I Stole Again Today

I stole again today.

The Grey Mold is a monster similar to the mold and fungi of our world, just as its name suggests. Because it's flammable, fire spreads easily, and when it touches flames, the concentration of the smoke that causes Slow becomes even thicker. For that reason, it's generally better not to use fire when dealing with them. But since Ham Eun-yeong was with us and I had no real experience using magic to properly kill enemies, I deliberately chose to cast Fireball.

I hurled the fireball almost like throwing it into the space where the hazy cloud-like mass had spread through the air. Soon, a series of dull sounds rang out—like sponges bursting from fireworks—and the creatures hurriedly spewed out thick grey smoke. While inhaling that smoke, movement speed drops sharply, and after a certain amount of time, the victim becomes completely immobilized. The molds survive by latching onto those frozen living beings and draining their life force.

Hmm… one wasn't enough?

The fire from the fireball had spread quite a bit, but a single burst only seemed to deal minimal damage. In that case…

I continuously manifested fireballs and hurled them haphazardly at the grey colony. Even though they were spread out widely, the spells still hit their mark. Either way, feeling the taste of magic for the first time sent a thrilling electric current racing through my body.

Kyahahaha!! Yeah, this is it!! Burn it all down!

BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!

Explosions really are beautiful. Maybe I should have gone straight down the path of a destruction-focused bomber from the start.

Mana: 137/161

Since Fireball was a basic spell, its mana consumption was low. Having gone so long without this kind of excitement, I went completely crazy, launching fireballs in every direction like a madman.

"······ Oh my god, what the hell is that?"

Someone's astonished voice came from behind, but I was a being born from darkness to begin with. Looking a little insane might actually work in my favor.

I detonated dozens of fireballs like that, and a long string of kill messages popped up all at once.

Since dozens had died simultaneously, the kill messages kept appearing for quite a while.

Grey Fungal Poison Lv.1

When receiving damage that reduces health by more than 20% at once, emit grey smoke that reduces nearby enemies' movement speed by 30%.

Killing monsters without skills adds a 5% theft chance, resulting in an 18% probability of stealing a trait. Considering the number of creatures I had killed, it was only natural that the theft succeeded.

Good. That's the second one I've gotten today.

The unfamiliar trait, Grey Fungal Poison. Because its level was low, the activation condition wasn't easy to meet, but I felt a sense of satisfaction at gradually becoming the 'annoying bastard you shouldn't touch' I had imagined when I first reincarnated as a skeleton.

"Kelok— kehek—"

"Ugh, seriously. No matter how many times I drink it, this stuff is disgusting."

At some point the grey smoke had spread all the way to the rear, and our party members were coughing nonstop. But there was no need for them to stay in place and suffer from the fungal poison.

I glanced over and saw Baek A-rin looking at Ham Eun-yeong, sending her a silent message. She had probably waited on purpose because she wanted to show Yeonhee just how close to zero Eun-yeong's contribution had been today.

"...... Please... protect me..."

Ham Eun-yeong, who had been staring indifferently at the party members whose movements had noticeably slowed, stepped up onto a small rock after saying those words. The gaunt woman, dressed entirely in black funeral attire from top to bottom, cleared her throat a few times before finally opening her mouth and letting her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠voice flow out.

"A blue wolf runs through the lush forest— soft winds cry out and embrace them— those who will never be bound forever take each other as companions— chase after them, you pitiful children of the forest who dream of freedom— ooo—♪"

A·········

The moment she began to sing, an incredibly clear and pure sound resonated throughout the entire forest, and at the same time, it shook all of our hearts. Her voice was deep yet shallow, warm yet cold, joyful yet sorrowful. The lyrics somehow matched this dungeon perfectly, making me forget about the battle and focus quietly on the song. It felt less like singing and more like reciting poetry, which created a different kind of impression.

I could sense the unique magical waves of the bard class rapidly spreading outward through the lyrics. It carried a bright and warm color and scent that was the complete opposite of her usual personality. I wondered if what I was feeling right now was the true self she genuinely wished to be.

"Haa—"

After about a minute, the song ended. The party members whose bodies had been stiffening recovered their normal state, and the swarm of Grey Molds that had been pushing in after smelling prey scattered in panic. Before long, they had fled to the opposite side of the forest and hidden themselves.

This is… way better than I expected? It feels like it clears your head.

It wasn't just removing status ailments. The awakening effect was strong enough to help restore exhausted mental strength as well. Moreover, the monsters ran away as if they had heard the cry of a Screaming Mushroom. The range was wide, and the time it took to activate was shorter than anticipated.

We can keep traveling together after all.

I nodded in satisfaction.

While everyone held their breath, still immersed in the lingering emotions from the song, Baek A-rin spoke up.

"Hya… no matter how many times I hear it, it's just so good… right, Yeonhee-yong?"

Yeonhee nodded vigorously as if she wholeheartedly agreed.

"Yes… I want to hear more. How can her voice be that clear?"

"Mhm mhm…"

After finishing her song, Ham Eun-yeong returned to her usual gloomy self and lowered her head. But her entire face and neck were flushed bright red. According to Baek A-rin, she always reacted like this after singing and couldn't stand it.

"You're not thinking of going in deeper, are you? There's no guarantee we'll even meet a 'Ghost' if we ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠go inside-yong."

Baek A-rin was indirectly saying she wanted to leave this damp place and head out to the plains.

Ghosts can be found anywhere, so for today, let's be satisfied with the Mole Crickets and Grey Molds.

"Yes! Let's head outside!"

We soon moved to the vast plains and fought two more small battles over the next hour. And now, the time had come to make a choice.

"Just to be sure, I'll ask again—are we really doing this?"

"Yes. I think it'll be fine."

"Once we've decided, let's go right away."

We were about to take on the adventure of challenging the first boss stage in our very first dungeon. We weren't even close to level 40, so this dungeon's difficulty didn't match us at all. There was no reason to stay long. We could just take the most delicious parts and leave.

"Basically, Dire Wolves are said to target weaklings they can easily overpower. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠So it's only natural that they'd be wary of us after we've killed so many of their own kind," Baek A-rin answered when Yeonhee asked, 'Aren't there usually more monsters than this?' on the way to the boss fight.

Yeonhee must have felt uneasy because the subjugation was going too smoothly, but I was feeling overwhelmed by a different concern.

It's only the first day, but… this definitely won't be easy.

From the perspective of someone who had just started the quest, saying something like this might make me seem like I lack perseverance, but killing ten thousand felt like an incredibly distant journey right now. Still, if we entered the 'Wolf Den,' we might be able to pick up the pace. There were wolves swarming all over the place in there.

For now, I won't be able to do anything with the one-hit quest until I get a greatsword. I can get the materials for one later…

If Yeonhee knew about my quest, she would have immediately prepared a greatsword for me, but it seemed that even a summoner couldn't receive information about a summon's job change quest. Come to think of it, that was strange. Not being able to know information about the summoned beings you control? Hmm…

Step—

"Just one more hour and we'll be there-yong."

A-rin, who had been reluctant to enter because she hated seeing wolves, now seemed slightly embarrassed as it became increasingly difficult to even spot any. She kept updating us on the distance to our destination. Maybe she thought that once we arrived, everyone would understand why she had been so sick of wolves.

Step—

Even while walking, I continued expanding my sensory waves to their maximum range. This was because of a memory that had surfaced during last night's training.

Has the location changed…? Based on the time we've been walking, we should have already reached it.

According to the memory that had come to me, we should have already passed the location by now. I started to worry that the place might have been moved to somewhere else entirely.

How long had I been walking while searching with my senses? Eventually, I detected an empty space hidden deep underground within my wave.

A mine…

Besides obtaining magic stones from monsters, there were also cases where naturally occurring magic stones were discovered. Usually, people would accidentally find a path leading to such a mine and hit the so-called jackpot. Those paths had been created by someone a very long time ago, and no one knew exactly who had made them. Of course, one of the top three guilds—the Dwarf Guild—insisted that dwarves had created them, but since they hadn't seen it themselves, no one agreed with that claim.

"Clack clack clack!!"

"Huh?"

I suddenly stopped dead in my tracks while walking and sent a signal with my teeth. The entire party immediately halted.

(Ran, come here for a second.)

(Ilwol, you can do everything else but why the hell can't you just talk like a normal person!)

Ran got unnecessarily angry as she looked at me requesting interpretation. This kid always had to add a complaint before doing what I asked.

(Ilwol says he has discovered a hidden mine, Master.)

—!!

The moment Ran relayed my words, Yeonhee jumped up in surprise.

"Really? Jackpot…!"

"W-what? What is it?"

"Did a wolf variant appear or something?"

"Ah, no… Ilwol says he found a mine."

"...... Eeeeeh?!!"

We quickly deviated from the path we had been walking and headed toward the place I was leading them. The party didn't seem to have any doubts about my words at all. They followed with their mouths hanging wide open.

I shouldn't get their hopes up too much…

The mine that had appeared in my memory was small in scale, and the amount of magic stones piled inside was also modest. In a way, that was only natural. The fact that a path to the mine had been dug meant mining had already taken place, so most such sites were usually only partially excavated. Even so, it would still bring in a considerable amount of money. But what I was aiming for wasn't just the magic stones.