Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Otherworld Cheat Harem.

Episode 50: The Most Beautiful One In The Universe (1).

There was no hidden room on the 20th floor. Realizing this, I looked at the others.

“Shall we head back for today?”

“What time is it?”

“We still have plenty of time. We can reach the 25th floor.”

“Shall we give it a try then?”

They agreed. I stepped up the stairs. No monsters appeared that could threaten us on this level.

Upwards we went, 21st floor, 22nd floor, 23rd floor. Up to the 25th floor.

When we reached the 25th floor, I realized the air had changed. Something about the atmosphere was different.

My instincts began to tingle.

Shortly after, something flew from beyond the darkness.

Clang!

From the sparks that flew when it clashed with my sword, I could immediately tell what it was.

‘An arm?’

It wasn’t made of rubber, so the arm that had flown out quickly returned to its place. Seoyoon, having spotted the monster, used her ability from behind to freeze it.

Sure enough, the monster froze solid without any resistance. Her cheat ability worked well even on this level.

“It’s nothing special.”

As Seoyoon said this and walked forward to pick up the mana stone, I sensed something amiss and pulled her back.

Slaaash!

The monster’s tongue flew out. With its mouth wide open in its frozen state, it was rolling its eyes around as if it regretted it.

I struck the frozen monster’s head, shattering it completely. After confirming the monster had turned entirely into a mana stone, I looked at Seoyoon.

“Are you okay?”

“…Yeah.”

A trickle of blood ran down Seoyoon’s cheek. Seeing this, Aram immediately used her ability to heal the wound.

However, even though the wound was healed, Seoyoon still couldn’t get up.

“…Shall we go down?”

Nod.

Holding her, unable to even open her mouth, we exited the dungeon.

Once outside, Dojin immediately checked Seoyoon’s condition. Unusual for her usually composed self, her whole body was trembling.

“Are you okay?”

Nod.

Once again, Seoyoon silently nodded. After a moment, regaining her composure, she blankly looked up at the sky and spoke.

“…I’ll stop here.”

“What?”

“Going up.”

Previously, she had said she had no intention of seeing the end of the dungeon. At that time, Dojin was somewhat disheartened, but he didn’t try to persuade her.

She was not accustomed to fighting in the first place. She merely wielded the abilities she had.

Even soldiers trained in combat often suffer from PTSD, so how would she, a mere high school girl, cope?

However, this time, Dojin tried to persuade her. It was too much of a waste to let her give up with the abilities she possessed.

“Still… your abilities are effective.”

“Yet I was defeated. I can no longer move forward with just my abilities.”

“But…”

“Dojin, do you know why I decided to enter the dungeon?”

“…Why?”

“Because it’s safe.”

She said that with a slight smile. It was a smile without emotion, only the corners of her mouth turned up.

“With my abilities, I can earn money easily and safely without getting hurt. That’s why I entered. It was a rational decision.”

Indeed, it was so. Her abilities had never failed to work, and she slaughtered monsters impassively, like a machine.

It couldn’t be called a battle. It was ambiguous to call it a massacre. It should literally be called a task.

Even a high school girl, far removed from fighting, could handle a simple task.

“But not anymore. I… never really… fought…”

“…Alright.”

Dojin understood her feelings. There was no need to read her mind. He hadn’t considered that she, with her immense power, had been a delicate high school girl just months ago.

He looked at the other two and spoke.

“What about you two? If you want to give up, do it here. As Seoyoon said… there’s no guarantee you won’t get hurt in the future.”

“…Well, then. Me too.”

Aram raised her hand. Dojin nodded, indicating he understood. From the start, her ability was not particularly useful inside the dungeon.

Just as on the 10th floor, it was only about taking on the injuries of her teammates.

It was actually more comforting to know she was waiting in the safety of the city.

“Eunha, what about you?”

“…I’m fine.”

“Are you really okay?”

“It’s not like I know how to do anything else. I’m not much help, though…”

Her answer moved Dojin, but he nodded silently without showing it.

Women, by genetics, were not naturally advantageous in combat. Especially Eunha, who was nearly half the size of others.

Showing pleasure at her joining the fight was not a particularly good idea.

“Then, for today, let’s go back and rest. Seoyoon, you… should I come by later?”

“…Sure.”

“Alright, see you later.”

Dojin said this and parted ways with the three, heading towards the guild. As he entered, Pion greeted him but then tilted her head in curiosity.

“Oh, Dojin? Is something wrong…?”

“…Why?”

“The atmosphere today seems a bit… Is there a conflict with your team?”

Dojin thought to himself that she was perceptive, realizing that she had encountered all sorts of adventurers over the years while working at the guild.

He deduced that she must have faced numerous issues while working and that adventurers would have sought help from her or the guild.

Momentarily lost in thought, he revealed to her a fact about the team. Hearing that the powerful skill holders, Seoyoon and Aram, were quitting their adventurer positions, she nodded as if she understood, though her expression briefly hardened.

“Indeed, such a problem…”

“Isn’t there any way?”

“What way?”

“A way for the two to return to the dungeon.”

“Mr. Dojin, it seems there’s a misunderstanding… Our guild has no means to force adventurers. Especially not senior adventurers…”

“Is that so…?”

Seeing Dojin’s expression, Pion chuckled and advised him.

“Well… Once an adventurer retires, they don’t easily return.”

“Really?”

“Yes, retiring in the first place means… they can no longer go on adventures. Whether it’s a health issue, a mental issue…”

“I see.”

“What is the issue that Mr. Dojin is concerned about in the first place?”

“…What issue?”

“Yes. From what I see… it doesn’t seem like Mr. Dojin is considering it a problem that others are quitting their adventures…”

Hearing Pion’s words, Dojin stopped for a moment, staring blankly at her as if he had an epiphany.

After a moment, having finished his thoughts, he slowly opened his mouth.

“…Yes, that’s true.”

“Although I can’t reinstate adventurers who have chosen to retire, if it’s another issue, I think I might be able to resolve it somehow.”

“For example?”

“For example… if Mr. Dojin is worried about whether he can climb the dungeon alone.”

Pion took a deep breath and met his eyes.

“Mr. Dojin, you can train companions yourself.”

Isn’t it easy?

Watching her grin, Dojin thought he had made the right choice to consult.

Returning to the mansion, I headed straight to Seoyoon’s room. When I knocked, she quietly told me to come in, and I carefully opened the door.

Seeing her sitting on the bed, hugging one leg, I cautiously approached her.

Sitting beside her, I felt her skin brush slightly and looked at her.

“What do you plan to do after you retire?”

Hearing my words, she seemed slightly surprised and questioned back.

“What? Retire?”

“Yeah, adventurer work. You said you’d quit…?”

“When did I say that?”

Seoyoon tilted her head as if she had never said such a thing. Seeing her, I wondered if what had happened earlier was just my imagination, so I tilted my head as well.

“…Earlier, you said you wouldn’t go up anymore?”

“Yeah. I said I wouldn’t go higher.”

“Does that mean… you’re quitting?”

“No.”

Seoyoon’s words were clear. She had given up on conquering the dungeon. In other words, going above the 25th level.

She had no intention of quitting dungeon exploration.

“Why would I quit this job? I have no other way to make a living.”

After hearing her words, I thought for a moment, indeed. She said she was quitting hunting, not quitting the job.

And she had never once hunted. From her perspective, everything she had done so far was merely a series of tasks.

“Then to the dungeon…”

“I’ll keep going. Oh, I’ll go with you halfway. Please take care of me.”

“Oh, okay.”

Then, the next thing, I slowly read her thoughts to make sure her heart wasn’t hurt.

“Are you okay? Anywhere hurt?”

“It’s okay. I’m already all better.”

“But you were trembling so much back then?”

“I was just a little surprised.”

─**I usually can’t watch scary things alone.

“Ah… really?”

While reading her thoughts, I realized something unexpected. Realizing she had no physical or mental issues, I tried to get up and leave the room.

Squeak.

“…Where are you going?”

“Well, I’m just going back to my room…”

“After coming all the way here?”

“The sun hasn’t set yet.”

“Then we can do it longer.”

“The kids will all start coming back soon.”

“It’s okay. We can easily soundproof.”

Sighing lightly, I let myself be led by her hand onto the bed. Her body, chilled from overusing her ability, felt like a burning flame.

[Sister Iris, can you explain this expenditure?]

“It is the will of God.”

[…Even the unnecessary interference with the Magic Tower?]

“It is the will of God.”

[Are you trying to pick a fight with me?]

“Then that too is the will of God.”

With a sly smile, the Saintess chatted with the Pope beyond the crystal ball. The Pope trembled slightly for a moment, then let out a small sigh so that it couldn’t be heard.

[Be aware that God’s words do not reach only you.]

“You sound like a forsaken ex-girlfriend, Your Holiness.”

[…Where did you learn such a flippant way of speaking?]

“I learned it all from you, Your Holiness.”

[Hey! You…]

Thunk.

The Saintess cut off the communication before the Pope’s noisy nagging could continue. Charlotte, who was watching from the side, looked at the Saintess with a worried expression.

“Are you sure about this? With His Holiness the Pope and all…”

“So what? Right now, I’m the Saintess. Don’t you think it’s been too long since the former Saintess took the Pope’s seat?”

The Saintess said this while receiving various reports from Charlotte. Most of them were about Dojin.

As she listened to the reports, the Saintess threw herself onto the bed, tossing aside her shabby nun’s habit. She threw off the stifling veil, gloves, and stockings. In an instant, she was down to her underwear, rolling around on the bed as she conveyed her thoughts to Charlotte.

“Lotte.”

“Yes, Saintess.”

“Do you think I’m doing something wrong?”

Charlotte couldn’t easily respond to those words. There was nothing to gain from admitting fault. She would only hear predictable phrases like, “You think you’re so great,” or “If you knew it was wrong, why didn’t you stop it?”

Yet, simply praising her for doing well wasn’t the virtue of a good servant either.

She hesitated on how to reply, not realizing that her very hesitation was an answer in itself.

“Sigh, yeah. I must have raised my child wrong…”

“…I am not your daughter, Saintess. Besides, haven’t you never been involved with a man?”

“Don’t you know about virgin birth, virgin birth? You’re like a daughter I cherished in my heart ever since I saw you at the orphanage.”

“If it’s a mother like the Saintess, I’d refuse on my end.”

“Hey!”

The Saintesss used the bed’s elasticity to swiftly rise. In that moment, her chest heaved greatly.

Rising like that, she hugged one leg and met Charlotte’s eyes.

“If I made the wrong choice, the gods would have punished me from the start. Wouldn’t they?”

“…Their will is not something I can presumptuously judge.”

“It’s just a saying, just a saying. Even as the Saintess, all I can do is occasionally listen.”

However, she was certain. Through long years of communication with the gods, her opened eyes held the power to read the idea.

‘Grow quickly, please.’

She recalled Dojin’s shadow she saw during the festival. Unlike ordinary people, it swallowed everything like a black hole.

A seed that was still small but would grow as large as the gods.

‘And thus, save me. I shall protect your existence.’