Warmth from Cold Bones

It seemed my heated touch satisfied her, as she gently closed her eyes and burrowed deeper into my embrace. “Mmm…” The strange sounds Yeonhee made weren’t because she was unusually sensitive in that way; they were more like aftereffects from expending so much mana. “Haa… Hiiang… Mmm…”

Hmm… Probably. Whatever the case, right now even a half-decent massage would feel good to her. Worried my bones might scratch her, I kept my hand hovering just above her scalp and continued stroking her hair for a long while. Of course, the mana I had shaped into small spheres beneath the bones was gently pressing down on her head in a rhythmic pulse. Manipulating mana with this level of delicacy still required some concentration from me.

Twenty minutes later, Yeonhee could no longer hold back the noises slipping from her lips. Then again, what was there to hide in front of her own summoned beast? “Ah… Mmm… Yes! Mmph…”

Hmm. I really should be making bombs right now…

Still, with my sensory stat raised, touching her had its own appeal. The soft, lush texture of her hair felt vividly real. Every time I brushed it aside, a mysteriously sweet fragrance seemed to drift up… I wondered if I should invest the stats gained from my recent level-ups into sensory for the time being. Raising it by another hundred thousand points would likely bring me close to the sensations I’d known in my previous life.

This would probably feel even better on the head itself.

Using water-colored mana, I pressed gently against her scalp as if massaging, then swept smoothly along the curve of her skull and cupped her ears with delicate care. Knead, knead—

—!!

Her body shuddered violently under my touch. Toes curling tightly, she looked up at me with wide, round eyes. “Eut… My ears… N-no, Ilwol…”

It clearly feels good, so why? It’s not like just anyone can do this.

In truth, handling mana this way was no longer particularly difficult for me, but I still couldn’t completely prevent small amounts from escaping my control and being consumed. Since I couldn’t afford to use up all the mana needed for bomb crafting, I had to regulate it carefully. Yet seeing her face flushed bright crimson made me want to tease her even more. Had becoming a skeleton lowered my mental age? For some reason, her reactions made me want to keep playing with her.

“Huuut… Haaauu… P-please…”

Hmm… Thank goodness I have Composure.

Since this was her first time and she seemed genuinely startled, I decided the teasing should end here. There were still plenty of lizardman corpses left, so I needed to work diligently today. I had never been the type to put off work in my previous life, either.

When my hand finally stopped, she covered her face with both palms and stayed leaning against my knee for a long moment before suddenly summoning Wangwang. She hugged the little creature to her chest and began preparing to stand.

“Woof! Woof!”

(How many times do I have to tell you not to bark inside the house, you damn puppy?)

Grrrr—

Wangwang couldn’t convey its intentions as clearly as No. 1 or Deonni, but the feeling was unmistakable: it was telling me not to lecture someone who couldn’t even dig.

(Cheeky little Wangwang… I’ll be taking that digging trait from those mole crickets soon!)

“Woof—?”

To avoid hearing that attitude, I would need to hunt mole crickets in the dungeon and steal their digging trait. Hmm—ten of them should suffice. I had kept delaying it for times when Yeonhee wasn’t watching and eventually forgot about it entirely.

Now that my sensory stat had risen considerably ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and the distance I could operate away from Yeonhee approached eighty meters, I should be able to slip away in stealth mode, hunt, and return without her noticing.

Yeonhee staggered to her feet, still cradling Wangwang, and slipped quietly into the bedroom. Even after the massage, her fatigue wouldn’t vanish instantly, so she must still be quite exhausted… But tomorrow ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠No Hayun would be with us, so it should be easier on her than today.

Clack. Crackle, crackle. Oooong—

After experimenting with bomb production, I discovered I could craft a total of two bombs using Teeth’s bones. With regular lizardmen, I could make one from a skull and one from miscellaneous bones. But with Teeth, I could make two using only the miscellaneous bones.

It doesn’t seem to be simply a matter of bone volume… So it really is about quality?

Hehehe— This is seriously insane.

The paralysis duration from bombs made with Teeth’s bones was still minimal, but the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠addition of a movement speed reduction was ridiculously strong. Slowing enemies by thirty percent was an absurdly good effect.

What a fun class, Skeleton Bomber. If I could add timed fuses or land-mine functions later, it would be perfect.

For now, I decided to save the bombs crafted from Teeth’s bones for later and returned to the bathroom to begin dismantling the remaining lizardman corpses.

Lee Yeonhee lay under the covers hugging Wangwang, kicking her legs restlessly. “Woof—?”

Noticing how different she was from usual, Wangwang licked her cheek with its rough tongue.

(Master’s body is hot. Must cool down.)

Lick, lick, lick, lick—

While absently stroking the puppy’s plump belly as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it licked her with earnest dedication, Yeonhee replayed the recent events in her mind.

I’ve read in books that massaging the head with mana helps with fatigue recovery… But that was purely theoretical knowledge. I heard it was something almost no one could actually do…

It had been over a week since Ilwol first began emitting that soft glow of mana from his hands while stroking her hair, pressing gently in precise pulses. Even she couldn’t manipulate mana with such delicacy yet. How was Ilwol able to use it so naturally?

Several possibilities swirled through her head, but none felt certain. She let out a small sigh and turned her attention to the message floating before her.

There had been a time when she suspected Ilwol might be something other than her summoned beast, but the list currently displayed in her mind clearly marked him as hers.

Ever since he changed class to Bomber, Ilwol has stayed firmly in first place…

At first she thought the order simply reflected the sequence in which she had summoned them, but over time she realized that wasn’t the case. Ran, who had once held the unshakable top spot, had been pushed down to second long ago. And her intuition told her that ranking would not change anytime soon.

Since Ran is still high on the list, it probably isn’t purely based on combat strength… Maybe it reflects who has contributed most in battle, or perhaps… it’s ordered by some kind of rank or dignity…

If her second guess was correct and the list was ordered by inherent rank, that was strange in its own way. Skeleton soldiers were considered among the weakest monsters alongside mole crickets. Many people even ranked them below slimes. Yet he stood higher than a spirit, whose presence alone felt extraordinary?

Even accounting for his class change to Bomber, it didn’t make logical sense. But when she thought about it, it actually did. To Yeonhee, Ilwol was more mysterious and powerful than anything else, a guardian deity who cherished and protected her.

“Haa… Hoo…”

The moment his fingers had touched her ear remained vividly imprinted in her mind. They were clearly hard, cold bones—why did they feel so warm and gentle?

“I should have just stayed still…”

She felt a twinge of regret for acting like she disliked it out of sheer embarrassment and panic. She had already shown him every unflattering side of herself; what was there left to be shy about?

She hugged the soft, fluffy Wangwang tighter. Ilwol, Wangwang, Ran, Lime, Ttungi, No. 1… How can all my summoned beasts be so lovable? Among them, Ilwol was the most special. The problem was that she wasn’t the only one who saw it.

The first person to notice Ilwol’s uniqueness had been the mage Yu Dali. She was incredibly talented. To recognize his special nature after just one battle—and she even possessed similar abilities. Ever since the gates opened, common sense had been overturned countless times. Things everyone thought they understood had been flipped and denied for decades. That history had taught many people to believe in infinite possibility.

Yu Dali… Who can guarantee she won’t try to take Ilwol away? In this world, nothing is impossible…

That was why she had desperately avoided Yu Dali’s party at all costs. Self-loathing? She felt none of that.

He’s mine! Mine… I won’t let anyone else touch him… Hmph.

Just imagining Ilwol stroking someone else’s head felt horrifying.

Ungh— Is he still working on the bones? Maybe I should ask him to massage my shoulders…

Since they couldn’t speak to each other, she found herself craving physical contact more and more. Perhaps it was because, when their bodies touched, the mystery of mana let her faintly sense what he was thinking.

The emotions Ilwol always showed her were endless affection and pure concern. The moments when those feelings reached her were impossibly wonderful. Of course, they came with physical pleasure that left her flustered… but she hoped that would become easier with time.

Ilwol let her experience things she could never feel with her other summons. The Wangwang in her arms, the talkative Ran…

I want to live like this forever…

She had never felt so completely fulfilled in her entire life. Into the gray existence that had been filled with pain, disappointment, and despair from others, a clear, vivid blue light was finally seeping in. To continue this happiness, she had to become strong enough that no one could ever challenge it. Strong enough that no one could interfere even if she walked around with Ilwol. Strong enough that days like today would never happen again.

“I’ll get stronger…”