Chapter 72: Project: Making a Pet
Chapter 72: Project: Making a Pet
After I nearly lost consciousness, our party scrambled out of the dungeon. In the chaos, we almost had the misfortune of leaving behind the two collapsed Users, but thankfully, Vivian reminded us, and we were able to carry them out one by one. Seeing as they still hadn't woken up, I was sure Vivian must have pulled some trick on them. My suspicions were confirmed when I shot her a sharp glare and she subtly avoided my gaze.
“Orabeoni. Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry too much.”
“But still…”
As we walked through the forest after leaving the dungeon, Ahn Sol spoke to me, her face etched with anxiety. She couldn't take her eyes off me, clearly worried sick. The concern of a pretty girl was a welcome feeling, but my mind was currently in disarray. The correlation between Eternal Flame's power and my own Stamina had far exceeded my expectations.
Ahn Sol kept trying to talk to me, but I just shook my head as I readjusted the User on my back. Yoojung must have overheard our conversation, as she turned her head from her position at the front and spoke up.
“Oppa. If it's too much, I’ll carry them. What with the mana reversal phenomenon last time… I can't help but worry.”
“I’m fine, so just watch where you’re going. Since Hyun and I are each carrying a User, you’re the most important one right now. Of course, we can just put them down if something happens, but we'd be helpless against a sudden ambush.”
“Tch… You think I don't know that? I'm saying this because I'm worried!”
“The area is safe. This is a shortcut to Mule, so we should be able to arrive within a day.”
When Vivian chimed in, Yoojung shot her a glare before turning away. I wanted to comfort Yoojung for taking her frustration out on the wrong person, but my mind was far too preoccupied. Right after using the power, I had nearly collapsed from exhaustion. It was too intense to be dismissed as mere dizziness.
I hadn't expected it to be this severe. Honestly, if this were to happen again, I could no longer treat it lightly. Of course, I still had unassigned stat points, but I’d been subconsciously wanting to invest in Strength, Agility, and Magic Power, so I couldn't make up my mind.
Sensing that I was deep in thought, Ahn Hyun followed silently behind me with an unconscious female User hanging limply from his back. Watching him grow day by day, I resolved to secure the Aura Spearman Class for him, then returned to my thoughts.
But no matter how much I mulled it over, the stat points were a problem beyond my control. If I dumped all my remaining points into Stamina and calculated the maximum number of points I knew I could get in the future, I figured I could somehow manage to hit 90. But that was it. The allure of a 101 stat was too great to give up on in a single moment.
After turning the problem over for a while, I shook my throbbing head and cleared my thoughts. Since it was not something I could solve immediately, focusing on the present seemed wiser. What mattered now were the items recovered from the dungeon, the two rescued Users, and returning to the city so Vivian could be treated. After a short rest, we also had to prepare to explore the Ruined Laboratory. Even without the dilemma over my Stats, I had a mountain of work ahead. I had gotten off to a good start, but in the Hall Plain a single misstep could cost me everything.
In any case, I decided to rest and compose myself for the day after returning to Mule.
Emptying my mind, I looked at the others one by one with a blank expression. Suddenly, I desperately craved a woman. At least when I was holding one, I could empty my mind. I wanted to taste the warm pleasure of mixing our flesh again after so long.
My eyes fell on Yoojung's sharp face, her brow slightly furrowed. Below it, her long, straight hair and her full, rising chest. Her hair wasn't this long during the Rite of Passage. The longer style suited her perfectly. Then my gaze shifted to Sol's innocent face and her slender, white neck. And her small, cute lips… Just as my gaze was shifting to Vivian, I snapped back to my senses with a jolt. What the hell am I thinking about these girls?
Was I sexually frustrated? I felt the need to hold a woman soon and relieve this desire. For the first time in a while, I felt pathetic. I sighed and readjusted the User on my back, who kept slipping down. By the way, I still didn't even know who these Users were.
I had been so absorbed in thinking about Eternal Flame and my Stats since leaving the dungeon that I had no attention to spare for anything else. That was also why I had not taken the lead; I did not want another distraction. I had found no answer, but now that I had set the issue aside, I activated Third Eye. Perhaps because I had rested and received ample treatment, my head no longer felt dazed as it had before.
〈 Player Status 〉
1. Name: Shin Sangyong (Year 2 User)
2. Class: Mage (Normal, Mage, Expert)
3. Nation: Barbara
4. Clan: -
5. True Name · Nationality: One Who Pursues the Truth of Magic Squares · Republic of Korea
6. Sex: Male (28)
7. Height · Weight: 183.7cm · 69.2kg
8. Alignment: Lawful · True
[Strength 40] [Durability 42] [Agility 45] [Stamina 40] [Magic Power 85] [Luck 60]
〈 Player Status 〉
1. Name: Jung Hayeon (Year 2 User)
2. Class: Mage (Normal, Mage, Expert)
3. Nation: Barbara
4. Clan: -
5. True Name · Nationality: Water Droplet of the Lake · Republic of Korea
6. Sex: Female (26)
7. Height · Weight: 166.5cm · 42.8kg
8. Alignment: Lawful · Good
[Strength 34] [Durability 38] [Agility 40] [Stamina 32] [Magic Power 87] [Luck 80]
Hm? I had looked without much thought, but my eyes widened. They were both Mages, and considering they were only in their second year… they were good. At first I had wondered what possessed them to enter the Black Forest, but after seeing their Stats, I understood.
Suddenly, I was glad I had come to Mule. I had originally chosen it because I had been active here before—though where had I not been active?—and because I was searching for the Aura Spearman Class, but unexpected gains kept appearing, both in talent and material resources. My gaze shifted to Sol as she trudged along with a vacant expression. Could this be connected to her Luck?
Feeling the warmth of Shin Sangyong on my back, I considered what to do with the two Mages. Recruiting both would give us useful immediate combat strength. The second year marked the beginning of a User’s limits, but their Stats were not yet fully developed. After the fourth or fifth year, raising Stats became as difficult as plucking a star from the sky; for now, however, they still had some room to improve depending on the individual.
Their stats were good, and their alignments were decent. I'd have to talk to them after they regained consciousness for the details, but they were undoubtedly worth recruiting.
*
We must have walked for a full day after leaving the dungeon. We were all mentally exhausted from the forced march through the night, but thanks to the stamina training at the User Academy, no one fell behind. Above all, the path Vivian showed us was a truly revolutionary shortcut. Then again, it wasn't strange for someone who had lived in the forest for over 100 years to know the geography like the back of her hand. Because of this, it seemed the others were starting to see Vivian in a slightly different light.
We had started our return late in the afternoon, and since it took a full day, we arrived as the sun was setting. Lifting my head, I saw the plains we had first crossed and let out a sigh of relief. The others seemed to remember the plains as well, and their pace quickened.
The mood of the party was quiet on the way back. I didn't say much, as I had a lot on my mind, and Ahn Hyun, also burdened with a User, was just breathing heavily, the effort clearly doubled. Consequently, Yoojung and Sol looked anxious, while Vivian was just cautiously watching everyone's mood. It wasn't that the subdued atmosphere was bad, but it was still a little uncomfortable.
Leaving the dense forest behind, we hurried along the path that cut through the plains. In the distance, Mule came into view.
Perhaps because of the time of day, we could see a few groups of Users here and there. And the closer we got to Mule, the more groups we saw. We had arrived just in time, right before nightfall. Despite so many people having left for Barbara, seeing this many still around made me realize there were quite a few Users who thought like me.
The others, seeing so many Users for the first time in a while, didn't know where to look. I spoke in a low voice.
“We’re Users just like them. Don’t advertise that you’re rookies. Walk in confidently.”
With a tired voice, I urged on the others, who were dawdling. Vivian, who had been craning her neck to look at the city and the Users she hadn't seen in so long, was startled and quickly ducked her head. I felt several gazes turn toward us. Vivian had been naked at first, and now she was only wearing the underwear and robe I'd taken off the dead Jung Jiyeon. Since she was taller than Jung Jiyeon, the clothes were inevitably tight, which revealed the contours of her body all too clearly. It was almost embarrassing to look at. Her face was quite beautiful and her body was well-proportioned, so a few rough-looking male Users were openly sending lecherous stares her way. I sighed and gestured to Vivian with my eyes. Her face lit up as she stuck close to my side.
“Hey. Get off him.”
“Can’t you see Orabeoni is exhausted right now?”
Seriously, what is wrong with you two? Seeing the two girls glaring daggers and grinding their teeth, Vivian flinched and ducked her head. Ahn Hyun, who had been watching, clicked his tongue and chimed in.
“Yoojung. Sol. What is wrong with you two? You’re embarrassing yourselves. I’m not saying I don’t understand how you feel, but Hyung told us to act natural, so stop cornering her. I feel sorry for her just watching this.”
As soon as Ahn Hyun finished speaking, the girls' jealousy exploded even further. Ahn Hyun. That clueless idiot. Vivian's face brightened considerably as she looked at Ahn Hyun and giggled. It was like pouring oil on a fire. I brought her along thinking her cheerful and honest side would help her get along with Yoojung and Sol, but seeing things get off to a rocky start made me feel uneasy.
The area around us was bustling with noise. "We came up empty this time," "The path was bad." Everyone was clearly exhausted, but their mouths never stopped moving. Occasionally, we saw Users returning with somber faces; they had probably lost comrades on their expeditions.
Before we knew it, dusk had fallen, and Mule’s walls, once visible only in the distance, stood directly before us. The Resident guards who had greeted us on our first arrival were still at their posts. Watching them salute the passing Users, we slowly entered through the gate.
We had finally returned to Mule after completing our first expedition.