Goal Normalization
After I took the Body-Self Synchronization Potion, Mina always came into my room every morning to wake me up. She'd plant a kiss on my sleeping cheek with a smooch. Today was no different. Mina entered my room to rouse me. But there was a slight difference this time—because I'd woken up first.
Instead of my usual "Uung..." groan, I was sitting there calmly. Mina noticed the change immediately.
"What? Did the potion's effect wear off already? I heard it was semi-permanent. As expected, it doesn't work well on an S-rank hunter?"
"No, it's not like that. If I'd stayed that way, I would've kept the mindset of a child forever. More importantly, Mina... I have something to tell you."
Whenever I said I had something to tell her, it was always serious. Mina and I had been together since our mid-teens. She knew this habit all too well. Her expression turned grave in an instant.
Hoo... To be honest, this conversation wasn't exactly something I could be proud of. Because I'd looked at her community posts without permission. Even if it was because of the crystal ball, I'd clearly invaded her privacy. If she got mad at me, I couldn't even make excuses.
Still, I had to do it. Things couldn't go on like this. For my sake, and for hers, we needed to address the contradictions in our relationship.
First, I held out my smartphone. The screen showed screenshots of her Hunter Gallery history.
"...Huh? O... Oppa, how did you... Ah...! The computer!"
She seemed aware that her community activity wasn't exactly clean. Mina was genuinely flustered. So far, this was within expectations. It was good that she wasn't yelling in anger first. Time to keep going.
"Mina, first off, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry for looking at your personal stuff without permission."
Truth be told, this wasn't the best way to handle it. The ideal response upon seeing her community history would've been to ignore it. Pretend I hadn't seen her embarrassing side, drink the potion again, and go back to our peaceful routine. But I couldn't do that—because I'd seen her true feelings. I knew how she really felt about me, and that's why I was doing this.
"...Mina. You always cheered me on sincerely. You believed in me and supported me every step of the way. But I kept betraying your expectations. I... I always wanted a selfish ending."
I love fighting. Especially life-or-death battles. Dying in combat—that was my one and only hobby and dream.
But that wasn't right. My dream wasn't just mine anymore. Since Mina supported me from the heart, I couldn't wish for such a selfish end.
"I wasn't afraid of death. I wanted it close by. Because that's the kind of guy I am. I've always been a lunatic who craved death."
Ha... I thought I'd grown up, but I still sound like a kid. No different from my angsty teen days.
"Why did I want to leave your side so badly? Why didn't I think about you being left alone? I don't know the answer. I never should've done that."
My old dream was to die in the ultimate fight. That's why Mina couldn't easily cheer me on, even though she wanted to. Because she loves me. No one in the world wants the person they love to die.
"I get why you saw my battle lust as a sickness. I respect that you tried to turn me into a pure child. That's why I accepted your suggestion."
But it can't go on like that. It's not just because I'm thirsty for battle. Or because it's embarrassing to toddle around in animal pajamas. I'm changing for us. To achieve my dream and yours. That's my goal now.
"Mina. My original dream was to die after the greatest fight. But not anymore. From today, my dream is... to become the world's greatest hunter."
Yeah. That's right. For you to cheer me on sincerely, I need a dream like this. I'm not just chasing death in battle anymore. My dream lies beyond that.
"Found a guild, climb the Tower higher, conquer more Gates, and become the world's greatest hunter that no one can deny. That's my new dream."
I stood up and approached Mina. I reached out to her still-shocked face and gave her a bright smile.
"Mina. Let me say it officially. Cheer for my dream. Help me become the world's greatest hunter. If you're by my side, I know I can make it."
The version of me she wanted. The proposal I should've made long ago. The wish I couldn't voice until now. To respond to her sincerity, I showed mine.
Mina couldn't reply right away. Her expression unreadable, she opened and closed her mouth repeatedly. After a long hesitation, she seemed to gather her thoughts and answered. With a gentle smile, she whispered,
"I really... can't win against you, Oppa... That's why... I can't help but love you..."
There's a height difference between us. Mina's tall for a woman, and above all, I'm tiny. So I dropped to one knee. Matching my eye level, she smiled warmly and said,
"Thank you, Oppa. For understanding my dream. I'll do my best to achieve mine and yours. Let's strive for the top together."
I'd succeeded in convincing Mina. No more need for the potion. I could climb the Tower and raid Gates again. Of course, no suicidal fights, but I could enjoy battles like before.
A perfect, beautiful ending. The best outcome imaginable.
But there was still one issue to resolve: Mina's secret online antics exposed by this incident. She'd been caught red-handed in her Hunter Gallery rampages.
"Uwaaaah!!! Seriously!!! I hid it so well until now!!! And of all people, Oppa finds out about my community posts!!! I wanna die!!!"
Apparently ashamed of her posts, Mina had been screaming for hours. Face buried in the blanket, sobbing all day.
Hmm... I'd been a bit disappointed by her community history, but I still cherished and respected her. I could overlook that level of privacy. No one's perfect, right? Look at me—I'm a battle maniac myself. No room to judge her.
But Mina didn't see it that way. She was mortified, like her Gallery posts were unforgivable.
...Well, her posts were pretty vile, so I get it. Imagine family seeing that—head-spinning embarrassment.
Still, time to snap out of it. Breakfast time passed long ago. I'm starving—how long is she gonna keep this up?
I approached Mina wailing on my bed and yanked the tightly wrapped blanket. She clung hard, resisting, but no chance. Time to get up!
"Mina. I'm hungry. Make food quick."
"Uuing... Oppa... I don't feel like cooking right now... Grab something from the fridge..."
"Our fridge is just decor. Nothing inside—what am I supposed to eat?"
Neither Mina nor I are great cooks, despite long solo living. Most meals were delivery, convenience store grabs, or eating out. Pricey, but our earnings made it no issue.
"Or give me your card. I'll buy something from the store. I'm really hungry."
Before entering Tower floor 91, I'd liquidated everything. Donated half to good foundations, gave the rest to Mina. Now I'm penniless. No cash, no cards. Even a single triangle kimbap requires begging her.
Wriggle, wriggle... Mina stirred under the blanket and stuck out one hand with her phone.
"Use this... Smart Pay... You remember my card PIN, right...?"
"Yeah, got it. I'll head to the store then."
I know her phone and PIN. Perfect for stocking up. Mission accomplished. Time for that triangle kimbap.
"Uu... Oppa... Get me a lunchbox too... Pork if they have it... Chicken's fine otherwise..."
Hmm... It's her money, so no big deal, but it feels off. Picture: a 10-year-old kid buying adult woman's breakfast from the convenience store first thing in the morning? Documentary material.
'...Ah. The potion's effect lingers. Stronger aftereffects than I thought?'
I'd assumed the effects were gone, but no. I still saw myself as a little girl. My thoughts felt simpler than before... intelligence dipped a bit.
Not all bad, though. Thanks to the potion, my combat instincts were calmer. Higher threshold for battle euphoria? I wouldn't flip to battle-maniac mode easily.
Of course, intense fights would make me rampage like a madman again, but not as quick to excite. Solid gain. Used to laugh insanely at blood scent alone—now I can control it. Might even party with others besides Mina.
'Party play... Yeah, essential for floors 90+?'
Hmm... Think on that later. Not urgent. For now, which triangle kimbap? Classic tuna mayo? Or Jeonju bibimbap? Hehehe. Thinking of tasty triangle kimbap already lifts my mood.