After the Inferno: Jackpot Loot
"Damn... Looks like we've been spotted."
Orcs on patrol emerged from between the tents, and several of them sniffed the air before their eyes flashed with realization.
"Arin, set the tents and barricades on fire just like we planned. Right now."
"Got it!"
Whoosh! Whoosh-whoosh—! Flames shot from Arin's fingertips and embedded themselves into the bushes, barricades, and tent corners, igniting small sparks that quickly linked together and spread across the entire grassland. The orc encampment was instantly engulfed in a massive blaze.
The raging fire rode the wind and pushed deep into the heart of the camp. Orcs screamed and scrambled out in panic as the flames spread across the terrain, turning the entire base into a living hell.
"Kuoohhh!!!"
"Kkuek! Ugooohhh!"
The wind fanned the flames, and fire clung to the orcs' bodies as they burned. The sound of sizzling flesh mixed with screams as chaos erupted.
Elly shouted, "Jihoon! I'll block the smoke first!"
A blue light spread as a curtain of water formed a circle around me. The heat and smoke that touched the barrier instantly dispersed and vanished.
"Good."
I wrapped mana around my sword to form a mana blade. Using Flash Step, I kicked off the ground, and orcs rushed in through the wavering vision. The first one's neck was sliced clean off. The second leapt toward an afterimage only to take Arin's flame shot to the face and stagger. I didn't miss the opening and drove my sword through it.
"Jihoon! Five on the right!"
"I know."
I raised my hand and lifted about ten pieces of metal—spears, scrap iron, daggers—into the air with telekinesis.
"Fall."
The fragments dropped simultaneously and embedded themselves into the bodies of the five orcs. Thud! Clang! Thwack! Blood sprayed and mixed with the flames as they collapsed forward.
However, more than thirty remaining orcs soon burst out at once, shoving aside the burning tents.
"Ugooohhh!!"
Some had legs half-burned and stumbled as they ran, while others charged with bloodshot eyes from the heat. I pulled metal fragments with telekinesis and drove them straight into the approaching orcs' faces and chests.
Thwack! Clang! The fragments pierced flesh and bone alike, drawing screams as the orcs crumpled forward.
"Elly! Over there!"
"Okay!"
When Elly raised her hand, small waves gathered in the air and transformed into a barrage of water arrows. Three arrows shot out almost simultaneously and pierced the faces and chests of three orcs charging from the front line.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack— The three orcs staggered and fell forward.
Swish—! Thwack! Arin fired consecutive flame shots from the left, knocking back two orcs that were charging. The exploding sparks burned their flesh as flames spread across their bodies.
Taking advantage of the opening, I used Flash Step again, lowered my stance, and swung the mana blade.
Swish—! Thud!
But in the chaos, one orc crawled out from behind a burning tent and charged at my back.
Thud—! A burning pain spread across my side near the waist. It felt like a sharp fragment had pierced through my flesh.
"Jihoon!!!"
Elly screamed. Gritting my teeth, I twisted my body and extended the mana blade to the side. The orc's neck fell away uselessly. Arin fired rapid flame shots at the remaining two or three orcs, bursting their faces and making them stagger to a halt. I immediately poured the floating fragments into them.
Clang! Thwack! The fragments embedded one by one, and the orcs collapsed.
Thwack! Clang!
Only then did all the orcs that had been charging fall. But the battlefield was not yet quiet. Over two hundred injured orcs trapped inside the tents struggled and screamed as they were engulfed by the flames, most of them collapsing where they stood from the smoke and heat. A few tried to crawl out through the fire, but their bodies wouldn't obey, and they only twitched weakly. Arin and I finished them off one by one.
A moment later, the battlefield fell silent as if it had lost its voice. Elly approached, clasped her hands together, and shouted, "Wave of Healing!"
A blue light enveloped my body, and the wound rapidly closed. A cool sensation seeped in, and the pain subsided immediately.
"You'll be fine now."
Elly's voice was calm.
"...Thanks, Elly."
Once some strength returned, I searched the corpses with Arin and Elly, checking one by one for any remaining mana stones. Most of the equipment had melted and fused together from the fire or was too damaged to recognize.
"Arin, anything left?"
Arin nudged a blackened piece of metal with her toe. "Nothing. Everything burned up. All the weapons are ruined."
Elly also set down the charred fragment in her hand. "Same here. There's almost nothing worth salvaging."
"Let's just take the mana stones. That's enough."
After I spoke, the three of us fell silent. The fatigue from battle still lingered, and there was nothing more to find. I started with the nearest corpse, slicing open its stomach to extract the mana stone. Arin and Elly cleared the surrounding debris and piled the extracted stones in one place. After repeating this for a while, a fairly large pile had formed.
"Pretty dirty."
At my words, Elly raised her hand. "Wait a moment."
A blue light spread, and moisture brushed across the surface of the mana stones. The blood and ash clinging to them were stripped away at once, restoring their original luster.
I crouched in front of the pile and counted roughly. 30... 50... 80...
"...Wait. This is over 180, isn't it?"
"Whoa! There really are a lot!"
"This many... means we got a huge haul, right?"
"Yeah. This is all thanks to you two. Luck played a part, but without you, I couldn't have used this method at all."
"...Each one is worth at least three million won. 180 of them... that's 540 million."
"Wow... that much?"
"Yeah. B-rank dungeons really are on another level. If we're not this lucky next time, we won't earn this much again."
"Then... it's really good, right?"
"Not just good—it's four years of my salary."
"Your expression says it really is that much."
"Hah... This is seriously a jackpot. No team members to split the loot with, it's all mine... I can replace all my gear, buy a new car... maybe even move to a bigger place."
Arin's eyes sparkled. "Really!? So Jihoon, you're finally ditching that junk car for a new one?"
"My car isn't that much of a junker, you know?"
Both spirits chuckled at my words.
"Still, a new car would be nice. We want to ride in it too."
Arin added, "And Jihoon! When we get a new house... make a room for each of us!"
I rested my chin on my hand in disbelief. "Why do you two need rooms? You sleep in the spirit realm."
"It's because the house is too small right now!" Arin puffed out her cheeks. "We want to decorate our own rooms too!"
Elly chimed in lightly, "Half the loot is our contribution. We have a stake in it."
"...Sigh. Fine, fine."
I swept the mana stones into my spatial pouch and muttered, "Once we're out, I'll sort things out first... look into a new house... and think about the car."
"Great!" Arin spun around lightly. "Let's go for a drive too!"
"Hah... You've watched too many dramas. Both of you are completely hooked on Korean dramas."
I smiled and closed the spatial pouch. "Alright, let's head deeper toward the center now."
We walked back into the forest. After repeatedly floating up and landing lightly as we moved, the view opened up, revealing a wide, clear lake. The water was so transparent that the bottom was visible, and the surroundings were eerily quiet. There were no signs of monsters.
"Good. The center must be close. Let's rest for a bit before moving on."
We descended to the lakeshore. Elly flew to the water's edge first and lightly flicked the surface with her fingertips.
"The water here is really clear. The energy feels amazing too."
As soon as she finished speaking, Elly slipped straight into the lake. A moment later, a blue light rippled and she rose back to the surface. Both hands were filled with water spirit stones.
"Jihoon! This place is seriously amazing! The water energy is overflowing, and there are tons of spirit stones! At this rate, I'll reach mid-grade in no time!"
Elly's face was filled with excited joy. Arin narrowed her eyes beside her.
"At this rate, won't Elly evolve before me? Byun Jihoon! Once this dungeon is over, we have to go somewhere with lots of fire energy too! I want to regain my power quickly!"
"Got it. I promise."
Just then, Elly floated up two large fish from beneath the lake.
"Jihoon, there's food here too! Are you hungry? Eat these!"
"Yeah, thanks. Arin, grill them for me. Please."
Though grumbling, Arin nodded as if relieved after seeing me eat. "Whew... Thank goodness. At least you're eating properly. I've used a lot of power... I'm going back to the spirit realm for a bit. Jihoon, you should rest and train too."
A small flame rose from Arin's toes. It wrapped around her body and—
Crackle— With a flash of light, she vanished, returning to the spirit realm.
After Arin left, Elly quietly turned her head toward the lake.
"Then... I'll start too."
Elly slowly rose above the lake. Holding the spirit stones tightly in both hands, she descended deep into the center of the lake. The water's surface parted gently as if welcoming her, and Elly naturally merged into the water. Shortly after, the entire lake began to ripple with a very faint pulse. Elly was drawing up the mana flow from the depths.
After finishing the fish, I sat by the lakeshore for a while, patting my stomach and resting. When my body started to feel sluggish, I pulled myself together and trained Flash Step and Flash Sword Art in succession. After training Harmony Heart Method as well while seated, I opened my eyes to find the sky already gradually brightening.
"Whew... Time to wash up."
I took off all my clothes, folded them on a nearby rock, and walked straight into the lake. The moment the cold water touched my skin, the fatigue accumulated from battle seemed to wash away all at once. I submerged my head and came back up, moving my arms and legs as I swam slowly through the water. Feeling my body completely loosen, I naturally swam farther out. After swimming for a while, I turned around, thinking, "Time to head back..." and slowly swam toward the shore.
Just as I finished swimming and was about to climb out of the water—
A blue light exploded upward from the center of the lake. The once-calm surface rippled violently, and vibrations spread as if the entire body of water had awakened at once.
"What the—!?"
I instinctively turned my head. I was still standing at the water's edge completely naked. Blue energy surged repeatedly from the center of the lake, forming a massive circular light on the surface. A silhouette gradually became clearer within it.
"Elly...?"
When the light completely faded, a new figure emerged from the center of the lake. A girl who had grown to the size of a middle schooler, with clearer eyes and a more intense water aura.
"Jihoon!"
Elly, who had leapt up drawing blue water light, skimmed across the calm surface and ran straight toward me. And without any hesitation, she threw herself into my arms. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she pressed her entire body against me and smiled brightly.
"I finally evolved to mid-grade! Now I can help you so much more!"
Elly's voice was as clear as excited waves, and the afterglow of her evolution radiated from her entire body. I instinctively caught her small frame and smiled.
"Elly... Congratulations. Arin would be shocked if she saw you, huh?"
But then Elly suddenly lifted her head and looked at my face, her expression gradually stiffening. Her eyes quietly drifted downward. The moment she scanned my body from top to bottom—her small frame trembled slightly. When she looked up again, Elly's face flushed bright red in an instant.
"...J-Jihoon...? Th-that..."
Only then did I belatedly realize. I had just come out of the water after washing up completely naked.
"...Jihoon?"
Elly's voice trembled thinly. Her fingertips also shook slightly, and a faint red hue mixed with the blue light spreading across the lake's surface.
"Ah... Well, wait... It's not what it looks like..."
I tried to explain, but the words wouldn't come out properly. Elly looked like she couldn't take it anymore—both cheeks flushed bright red in an instant. She took a step back, her eyes wavering.
"Jihoon..! I... I'll be right back...!"
Water light spread around Elly's body as if bursting with a 'pop.' Her form wavered and blurred, then—leaving only a small ripple, she evaporated into the spirit realm and disappeared.
I stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the center of the lake, before belatedly feeling my face grow hot.
"...Ah, damn."
Even though no one was around, I found myself glancing around for no reason, and my hands busied themselves unnecessarily as I picked up my clothes. As if trying to erase the awkwardness, I organized my gear and summoned the two spirits again. Flames and water droplets bloomed in turn, drawing circles of light in the air. The lights overlapped layer by layer, and—Arin and Elly, who appeared a little later, materialized.
"Byun. Ji. Hoon!!"
The moment Arin appeared, she scanned Elly from head to toe and immediately narrowed her eyes at me.
"Elly's face is completely red! What did you do? And... why did she get bigger!?"
"No! Seriously, nothing happened!"
I waved both hands frantically. "Elly evolved to mid-grade. That's why. Right?"
"Uh, yeah! That's right! Nothing happened!"
Elly nodded rapidly in agreement. Arin alternated her gaze between us, narrowing her eyes, then let out a sigh mixed with a cold breeze after a moment.
"Whew... Fine. Well, as long as nothing really happened."
Then she nodded toward Elly. "Elly, congratulations anyway. I'm really happy for you. Just remember, next time it's my turn."
Elly smiled brightly. "Yeah! Next time let's go somewhere with lots of fire energy."
I looked at the two spirits and smiled lightly. "Good. Then let's get moving again. Let's head deeper in the direction where I can feel the dungeon core..."
After tidying up the lakeshore, we quietly made our way deeper into the forest.