Chapter 71 of 100

Chapter 71

7 min read1,871 words

00071 Pet Creation Project

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"Be quiet."

As I finished speaking, Vivian tightly shut her mouth. However, her eyes, filled with longing, continued to look at me, suggesting that she still hadn't given up hope. Suddenly, I recalled the memory of twisting Jeong Ji-yeon's neck in the clearing. She, too, had hoped for something from me. To be saved. To be killed. Only she knew the true meaning of her plea. But Vivian is different. She clearly wants to live.

I need to see more detailed information, but her Rare class and stats are quite good. Her magic power is 92 points. This is a decent stat, even in the later stages. Her other stats are also good for a mage. While they might be insufficient against the top users in <10th Rank> or the upper echelons of the highest users, her class compensates for that.

The problem is that one bottle of elixir will be consumed. I can't gather GP to buy another one, as I've already paid 77,777GP for hidden items. If there's no way to get another one, I won't use it, but that's not necessarily the case.

I know of two additional ways to obtain elixirs in the future. I can't go there right now, but I remember it clearly. I've set aside two bottles for Hyun and Han So-young, but they are for the worst-case scenario. Ideally, we won't need to use them.

After Vivian recovers, her stats can be defined as [Strength 48] [Endurance 50] [Agility 56] [Health 45] [Magic 92] [Luck 74]. She's already at the peak, but with good luck, her magic power could increase by 1-2 points. If such a talented person joins our group early on, it will be a clear advantage. Most importantly, she can fill the current lack of a mage position.

The best part is that she can have two Rare classes. If I have her teach the book to a user, we'll have two of the same class. And since Vivian has already learned the class to some extent, she can be a good mentor for the new user.

I felt my heart leaning towards one side. Since she is a resident, the burden of death is less (by my standards), and she won't hesitate to use a wish later. After much deliberation and calculation, I smiled softly and turned towards Vivian.

"Vivian."

"Yes."

I straightened her head, which was nodding uncontrollably, and met her eyes. Seeing her naked, I couldn't help but think how beautiful she was. Her jet-black hair, silver eyes, flawless white skin (ignoring the split areas), and elegant face. As my gaze fell on her slender, well-toned body, I felt her body tense up. Her Adam's apple bobbed, indicating she was quite nervous.

"Alchemists know about equivalent exchange, right?"

"Y-Yes. It means exchanging things of equal value…."

"Exactly. You've offered what you have, and I've decided to save you. This can be considered equivalent exchange. So, if you save yourself, what can you offer in return?"

"B-But…"

"I feel sorry for what happened to me too. But I can definitely cure you. I might even be able to restore your lost power. This is your only chance to return to your human form without becoming a spider again."

"H-How?"

At my words, Vivian's eyes widened. From her reaction, I suspected she might have regretted becoming a spider monster. Since the first step went well, I leaned in and whispered in her ear, stroking her head with one hand and her back with the other. Each time, her body trembled more.

"You'll see. If I save your life, restore your lost power, and return your human form, shouldn't you pay a corresponding price?"

"…What do you want? As you know, I have nothing to offer…."

"Not true. You have one thing left. It's…"

I poked her back, causing a small split in her skin, but I didn't care. After all, one bottle of elixir can fix everything. Vivian winced in pain but soon understood my meaning, her face hardening. Now it was time to choose.

A moment of silence hung between us. But as I could see, Vivian had a fanatical desire to live. Seeing her nod slightly, I smiled in satisfaction.

"Will you listen to me from now on?"

"…I understand."

In response to my somewhat dangerous words, Vivian answered in a defeated tone.

Holding the items Vivian gave me and the two user cocoons, I returned to the clearing. Four cocoons were left there. I quickly cut the threads wrapping the cocoons and freed the kids. Each time I freed one, they looked at my face and smiled with relief.

After a brief reunion, the kids' attention naturally turned to the mysterious woman and the two cocoons. First, we needed to address Vivian's issue. I had already prepared her story, but I was a bit worried. However, Vivian was doing better than I imagined.

"So, according to you, you were turned into a spider by a bad mage a long time ago?"

"Yes. That's correct. But thanks to this person, I was able to extract the core that made up my spider form and regain my self."

"But… even as a spider, you still had your memories. You killed users and created the dungeon."

"After turning into a spider, I couldn't leave. If I did, I would be hunted. And after my body was infected by the spider, my intelligence regressed due to the core's influence. I do remember, but it's hard to say it was intentional. If I were human, I wouldn't have done it."

"Hmm…"

Yoo-jung glared at her suspiciously, then turned to me. I immediately spoke to support her explanation.

"Her story seems true. If it weren't for Vivian, I would have died too. Without her help to limit the spider's actions at the right time, we would all be dead now."

Yoo-jung and An-sol looked thoughtful. Seeing Vivian's good acting, I smiled. I was deceiving the kids with a mix of truth and lies. To integrate Vivian into our group, I needed to mitigate the things she had done.

"Still, what you did can't be changed."

"Of course. I don't intend to avoid it."

"But why is your body like this? Your shoulder and back seem split…."

An-hyun cut in, asking Vivian. She glanced at me before answering.

"Actually, my body is in a very dangerous state. Extracting the core has brought me back, but it's putting a significant strain on my body."

"So, you're going to die soon?"

"Probably."

"Hmm…"

When she mentioned dying soon, the kids' faces darkened as expected. They must be confused. I waited for a chance to step in and took a step forward. I needed to be direct.

"First, we plan to act together with Vivian."

As I spoke, the kids' attention focused on me. An-hyun looked surprised, while Yoo-jung and An-sol frowned, clearly not pleased. However, the kids had never opposed my decisions since entering the Hol Plain, and I wasn't going to back down on this issue.

It's good to recruit a promising person. But we need to move quickly. It makes more sense to recruit a user or resident who can contribute immediately rather than one who needs a lot of time to grow. If Vivian joins our group, the time needed to carry out my plans will be reduced by at least 30%.

"Vivian seems to be in conflict over what she's been through. If she has a chance to live, she wants to atone for her sins. While what she did was wrong, there's room for leniency. She shows signs of repentance. So, let's take her to the city. We'll look for a way to treat her. If it works, we'll act together; if not, there's nothing we can do. Is that possible?"

An-hyun showed leniency in this matter. Yoo-jung and Sol were still worried, but they seemed swayed by the idea of saving a life. When I added, "She might die soon…," they finally nodded in agreement.

Solving a big issue like this, I sighed in relief. Although they still looked uncertain, successfully integrating her into the group meant time would resolve the rest.

I exchanged glances with the kids and turned my attention to where the users were lying. The kids followed my gaze. Two male and female users lay on the two opened cocoons. They were the two users who had been caught by Vivian when they first entered.

Honestly, I had forgotten about them because teasing Vivian was too much fun. If Vivian hadn't called me as I was about to leave the passage, I might have left them there.

Their breathing was faint, but they seemed alive. Their faces were quite pale, and given that they were both wearing mage robes, their health stats were likely low. Yoo-jung, who had been watching them, spoke with concern.

"Brother, are these people going to die like this?"

"They won't die. Still, it's best to get to the city as soon as possible."

"I know a shortcut."

Vivian quickly raised her hand, but Yoo-jung shot her a glare.

"Hmph. You talk well. But whose fault is this?"

"…"

Vivian's face flushed with anger but then she bit her lip and held back. Seeing her follow my initial instruction to restrain herself, I felt a bit relieved. Still, she was visibly frustrated, breathing heavily.

I chuckled at their tension and turned my attention back to the users. I planned to check their user information. Just as I was about to activate my Third Eye, I felt a dizziness. Shaking my head to clear my vision, I felt the surroundings tilting.

"Brother, what's wrong…?"

Sul, who had been watching me closely, quickly came to support me. Why… is this happening?

Noticing my condition, Hyun, Yoo-jung, and Vivian approached me. Saying I was fine, I tried to force the Third Eye activation again.

"Ah…"

"Brother!"

My vision blurred, and I felt my body becoming powerless. This feeling… is exhaustion? Could it be? At that moment, Seraf's words from the past flashed through my mind.

I hadn't used it to its maximum, yet… With that thought, the surroundings darkened, and my eyes closed involuntarily.

『Latent Ability: Unfallen (Rank: A+) activated.』

A message floated in the air, and a surge of willpower forced my collapsing body to stand.

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

Chapter 71 is not a rework. I apologize for the confusion.

I finished the handover today and wrapped up my work, but I'm still very busy. -_-a So, I'm posting this chapter early.

It's uncertain whether I can post the next chapter by midnight tomorrow, so I'm logging in to post the draft I wrote yesterday. There will be many parts to revise. (I'll make corrections if I find anything unsatisfactory later.)

I apologize for not replying to comments. However, I read every comment. Thank you sincerely to all the readers