Ch.44You can look forward to it

# 44. You Can Look Forward to It

“There are a lot of problems.”

After sharing all the information they could—situation explanations and self-introductions—Yebeop Nojeong examined her body and specs. Then she sighed.

“Like Seyeon and Yuri, I think I was also processed as a special entry case for the Starting Room. And it seems like levels and skills get adjusted depending on where you’re summoned from.”

“If you came alone at level 1, it would have been a penalty rather than a reward.”

“I agree. In that sense, I’m really grateful that I’m not level 1.”

Currently, my level was 10, Cutjukyeora and Saeaeks were level 9. And Yebeop Nojeong was level 7.

“But that’s all. A 3-level difference means 3 stat points difference, and 3 points of mana is a huge gap. On top of that, I didn’t get any titles that increase abilities. This gap will only grow larger for people who arrive later.”

“Yuri caught up to Seyeon’s level even though she came later.”

“That’s probably because I got a lot of kills during the undead elimination quest and purification quest.”

“Right. Since we’re still at low levels, you’ll catch up quickly.”

That’s not the most important thing—Yebeop Nojeong added.

“Magic. Magic-related skills are registered in my skill window, but I can’t get a feel for them at all. A sorcerer who can’t use magic—it’s not even funny.”

“Unni. I was the same way. I picked up swordsmanship and shield techniques right away, but holy magic was such a foreign concept that it took me days to learn it.”

“Right. You said you learned it when you were with Seonghyeon in Eden Guard on the first floor. I don’t mean to undervalue your hard work earning basic funds when you were broke, but that was still a peaceful neutral zone. I need to know how to use magic right now.”

We could talk comfortably like this, but we were currently using bonus time in a bonus stage. We didn’t know when we might be kicked out. I could understand Yebeop Nojeong’s urgency, even though her tone didn’t sound urgent at all.

“Subin. You don’t need to be so hasty.”

“A magician who can’t use magic is nothing but a parasite. A parasite who has to rely on siblings much younger than me. How can I not be anxious?”

A parasite?

I understood what she meant, but the wording was too harsh. Yebeop Nojeong seemed like the type who hated—no, couldn’t stand—being carried.

But we were bound by fate. Anyone could become a passenger or a driver at any time.

“This might sound patronizing coming from the one who kidnapped you, but we’ve been doing well. And knowing the Yebeop Nojeong I know, you’ll pick up magic quickly too. So—”

“So you’re telling me I can ride the bus until I learn magic. That’s what you’re saying. To me. Right now.”

Her voice seemed to grow a bit cold toward the end, but I nodded without backing down. I wasn’t teasing her—I was sincere, so I had nothing to be ashamed of.

But I did imagine a little. Imagination is free, after all!

Yebeop Nojeong, whose memories and experiences remained intact but whose body became a newbie due to the reset.

Yebeop Nojeong, who wants to be of immediate help to us but hasn’t properly learned magic yet, pretending not to be but actually feeling down.

Cutjukyeora and Saeaeks, who can’t openly comfort her because of her strong pride and self-esteem, and Yebeop Nojeong, who appreciates her siblings but hates feeling left behind, so she sneaks out while others are sleeping to focus on magic training.

Yebeop Nojeong, who demonstrates her magic to us faster than we expected, pretending not to be proud but actually feeling pleased.

Is this what they call…

“Vulgar but satisfying”?

“Hey. You were thinking something weird.”

“No, I wasn’t?”

“You were thinking something weird. That’s definitely the face of someone who just had a weird thought.”

“What’s wrong with my face! Th-this is unfair!”

Fortunately, after a while, Yebeop Nojeong seemed to understand my sincerity.

“Captain. Were you thinking something strange? There are different kinds of strange things, you know.”

“Guild leader. Tell us the truth quickly.”

“I really wasn’t! Sheesh— Yuri, why are you grabbing my shoulders? Huh? Huh? Don’t you trust your guild leader?”

“Of course I trust you! But~ that’s that and this is this! Now that I think about it, your face turning red earlier was a bit suspicious?”

Seeing her smile briefly… she must have really understood, right?

**

“Do you think there will be other related quests besides the Corrupted Spirit purification quest?”

“I’m not sure about that, but what’s certain is that as we go up floors, they appear farther away from the cities in neutral zones. I’ve organized it nicely, let me see… Ah, here it is.”

Floor 0: Starting Room

Floor 1-0: Eden Guard (Neutral, Quest)

Floor 1-1: Knight’s Trial (Dungeon)

Floor 1-2: Kairend Plains (Field)

Entered Albrant among Inareun/Albrant/Tabs Gorge

Floor 2-0: Albrant (Neutral, Quest)

Floor 2-1: Corrupted Spirit Purification Quest (Field, Quest)

Floor 2-2: ?

“If the location where the ‘Slightly Hurt Spirit’ appears was fixed, we could predict the next area or dungeon, but it appears randomly in several predetermined places. As always, we have no choice but to move forward carefully and gather information.”

“I really wish we could avoid terrible purification quests if possible…”

I borrowed Seyeon’s tracksuit, which was slightly larger, as a makeshift bathrobe and wore a robe over it.

We were walking through a dense forest after leaving the white, dreamlike space, though it was much less dense than the forest on Floor 2-1.

Well, the mission on the floor below was the Corrupted Spirit purification quest. No wonder my pretty siblings’ hair was disheveled and their complexions were pale.

‘Strange man.’

Seeing the guild leader discussing the next floor seriously and sometimes laughing lightly among his siblings, I still felt strange.

Once, or honestly countless times.

I couldn’t forget that sensation of being recognized for my “skill” in the game I chose as an escape from reality—where no matter how hard I worked, I was never recognized and my ambitions were dismissed as greed for things beyond my reach.

And I couldn’t deny that this warm feeling was maximized after that sinful man persistently proposed recruitment.

Thinking that he gave orders passionately with that appearance and voice from behind the screen, it seemed quite fitting, but also…

“Yuri. Are you feeling sick somewhere?”

“Huh? No? Why?”

“Well, you only ate two servings of jerky, so I thought you might be sick—”

“Am I a pig?!”

“Ack! Aack! I was just worried about you, and the youngest is trying to kill me! Ack! Seyeon! Help me! Ah, no!”

Seeing him act like that, I think maybe he’s not…

“Even though it’s less dense, it’s hard to tell the time in the forest, and Subin just arrived, so let’s not push ourselves and camp here today.”

“I agree.”

“I agree too.”

“I—”

“I won’t accept Eun Subin’s objection this time either!”

Suddenly shouting with such charisma, and the fact that it suits him rather than seeming strange—I’ve met many more suffocating people than him, yet he momentarily renders me speechless, which seems unfair, but then…

“I don’t want to cause any delays in the journey because of me—”

“Seyeon. Yuri. Set up the tent.”

“Yes~”

“Okay!”

“Now that we have more people, we should finally set up the tent… Hey! Ayuri! What are you doing! Seyeon! I trusted at least you!”

Seeing him get along so well with siblings of different genders and younger ages without any trouble…

“Subin! Eun Subin! Come over here and say something! Huh? Does it make any sense for four people—not four men or four women, but two men and two women—to sleep together in one tent?”

“It makes sense.”

“Right? I knew you would say— What did you say?”

“What’s wrong with it? It’s good for maintaining body temperature, and if an emergency happens and we need to flee quickly, it’s better to abandon one tent than two. And since we’ll be taking turns on watch duty, strictly speaking, it’s only three people sleeping at a time.”

“That… does make some sense…”

One more time. Perhaps for the last time.

For someone like me who has never grasped anything meaningful with my own hands despite being called capable so many times.

Maybe I can be a little greedy.

The fact that the place is not Korea but a world inside a game, and that my companions are not the stifling and suffocating company people but the guild members I enjoyed passionate times with…

None of that matters anymore.

“Seonghyeon, you’ve shouldered too much alone until now. Now that we have more people, I, as the vice guild leader, will share the burden. For example, I’ll manage the camping from now on.”

“That’s not particularly difficult.”

“Regardless of whether it’s easy or difficult, I’m telling you to completely stop worrying about it. People have a limited total amount of memory and energy they can use. You focus more on strategies and giving orders. I’ll manage everything else.”

“Subin, you…”

Yes. Just quietly thank me like that.

As long as I can’t use magic satisfactorily, this is a line I can’t yield either.

To maximize the efficiency of food consumption, sleep time, and training time allocation that has been handled haphazardly so far—

“Did you hate being carried that much?”

“…What?”

“I understand, I understand. Everyone has a newbie period, so you don’t need to feel so burdened. Well, it would be strange not to entrust anything to the vice guild leader.”

This guy, smirking provocatively as he says that.

“You’re number 3 today. You’ll sleep in the middle.”

“Ah, no! This is tyranny!”

“In exchange, I’ll try cooking.”

“Um… have you cooked before?”

But still.

I wonder how long it’s been since I laughed over something so trivial.

“You can look forward to it.”

The cooking.

“My” magic.

And “our” journey.

Because I, Eun Subin, am here.