#11 An Incredibly Sweet Fragrance
It was an intriguing statement. Kang-ho fixed his gaze on her. Her appearance was identical to that of a human woman. Slender lines, perhaps—that sleek figure and sharp jawline caught the eye first. Her large, sparkling eyes were framed by a dress-like garment in a soft pink hue. Her long, flowing golden hair cascaded down her back; if she were human, she would have been hailed as a stunning beauty.
"Choi Kang-ho."
Kang-ho spoke in a low, even tone—not too high, not too low.
[Is that a name?]
Kang-ho nodded, and the fairy replied cautiously.
[I'm Johanna.]
He could sense that the fairy who had introduced herself as Johanna was wary of him, so Kang-ho deliberately took a step back. Her tension visibly eased a little.
She could communicate. That was promising.
[...]
Johanna asked tentatively once more.
[Is this Silver White Fang the guardian deity of this area?]
"Silver White Fang, huh. First time I've heard that one. Guardian deity... hmm."
Kang-ho scratched his head.
"For now, she's just a little kid who's only a few days old."
Nng!
Seol-a tilted her head up, watching Kang-ho with amusement as he spoke, then let out another nng!
[Ah...?]
Johanna's eyes widened in surprise. Seol-a looked like a child clinging to her father or a loyal dog devoted to its master.
Kang-ho asked, "Where are you from?"
[Toon World's Fairy Tale...]
Toon World. Fairy Tale.
Dungeons hinted at other worlds each time. Otherworlds undoubtedly existed. The intelligent beings that occasionally emerged from them proved it, and three such otherworlds had been confirmed so far. One of Kang-ho's old comrades had even been from an otherworld.
But Toon World? He'd never heard of it in his life.
As Kang-ho pondered this, Johanna continued.
[A few days ago... my territory, which I'd been granted, suddenly turned into a dungeon. When I came to, I was in this unfamiliar world...]
"What's Toon World's Fairy Tale like?"
[Toon World is the fairy realm. Fairy Tale is the kingdom of the land fairy clan.]
"Oh ho. And those land fairies there—can they talk?"
[No.]
"Then?"
Johanna looked at Kang-ho. Her eyes met his and held for a long moment. A flicker of hesitation appeared in her gaze. Reading it, Kang-ho took another step back and plopped down on the ground.
"You don't have to say if you don't want to."
Johanna glanced between Kang-ho and Seol-a before speaking softly.
[...I'm the fourth princess of the land fairy clan.]
"Princess?"
[Yes.]
"Is that common?"
[With only four, it might be common...]
"Four, huh."
That explained why he'd never encountered one before. Spotting fairies was incredibly rare to begin with, and most were devoured by monsters before humans could find them. In other words, high-level fairies capable of real communication were that scarce.
[I've heard stories of 'dungeonization' before... but experiencing it myself, I never imagined it could be this despairing.]
Dungeonization. It seemed to refer to the phenomenon of otherworlds crashing into this one.
Kang-ho nodded first.
"An honor to meet someone of such noble standing."
Johanna asked cautiously again.
[And this Silver White Fang...]
"Her name's Seol-a. She's family."
Kiiing!
Seol-a looked up at Kang-ho with wide, sparkling eyes. She soon broke into a beaming smile and licked his cheek. She seemed to love the word "family," just like Furball.
Kang-ho hugged the fluffy Seol-a close. Her soft, abundant fur radiated warmth. Born in an icy world, Seol-a brimmed with vibrant life and heat.
[Oh my...!]
Johanna recoiled in shock at the sight.
"......"
[I-in our kingdom... we revere White Fangs as guardian deities.]
"Oh ho."
In fact, there were religions on Earth that deified fantasy beast monsters. It wasn't so strange in that light.
Ah. That makes sense.
Only then did Kang-ho recall how fairies had always been unusually friendly toward Seolhwa in the past. Even the wary ones had shown goodwill around her. If this was the background, it all clicked.
[They're beings who save us fairies in times of danger. Kind, purely benevolent souls.]
Kang-ho silently met Johanna's eyes and nodded as if in understanding.
"I see."
[But among them, Silver White Fangs are incredibly rare and special. I've only ever seen one once.]
Silver White Fang. It seemed to be the name for a White Fang subspecies.
Subspecies existed in the monster world too. They evolved over generations, becoming more refined, more powerful. They usually had distinctive traits. First, coloration—their fur or hide stood out sharply from their kin. Second, personality differences. Third, gaps in potential and special abilities. And so on.
Sometimes odd eyes appeared, or sizes ballooned two or three times larger. Or they shrank, conversely.
[They possess exceptional combat prowess and are fiercely aggressive.]
Johanna's words rang true. Kang-ho had suspected Seol-a was a subspecies himself, so he nodded.
"Spot on. But to me, she's just Seol-a."
Seol-a nng-nnged up at Kang-ho. He looked down at her and stroked her head.
"Hungry, huh, little one? Wanna go eat?"
Kiiing! Kiiing!
Seeing Seol-a nod eagerly, Johanna murmured in disbelief.
[And yet... no one could ever get close to them...]
The majestic Silver White Fang before her eyes resembled an innocent puppy. The fierce figure that had stood against those mountain-sized monsters moments ago was nowhere to be seen.
Johanna stared at Seol-a for a moment, then bowed deeply to Kang-ho.
[P-please, Absolute One.]
"Absolute One?"
[T-to us, someone who treats a guardian deity so casually can only be an absolute being.]
Kang-ho gave a wry smile. He'd known at a glance from their ragged state. They were refugees fleeing a dungeon turned monster buffet.
"Nowhere to go, huh? Lost your dungeon?"
[Yes...]
Johanna flushed with shame.
[Our fairy stones... taken by monsters three days ago. We haven't eaten a single meal since. If this continues, our clan ends here...]
Her eyes fell on the glass jar in Kang-ho's hand, filled with gathered mash flower pollen. Drool slipped out unbidden.
Johanna wiped her mouth in panic, but her hunger was so intense that a loud gurgle echoed everywhere.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Johanna and her land fairy group were holding a pollen party in Kang-ho's log cabin. Coating themselves head to toe in pollen was one of their ways to recharge.
Once they'd recovered somewhat, life returned to Johanna's face. Her skin gleamed with luster, her clothes sparkled—she finally looked the part of a proper fairy.
[Th-thank you so much, Absolute One!]
"......"
Kang-ho scratched his head.
[And Silver White Fang!]
Kiiing—
Seol-a yawned lazily, smacking her lips, oblivious to the fuss.
Kang-ho broached the topic gently.
"There's a land fairy dungeon around here. One I'm managing."
[R-really?]
Johanna's eyes widened.
"If you want, you can stay there."
Lost fairies or those whose nests were destroyed were always welcome.
Kang-ho led Johanna and her group to the orchard.
[Ah?]
In that instant, Johanna's eyes bulged like a bull's.
[Aaah!]
She bolted toward the far side of the dungeon, dropping to her knees before a massive fairy stone and bursting into sobs.
[Waaaah, how is this here? It wasn't eaten!]
"......"
Suddenly, Kang-ho recalled Cheol-bae's words.
—Found a land fairy dungeon the other day, but it was already a buffet. Stripped clean, only snagged the fairy stone.
So that's what happened.
Everything clicked into place. What a bizarre coincidence. Or not even that—without Seol-a, they would've been Titanoboa snacks. No encounter, no knowledge of a fairy princess.
Kang-ho watched as land fairies gathered around Johanna. They bowed deeply upon recognizing her. Johanna chattered excitedly to her subjects, pointing at Kang-ho and Seol-a. The assembled fairies bowed repeatedly in all directions.
They really loved bowing.
"Like it?"
[Thank you, Absolute One!]
Johanna's face mixed joy and sorrow.
[If only we'd met you sooner... so many of my people could have survived. How can we ever repay such mercy?]
Kang-ho crouched to meet her eyes.
"Glad it's worked out."
He smiled wryly. He knew exactly what she was thinking, the sense of loss she carried. Those who survived in a world where the weak were prey shared that understanding.
"This place is safe. Rest easy."
[Uu... th-thank you. Truly, thank you.]
Johanna bowed repeatedly before surveying the dungeon.
[But... what do you do here?]
"Ah, farming, I guess."
Kang-ho beckoned her closer.
"Relax. Don't just kneel there."
Johanna, still kneeling and listening intently, jolted in shock once more. Tears streamed as she trembled with emotion.
[Such boundless mercy!]
"......"
She was moved by the oddest things. Kang-ho cleared his throat and spoke again.
"I only want one thing: for the crops here to thrive. Beyond that, live as you please."
Johanna wiped her tears and nodded.
[Don't worry about that, Absolute One.]
"Huh?"
With a resolute expression, Johanna soared high into the air. The flutter of wings echoed, and she reached the dungeon's ceiling. Spreading her arms wide...
"......!"
Shaaa—
In that moment, the ambient power of the fairy stone amplified across the dungeon. It felt at least double as potent.
What the?
It had to be Johanna's ability. Kang-ho confirmed grass sprouting slowly but surely from the ground.
My goodness.
Shaaaa—
Soon after, Johanna wobbled back down, looking drained.
[It's... not much yet, but that's my specialty.]
Kang-ho chuckled dryly at her.
"Impressive."
[Nothing compared to you, Absolute One.]
"What's your power?"
[My ability is 'Power of the Earth,' which amplifies my clan's strength. It's the royal bloodline's symbol. All life growing from the land can't resist it.]
Such an extraordinary power, yet her combat skills were abysmal. What an unbalanced species.
"Sad that someone with such ability can't protect herself."
Johanna's eyes saddened at Kang-ho's words.
[In Fairy Tale, we wouldn't have been so helpless. Fairies there are strong. But this land... lacks Fairy Tale's grand fairy stone. Our power weakens without it.]
Suddenly.
"Hm?"
An incredibly sweet fragrance wafted past his nose. Kang-ho turned instinctively.
Over there. From the Ability Fruit grove.