An Unexpected Buff

The thirty minutes granted by Mimicry were simply too short to accomplish anything meaningful. And that limitation wasn't confined to my time with Yeonhee. As my range of activity continued to expand while the duration remained fixed, it created real constraints on what I could do when the moment truly mattered.

1. Baek A-rin — Swordsman

2. Bae Jua — Mage

3. No Hayun — Ice Sorceress

4. Spirit Ran

5. Lizard No. 1

At some point, A-rin had taken the top spot in Mimicry's information gathering. Considering how much the numbers had jumped after the day I heard about her family situation—raising her younger siblings without parents—and the day I promised to teach her swordsmanship, it was clearly more than simple favorability. It felt closer to a comprehensive understanding of the person.

Helping her with the Heo Min-sol situation must have had a big effect. Her favorability hadn't changed, but the information collection rate that had been stuck in the early twenties shot straight up to thirty-four percent.

If I could increase the number of people I can Mimic, something might change.

Maybe the duration of Mimicry would increase? Something like that.

A-rin... A-rin, huh...

Should I use sword training as an excuse to get closer to her? But if Yeonhee was around, that would be difficult. For some reason, I had a feeling it would be.

Setting those thoughts aside, I had to faithfully carry out my purpose for coming up to the rooftop. I took out the Big Boar hides I'd prepared in my inventory one by one. These hides had already been thoroughly singed of fur, washed, treated with monster-grade tanning solution, and dried at intervals.

The improvements to my bomb-making speed had left me with some free time in the early mornings, and I'd used it for this. Heh heh... Now all that remained was to soften and stretch them with rolling and light hammering, then apply monster-hide oil. Once that was done, I'd have a second tent capable of blocking the energy of the dead inside the dungeon.

This should provide decent protection even if we had to spend the night in there. Of course, simply pitching the tent wouldn't completely block the death energy. I'd still need to mix my senses with mana to coat the surface for full effect. Since the tent's area was large, the mana consumption would be significant. I'd have to be extremely precise, covering the surface in an incredibly thin layer to minimize the drain. But for Yeonhee, that level of effort was nothing.

It would consume some mental strength, though.

Clang— Clang— Sccrrrtch—

Beneath a night sky without a single visible star, I continued the repetitive work under the faint moonlight. Truthfully, among all the moments in my life as a skeleton, these were the ones where I felt most at peace and genuinely happy.

The moon sure is bright tonight.

Looking at the perfectly round moon made me think of Tania, that golden orb that had floated gracefully through the air.

I wonder if she's doing well...

It was a slightly sentimental night, the kind where you suddenly miss a friend.

The next day, we entered the infamous Dungeon of Nargul. Even Ham Eun-yeong managed to avoid being late today. Instead, the ones who showed up late were No Hayun and the new member, a man named Yeom Tae-seok.

With his short, dwarf-like stature and a body solidly encased in full plate armor, the aura he gave off was quite intense.

"Hello! It's been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so long, really!"

"Ah, hello..."

"Hey? Being late on the very first day. Is that what happens when you're so talented?"

"Ah, sorry! I was doing my makeup for the first time in a while. Hehe."

"Makeup?"

"Ahem— My apologies."

No Hayun greeted us with lively energy as she appeared before our group for the first time in a while. But Bae Jua immediately gave her a sharp jab for being late. The man who had arrived with Hayun blushed as if embarrassed, though it was obviously her fault they were late.

Yeonhee accepted her greeting a bit awkwardly, while A-rin and Eun-yeong still looked somewhat dazed at the idea of partying with the now-famous saintess, No Hayun. Especially since Hayun had shown up today in a much more casual and revealing outfit than last time. Considering the nature of this dungeon, it was rather surprising.

She wore extremely short shorts that exposed her thighs all the way up and a sweater that revealed her cleavage. In this damp environment, the shorts made some sense, but what was with the top? She wasn't even wearing a robe—she seemed to have stuffed it in her inventory.

She must be that confident.

She had quite a bit of experience in this dungeon, so I figured she must have grown comfortable enough to dress like that.

"Ahem— Nice to meet you all. My name is Yeom Tae-seok."

The man standing beside Hayun like a stern bodyguard gave a polite greeting, then quietly observed us for a moment before nodding to himself.

He's more than qualified as No Hayun's companion.

That was the impression his expression gave. Since his reaction wasn't bad at all, the tension we'd all felt about adding a new member eased a little.

But that ring...

More than anything else, my eyes were drawn to the ring on the index finger of Hayun's right hand. It was a breathtakingly beautiful piece shaped like a water-colored ice flower with wings like those of an angel, the craftsmanship so intricate it almost seemed alive. I had seen it once before in my previous life.

"Whoa! What is that ring? It's insanely pretty!"

"Hm? Oh, this? The guild leader lent it to me for a bit. It's not mine."

Jua, who had been scolding her just moments ago, suddenly transformed. Her eyes sparkled as she leaned in close to examine the ring. Hayun answered as if it were no big deal.

That thing is worth a fortune...

No, it was something money couldn't even buy. Its value couldn't be measured in currency. The fact that she could act so casually despite clearly knowing that proved just how extraordinary No Hayun was.

Even Yeonhee glanced at the ring, clearly interested in how ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠beautiful it was. Hmm... It really was gorgeous. It would look perfect on Yeonhee.

But appearance didn't matter. The real issue was its performance.

That's way over-spec.

As I've always said, dungeon exploration should never be too comfortable. That was my philosophy. Yet this ring was an artifact powerful enough to make things exactly that.

Artifacts didn't lose massive amounts of power just because someone else wore them like weapons or armor might, but if the wearer was far beneath the artifact's grade or had completely opposing attributes, they often couldn't equip it at all. That was why even rich kids with golden spoons couldn't just sweep through low-level dungeons. Of course, it would still be far easier for them than for no-spenders like Yeonhee and me.

On the other hand, someone perfectly compatible with an artifact could draw out far greater power than normal. This ring seemed practically made for No Hayun. Whether she could bring out all of its abilities, however, remained to be seen. After all, they said high-grade artifacts chose their owners.

Will the dungeon even allow that thing...?

Scholars claimed dungeons were closer to living creatures. And dungeons were notoriously sensitive to the concepts of fairness and balance. So would it really overlook a hunter wearing such an absurdly powerful artifact?

"The difficulty of dungeons has risen significantly lately. We've had several dangerous situations."

When I asked Yeonhee to inquire about it, Yeom Tae-seok answered calmly. So they had struggled, but it didn't sound like the kind of change that could be attributed to the artifact.

Hmm... The party composition has changed. The conditions aren't the same.

I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling, but telling someone to stuff an artifact in their inventory was ridiculous. Commenting on another hunter's equipment was taboo.

Nothing I can do. The route is safe for now, at least.

I soon gave up and decided to focus on my senses instead. Even while chatting with the other party members, No Hayun kept stealing glances at me. Was it just my imagination, or did her expression look much brighter whenever she looked my way?

It couldn't be. According to the System, No Hayun was showing strong interest in me. It had said that at some point I had formed a connection with her, and she must have gained a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠significant benefit from it. The fact that she was going out of her way to join our party was likely because she wanted to create another link with me and reap even more rewards.

Anyway, after exchanging brief greetings, we immediately stepped through the gate.

Oooong—

A much stickier sensation than any dungeon I'd entered before swept over my body. The second underground floor here was supposedly more difficult than the lowest level of a C-grade dungeon, so that feeling made sense.

Step— Step—

"Haa... So this is Nargul! It feels depressing right from the start~"

A-rin's ears drooped into a L-shape the moment we entered the dungeon as she let out a tired sigh. But everyone felt the same way. The environment was like someone had combined the Lizardman Swamp with the abandoned school dungeon.

That must have been the message the other party members received. It was only natural they'd feel their strength draining.

"The abandoned school was nothing compared to this. This is what a real undead dungeon feels like."

Jua hugged her arms tightly, trying to minimize contact with the death-laden air.

"What about you, Ilwol?"

Yeonhee asked the moment we entered the dungeon. As for me, of course—

I received the complete opposite effect. Not only that, but instead of a percentage increase, my stats had gone up by a flat thirty points. Even based on my highest stat, Strength, that was an increase of over fifteen percent. An incredible buff.

Heh heh heh... I feel like a super skeleton. Not bad at all.

With my current stats, I felt like I could take on two 'Fangs' at the same time. Opportunities like this didn't come often. I had to enjoy it while I could.

I told Yeonhee that I had received the opposite effect, and her face lit up with joy as she shared the information with the rest of the party.

"Ooh! As expected of our skeleton soldier, he's the best~?"

"No wonder the aura I felt suddenly changed... Since our stats have decreased, the gap between us has grown even wider. Doesn't Yeonhee have a Spectre and a zombie among her summons too?"

"Yes, yes! I'm sure they'll receive positive effects as well."

"···!!"

No Hayun looked greatly surprised as she listened to the conversation. The variety of summons had grown far more diverse since the time we fought together in the canyon. It must have been quite the unexpected stimulus for her.