Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Diving into the Depths
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Dun drifted off to sleep upon hearing the message about his level going up.
Time passed, and when he woke up and opened his eyes, Lee Yu-hyun was still hunting monsters.
Dun wriggled around inside the waterbed and looked at Lee Yu-hyun.
"You're awake? If you're awake, have a snack."
"What's this snack?"
"Riha Owell was worried you'd get malnourished, Dun. She asked me to take care of you when I stopped by the general store last time."
"Unnecessary worrying..."
"She said it's homemade nut cookies. She even stuck a cute heart sticker on it. I added this smiling face sticker. Cute, right?"
Lee Yu-hyun paused her monster hunting and pulled some cookies out of her inventory to hand to Dun. A note from Riha Owell was stuck to the cookies.
『To my cute daughter! If you get hurt, you'll get an earful from Mom! I know you won't come home for dinner, so make sure to eat this at least.』
"I told her she doesn't need to fuss..."
"Dun, your ears are red."
"...Shut up."
Dun's small hand, clutching the cookie, fidgeted. It didn't really appeal to him, but he shoved the nut cookie into his mouth anyway.
He choked a bit, coughing. Lee Yu-hyun quickly made a cup and asked Dogpoo to fill it with drinking water.
Dun took the water and gulped it down.
After drinking, he noticed the cup Lee Yu-hyun had just made was surprisingly intricate. It even had a Rare rating, of all things.
"The crafting skills you have seem really good. What can you make, and what can't you?"
She'd definitely only been able to make simple traps and ropes at first, but now the freedom of creation was insane—it almost looked like magic.
Lee Yu-hyun looked up from weaving her net and answered.
"Originally, it was limited to things like rat traps, bird traps, ropes. But after getting 'Pellow's Trace,' recipes for items started appearing in my head at some point."
"Recipes?"
"Yeah. If I visualize the item I need in my mind, it generates a recipe so I can craft it. For example..."
Lee Yu-hyun opened her inventory and checked the items inside. It was piled high with monster remains from Dun's quests.
The weather was a bit chilly, so she pictured a simple hoodie that Dun could wear.
[14 combinations for crafting items from inventory have been found.]
-Rmirim Hoodie Recipe
-Peliar Hoodie Recipe
-Karso Hoodie Recipe
-...
She selected the Rmirim recipe, and the slots for Rmirim fur, slime fluid, and small rope in her inventory began to glow.
She took out the items and used her 'Daily Necessities Crafting' skill.
A pretty cool hoodie made from Rmirim fur was created in no time. Lee Yu-hyun handed it to Dun.
"I can make whatever I think of like this. Being a Pellow seems pretty great. My proficiency levels up fast just from having the trace."
[Rare] Rmirim Hoodie
Dun held the hoodie and thought for a moment.
"Could you maybe think of an item that weakens strength?"
"Hmm... Let me try."
Lee Yu-hyun tried picturing weakening clothes, accessories, and more.
[No items available for crafting.]
"No items for it..."
"No recipe either?"
"Well, I don't know what'll happen after job change, but right now, if there are no items in inventory, no recipe suggestions come up."
Lee Yu-hyun looked disappointed that she couldn't make something Dun needed.
"Tch, boring."
"Haha, sorry. But once I become a full Pellow, I should be able to make more stuff for you, right?"
Her thoughts drifted to job change, and she perked up, tossing the net back into the water. She easily gathered monsters and wiped them out in seconds.
[Your level has increased.]
"Lee Yu-hyun, stop with the level ups and pack your stuff. We're heading to Ulr's center now."
"You mean... under that waterfall?"
Lee Yu-hyun's face started to pale. The bottom of the water floor ended in a waterfall. It curved in a circle, and below it lay a deep pit with no visible bottom.
The pit formed by the waterfall was filled with crystal-clear water. It was so transparent that if not for the creatures floating inside, it would be hard to tell it was water at all.
"If it looks like you're about to fall over the waterfall, dive in. Get ready."
"Ugh..."
"This water lets you breathe, so you won't drown. But if you're scared, say so. I'll ask Dogpoo to look after you. Just come out for fights."
"No, it's fine. Time to overcome my trauma."
Lee Yu-hyun stared into the endless abyss and rubbed her dry face.
"Why'd you develop a phobia anyway?"
They had to go down into the water anyway, so Dun rummaged and put on his goggles and swim cap.
He was already wearing swim trunks under his clothes, so he just needed to take off his outerwear.
"Ah... Well, actually... Pfft, pffft!"
He was about to open up, lost in heavy memories, when Dun's appearance caught his eye.
Dun was honestly stretching. His swim cap was on all wrong, with hair sticking out weirdly.
"What're you laughing at? Got some for you too."
Dun tossed Lee Yu-hyun a swim cap and goggles. He'd brought his own from Ulr since he liked swimming there, but had asked Tia-rin to make extras for Lee Yu-hyun.
"Anyway. Keep talking while you put those on."
"Ah, yeah. When I was little, my family went to the beach every summer. Bringing swim caps and goggles like this."
Lee Yu-hyun closed his eyes for a moment.
The sea smell back then, the overly cool breeze. The upbeat music from his phone. His parents and little sibling chattering. It all felt as vivid as yesterday.
"An accident happened. I lost my parents, and my sibling became a vegetable. They woke up eventually, thank goodness, but their body always hurt."
He'd thought it'd be dark, but it was even darker than expected.
"It was really tough back then, but I'm okay now! Lots of people around me have helped out."
"Uh... That's good, then."
Dun looked awkward. Had he asked unnecessarily?
"When I get in the water, I start seeing the monster from back then, so it scares me."
"Monster?"
"Yeah. These monsters suddenly burst out from under the sea and went berserk. Mermaids with six arms."
Hold on, mermaids from the sea.
He'd learned about past gates and their monsters from the Association.
'Mermaid Gate.'
This famous gate with mermaid monsters vaguely rang a bell.
It was infamous simply because it was Korea's first gate. No mana measurement back then, but they estimated it around A-rank.
Before Lee Yu-hyun commissioned him, Kim Woo-sung—the former Association head and pharma company chairman—awakened there.
Were the sea monsters Lee Yu-hyun mentioned related to the Mermaid Gate? The timing seemed to match.
Dun stroked his chin seriously.
"Pfft, pff, pfuhuhu."
"You're laughing at a story about family dying? Psychopath?"
"No, your goggle face is so funny it breaks my immersion in your flashback."
As he finished the memory and opened his eyes, he saw a little kid grimacing, trying to say something supportive. The goggles weren't a pretty design—they made the wearer look like a fly.
He knew the situation didn't call for it, but he couldn't help laughing.
Dumbfounded, Dun scowled, then let out a long sigh.
He put on his goggles, rolled his eyes back, and grinned wickedly.
"Pfft, hahaha!"
Lee Yu-hyun clutched his stomach laughing at the sudden weird face. It hit his funny bone perfectly—he laughed for a good while.
Dun tapped his shoulder as he laughed.
"Loosened up a bit?"
"Yeah, whew, yeah. Thanks."
"You can breathe underwater, so think of it as dense air. No need to be that scared. When you're scared, just look at my face—you like it so much."
Dun added that he should stretch too, so he wouldn't stiffen up underwater.
"You're being awfully nice. Something feels off."
"...Just dive in already."
The waterfall's drop point was right in front of them. The dense water floor flowed under the relatively lighter water in the waterfall pit. It was quite the sight.
"Take out Pellow's Trace. Come in when you're ready."
"Got it."
"And Dogpoo, shrink down and stick by Lee Yu-hyun. Drink a ton of water once you're in. You know what to do when I signal, right?"
[...Yeah! ...Yeah!]
Splash!
Dun dove in with a stable form, barely making a splash.
Gates came in all types, so he'd trained in rock climbing, swimming, and more. Swimming was no different from walking for Dun.
Underwater, the water resistance actually made it easier to control his body than on land.
Dun pulled the Cursed Cord from his inventory and quickly tied it to his leg.
[Ability Utilization: 15%]
Checking the stat, the water and Cursed Cord buffs had boosted the probability nicely. This was why he loved underwater.
Dun took a big breath to fill his lungs with water. Water went up his nose, filling his lungs. All the air left his body, but the mystical water let him breathe in its place.
Lee Yu-hyun followed Dun in soon after.
He got scared at first, but seeing Dun with goggles below made him laugh, easing his mind. The fact that he could breathe was so novel it dulled the fear a bit.
As he entered the water, Pellow's Trace in his hand began to glow.
'Whoa!'
Pellow's Trace started moving on its own, emitting light. Afraid he'd lose it, Lee Yu-hyun quickly made a pebble necklace and tied Pellow's Trace to it.
It looked like he was walking a dog.
Drawing on childhood memories, Lee Yu-hyun kicked his legs and swam deeper.
It was breathtaking.
The walls as he descended were all waterfalls, with fish leaping between them.
It felt like the ocean depths, but breathable, so not quite.
Following Pellow's Trace while taking in the scenery, Dun suddenly appeared beside him, swimming like a fish.
Dun was hugging two large, sea urchin-like fruits covered in spines. The spines were huge and viciously sharp.
'Eat.this.'
You couldn't talk underwater just because you could breathe.
Dun mouthed it emphatically.
Lee Yu-hyun, of course not getting it, shook his head in confusion, then frowned at Dun hugging the spiky objects and mouthed back.
'No.thanks.'
Dun narrowed his eyes and peeled the fruit's shell with his bare hands. No scratches.
A pearl-like glowing pearl emerged from inside.
[Rare] Mermel's Voice
Description: Eating it restores your voice in Ulr's center.
Dun popped the glowing fruit in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
"Was that 'shut up' from earlier?"
Hearing Dun's voice, Lee Yu-hyun frantically shook his head side to side.