DLC, What a Sweet and Glorious Name

Sweet.

It was sweet enough to drive a man insane.

All I had done was flail about in a desperate bid to survive, yet to think that frantic struggle would bear such a luscious fruit as downloadable content!

Never mind the other features—getting 'Nurturing' alone is enough to bring tears to my eyes. Absolute tears of joy.

In the game, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Nurturing system was something players took completely for granted. It was the quintessential core engine that let you enhance a character's specific attributes or skills, treat their mental trauma, upgrade their gear, synthesize materials, and so much more. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that every single legend dwelling in Avalon had reached their pinnacle through this very mechanic.

Truthfully, when I was first ripped away and summoned to this world, I assumed I would never lay eyes on it again. And yet...

Granted, out of the myriad functions that once existed, the only ones currently available were Enhancement, Synthesis, and Instanced Dungeons. Even so, having just those three was the equivalent of gaining a hundred thousand reinforcements overnight. On top of that, though I had no idea whose divine grace had arranged it—

To shower me with enhancement tickets that couldn't be obtained anywhere in this reality right now... I was so grateful I could practically weep.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

As I sat there cackling like a deranged maniac, an appalled voice cut in from the side.

"What on earth has come over you, bursting into mad laughter all on your own...?"

"It feels like the heavens have finally taken pity on my suffering."

"What sort of unvarnished nonsense is that now...?"

Perhaps because she had some grasp of my circumstances, she didn't look at me like an incurable madman the way she used to. Even so, her crimson eyes remained narrowed in sheer distrust. Well, fair enough. For this unenlightened woman who knew nothing of games, I decided to treat her to a taste of the System to commemorate her becoming our very first guild member.

I called up her status window and dragged an item onto her profile. The familiar prompt promptly sprang up.

Even though it had only been a few months since I last saw this screen, the visceral reminder that this world wasn't pure reality, but the framework of a game, struck me anew.

"Sniff...!"

A tear nearly welled in my eye, honest to god. It was a shame I couldn't pull over the hoard of enhancement vouchers sleeping in my main account, but wishing for that would cross the line into outright greed. Without hesitation, I pressed the [Yes] button. One of the tickets in my inventory dissolved into thin air, and a golden banner flashed across my vision.

A pure, brilliant radiance swirled around Yeong So-so's slender frame. When the light finally dispersed, she froze in genuine astonishment.

"O-Oho...? This is truly bizarre. My overall physical faculties alongside my internal qi have increased by nearly half a tenth...!"

Marveling at the sensation, she didn't even bother masking her demonic qi as she immediately assumed a lotus posture to circulate her breath. Normally, steadying a breakthrough would take hours. I glanced down at my palm; five enhancement tickets still remained. Well, if I end up dead, it's not like I can take these tickets with me anyway.

Arming myself with every conceivable excuse, I retrieved a ticket for myself and tore it open. A luminous white aura enveloped my body just the same.

It felt exactly like copying off an answer sheet to score a perfect hundred on an exam. Every tedious stage had been entirely skipped, handing me pure results on a silver platter. In other stories, some sanctimonious hypocrite would surely have barked:

They would have spouted righteous drivel like that, but right now, I would proudly flip them the bird without a second thought. Like hell I cared. Whether it belonged to the orthodox path, the demonic sects, or the ditch outside, strength was strength as long as it kept me breathing.

A prompt popped up showing my unallocated statistics.

Just in case of emergencies, I kept eighteen points in reserve and evenly distributed the remaining thirty.

Even though my physical stats were still only D-rank on average, a rush of vigor coursed through my veins like fresh oil coating an engine. An involuntary gasp of delight slipped past my lips. As I stood there drunk on exhilaration, Yeong So-so's eyes fluttered open from her meditation, and she turned her gaze toward me.

"I know not what bizarre trick you have performed, but it is nothing short of miraculous. I once believed austere training and endless slaughter were the sole paths to advancement, yet this approach is incomparably more efficient."

Like a primitive caveman laying eyes on fire for the first time, she had finally tasted the sweet drug of experience points outside normal human constraints. Her cheeks were lightly flushed, and she looked down at her hands with genuine reverence. Intoxicated by this newfound comprehension, she lightly thrust out a single fist.

KABOOOM—!

The protective barrier of qi she had cast around us shattered into powdered glass. The residual shockwave tore straight outward, blowing a massive, jagged hole clean through the restaurant's outer wall.

"......"

"......"

"......"

Dozens of diners turned toward us, their eyes round with utter stupefaction. Well now... In times like this, making a run for it was the only correct move, wasn't it? My eyes met So-so's.

"So-so."

"What is it?"

"Run."

Clink—!

I hastily tossed roughly fifty thousand gold onto the table to cover the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠repairs, grabbed the bewildered girl by the shoulder, and invoked my skill.

We vanished on the spot and bolted into the streets. Behind us, a faint, despairing "Ah..." echoed through the ruined dining hall. The proprietor's half-dead, hollow expression weighed slightly on my conscience, but... well, once I earned more money, I could always drop by and pay him extra. Surely the good man would understand.

"Isn't it about time we raised our rank?"

"I was thinking the exact same thing."

We had lived as F-rank adventurers for two whole months. Up until now, we had deliberately delayed our promotions to avoid attracting unwanted attention, but now that we had established Elysium, advancing our rank was mandatory if we wanted to secure steady funding and recruit competent talent. Honestly, judging by her physical specs alone, she could easily rival an S-rank right now, but drawing useless eyes was the last thing I wanted. Being saddled with flashy epithets like 'Rookie' or 'Rising Star' was an unnecessary burden. So, after letting two months slip by, we finally stepped inside the Adventurers' Guild to register for the advancement exam.

"You have met all the baseline criteria," the receptionist chirped cheerfully. "Currently, three types of promotion examinations are available: Material Gathering, Proctor Duel, and Monster Subjugation. Which would you prefer to undertake? For what it's worth, I personally recommend Monster Subjugation!"

Her suggestion prompted an immediate debate between us.

"Naturally, subjugation is the proper martial course—"

"No, in situations like this, gathering materials is far safer—"

"Then where is the training in that—?"

Our conflicting arguments traded back and forth until we arrived at an acceptable compromise.

"We will proceed with the Monster Subjugation."

Monster Subjugation was a staple in every advancement tier. In simple terms, you formed a designated squad with assigned candidates and hunted down a specified beast. Of course, lore-wise, the target monster was always calibrated to be at least a step above the examinees' current rank, which meant applicants were expected to stake their very lives on the line. Remembering that, I couldn't help but marvel at the receptionist's rotten personality for smiling so brightly while recommending it. This truly was a dystopian world where basic human rights were fed to the dogs.

Tearing my gaze away from this corrupt society, I glanced over at So-so.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

"No reason."

Having a dependable seven-star character by my side made all the difference. Compared to the dreadful days when I had been abandoned in a lethal dungeon, I felt significantly less in danger of dying. Meanwhile, the receptionist—no, the smiling bastard—continued her explanation.

"Including the two of you, the party will consist of four members in total, and the subjugation target is a Naga. They are known to inhabit the adjacent lake, with an estimated threat level ranging from F to D-rank."

Monster rankings mirrored the adventurer tier system, scaling from the lowly F-rank all the way up to SSS-rank calamities. As for the Naga, it was one of the common water-dwelling mobs from the early game. Because it was such a low-level pest, my memory was a bit hazy, but if I recalled correctly, it relied on simple water-based magic. With the briefing concluded, we headed over to the prearranged staging ground.

"Haaah? The fuck are you staring at, prick?"

Waiting for us was a demihuman whose mouth was as foul as an open sewer, and beside him—

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Ray, and I will be taking part in this subjugation. I look forward to working with you!"

Whoa...

No exaggeration, the boy standing before us looked like he had stepped straight out of a romance fantasy novel. His facial features operated on a plane entirely incomparable to anyone I had met in this world. Silky silver hair cascaded over his shoulders, commanding attention with every slight movement, while deep, pitch-black eyes offered a striking, mesmerizing contrast.

Damn, he is disgustingly handsome.

It was the first time I had ever paid such a compliment to another man. Back then, I couldn't have known. Well, since it was the past, there was no way I could have predicted it anyway. But not a single soul could have guessed what terrifying consequences would eventually blossom from forging ties with him on that quiet afternoon.