The Dungeon Master Truly Loves His Pets
◈ Consuming it will grant an astonishing skill.
◈ We hope you continue your relentless contemplation to uncover more Easter Eggs.
Han Ji-woo had no time to read the message floating in the air. With Ibelius's tail right in front of his nose, how could he focus on the text? Strangely, though, the message's contents were forcibly injected into his mind. In that split second, he realized which Easter Egg he had uncovered.
A blue seed floated lightly in front of the message. It was the Easter Egg reward, the Wish Seed.
The moment Han Ji-woo snatched it with his mouth.
KWAANG!
Ibelius's tail crashed down onto his outstretched arms above his head.
"Grk!"
His arms shattered, his organs twisted in shock, and his legs sank deep into the ground. But even amid the chaos, Han Ji-woo swallowed the Wish Seed.
Gulp!
Consumed Wish Seed and acquired skill Pet Physical!
Copies all stats from owned pets and adds them to the owner's stats.
This state lasts for 1 minute.
Usable once per day; resets at midnight.
Once again, the message injected itself directly into Han Ji-woo's mind the instant it appeared. Understanding what skill he'd gained, he activated it immediately.
Pet Physical!
All stats from Lucy, Pao, Turkan, Sasuri, and Seibier were copied and added to Han Ji-woo's own.
Pop! Pop!
Sudden power surged into his arms, which had been on the verge of breaking, pumping his muscles to the bursting point. The pain wracking his body eased considerably, and the trembling in his legs stopped.
Feeling the immense energy welling up from his flesh, Han Ji-woo watched as his status window unfolded before him.
"......!"
With equipment bonuses added, his average stats exceeded 1,200—an overwhelming figure.
"Urgh... Haaah!"
With a shout, Han Ji-woo poured strength into his legs.
Thud! Thud!
His feet, buried deep in the ground, rose back to the surface.
-You're trying hard.
As Ibelius, watching him, murmured, the pressure from her tail intensified.
But Han Ji-woo endured, roaring once more.
"Aaaargh!"
At the same time, he flung his arms upward, shoving the tail aside.
Yet the massive tail merely bobbed slightly in the air before descending again to crush him.
In that fleeting moment!
Slash!
The Black Flame Sword in Han Ji-woo's hand traced a dark arc. Black flames followed its path, slicing and burning through the tail's scales.
Whoosh!
He'd swung it countless times over the past 20 minutes without leaving a mark. But this time was different.
Sizzle—!
A thin black line appeared on Ibelius's tail, and it actually split open.
It was just a tiny scratch on one scale, but for the first time, Han Ji-woo's attack had landed.
The problem was that it wasn't nearly enough to stop Ibelius's assault.
'...This is it.'
Accepting he had no more options, Han Ji-woo glanced back. He wanted to etch his pets' faces into his eyes one last time.
He quickly scanned Lucy, Pao, Turkan, Sasuri, and Seibier.
With that, he steeled himself.
"......?"
But what should have come didn't.
What the hell? He checked ahead.
The dragon tail, which no human strength could block even in desperation, had halted above his head.
And its state was odd. Golden light crumbled like powder from the scratched scale, and the tail began to turn transparent.
"What..."
Unable to grasp what was happening, Han Ji-woo's ears caught Ibelius's voice.
-Congratulations, child of man. You've done it after all.
His head snapped up as if it might break.
Locking eyes with Ibelius, he asked, "Does that mean I won?"
-Indeed.
"From just one little scratch?"
-And yet, here we are.
"That's not what you said at the start. No holding back, right?"
-Oh? Shall we start over, then?
"Does a person always have to be so rigid? Flexible folks get along better with people."
-Lest you forget, I'm a dragon.
"Of course. A very human dragon."
-You're fun to talk to.
Ibelius's voice brimmed with amusement.
Whoosh—
Intense light erupted from her body, shattering it like a glass statue. Beneath the flashing, radiant glow stood Ibelius in her woman's form.
Standing right before Han Ji-woo, she smiled, her red lips moving.
"I suppose I should congratulate you on raiding the deepest floor's boss monster?"
"Uh... but seriously, why did I win?"
Ibelius pointed to her hip bone with her index finger.
"You scratched my tail."
"Yeah. That was it."
"No. You managed that much. Even if it's just a fragment of my lingering thoughts made manifest, do you think that's easy?"
Han Ji-woo shook his head vehemently, as if horrified.
"Absolutely not."
"Exactly. But you did it. The body formed from my lingering thoughts was already a strain just to maintain its shape. So even a single scratch destabilizes it completely."
"Ah."
Only then did Han Ji-woo understand the situation.
Suddenly realizing something, he asked, "Did you set this up just to lead me to the Easter Egg?"
Ibelius nodded slowly.
"You're a sharp one."
"It's a skill you pick up naturally after surviving on side-eye in a crap company."
"Hm? Crap company? What's that?"
"Uh... it's a thing. Anyway, thank you. I owe you big time again, Lady Ibelius."
"That's why I left my lingering thoughts behind."
"Honestly... I kinda misunderstood during the fight. Like, is this bitch really trying to kill us?"
"Were you scared?"
Han Ji-woo scratched his head after a moment's thought.
"Dunno. Less scared, more... empty. After all that struggling to survive, seeing how powerless I was. And..."
His gaze shifted to his slumped pets.
"Not being able to protect these guys."
Smooth—
Ibelius's pale hand rested on Han Ji-woo's head. Stroking him like her own child, she said,
"That's the mindset that matters. Those with something to protect will keep growing. And if you hold onto it, even the Creator won't kill you lightly."
"That mindset?"
"The sacrificial spirit you showed me. The Creator favors great souls like that."
"......Why?"
"Find the answer yourself."
"I think I know. That pervert gets off on watching a hundred innocents get slaughtered, but loves self-sacrifice? Shameless bastard."
Ibelius burst into laughter at his blunt words. After a long while, she calmed and lowered her hand from his head.
"Ji-woo."
She'd called him "child" until now, but this time she used his name.
"Yes."
"Don't forget what you learned here."
Han Ji-woo had gained much from Ibelius: the Easter Egg granting Pet Physical, and the realization that to protect what mattered, he needed to grow stronger, faster, and more.
"I won't."
As he nodded, Ibelius's smiling form began to fade. The moment of parting had come.
"You've defeated the dungeon's boss, so you'll leave this place now."
"What about you, Ibelius?"
"As a lingering thought of the original body, I'll remain in the Hidden Space, protecting and helping you grow again."
"Can we meet like this again?"
"Manifesting isn't easy, so I can't promise. But there will be chances."
"I hope so. Thank you."
Ibelius answered his final words with a smile. Soon, her form vanished like a ghost.
A inexplicable loneliness seeped into Han Ji-woo's chest.
Thud.
Unconsciously, he lost consciousness and collapsed.
[Mini Dungeon Game]
🎁 Reward: Survival
* * *
"Mm..."
When Han Ji-woo came to, the first thing he saw was five worried faces peering down at him.
Nyaah!
"Master! You're awake!"
"Are you alright, Master?"
"Thought you were a goner."
Qruruk~
The pets each greeted him in their own way. Lucy and the chubby one immediately leaped onto him, rubbing against his body. Pao eyed a spot to squeeze in but gave up when no gap appeared.
Enduring a tongue bath from the two, Han Ji-woo sat up and surveyed his surroundings.
"You're back."
He'd safely cleared the Creator's mini dungeon game quest.
"Haaah. That was exhausting."
There hadn't been any major dangers while looping the mini dungeon. But fighting monsters on every unknown floor had been a huge mental burden.
"Man, how do dungeon warriors even endure it?"
If he felt this drained, how tough must it be for those tackling brutal difficulties daily?
After two and a half days, Han Ji-woo spread out a mat, lay down, and ignored everything else.
Lucy climbed onto his belly and settled in. The chubby one pressed close, resting his head on Han Ji-woo's leg and flopping down. Pao and Sasuri stuck by their master's side, while Turkan stood guard a step away.
Gazing at the starry sky, Han Ji-woo murmured softly,
"My home really is the best."
He'd once thrashed desperately to escape, but now it felt like his own house.
That was how comfortable this place had become.
As he lounged, staring lazily at the sky, the Necromancer constellation suddenly caught his eye.
Affinity with Necromancer increases. Relationship with Necromancer changes from 'Wary' to 'Neutral'.
Affinity with the same monster can change once per day at most. Affinity rises each night you rediscover the same constellation on different days.
"Right, I found the Necromancer constellation before."
If I can't sleep past midnight, maybe check for it again.
Increased affinity with Necromancer enhances skill Undead Master.
The skill he'd gained from finding the Necromancer constellation had been strengthened.