188. Affection Reader (2)
188. Affection Reader (2)
Ding—♬
The moment Jin Yu-ha slipped the ring onto his finger.
A clear bell tone rang simultaneously in everyone's mind.
Then a translucent blue window appeared before Kang Do-hee's eyes.
《 【Jin Yu-ha】 has equipped 「Ring of Affection and Obsession」. 》
Hummm—
Then, a foreign sensation on her finger.
A streamlined silver band emitting an eerie pink light was now fitted onto her finger.
Kang Do-hee's eyebrows twitched as she stared at the ring that had suddenly appeared on her hand.
'What is this. This ring...? Did that Yellow Dog find it?'
Since Jin Yu-ha had just shouted that he found something, that had to be the case.
She didn't know why an item he obtained would create something like this on her own finger,
but what bothered her more than that was.
「Ring of Affection and Obsession」
The deeply suggestive name of the item.
Normally, an artifact's name reveals its nature and effect.
And it also ties into the concept of the dungeon where it was acquired.
Having conquered all sorts of dungeons by now, Kang Do-hee habitually began her analysis.
'This dungeon's theme was clearly nightmares. Mental attacks were the main traps... So is it some kind of brainwashing item...? Affection and obsession—don't tell me, it forces me to submit to that Yellow Dog—!?'
That assumption flashed through her mind for an instant, but Kang Do-hee quickly shook her head.
Using an artifact like this to forcibly subjugate, control, and manipulate her and the other party members?
That Jin Yu-ha?
No way.
Jin Yu-ha wasn't that kind of man.
He would absolutely never do anything that would harm her or the other party members.
A belief in the man named Jin Yu-ha, firmly rooted in her heart.
Suddenly, Kang Do-hee let out a dry laugh.
'To think I'd come to trust that Yellow Dog bastard this much without even realizing it.'
She had always struggled to trust others, far more accustomed to fighting through things alone than relying on anyone.
So this sensation felt remarkably new to her.
'Anyway, the fact that it appeared on my finger and I got a status window notification... means it's ultimately going to have some kind of effect on me...'
She was about to open her status window to check what had changed.
《 Through the item's effect, based on the affection 【Jin Yu-ha】 holds toward 【Kang Do-hee】, Kang Do-hee's stats increase. 》
'...Wha, what did it say!? A-ffection!?'
At the unexpected word, Kang Do-hee's pupils shook as if struck by an earthquake.
'S-so that means. Based on how much that Yellow Dog li-likes me, my stats go up...!?'
For an artifact to make such a thing possible—it was truly an effect she'd never seen or heard of before.
Swhish! Swhish!
Her eyes darted rapidly at a speed beyond perception.
It was to check just how much the stats listed in her status window had risen.
And then her mouth fell open before she knew it.
"...4%? A-all stats!? Wait, is this a lot?"
It was definitely a lot.
A 4% increase across all stats was so significant that you could practically consider her a completely different person from before.
It was certain to make a stark difference in her future performances.
And yet, the reason she wondered whether this was a "high number" was for one reason only.
Stare—
Kang Do-hee turned her gaze toward the other party members.
They too had apparently finished checking, because they all wore the exact same expression as Kang Do-hee.
Their gazes were fixed on each other's fingers.
Lee Yu-ri, Im Ga-eul, Sofia, Kang Do-hee, and even Ichika.
On each of their fingers, a pink gemstone was glowing.
'...They're all wearing it. Even this woman, who isn't even an official party member yet.'
In other words, the stat increase caused by Jin Yu-ha equipping the item applied to every member of Utopia.
From a purely party-combat-power perspective, it couldn't possibly be better.
But right now, there was no room in their minds for such simple thoughts.
Only one thing.
'...So how much did she go up by?'
Nobody wanted to reveal their own increase rate.
But they desperately wanted to know everyone else's.
They truly, madly wanted to know.
As if they were gunslingers in a Western standoff, staring each other down.
A taut tension flowed among the party members.
Just when everyone's minds were spinning furiously but fruitlessly.
"Oh."
Suddenly, a deflated voice popped up from below.
"...My stats went up. 3%. Hmm, is that a lot?"
It was Ichika, lying in their midst.
Thankfully, her increase rate was lower than 4%.
At the very least, every existing Utopia Party member ranked higher than this woman who had just joined today.
Everyone was internally swallowing a sigh of relief when—
"Hmmmm. So your stats rise according to affection... Then if I get even closer with my benefactor in the future, it could go up even more, huh."
Ichika casually dropped a bombshell in a perfectly calm voice.
"!"
* * *
Utopia's hideout.
The wide table was a mess of all kinds of papers and empty coffee cups.
Scribble scribble—
Shin Se-hee was in the middle of organizing documents when she lifted her coffee cup.
Sluuurp—
"Hmm, the reputation work is mostly done now... And there aren't really any moves to poach the U.S. Monster Subjugation Request from us... Hmm, we should be able to secure it without a hitch. Instead of accepting it right away, after we return from this request, about a week of recovery time..."
Mulling over the upcoming schedule like that, Shin Se-hee abruptly leaned her head back against the chair,
and cast her gaze toward the window.
"Phew... Jin Yu-ha is so late... It seems like he should be coming back any time now..."
Outside the window, a red sunset glow was slowly dying as the sun set.
As the Operator who supported Utopia from behind the party.
Shin Se-hee carried her own sense of pride and responsibility in her work.
But this time—the hours spent alone waiting, having sent the Utopia Party off to a dangerous place—was excruciatingly tedious.
According to Jin Yu-ha, they would conquer the dungeon and return sometime today.
Assuming nothing out of the ordinary happened, that is.
But the problem was if an accident occurred.
No matter how much the world expected great things from them and showered them with attention, Utopia was not invincible.
She hated to even think about it, but
in the work of conquering dungeons and subjugating monsters, casualties or serious injuries
were bound to happen from time to time.
There were all sorts of bizarre monsters in this world, and all sorts of ability users too. And not all of them were good people.
'If someone did try to pull something... I would stake everything I have to dig it up to the very roots and destroy them completely.'
Lost in such dark thoughts, grinding imaginary enemies to dust in her mind, Shin Se-hee murmured to herself without realizing it.
"Maybe I should've just asked to join as a combat member too..."
If she told Jin Yu-ha she wanted to work in a combat role, he would probably be very troubled, but in the end, he would grant her wish.
Their relationship was no longer the loathsome one from the beginning, and they had faith in each other now.
"...But I can't do that. This is what I'm best at, and it's the job Jin Yu-ha trusted and entrusted to me. I can't let him down."
And besides, Jin Yu-ha almost certainly already had a specific person in mind for the Special role.
"Hmm, but hoping that person is just a little bit less capable than me... that's my own selfishness, isn't it?"
It was just then.
Ding—♬
Suddenly, a clear bell tone echoing in her mind.
And a ring materializing on her slender finger.
"...Oh? What's this?"
* * *
Meanwhile,
Slice— Slice—
"Aaaaargh!!!"
"Kyaaaaahhh!!!"
Horrible screams echoed through the dark underground.
"R-run!!! That crazy bitch has come this far!!!"
A group of people were fleeing desperately, spraying tears, snot, and blood from their limbs.
Click—
Into that underground lair, one woman strode.
Short black hair and deep, sunken black eyes.
An icy, hardened face.
It was Baek Seol-hee.
"All units, draw swords."
At her short command.
Shing─
The black-clad figures in animal masks standing behind her—the members of the Demonized Human Extermination Squad—drew their swords in unison.
"Pursue and exterminate them all. Do not let a single rat escape from this place."
Dash—
With that, Baek Seol-hee was the first to surge forward, drawing her sword.
Ding—♬
A light swing of her blade, merely meant to shake off the blood staining it.
But suddenly, Sword Qi erupted from the strike.
WHOOOOSH—!!!
The Sword Qi that burst forth shot toward a pillar supporting the underground structure.
Slice.
One of the pillars holding up the underground was severed clean through, its cross-section perfectly smooth.
RUMBLE—!!
"Whoa!! Commander!!!"
"The pillar! The pillar! The pillar's collapsing!! Goddammit!! Run if you don't wanna become fish paste!!!"
DASH-DASH-DASH!!
*
Huff
Huff
Huff
The Demonized Human Extermination Squad members who had barely evacuated from the collapsing underground to the surface.
They gasped roughly for breath.
"Commander... power control..."
Among them, a woman in a rabbit mask glared sharply at Baek Seol-hee and spoke in a slow, deliberate tone.
And the others wearing different animal masks chimed in, not wanting to be outdone.
"Commander! You trying to kill us all!?"
"Just like last time! If a few of them get away because of this, we've gotta run around like idiots all over again!"
"The Demonized Humans who got crushed to death... do we have to dig through all this shit to pull them out...?"
But Baek Seol-hee kept her mouth shut and said nothing.
A bell suddenly rang in her head.
She merely stared intently at the ring that had appeared on her hand.
'...My power increased. All of a sudden?'
The emotion she felt right now was beyond astonishment.
These were stats she had thought could never rise again through training or elixirs.
An unbreakable wall of growth.
'I had vaguely resigned myself to the fact that I could never get any stronger than this...'
That limit had been shattered today without any prior warning.
And by 4%, no less.
'Why in the world...?'
Then, she learned the reason.
《 Based on the affection 【Jin Yu-ha】 holds toward 【Baek Seol-hee】, Baek Seol-hee's stats increase. 》
Ha. Good heavens.
It seemed her disciple had gotten himself involved in some utterly absurd business somewhere again.
Heh.
Having received such an unexpectedly enormous gift, Baek Seol-hee's lips curled upward.
"Th-the Commander s-smiled!?"
"You crazy—who was the bitch who just cussed! Get out here and prostrate yourself right now!"
The surrounding Demonized Human Extermination Squad members made a huge fuss over her smile.
'Hmm, so stats increase according to affection... This means there's a need to further strengthen the master-disciple bond.'
Having realized a new path for growth had opened, Baek Seol-hee ran a finger over her lips as she thought of her disciple.