Chapter 62

00062 Mage and Alchemist (Rare)

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<Flashback>

“I won’t say sorry. I had no choice.”

“You’re not crazy.”

“You still believe in me? Really? You believe in me?”

“If you really believe… believe… and take my spear. Please.”

“Die… for me?”

*

“Wah… wah….”

Ansol was sobbing in my arms, tears streaming down her face. Anhyun, who had heard the whole story, was glaring at Yujung with a furious expression. If I hadn’t been there, he might have swung his spear right then and there. Hyun’s mouth twitched as if he wanted to say something, but he quickly closed it and gritted his teeth.

“Sol. I’m sorry. I was wrong. I’m good. Stop crying.”

“Sob… sob… Jung… Oppa… I… bait….” (Did you really use me as bait, Oppa?)

She couldn’t finish her sentence because of her sobs, but I could roughly understand what Sol wanted to say. I shook my head and told her it was something I didn’t know about. Honestly, I had a hunch, but Yujung hadn’t told me the whole truth.

Hearing my answer, Sol seemed to feel a bit relieved and finally stopped crying. She was still hiccupping and sniffling, but I thought it was enough and tried to let her go, but she immediately made a pout. I quickly hugged her again and stroked her head. Her face was tear-streaked, and it was heartbreaking to see her wiping her tears.

Yujung was kneeling in front of Sol with her hands raised. The thought of her doing such ridiculous things inside a dungeon made me feel something rising in my chest. I was also swept up in the children’s mood, but I pretended not to notice because Anhyun’s anger was so intense.

Yujung’s head was bowed, looking dejected. Both my and Anhyun’s faces were serious, and the atmosphere was very heavy. Usually, she would act up, but in situations like this, she would carefully read the room, just like a cat.

“Then, try to explain.”

At Anhyun’s stern words, Yujung pouted and then quickly pulled her lips back in. She looked at Sol and then spoke in a hesitant voice.

“So… why did I do it…?”

“Ahhh….”

Seeing Sol’s face rubbing against my chest, unable to stop sobbing, made me feel something in my chest. I hugged her and saw the fire in Yujung’s eyes again. But perhaps because she felt guilty, she bit her lip and continued in a repentant tone.

“Well… Sol has a good sense. There are four holes, so… I thought she could distinguish between safe and dangerous holes with her sense….”

Was that the real reason she brought Sol to the holes? Hmm. It wasn’t a completely absurd idea, so I stroked my chin and nodded. But at that moment, I felt Sol squirming and whining in my arms, so I patted her back like I was soothing a baby. What am I even doing right now?

Luck is the least researched attribute. The only thing I know is that it has a greater impact on magic power than physical power. There were a few other minor effects, but they were all baseless rumors.

Anhyun’s face was ambiguous. But he seemed to understand and nodded, tapping Yujung’s head with the tip of his spear. It must have hurt, but Yujung didn’t show any resistance.

“Then, you should have done that from the beginning. What’s a bait? There are things to say and things not to say. Brother, you should also say something to Yujung. You always pamper her, so that’s why she’s so spoiled.”

“S-Sorry… what?”

When Anhyun finished speaking, Yujung and I were speechless. What nonsense is he talking about? Yujung also looked very wronged, pursing her lips and tilting her head. But since Yujung was clearly in the wrong and Sol was looking at me with a pleading gaze, I felt conflicted.

*

After calming down the commotion, we finally managed to move forward. Sol, with her eyes red and puffy, and Yujung, looking dejected, and Hyun, with his mouth tightly shut, made me sigh. We had built up momentum, but it was all for naught.

“Ooh, this feels good.”

In the end, we chose the second hole. We had tried all four holes with Sol, and the results were clearly different. At the first hole, she shivered. At the second, she tilted her head slightly. At the third, she made a displeased face. At the fourth, she ran away.

I was amazed by the situation, which I had roughly gauged with my Third Eye and senses. As a mage, magic power is the most important, but I thought about investing one point in luck. Seeing the effect of 100 luck points, which made me feel a bit like my Third Eye, I was tempted.

Noticing my praise, Sol’s back stiffened as she walked beside me. Her thin, white neck was also straight, and her eyes were swollen, which made me want to laugh.

I moved forward calmly, sensing the surroundings. Based on my intuition, we should have encountered monsters by now. Soon, I felt something in my senses. When I stopped, the children looked startled. They had almost always fought whenever we stopped, so they naturally tensed up.

“From now on, we need to be more careful.”

When I said this with a strange expression, the children’s faces also hardened. There were two types of monsters ahead, but only three in total. One life reaction and two statues. I decided to warn the children before they got confused. As I walked, I spoke in a gentle voice to Sol, who had been acting arrogant.

“Sol.”

“Yes.”

She seemed to have calmed down, as her usual gentle voice reached my ears. Seeing her smile at me, I was about to speak, but then—

“Help! Please help!”

A weak voice echoed around us, making me frown. Just as I was about to explain, the guy had beaten me to it. As expected, Anhyun and Yujung’s expressions changed when they heard the voice from inside.

“Brother, it sounds like the other users we met earlier.”

“Probably kidnapped….”

“Stop. I was talking.”

Interrupting Yujung, I spoke in a stern voice, and the children immediately shut their mouths. But they all looked anxious, wondering why we weren’t rushing to help. I clicked my tongue and was about to continue speaking when—

“Is anyone there? Please, help me!”

“…”

Indeed, he was quite cunning. And it also made me irritated. I had been angry since we wasted time with the children and the holes, but I had been holding it in. I also didn’t want to take it out on the children. But I couldn’t hold it in any longer, and I felt my old personality starting to come out.

I drew my sword and lightly swung it forward, then put it away. I had secretly sent a sword wave infused with magic, which the children didn’t notice. A smart guy would interpret it as a signal to shut up.

“Help… kyaahh!”

After confirming that my sword wave had lightly cut the guy’s right arm, I sighed. The children were just stunned. They probably noticed something was off from the terrifying scream at the end, even though they didn’t notice the sword wave.

“Ahem. Let’s start again. Sol, do you know anything about a monster called Lamik?”

“Eh… Lamik? Hmm….”

Seeing Sol deep in thought, I clicked my tongue. It seemed she was having trouble recalling it since it wasn’t a major monster. But the answer came from an unexpected direction. Yujung, who had been sulking and fiddling with her dagger, raised her hand cautiously.

“Oppa, isn’t Lamik… a variant of a doppleganger?”

“Hmm?”

I looked at Yujung with surprise. I gave her a nod of encouragement, and she continued in a low voice.

“Like a doppleganger, it can’t change its appearance perfectly or for a long time, but it can mimic voices. Its physical abilities aren’t great, but that’s only against experienced users. New users need to be careful. Especially, it often sets traps and manipulates users’ emotions to make them fall into the trap, so never go in recklessly….”

“…Correct. How did you know? Lamik isn’t usually a major character.”

“Just by chance.”

Yujung stuck out her tongue, and I looked at her with pride. Ansol pouted and muttered, “I knew it too….” Anhyun shook his head in surprise and then looked at me.

“Brother, so the voice we just heard was from a Lamik?”

“Yes. It probably ate one of the intruders’ vocal cords and is mimicking their voice.”

Indeed, Anhyun was the best at situation assessment and quick thinking. If he had a bit more basic knowledge, he would be perfect. While I was thinking this, Anhyun quickly pointed his spear at Yujung. Instantly, sparks flew from my eyes.

Clang!

Whirr! Thud!

I drew my sword with lightning speed and knocked the spear out of Anhyun’s hand. The spear spun and flew, embedding itself in a corner. The children were all frozen, mouths agape.

Especially Anhyun looked shocked. He alternated his gaze between me and the spear and then spoke in a stammering voice.

“B-Brother, it was just a joke….”

“What kind of joke?”

“I… I was suspicious that Yujung might be a Lamik….”

Usually, I would have stepped in, but Yujung was also silent, intimidated by my stern demeanor. The anger I had been suppressing since the Black Forest finally erupted. And aiming a weapon at an ally, whether intentional or not, was one of my biggest traumas and something I hated the most.

“Anhyun, Ansol, Yujung. Did you come here to play? Are you going to keep doing this? Do you want to?”

“…”

The children were speechless in the face of my criticism. But I didn’t stop and continued to scold them.

“Just because I laugh and let it go, do you think I’m easy to push around? You need to do what needs to be done. How long are you going to stay in this relaxed mood? And Anhyun, a joke? Aiming a spear at Yujung as a joke? What if you do this?”

“A, Ah, no. Oppa. I did the same to Sol. It’s okay. I’m not angry. So, calm down~ okay? Oppa~.”

“Brother, I’m sorry.”

Yujung’s fake coquettishness and Anhyun’s immediate bow didn’t calm my anger. Playing around is fine, but it has its limits. After the battle with the Renga, the children’s attitudes had become much more relaxed. The deeper we go, the more we need to be on edge, but they were doing the opposite.

If they recalled the words I had said in the Black Forest, they would realize how out of line they were. I had never heard of such a caravan, and even if it existed, I couldn’t understand it. I scolded Anhyun in a cold voice.

“The joke you played on Sol was too much, but it had some merit and was within acceptable limits, so I can let it go. But now, inside the dungeon, in a real battle, aiming a weapon at an ally? Is that something you did in your right mind? A joke? Should I do the same as a joke?”

Anhyun, who had been intimidated by my presence before in the inn, paled and shook his head. He seemed to have vaguely understood what I was trying to say.

A moment of silence passed, but I nodded coldly. Anhyun bowed his head and picked up his spear. Sol, who had been watching the whole scene, swallowed hard and gripped her staff.

After looking at the three of them with a disappointed gaze, I sighed deeply and spoke.

============================ Author's Note ============================

I just woke up from a nap, so my head is a bit confused.

I will properly edit and upload a proper afterword and replies to comments today.

I appreciate your understanding.