Hot Spring (2)
Hot Spring (2)
That afternoon, at A-rin's suggestion, I entered the hot spring.
We'd already had lunch together—me, Seo-yul, and A-rin. Helping Seo-yul train earlier had gotten me moving, so I was in the perfect state for a bath.
'Seo-yul said she'd come in later.'
I could go in first and give her a report.
I nodded to myself, stowed my discarded clothes in my subspace, and after a quick wash, slipped into a white robe.
Satisfied with the soft, smooth texture, I opened the door leading to the hot spring—and a blast of warm steam rushed over me.
'Mmm...'
I blinked at the heat clinging to my skin.
To think there'd be this kind of warmth in the Changhae territory, where the ground freezes year-round and blizzards are the everyday sky.
It felt a little strange, but since it was a setting that existed in the original story, I didn't mind too much.
'This is my first time in a hot spring.'
The stone floor under my feet was warmed, too.
My footsteps went splish-splash as I approached the spring water.
Bubbling and steaming, the hot spring had a faint green tint. At a glance, it looked like a healthy color.
I dipped a toe in, and a fairly scalding energy climbed up my leg.
The temperature was high enough that most ordinary people would struggle to enter.
"Well, this is a superhuman-only bath, after all."
"Gyaak."
A presence had crept up behind me and gave my back a gentle shove.
Of course I'd noticed, but I pretended I hadn't, and she actually pushed me? The moment my eyes went wide with a sense of betrayal, the hands that shoved me caught my shoulders.
My startled eyes settled. Instead, I pouted and turned my head.
The one who shoved me from behind was, naturally, A-rin.
"That's mean. I was gauging the temperature, and you just pushed me from behind..."
"I pushed you and then grabbed you, so doesn't that bring us back to square one?"
"Stabbing someone and then giving them medicine doesn't make the wound disappear."
"Someone who can manifest Calamity Flame and Azure Sea at the same time isn't going to come to harm just from falling into a hot bath~"
A-rin smirked and brushed off my complaint.
That wasn't what I wanted. If I complained, wasn't the natural response to soothe me?
As my cheeks slowly puffed up at this development that wasn't going as intended, A-rin, wearing only a robe, came into my perception.
Her sky-blue hair was pulled up into a round bun.
Her skin was damp with moisture, and at my eye level, her chest swelled amply, impossible to hide beneath the robe.
The hot spring was filled with steam, yet all I could smell intensely was A-rin's scent.
"Heh-heh. Don't sulk out there—just try getting in."
"Ehehe... okay. I'll get in."
A-rin pressed a quick kiss to my cheek and patted my back gently.
Smiling brightly, I slowly dipped my feet into the hot spring, then submerged my body.
'Uwoo.'
For an instant, a shiver ran down my spine, and then the scorching heat soaked into me.
With a little shudder, I slipped farther inside.
The hot spring was spacious enough to comfortably accommodate dozens of people at once.
The depth was designed to be shallow at the edges and deeper toward the center.
At first, I crawled forward on my knees, but before I knew it, even standing, the water reached my chin.
...There was still a long way to go to the center.
My expression turned sour.
I could tell without even going in that at the center, you wouldn't be able to stand—you'd have to swim.
"...Pfft."
"Are you laughing?"
At the stifled laugh that came from behind, I whipped my head around. A-rin's eyes, hidden behind the hand covering her mouth, curved like crescent moons as she shrugged.
"Yes. I laughed because a certain small someone was cute. Why, don't you like it?"
"...Brrr."
When she put it like that, I didn't really have a comeback... but still, isn't teasing me about my height going a little far?
I puffed my cheeks full of air and sank into the hot spring until only my eyes were above the surface.
"Huh, the water quality here is excellent. This place was formed under the influence of a rare fire-attribute dungeon in this land, so it possesses medicinal water properties."
True to her words, this hot spring water was medicinal water with healing properties.
"It resembles Azure Sea."
"Given whose territory this is, I imagine it's had a little influence."
A-rin spoke as she scooped hot spring water over her shoulder with her hand.
"This heat is especially good when you're suffering from the side effects of Azure Sea. The burden from the cold energy is particularly severe for me, so this is a hot spring I've often used myself."
The faint green spring water glided smoothly over her pale shoulder.
Some of it ran not down her arm but along her torso and collected in the deep valley of her chest.
"Bubble bubble..."
I stared at that sight as I swirled the water with my hand.
There's a hot spring bath in the basement of the Siyoram mansion, too, but if A-rin is fond of this kind of hot spring, should I make a similar one?
Of course, this hot spring was a sort of natural resource, created when a dungeon's innate talent infused the water, but...
There's nothing I can't make.
Scoop up a handful, analyze it with the Authority of Knowledge. Use Homogenization to produce something similar, then let it pour out in abundance.
- Ding
Around the time I thought up those idle plans,
a hazy string of characters suddenly appeared in the air. When I blinked, the text updated.
[Player Correction System: Measurement]
▶Measurement: Medicinal Water of Heat and Healing
▶Elements: ｢Heat｣ ｢Healing｣
▷Detail: Hot spring water that has deteriorated into the properties of 'heat' and 'healing' due to the innate talent left behind by a dungeon. Bathing in it can be expected to provide relief for frozen body parts and minor physical recovery effects.
[Player Correction System: Trading Window]
▶Product: Medicinal Water of Heat and Healing (1L)
▶Cost: 0.05 Points
▷Detail: ...
"......"
The flickering text was a Status Window.
The Status Window I had wanted so badly. The Status Window I had desperately prayed would activate the moment I first came into this world.
The very same Status Window that hadn't functioned in the early days.
My eyes narrowed of their own accord.
'...Did the Tower Master of the Dead kicking the bucket take effect?'
A curse wouldn't break just because you killed the caster, but the nonsense that bastard had been pulling must have vanished.
Thanks to that, the burden on the Tower Masters had also disappeared.
Lady Ariel had even been able to move the Floating Island for a while.
Come to think of it, during that soul-grappling match with the Tower Master of the Dead, the Status Window had even given me buffs, hadn't it?
[The Tower Master of Harmonization moves her fingers while sweating nervously]
[......]
The text refreshed on its own.
[Player Correction System: Trading Window]
▶Product: All-Purpose Health Bath Additive (Single-Use)
▶Cost: 100 Points
▷Detail: A bath additive infused with recovery properties granted by a high-level will-thought and the Authority of Growth.
▷Detail 2: One dose can be dissolved into a bath for use. Duration is 3 hours. After the duration elapses, the bath returns to its original state.
'What the heck is this?'
My eyes, which had been reading the text indifferently, went wide.
Never mind the recovery property—an item infused with the Authority of Growth?
Even if it is single-use and has a time limit, if you sold this outside, who knows what kind of price it would fetch.
...And that kind of tremendous efficacy is packed into a simple bath additive?
[The Tower Master of Harmonization laughs awkwardly]
[Neriel worked really hard to make this... would you like to try it?]
'Now you offer it?'
The text froze at my mutter. I snorted inwardly and pouted.
'It wasn't there when I needed it most. If something like this had been available early on, how much help would it have been...!'
[The Tower Master of Harmonization bangs her head on the table]
[I'm so sorry...!]
Thud! A sound effect practically echoed from the Status Window. Still pouting, I hurriedly shook my head.
'I'm kidding. You don't need to apologize.'
It wasn't as if the Status Window had been completely non-functional.
Even if I couldn't perceive it, it had been functioning the whole time, helping me.
'Was the first time I truly felt its function back in Sipnaha...'
The power that had assisted me while I was fighting Aerus. At the time, I hadn't known what it was, but now I know it was the power of the Status Window.
And back when I was getting beaten by Aerus and had just picked up Homogenization.
My body should have died then. Even if I'd somehow endured, my death was certain the moment I crushed Aerus's head.
What prevented that was the Status Window.
To be precise, it's a function handled by the Savior Correction System.
During the Twin-headed Poison Dragon incident, it helped me too, and it was also the Status Window that saved me when I was saturated with poison and lost consciousness.
'...Looking at it like this, I've received an enormous amount of help.'
In the first place, without the Status Window, I might have been buried in Sipnaha.
'I truly am grateful. I made it this far thanks to you.'
[The Tower Master of Harmonization scratches her head with a bitter look]
[Receiving praise just for offering a little support while pushing a child onto the battlefield... it only pricks my conscience...]
But that's not how I see it.
As I thought that and browsed the Status Window, my gaze suddenly landed on the Affection section.
The conversation I'd shared with the Tower Master of Harmonization came to mind.
'...Did I say the affection ratings are reversed?'
At the time, I'd said it was unavoidable in order to create conditions that could bypass my curse.
As curiosity flickered in my eyes, the existing text scattered and the Affection list unfolded.
[Player Correction System: Affection]
Lee Ha-yul→Hong Yeon-hwa
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♡(99/100)
｢Love｣ ｢Milk｣ ｢Gratitude｣ ｢Warmth｣ ｢Stability｣ ｢Squishy｣
...
Lee Ha-yul→Atra Clyde
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♡(99/100)
｢Love｣ ｢Affection｣ ｢Teacher｣ ｢Dairy Cow｣ ｢Expectation｣ ｢Stability｣ ｢Longing for Affection｣ ｢Back Door?｣
...
Lee Ha-yul→Ellia Srade
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♡(99/100)
｢Love｣ ｢Mo?m｣ ｢Gratitude｣ ｢Dairy Cow｣ ｢Chick｣ ｢Gentleness｣ ｢Possessiveness｣
...
Lee Ha-yul→Liana Bellus
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♡(99/100)
｢Love｣ ｢Dairy Cow｣ ｢Mo?m｣ ｢Gratitude｣ ｢Kind Adult｣ ｢Squishy｣ ｢Voluptuous｣
"Brrr..."
My face flushed bright red at the affection ratings expressed in numbers and words.
'Ninety-nine...?'
Had there ever been a case in the original story where an affection value rose to 99?
I think if you cracked someone's skull open and brainwashed them, they'd stick at around 90(+?)...
And what on earth was with that list of mental images?
Love, affection, gratitude, warmth, stability, squi... shy—those I could understand.
'Dairy Cow...? M-Mom...? And to top it off, for Teacher, b-back door...'
That is way too blatant a description.
...I can't in good conscience deny it, but having those words right there before my eyes is beyond embarrassing.
I hurriedly scrolled the Affection list down.
Lee Ha-yul→Daera Celeste
●●●●●●○○○○(68/100)
｢Senior Disciple｣ ｢Heavenly Thunder?｣ ｢Sense of Kinship｣ ｢Compassion｣
▽Change▽
●●●●●●●○○○(68▶74/100)
｢Senior Disciple｣ ｢Heavenly Thunder｣ ｢Sense of Kinship｣ ｢Compassion｣ ｢Glutton｣ ｢Idiot｣
'Seventy-four? If it's in the seventies... that means a close relationship, right?'
What a peculiar feeling.
To see the state of my own feelings expressed like this, in numbers and words.
[The Tower Master of Harmonization shrugs]
[It's just a rough expression using the Authority of Observation, so there's no need to take it as gospel. Even the Authority of Observation can't precisely know a person's heart, after all.]
'Yes, thank you for saying that.'
The Tower Master of Harmonization added their advice.
Feeling my heart ease a little, I nodded slightly and lowered my gaze.
Lee Ha-yul → Baek A-rin
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♡♡ (83/100)
【Affection】【Possessiveness】【Cold Energy】【Coolness】【Dairy Cow?】【Mischievousness】【Water】
▼ Change ▼
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♡ (99/100)
【Love】【Possessiveness】【Dairy Cow】【Cold Energy】【Warmth?】【Coolness】【Mischievousness】【Pathetic】【Water】
Below it was A-rin's, which had just changed yesterday.
...A list of equally embarrassing words was visible.
'...Huh?'
I hurriedly dismissed the Status Window and blinked.
What I glimpsed next was the affection rating for Lee Ha-sol.
Lee Ha-yul (?) → Lee Ha-sol
●●●●●●●●...
- Page
"Ha-yul, what are you doing?"
"Hyeok."
At the sensation of lips touching mine, the lines of text crumbled away with a flutter.
Startled, I pulled my face out of the hot spring, and A-rin, giggling, rose up with me.
Tilting her head, A-rin stroked the corner of my eye.
"You were staring into space, then you got pouty, then you looked dumbfounded, then embarrassed..."
"I was talking with the Tower Master of Harmonization."
"Huh? The Tower Master of Harmonization?"
"Yeah... like exchanging texts."
"Aha? So the Authority of Harmonization can do stuff like that too, huh?"
A-rin guided me toward the edge, then sat down and leaned her back against a rock at a moderate depth.
"Here, come here."
"Yes."
Tucking her wet hair behind her ear, A-rin smiled and held out her arms.
I promptly snuggled into her embrace.
- Squish...
A-rin's skin pressed softly against me. Even with two layers of robes between us, she couldn't hide the sensation—warm and soft, like freshly steamed rice cake.
"Ehehe..."
"I'm glad you look happy."
"Anywhere is good as long as I'm in your arms, A-rin."
"Heh, saying such pretty things."
A-rin grinned as she gently stroked my head.
Smiling faintly, I reached my hand into the air and shook out the bath additive that soon popped into existence.
"Bath additive? Ha-yul, you even carry stuff like that around?"
"I just got it from the Tower Master. They said it even contains the Authority of Growth."
"...Did I just hear that wrong?"
"No, you heard correctly."
"Huh..."
A-rin blinked a few times, then shook her head with an incredulous laugh.
"Really. At first they seemed to neglect you, and now they're slipping you bath additives infused with the Authority of Growth... Are they trying to treat you well only now?"
[The Tower Master of Harmonization clutches his chest and lets out a 'kuh' groan.]
"He said he was supposed to give it to me earlier, but the other Tower Master interfered, so it was delayed..."
I defended the Tower Masters as I finished shaking out the additive.
Soon, the rust-colored hot spring water shone brightly for a moment. At the same time, I could feel the 'Growth' acting on my body being amplified.
'It's still weaker than entering the Tower, but... this is something I can use easily.'
Even now, I could make good use of it. Or I could just give it to the people around me to use.
"Fuuu... This is nice..."
A-rin, who was holding me, rested her chin on my head. Then she suddenly tilted her head back to gaze up at the sky.
"The water is warm, Ha-yul is warm... and the sky is gradually getting dark. This is really nice."
The Changhae territory has short days and long nights.
It was still far too early for dinner, but the orange-tinged sky was slowly staining black.
"In the old days, I'd soak in the water and drink liquor..."
"You don't drink now?"
"Because a certain someone is in my arms."
"I don't mind that sort of thing anymore. You can drink."
"I know you don't, but I forgot to bring some. And I'm too lazy to ask someone to fetch it here..."
A-rin murmured that, but I didn't miss the flicker of faint regret that crossed her face.
- Ding!
[The Tower Master of Harmonization subtly moves his finger.]
[Player Correction System: Trading Window]
▶ Product: Ark Forte An (Liquor)
▶ Cost: 1 Point
▷ Detail: A liquor brewed from blazing spirit grass that only grows on the rugged peaks of high-temperature zones. Its burning taste and body-warming effects are exquisite.
Just then, a Status Window floated into the corner of my vision. I chuckled wryly and touched the window.
[Purchase Complete]
[Remaining Points: 64,7...]
- Pop!
"Oh? Is this alcohol?"
A red bottle of liquor appeared in the air. A-rin quickly caught it before it could fall into the hot spring water.
"Yeah, the Status Window... I mean... I bought it using the Authority of Harmonization."
"What do you mean you 'bought'... Oh, this is Ark Forte."
A-rin's eyes rounded as she looked at the bottle's label.
"Is it a famous liquor?"
"It's rare because it's hard to make, and it's absolutely delicious... To think you'd procure something like this."
A-rin looked down at me with an unreadable expression.
"Can I really drink it?"
Without a word, I buried my face in A-rin's chest and sniffed deeply.
Giggling, A-rin stroked my head with one hand, and with the other, she touched the neck of the bottle.
- Sereok
Her aura-clad finger cleanly sliced off the bottle's neck.
After freezing the severed bottleneck with Azure Sea and tossing it out of the hot spring onto the floor, A-rin tilted the neatly cut bottle to her lips.
"—Kah-ha! Wow! This is in incredible condition!"
As I blinked at her hearty chug, A-rin, who had emptied half the bottle in one go, let out an exclamation of admiration.
I tilted my head.
"...Is it really that delicious?"
"Yes, it's incredibly delicious. When I was under the curse, my senses were dulled, so now it tastes even more... Hm."
"A-rin?"
A-rin, who had been sloshing the bottle around, closed her mouth. Her eyes wavered, and she glanced down at me.
"Ah... That was a careless thing to say... I'm sorry."
"...Huh?"
My eyes narrowed at her sudden apology. Startled by this, A-rin shook her head urgently.
"No, no, no, not about that part! A different part!"
"What do you mean 'a different part'?"
"Well... you know. Do you still think you're hiding it well?"
"...What is."
My eyes shook involuntarily at the sudden question. I hurriedly buried my face in A-rin's chest.
Doing this, only A-rin's scent lingered, and the alcohol fumes reaching my nasal cavity vanished, which was nice.
I'm absolutely not avoiding the question.
"...Honestly, you're so bad at lying."
A-rin clicked her tongue. She had been about to tip the bottle into her mouth but abruptly stopped the motion.
She seemed to think for a moment, then suddenly reached out and gently cupped both of my cheeks, lifting my face.
"Oop?"
My lips poked out comically like an octopus's from the pressure on my cheeks. As I blinked at her, wondering what she was doing, A-rin tilted her head slightly.
"I heard you did this with Professor Liana last time?"
A-rin put the bottle to her mouth and took a drink. But she didn't swallow it.
The moment my eyes went round at the sight, before I could even squirm, her lips met mine.
[The Tower Master of Harmonization shields his eyes and cuts the connection.]
"Ump, uuump...! Smooch, smooch, mwah..."
Since she was pressing my cheeks firmly, my mouth opened on its own.
A soft tongue slipped through my parted teeth and roamed freely inside my mouth.
Hot saliva flowed in along that tongue.
Amidst the tastelessness, my struggling ceased at the only thing that had flavor, and my mind melted warmly. My mouth opened wider and welcomed the tongue.
"Uhm... mwah... smooch, mm, gulp..."
When I obediently accepted, A-rin smiled softly and let even more delicious liquid flow down.
Ignoring the tongue that was prodding around my mouth, I gulped down the saliva flowing in.
- Squeeze...
"Nn... mm, uung..."
The hand that had been holding my waist was suddenly stroking my back, then it slid down and grasped my bottom.
A dizzying sensation shot up my spine, and my eyes flew open. My body, buried in A-rin's embrace, thrashed as if shocked, but I couldn't escape the hand that gripped my rear even more firmly.
"...Pfft... haaah..."
A-rin pulled her mouth away, having kneaded my bottom to her heart's content. The transparent bridge connecting our lips broke.
"Beh..."
I stuck my tongue out and quickly lapped up the saliva that was about to break.
"Huhh..."
"Uum...?"
As I chewed and swallowed, A-rin, who still held my cheeks, let out an admiring sigh.
Breathing heavily with a flushed face, she examined my face here and there.
"To think you were this easy... I should've just planted my lips on you first before you made your move."
"Beh..."
I don't know what she means. It was hard to understand with my head so hazy and fuzzy.
I just stuck out my tongue to signal that I wanted more kisses.
"...Honestly."
Laughing wryly, A-rin grabbed my chin and kissed me. At the tongue that entered my mouth, I smiled, my eyes crinkling.
* * *
"Hic... uu... buh..."
'He passed out.'
Baek A-rin, submerged in the hot spring, tilted her head slightly.
Lee Ha-yul was leaning against her chest. His open mouth was drooling, and his unfocused eyes were barely open.
"...Churp."
Baek A-rin licked her lips.
Though she'd mostly given, occasionally she'd taken some of Lee Ha-yul's as well.
It was simply amazing how human saliva could taste like this.
Having cleaned the taste from her lips, Baek A-rin stared down at the unconscious Lee Ha-yul in her arms.
- Rumble!
Just then, the door connected to the changing room swung open.
Baek A-rin, who had already sensed the faint presence, relaxed because she recognized who it was.
- Splash splash...
Someone approached, their wet footsteps echoing.
The silhouette appearing through the dense steam had the curves of a voluptuous woman.
Soon, white hair revealed itself through the steam.
"Seo-yul?"
"Hello."
It was Lee Seo-yul.
Also wearing a white robe, she quirked an eyebrow upon seeing Lee Ha-yul in Baek A-rin's arms.
Then, after bowing her head politely in greeting, she submerged herself in the hot spring.
At that natural entrance, Baek A-rin blinked.
"...Seo-yul, didn't you say you'd use it separately later?"
"That was a lie, of course."
"Uh... why?"
"Because Dad still won't take baths with me, even though I'm all grown up now."
Murmuring indifferently, Lee Seo-yul scooped the hot spring water over her shoulders.
* * *