6. Dungeon Agales
“Uracha...!”
Bella took the lead, letting out a spirited shout as she swung her massive greatsword. The floor was swampy, but this was still the interior of a proper cave dungeon. Unable to swing freely, a few honkrodiles dodged to the side, slipping past her. They charged with jaws agape or claws extended. But none of their attacks reached her.
No sooner had they broken free than her sword's trajectory sliced back at them. Fast enough that you could say the light trailed behind the blade, her slashes carved through their necks, arms, torsos—everywhere in rapid succession.
Bella blocked the front, and Cheong-ah cut down any that slipped through the gaps. It was a surprisingly seamless teamwork between the two women. And as I watched their overwhelming performance from the sidelines, only one thought crossed my mind.
“...Fuckin' nothing for me to do.”
As always, I just hid in the back, watching. It wasn't that I hated it or anything... it just felt a bit awkward. The pointing fingers, the jealous glares from others. And every word they threw at me—they weren't wrong, and I couldn't deny it.
Others might call it ungrateful whining. But after years of my self-esteem and pride being trampled and crumpled, I'd dreamed of so much during that time. A day when I could finally use this ability. A day when I'd be able to do something.
But now that I had the ability, here I was—still useless, just spectating.
“Tch...”
I clicked my tongue at myself as the honkrodiles that had swarmed us lay scattered around, reduced to half-honk/half-croc or honk/half-croc messes.
“Hey, Ian. How was it? Like watching your big sis fight?”
“Bella, you're only two years older than your husband.”
“What does that matter? If she fights well, she's a big sis. Like how I don't go easy on you even though you're three years younger than me. Right, Cheong-ah sis?”
Bella tried to throw an arm around Cheong-ah, who was a full head shorter. Cheong-ah recoiled in horror.
“Eugh... don't come near me covered in blood.”
“Aw, that's harsh. It's barely any.”
“Barely? You've got it layered on thick. That armor—it's red leather to hide the blood splatter, isn't it?”
“Uh, y-yeah? How'd you know?”
“What? It really is?”
Cheong-ah and Bella approached. Despite facing hordes of honkrodiles, neither had a drop of sweat on their foreheads. But their appearances differed starkly. Cheong-ah had only a bit of mud on her skirt hem from trudging through the swamp. Bella, on the other hand, was caked in mud from her leather leotard down to her calves and thighs—her upper body bloodied everywhere except her face and a few spots.
Their teamwork was perfect, but their fighting styles couldn't be more different. ...Enviable. If only I could... No, no. What was there to envy?
I forced a casual smile to greet them. “Good work, you two.”
“Pfft, good work? It was nothing... Huh? Ian, what's with your face?”
“Me? Uh... what? Something on it?”
“No, nothing like that... but you're not smiling or crying. It's just kinda weird, honey.”
“Oh, really...? Nah, I'm fine.”
“Bullshit. Hey, tell your sis what's up. Did your leg cramp up from sitting in the back?”
“...No, nothing like that. I'm good, let's just go.”
“Like hell. Your face is fuckin' gloomy. Think smiling hides it?”
“Yeah, honey. If Bella makes you uncomfortable, tell me at least. I'm your woman, after all.”
I tried to play it off casually, but it didn't work. They picked up on my subtle expression and pressed relentlessly until I had to answer.
“Well, it's like...”
Slowly, carefully—not letting my emotions boil over—I poured out the words inside me. One by one. I skipped the part about coming from another world, which meant pretending my perfectly healthy parents were gone, but anyway... As I rambled about my inferiority complex, my shattered self-esteem, it devolved into a messy, disjointed mess against my will.
Still, Cheong-ah and Bella listened intently, their faces showing understanding.
How long did I talk? Venting the negativity felt like unknotting a lump in my chest.
“Hmph, so that's why our party leader's frowning?”
“...Party leader?”
“Yeah, party leader. Don't like it? Tough shit. Someone's gotta do the annoying, unwanted, irritating leader role. That's why this is the Ian party, right?”
“No, it's not...”
“Well, if you hate it that much, Cheong-ah or I could take over. Hmm... Bella party. Sounds kinda cool. But honestly, I'm shit at this stuff. Even as a merc, my vice handled it all—I did jack. And Cheong-ah? She's too self-centered.”
“...Self-centered? You talking about me, Bella?”
“Who else? And am I wrong? You're a total lone wolf. You only care 'cause Ian's your husband or whatever. Right?”
Cheong-ah fell silent at Bella's words, wrinkling her nose in thought before nodding in agreement.
“No, you're right. I don't care about anyone but me and my husband. If I were party leader, I'd kick out trash like you right away. I like it best when it's just the two of us.”
“See? Look, Ian. Hand the reins to her, and the party's done. You know my temper. So, no choice—you keep doing it.”
Bella said it like she hated the role, shoving the burden onto me, but I felt the warmth of her consideration underneath. My inferiority about being useless. The pathetic frustration despite having power. The impatience of doing nothing. And yet, the desperate wish to stay with them.
It was Bella's way of acknowledging that, and Cheong-ah played along self-deprecatingly because she got it too.
“So keep spinning your wheels as party leader, asshole.”
“We'll leave it to you, honey.”
“F-fuck.”
What the hell was I even worrying about...?
“Fine, you shitty bitches. I'll keep doing this annoying-ass job.”
“Huh? Hey, you crying? Cheong-ah, look—your man's tearing up.”
“Don't tease my husband, Bella.”
“He's not crying, you bitch. Wipe your ugly mug—uglier than Cheong-ah's.”
“What? You fuckin' lovebird wannabes—maybe I should quit this party.”
A chuckle escaped me, but my vision blurred with misty fog.
After the brief commotion, our party pressed deeper inside. More honkrodile packs appeared a few times, and each time I fell back while Cheong-ah and Bella handled them swiftly.
In the midst of it, Bella spotted something and called us excitedly.
“Oh, hey! Ian, Cheong-ah! Come here.”
“What is it?”
“What's going on?”
As we approached, she drew her karambit from her waist and sliced open the head of a dead honkrodile. From inside, she pulled a fist-sized, blue-glowing stone.
“Yo, magic stone! Magic stone. Awesome... My first one!”
“Oh...? But didn't you get any during your merc days?”
“Huh? Well, yeah, of course. Magic stones don't drop from wild monsters much. You gotta hit dungeons, but mercs request through the adventurer guild more than dungeon dives, so chances like this are rare.”
“Huh. Anyway, it's pretty big. The ones I knew were just finger-sized.”
“Those are from weaklings. This is from an upper-grade monster—gold badge level. Here, take it.”
“Uh, su—!”
Bella chucked the magic stone at me. I flailed in panic, but Cheong-ah snatched it midair and handed it over.
“Here, honey. Just in case.”
“Phew... Thanks, Cheong-ah. Seriously.”
“Tch. Nearly dropped it, huh?”
“Shut up, you lunatic. You're the weirdo tossing valuables like that.”
Close call. Magic stones were worth double their weight in gold. This size? At least two fistfuls—at least 20 gold coins.
“Heh... A magic stone, huh? This puts me in a good moo— ”
High-Purity Magic Stone Obtained.
Considering current size and purity, treated as equivalent to 4 magic stones.
Target registration possible.
- Consume 3 Magic Stones: New Conductor ability acquirable.
- Consume 4 Magic Stones: ...
...Huh?