Level Up (1)
Level Up (1)
"Today, we're going down to the 10th floor."
"......Suddenly?"
"Yeah."
At my sudden suggestion, Eunha tilted her head in confusion. Well, it made sense—she'd been hunting on the 3rd floor just the other day, so jumping straight to the 10th floor must've seemed weird.
"Someone advised us that with our abilities, we could hunt on the 10th floor without any issues."
"Who told you that?"
"Han-young."
At those words, Eunha nodded as if she'd roughly pieced it together. We headed straight for the Dungeon's 10th floor.
Unfortunately, Deokgu's ability couldn't map from the 6th floor onward. So we had no choice but to buy a map drawn up by the guild's professional mappers and head into the Dungeon.
'What the...... this is way easier to read.'
The map we'd bought was leagues better than the one Deokgu had made with his ability.
If Deokgu's map felt like a kindergartener's doodle in a picture book, this commercial one was like staring at a 3D layered radar.
Paths, points of caution, traps—all laid out at a glance, super easy to follow.
'If I'd known...... I should've bought one ages ago.'
It wasn't even expensive. Just a few Silver Coins. At our current level, we could earn that in half a day.
We decided from now on we'd just pay for expert help, and followed the map up to the upper floors.
4th floor: Goblin shamans who used magic appeared.
5th floor: Goblin Warriors charged in riding red wolves.
6th floor: Goblins about our size showed up.
7th floor......
8th floor.
.....
And finally, the 10th floor.
"Kruk."
A 2-meter-tall Orc greeted us. Its body was packed with muscle so massive it could crush a human flat without any technique—just raw power.
Its eyes burned with murderous intent, blazing fiercely like it was about to charge at any second.
'Fucking scary-looking thing.'
If someone told me to fight this guy, I'd smash their skull in.
Sure, I handle a sword decently, but beating a 2-meter muscle monster? No way.
People think big muscles mean slow, but it's the opposite. Dodging the explosive speed from that bulk? Doubtful. And if it grabbed you? You're done.
Even if I were a jiu-jitsu or wrestling champ, same deal. That size difference could brute-force any technique.
But if the Orc had its massive muscles, we had our cheat abilities.
"Go get 'em, Seoyunmon."
"......You think I'm some Pokémon or what?"
Seoyun grumbled like that but still stretched out her arm. It was just to make using her ability easier.
Following her arm motion, a blast of intense cold shot out, and moments later, a massive Ice Pillar erupted, skewering the Orc clean through.
Pathetic death for something that size, but we'd seen this scene so often it felt routine as I picked up the Magic Stone it dropped.
As expected, it was totally different from Goblin Magic Stones right from the color. If Goblin ones twinkled like a fingernail, this one shimmered all over like a gem.
After hunting a few more Orcs like that, we naturally started feeling an overwhelming sense of omnipotence rising through our bodies.
'Ah, this is......'
No one had to explain it—this was level-up, plain and simple.
No other way to describe it. Like your very existence was elevating.
Like your soul had climbed one step up the stairs to heaven—an overwhelming ecstasy.
We stood there in the middle of the Dungeon, dazed by the transcendent euphoria of level-up.
More Orcs started closing in on us zombies. Their huge footsteps, as big as their muscles, announced them from afar.
Seoyun unconsciously raised her hand toward them. I stopped her and drew my sword.
Drunk on the surging omnipotence, it felt like I could do anything. As if answering my will, a hot energy began boiling inside me.
[Extreme Yang Body]
Hot. My body's burning.
Even a light exhale sent out air hot enough to scald my hand.
Instinctively, I knew how to wield this power.
Ignition.
My sword burst into flames.
The Orcs eyed the blazing sword warily.
Too late.
I swung. My body moved faster than I thought. The blade sliced through the Orcs without resistance.
Not even a particularly sharp sword, yet it cut through their bodies like butter.
Fire Sword Strike.
After cleaving several Orcs in one go, I sheathed my blade.
And that's when I truly felt the power of level-up.
After picking up the Orc Magic Stones, we followed the shortcut on the map and swiftly exited the Dungeon.
Impressively, even after reaching the 10th floor, the time it took to get out was about the same as usual.
Once outside, I looked at Seoyun and Eunha. Their faces were still flushed, not yet shaken off the heat of level-up.
I waited until they came back to their senses.
"Feeling better?"
"......Yeah."
"Me too."
"Then shall we go?"
Calming our pounding hearts, we headed to the guild, where the usual clerk greeted us warmly. We handed her our Guild Cards right away.
"Over here."
"Yes, Dojin-ssi. What can I......"
"We think we've leveled up."
"......Please wait a moment."
Her voice turned polite in an instant. The always-smiley clerk who greeted us went inside briefly, then came back out and led us to a quiet room.
"This is......?"
"The testing room. Where we check if you've really leveled up, so no worries."
The clerk smiled and offered us refreshments. A far cry from the guild's usual do-it-yourself vibe.
We were a bit taken aback by the sudden VIP treatment as we enjoyed the snacks, and soon a man appeared holding an orb.
"Excuse me. Just place your hand here."
"......Okay."
With vague anxiety that maybe what we felt wasn't level-up after all, I placed my hand on it. The crystal orb began to glow.
The man watching the sparkle broke into a big grin.
"It's real. Congratulations."
"Congratulations!"
No sooner had he spoken than the clerk clapped along, beaming just as happily.
After the test, the clerk led us to the 2nd floor.
"This feels...... like VIP treatment."
"No kidding."
"......Kinda scary."
Chatting with the two, we climbed to the 2nd floor. The moment we stepped up—the atmosphere shifted.
Walls of pristine white material gleaming brightly, a vast empty lobby compared to the cramped 1st floor swarm.
'What the hell......'
It was like a modern bank. I stood there dumbfounded for a sec. The clerk immediately went into sales mode.
"Um...... From the 2nd floor on, you can have a dedicated staff member. If you don't have anyone in mind, we can assign one randomly......"
"Can we pick?"
"Yes! Usually, people choose the clerk they're familiar with."
She said it beaming innocently, but anyone not a total airhead could read between the lines.
I looked at the two. They didn't object, so I asked the clerk to be our dedicated staff.
"Then, would you do it?"
"Yes! Thank you! You won't be disappointed. Oh, you don't know my name? It's Pion."
"You know our names, right?"
"Of course, Dojin-ssi, Seoyun-ssi, Eunha-ssi. Right?"
She was so thrilled to be our dedicated that she couldn't stop grinning.
"Now then, shall we start today's settlement?"
I carefully tucked the pouch of jingling Gold Coins into my pocket and stepped out of the guild.
'Gold Coins. Gold Coins.'
Gold Coins worth a hundred Silver Coins each were now in our hands. In original-world money, about ten million won in coins.
Sure, we had to hunt hundreds of Orcs for it...... but it didn't feel that hard.
With my mind made up, I turned to Seoyun and Eunha.
"Let's keep our level-up a secret."
"......Why?"
Seoyun asked back. I explained it was all for the kids.
"If they find out we're Level 3...... what do you think they'll do?"
"Congratulate us."
"Is that all?"
"What else?"
"They'll get a bit lazier, waste a bit more."
"......Yeah, that tracks."
Thinking back on the kids' behavior so far, telling them about our level-up would do more harm than good.
Easy-come money gets spent easy, plain as day.
"But if we're hiding it, what're we gonna do?"
"Buy a house."
"A house? Suddenly?"
"We can't live in an Inn forever. Even long-term discounts only go so far."
Perfect timing—I'd spotted a listing during the festival. Priced at around twenty Gold Coins.
'And we made one Gold Coin today......'
Not counting the small stuff, but whatever. Buying a house wouldn't need Silver or Copper Coins anyway.
"At worst, a month and we'll have our house."
House—what a beautiful word. Back in Korea, I thought owning one was impossible, but here in the Otherworld, I'm making it happen.
Life's unpredictable like that.
And the idea of just a month's grind for a house tempted even Seoyun—she pondered it hard.
To ease her doubts, I started tempting her.
"We'll buy a mansion."
"......Mansion."
"They say it was a noble's place—huge bath, over ten rooms......"
"Buy it."
"......Huh?"
"I said buy it."
"Alright. Good."
With Seoyun bought, I turned to Eunha next. Wasn't hard.
She wasn't the type to push back against strong opinions anyway.
Just assert it firmly, and she follows without a word.
"Yeah, so we'll save this money till we buy the mansion... and absolutely no telling the other kids?"
"Yeah."
"Got it......"
I went back to the guild, deposited the money in my name, and just in case, hit up a realtor to put a deposit on the mansion.
One month from now—our house. Our mansion.
In the Saintess's dedicated mansion prepared by the church, the Saintess was rolling around naked on the bed.
Normally, due to the Blessing of Virgo, she had to wear stuffy clothes, so at home she went near-nude as a rebound.
"Saintess-nim. It's undignified."
"No one's watching?"
"I am, God is, and the spirits are."
"Psh, they don't care."
"......Saintess-nim, I'm right here?"
"So? Ro-te, you get turned on looking at my body?"
The Saintess teased like that, striking a coquettish pose. Golden hair lightly brushed over her bare skin.
Her huge breasts half-hidden by the hair was overly erotic—even same-sex could be swayed—but alas, the Holy Knight didn't react.
"Why would I get horny looking at you?"
"Right? I mean, we're identical—how could you?"
Saying that, the Saintess looked at her Holy Knight, Charlotte. Their looks were so alike, they could pass for twins.
That's why Charlotte guarded her. Plenty of women get hot for attractive same-sex, but few for their own body and face.
Still, Charlotte found the job more tiring than expected.
"Oh yeah, Ro-te. There's someone I want you to find."
"Who?"
"No name. Face is...... black hair, black eyes?"
"Sigh...... How am I supposed to find someone like that?"
It was all because of the Saintess's free-spirited personality.