Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: S-Class Adventurer Elena (5)
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Slash!
The tentacle monster's mucus was quite tough, but of course, it was no match for Elena's strength.
Elena easily severed the tentacle monster's mucus.
As she ripped away the sticky fluid holding Elrine's limbs in place, she asked her.
"More than that, were there any other monsters in this dungeon?"
"Ah, yeah. This dungeon only has tentacles. No, just the tentacle monster that you took down, sis."
"Is that so? That's a relief."
Elena let out a sigh of relief.
She had used up too much strength defeating the boss. If its minions turned out to be strong, it would put her in a tough spot.
There was no way the underlings could be as powerful as the boss, but still, you never know.
Fortunately, this dungeon seemed to be a solo boss dungeon.
Some dungeons were run solely by the boss without any minions. It wasn't all that unusual.
That was how overwhelmingly powerful the boss was.
"Oh, right. But I saw traces of other people besides you? Who were they? Are they okay?"
"Ah, yeah. Some adventurers I ran into by chance. They're in the residential area."
"Residential area? I see. Are they safe?"
"Yeah."
Elrine nodded. Elena felt reassured.
Elena might have left the guild, but she was still an adventurer. Her little sister was precious, but she had no intention of just rescuing Elrine and leaving. If she could, saving the others too was the best option for her.
"All done."
Elena cut away all the mucus binding Elrine. With a relieved expression, she looked Elrine over to check if her body was unharmed.
Her little sister's body seemed fine.
Only then did it truly sink in that she had rescued her sister.
"You did great, really... Elrine."
"No, sis did even more."
"I didn't even go through that much. I just, just..."
"What? Why are you about to cry?"
"Ah, well, you know."
Elena brushed away her tears and met Elrine's eyes.
"Elrine..."
"Sis..."
A strange tension flowed between them.
There was no awkwardness despite not seeing each other for so long.
Just pure joy filling their hearts.
Was she really too attached to her little sister, just like her friends said?
But how could she not cherish such an adorable sister? Elena gazed at her with eyes full of affection.
"Elri-."
"Sisss."
"Yeah?"
Just as she was about to call her sister's name, Elrine suddenly threw herself into her arms.
Hug!
Elena's heart pounded hard.
"E-Elrine."
"Sis... I missed you so much. Just hold me for a bit."
"Y-Yeah. Of course."
'She must have been through a lot...'
Elena patted Elrine's back and enveloped her in a warm embrace.
She wasn't usually this clingy.
Normally, Elena would be the one hugging first, and Elrine would complain it was stuffy and ask to be let go.
But now, her sister had hugged her first. It must have been because of the situation.
Elena's face softened.
Her usual haughty expression vanished, replaced by a warm smile. Elena hugged Elrine tightly.
Her sister's body was incredibly soft.
"Elrine, have you turned into even more of a spoiled brat while I wasn't looking?"
"Hehe, maybe a little."
"And your chest seems bigger too."
Elena was a bit taller than Elrine, but not by much. When they hugged, their breasts pressed together nicely.
She could roughly gauge the size that way.
"Yeah. It feels a bit bigger. But sis's haven't changed."
"I don't need that. Breasts like these are just a hindrance in battle anyway."
"Still, Lord Tentacle would like them."
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
Elrine shook her head, and Elena nodded.
"Let's stay like this a little longer."
"Yeah, sis..."
Elena's heart felt warm and cozy for the first time in ages.
'This is it.'
After constantly battling monsters, holding her sister's body like this healed both her body and soul. This was what she had longed for.
'I really should take a break from adventuring for a while.'
She resolved herself.
As an S-Class adventurer, she had earned more money than she could spend. An unimaginable fortune compared to kids her age.
Now was the time to enjoy it.
Traveling with Elrine, seeing fun things together—it would be perfect.
Ah, right.
Elena suddenly remembered something Elrine had said long ago.
Elrine had once mentioned wanting to visit the floating islands together. Going there now would be wonderful.
Sightseeing the island, riding rides, eating delicious food...
Wouldn't every day be filled with happiness?
Walking the streets hand in hand, buying souvenirs, soaking in hot springs...
It would be perfect—
Crunch!
"Huh...?"
It was then.
Grind!
Elena couldn't immediately grasp what had happened.
It was a pain she hadn't anticipated at all, leaving her dazed for a moment.
She had been lost in happy fantasies of traveling with her sister when she felt a strange sensation at the nape of her neck.
'What is this?'
Elena instinctively brought her hand to her nape.
Drip.
Blood.
Elena glanced at her palm, touched her nape again, then looked back at her palm.
Her hand was red.
This time, she looked at her sister.
"Huh...?"
For a split second, she thought she'd seen wrong.
But no.
Drip.
Her sister's lips.
Blood stained her sister's face and mouth.
Elena slowly pulled away from her sister. It was an instinctive step back.
"El...rine...?"
"Sorry, sis?"
Sorry.
Elena couldn't comprehend Elrine's words.
What was she sorry for?
Honestly, she didn't even want to understand.
She was apologizing. For attacking her. That meant admitting she had attacked her.
Why would her sister?
Why would Elrine? Attack me...?
It was a moment of carelessness.
No, it wasn't even carelessness.
She simply hadn't considered the possibility at all.
What sister would ever imagine her beloved little sister attacking her?
Besides, her sister was just a civilian. She was an S-Class adventurer.
While hugging Elrine, Elena had only been on guard against external threats.
Worried another monster might pop out.
The possibility wasn't zero.
Internally, she had relaxed to let her adorable sister feel her warmth more, to share their body heat.
Drip.
"......"
Blood kept flowing from her nape. Along with the pain, dizziness flooded her mind.
'What in the...'
Her vision spun, and strength rapidly drained from her body.
The first thing that came to mind was paralyzing poison. Extremely potent.
Elena quickly circulated her mana circuits to prevent the poison from spreading. But it stubbornly crept through her body despite her resistance.
And it wasn't just one type.
As her strength faded, her entire body began heating up like it was on fire. A bizarre sensation she'd never felt before.
"Ngh..."
Her thighs itched, her whole body burned with desire.
An incredible deadly poison.
'What kind of poison is this...'
She gritted her teeth.
Few poisons could harm her body to this extent.
Even resisting, it paralyzed an S-Class adventurer's body.
But how did Elrine...?
A normal person's attacks—even constant day-and-night beatings for a year—wouldn't faze her. No joke.
That was an S-Class adventurer's body.
Her superhuman physique had surpassed mortal limits, reaching unimaginable heights.
Not just Elrine—even D-Class or lower adventurers attacking bare-handed wouldn't leave a scratch.
Elena's eyes trembled.
Elrine wore a joyful expression.
"E-Elrine. Did you... just attack... me?"
Her words came out haltingly.
She didn't know how to define this emotion.
"Yeah. Sorry, sis."
"......"
Elrine's voice sounded so cold.
Everything was so confusing.
"But this way, sis will be happier too."
Happier?
Elena couldn't understand Elrine's words.
Squirm.
It was then.
"Huh?"
The tentacle monster she had just fought reappeared from behind.
'It wasn't dead?'
It was fully regenerated. No trace of wounds even if you searched with a magnifying glass—it looked just as pristine as when she first saw it.
Regeneration ability.
So that's it. It had regeneration.
Most monsters had some regeneration, but recovering instantly like this was extremely rare.
It had this super-regeneration but hid and suppressed it during their fight.
'In this state... it'll be hard to fight.'
Her vision darkened.
It had been an unfavorable battle from the start.
A week of draining stamina and mana from the dungeon's environment, declining physical abilities.
She had already overexerted her body using vast mana to defeat it the first time, and now this extreme poison from her sister.
Could she even win?
It took so many techniques to bring it down once. But it regenerated.
What if it could regenerate twice? Or three times?
'No way out...'
It was too hopeless.
'Still...'
She had to fight.
If she stayed conscious somehow, maybe she could eke out a win...
She could at least buy time.
Her little sister, Elrine.
She didn't know why she attacked, but Elena's love for her hadn't changed one bit.
If she stalled, maybe she could get Elrine to escape.
That's why she tried to shout.
For Elrine to run away now.
But then, something unbelievable happened.
"Lord Tentacless~!"
"?"
With a radiant smile Elena had never seen before, Elrine ran toward the tentacle monster.
Before Elena could warn her of the danger, Elrine hugged its body tightly and rubbed her cheek against it.
'Ah.'
Like a puppy greeting its owner.
Submissively.
"Hehe, Lord Tentacle. Did I do good?"
At the same time, a voice presumed to be the tentacle monster's echoed.
- Yeah. I didn't expect the plan to work this smoothly, but it succeeded. All thanks to you.
"Hehehe, I told you~ I could do it."
Plan? Success...?
- I even planned for contingencies and after that, but to think it'd work on the first try.
"Hehe, I told you. Sis loves me so much, she's always totally off-guard around me~. So I was sure it'd work."
Elrine boasted to the tentacle monster like a puppy seeking praise. If she had a tail, it would be wagging furiously.
- Good girl. By the way, it was your first time using my tentacle, right? Wasn't it uncomfortable?
"Nope, I just had to keep it in my mouth. All I did was bite hard on her nape. It's all thanks to how strong Lord Tentacle's tentacle is."
- Heh. Injecting hours of refined deadly poison all at once with the bloodsucking tentacle—even an S-Class can't keep her wits.
Elrine opened her mouth and removed two fang-like teeth from inside, handing them back to the tentacle monster.
They slithered back into the monster's body.
Not teeth, but tentacle shaped like fangs. That's how a mere civilian like Elrine could damage her. The attack came from the tentacle monster.
Elena felt like it was all a dream.
A horrific nightmare.
But it wasn't a dream.
Squirm.
Thud, thud.
The massive tentacle monster advanced toward her, brandishing menacing tentacles, with Elrine sticking right beside it.
Elena stared in disbelief at her little sister.
The precious sister she cherished most, getting along so well with the tentacle monster.