Chapter 24
“Haha, you didn’t hear wrong. The elf blood injected back then still flows in my veins.”
Baek Doha directly corrected me as I froze. So, this is…
‘Is he telling me this on purpose?’
They say ignorance is bliss, and I didn’t particularly want to know about this, but I didn’t expect Baek Doha to tell me directly.
Of course, I was taken aback, and the content itself was shocking.
“Thanks to that, I became stronger, but this time, it’s like a backlash.”
As Baek Doha spoke nonchalantly, I struggled to respond, my mouth gaping.
“I see…”
Elf blood injection… hmm…
I suddenly realized anew that he was from another world and felt enlightened. With monsters and dungeons around, it wouldn’t be strange for elves to exist too.
“You’re not very surprised.”
“Well…”
I trailed off awkwardly as Baek Doha asked, seemingly not expecting this reaction.
In truth, I’m trying hard to keep my heart from leaping out of my mouth. Elves, really.
‘No wonder he’s insanely beautiful.’
I recalled the image of elves I’d only seen in media.
Come to think of it, Baek Doha’s beauty overlaps with the image of elves.
As I was seriously pondering this, Baek Doha spoke again.
“I definitely think there’s a reason why you… apart from us S-ranks.”
“…..”
This time I truly bit my tongue. I was at a loss for words.
I watched Baek Doha’s still calm profile and closed my half-open mouth.
Trying not to show my agitation, I bit my lip hard, when unexpected words reached my ears.
“But I won’t ask.”
“…..”
There was no need to ask what he meant.
‘Saying he won’t ask means…’
He was saying he would simply turn a blind eye to everything. From what abilities I had to what I was hiding.
Looking at his strangely reliable shoulders, I lowered my eyes.
“I really don’t intend to harm you.”
If nothing else, that much is certain.
“Yeah. It seems so.”
Baek Doha acknowledged plainly.
“So if I ever end up hindering the three of you…”
I was about to say to abandon me without hesitation, when he suddenly let go of my hand.
I was flustered by the abrupt action.
Wondering why, I raised my head to see a lake.
“Go wash up first.”
We had already arrived. I hesitated, about to finish what I was saying, but just nodded.
‘I’ll tell him later when I get the chance, I guess.’
To be honest, I was feeling quite uneasy.
Crouching in front of the lake, I immediately put my hands in. My body really had recovered.
I didn’t expect the ‘Goddess’s Blessing (S)’ skill I saw right before losing consciousness would be used like this.
Of course, looking at it this way, it really is a cheat skill…
[SYSTEM] Viewing skill information for ‘Goddess’s Blessing (S)’ of target ‘Baek Doha (S)’.
▸ There is a Goddess who favors you. Whenever and wherever, if your earnestness reaches her, she will grant your wish. (Skill activation rate: 9%)
Activation rate 9%.
That number not even reaching double digits was the skill activation probability.
A probability so low it seemed petty. I knew why the skill had activated despite that low chance.
‘They say he used an enormous amount of mana.’
I splashed water on my face with my now clean hands.
For an S-rank to say they ran out of mana, I couldn’t really imagine it.
Well, anyway, the important thing is that one storm has passed.
“Phew.”
Feeling the cool water fully, I finished washing my face and ran my hands through my hair. Drip, drip, water fell from the bridge of my nose.
Looking to the side, Baek Doha seemed to have finished washing too, with water dripping from the ends of his hair. His long eyelashes blinked slowly, revealing his hidden eyes.
The same green eyes as always.
‘Black was fine too, but this is better after all.’
At first, I thought they were just flashy, but I guess I’ve gotten used to them without realizing.
It was such a sudden change that I couldn’t help but smile.
💎
Changes happened one by one after that.
For example, I learned a bit about shooting from Baek Doha, or my body got much better than before.
Among these, the biggest change was…
[SYSTEM] Sub Quest-2 [Monster Returning the Favor] completed.
“Finally…!”
It was that after two days, I finally cleared ‘Sub Quest-2’.
I rejoiced as I looked at Mungchi’s fully healed foot.
Of course, Mungchi didn’t know anything and just panted before biting my hand hard.
Yeah, just bite. Your leg’s healed, so this much is fine.
As I tried to ignore my hand getting increasingly covered in drool, a blue window appeared before my eyes.
[SYSTEM] The filter on the reward has been lifted!
‘Ah, right. The reward.’
It was the appearance of the reward I had forgotten about.
The reward that had been three question marks was unlocked, and the system appeared.
I wonder how amazing the reward must be to have even put a filter on it-
[SYSTEM] Reward, ‘Key Card’ is given.
‘Huh…?’
Key card?
I was bewildered.
As I blinked in confusion, a faint light flowed onto my palm holding Mungchi.
I put Mungchi down for a moment and took off my glove to see what the light was.
“It really is a key…”
A blue key pattern was engraved on my hand.
The reward is a pattern? Are you kidding me? Where am I supposed to use this…
“If you go a bit further through the forest to the swamp, there’s a door.”
Suddenly, the conversation I had with Lim Yuchan came to mind.
“Behind that door, everything’s blocked by a barrier. There was writing saying it could be opened with an entry key.”
I opened my mouth blankly.
No way.
Hurriedly putting Mungchi down, I turned my head quickly to look around.
I saw Lim Yuchan resting under a tree just outside the cave.
I immediately ran over and grabbed his arm.
“Let’s go! Now, to that place with the door!”
“…What?”
He frowned. Regardless, I shouted.
“That door, I think I can open it!”
Lim Yuchan, who was slowly getting up, paused.
Not only him, but Cha Si-hyeon, who was drawing lines on the ground with his sword, and Baek Doha, who was looking at me pitifully from the side, all turned to look at me.
“You think you can open it?”
“Yes. Let’s go right now.”
It’s light, so I don’t know when it might disappear. Shouldn’t we go while it’s there?
I waited for Lim Yuchan’s answer. One second felt like a minute, one minute like an hour.
Lim Yuchan, who had been staring at me blankly, finally spoke.
“Let’s go.”
Baek Doha nodded too.
It was an all-or-nothing situation anyway.
None of the three questioned my words.
Since we had inventories, there was no luggage to pack, so we set off immediately.
I was about to follow the three when I hesitated.
“Ah…”
There was a wolf in the corner of the cave.
“It’ll die if it comes with us.”
Baek Doha, noticing my hesitation, said.
…I know.
Unlike us, it’s a creature from the dungeon, so it might not be able to come with us if we escape.
Baek Doha looked at me for a moment, then said quietly.
“But do as you wish, Yoo Yi-joo.”
It was an unexpected statement. I looked up at Baek Doha with round eyes.
He just smiled brightly.
“You had a face that looked like you’d regret it later.”
What kind of face is that supposed to be?
Exasperated, I let out a hollow laugh and touched my face for no reason.
My hand wasn’t a mirror, so I couldn’t see my expression. Realizing how silly this was, I pulled my hand away.
“I’ll just go.”
And I started walking. Baek Doha followed me without a word.
‘It’s not like I’ll see it again once we get out of here anyway.’
I’ll go back to my original world, these people will go to a world where rankings are natural, and the monster will have to live in the dungeon.
If we each live in our own places like that…
‘I shouldn’t have gotten attached.’
I tried not to get attached, but it didn’t go as planned. Well, did anything ever go according to my plans?
I kept walking, step by step.
But what if it gets hurt again if we leave it like that?
“…..”
Of course, no one answered that question.
“Hey, you…”
Pitter-patter, I quickly returned to the cave.
I thought I heard a faint sigh from behind, as if they knew this would happen.
‘I got attached for nothing.’
It’s not like I’m getting attached. That’s why it was harder to let go.
Panting, I arrived back at the cave entrance, where I saw the white lump still in the same place, looking at me.
“I’m sorry.”
It was looking at me with bright, round eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
I hugged the wolf as it approached me. I mumbled with my face buried in its warm fur.
“Let’s go together, Mungchi.”
It was the first time I called it by name.
💎
[SYSTEM] ‘Main Quest-9’ has arrived.
When I reached the door with Mungchi, a quest popped up as if it had been waiting.
[SYSTEM] Main Quest-9 [Escape the Maze]
▸Escape the maze full of monsters and reach the final boss area.
▸Time limit: None
▸Failure consequence: None
▸Reward: Entry ticket to the final boss area
‘The reward…’
Thump, thump.
My heart pounded. Entry ticket to the final boss area. I didn’t see things wrong.
I looked at the tightly closed blue door and reached out my hand. Cha Si-hyeon, next to me, opened his eyes wide.
“Wait, what do you think you’re… huh?”
A surprised voice followed. The door was absorbing the light from the key on my palm.
The light disappeared soon after.
[SYSTEM] Do you want to enter the maze? (Y/N)
A system window popped up where the light had disappeared. I reached out and pressed the obvious answer.
[SYSTEM] You have entered the maze!
💎
Thank you for reading! ♡
