Episode 26

The reason I collapsed was none other than my period.

Eri explained, "It's understandable since it started late and it's your first time."

I ended up resting for about a week before leaving the village.

Thanks to Aron taking care of me all week, I was feeling somewhat ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠better. Apparently the sudden mood swings were also due to my period.

Since it was my first time, I was flustered and scared, but Eri kindly explained everything.

'She was unexpectedly kind. Though she never called me unnie until the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠end.'

Despite her kindness, I dislike her peculiar atmosphere.

There's something about that inexplicable aura of leisure that makes people tense. Still, we parted ways with smiles and greetings at the end.

I nudged Aron's arm as he walked beside me.

"Should we go to the Ancient Ruins first? If you're close with Antikythera, we can just visit comfortably, right?"

"Me and her? It's a bit much to say we're close..."

"But you said you slept together."

"Hmm, how should I put this? Should I say I did it so much that the machine broke?"

I frowned at the utterly incomprehensible statement.

How could a monstrous robot made with ancient technology possibly break from sex?

"So can we go in or not?"

"Entering isn't a problem, but are you okay with that? That thing happened. Won't it be uncomfortable if you meet?"

"Do we have to meet? I'd rather just go in quietly without meeting."

"If I go, she'll definitely follow."

"Why? We can just say we're going in and enter together, just the two of us."

Aron looked up at the sky for a moment as if troubled, then turned his gaze back to me.

"You'll understand when you see."

I only understood the meaning of those words after arriving at the Ancient Ruins.

"Wow..."

The ruins I saw in the game were exactly as they were.

Only the debris of ruined buildings remained, making it impossible to tell what kind of structures they originally were.

Honestly, my memories were fuzzy since it had been so long, but seeing them in person made everything come back to me one by one. The pillars that break when the boss appears, the hidden paths - everything.

'It would be unfair if I forgot everything after playing so much in my previous life.'

There might be some details I couldn't recall, but the overall flow remained in my memory.

I touched a massive concrete pillar. In the game, it was described as a fusion of modern technology and mana - I wondered what it was really like.

I carefully checked the rebar.

When I grabbed the rebar embedded between the concrete, it moved smoothly.

"I think I remember roughly. Can I open it?"

"Wait a moment... I think she'll be here soon."

I let go of the rebar and waited briefly, then Antikythera descended from the sky.

She descended smoothly from the sky as before and looked at me with a cold expression. I flinched momentarily under her gaze, but then her eyes moved ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠elsewhere.

"Aron. I request sex once again. I need that intense impact that melted my circuits. I need your cooperation for my research."

Though cold, her speech didn't sound mechanical.

It was shocking enough that she spoke like a person rather than in staccato phrases, but her request was also strange.

'Is this not the Hidden Boss I knew?'

I even wondered if she might have a twin.

The shock was so great that even the fear I initially felt became blurry as I stared blankly at Aron.

"I told you. She's broken."

As he spoke indifferently, Antikythera, who had been watching from ahead, instantly approached Aron.

She stood right in front of him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and made eye contact.

From a distance where their lips almost touched, she spoke.

"Aron. Answer me right now. I require sex for my research. Will you accept?"

Aron gently pushed Antikythera away.

"We came today for important business, so let's do it after we finish."

"Important business? What business could you have here? There's nothing here since this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is where I live."

"By any chance, can we enter these ruins?"

At Aron's question, Antikythera slowly tilted her head.

"I don't know what ruins are, but if Aron wants it, I'll permit anything. Just don't forget about doing it with me."

"Okay. So how do we enter the ruins?"

"I don't know. All I know is that I must protect this place."

"Then why are you protecting this place?"

"Because that's how I was made."

Aron nodded at her confident answer.

As if he hadn't expected much, his gaze turned to me this time.

"So you know, right?"

I nodded lightly and first gently grabbed the rebar I had checked earlier and pulled it.

Creak... Thud!

The rebar moved stiffly but slowly, and when it turned all the way, the ground vibrated.

The sound of machinery operating came from below the ground.

Pulleys meshed and turned, and heavy noises echoed from the earth.

"Shall we find the remaining devices then?"

It felt like playing a game after a long time, making my steps light.

*

It took some time, but I found all the devices with a joyful heart.

Some locations were slightly different from my memory, but the overall positions weren't significantly different.

At least the locations were similar, which was fortunate.

Finally, when I lightly pushed a partition wall, the wall moved inward with mechanical sounds. Then complex noises followed.

Something was clashing and moving complicatedly beneath the ground.

Aron and Antikythera, who had been watching for a while, approached from the side.

"Looks like it's done. It's going to open now, right?"

"I didn't know about this. Female human. You seem more capable than I thought. I apologize for attacking you."

I glared at Antikythera for a moment.

At first I wanted to get angry, but we both just did what we naturally had to do. Since Aron would heal me anyway, I decided to let it go.

"It's fine. More importantly, get ready to enter. Aron, you come to my side quickly too. You have to protect me."

I looked at the ground where an entrance would appear.

If the dungeon interior hasn't changed, I should be able to proceed sufficiently by tracing my memories.

If it has changed, I can just trust the two monsters beside me and go.

"It's open."

After waiting briefly, the ground opened with a vibration. Beneath the disappeared floor appeared dark stairs leading underground.

"Then let's go in."

As I took the first step, Aron and Antikythera followed behind.

After walking for a while through a narrow passage, a long corridor appeared. There were stone stairs, and at their end was a corridor I often saw in my previous life.

Pure white floors and neatly made walls.

The ceiling had lights I hadn't seen once since possessing this body.

"Those probably run on mana, right?"

"Probably. They couldn't still be burning after hundreds of years."

"That makes sense. So, um... Miss Machine? Do you happen to know anything about this?"

At my question, she turned her head and pondered for a moment.

"Hmm, it seems similar to what operates in my body. Probably works on the principle of automatically absorbing mana and operating. And please call me Anti."

"Anti?"

"Yes, it's the name Aron gave me."

He really gave her a strange name.

It's like he wanted her to be an anti.

"Then Miss Anti. Would you happen to know which way we should go?"

In the game, after defeating Anti, she would guide you through the ruins, but I wasn't sure about here.

For reference, in the story, she gets broken in the fight and only guides the way without helping in combat.

Now that I've brought her here intact, she should be useful.

"I think I roughly know. It's my first time, but the system seems to know where to go."

I applauded as I watched Anti lightly block the bullets flying from all directions.

As she walked ahead, she blocked all the incoming attacks.

"Anti is really capable. Is it because she's a machine?"

"What about me? I'm the one protecting you right now."

"You? You..."

I looked at Aron who was sticking close to me, protecting me.

Whether out of some sense of responsibility or simply not wanting to lose a woman, he was diligently protecting me.

If I praise him, won't he just have beast-like sex with Anti again?

Eri did tell me to be careful though.

Considering how Eri was walking uncomfortably at the end, they definitely did it.

I shook my head vigorously.

"You're just doing what you're supposed to, so work harder."

"Why is it supposed to be my duty? Praise me too."

"We came all the way here because you wanted information. Since I'm in danger because of you, you should take responsibility. Or should I abandon you and go?"

"That's not it but... Sigh. So what's in here anyway?"

As if realizing there was no point in probing further, Aron changed the subject.

I smiled satisfactorily at his attitude.

"There are ancient technologies, literally. Methods to make machines like Anti, methods to make those glowing stones in the ceiling, things like that."

"Then if we just take these out, we could become instantly rich?"

"If we can sell them?"

"Hmm... That's the problem. Maybe we should gradually leave the forest and live outside."

"Let's make future plans later and move for now. Anti has already gone far ahead."

"Ah, right."

Seeing Anti's faint figure in the distance, we quickly moved our steps.

*

A small room where a handful of light entered through narrow windows.

In the center of the room furnished with items fitting the holy atmosphere, a chair sat prominently.

A woman wearing pure white nun's habit was sitting on the ordinary wooden chair.

With a merciful smile that matched her pure white attire, she looked at the masked man who had appeared before her.

"So what report brings you here today?"

The man in black mask answered in a low voice.

Even with his face covered by the mask, his voice came through clearly.

"The ruins have opened. The machine that was guarding them has disappeared too."

"Then we should immediately go in and secure the materials. Why did you come all the way here to report?"

"That guy went in together with them."

That guy.

Though she didn't say the name, she knew who it was.

Her fist tightened, and the chair armrest crumbled like a cookie.

"So that scrap metal and that guy went in together?"

"Yes, that's correct. And a small girl went in with them too. I couldn't see her face from afar, but she was small in stature."

"A girl? About how old did she look?"

"Hmm, judging by her size alone, she looked to be in her mid-teens. But with various races, there's no way to know her actual age."

As if not hearing the following explanation, she began muttering while listening to the report.

In a small, low voice, she repeated herself.

"Could it be Yeou? Or maybe Gwijaeng-i? Who could it be? Neither of them showed any signs of that. Was there another woman I didn't know about? No. No women have recently entered the forest."

After muttering for a while, she finally looked at the person before her.

"The materials are fine. That's what the old folks want anyway. They'll handle it themselves. Instead, check out the woman with Aron."

"Then I'll do that. And this is a letter."

"Ah, a reply. Thank you."

Her expression, which had been cold and hardened until moments before, instantly melted as she smiled.