Chapter 65
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Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Phantasmal Species Enhancement (1)
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“Ppoding?”
“......Huh?”
A small voice suddenly came from beside him.
It was like a whisper creeping closer.
Or perhaps like a soft rolling sound.
That was the noise he heard.
Thanks to it, Lloyd snapped back to attention.
He turned his head, still pinching his nose with his sleeve to stop the nosebleed.
“Ppoding?”
“Ppoding!”
Ppoding had waddled up onto the blacksmith workbench, puffing and puffing.
No one knew when it had climbed up, but its chubby cheeks and black eyes were gazing up at him.
And that wasn’t all.
“Bangul!”
“Hamang!”
Following Ppoding, Bangul crawled over from the corner of the table, totter-tottering.
Hamang rolled over puff-puffing, afraid to be left behind.
They all looked up at him with the same round, black eyes.
“Hmm, you guys? What’s up?”
“Ppoding!”
“Bangul!”
“Hamang!”
“What? You want to play?”
“Ppo!”
“Bang!”
“Ha!”
The three phantasmal species lined up side by side and nodded vigorously.
In the middle of the night, no less—while he was deep in thought and worry.
It was a bit awkward.
“Hmm, sorry, but can we play later?”
“Ppoding?”
“Bangul?”
“Hama-mang?”
“Look, I’m super busy today. I’ve got a ton of thinking and experimenting to do. This has to succeed, no matter what.”
“Ppodo-dong?”
“Bbangul?”
“Hamang......?”
“Sorry. So let’s play next time, okay? Even with this nosebleed, I can’t rest—I’m stuck here working nonstop. Honestly, I want to play and relax with you guys too.”
“Ppoding!”
“Bangul! Bbangul!”
“Hama-mamang!”
“Ah, no, I’m not saying play or rest right now......”
“Ppodo-dong?”
“I mean I feel that way in my heart. Sorry for getting your hopes up. I really am sorry, okay? So next time.”
Lloyd smiled awkwardly.
He really did want to rest.
He wanted to play, even if just for a bit.
But he thought he couldn’t.
He had boldly taken on the construction contract from the count.
He had boasted of his own new construction method, claiming it would lead to certain success.
He had bragged that much.
Yet he was already stuck at the preparation stage.
Making cement was far more tricky than he’d imagined.
He couldn’t bear the thought of tripping over this stone and letting the whole project fail.
“So right now, even if it’s tough and hard for me, this is the moment I have to push through. Don’t worry, though. I’ll figure it out. Okay? Once this is all done, we’ll play for real—and have a blast.”
Lloyd smiled as he patted the three phantasmal species.
They were good kids who always listened well.
He figured they’d obey this time too.
But not this time.
“Ppodo-dong!”
“Bangul!”
“Hamang!”
For some reason, the three phantasmal species held firm(?).
No, they stubbornly flopped down right there.
They even rolled around on the cement mixing notes he had scribbled while pondering.
“Ppodo-do-do-dong!”
“Bangul! Bbaba-bangul!”
“Hama-mang! Hamang!”
“Uh, umm? Kids?”
After that, Lloyd tried soothing the three phantasmal species.
He hugged them and patted them gently.
He rolled them around diligently, dunga-dunga.
But it was all useless.
For some inexplicable reason, the three phantasmal species were ignoring him for the first time ever, stubbornly refusing to budge.
Worse, they looked up at him with their black eyes glistening, on the verge of tears.
“Ppodo-dong......”
“Bangul......”
“Hama-maaaang......”
They twisted their bodies this way and that, gearing up to shed big crocodile tears.
Truth be told, the three phantasmal species had their reasons for acting this way.
It wasn’t mere whining or stubbornness.
It was a sense of mission to protect Lloyd.
That feeling was what drove them.
‘Ppodo-dong, ppoding......’
In truth, pets understand their owners far better than people think.
For one simple reason.
They spend all day just watching their owner.
That was why the three phantasmal species knew Lloyd’s current state better than he did himself.
‘Bangul......’
In their eyes, Lloyd had been overdoing it lately.
He hadn’t slept properly for days.
Every waking moment was spent agonizing and experimenting.
Excessive immersion and chronic fatigue.
It had narrowed his field of vision.
His judgment was worse than usual too.
‘Hamang......’
So he needed to rest a little.
He needed a break from work, even briefly, to change his mood.
That was why the three phantasmal species dug in their heels and blocked his work.
They shook their little bottoms vigorously.
They rolled around with grunts and groans.
They licked the backs of his hands and his cheeks.
They wagged their tails flap-flap and stretched their stubby legs every which way.
They looked just like puppies throwing a tantrum to go for a walk.
That’s how they appeared in Lloyd’s eyes too.
The grunting, pleading forms of the three phantasmal species.
Suddenly, the fluffy friend from his past overlapped with them.
‘Gaeul.’
The puppy he’d raised as a child.
The friend who was gone now.
Perhaps that was why.
Unknowingly, Lloyd uttered the words he’d said every day back then.
“Then shall we go for a walk?”
“Ppoding!”
“Bangul!”
“Hamang!”
The three phantasmal species bobbed their round heads, puff-puff nodding.
Ppoding and Hamang celebrated their tactical victory with a high-five using their tiny hands.
Even Bangul, who had no hands, joined in with its plump tail thumping along.
“Man, is it that great?”
Watching them, he couldn’t help but smile wryly.
He scooped the three kids into his arms.
He left the blacksmith workshop.
He stepped out into the dark night streets.
‘Cold.’
It was the dockside in early winter.
This was no mere light breeze.
Lloyd raised the collar of his overcoat and looked down at his chest.
“You guys okay?”
“Ppo! Bang! Ha!”
The three phantasmal species in his inner pocket answered in unison.
Lloyd’s wry smile deepened.
“Hey? No matter how you look at it, this isn’t a walk, is it?”
“Ppo? Bang? Ha?”
“I’m the one walking, and you’re just riding along for free.”
“Ppoh? Baaang? Haa?”
“Oh ho. Playing dumb and tilting your heads, huh? That’s cute, right? Yeah, you’re cute. So cute. Jeez.”
At this rate, it felt like the kids were walking him.
Lloyd ended up chuckling dryly.
The three kids looking up at him with sparkling, imploring eyes.
Once again, his old dog’s face overlapped with theirs.
‘Gaeul did that too.’
It had been a white puppy with curly fur.
A poodle-maltese mix, they’d said.
His family was emigrating to America.
But they couldn’t take him along.
That’s what the person handing over Gaeul—who wasn’t even a year old yet—had said.
From that day, Gaeul became family.
It was back when Lloyd was in middle school.
He’d thought it would stay by his side forever.
Even during their daily walks.
Even during playtime with the ball.
Gaeul would often grunt and throw tantrums.
Especially when Lloyd was studying for exams.
He’d always put it off, saying “next time.”
“Next time we’ll play.”
“Next time we’ll go for a walk.”
“Sorry,” he’d say with a smile.
So he hadn’t realized.
That he couldn’t keep doing that forever.
That all those days would eventually pass, never to return.
‘I should’ve played more back then.’
He became a high schooler, then a college student.
Gaeul grew older alongside him.
Before he knew it, it had aged rapidly.
By the time he returned from military service, even walks were a struggle.
But he hadn’t paid much attention even then.
The huge shadow of debt hanging over the family.
That gloom had everyone struggling.
Those were grueling days.
He no longer had the energy to fuss over a little dog.
And so, in an early winter like this.
On a particularly clear mid-November afternoon.
Gaeul quietly crossed the rainbow bridge in its sleep.
Leaving him only with regrets for not caring more, not playing more.
‘Ah, damn. I didn’t want to think about it.’
It was a painful memory every time he recalled it.
He’d tried his best not to.
Yet here he was, dredging it up again. Burying the emotions once more, Lloyd walked the night streets.
Sometimes blowing on his hands against the cold wind, he chatted amiably with the three phantasmal species in his inner pocket.
Each time, Ppoding, Bangul, and Hamang’s eyes sparkled.
They smiled, savoring the joyful time.
Watching them, Lloyd thought. He reflected.
‘Maybe I’ve just been using these kids.’
Ppoding, Bangul, Hamang.
Before they were phantasmal species, they were beings who felt emotions with warm hearts.
But what had he been doing?
‘I only sought them out when I needed them.’
He’d treated them like tools.
Like construction equipment.
‘If I keep this up, it’s no different from the regrets I had after sending Gaeul away.’
He felt like he’d been selfish.
Caught between apology, reflection, and vows for the future, he clenched his fist.
That’s when he returned to the blacksmith workshop.
Ding-dong.
Suddenly, an unexpected message appeared before Lloyd’s eyes.
[The phantasmal species sense your sincerity.]
[The phantasmal species now regard you more warmly, as family.]
[Your bond level with owned phantasmal species has risen from [Liege-Retainer Relationship] to [Member of the Pack].]
‘Huh?’
It was a message he’d never even imagined.
And it didn’t end there.
Lloyd’s eyes busied themselves.
[New function unlocked due to phantasmal species bond level increase.]
[[Phantasmal Species Enhancement] function has been opened.]
[[Phantasmal Species Enhancement] requires 500 RP.]
[Through the [Phantasmal Species Enhancement] function, new skills can be equipped.]
[[Phantasmal Species Enhancement] cannot be undone once executed. Please proceed carefully.]
‘What the...... jackpot.’
Lloyd’s eyes grew wider and wider.
Phantasmal species enhancement.
Generating new skills.
He truly hadn’t known this was possible.
‘And it came from pausing my work to walk with them.’
Life’s full of surprises, as they say.
Sometimes the scenic route is the express lane.
‘Enhancement costing 500 RP, huh.’
I wonder what skill it’ll create.
Lloyd felt half-curious, half-excited.
His gaze turned to his inner pocket.
The three phantasmal species still wriggling inside.
He asked the ones looking up at him with black eyes.
“Hey, you guys.”
“Ppoding?”
“Bangul?”
“Hamang?”
“Hmm, did you guys feel it too? The message I read?”
“Ppo! Bang! Ha!”
The three phantasmal species nodded in unison.
Looks like they knew they could be enhanced.
And that wasn’t all.
“Bangul! Bbangul! Bangul!”
For some reason, Bangul’s eyes shone extra bright as it bounced up and down.
Like it was volunteering itself.
Or begging to be picked.
Like a baby bird chirping with its mouth open.
And that wasn’t all.
“Ppoding! Ppodo-dong!”
“Hamang! Hama-mang!”
Ppoding and Hamang lifted Bangul up in encouragement.
They hoisted it toward him like a trophy.
As if insisting he choose Bangul.
Lloyd asked, just in case.
“You guys think Bangul should be the one enhanced?”
“Ppo! Bang! Ha!”
“Then, can you sense what skill you’d get if enhanced?”
“Ppo! Bang! Ha!”
“What? Bangul will be a huge help this time?”
“Bangul!”
Bangul answered the last one itself.
“Bangul! Bbangul! Bangul!”
“Just trust and do it? No way you’ll lose out?”
“Bangul!”
Bangul nodded confidently.
Seeing that, Lloyd thought.
‘If Bangul’s that sure, maybe I can put some faith in it.’
That belief slowly grew.
Ppoding, Bangul, Hamang.
They had helped him countless times so far.
Always stepping up at the most crucial moments with the perfect role.
If these kids were recommending it so confidently, there had to be a reason.
So he decided to trust them.
‘Yeah, nothing to lose.’
It cost a whopping 500 RP.
But he had plenty saved up.
More than enough—overflowing, even.
‘Let’s do it.’
Worst case, he breaks even.
If it’s a good skill like they say, jackpot.
With that thought, Lloyd selected the ‘Phantasmal Species Enhancement’ menu.
Ding-dong.
[Activating Phantasmal Species Enhancement function.]
[Please select the phantasmal species to enhance.]
‘Bangul.’
He placed Bangul on his palm.
And selected it.
[The selected phantasmal species is ‘Bangul.’]
[Bangul enhancement cost: 500 RP]
[Current RP: 2401]
[Proceed with enhancement?]
[YES / NO]
‘Yeah.’
Lloyd nodded.
[Executing Phantasmal Species Enhancement.]
That’s when it began.
“Bangul?”
Whoooosh!
Bangul was enveloped in a transparent, mystical light.
After a moment.
The awaited message finally appeared.
[Bangul’s enhancement succeeded.]
[Enhancement stage: +1]
[A new skill has been generated as a reward for successful enhancement.]
[Bangul’s Owned Skill List]
[Dirt Gobbling (Lv. 3)]
[Dirt Digestion Acceleration (Lv. 3)]
[Steel Poop Discharge (Lv. 5)]
[Volcanic Eruption (Lv. 1)]
‘......What?’
Lloyd’s gaze, reading the message carefully.
It reached the final line.
‘Volcanic Eruption?’
His eyes filled with astonishment upon seeing the new skill’s name.