I tickled her side.
Evandel was extremely ticklish, so just a light tickle to her side had her going berserk, practically in tears. Since tickling as punishment was too cruel, I only did it for exactly thirty seconds.
“Aaaang… It was a present…”
Evandel, sprawled out on the floor, said so in a languid voice.
Only then did I sense that something was strange and looked down at my chest, where the wolf had leapt in. The wolf was embedded in my chest like some kind of brand(?).
“What is this?”
I used my watch to check what phenomenon this was.
===
[Buff - A ghost wolf dwells within your body. The wolf recognizes you as its master.]
- Wolf’s Energy
* Physical stats increase by 0.1.
Wolf’s Sixth Sense
* The moment danger is detected, an enlarged wolf will leap out and protect its master.
- Wolf’s Movement
* Reduces the noise produced while walking.
===
“…Oh my.”
Evandel had finally learned something useful. It seemed she had wanted to show it to me first, and I hadn’t even realized it.
Feeling sorry, I hugged Evandel tightly.
“Thank you.”
“…”
Evandel said nothing in my arms.
Was she sulking? I carefully looked down into my embrace, only to find that she had already fallen asleep, breathing softly.
I carried Evandel to the bed and gently laid her down.
When I came out to the living room, an alarm from the Violet Banquet rang from the laptop with perfect timing.
[An item has been transmitted.]
The item the Boss had mentioned had arrived.
A purple portal appeared in front of the laptop screen, and an item popped out from within.
It looked like a very small cylinder. A cylinder the size of a baseball.
This item, which anyone might mistake for a simple Yoplait cup, was Under Armour.
===
[Under Armour] [Highest Grade] [Partial Artifact]
[Charged Mana: 5000/5000]
- Physical Support
* Increases strength, endurance, stamina, and agility by 0.3 each.
- Artifactization
* Consumes the mana within the Under Armour to obtain the following effects.
- Haste
- Advanced Defense
- Body Correction
* Corrects the wearer’s posture and physique when worn.
- Underwater Mask
* A mask with underwater breathing functions can be detached.
===
Under Armour, cutting-edge defensive equipment made by processing an artifact with magic engineering.
Since my three-lift total was over 500 kilograms—bench press, deadlift, and squat combined—I could wear it without issue.
“Let’s see. This…”
When I placed the cylinder at the center of my chest, it adhered firmly to my skin, and once I infused a little mana into it—
Shrrrr—
Navy-blue mana spread out from the cylinder and wrapped around my entire body.
This was quite literally Under Armour. Since it was armor made of crystals that emitted mana on their own, if one were to calculate the price, it would easily exceed three hundred million won.
Three hundred million?
At minimum, it was a billion, and after taxes, VAT, fees, and everything else were deducted…
As expected, the Boss’s sense of money was lacking. Far too lacking.
I sent a text to the Boss, thanking her.
* * *
The next day, 9 a.m.
As announced in the group chat, the Tunnel Team had all gathered in front of Cube’s portal customs office.
Except for one person.
“Kim Hajin, seriously, this guy is always a little bit late every single time. Don’t you think so, Rachel-ssi?”
Lee Yeonghan asked Rachel. He was trying to act subtly friendly, but Rachel gave no response at all. If anything, she seemed to be glaring at him with eyes that said, Talking behind someone’s back is bad.
“…Ahem. Ah, there he is.”
Just as Lee Yeonghan was feeling awkward under that gaze, he pointed somewhere with his finger.
There, a student who did not look like a student at all was walking toward them with heavy steps.
His hair was neatly slicked back in a pomade style, and his beard was cleanly trimmed. On top of that, he wore a black jacket and black work boots.
With that styling, one could easily believe he was in his mid-twenties.
“He still hasn’t shaved his beard? Maybe because someone praised him for it~?”
Lee Yeonghan muttered in a sly voice and tapped Chae Nayun on the shoulder. Chae Nayun turned red for no reason, flustered.
“Wh-what? What did I do?”
“What~?”
“Hey. That’s not it, okay? He ignored every single text I sent him.”
“Whaaat~? You even texted him first~?”
“Y-you little…”
Just as Chae Nayun was trembling, Kim Hajin joined the group.
“Kim Hajin, three minutes late.”
Lee Yeonghan clicked his tongue as he pointed at his watch.
“Ah, sorry.”
“It’s fine. It’s only three minutes. But Hajin, you look cool today.”
Kim Suho said, draping an arm around Kim Hajin’s shoulder.
“Not as much as you.”
Kim Hajin said so as well, placing his hand on Kim Suho’s waist. For some reason, the sight of the two having grown close so quickly disgusted Chae Nayun.
“You’re not that late, so I’ll let it slide. Anyway, off to Busan~”
Today’s leader, though criticized from all sides, was Lee Yeonghan, the proper class president.
The group took the portal, passed through Seoul, and arrived in Busan.
Today’s destination was the port city of Busan.
The most famous tunnel in Busan was, of course, the underground tunnel.
An undersea tunnel piercing through the ocean, created by “Kim Gyeonggwan,” a man whose very name sounded like an architect of the century.
This tunnel, connected to Japan and China, had not been made for anything like trade. It was built to eliminate marine monsters and clear underwater dungeons.
“…Hey.”
While they were walking, Chae Nayun tapped Kim Hajin on the shoulder.
“What?”
“You. Why didn’t you shave that beard?”
“Hmm?”
The reason was simple. The moment he touched his beard, the “0.5 charm buff” bestowed by the stylist from the past would disappear.
Kim Hajin answered vaguely.
“Just because.”
“…It doesn’t seem like just because.”
“What.”
“Never mind. Nothing. Hey, but why didn’t you reply? You totally left me on read.”
To be honest, she wondered if he was playing hard to get, of all things.
As if even thinking about it made her angry, Chae Nayun furrowed her brow deeply.
“I forgot.”
“What?”
“Oh, over there!”
At that moment, Lee Yeonghan pointed into the distance. In front of the entrance descending to the undersea tunnel, a beautiful woman was waiting for the cadets.
“Oh! Isn’t that Hero Yun Seung-Ah?”
At Lee Yeonghan’s words, the cadets’ eyes sparkled.
World Rank 250, Yun Seung-Ah.
The future of Korea, possessing both literary and martial talent as well as beauty and ability. Before that incredible hero, whom fans praised as far as calling her a presidential candidate, several cadets froze on the spot.
Yun Seung-Ah, who had been standing far away, took a single step.
In an instant, a gale swept through, and that single step landed two hundred meters ahead.
“Wah!”
“You scared me!”
It was teleportation using Mana Combustion.
At her sudden appearance, the cadets were startled and bounced backward.
“Hello, everyone.”
However, Yun Seung-Ah smiled very calmly as she looked around at the cadets.
“Suho-ssi. Nayun-ssi. Yeonghan-ssi…”
Then she began reciting all the cadets’ names.
“Rachel-ssi. And… Hajin-ssi? You’re Hajin-ssi, right?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Oh my. Your face has changed quite a bit. And… you grew a beard, too.”
Kim Hajin merely nodded.
“It’s nice to meet you all. Uh, um… I’m not very good with words. For now, please follow me. Let’s enter the tunnel first.”
Yun Seung-Ah beckoned. The Tunnel Team followed closely behind her.
Including Yun Seung-Ah, the eleven of them first got onto an elevator.
Inside the elevator, Yun Seung-Ah spoke.
“This undersea tunnel is very useful. It creates a stage where marine monsters can be hunted, and it also serves as a passage into underwater dungeons.”
Ding—
They arrived underground in no time.
The undersea tunnel spread out before their eyes was truly enormous. It had the width of a four-lane road in one direction, and a height spacious enough for even an ogre to enter with room to spare.
In fact, cars traveled through this tunnel, and there were also rest areas and restaurants.
“For now, we’re still beneath the ground, but as we keep walking, we’ll be surrounded by water on all sides. The scenery is quite worth seeing.”
As they walked like that, a new passage appeared on the right side.
“When you walk through a wide main passage like this, there’s another passage branching off to the side one by one. Where each one connects depends on the passage code. If there’s a D in front, it’s a dungeon; if there’s an M, it’s a monster…”
Ring, ring— ring, ring—
Before long, however, Yun Seung-Ah’s smartwatch rang noisily.
Yun Seung-Ah frowned and checked it.
“…Ah, dear. Apparently something urgent has happened near the end of that tunnel. I think I’ll have to go. What should I do?”
Yun Seung-Ah smiled as though troubled.
“I’ll finish it quickly and come back. Will you all be able to look around on your own?”
Yees~
The cadets answered innocently.
“Then please don’t go too far, form teams of two, and each pair can look around one passage.”
Yun Seung-Ah, who had been about to leave just like that, suddenly snapped her fingers as if she had remembered something.
“Ah. I’ll make the teams fairly for you.”
Yun Seung-Ah projected a program from her smartwatch. A team composition program. That clever program began forming teams on its own.
Kim Suho with Chae Nayun.
Lee Yeonghan with Hazuki.
Xie Chen with Lee Jiyoon.
And Kim Hajin was teamed with Rachel.
“Then I’ll be back soon~”
Before running toward the end of the tunnel, Yun Seung-Ah sent Chae Nayun a meaningful wink.
Looking at Yun Seung-Ah’s back, Chae Nayun smiled bitterly.
You didn’t have to…
Chae Nayun’s gaze moved elsewhere.
At some point, Kim Hajin had gone beside Rachel and was smiling as he conversed with her.
“Tch.”
Chae Nayun clicked her tongue for no reason and went over to Kim Suho.
“Oh, Chae Nayun, you’re here.”
“Yeah, I’m here. Hey, but…”
Wiiing—
At that moment, an alarm also rang on Chae Nayun’s watch.
Chae Nayun checked its contents without thinking much of it.
[This is Director Kim Jeonghwan of Daehyeon Hospital.]
[I am contacting you because, at approximately 10:23 this morning, there was a change in patient Chae Jinyoon’s consciousness.]
[Although we cannot state with certainty that he has awakened or will awaken, it seems clear that this is a positive sign.]
But at that message that had truly arrived out of nowhere, without warning or notice,
Chae Nayun’s mind instantly went blank.
End
Passage D-3C.
I was walking through the passage with Rachel.
D meant it headed toward a dungeon, 3 meant it was the third passage opened, and C meant its clear had been completed.
Perhaps because the passage had already been cleared, the walls were lined with lists of the monsters that had been deployed in the dungeon and photos of the heroes who had taken part in the clear.
“…It feels like we came to an aquarium.”
The surroundings were transparent, so the underwater scenery was fully visible.
We were probably seventy-five meters below the surface, but fortunately, intermediate-rank and higher marine monsters couldn’t operate at this depth. Because of that, all the sea creatures occasionally visible were on the cute side.
However, it was not a scene that particularly drew me in, so I simply kept walking forward.
Then, suddenly looking around, I realized Rachel had disappeared.
“…?”
Where did she go? Puzzled, I turned back.
Rachel was far behind me, pressed close against the passage, watching a school of fish in the sea. Her blue eyes, resembling the ocean, glittered like emeralds.
I quietly went back to her side.
Pretending to look at the fish with her, I rummaged inside my jacket.
The bracelet jingled.
But how was I supposed to give this to her?
Would it be too out of the blue if I gave it to her now? I hadn’t given many gifts before, so I wasn’t sure.
If I did give it to her, what should I say?
I found it on the way here… sounded a bit wrong.
I prepared this gift because I’m grateful for everything you’ve done… sounded like I was saying farewell for life.
It will help with your growth… sounded like a scammer selling a jade mat.
“Wow.”
At that moment, Rachel let out a childlike exclamation. I followed her gaze as well.
Beyond the tunnel, small fish were swimming in formation through the sea. The small things gathered together and formed a shape as large as a whale. It was quite a mystical sight, so I stared at it blankly.
“That’s fascinating.”
“Isn’t it? Korea is the only country with an undersea tunnel of this scale.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I know because I’ve read many papers related to undersea tunnels.”
Papers. Even I didn’t know that much.
“Back then, I had a hard time translating the original texts… but seeing it in person makes it even more amazing.”
“…Ah, original texts?”
Original texts. The phrase confused me. In the world I used to live in, most original texts were written in English.
But in my novel, whether it was an academic forum or anything else—even graduation theses from universities in other countries—most of it was written in Korean. The so-called “common language of the world.”
“Yes. When you read a translation, you often end up missing the proper meaning.”
“Yes, yes. Translations… That’s true. Sometimes I’m grateful Korean is my mother tongue.”
Even as I said it, I found myself funny. English had been the subject I’d bombed the hardest on the CSAT. I’d regretted like crazy not going to an English kindergarten.
“I’m jealous. Oh, right. But apparently, English used to be the common language in the past. Before the Outcall. Isn’t that fascinating?”
“Oh… Then—”
“Wow. Look at that. A shark, a shark. A baby shark. Baby shark.”
“…It really is.”
Perhaps she liked the ocean and fish, because the Princess’s mouth grew busy at the sudden appearance of the tiny shark.
In any case, the atmosphere seemed pretty good.
The distant sea spread out before our eyes.
The two of us watching that scenery from inside the tunnel.
Wouldn’t now be the best timing I could get?
“Phew~”
I took one deep breath.
And then.
“Um, Ms. Rachel?”
“…Yes?”
Rachel turned her eyes from the baby shark to me.
I smiled awkwardly and took a bracelet out from inside my clothes. Its exterior was platinum-colored, but inside it, the spirit powder had been securely sealed.
“This… It’s a bit sudden, but I thought I might not get another chance to give it to you.”
“…”
But Rachel only stared at me in silence. She said nothing, nor did she try to take the bracelet.
I muttered the excuse I’d prepared in advance.
“Ah. What this is, is… Last time, you helped us a lot as the team leader, Ms. Rachel. So we all, all of us, pooled our money and bought it together. Please don’t misunderstand it as meaning anything else.”
Even so, Rachel remained silent.
In that silence where one second felt like ten minutes, I suddenly felt my vision grow dizzy.
To hell with it.
I held the bracelet in my right hand and lifted her arm with my left. Then I forced the bracelet onto her wrist.
Click.
Done.
It was fastened for sure. Now, if she just released mana in this situation, the spirit powder would seep into her body on its own.
I somehow felt relieved, but Rachel still remained silent as she looked back and forth between me and the bracelet. She stared at me with strangely sorrowful eyes, then soon lowered her head.
Her lips moved as if she had something to say, and just as she was slowly about to speak—
Thud.
All of a sudden, a low vibration rang out, and every light in the passage we were in went out.
The space was dyed entirely in darkness.
At the sudden situation, I hurriedly drew the Desert Eagle, and Rachel also raised her rapier.
Step, step.
Soon, footsteps could be heard. I looked toward the direction the sound came from. But even with my vision, I couldn’t see anything.
“…What is this?”
[You are with a companion.]
A voice suddenly echoed inside. But I couldn’t understand it exactly. It wasn’t Korean, but English. On top of that, it had a British accent.
In any case, thanks to that, I could guess who this bastard was without much difficulty.
Lancaster.
Rachel’s face went deathly pale.
[…Sir Lancaster.]
[Do not worry. I came merely to talk. Perhaps because I witnessed quite an interesting scene today, I do not particularly feel like fighting.]
This sentence was easy enough that I could understand all of it.
[Here.]
Here.
The moment Lancaster said that, some corpse suddenly dropped from the air. Its whole body was covered in blood, and its joints were bent in geometric angles.
“Eek!”
“Uwaagh! What the fuck!”
For a moment, I was genuinely startled, and a curse slipped out. Rachel seemed just as badly shocked. Her wide eyes turned toward me.
“Y-you cursed…”
I coughed for no reason.
Both of our minds soon focused on Lancaster.
[That person was the agent who had been protecting you like a shadow all this time.]
“…”
[Princess. I am always watching you. Please keep that in mind.]
Lancaster’s voice was not heard after that.
For a moment, my mind went blank.
I had expected Lancaster to appear. But this wasn’t how the story went. He was supposed to just send a few assassins, suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of Rachel after she awakened her ability, and then end it with something like, “My only purpose today was to frighten you—”
So why the hell was he suddenly tossing a corpse at us and making a scene?
“…What the hell.”
But just as Lancaster had said, there were no other threats, and before long, the lights came back on.
As I stood there dazed, Rachel tapped my shoulder.
“Hajin.”