Explosive Growth

I'd achieved my intended goal. The party had walked away with an almost embarrassing surplus of skills, their overall strength elevated to a degree that bordered on absurd. All I had left to hand out was a spirit for Na-yeon and a handful of skills for Ha Yoo-jin.

Even without my constant intervention, they would keep growing through their own efforts. The right move now was to keep them from growing complacent — and to find ways to draw us even closer together.

It was only a matter of time before our party made a name for itself. I could feel the moment to found a guild drawing near.

Build our reputation. Secure a mine. Pull trainees under our banner...

The founding of Korea's representative guild. A force of my own. With that, things would get a lot easier on the Middle Floor.

I'd have to wait and see once the trainees actually emerged, but there was no way the guild I built wouldn't become Korea's flagship. I was the leader of a party like this. Failing to make it happen would just be stupid.

Then another message appeared.

The reward. Right — it had been marked with question marks, hadn't it? I'd only ever heard of Main Quests as rumors; I hadn't even been certain they existed. So yes, I was curious about the payout.

So I get to pocket one of these after all.

I wasn't in a particularly bad mood about it.

...What?

...What the fuck?

The curse slipped out of me before I could stop it. The quality of these rewards was deranged.

It was going to add a Unique Skill? Weren't unique abilities supposed to be limited to one?

A Unique Skill was similar to a skill that didn't consume a slot — but if you were being precise, they weren't quite the same thing. Unique Skills received a heavier correction than anything registered in a skill slot. Meaning that even at identical rank and proficiency, a Unique Skill version of Magic Affinity would outperform the same skill sitting in a slot.

It wasn't enough of a gap to leapfrog an entire rank, but you couldn't ignore the difference either. Na Seoyun was a perfect example: she'd obtained Aura Affinity, but with Magic Affinity sitting in her Unique Skill, keeping the two in balance was going to be a little tricky. I trusted her to manage it, though.

Five options. Not a single one I could afford to take lightly.

I started running the numbers.

Mana... I'm fine. I took the elixir, and my body's in good shape. I don't need it.

I didn't have the skill, but my body was already intimate enough with mana — courtesy of the Legendary-grade elixir from the ninth floor. Option one was unnecessary.

Aura was mana transmuted through fusion with life force. You could still draw Sword Qi with it, but it came out a little weaker than Sword Qi formed from mana. In exchange, aura held a modest edge in physical amplification. With a body already so friendly with mana, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I wouldn't fall that far behind aura's amplification rate anyway. Aura Affinity as a Legendary Unique Skill wasn't something to dismiss out of hand — but choosing it still felt like a waste.

Holy Stigma meant converting mana into holy power. Pass. Not even worth considering. Sword Qi drawn from holy power? That belonged on a shield, not a blade. If I was going to coat a weapon in holy power, I'd be better off picking up a mace — those things were absurdly sturdy. Used alongside a shield, of course, a sharp weapon still beat a blunt one, but that was beside the point.

I'd already changed my growth path. Holy power didn't suit me anymore.

Spirit Affinity was the same story. As a Legendary Unique Skill it would put me on par with most elves — and that was as far as it went. Most elves couldn't hold a candle to a Giant.

My eyes settled on Immortal Body.

The highest evolution of Regenerative Body (Normal), the skill I'd carried in my previous life.

Regenerative Body had been a mixed blessing. Useful, close to a self-heal — but it was Normal-rank, couldn't even be upgraded, and the healing it offered had always been maddeningly modest. Enough to spare a potion or two after a fight. Enough to dull the lingering aftermath of a serious wound. Helpful, certainly, as far as it went.

Compared to Immortal Body, it was a joke. Embarrassing, even, to put them side by side.

The name was Immortal Body, but a severed neck or a ruptured heart would still kill you. Surviving that kind of damage would take Mythic rank at minimum — and honestly, I wasn't sure even Mythic would save you in that state.

As far as I knew, Immortal Body regenerated even severed limbs. If your head was cut off and reattached quickly enough, you lived. The lingering damage of any ordinary battle healed itself given nothing but time. Lose a few internal organs and you'd still recover, so long as the wound wasn't instantly fatal. Even paralysis from the waist down would reverse itself if you gave it a few months. It transformed your body into something monstrous.

That was Immortal Body.

An enhancement of life force itself, you could say. It was the ability a tank needed most, but...

This. This is the one.

I had no intention of becoming a tank. If I had, I would have inherited the Paladin class Nam Eun-ju received.

But this wasn't an ability for tanks alone. Combined with the techniques I already knew — and the skills I already had — it could turn me into the finest damage dealer alive.

A fierce, almost violent joy surged through me.

So I wasn't just supposed to lie down and die after all!

If this became reality, I might obtain the power to kill even Giants. Offensively, at least. That was fine. The party would cover what I lacked, and the guild I was going to build would cover the rest. Wasn't that the whole point of playing nanny and raising them in the first place?

I selected option five without hesitation.

I felt the skill take hold at once. There was no sudden, dramatic change — the body would transform gradually under the skill's influence. A heavy correction would attach itself to my stamina, and because my current stamina fell short of the skill's grade, a growth correction would come with it.

I smiled, satisfied.

Still wearing that look, I drew my sword from the Gnoll Hero's corpse. The blade slid free with a wet whisper — and a pale, translucent spirit came seeping out of the place where the heart had been.

The Gnoll Hero's soul. I knew it the instant I saw it. Let that thing go, and a Gnoll Hero would be born within ten years.

Ordinary attacks couldn't touch a spirit body. I wrenched my mana up, formed Sword Qi, and swung.

The blade tore through it. A piercing shriek ripped the air — not the bark I'd expected from a gnoll's soul, not even close. The spirit body scattered in an instant. But it was the Gnoll Hero's soul for a reason: it recovered fast, and it was already shooting upward.

Tch.

A shame, but this was my limit. I didn't have the means to properly destroy a spirit body, not as I was now. I'd hurt it, though. That much was certain. It felt like I'd stretched a ten-year timeline to eleven.

That was enough. I'd only taken the swing because leaving it be had felt wrong. I hadn't actually believed I could erase it.

"Shin-hoo!"

Startled by the sudden ghostly shriek, the party came running.

"W-what is that..."

"That would be the Gnoll Hero's soul. The one the Saintess warned us about."

"That's—!"

Joo Ha-yeon fired her newly acquired skill, Demon Judgment, but she was too late. The soul punched into the sky and fled into the distance. Judging by the direction it ran, the next Gnoll Hero would emerge among the Black Gnolls.

Fortunately, we won't need to chase it down anytime soon.

I watched the trail Demon Judgment had carved through the air.

"Is that a new skill?"

"...Yes."

Joo Ha-yeon answered with a faintly shy look.

"It's a power I obtained thanks to you, Shin-hoo. I'll be able to help in ways I couldn't before."

"You've always been more than enough help. Don't push yourself too hard."

She nodded.

"The power I received this time... it isn't ordinary. I finally understood how great a grace you've shown me. Honestly... I think I understand how Eun-ju feels."

"We'll hear the details back at base camp. For now..."

"...You're right. This isn't a particularly safe place."

I stored the Gnoll Hero's corpse in my inventory. By then, Na Seoyun had lifted her head. She still looked a little dazed, but she was conscious.

"Ah... aah..."

She staggered toward me, arms opening as if she meant to pull me into an embrace. Joo Ha-yeon stopped her before she could.

"Seoyun. I understand how you feel, but not here. You can do that when we get back."

The haze in Na Seoyun's eyes cleared, and she shot Joo Ha-yeon a hard glare. Joo Ha-yeon didn't so much as flinch.

So she's confident she won't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lose ground anymore.

The atmosphere had shifted since the kiss. It hadn't been long, so I couldn't say for certain — but she'd become more forward, hadn't she? Her attitude had been changing by degrees through several earlier incidents, but this time the swing was dramatic. She'd been carefully, cautiously trying to take a wall down. Now she didn't seem particularly interested in being careful. It felt like she was just walking straight at me.

You'd have to be an idiot not to have some idea what was going on.

She's after me, isn't she...

I'd need ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to watch a little longer before I could call it, but that was how it looked so far. The kiss. The subtle way she was checking Seoyun. Checking a minor — and then what? The sight of her intercepting a kid who came running in for a hug had almost made me laugh. There was something a little cute about it, even.

I realized, with some surprise, that my mood had lifted.

The Main Quest reward did feel a little shabby next to what the others had obtained. But still — this was something. The fact that a little hope for the future had improved my mood so quickly was almost funny.

The Middle Floor. I just had to reach the Middle Floor. Recruit the trainees coming up out of the Labyrinth, lay the guild's foundation, and then... I felt the need to climb fast.

Maybe watching the others grow had gotten under my skin.

That didn't mean I could rush and botch the work. Everything I'd prepared still had to be done.

"Let's head back. We've gotten everything we came for, and we need to report our findings to the village."

"...Alright. It ended earlier than I expected."

It certainly had. Half a year, my ass. It had only been a little over a month. And we'd resolved a Main Quest on top of it.

Should I just hit the Middle Floor first and come back?

No. That would tangle things. It wasn't as if I couldn't return — but tangled affairs never did anyone any favors. I could think about it again after the rest of the work was finished.

I quieted the impatience that had flickered up, and we returned to base camp at once.

The moment we arrived, Ha Yoo-jin pounced as if he'd been waiting for us.

"Unni! What kind of powers did you even get?"

His eyes were shining. He looked desperately curious. Joo Ha-yeon and Nam Eun-ju both broke into laughter at how adorable he was, and then Joo Ha-yeon glanced at me, cautious. I waved her off — don't worry about it.

Once she understood I wasn't the type to resent the party's good fortune, her voice came out much easier.

Honestly, I'm still insanely jealous. But it's a little better now.

"Alright. Everyone should hear this. Eun-ju, do you mind if I go first?"

"Please, unni."

"Ahem."

Joo Ha-yeon cleared her throat lightly and began explaining her new abilities to the rest of the curious party, one by one.

"So — the skills I gained this time. My unique ability converted into Holy Stigma, and I obtained five skills."

"Five of them?!"

"Mm. I was shocked too. My stats shot up as well. Basic Holy Magic Theory was integrated and renamed Doctrine, the Prayer skill disappeared, and new skills took its place. The ones I got this time are Demon Judgment, which deals lethal damage to demons and ghost-type monsters..."

Then Goddess's Touch, a mass heal with a measure of purification; Goddess's Protection, a shield with a reflect function that surpassed even Solid Shield of Earth; Purifying Earth, which cleansed curses and poisons across a wide area; and Sanctuary Declaration, which amplified holy magic over a broad range and applied a wide-area heal-over-time.

Ha Yoo-jin marveled at every word. He wasn't the only one. One by one, the rest of the party was realizing that what they'd gained this time couldn't be compared to anything that had come before.

The Saintess — the final evolution of a priest. Her power was anything but ordinary. And the fact that every gaze in the room then turned on me, the one who had given that inheritance away, was the most natural thing in the world.

"There's more, even. Three skills are still sealed because I don't meet the qualifications yet, so there's room to grow stronger. I'll have to work harder."

"That's amazing, unni."

Ha Yoo-jin looked genuinely stunned. His gaze shifted to Nam Eun-ju.

Nam Eun-ju spoke with a faintly embarrassed look. Unlike Joo Ha-yeon, who had explained for Ha Yoo-jin's sake, she reported to me, eyes on mine.

"My class is Legendary, but... none of the skills are. My stats rose enormously, and my mana converted into holy power. The class is Guardian of the Saintess, and my unique skill changed to Guardian's Discipline — it gives a bonus to holy power growth when I stay near Ha-yeon unni. And..."

A heal skill, similar to my mass heal: less recovered in a single pulse, but far cheaper in holy power. Beyond that, a Cathedral Knight Training Method and weapon arts that raised her stats; Guardian, which combined a taunt with a defensive correction; and Mental Armament, which let her keep her composure in most situations and resist mental interference.

That side of things was nothing to sneeze at either. Even so, Nam Eun-ju spoke as if she owed me an apology.

"And because I don't meet the qualifications yet, five of the skills are still sealed... after you went out of your way to give this to me..."

"No, it's fine. If anything, it means you'll get even stronger later. The class is Legendary, so one or two of those sealed skills are probably Legendary themselves. Just keep working at it."

"...Yes, Shin-hoo oppa. I'll try. I really, really will. I'll repay this grace, I swear..."

Yeah. You'd better.

What a thing to say. I softened it before it left my mouth.

"Just stay with us and protect the party. That's more than enough repayment."

"Yes, Shin-hoo oppa. I'll do everything I can."

Nam Eun-ju looked at me and made the vow with real force. She still looked a little bashful, but there was confidence in her now too. Good. That was all I needed.

Last came Na Seoyun. She spoke with her chin up.

"I obtained the Rare class Magic Swordsman. And I don't have any sealed skills!"

She had every right to be proud. It meant she'd fully digested the inheritance. Nam Eun-ju's expression dimmed a little; Joo Ha-yeon didn't particularly react. Fair enough — the Na Seoyun we'd seen so far had always been an exceptional child.

"I have five Legendary skills!"

Five. I felt Joo Ha-yeon's expression waver, just slightly. One more than she had — and that was before counting the skills Na Seoyun had already possessed.

As I'd confirmed, every one of Na Seoyun's skills was passive. Thanks to Dual Hearts, she'd converted only a portion of her mana into a new energy — aura — without losing the mana itself, a fact she announced with considerable pride.

"And my Aura Affinity is Legendary too, so the efficiency is incredible! Especially the physical enhancement—"

I already knew all of it. She pressed on anyway: Mana Circuit Specialization — Double Helix Structure let her run both energies at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠once, and the Primal-Style Mana/Aura Training Method meant she would only get stronger from here. She was more reserved about Legend Slayer, which was still inactive, but on every other front she bragged to excess.

She'd always avoided showing off like this, so the display struck me as odd — until I caught her stealing glances at Joo Ha-yeon and Nam Eun-ju, and understood. She was desperate to pull my attention back. She didn't want her guardian's regard stolen.

I ruffled her hair.

"That's impressive, Seoyun."

"Heh... hehe."

Only then did the strained, overeager smile ease into something natural.

"But using mana and aura at the same time... will you be alright?"

I let the difficulty I expected color the question, lightly.

"It's hard, but I think I can do it."

"You can. You always have."

"...Hehe. Yes. I always do it for you, oppa..."

Sixteen years old, and still a child. I looked at Joo Ha-yeon with a glance that asked whether she'd really been competing with this, and she averted her eyes, a little awkward. This was a girl who almost never bragged about her own talent. A rival had appeared, and she'd gotten restless. Ordinarily she would have been careful, thinking I hadn't obtained anything at all...

Ha Yoo-jin was watching Na Seoyun receive praise with openly envious eyes, so I called him over and ruffled his hair too. Then I spoke, lightly.

"Ah. I obtained something as well. A Legendary-grade trait."

"...What?"

"Huh?"

"Obtained what?"

"Eh?"

A chorus of different reactions. I answered them all at once.

"It was given to me when I destroyed the gnoll's heart."

"Congratulations, Shin-hoo. I'm... I'm so, so glad."

"Oppa, congratulations!"

"Congrats, hyung!"

"Congratulations, Shin-hoo oppa... truly, truly..."

"...Congratulations, Shin-hoo."

One after another, they offered their congratulations. Na-yeon's expression was a little complicated, but she didn't forget to say the words — not after I'd given so much away, and finally obtained something of my own.

Joo Ha-yeon in particular lit up at the explanation of Immortal Body. It meant my odds of survival had gone up. Combined with her skills, she declared with total confidence, I would never die.

Well. I probably wouldn't die from anything short of the extreme, that much was true.

With my skill laid out as well, the talk of what we'd gained this time came to a warm close.

The next day, we finished preparing to return to Britus Village. But Na Seoyun and Ha Yoo-jin, who had gone out on a just-in-case reconnaissance, came back carrying the worst possible news.

"Hyung! Hyuuung! Shin-hoo hyung!"

"...What is it?"

"Gnolls! The gnolls! Golden Gnolls!"

The Holy Land. A site I hadn't expected them to discover for a long time yet. It seemed the other side had figured out what had happened there.