Changing and Unchanging
Originally over two meters tall, Lizard No. 1 had been steadily growing larger by absorbing its kin. 'Uh... just how big is it going to get?' It was fortunate the church ceiling was so high; if they'd tested this at home, the neighbors upstairs would have had a serious complaint.
Whoosh—
Lizard No. 1 exhaled roughly, feeling its body settle after the fusion. 'Incredible...'
Even at a glance, the completed form of Lizard No. 1 was anything but ordinary.
'If we're talking size alone, you're number one.'
The merged Lizard No. 1 now stood nearly four meters tall. Considering a Kodiak bear on its hind legs topped out around three meters, one could easily imagine just how massive it had become.
Thud—! Rumble—!
"Aah— No. 1. W-wait, just stay still for a second. The church is going to collapse!"
"Churrp?!"
Merely taking a single step made the entire building shake as if struck by an earthquake. At Yeonhee's command, Lizard No. 1 froze in place and curiously examined its own body.
Its back was lined with hardened plates that jutted upward like blades, while its muscles, swollen to the point of bursting, were packed tightly without a single gap. Its enormous fangs looked sharp enough to crush anything they bit into, and the tip of its tail had transformed into something resembling a massive bowling ball—now an even more formidable weapon.
'It's completely pumped... wow...'
Just from its outward appearance, it looked more intimidating than the dwarf-type S-rank hunter they'd seen yesterday. And it wasn't only its body that had merged—the weapon it held had also grown to match its new size.
'Even the weapon merges... that's surprising too. But what kind of axe is the size of a person...'
The axe Lizard No. 1 now wielded was something no one would ever want to be hit by; its blade alone appeared to be well over a meter long.
"W-well, it definitely got stronger. Haha... wow—"
Yeonhee couldn't hide her amazement as she looked up at No. 1.
'Its raw physical stats are probably higher than mine...'
Excluding agility, its strength and stamina were clearly superior to hers, and the ominous aura enveloping its body suggested its resistance and other stats were far from low.
'At this level, it should be more than enough to guard Yeonhee.'
If the lizard unit had reached this point, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of presence the orc unit—now numbering thirty—would display once merged tomorrow.
"Whoa— there's one more amazing thing. Ilwol?"
"Clack?"
"The mana cost to maintain them. It's less than half of what it took to summon twenty before!"
'Ooh... that's really good, isn't it? Then merging is definitely the way to go, right?'
"But it seems like the experience gained from combat decreases. Even if they fight while merged, the absorbed summons still grow, but it's nowhere near the same as when they fight individually."
"Clack clack clack."
'Of course... it wouldn't make sense for each summon to grow at the same rate as when they fight and level up on their own. That's acceptable.'
In that case, the most efficient approach would be to keep them separate normally and only merge them during crises. The only concern was that the merging process still took some time.
'I'll just have to buy that time.'
Regardless, having more allies to protect Yeonhee was a good thing. There was a limit to how many enemies Ilwol could hold off alone.
'The sky belongs to the Bone Dragon, and on the ground there's me, No. 1, and the orcs that will merge tomorrow. Excellent.'
Satisfied, Ilwol nodded and glanced at the merged No. 1 before suddenly simulating a fight against it in his mind.
'...... I could probably subdue it within five minutes.'
Based on the mana and aura radiating from Lizard No. 1, it wouldn't be an easy fight, but it was still manageable. In the end, he would have to rely on Flame Explosion to bring it down, but the creature had become a monster that would require considerable time and effort to defeat.
"Wooow— its stamina is in the four digits. But its other stats didn't rise as much as its stamina? I wonder why. Is it because lizardmen are stamina-focused?"
'My own stamina is only at 359, and it's already in the four digits... just how much tougher did it get?'
After destroying the underground factory, Ilwol had leveled up to 64 and invested his points into strength, wisdom, and perception as usual. Thanks to Master Azamyun's advice, his strength and agility had balanced out, making his movements noticeably faster. However, his stamina remained relatively low because of Flame Armor and the mysterious membrane Yeonhee had wrapped around him.
Looking at the merged Lizard No. 1's specs, he was reminded once again just how lacking his own stamina was.
'Still, in my previous life, my stamina used to rise pretty well.'
He recalled the time he'd gained a hundred points of stamina all at once through enlightenment—it was a bit disappointing now.
'Enlightenment gained through mental elevation is hard to come by again...'
Though he had been reborn completely anew, he still carried the memories and experiences of his past life. Because of that, there were parts where he lost out on the benefits that came from enlightenment. And the same would apply to Jo Giman.
"Churrrahp!!"
Flex—
Lizard No. 1 turned toward Ilwol, gathering its arms in front of its chest to show off its newly hardened muscles. It seemed quite pleased with its transformed body. If they covered that ridiculous frame with Thorn Runes...
'The ultimate meat shield is born! With Taunt, it'd be perfect!'
Yeonhee, apparently also surprised by how much her ability had exceeded expectations, clapped her hands in delight.
"Wooow! Its fist is bigger than my whole torso!"
"Churrrahrahk!!"
Yeonhee wanted to look at No. 1 a little longer, but with people approaching the church, they had no choice but to leave. Not long after, they arrived home.
"Kyaa— home!"
It was a house they would soon be leaving, yet it still felt strangely welcoming.
"Tomorrow's the promotion match, and the day after we can go back to the original party."
"Clack clack clack!"
'A dungeon, huh...'
Dungeon exploration was always beneficial for Ilwol. Even just extracting skills and traits from monsters required going through the process at least once.
DOH was still a concern, but he would have to trust Kang Yeonsu and wait. Besides, thinking back on the events that had occurred during previous dungeon runs, there was always the possibility of finding clues related to them inside a dungeon.
However, what worried him was something else entirely.
According to his usual philosophy, a hunter's growth came from overcoming difficult opponents in harsh environments. But after his class change, he had become so strong that it was starting to concern him. Of course, he had encountered plenty of monsters far above his level in recent days, so he didn't think he was overwhelmingly powerful. Still, the thought of facing lower-tier monsters even in a C-rank dungeon made him feel somewhat relaxed.
Would things improve once they reached the mid-floor where were-creatures appeared?
'I'll just have to treat it as training and focus on every single swing.'
That was the only mindset he could maintain. At least the 20% increase in experience gain after his class change was a huge relief. If growth had slowed down as well, the journey ahead would have been truly difficult.
"I-I'm going to take a shower first."
"Clack clack clack!"
The moment they arrived, Yeonhee headed straight for the shower. Her waist was briefly exposed, the smooth curve of her bare skin striking Ilwol's chest and stirring his excitement.
'...Not today anyway. I wanted to test how much my body has changed, but it can't be helped.'
Since he'd already used Mimicry earlier for communication, he wouldn't be able to do anything pleasant with Yeonhee tonight. Yeonhee probably wasn't in the mood for that either after today. She might even try to restrain herself for a while. After all, seeing what those people had done firsthand must have shaken her faith in hunter work.
After showering, Yeonhee summoned Wangwang and, now that Ran had regained consciousness, gathered both in her arms before collapsing onto the floor to play.
"Oof— both Ran and Wangwang have gotten so fat. I can't even hold them with one arm anymore."
"Woof..." (I'm sorry, Master... I'll try to lose weight—)
"Hehe, but you're still cute, so it's fine. So fluffy and soft."
"Woof woof!!" (Actually, I think this is fine too, Master.)
'......'
After playing for a while, the children suddenly lost all their energy at once.
Grumble—
Clutching their hungry stomachs, they looked up at Ilwol.
'......Come to think of it, they've been eating nothing but jerky this whole time.'
"Ah! Th-that wasn't my stomach growling!"
"Woof! Woof woof!"
"Clack clack clack..."
Ilwol decided it was time to show off his cooking skills for the first time in a while. Fortunately, he'd stocked up on ingredients a few days ago. As he opened the fridge, he could feel their gazes boring into him, urging him to hurry up and cook.
'Let's make something quick.'
He considered making ramen, but since this was their first proper meal after returning, he decided on something else. He took out the leftover rice he'd sealed in the fridge two days ago, microwaved it to loosen it up, then placed it in the freezer for a bit. Meanwhile, he mixed soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and a pinch of salt to make a seasoning sauce. He fried an egg, chopped it finely, and opened a can of tuna, draining the oil and keeping only the meat.
'They're big eaters, so even if it takes a little longer, I should prepare plenty...'
The two little piglets were already seated at the table, drooling and sparkling with anticipation. Once the rice had cooled enough to gain some elasticity, he took out the yubu, spread the seasoned rice in the center, and added the rest of the ingredients. Folding the yubu neatly and grilling it in a pan until the surface was lightly charred gave it a perfect, non-soggy texture.
When he stacked the yubu sushi like a tower on two plates and handed them over, Yeonhee and Wangwang devoured the food in the blink of an eye. The rice cooked with Irmana's lake water still worked wonders.
"Sniff sniff... it's so delicious. Is there no more?"
"Woof woof!!"
'......'
At least Ran didn't need to eat, which was a relief.
'Come to think of it, what do you eat to live? Do you even eat anything?'
When he suddenly asked Ran out of curiosity, the volleyball-sized Ran answered.
(I share the refined mana from Master's body. When Master is in a happy state like now, the purity of the mana becomes very high, so my growth speeds up too.)
'......Why are you only telling me something this important now?'
(You never asked.)
...Honestly, he hadn't been interested. He'd always assumed spirits didn't need to eat.
'That aside... so when comparing growth during dungeon battles versus now, when does it grow faster?'
(It seems a bit faster now.)
'......It grows faster when Yeonhee eats than when we're fighting in a dungeon? That's weird.'
If Ran's growth was tied to Yeonhee's happiness to that extent, maybe it should start putting on a show in front of her.
Anyway, Ilwol resolved to cook more often and sat down across from Yeonhee. With her cheeks stuffed full of sushi, she looked exactly like a hamster—adorable. Wangwang, greedily wolfing down sushi on the floor, was cute too, and Ran, sitting grumpily beside Yeonhee and looking up at her, was also cute.
'A whole bunch of round, cute things gathered together.'
It felt like a lie that just a few hours ago, they'd been at a scene he never wanted to think about again.
'I wish I could keep seeing only this kind of sight.'
Was that too greedy a wish for someone who had died and come back to life?
* * *
At the same time, Jo Giman was in his office, just finishing reading a report on DOH.
"This tasteless naming never changes no matter how many regressions pass."
After reading to the very last page, an unmistakable smile spread across his face.
'Inessa is steadily growing. It seems the accelerated flow of the world isn't working entirely against me.'
The leader of DOH had become far more proactive and bold compared to previous regressions. Jo Giman was pleased with Inessa's actions.
Inessa Sokolov. In every regression, right before being devoured, she would wear that twisted, eerie smile and laugh maniacally—an unpleasant woman. A Korean-Russian mixed-blood, she possessed talent on par with Lee Yeonhee as a mage, but because 'consumption' was completely blocked for Yeonhee, Inessa was classified one rank lower. Unlike Yeonhee, who was only used up to a certain point before being discarded, Inessa had been raised to her full potential before being consumed.
And now, because the world's clock had sped up, Inessa was doing things she had never done before.