Chapter 103 – Peaceful Daily Life

Thud!

The reality of my room returned, along with a visual shift that never gave me time to get used to it.

The musty smell of unventilated air and the dust that blackened my fingers when I rubbed them together made me lament how severe the city’s air pollution was.

This damn place—how could so much dust accumulate just from being vacant for a few days!

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I can tell you’re having weird thoughts again…”

“KYAAAAAAAH!!! A GHOST!!!”

Zi bu yu guai li luan shen (子不語怪力亂神).

Confucius did not speak of ghosts—in K-OREA, a Confucian state, how dare one mention ghosts.

As a citizen of K-Republic who did not study the Three Principles and Four Virtues from childhood, this was an unacceptable reality.

To counter such an unscientific entity, I took a stance of cosmic exorcism that could send it to enlightenment.

“…Please stop that embarrassing behavior—I’m ashamed just watching you.”

“But Severa, you’re a ghost… and besides, how did you pop out without me calling you?”

Severa covered her face with her palm, as if truly embarrassed for me. But more surprising was the fact that the onaholes could now return to their original forms without me summoning them.

Though looking at how quiet the others were, it might just be Severa.

“Just put some clothes on first!”

“You criticize me for not wearing clothes when you didn’t even give me time to dress. Don’t you find that terribly unreasonable?”

“And what’s with that way of talking!”

I decided not to dress.

Because even in my natural state, I’m fucking awesome..!

Rather, as if to show off, I placed my hands on my hips and puffed out my chest, and Severa slunk away toward the corner of the room.

“To be honest, I don’t even feel like doing anything right now.”

My head was throbbing and burning from the truth about the people in similar situations to mine that I had heard and seen from him, and my condition wasn’t good at all.

Of course, it might be due to the strain on my brain from looking directly at the Howler for so long, even with the Crown of Madness.

‘Maybe I’ll just dust off and go to sleep…’

Thanks to the healing spring, all my scars and wounds had healed completely, but it seemed it didn’t have the ability to remove fatigue.

Too bad it can’t cure erectile dysfunction.

“So what are you going to do now?”

“About what?”

If you’re going to ask something, couldn’t you please immediately clarify what you’re asking about?

I think the world needs to be more straightforward.

“Obviously about what comes next. While it’s impressive that you defeated the Howler without our help, it’s just a joke compared to the predetermined doom that awaits.”

“And so.”

“And so..!”

Severa approached with a face that suggested I really didn’t understand, and grabbed my shoulders.

The cool sensation of her grip made me feel like I’d get goosebumps, but I quickly got used to it and didn’t mind.

“You felt it! The power of that fragment! Aren’t you afraid?”

Severa, a hero who had already walked this path once with Maria.

However, the expeditionary force was annihilated after facing the tentacled eyeball, that predetermined doom, and Severa became a wraith fallen into despair, terrified by its power.

That’s why she’s acting like this toward me.

‘Well, I’ve passed the 15th floor, so I guess we’re approaching the final stages.’

Though divided into 30 floors in total, considering the uniqueness of floors 26-30, it wouldn’t be wrong to consider this point, having passed the 15th floor, as the latter part.

She must be afraid of facing it again.

“Well, not really…”

Severa stared at me with a serious face.

It seemed like she was determined to hear an answer.

“To be honest, not particularly..?”

“What?!”

With a face of disbelief, her grip on my shoulders tightened painfully.

I wondered where such strength came from in a body with low physical strength and made of ectoplasm, as my hands began to tremble and involuntarily rise due to the pain.

“KYAAAAAAAH!!! No, I understand exactly what you’re worried about! I really do!”

Would it kill anyone to listen first before tormenting me?

Adding a bad child coin to Severa in my heart, I grabbed her arms and removed them.

“…No one in their right mind would say they’re not afraid of that.”

Even after I pulled her off, Severa muttered as if her point was correct. Somehow, she looked like a student wanting to have her answer to a problem confirmed by the teacher.

“Of course I’m worried.”

How many times have I almost died in this dungeon?

Now, I can handle ordinary enemies easily even if several attack at once, just by using consumables or calling onaholes, but in the beginning, when I couldn’t even wield a sword properly, I nearly died to rat fodder.

Even now, sub-bosses still require taking risks.

So how could I not be worried about the final boss?

But it wasn’t to the extent of being terrified and hiding under a blanket, biting my nails.

“If I were alone, I might be sighing in despair, but I’m not, right?”

“Not alone…? But that’s not something you can push through with halfhearted means.”

Severa, clinging persistently.

She seemed to find it a bit strange that she was only talking about despair after making that point herself, and she chewed her lips slightly while avoiding my gaze.

Instead of answering her, I waved my hand to summon Kali.

“Oh my, this isn’t that abandoned mine.”

“It’s my home. This is the third time I’ve brought you here, though you probably don’t remember.”

Kali, summoned with minimal effort thanks to Unicellia’s Blessing, lightly landed in the room from the empty air.

Though she couldn’t see due to the blindfold covering her eyes, she seemed to notice the change in location through the airflow, temperature, and smell, as she turned her head as if looking around the room.

“The great hero Kali, reporting for duty~”

“…I acknowledge her strength, but don’t think the level of our expeditionary force led by me and Maria was lower.”

Severa shrank slightly at the sight of Kali, who had soared to level 25 as soon as she could showcase her abilities.

The sight was quite cute, like a hedgehog curling up.

However, Severa still wouldn’t yield, so I summoned everyone.

The Slime, which was merely an ordinary mass of mucus but had been reborn as a powerful being through consciousness, Alraune, who had been one of the rulers of Osiris’s Labyrinth, and finally…

“Kee—!”

“GAAAH!!!”

Arachne, who charged at me as soon as she was summoned.

Hit by Arachne, who rammed into me with her large body like a dump truck, I coughed blood and slammed my head against the wall.

Bang! With a loud noise, my vision flashed and stars seemed to spin before my eyes.

When I finally regained my vision, I found myself half-cocooned, tightly bound with spider silk, and Arachne was lifting me up easily, rubbing her cheeks against mine.

“Well… I wouldn’t say we’re fully prepared, but don’t you think we’ve got a good chance with all this? Including Albert and Blue Tongue, though they’re not here. Am I wrong?”

“…”

Severa looked at each of the companions I had gathered, then seemed to sink into deep thought.

“Kee!”

“Hey, spider. Could you please untie this web? Where are you planning to take me all wrapped up like this!”

Regardless, Arachne had wrapped me in a sturdy spider silk cocoon and was naturally trying to leave the room, opening the door.

No matter how much I struggled, the highly elastic web wouldn’t tear—it was so good that nylon would be unnecessary.

Indeed, they say no artificial fiber can replace spider silk, and that seems to be true. Though it would have been better if it hadn’t been used to tie me up.

“KEEEEE!”

“Yes, yes. You’re not thinking of using those poison fangs, are you? Tell me you’re not! I’m not your prey, I’m your master! KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

Fortunately, after that, I was able to escape thanks to the Slime’s efforts.

Coo-coo-coo-coo-

The cooing of pigeons announcing the morning.

Actually, it was from a library ASMR video I had left playing all night, which had changed to an ASMR of three 5KG pigeons wandering around a park and cooing.

There couldn’t be a more appropriate auditory stimulus for starting the day peacefully and stably.

After finishing a refreshing sleep and getting up, I walked slowly to the kitchen, boiled water in the pot, and prepared to make coffee while looking out the window.

Fliiirr-

A small, nameless bird repeatedly flew between trees before landing on the ground.

It probably intended to eat seeds that had fallen to the ground.

Next to it, I saw a familiar cheese-colored cat that occasionally appeared at this time, stretching widely, and then I took out the coffee beans from the cupboard.

Chirp-!

A fragrant aroma of coffee beans tickled my nose as I tore open the bag.

I finely ground 30 grams of beans to make powder. Then I set up the server and dripper, folded the filter, and filled it with the beans, smoothing them out.

I tapped the fine granules with my fingertips, trying to make them perfect, but only created basins and hills.

Thinking it would be fine as long as it brewed properly, I carefully poured hot water over the beans in circles and waited, repeating this several times.

Drip- Drip- Dark coffee falling below.

After about 4 minutes of effort, I savored the aromatic and rich scent of the hand-dripped coffee while looking around the house.

“Mmm~”

Laundry like clothes and towels were rolled up in spider webs, hanging from the ceiling, and bottles of liquids from the refrigerator were all empty, rolling on the floor.

And the succulent plant I was growing as an ornamental had undergone some kind of emotional change, transforming like a manga character’s hairstyle that turns blonde when energized.

“Haha, what a mess.”

Sip-

“Ah, shit. Fucking bitter.”

It was the start of a peaceful day.