Rainy's Growth
Yeonhee landed on the rooftop of the building that looked ready to collapse at any moment and immediately rushed over to me.
"What happened? It was over before I could even call Drake!"
"Clack clack clack!"
Truthfully, the appearance of a drake hadn't created any variables worth worrying about.
"Yeonhee, how about we fix the building first and talk later?"
"Okay!"
It was rather comical that she was the one who had wrecked it and was now restoring it to keep it from falling apart, but we worked steadily. We reduced the weight of the most unstable sections and reinforced others until the structure stood firm once more.
Yeonsu looked a little embarrassed as she cleaned up, offering an explanation.
"I checked on my way here. Turns out the top floor belongs to the building's owner. So I figured it was fine to go all out. Don't worry about it."
"Ah— I see. I was really nervous, though."
"Hehe— I only cause trouble within the limits of what I can handle afterward. Legally, those guys have no grounds to stand on either, so they might try to sue, but our legal team will take care of it."
'It's amazing that she can actually handle the aftermath...'
Glance—
'Ugh...'
Ever since I saved her, Kang Yeonsu kept glancing at me in surprise. I deliberately avoided her gaze and focused on restoring the building in silence.
About an hour later, a large team from the Hunter Management Bureau arrived, and we finally had a chance to rest and talk.
We moved to a café some distance from the scene. Slurp—
Yeonhee kept sipping her coffee while nervously glancing at Kang Yeonsu, who was staring straight at me.
"Hmm~ Ahem~"
Yeonsu seemed to be in a good mood, though I couldn't guess why.
'She's awfully calm for someone who nearly died just now.'
If those people had captured her, what kind of torment would she have endured? They wouldn't hesitate to harm even children, so it would have been worse than anything I could imagine.
The longer Yeonsu looked at me, the more sweat gathered in Yeonhee's tightly clasped hands. I had worried that seeing me save Yeonsu might upset her, but she showed no sign of it.
'This is awkward.'
Ever since becoming a summon, being perceived as an individual by someone else felt burdensome. Yet Kang Yeonsu was now looking at me as a complete person—not just as Lee Yeonhee's summon, but as the skeleton soldier Ilwol.
'She might be after my magic stone. I can't let my guard down.'
I had no desire to become part of her collection, forced to live under her gaze for the rest of my life. I curled up as tightly as possible and stared at the floor like a statue.
"Haah— There are so many things I'm curious about. Yeonhee."
"Y-yes."
"Let's set everything else aside and ask just one thing. I want the honest truth. If you lie, I might get a little sad..."
"...... Yes."
Yeonsu, who had been cheerful despite everything she'd been through, suddenly changed her tone, her voice sinking. Yeonhee and I, sitting side by side, froze in place.
"I'm talking about Ilwol next to you. That ability he used at the end... what exactly was it?"
"......"
"He was a mage skilled enough to weave a spell even I couldn't detect. I don't know about other countries, but in ours, you'd be hard-pressed to find three mages better than him—even including the earliest awakeners. And that guy retreated without hesitation, meaning the attack was lethal enough to force him back. So? What was it?"
"......"
She was smiling, but the atmosphere suggested that a wrong answer could lead to disaster. Yeonhee chose her words carefully.
"Hmm— You're not answering... I see. So that's all our relationship amounts to."
"T-that's not..."
"Oh, come on. What was it?"
'How would Yeonhee know the details?'
I had only roughly explained it as a self-destruct skill. Yeonhee wouldn't have a full grasp of my abilities, and she hadn't been raising her domination stat lately either.
"I-I only know it's a skill that involves sacrifice... Among my summons, Ilwol has... many aspects I still haven't figured out... But one thing I can guess is that the damage from the self-destruction increases based on the number of monsters he's defeated while summoned. That's what I've been thinking."
'Oh... Huh. That actually sounds plausible.'
I was surprised by how Yeonhee had managed to give a reasonable definition of an ability even I hadn't fully understood yet. When she relayed it in a roundabout way, Kang Yeonsu still looked puzzled but seemed somewhat satisfied.
The heavy air gradually lightened, and Yeonsu returned to her usual gentle, adult demeanor.
"So it really is a self-destruct skill... Makes sense. Even the Bone Dancer had destructive power far beyond its rank. And Ilwol is special, after all. Hmm..."
Yeonsu was gauging the potential of my ability while thinking of the Bone Dancer.
"Even taking all that into account, I still don't understand. The presence of that mage I felt... It was on the level of a grand mage. For someone like that to retreat, maybe it wasn't just because of raw destructive power. There might have been another reason."
'...... It was definitely because of the destructive power. I don't want to overestimate myself, but the value of my life is heavier than it looks.'
I recalled the mysterious being who had reacted with shock upon seeing my skill.
'A dangerous guy. In a way, more so than the Blue Eye or Jo Giman.'
A strong intuition told me so. He had to be eliminated first.
'He's as distant a target as Jo Giman, but this is a good start. Can I reach him in the end?'
"Anyway... Thank you. Yeonhee. Thanks to you, I survived. I owe you my life."
"Oh, no. I didn't really do anything."
"Hmm— Ilwol's achievements are also your abilities. So it's only right to thank you, isn't it?"
"Uh... W-well..."
"Anyway, I'll repay this favor several times over. Look forward to it. I'm the type who can't live with debts hanging over me."
'Can't she just pay in cash? She's loaded.'
Kang Yeonsu was one of the top ten wealthiest people in the country. Receiving cash would be far more practical for our future preparations than vague favors.
"Ah, hold on. I need to take this call."
"Okay!"
"... Are you sure you've searched everything thoroughly? Someone suddenly barged in, so there must be something left. Check again. I'll head over myself."
Even while talking with us, Yeonsu took several calls, receiving updates from the hunters searching the building.
"There are more than one or two strange things. The way they responded, and how they cleared out anything that could serve as evidence inside the building... It's clear they knew I was coming."
"......"
"The only person who knows I'm here is you, Yeonhee."
"Eek......"
"No, I'm not suspecting you. I'm considering two possibilities."
'Besides foresight, the other possibility would be... being tailed.'
"Someone with the ability to see the future? Well, there are plenty of people who can control corpses, so it's possible. But who could have tailed me? Ha! It's ridiculous."
Yeonsu furrowed her brows deeply and chewed on her lips.
"No matter how I think about it, both possibilities seem impossible... But after what happened this time, I can't confidently say there's no ability I can't detect. Haah—"
"What are you planning to do now?"
"Ah, those guys? What else? I'll wipe out every connection and crush them down to the roots."
"Ah, as expected..."
"Don't worry. I'll make sure the informant doesn't suffer any consequences."
Yeonhee's expression brightened a little at Yeonsu's promise to handle the matter responsibly.
"And I have to return what I received. Ah— Ever since I was defeated by the Witch, I haven't drawn blood from anyone. This really pisses me off."
She touched the deep wound on her neck and gritted her teeth. When Kang Yeonsu had just reached S-rank, she had a brief duel with the Witch, the leader of the Bijeon Guild and No Hayun's mother. No hunter was unaware of how thoroughly she had been defeated back then. That memory must have resurfaced, and for someone of Yeonsu's temperament, it would be an unbearable humiliation.
'Yeonsu is smart, so she won't fall for the same trick twice.'
"Yeonhee, you head back first. I have a lot of cleanup to do, so I can't play with you."
"Okay! Hurry up and rest. You too, unni."
"Hehe— Thanks."
Yeonsu held Yeonhee in her arms for a long while before vanishing without a trace. Yeonhee and I stared at the swaying door for a moment before silently standing up.
Back at the hotel, Yeonhee collapsed onto the bed. Even though she had only been watching the battle, observing top-tier hunters fight was mentally exhausting. Besides, it had been an eventful day. It was only natural to be tired.
Yet as she watched Yeonhee drift off to sleep, Rainy muttered.
(Master has fallen asleep... I wanted to show her how much I've grown.)
Out of nowhere, Rainy announced that her evolution was imminent.
'Huh? Wait. Are you about to change? Suddenly?'
(Yes. It seems the battle with those monsters earlier triggered my growth. I'll return to my egg for a while. Watch over me.)
'Okay. Got it. Evolve quickly.'
The moment she finished speaking, Rainy curled into a ball and hardened into something like a stone.
I placed the egg in Yeonhee's arms and covered her with a blanket.
Rainy woke up again less than thirty minutes later.
'Whoa... What the heck are you?'
Surprisingly, Rainy had grown to the size of a bowling ball, though her appearance hadn't changed much. Her entire body had turned pure white like snow, with no other colors visible. Her feathers gleamed with a lustrous shine that held an almost enchanting charm. Her larger size was incredibly cute, and even after evolving, she tried to stay nestled in Yeonhee's arms to feel her warmth a little longer.
(It's been a while, skeleton soldier.)
'Huh? What are you talking about? It's only been thirty minutes.'
(That's how time flows here.)
'......'
Perhaps the place where Rainy had evolved had a different flow of time. The sincerity in her words made it clear that it had truly been a long time since we'd last met. It reminded me of the period when I had been curled up before hearing Yeonhee's voice and waking up.
'It really was a long time. The fact that my mind didn't wear away during all those years must be thanks to [Composure].'
I was briefly lost in thought, but soon my curiosity about Rainy took over.
'Did you gain any new abilities from the evolution?'
Rainy fidgeted in Yeonhee's arms and looked up at me.
(My abilities will remain [Acceleration] and the power to make nearby allies more agile.)
'What? Really? Hmm... Well, even if it's just those, developing them further would still be a big help.'
(But there has been growth in [Acceleration]. It's hard to grasp exactly yet... Would you like to test it?)
'Sure. Let's see how much faster it gets.'
(No. The new ability of Acceleration isn't about enhancing the body. Unlike before, it allows you to temporarily borrow a future possibility by accelerating your own potential.)
'... What? That's insane! At that point, it's basically a new ability.'
(Let's see just how far it's possible right now.)
Rainy struggled to turn her enlarged body toward me and extended her fluffy wings. She enveloped me in mana and observed for a while.
(As expected... So this is all it can do for now.)
'What is it? How far does it go?'
(Currently possible are the potential of a rock barrier, the potential of a pocket dimension, and the potential of Magic Missile and Fire Arrow.)
'Three magic spells... I don't know if I'll ever use them, but it's not bad. But what's the potential of a pocket dimension?'
(...... It seems like it might allow me to store living creatures for a short time.)
'... Whoa?! Really! Can Yeonhee do it too?'
(Master would... be difficult. She isn't a vessel you can contain, after all.)
'I guess not. Yeah, how could a summon contain their master?'