After Hardship Comes Bliss

At Seol Ara and Pierre's suggestion to tackle the quest, Jonathan recoiled in horror, shaking his head vigorously.

"Why? Why bother? Why go looking for trouble? Let's just chill here comfortably and head down later!"

Kim Jung-min, the ultimate safety-first guy, nodded in agreement.

"Um... Ara sis. Sorry, but I think resting here a bit would be better. The terrain's way too rough—I'm worried someone might get hurt or something worse could happen."

Duduk-i, glued right to Kim Jung-min's leg, bobbed its head enthusiastically in agreement.

Ishihara Yui chimed in too.

"The reward's Dungeon Coins, right? But we still don't even know what they're for. Isn't losing your life over some greed way bigger loss?"

Pierre's deep eyes slowly swept over the three who had raised their voices. It was like a teacher gazing at clueless kids.

"You're right—the terrain here's brutal. Moving as a group would definitely be risky. But do we need to? One or two scouting ahead would do the trick."

"That's exactly what I was gonna say! I was just testing if you guys thought the same. For real!"

Jonathan flipped his stance the second Pierre pointed out what he hadn't considered.

"......"

Kim Jung-min fell silent, embarrassed.

"Whatever, do what you want."

Yui, logically cornered, just shrugged it off defiantly.

Irene Luker, who had been watching the debate, stepped in.

"Splitting up doesn't necessarily make it safer. If we can't find the catnip by the end, we'll have to scour the whole mountain range. Can we guarantee the safety of the few taking that on?"

Pierre Rasbon, wearing the Troll Leather Boots she'd just made for him, broke his silence.

"Sister Irene is right. You two seem keen on those Dungeon Coins, but no treasure in the world is more precious than human life."

Dennis Cobitt's voice, from his seventy full years and lifelong priesthood, carried a profound resonance that shook hearts. Everyone nodded along ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to his almost holy words—until

Clap!

Seol Ara suddenly clapped her hands, snapping everyone back to attention. She jumped right in.

"Here's the deal, everyone! Pierre and I brought it up, so we'll take responsibility. Sound good, Pierre?"

"We can take it slow. No monsters will show up anyway."

Mitchell Hoff asked the two who wouldn't budge despite the others' pleas.

"Why go that far?"

Seol Ara and Pierre answered in turn.

"It's not that dangerous in my book, and who knows? We might snag treasure from uncharted spots. Finding the catnip safely would be killing two birds with one stone."

"Dungeon Coins are worth the risk. And soon enough, we'll hit a spot where we need them. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠You might regret skipping these 1,000 then. Probably will."

Even after their answers, Mitchell shook his head. As he geared up to press harder—

"We'll protect Ara sis."

"With us two tagging along, sis won't be in danger."

The taekwondo-skilled twins, Hoakin Onelli and Vivien Onelli, grabbed Seol Ara's hands one on each side and stepped forward.

With the Onelli siblings' physical prowess, they could definitely shield her even on treacherous mountains.

Yui sidled up to Pierre, grumbling.

"Fine, guess I'll have to drag this monk around."

With the top basic stat trio volunteering, Mitchell looked troubled.

"Why are you twins and Yui...?"

The twins replied without hesitation to the flustered Mitchell.

"Ara sis has never been wrong."

"She's always right."

Even Yui echoed them.

"Hate to admit it, but I've never lost out following her. Good instincts or whatever—things always work out. Might as well ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bite the bullet this time."

With five now committed, Mitchell couldn't push back.

"Alright, no more arguing. But safety first, no exceptions. We'll wait here till you five return."

With permission granted, Seol Ara's group set off without delay.

Meanwhile, Ferrofero watched with a satisfied smile.

'It's all going just as I hoped!'

What Ferrofero wanted wasn't mere catnip.

Something far grander, only revealed by fully exploring this dungeon...

'Ah, no. On second thought, catnip's pretty important too.'

Ferrofero vanished to his room, unconsciously hoping Han Ji-woo would plant and share the catnip.

Han Ji-woo tended to the wound-riddled Black Hatchling, Seibier.

Seibier's body, after clashing with Ferrofero channeling the Creator's might, was a wreck. Torn, scraped, burst scales were the least of it—internal injuries were catastrophic.

"Seibier. Seibier?"

Han Ji-woo called its name, checking its status nonstop.

Sae-aek— Sae-aek—

Seibier's ragged breaths were anything but normal.

"This is driving me nuts."

He had zero means to heal it—no herbs, elixirs, or recovery magic. Desperation clawed at him.

Nyaaah~

Lucy's worried mew snapped a forgotten fact to mind.

"Lucy! Give Seibier a press-press!"

Press-press was her adorable paw skill that healed external wounds by kneading.

Lucy hopped on Seibier, alternating her fluffy paws furiously.

Squish— Squish— Squish— Squish—

Luminous glow bloomed from Lucy's paws, seeping into the black scales. It spread to the mangled wounds, new flesh knitting split skin, tough new scales forming atop.

"Good girl, Lucy!"

Nyaang!

Lucy purred atop Han Ji-woo's head at the praise.

'Externals are fixed, but...'

Internals remained untouched. A shiny but hollow fix—Seibier would still fade with time.

Osgeelro Haiban, checking beside him, shook his head.

"Hatchling's too young. A bit more growth, and self-healing would've kicked in."

Hearing that, Han Ji-woo triggered Growth Acceleration.

"......Hah."

Han Ji-woo's sigh brimmed with anguish.

To lose his ultimate future dragon pet right after taming? Seibier's scale-wrapped face looked ghostly pale.

Pao, watching worriedly, shot up his hand.

"Pao and Lucy! Saved master from dying with food! So give hatchling food, it live!"

"Appreciate the help, but not this time, Pao."

"Kuhng!"

Pao whined at the flat rejection.

Everyone in Hidden Space could only watch helplessly as Seibier slipped away.

Seol Ara's group roamed unexplored terrain, map window open. Five hours later, they'd covered every inch of Dungeon Floor 10.

But no catnip, even scouring with fresh eyes.

"Catnip even real? Damn cat bastard. Probably threw that quest to screw us!"

Bam!

Yui punched a nearby rock wall in fury.

"Did we get played?"

"Maybe."

The twins tilted their heads in unison.

Pierre stroked his chin thoughtfully; Seol Ara rechecked the map for misses.

Then—

A golden chest materialized with the messages.

"Hidden Piece? Outta nowhere?"

Yui's wide eyes locked on it.

The twins clenched fists in fighting poses—identical down to the expressions.

"Knew it! Ara sis!"

"Goddess of Luck!"

They high-fived excitedly.

Pierre chuckled, chin still in hand.

"That's it. What the cat meant for us."

Seol Ara nodded, gently caressing the chest.

"You think so too, Pierre? Feels like the kitty helped."

"Yes."

"Why though?"

Pierre mulled it over before speaking.

"Something we had to do before, now optional. So it helped subtly. Sound plausible?"

Seol Ara answered without hesitation.

"Yes."

"Too quick an agreement."

"You've never been wrong, Pierre."

Yui cut in on their chat.

"Save the talk—open the damn box!"

She flung the lid wide. Glowing gear, assorted items spilled out.

"Seibier! Snap out of it, you rascal!"

Han Ji-woo's desperate yell echoed through the Salt Mine.

Seibier's breaths weakened, then stopped. No heartbeat.

Death. The newborn hatchling teetered on the brink.

"......Haa."

Han Ji-woo's sigh wasn't regret over losing a powerhouse pet.

Guilt for failing to protect his own.

'No. Not the end.'

To the very last. Every possible effort!

'There has to be a way. Still one left.'

He racked his brain to reignite Seibier's flame.

That instant—

"Hidden Piece?"

The messages continued.