Day 1 of Vacation (1)

I woke to an unfamiliar ceiling.

Hm, a hospital? A guild hospital, by the looks of it.

And next to me… the team leader?

As I sat up, he gripped my hand tightly.

“You did great, Han-gyeol. Thank you. Truly.”

Ah, so he’s safe. What a relief.

“What happened?”

*

He said that as we were heading for the passage, two more Royal Guards had emerged from the gate.

Seeing them, Sung Yu-han had unleashed a torrent of lightning.

Ah, so that’s what that was. The one that reached all the way to me.

Anyway, he said they managed to draw the attention of all four Royal Guards until we entered the passage.

Once they saw us go in, Kim Ga-yoon raised a wall. Then, after launching a massive attack to keep the monsters from focusing on our passage, they all entered that gate—the gate within the gate.

It was a complete gamble.

“They went in there?”

“It was the best option they had.”

First, getting to Passage 47 would have been difficult. There were swarms of soldier-types, plus five Royal Guards—

Wait, five Royal Guards? Doesn’t that mean the main nest is empty?

Their thinking was: if they killed the queen, the hive would fall into chaos. Even if they couldn’t, drawing the monsters’ attention would keep Han-gyeol and Han-yul safe.

Everyone agreed, so they dived right in.

Inside was another world, but the environment was the same—a cave.

And within it were one Royal Guard and three queens.

Park Ji-an and Sung Yu-han went on a rampage. Without even knowing what happened to the queens, the others grabbed the exhausted pair and ran.

As they were being chased, they ran into more monsters ahead.

Everyone was out of mana and thought it was the end, but then one of the figures suddenly transformed into a human. It turned out they were inside a gate owned by the ‘Transformation’ guild.

“Huh? Is that possible?”

“It is. Gates are doors that connect worlds. A single otherworld can have multiple gates, and some gates even connect different otherworlds to each other.”

The Transformation guild dealt with the pursuers and the spiders, and they all retreated together.

As soon as they were out of the gate, they contacted Elemental and sent a rescue team to the gate we were in.

After sending the rescue team, they waited anxiously until they heard the news.

The safe return of Lee Han-gyeol and Nam Han-yul.

Despite the unexpected multi-gate incident, everyone had returned safely without any major injuries.

Of course, Park Ji-an and Sung Yu-han were suffering from mana exhaustion.

Lee Su-ha was also drained of mana and physically exhausted.

Kang Han-ui had various cuts, bruises, and fractures.

And Nam Han-yul had an injury on his thigh.

—But he said they were all injuries that would heal easily.

“Thank you again. I heard from Han-yul. He said you carried him through that long passage all by yourself while he was unconscious. That kid, he’s supposed to be your senior, but he just ended up being a burden. In any case, thank you.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you, too. For drawing their attention.”

…And for Han-yul’s virginity. Hmm, maybe because it was his first time, but his Essense was top-notch.

“Oh, that was the least we could do. It was our fault in the first place for putting a guild member still in his probationary period in that situation.”

“Ah, well, the outcome was good, so…?”

“I’m truly sorry, and thank you… Han-yul may have been a burden this time, but he’s quite a promising prospect. The elements he wields are rare, and they’re a compatible pair.”

Well, he was pretty competent before he became a burden.

-The Evolution of Nam Han-yul-

Promising Prospect > Essense Battery > Dead Weight

…Well, anyway.

“I’ve been talking for too long when you need to rest. I’ve told you everything you need to know, so I’ll be on my way. Please get some rest.”

The team leader bowed and was about to leave the room when he stopped and added, “Ah.”

“Someone from the guild will be coming. They’ll probably have some news for you, and I hear it’s all good. Also, you’re on paid vacation now. Since you’re resting anyway, take your time before coming back. Well then!”

*

I opened my status window.

[Lee Han-gyeol

Trait: Elemental Mage

Sub-trait: Element – Flame
-Skill (A): Element Generation (Lv.5)
-Skill (A): Element Control (Lv.5)
-Skill (P): Flame Immunity (Lv.5)

Sub-trait: Element – Lightning
-Skill (A): Element Generation (Lv.1)
-Skill (A): Element Control (Lv.1)
-Skill (P): Lightning Immunity (Lv.1)

Trait: Transformation – Succubus
-Skill (A): Transformation (Lv.2)
-Skill (A): Essense Conversion (Lv.5+1)

Sub-trait: Demonic Horns
-Skill (P): Demonic Horns – Special Ability (Lv.1)
-Skill (A): Demonic Horns – Manifestation (Lv.1)

Strength: 80
Magic Power: 150+1
Mana: 134/1515
Essense: 200/1515]

I gained a lot from this raid.

All my Flame element skills reached level 5, and they’d be level 6 if I manifested my horns.

And most importantly, I had unlocked the Lightning element.

I can now wield two elements.

Increasing the number of elements you can wield isn’t just about, ‘Yay, I can use one more thing.’ It’s about creating new variables by using the different properties of the elements, and later, I’ll be able to use ‘Elemental Conversion’ to launch even more powerful attacks.

In my case, with fire and lightning, I can strike an enemy with lightning and then convert it to fire, bypassing fire’s main weakness—its slow speed.

Plus, handling elements with different properties increases my overall elemental sensitivity.

—or so the instructor said.

Also, since manifesting the horns raises all elemental skills by one level, I can expect it to apply to my Lightning element as well.

Ah, right. The horns.

The horns are a broken skill.

It consumes Mana instead of Essense to manifest, and when it does, all my elemental skills gain a level.

It feels like the horns act as an antenna, boosting my elemental sensitivity.

They also serve a purpose in my succubus form, so they were the true MVP of the ‘Spider Cave’ incident.

And all this is at level 1. It’s probably best to invest my Essense into the horns.

To do that, I first need a lot of Essense… hmm, I’ll think about that later…

My Essense Conversion also leveled up to 5, with a +1 bonus making it level 6.

Now, 1 Essense converts to 30 Mana.

Since I have plenty of Mana, I should invest the surplus right into the horns…

And on a smaller note, my Strength and Magic Power also increased.

Strength became 80, and Magic Power became 150.

My Magic Power was 140 before entering the gate, so… hmm, that’s not a small increase, is it? It went up a lot.

I bet Han-yul’s virginity played a big part…

Of course, using a lot of mana must have also played a huge role.

As for gains in my succubus form,

From what I remember, ‘Magic Absorption’ and ‘Body Enhancement’ both went up by a level.

And ‘Body Enhancement’ was incredibly useful.

I wasted a lot of Essense at first because I wasn’t used to it, but once it leveled up and got another boost from the horns, it became much more efficient.

In the future, I think I could even operate as a proper Enhancement-type Awakener. An unregistered one, of course…

Just as I was happily painting a picture of my future, a guild employee entered.

“I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“Ah, hello.”

“Oh, please, stay lying down. It’s fine.”

He then sat in the chair next to my bed.

“I heard all about your performance, Mr. Lee Han-gyeol. What you did this time was truly amazing.”

“Thank you.”

“Ah, first, on behalf of the guild, I’d like to apologize for the incident in the Spider Cave.”

“Ah, yes.”

“We can talk about that part later. For now, there are three pieces of good news. Three? Four? Actually, there’s more. I’ll just tell you in order.”

“Okay.”

“First, everyone on Team Orchestra is safe, with no major injuries. What little injuries they have will heal without a trace. But you might have already heard that.”

“Yes. The team leader told me.”

“Then—the next piece of news is, ah. Congratulations. Your probationary period is over. You seem to finish things quickly, just like during training.”

“What?”

“It’s just as I said. Congratulations on graduating from your probationary period. From now on, you’ll be assigned to a team and work as a full-fledged guild member.”

“Huh? Can you shorten the probationary period like that, just like with the training period?”

“Yes. Originally, the goal of your first gate entry was just that—to go in and come back out. But you responded to an unexpected situation quickly and accurately, and that was reflected in our decision.”

“Uh… you mean when I shot the arrow at the vine?”

“Yes, of course. It’s not easy to react like that during your first gate experience. It’s not for nothing that they praised you. Responding to unexpected situations was the next objective after experiencing a gate.”

Hmm… was it that big of a deal?

—The employee must have read the look in my eyes, because he added:

“It might not seem like much, but the fact that you didn’t panic and did exactly what needed to be done, quickly and accurately, means you achieved the objective.”

“Um, I see.”

“Next is Team Orchestra’s raid on the Spider Cave. The Spider Cave itself is a difficult gate for someone on probation.

But that team is well-balanced overall, and each member is strong. I believe their average rank is B+? We took that into account when we assigned you to Orchestra.

Still, since it’s a tough raid for a probationer, we were planning to decide whether to continue your probationary period based on your performance.”

“Ah.”

“But then the unexpected multi-gate situation occurred, and you handled that well, too. That’s why we determined you no longer need a probationary period.”

“Uh… is that really okay?”

“To be honest—and this isn’t something I should say as a guild employee, just my personal opinion—this industry can be a bit… fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants. There are just too many variables, and because of that…”

“Ah…”

“But even taking that into account, you are more than qualified to work as a full guild member now. That kind of situation is difficult even for official members, and performing well in it is even harder.”

“When you say ‘performing well’… are you talking about how I escaped the Spider Cave while carrying Han-yul—I mean, Mr. Nam Han-yul?”

“What? It wasn’t just that. They said you did well before that, too. On the way to the queen’s chamber and inside it, they said you did more than enough.

And escaping like that was amazing in itself. Breaking through that distance while carrying an unconscious colleague… to be honest, I didn’t believe it at first.”

If they knew how I broke through, they’d believe it even less…

“You couldn’t use your hands, you couldn’t pick up speed, and even if most of the spiders were gone, there must have been some left. And that passage is incredibly long. It’s easy to say now that you’re back safely, but honestly, the team leader didn’t have any expectations… no, he couldn’t have any.”

So even though he didn’t expect me to make it, he still put up that wall and worked so hard to draw their attention? Wow… that’s actually touching…

“A lot of people didn’t believe it at first. But seeing the blocked passage and the fact that there was only one set of footprints… there was no other explanation, so they had no choice but to believe it.”

What were they going to do if they didn’t believe it? I’m already here, alive and well, aren’t I?

“It’s not that they wouldn’t believe it! It’s just that your feat was that incredible. Forget everything else, you broke through that place while carrying an unconscious colleague? When the higher-ups heard that, they were ecstatic.”

“Ah, really?”

“Yes, of course. It was a situation where no one could blame you for abandoning a colleague, a situation where it might have even been the better choice. Not that I’m telling you to abandon people.

And inside a gate, having trustworthy colleagues to whom you can entrust your life is more important than anything. I think that’s the part that really impressed the higher-ups.”

“Ah…”

“So, partly as an apology for this incident, and partly to make an example of you, you’ll be receiving a very large reward, combined with a bonus.”

What a windfall.

“Oh, what kind of reward?”

“Nothing’s been confirmed yet. Normally, after the probationary period ends, we give you about three days to recover. In your case, we’re adding two days for recovery, giving you five days. The decision will probably be made during that time.”

“Uh, by any chance, is today…?”

“You were rescued yesterday, so today is day one. All five days are paid leave. And since this is a guild hospital, all your medical bills are covered.

Oh, you can stay in the hospital longer if you want, but they say there are no major issues, so you can be discharged now and enjoy your vacation.”

“Ah, okay.”

“After you enjoy your five-day vacation, you’ll be assigned to a team and begin your activities as an official guild member. Do you have any questions?”

Ah, I should tell him I unlocked the Lightning element. I’ll need training for that, too.

“I unlocked the Lightning element this time—”

‘Generate!’

Crackle-!

A thin thread of light connected my right thumb and index finger.

The staff member’s reaction upon seeing it was, uh…