Chapter 29 – Revenge

R​ea​d ‍o​n‌ ‌K‍a‍t‌R‌e‍a​​d‌i‌n‍g‍Ca​f‌e

It had been five days since I last entered the dungeon, but unlike before, I didn’t feel any fear.

Instead, I felt an overwhelming sense of confidence.

As I passed through the northern district, my hunched posture naturally straightened, and I even took off my hood to fully enjoy the refreshing forest air.

Honestly, the dungeon, filled only with monsters, felt much more comfortable than the bustling village.

Closing my eyes, I slowly stretched out my arms and took a deep breath. The rustling sound made me open my eyes.

Following the sound, I turned my head and saw a white ball of fur twitching its nose, staring at me.

If this had been in the past, I would have immediately drawn my dagger in caution or simply turned and run without looking back. But now, I was different.

“Are you alone?”

I didn’t know if the rabbit could understand me, but I arrogantly tilted my chin and spoke.

“Alone, you can’t beat me.”

At the sound of my confident voice, the rabbit’s ears twitched.

Of course, the rabbit didn’t run away upon hearing that. However, unlike before, when it would have charged at me immediately, it now cautiously observed me.

How foolish. If it had charged at me like before, it might have stood a chance.

Shaking my head at its pathetic behavior, I opened my inventory and took out Doll 505.

As Doll 505 suddenly appeared in mid-air and fell to the ground, the rabbit flinched.

I leisurely connected the mana thread and infused it with mana, then spoke.

“Doll 505, activate.”

Thud! 

Doll 505 sprang up from the ground, exuding an intense aura as it stared at the rabbit.

The rabbit took a step back at the menacing presence but soon puffed up its fur and began stomping the ground with its hind legs.

The famous pattern of the 1st-floor monster, the rabbit: Stomping. 

The rabbit, which had been stomping the ground to intimidate me, suddenly leaped forward and charged at Doll 505.

No matter how many times I saw it, the rabbit’s attack speed was incredibly fast.

Although it looked like an ordinary rabbit, as a monster, its attack speed was incomparable to a normal rabbit.

If this had been the old Doll 505, it would have been instantly broken without even reacting. But now, after learning doll enhancement…

My Doll 505 is different from before!

“Go—! Doll 505!”

Doll 505 moved toward the rabbit, which was descending in a parabolic arc.

Like a serpent ascending to the sky to become a dragon, Doll 505 kicked off the ground and soared into the air, throwing a punch toward the sky. The rabbit’s round eyes widened even further.

Crack! 

The rabbit’s head snapped back as the fist struck its jaw, sending it spinning and crashing to the ground.

In contrast to the rabbit’s pitiful state, Doll 505 landed perfectly on the ground without a single scratch.

“As expected of Doll 505… that was a magnificent Shoryuken.”

Clap clap clap. 

I gladly applauded its perfect landing.

Although it couldn’t fully replicate the original Shoryuken due to its lack of joints, it deserved applause for mimicking it so well.

In response to my applause, Doll 505 flailed its chopstick-like arms, expressing its joy.

But this was just the first victory.

It was certainly a memorable achievement—the first victory earned through a fair fight (though I had caught rabbits with Ulrika before, that didn’t count since I had help). However, I had no intention of being satisfied with just that.

Think about it. The countless humiliations I endured on the 1st floor in the past. The days I was toyed with and mocked by mere rabbits…!

Remembering that, I could never be content with just one victory.

The burning flames of revenge urged me on.

Today, in this place. I will avenge all those past defeats.

“Ah—yes.”

I will not forgive the rabbits that tormented me.

That day, I harvested 30 magic stones from hunting rabbits.

It was a sunny afternoon.

–

Sister Andreina tilted her head as she looked at Mari, who was swaying unsteadily, covered in dirt.

Normally, when Mari came back covered in dirt like this, her expression would be one of two things.

Either she’d be sniffling with tears in her eyes, or she’d be silently crying, tears streaming down her face.

But today, she was smiling brightly. The rabbit footprints clearly stamped on her cheek showed that she had been in a battle no different from usual, so it was hard to understand why she was smiling.

Of course, one might think she had grown enough to laugh off her defeats rather than grieve over them, but even though Sister Andreina thought highly of Mari, she knew Mari wasn’t that kind of proactive person.

So, what had happened to make Mari, of all people, smile like this despite being in such a mess?

Instead of pondering further, Sister Andreina decided to do what she had to do as a clergywoman first.

She wasn’t selfish enough to chase her curiosity while a dirty child stood before her.

“I don’t know what happened, but let’s heal you first.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you…!”

As Sister Andreina’s hand approached, Mari’s expression showed clear tension, as if she had forgotten her earlier swaying.

It wasn’t the kind of tension born of discomfort, though. Rather, it was the kind of pleasant tension that comes from anticipating what’s about to happen.

Sister Andreina smiled softly, gently cupping Mari’s cheek, and slowly opened her mouth.

“Heal.”

A white glow began to emanate from the hand cradling Mari’s soft cheek. The rising divine power seeped into Mari, completely healing the visible injuries (the footprints).

The omnipotent power of God healed any injury in an instant, but Sister Andreina continued to channel divine power even after the healing was complete, transferring it to Mari.

“Mmm…”

Mari, feeling the warm and comforting energy of the divine power, closed her eyes and nuzzled her cheek against Sister Andreina’s hand.

This was something Mari would never normally do, but in this state, receiving divine power, she showed a relaxed face and indulged in the affection.

Using God’s power so casually was undoubtedly blasphemous, but Sister Andreina focused on satisfying her own desires by fondling Mari’s soft cheek, planning to atone for it later with a prayer of repentance.

It was a sight she used to see every day when Mari went in and out of the dungeon, but for the past few days, Mari had been holed up in the village, not even venturing into the dungeon, so Sister Andreina hadn’t had the chance to indulge in such affection or fondle her cheeks.

So, she made the most of this rare opportunity. With a benevolent smile, Sister Andreina fondled Mari’s cheek for a long time before finally withdrawing the divine power with a satisfied expression.

Mari, who had been purring like a contented cat under Sister Andreina’s hand, finally came to her senses and blushed, quickly pulling away.

“I-I’m sorry! What was I doing…!”

“There’s no need to apologize. I’m fine with it.”

In fact, Sister Andreina wished Mari would act like that even without the divine power.

With a gentle smile, Sister Andreina placed her hand on Mari’s robe and continued.

“More importantly, your robe is quite dirty. Could you tell me what happened?”

“Huh? Ah, well…!”

Mari’s eyes sparkled as if she had been waiting for the question.

Even though her robe had already been taken off and was now in Sister Andreina’s hands, Mari didn’t seem to care and began speaking.

“I caught 30 rabbits today!”

“30 rabbits?”

Having shared many meals and conversations with Mari, Sister Andreina had a good idea of Mari’s capabilities. That’s why she was genuinely surprised to hear about the 30 rabbits.

Frankly speaking, Mari’s strength was weaker than that of boys her age. Considering the system’s status window supported her, it was an absurd claim.

But to suddenly catch 30 rabbits in a single day? Even Sister Andreina found it hard to believe.

Of course, as mentioned earlier, the system supported her, so it wasn’t entirely impossible… but the thought of the timid Mari doing such a thing just wouldn’t leave her mind.

Seeing the faint disbelief on Sister Andreina’s face, Mari hurriedly opened her inventory and dropped 30 magic stones.

Clatter clatter—The magic stones rolled across the chapel floor. Mari pointed at them with both hands and spoke with a more lively expression.

“See? I caught this many!”

“It’s true. These are all magic stones from the 1st floor.”

She didn’t count them, but it was clear Mari was telling the truth. Just by looking, there were at least ten.

As Sister Andreina picked up a magic stone and examined it, genuinely impressed, Mari puffed out her chest proudly.

“Rabbits are no match for me anymore. I’m not the same as before…!”

“Then how did you get those footprints on your face and the dirt on your robe?”

“The rabbits ganged up on me unfairly…! I could handle up to three, but when more than ten charged at me at once, even Doll 505 couldn’t cover for me…”

Mari muttered in a pitiful voice that if Doll 505 had been bigger or if it had been a high-quality doll, she wouldn’t have been so thoroughly beaten.

But she quickly regained her composure and smiled.

“But in the end, I won…!”

Sister Andreina was a bit surprised by her positive attitude.

The old Mari would have been disheartened and returned to the village after such an experience.

But the current Mari didn’t give up and turned all the attacking rabbits into magic stones before returning.

She had taken a small step forward in her mental growth.

“Mari, you did very well. That’s exactly it.”

“Huh? Wha—?”

Moved, Sister Andreina gently hugged Mari, cradling her head.

Caught off guard by the sudden embrace, Mari blushed and flustered, but as Sister Andreina’s gentle hand stroked her head, she smiled as if she had never been flustered.

“Th-thank you, Sister Andreina.”

“If you keep moving forward like that, you’ll become a proper savior. Even if you lose, you get back up. Even if you fail, you don’t give up.”

“…Do you think so?”

“Yes, I’m sure of it.”

Though Mari’s expression darkened slightly as she smiled, Sister Andreina hugged her even tighter and said,

“Even if there comes a moment when you’re too tired to take another step, that’s okay. You can rest here in the Lord’s embrace with me, regain your strength, and then move forward again.”

That was the duty of the Floating Island’s administrator and God’s representative.

At Sister Andreina’s benevolent words, Mari nodded with a faint smile.

–

When I returned home, I placed Doll 505 on the dining table, covered my face, and cried out in self-loathing.

“I almost called Sister Andreina ‘Mom’…!”

Even my own mom never treated me like that!

Feeling a mix of embarrassment and self-loathing, I jumped around in place, and for some reason, it felt like Doll 505 was looking at me with pity.

How dare you look at me like that while I’m writhing in embarrassment?

You’re so insolent. I have no choice but to punish you.

“You don’t even have eyes…! Don’t look at me like that!”

Poke—I flicked its head with my finger, and Doll 505 fell backward weakly.

I placed my hands on my hips, let out a huff, and sat down on a chair, grumbling.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Current time: 11:20 PM

…

Dear heavens!!!

Why?!?!

I still haven’t written 3 chapters!!

…

Eventually, the 3rd chapter failed.

Oh yeah, I can apply for [exclusive] application tomorrow.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Dolls are starting to get sentience, maybe we will get dolls that bullies the girlfailure.

Yay, brutal correction from own summons, as expected of the girlfailure!.