Chapter 43

The giant slayer's corpse turned gray and soon turned to ashes and disappeared.

"Huh."

"Excellent work, my lord."

"Thanks. Tina, you did a great job too."

Although I invested stats, there was still some unease because Elemental Arrow is a 3-star skill.

I was worried that the damage might not be enough, but fortunately, it was just right.

- Mastering Elemental Mastery must have helped a lot. Phew. It's a relief that it's over so quickly.

'Yeah, if that thing had survived and Phase 2 had been triggered... Oh, it would have crawled all over the ceiling and walls like crazy. It would have taken a lot of time to catch it.'

- Is the time the problem? Just thinking about it makes me dizzy, so let's stop the dirty descriptions, please. That's my wish.

'No, in Soul Mode, even if that thing had attacked, it wouldn't have been able to harm you.'

- It's not a physical issue, man. It's a deep-seated aversion from the DNA level. Anyway, let's stop talking about this and collect the loot first.

'No. Let's do that a bit later. First, let's go over there.'

- Huh?

Surprisingly, Carpé moved towards where Hanjo was.

"It's not right to collect items first when a party member is not in good condition."

- ...Huh.

The Cheonma looked at Carpé with a face that clearly said, "Did I hear that right?"

- The legendary item ghost Carpé is prioritizing a party member over loot?

"I'm not going to run away just because I check the loot later. What do you take me for?"

- Wow, 'our child has changed' is actually possible. I don't usually cry, but... I might cry?

"You must have been startled by the bug. Oh, by the way, there's no need to collect it directly."

Mokhyang's skill, 'Collection Instinct.'

A skill that automatically collects items around the player and stores them in the inventory, the best loot skill!

Carpé said to Mokhyang, who was sneaking up on Baegol, while looking at her.

"Hyang."

"Quo?"

"Is your inventory empty? Can you go pick up some items over there? I'll give you an acorn if you bring them all back."

"Quo!"

Mokhyang saluted with her short front paws and trotted over to where the boss monster's corpse was.

Carpé chuckled at the sight.

"When did you learn that?"

Tina, who had already returned to doll mode, answered Carpé's mutter.

"I taught her. I thought Hyang, as your knight, should know etiquette."

"Really?"

"Yes. She learns quickly, so it's rewarding to teach her. She will surely become an excellent knight."

It didn't really matter if she didn't become a knight, but saying that would disappoint Tina, so he just nodded.

"Grk."

Hanjo, who had regained consciousness, suddenly bowed deeply as Carpé approached.

"I showed a poor face. I will surely make up for this."

"No, it's nothing..."

If Hanjo had forced a boss raid and this had happened, it would have been a pretty toxic story, but since Carpé had suggested the boss raid, it didn't bother him.

But perhaps because he had cut off his words, Hanjo seemed to think Carpé was angry and started to babble excuses.

"I... I was bitten by a spider when I was young."

"Huh? A spider? Are there venomous spiders in Korea?"

"Um? I'm American, though?"

"Really?"

"Yes. I've been in Korea for two years, but I'm definitely American."

"..."

An American in Korea, playing a ninja-themed game?

What a bizarre hybrid...

"Anyway, the spider wasn't very venomous, but the problem was that I had an unknown venom allergy."

"Oh."

I've heard of that before.

There are people who show allergic reactions when bitten or stung by venomous insects.

I think it was called anaphylaxis or something...

- Anaphylactic shock. I remember seeing news about people being rushed to the emergency room after being stung by bees during the tomb-sweeping season. It's all because of that.

The Cheonma added that it's a scary symptom that can be fatal in severe cases.

"I almost died. But after that, I freeze up when I see bugs."

"It's like a trauma."

Carpé nodded.

Although he was fine now, he had suffered from a trauma in the past, so he could fully understand how Hanjo felt.

"If it was just a trauma, I could have gone alone."

"No, that's not right. A true hero never sends a companion alone!"

"Amazing, really."

When a concept takes over the brain, even trauma can't stop it.

Carpé was genuinely impressed.

"And I thought I had gotten better recently. But I was overconfident. I'm ashamed."

"It's okay, don't worry about it."

He wanted to applaud Hanjo for trying to help despite his trauma.

"Anyway, since it's over, let's quickly wrap up and leave. You must be mentally exhausted, so you need to rest."

"Thank you for your consideration, Sir."

After confirming that Mokhyang had collected all the boss drops, they left the boss room.

After that, only a few more mobs appeared until they reached where the pendant had fallen.

Ding.

[You have obtained a firm carapace imbued with mana (15/15).]

"Oh."

Thanks to killing all the monsters in the dungeon, one of the materials needed to upgrade the room was now complete.

Carpé opened his status window to check.

Ding.

[Room Upgrade]

- Player Level (20/20)

- Firm carapace imbued with mana (15/15)

- Bark of an ancient tree containing the sea (0/1)

'Now, the only thing left is the bark of an ancient tree... Where can I find it?'

- Since it only requires one, it seems I need to kill a named mob?

'That's likely.'

The materials needed to upgrade the room were things even the Cheonma had never heard of.

So, when the firm carapace imbued with mana suddenly appeared in the sea cave dungeon, he was quite surprised.

- It's probably a material specific to players who have unlocked the room function. It makes sense that I didn't know about it.

As evidence, the firm carapace imbued with mana, despite being a material item, had a 'non-tradable' tag.

- Anyway, don't worry too much. Sea, ancient tree, and named mob. With these hints, you'll find it quickly. Two places come to mind right away.

"Every time, I'm amazed by your insight, Sir. You must have accumulated a lot of knowledge over the years."

- ...About ten years?

"Excellent. I will strive to emulate you."

While chatting, they had already reached the end of the cave.

"Is this it?"

A small pendant was lying on the cave floor.

As Carpé picked it up, a notification window appeared as if waiting for him.

[You have obtained 'The Maiden's Pendant'.]

[You have completed the quest. You can receive your reward from the NPC.]

[A Warp Gate has been created. You can use this Warp Gate to travel to either the dungeon entrance or Luana.]

"Done. What about you?"

"I just received a notification that I completed it too."

"Good. It's really over."

Considering he had entered the dungeon for the skill pack, he had gained a lot.

He had leveled up by 3, successfully hunted the boss monster, and even obtained materials for room upgrades.

Carpé thought it was a satisfying dungeon and was about to activate the Warp Gate.

But then, Hanjo suddenly spoke.

"Hey, Sir."

"Huh?"

"Aren't you going to ask? The fact is, I'm actually..."

"A woman?"

"...Yes."

I had been wondering why he kept looking at me suspiciously the whole time, but it seems he was worried about this.

- What? Really? A woman?

'Didn't you hear her scream in the boss room? It was a woman's voice.'

-I was too busy screaming to notice... Hmm, so that male voice must be a cash item. It only activates when you're aware of it.

'This game really encourages role-playing. There are all kinds of items.'

Hanjo hesitated for a moment but then apologized to Carpé.

"I'm sorry. But I didn't hide it with any bad intentions..."

"No, wait. Honestly, I don't understand. Is this something to apologize for?"

Carpé had played many games in his life.

He had played many online games and experienced countless incidents and accidents while being active in guilds.

A user hiding their gender? That's so common it's not even a topic of conversation.

There are various reasons.

They don't like being fussed over.

They want to be a dealer but don't want to be expected to support.

Some people even start by cursing and harassing women just because they're women. Sexual harassment is an option.

In Carpé's long gaming history, there were more than a few parties and guilds that had fallen apart because of a few such people.

"In a way, it's wise. There are a few crazy people, after all. There's no need to apologize for hiding your gender. It's not a big deal. As long as you play well, that's all that matters."

"Thank you. It's a relief to hear you say that."

Carpé had spoken his