Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: White Shadow's Wetland (6)
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"...Huh?"
I could only gape like an idiot at the completely unexpected words.
There wasn't a hint of resentment in Sin Ju-yeon's gaze as she looked at me. All I sensed from her expression was pure admiration.
"Hey, Ju-yeon."
"Yeah?"
"...Never mind, it's nothing."
I'm sorry, you're not disappointed in me?, Are you really okay?
A barrage of words swirled in my mouth but got stuck in my throat, refusing to come out.
As I blankly stared at her sweat-drenched body, a sudden wave of embarrassment washed over me.
Her bra, half-torn off, left her ample breasts fully exposed, and the area around her panties clinging to her mound and her thighs were soaked in her juices.
"Can you move?"
"Honestly, I feel a bit weak all over."
Probably a side effect of resolving the aphrodisiac state. Yu-ra noona and Jeong Se-hee had been fine after sex, so it didn't make sense for Sin Ju-yeon, who was far fitter than them, to collapse after just one climax.
"Just sit tight for a bit. I'll tidy up, and then we'll head down."
The quest was cleared, but the area was still thick with white mist. If we stayed like this, she might slip back into heat.
I hurriedly pulled out a sleeping bag, draped it over Sin Ju-yeon, and stood up.
Good thing I'd brought an extra large bag for item storage just in case. I roughly stuffed her discarded armor and clothes into it and tossed it into my inventory.
After stowing her two spears as well, I approached her.
"Wrap your arms around my neck."
"You're gonna carry me down?"
"Just until you're feeling better."
"I'll be heavy..."
Sure, she was a bit taller than me and had a muscular build without an ounce of fat, but it wasn't beyond what I could handle. With my current strength, I could move a piano by myself, after all.
"Not uncomfortable?"
"It's fine."
This was a fresh experience in its own way. Holding her carefully, I descended the stairs step by step.
About thirty steps in, a loud noise echoed from above, and the light began to fade. The altar must have closed back up.
"Well, at least we got out."
"Yeah."
Sin Ju-yeon looked up at me with a fairly relaxed expression.
I couldn't make out her face clearly in the lantern light, but her eyes were definitely fixed on me.
"Are you okay, Seong-han?"
"Me? Why?"
"Well, I mean..."
I felt her squirming a little inside the sleeping bag. I'd thought I'd held her properly, but maybe it was uncomfortable after all.
"I feel bad that you had to touch a body like mine when you didn't even want to..."
"Pfft!"
"Whoa, careful!"
Damn. We'd barely escaped the trap, and now we almost tumbled down the stairs together like a happy couple heading to our doom.
I steadied my wobbling legs and regained my balance.
"What kind of talk is that all of a sudden?"
"I'm just... you know."
"Know what?"
"I'm tall for no good reason, all bulky muscle, and my skin isn't pale or smooth..."
Her voice trailed off smaller and smaller. I'd never even considered that angle, but surprisingly, Sin Ju-yeon had some insecurities about her body.
"You're pretty."
"Huh?"
"You're plenty pretty."
I kept my eyes forward and spoke without emotion, not wanting it to come off as lame consolation.
"It shows how hard you've worked. Guys struggle to build bodies like yours."
"Still..."
"Last time at the cafe, I thought you were a model when I saw you. With your natural height and using a spear? Perfect match. Way better than my half-assed build."
...That came out weird. Even with Bright Mirror Still Water active, it didn't make my head smarter.
"Hee."
A faint tremor came through my arms. She was probably stifling a laugh.
With the mood lightened, I offered my apology too.
"Sorry about that. Even if it was urgent and you gave permission, I shouldn't have groped you like that."
Not sure it even counted as real permission. She must have had her reason intact, but her head definitely wasn't in a normal state.
"If I hadn't insisted on coming in..."
Thinking about it left a bitter taste. She'd volunteered to mentor me to look out for me, only to get hit with this mess out of nowhere.
"Why are you sorry?"
"Huh?"
"All sorts of crazy things happen while clearing dungeons. We both came out unscathed—no injuries. That's a win."
"No, but still."
"One trap I hit before demanded I cut off a finger as tribute."
"That's insane."
The curse slipped out automatically. A finger? Cutting off a chunk of your own living flesh while sane is no joke.
"How do you even handle traps like that?"
"How? One party member chops it off. Regrow it with an expensive potion after clearing."
"What about worse than a finger?"
"Never happened to me, but... probably."
Hearing that made me understand why she was treating what happened earlier as just a minor hiccup. Like she said, escaping with limbs intact was something to be grateful for.
"Plus, honestly..."
"Yeah?"
"...Nothing."
It sounded like she mumbled something after, but it was too quiet to catch. Probably not important.
"We're down."
The stairs ended while we chatted. Straight ahead was a straight-shot corridor.
"Detect anything?"
"Door up ahead."
"Again?"
"No way there's a trap on the escape route. There it is."
The corridor wasn't long; the lantern lit up the end right away. It looked like a plain wooden door, not the iron one from before.
'It's open?'
A light kick on the handle, and it swung inward without resistance. I hugged Sin Ju-yeon tighter, turned sideways, and shouldered the door open.
"...What's this place?"
"Hideout? Lab? Something like that."
A few rickety pieces of furniture and bookshelves lining one wall.
Just like she said, it had the vibe of a secret study.
"All dressed."
The rustling and metallic clicks stopped. Sin Ju-yeon, back in her full armor, stretched her limbs out.
"Want the spears now?"
"Nah? They'd just get in the way here."
She shook her head, saying it was fine, then suddenly asked as if something occurred to her.
"By the way, Seong-han."
"Yeah?"
"How good is your storage skill to hold that much stuff?"
"...Huh?"
"You said it was like two or three backpacks' worth, right? But the tent, boat, my armor, and spears all fit."
"Uh, well."
I've thought it before, but she's sharp. Beyond just being smart—it felt innate.
As I pondered how to dodge, she waved it off.
"Not prying, just curious. No need to spill everything about your skills."
"Well..."
I mumbled vaguely as she rummaged through the room, continuing.
"A supporter's storage skill with that much space is a huge merit. Makes the main squad's life easier. Handy for mining gigs too."
"Mining gigs?"
"After the main team clears monsters, specialists farm the drops behind. Profitable at low levels, and safest."
"Might try that sometime."
Pay aside, it'd be good experience. Money wasn't an issue with coin copying and a sponsor like Jeong Se-hee.
'...Though Se-hee noona isn't exactly my wallet.'
Maybe because of what Im Yu-ha told me, it nagged at me. After this run, I should carve out time for a serious talk.
"This looks valuable."
"What'd you find?"
Sin Ju-yeon dragged a large box out from a corner.
Peeking inside revealed brick-shaped metal ingots. About ten?
'Scan.'
<Adamantite Ingot>
Refined pure adamantite.
Ten times heavier than iron of the same volume, boasting top-tier hardness among metals.
"It's adamantite."
"...W-what?! Adamantite?!"
Sin Ju-yeon practically jumped out of her skin. Guess rare material drops like this pop up in dungeons sometimes.
"Good stuff?"
"Not just good—impossible to buy! Main dealers and tanks go nuts for it!"
"Sounds pricey then."
"Pricey doesn't cover it... Hoo."
She grunted, lifting one ingot with both hands. Ten times iron's weight? No joke.
"If it's pure adamantite, this one's worth ten times a gold bar this size."
"Ten times gold?"
How much was that? I activated Guidebook, and details popped up instantly.
'Size... about the same as a gold bar.'
Standard international gold bars were around 12kg each. There were exactly 13 ingots here. If one was worth ten gold bars...
"Guh?!"
"W-what's wrong?"
Was this for real? A rough calculation choked me.
"J-Ju-yeon."
With trembling fingers, I pointed at the ingot she held.
"That one's... at least 28 billion..."
"Eek!"
Bam!
Startled, Sin Ju-yeon dropped it. We just stared at each other, too stunned to react to the noise.
"...Let's search the rest."
"...Yeah."
Fortune or not, nothing else special turned up. Was this the quest reward?
After ransacking the room in a daze, reality hit: how to carry these out?
'Inventory can hold 'em, but weight's the issue.'
Two supply backpacks filled, minus tent/camping set and boat, left six slots.
Inventory required me to lift the weight. Trying the whole box would snap something for sure.
"How many kilos per one?"
"Not too much for two hands."
"Yeah?"
Easy enough solo. With her help stacking, three was my limit.
"We'll manage."
Strapped three per slot for four slots, last one crammed in a backpack. Two slots left—safe.
We even ate here. Timing was right, and fights awaited outside.
"Passage behind the bookshelf."
"Wild."
Calming our excitement, we exited into the forest clearing. Unlike other zones, no fog—just open space.
[Quest completed.]
[Rewards: 2 Random Boxes granted.]
As Sin Ju-yeon fully exited the passage behind me, two palm-sized boxes materialized on the ground. She got hers too.
"This must be the real reward."