Memoir (4): Manaral Water and the Mirage Castle
What Paster handed me was unmistakably Manaral Water. Not just any Manaral Water, but the kind so cold that moisture beaded on its surface. The pure mana inside the bottle proved it beyond doubt. I'd been drinking Manaral Water since I was a kid—no way I'd mistake it. This was the real deal.
Ordinary people could never get their hands on it. Even most awakeners were lucky to have one sip a year, and only high-rankers could manage a mouthful during a dungeon raid. So how the hell did an F-rank like Paster have something this premium? He'd mentioned Ska Rate, so maybe it came from her. But handing it over to me just like that? So casually? What the actual fuck was this guy?
I had no idea how much backing he got from the Rate family or Ska Rate herself, but from now on, I couldn't treat him like some average F-rank awakener. Standing there in this scorching dungeon where the mana itself boiled, casually offering up Manaral Water as fresh as if it'd just come out of a fridge. Holding the rank of scout leader at Liar's Trap—on paper, that put him on the same level as a team leader. Things no ordinary F-rank could pull off, Paster did without batting an eye.
Which meant he wasn't just any F-rank. He had to be an F-rank who was insanely good at night work! The infamous Ska Rate—fierce as fire, bored with everything in a blink—had kept him tucked under her arm since academy days. Paster had to be a master of the craft. The pinnacle of bedroom skills. The king of sex...!
His face was handsome, sure, but I hadn't thought it'd hook an S-rank heir from the prestigious Rate family that hard. Put it down to killer night game, though, and the puzzle pieces started snapping together. Right—I'd heard once they were childhood friends. Over ten years of history. Plenty of time to mold a hot guy into her perfect plaything.
Yeah. Paster was Ska Rate's one-and-only custom sex friend. Realizing that felt like stepping into some dark truth I wasn't supposed to know. No way I'd blab about it. But if things ever soured with the Rate family, it could make a hell of a social weapon.
Paster was the type to toss priceless Manaral Water to a near-stranger without much chit-chat. Big-hearted, or maybe just blinded by Ska Rate's skirts and clueless about the world. Either way, I'd gotten the Manaral Water from him, fact. As a Julie family member, I couldn't let that slide. Once we nailed this op and got out, I'd repay him handsomely. Mulling over gift ideas, I brought the long-dreamed-of Manaral Water to my lips—
"Ah, let's hurry, Paster. We can't be late because of us."
"Huh? Yeah, sure."
The sudden assemble order hit, and I grabbed Paster's wrist, breaking into a run. I could've dashed there in one leap if I pushed it, but no way an F-rank like him could keep up. So I matched his pace. First time grabbing a guy's wrist who wasn't family. First time syncing speed with someone. Never imagined I'd do this crap, but he'd handed over the one Manaral Water in this frozen hellhole without hesitation. A little consideration was the least I could do.
His wrist was surprisingly thick. Wonder if down there is too? Ska Rate into beefy guys?
Letting my imagination run wild with a dirty twist, we reached the spot. No Kingdom of Fire in sight—just the same barren red wasteland we'd trekked. What the—? Were they messing with us?
Irritation flared; I dropped Paster's wrist to chew them out—when Team Leader Exy Train stepped in, blocking me from the team.
"Hold up! Why're you revving up again? If you're gonna flip, at least hear us out first!"
"Hear what?"
"Here, check this first."
Exy Train snapped her fingers to calm me down. A streak of mana wind shot from her fingertip into empty air. The transparent green gust sliced through, hitting distant heat haze—and whoosh! Flames roared as a rift cracked open in the haze. Through that tiny split, I glimpsed a massive fiery castle unfurling.
"That's..."
"See? That's the Kingdom of Fire—no awakener who's entered this dungeon ever reached it. Hidden like that, no wonder. Or maybe they got lucky, found it, and never made it back."
Exy Train's serious add-on cooled my rising anger. Protecting F-rank Paster so far meant zero real action for me. My only contribution: keeping the team from scattering with cold air. Resentment had built, spilling onto innocent Paster. But after the Manaral Water from him and now facing the boss room 'Kingdom of Fire,' it all melted away. I could finally shine there.
All dungeons fell into two types. Ones packed with high-level mobs in huge numbers but weaker bosses. Or low-level, sparse mobs but brutal bosses. Our S-rank 'Kingdom of Fire' was the latter. That's why only mid-A-rank Flame Giants spawned. The boss fight would be fiercer, tougher than anything Second Team had faced.
Which meant I was essential here. Babysitting F-rank Paster ended now.
Sorry to Paster for the Manaral Water, but the exit got swallowed by flames from that Flame Giant army clash en route. His only way out: destroy the dungeon. After the fight, when someone asked, 'So where's the exit? We gotta get Paster out!' Exy Train went, 'The exit? Oh, that was probably... whoops. Collapsed from the battle aftermath. Oopsie.' I nearly lost it. Paster himself stayed chill as ever.
Anyway, ditching protection duty for boss raid helped him too. No Flame Giants for over three hours since the last clash—their all-out assault, probably. Plus, Paster wore top-tier heat-resistant suit from Liar's Trap's Dr. Emme. He wouldn't roast alone while we fought the boss.
So leaving him solo was fine. Not because I craved the spotlight to prove my S-rank worth. No way. Just... couldn't risk being absent. Right? Removing the danger itself was safest.
Decision made, I strode up to Team Leader Exy Train. "Team Leader, I can join this time, right?"
"Duh. We need you for this one."
Yes! I secretly clenched a fist, cheering inwardly. Sorry, Paster—but this got him home safe too. No choice.
"Alright, briefing time!"
Yeah. No choice.
※
"Got it? If the boss is a big brute, Formation A. Medium or small, Formation B. Dodge clashes, just draw aggro. Lapis Julie and I will blast it down quick. With two S-ranks, raid should be cake."
Exy Train was spot-on. Deploying two S-ranks for conquest over destruction was overkill.
"Though destruction might change things."
Our endgame: shatter the S-rank Kingdom of Fire. Post-boss, the dungeon core—rejecting destruction—would spawn a Dungeon Lord pillar beast with all its might. We'd fight that too.
Ska Rate soloed the Glacier Dragon—S-rank Dungeon Lord tier. She torched that off-the-charts disaster with off-the-charts power, earning her S-rank title that day.
If Ska Rate could, so could I. I repeated the mantra I'd harbored since academy.
If the Rate heir could, the Julie heir should handle it with ease. So crushing the Kingdom of Fire's Dungeon Lord? Obvious. Ska Rate did it.
With that, I told Exy Train confidently. "Don't worry. Whatever comes, I'll freeze it solid."
She stared blankly, then chuckled. "Hah! Yeah, if even all of us charging can't handle it, we'll hitch a ride on our genius maknae bus."
"...Sure. Anytime."
"Sweet! Time to roast the bastard making this sauna hell!"
Waaaaaah!!!!
Final words done, Exy Train's morale boost complete, we formed up before the boss room entry.
But in my peripheral, amid the raid team... someone who didn't belong.
"Wait—what's Paster doing in formation!?"
He'd slotted in so naturally I almost missed it. Everyone shot me 'what're you on about?' looks. Exy Train answered again.
"'Cause Paster's a key Second Team member. Gotta go in, right?"
"It's the boss room! Dangerous!"
"Not that danger—eh, whatever. You won't get it."
"Damn right! How could I? An F-rank here defies logic!"
"Hmm..."
She pondered my obvious point, muttering something incomprehensible like 'We raid the boss room, pull out, fetch him after—should be fine?' Then met my eyes and nodded.
"Fine! We'll leave Paster here! No more endless debates—we're all beat. Cool, Paster?"
"I'm good, but... you sure, Team Leader?"
"I'll ping if shit hits. Fine!"
"Then whatever. Your call."
"Done! Paster confirmed. Per Lapis Julie, he waits here!"
"...Good call."
Treating the obvious like charity irked me, but smooth choice sans boss-room drama showed basic leadership chops. Still, I'd amp those petitions x500 back home. No action now changed that. Short of dramatic life-saving, my legit gripes were locked in.
Feeling the blade of perfectly severed personal vendetta sharpen in my chest, I took my spot in the Paster-free formation.
"Alright... real entry time, team!"
Waaaaaah!!!!
With a mighty roar, we charged the Kingdom of Fire, hidden in colorless haze. As tradition demanded—jump entry for boss rooms—we leaped in sync.