Chapter 480: A Step Forward
Chapter 480: A Step Forward
I left Paulson where he was to keep him safe and quickly swam forward.
After all, as long as I used Holy Ground Proclamation, the monsters would only target me.
It pained me to be separated, even for a moment, but this was the safest way.
“Hmph. A bunch of worthless creatures, getting cocky. You’d think they’d pick their fights more carefully, even for aggressive monsters. It’s a pain to deal with every single one of them. Don’t you agree, Paulson?”
My job levels had risen tremendously during that time, and I'd reached a point where I could handle most monsters with just my Martial Artist and Assassin skills.
Since my job levels were so low to begin with, they rose quickly.
Of course, once I reached a certain point, my growth slowed dramatically, but it was still a drastic change compared to when I first started drifting.
Thanks to the significant increase in my job levels, my stats had shot up as well. By combining that with my Saint skills, wiping out the monsters was a quick affair.
“…Paulson? Where are you, Paulson?”
I finished off the monsters in no time and immediately returned to where I’d been, but Paulson was nowhere in sight.
That can’t be! I made sure no monsters could get near him!
I frantically looked around and saw Paulson caught on a piece of protruding terrain up ahead.
Right. The surface.
In fact, ever since I made Paulson, I’d started sleeping on the surface.
I couldn't bring myself to put Paulson in my inventory, even when I slept, but leaving him beside me was too risky.
So, I set up a tent on the surface and had been sleeping inside it.
My Martial Artist and Assassin levels had risen quite a bit, so I figured I could fight back if any plant-type monsters attacked.
Whether by chance or because the tent wasn't considered a living creature, I hadn't been attacked by a single plant monster the entire time.
Thanks to that, I no longer drifted far away in my sleep, which meant my journey toward the entrance had accelerated even more.
This was all possible because I'd made Paulson.
In short: all hail Paulson.
“Haa… what the hell, Paulson. You scared me.”
In any case, I let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Paulson caught on the surface and quickly swam toward him.
But as I got closer to the surface, what I thought was land suddenly swelled up and lunged at me.
What?! A plant that can camouflage itself?!
Panicked, I struggled, but the more I thrashed, the tighter the plant’s vines wrapped around my body.
But that wasn't what was important right now.
The movement of the plant monster had sent Paulson—my only companion—drifting far away.
“No! Paulson! Ugh! Let go! Dammit! Paulson! Paulsooon!”
No matter how desperately I called his name, no matter how frantically I struggled, the plant monster held me fast, and Paulson drifted further and further away.
“Paulson! Paulsooon! Paulson! I'm sorry! Sob. Hk. I'm sorry, Paulson!”
Feeling tears stream down my cheeks, all I could do was cry out his name.
And finally, Paulson disappeared from view, sinking into the depths.
“Grrrk! You fiend! This is for Paulson!”
Having failed to save him, I resolved to tear the plant monster wrapped around me to shreds.
So what if my Saint skills don't work? So what if my physical attacks are useless? What does it matter?!
You can’t hurt me either!
Let's see who gives up first!
I pulled the knife for harvesting Magic Stones from my inventory and swung it hard at the monster.
My job levels may have risen, but a harvesting knife wasn't meant for combat.
It was obvious this would be a long fight, but burning with vengeance, I didn't care.
A considerable amount of time passed, with neither of us able to land a truly effective blow on the other.
Of course, the damage it had taken was a bit more severe than mine, but not by much.
However, there was one crucial difference between us.
It had to eat me to get nutrients, whereas I could just pull food out of my inventory.
That difference decided our battle.
Perhaps realizing it couldn't eat me, the creature released its grip on my body, as if to say we should call it a day.
It must have thought that since I couldn't land a decisive blow either, I would just leave if it let me go.
But I couldn't do that. I will always avenge a friend.
Instead of moving away, I used my freed limbs to attack it even more fiercely.
I’m not going anywhere until I see you die.
And after a battle that lasted for hours, I finally managed to kill it.
Now just a corpse, its body was easy to pierce with my harvesting knife. After carving out its Magic Stone, I clasped my hands together and prayed.
“Paulson. I've avenged you. May you rest in peace.”
After finishing my prayer, exhausted from the long struggle, I fell unconscious.
How long was I out?
For some reason, I felt incredible.
It was a refreshing feeling I hadn't experienced in a long time, as if my entire body was overflowing with vitality.
I may have passed out, but had I really slept long enough to feel this good?
No. But this feeling… and this sensation from down below…
It can't be. There's no way, right? I'm inside the dungeon, drifting all alone.
Just meeting another person would be a miracle, so how could that be happening inside the dungeon?
It would be more plausible to think there was a plant monster that did this.
I mean, I’d run into a clothes-stripping plant monster before.
…And it does feel like my armor and everything else is off right now.
Ugh… thinking about it like that makes me really not want to open my eyes.
Even as I thought that, the sensation in my lower body still felt ecstatic.
Sure, I've been pent up for a while, but to feel this good from a monster… It’s humiliating.
I really didn't want to confirm what was happening down there, but I couldn't just stay like this forever.
I steeled myself and slowly opened my eyes.
…Huh? No. Is this for real?
The scene before me was one I couldn't believe even as I was seeing it.
A beautiful woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and an intelligent face. On top of that, she was well-endowed with a fantastic body, and she was grinding her hips on top of me.
And I knew exactly who this woman was.
Right. The guild's mascot. The woman called an idol by all the male adventurers. It was our receptionist, Rachel.
Tears were streaming down her face, but she was moving her hips on top of me with incredible fervor.
…Wait. Hold on. I can't make sense of this situation.
I was finally feeling the human warmth I'd longed for, but it was so sudden that I couldn't process any emotion.
“Hic! Guwon! Are you awake?!”
Noticing I’d opened my eyes, Rachel pressed her mask against mine as if headbutting me and cried out in a voice thick with tears.
“Y-Yeah… I guess…”
Still unable to grasp what was going on, I trailed off with a vague answer.
Oops. Things have been awkward with her lately, and now I react like this the moment I wake up…
But she paid no mind to my reaction. A wide smile spread across her tear-soaked face as she pulled me into a tight embrace.
And the hips that had been moving so intensely just moments before finally came to a stop.
Ugh. Rachel. If you suddenly hug me like this…
“Thank goodness! Sob! I'm so… so glad! I… I was so afraid something had happened to you… that I'd never see you again… not after we parted so awkwardly…!”
Her heartfelt words made my chest ache.
Did she… like me this much?
I felt like such an idiot for not knowing how to react when she hugged me.
I moved my arms, which had been awkwardly suspended in the air, and wrapped them tightly around her.
“…I’m sorry, Rachel.”
“No! No! Just seeing you alive… is enough for me…!”
As if to make up for how consciously awkward I’d been, I tightened my embrace.
Somehow, my mind felt clearer.
Right. Remember what the girls said.
They said that if suppressing my own feelings became painful, they would acknowledge it as a necessary act.
I had been agonizing over how to treat Rachel for so long.
I had met the condition my girls had set a long, long time ago.
I had just been forcefully suppressing my feelings because I didn't want to betray them when they cared so much for me.
But that ends now.
Seeing Rachel like this, I knew I couldn't keep pushing down my own feelings anymore.
Of course, just because I’d made up my mind didn't mean Rachel and I could get together right away.
We hadn't even clearly conveyed our feelings to each other, and I still needed to get permission from my girls.
And most importantly, Rachel herself might not accept the condition of being a concubine.
I couldn't be sure if I could overcome all those obstacles and end up with Rachel.
But what mattered was that I had decided to stop lying to myself.
“Rachel. I like you.”
“Yes! Guwon! I also… wait? What? Guwon? Wh-What did you just say…?”
Overcome with emotion, Rachel had been crying, but she nodded without thinking. Then her brain finally caught up to what I'd said, and she asked again in a daze.
The tears that had been pouring down her face stopped instantly. She must have been incredibly flustered.
“I love you, Rachel.”
“Wha?! B-But…”
Honestly, I expected her to be so happy she'd cry, but surprisingly, Rachel's expression turned somber.
No. Even in the one-in-a-million chance she didn't like me, isn't it strange for her to look so down?
“…Guwon. You're just confused because it's been so long since you've seen another person. You don't really like me. You're just happy to see someone after all this time.”
Ah… I see. Right. A guy who'd been acting so awkward with her right before he entered the dungeon suddenly confesses his love at a time like this. I guess this reaction makes sense.
Even I had to admit the timing was terrible.
But I had finally decided to be honest with my own heart.
I had no intention of backing down this easily.
“Then will you accept my confession if I ask you again once we're back on the surface?”
“What? B-But… Guwon. Snap out of it. You have…”
“Yes. I know. It’s complicated. But Rachel, I’m being serious right now. This isn't some misunderstanding. I’ve liked you for a long, long time. So please, Rachel. For now, forget all those complicated things and focus on just one thing. Be honest and tell me. When I confessed that I liked you, what did you think?”
“W-Well, that’s…”
“Rachel.”
“…I was happy. Because I… I love you too, Guwon…”
Her large eyes darted back and forth as she hesitated for a long time in response to my question. But in the end, Rachel looked me straight in the eye and gave me her answer.
“Phew. That’s a relief. Then you won’t turn me down next time I confess.”
“Hic!”
When she heard my smiling reply, she burst into tears again and hugged me tightly.
I summoned a small wind spirit to create air bubbles around our faces, then took off my mask and kissed her on the lips.
“Mmm… haa… G-Guwon…”
Even after the kiss ended, Rachel gazed at me from up close, as if wanting more.
I felt the same way, but we couldn't stay here like this forever.
Now that I’d decided to be honest with my feelings, I could act on them after we got out of here.
“Rachel. I know this is late to ask, but.”
“Yes? What is it?”
At my serious tone, her voice was a little sweeter than usual as she replied.
“What exactly is going on right now?”
“You’re really asking that now?!”
Hey, I warned you. I said I was asking now.