Please wait a moment.]
[…! Yes!]
The fairy beamed, nodding enthusiastically.
“…? Did I just say something? No, should we sort out the situation first?”
[Yes.]
He nodded in response to Ji-yeon’s words.
The lizard monster still remained vigilant, staring at them.
Was it waiting because it thought it had a chance, or had it just not found the time to escape?
Whatever it was, he didn’t need to let it go.
After all, it was a close 4th tier monster, even if barely classified.
Time to kill it and use its remains for summoning practice.
“Can I take that one down?”
Just as he raised his cleansing magic to prepare…
Ji-yeon, who had been glaring at the lizard monster with a displeased look, nodded and spoke.
“I also want to hunt it myself for training. Could you please just provide support?”
[Yes, of course.]
[You can leave the support to me.]
“Thank you.”
Lee Ha-yul, who nodded readily to Ji-yeon’s request, unleashed his cleansing magic.
– Wooong…
The cleansing spirit moaned glumly as another opportunity to shine was stolen from it.
.
.
.
Ji-yeon literally smashed the lizard monster.
With the dual defense of rock armor and strong energy, she completely blocked its attacks and approached with brute force.
The moment she reached it, she unleashed a barrage of strikes, smacks, grabs, and crushes.
The monster, pulverized in an instant, tried to distance itself, but once Ji-yeon had a hold of it, she never let go.
The highlight was her yanking its tail and tossing it around like a ragdoll.
While her output may not match that of Gop-hwa, her formidable strength displayed Taesan’s might.
In the end, the monster was butchered to a point where it was unworthy of being used as a corpse.
Although it was just barely 4th tier, watching such a one-sided assault left him in awe.
It was a sight both rough and terrifying, causing the watching fairies to huddle together, trembling in fear.
In any case, the other minor monsters could be dealt with by the spirits and undead.
Yet, handling them all was impossible.
With monsters continuously pouring in like a disturbed hornet’s nest, he didn’t have the luxury to clean up everything.
So, he wrapped things up reasonably and, as soon as a gap opened, slipped away through space.
– Zwoooosh…
“You dropped me off without a word again? My heart almost sank, and I nearly upchucked the soup I just ate.”
– Bleeerrgh…
[Sorry…]
Having returned to base, Ji-yeon suddenly pulled him onto her lap and began stretching his cheeks with both hands.
Just a moment ago, she was tearing through thick scales with the strength of iron, and now she was viciously tugging at his cheeks.
Fortunately, she wasn’t putting any real force into it.
It felt more like playful pouting at most.
Though Ji-yeon was undoubtedly tired from the earlier battle, it also meant she had no intention of torturing him.
“…Of course, I shouldn’t complain in such an urgent situation.”
Letting out a deep sigh, Ji-yeon stared down at him, her eyes resembling those of a mischievous child.
[Guuhhh]
…But it was true that she had whisked him away without any warning again.
Ultimately, it was his fault; he didn’t protest and let her play with his cheeks.
– Paaann…
[…Mmm.]
As he realized he was the center of attention, he mustered just a bit of embarrassment and hopped down from Ji-yeon’s lap.
“Ah.”
Ignoring the pitying sounds from behind, he trudged over to the fairies.
The fairies were no longer in the disheveled state from earlier.
They had returned the leaves to the ground, now wearing the clothing he had just made for them.
Gathered around a camping chair bathed in the warm light of a heating magical tool, they seemed cozy.
The adorably charming scene made him smile as he crouched down.
He matched their eye level, considering the fairies looking up at him.
“Um, you are fairies, aren’t you?”
Having tidied up her thoughts, Ji-yeon approached behind him.
Turning to face Ji-yeon, who was calmly observing the fairies, he asked.
[So, you are fairies?]
“Yes… now that I look closely, it’s certain. They’re just like the regular fairies I saw in the Forbidden Zone.”
It was already known that a few fairies resided in the Taesan Clan’s grounds.
Given Ji-yeon had seen real fairies multiple times, her claim held water.
Lee Ha-yul instinctively felt that these kids were indeed fairies.
He shrugged and turned his head.
Making sure to wear the softest expression possible, he greeted them.
[Hello?]
[Ah, hello…!]
A warm yet stiff greeting came back in response.
The fairies were filled with tension… yet their eyes sparkled as they stared back at him.
Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming.
He put on a bright smile and shrugged.
[No need to be that tense. And you can speak now.]
“Oh, right.”
“Loa the fool.”
“Geez.”
[Um… so you’re Loa? The one who asked for my help, right?]
“Uh, y-yeah… that’s right. I asked for help, but it was unintentional, it just happened…”
[Hey, can you stop rambling?]
[Yeah, I’m trying my best here.]
The yellow-haired fairy, Loa, stuttered through her words.
Seeing her struggle, the black-haired fairy—was it Kali?—chided her through a telepathic comment.
But since telepathic communication can be overheard, her reprimand echoed in Lee Ha-yul’s mind as well.
[I’m Lee Ha-yul. Nice to meet you.]
“Nice to meet you…!”
Rio responded with a bright smile.
“Lee Ha-yul, the king!”
[Wait, what did you just say?]
“…Huh?”
[What did I just say?]
Loa tilted her head at his question.
“Lee Ha-yul, the king!”
Her unchanged response left him dazed.
Do fairies speak a different language?
He briefly considered that rational possibility, but the translation powered by the Power of Harmony clearly rendered it as “king.”
King.
The head of a nation.
Me?
“Why are you looking like that?”
Loa, puzzled by his incredulous response, tilted her head.
Did she genuinely not realize the problem?
The more he thought about it, the more bizarre it seemed.
“…Are you royal?”
[Aren’t you joking?]
“…Ah!”
Ji-yeon, behind him, looked down at him in shock.
As he responded incredulously, Rio suddenly gasped and pointed a finger at Ji-yeon.
“And the queen!”
[…Huh?]
“…What?!”
The absurd claim stunned both him and Ji-yeon into silence.
*
[State change of the “Fairy” condition.]
…
[Player Adjustment System: Affinity]
Lee Ha-yul → Choi Ji-yeon
●●●●●●●○○○(69▷72/100)
‘Affinity’ ‘Rock’ ‘Sturdiness’ ‘Sense of Security’
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