R1 Chapter 23

Chapter 23

 

Whether it made sense or not, we had no choice but to complete the quest.

We approached the cluster of hot springs scattered along the wide hillside. Finally, we stood in front of a spring that seemed just the right size.

So now… do we just get in?

I carefully dipped my hand into the spring water.

Ooh. Warm and perfectly soothing—just the right temperature to soak in. It was tempting to jump in right away.

But right now, those two were the priority, not me.

“Here are the towels.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll turn around over there. Call me when you’re done.”

I handed Shin Yeoul and Baek Hwan the towels I had stored in my inventory.

Luckily, I had plenty of household items from the cleaning quest reward.

“Um, Seojin-ssi.”

I was just about to turn around, giving Baek Hwan privacy as he began unbuttoning his shirt, when Shin Yeoul approached me.

“Here, take this.”

“Huh? What’s this?”

“It’s a defensive item. My inventory partially unlocked, so I managed to retrieve it.”

What he handed me was a ring with a blue gem embedded in it.

As Shin Yeoul slipped the ring onto my finger, the initially loose band adjusted itself perfectly to fit.

What a fascinating feature.

“Of course, you’re strong enough that you probably won’t need it, but…”

Wait, he still thinks that?

“I just felt bad that we dragged you into this dungeon, even though you didn’t seem to want to come in.”

I hadn’t expected him to be so considerate about it. His words carried genuine care.

“It’s a token of gratitude and apology.”

You didn’t have to go this far… He was just so thoughtful.

“Shin Yeoul, what are you doing! Aren’t you coming in?”

It seemed Baek Hwan had already entered the hot spring and was fully submerged. He was urging Shin Yeoul to hurry up and join him.

“Alright. I’m going now.”

Shin Yeoul gave me a small smile before heading toward Baek Hwan.

“Th-thank you!”

I hurriedly expressed my thanks. Shin Yeoul turned his head slightly, nodding in acknowledgment, before proceeding to remove his clothes.

Quickly, I spun around.

Moments later, I heard a splash of water. Shin Yeoul must have entered the hot spring.

To give them privacy, I decided to move a bit further away.

 

[Appraisal (E): Blue Fairy’s Ring (S-rank)

▸ Generates a blue protective barrier.]

 

While walking, I inspected the ring Shin Yeoul had given me.

What… an S-rank item?!

Shin Yeoul-ssi, you can’t just hand out something like this so casually! You’re going to get taken advantage of someday…

I’ll have to return this after we leave the dungeon.

This was far too valuable for me to keep. Wasn’t an S-rank item worth as much as an entire building?

Suppressing my astonishment, I headed toward a small pool that seemed just the right size.

After all the walking we’d done, I figured I could dip my feet in while waiting for their debuffs to clear.

Rumble—!

Suddenly, the ground shook. It wasn’t a huge vibration, but enough to make my body sway slightly.

“Ah, hot!”

Nearby, water splashed out of one of the pools. Some of them seemed to be at higher temperatures and could be dangerous.

Fortunately, the tremors subsided quickly.

But… this was far from fortunate.

 

[<Warning> “Ah it’s hot! Watch out for water overflow!”

Boss monster ‘Bubbling Dragon’ is taking a nap! Be careful of its sleep talking!

Time Until the Dragon Awakens: 1 hour]

 

Wait, what….?!

Only an hour until it wakes up?!

No wonder there weren’t any other monsters in the dungeon.

Instead, it was a time-limited situation.

W-what do I do?

I glanced nervously toward where Shin Yeoul and Baek Hwan were.

Though obscured by steam, they must have seen the same notification. They waved toward me.

“It should be fine!”

“We have plenty of time!”

Their shouts reached me.

“The effect is amazing! The debuff should disappear in about 30-40 minutes!”

Oh. That was some good news, at least.

It said it guaranteed debuff removal, and the hot spring really was effective.

Although the timing was cutting it close, clearing all our debuffs under these conditions was worth the risk.

I shouted back that I understood and turned around again.

The countdown timer displayed prominently in my vision kept nagging at me, but I forced myself to look elsewhere.

Time remaining until the dragon awakens: 1 hour.

Time required to clear debuffs: approximately 40 minutes.

 

[Reward Wait Time: 62 minutes]

 

Even the reward from the rabbit monster we had defeated—or were about to claim—was still on hold.

So much waiting today.

But it wasn’t a huge issue. As long as the debuffs cleared, everything would work out.

I decided to relax while I waited.

Rolling up my pants and taking off my socks, I sat on a rock and dipped my feet into a smaller spring nearby.

Ahhh. Amazing.

Without realizing it, I let out a groan of satisfaction.

The temperature was just perfect. The rising steam seemed to melt away my fatigue in an instant.

 

[“Mmm, this place’s water is absolutely top-notch!”

▸ Relieves ankle fatigue.

▸ Removes dead skin from heels.

▸ Leaves your skin as soft as a baby’s.

▸ Induces relaxation.

▸ Enhances leg hair texture.]

 

The effects were incredible.

Maybe I should start a hot spring business here.

Above the system message, a list of benefits popped up one after another. The effects, though minor, were impressive.

Coming here turned out to be the right choice.

Oh, right—there were eggs, weren’t there?

I placed Koko’s egg into a small nearby hot spring pool. Steam rose thickly, signaling the water’s high temperature.

The egg bobbed up and down, floating to the surface and then sinking back. By the time Shin Yeoul and Baek Hwan finished, it would likely be perfectly cooked.

It would be great to eat it together afterward.

And if we could have sikhye with it?

Drinking something cold and sweet after a soak? Perfect.

As soon as we’re out of this dimensional space, I’ll grab some sikhye to drink.

 

[Dungeon Entry Reward!

▸ Frosty Sikhye!]

 

Plop. Suddenly, something fell into my hand as a reward.

It was a familiar water bottle with a blue cap. Inside was cold sikhye.

Nice.

I had grown quite used to random rewards by now. Without much thought, I opened the bottle.

I pulled out a paper cup from my inventory and poured the sikhye. With one sip, a refreshing sweetness spread through my stomach.

Ahh! The blend of the hot spring’s warmth and the sikhye’s cool sweetness created the perfect harmony.

Gulp, gulp. The sweet and nutty flavor filled my mouth. Occasionally, the chewy grains of rice were a delightful surprise.

After a few more sips, I stashed the sikhye back in my inventory.

It would be nice to share it with the others later. It would pair well with the egg.

“Ah, this is so good.”

The scenery in the distance, the warmth of the water—everything made me sigh with satisfaction.

I didn’t know how much time had passed.

The breeze was cool, my legs were warm.

Gradually, I started to feel drowsy. Despite having napped briefly earlier, the coziness of the hot spring was too overpowering.

If I nodded off, one of them would wake me up, right? That’s what I vaguely thought as I drifted off.

When I woke up with a start, I wiped away the drool trickling down my chin and sat up straight.

I never thought I’d actually fall asleep.

Looking around, nothing seemed to have happened while I dozed off.

Thank goodness.

I breathed a sigh of relief and took out the eggs, now perfectly cooked, from the water nearby. They were too hot to hold for long, so I quickly stored them in my inventory.

But how much time was left now?

Judging by the fact that neither of them had woken me up, maybe not much time had passed.

Stretching, I checked the remaining time.

 

[Reward Waiting Time: 7 minutes]

 

The reward waiting time was the first thing to catch my eye.

Oh, that’s not long now.

Soon, I’d finally get the reward.

 

[Time Until the Dragon Wakes: 5 minutes]

 

Oh. That’s not long either?

Not long…?

I jumped to my feet in panic.

What was I thinking?!

✦✦✦

There was no time to waste.

The steadily decreasing time paralyzed my body with anxiety. My heart was racing so fast that it was hard to think clearly.

I sprinted toward where Shin Yeoul and Baek Hwan were.

Why hadn’t they woken me up when time was running so short?

That was all I could think about.

As I got closer, the faint outlines of their figures began to emerge through the steam.

Both of them were still soaking in the hot spring. I couldn’t understand why they were still relaxing there.

Didn’t they say it would only take 30 or 40 minutes to remove the debuffs?!

When I finally got close enough, I froze at the sight.

Shin Yeoul was slumped against the edge of the hot spring, arms draped over the sides, his neck dangling forward.

Baek Hwan was leaning against a rock, his eyes closed, entirely motionless.

The lack of movement in either of them made my blood run cold.

Had something happened?

My trembling hand reached out to feel for their breathing at the tips of their noses.

Thankfully, I could feel faint breaths against my fingers. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the subtle rise and fall of their chests.

“Shin Yeoul-ssi! Baek Hwan-ssi!”

Relieved to confirm they were alive, I started shaking them by the shoulders.

“Are you okay? Please wake up!”

But no matter how much I shook them, they showed no signs of waking.

Even slapping their cheeks produced no response. Panic set in.

Had they fainted from staying in the hot spring too long?! Or was there some other problem?

An ominous thought crossed my mind, and I hastily brought up their information through the system window.

I checked their statuses.

 

[<Guest 1 ���>

Status: Is this paradise…? (In deep sleep)

Remaining debuff: 0%

#SweetDreams #Happy #Refreshed #Healing]

 

Shin Yeoul, in deep sleep.

 

[<Guest 2> Baek Hwan (Angel)

Status: This really is paradise. (In deep sleep)

Remaining debuff: 0%

#Satisfied #FeelingGreat #PerfectWaterTemperature #ParadiseOnEarth #Healing]

 

Baek Hwan, in deep sleep.

Ah, so they’re just sleeping deeply.

I realized and grabbed the back of my neck.

 

[Time Until the Dragon Awakens: 4 minutes]

 

Get up already.

You high-rankers….!

🌱

Thank you for reading! ♡