Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Otherworld Cheat Harem.

Episode 51: The Most Beautiful One In This Universe (2).

“…Are you looking for people to enter the dungeon?”

“Yes.”

“Do you really need to?”

“Hmm. My goal is to climb higher.”

Seoyoon nodded as if she understood. It was typical of her not to say much about the dungeon.

Having obtained permission, I headed straight to the guild the next day. Pion handed me a bundle of documents, saying she had prepared it in advance knowing this would happen.

“This is a list of adventurers looking for a party.”

“Thank you, Pion.”

“Oh, it’s nothing; I was just doing my job.”

Even as she said that, she chuckled. As I flipped through the stack she handed me, I examined the adventurers listed.

‘If it’s only men… Eunha might feel uncomfortable, right?’

She is a small girl as it is. If she were to join a party full of men, there was a high chance she would feel uneasy.

So, I excluded men. Then, I looked for someone who would be necessary for our party.

‘Combat is covered.’

I could handle the fighting. In terms of combat power, Eunha was not lacking when compared to me before leveling up.

With Eunha and me, we could easily defeat any enemy.

So what we needed was not combat power but versatility. Someone who could handle curses, or find paths and monsters…

‘A mage?’

Unfortunately, mages weren’t looking for parties and weren’t posting ads in places like this. However, I knew of one mage.

Thinking I should talk to him later, I found someone in the documents who met the conditions and handed it to Pion.

Pion’s expression slightly hardened upon receiving the document I handed over, then returned to normal.

“Ahaha, as expected, you’re a man, Dojin.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Well, you chose an elf, didn’t you?”

She showed me the document. I didn’t realize it while skimming through the specialties, but the person I chose was an elf. A female elf with a large chest, at that.

“…That’s not why.”

“It’s fine. All men are like that, you know.”

“I swear, it’s not.”

Though it wasn’t something I could say after choosing an elf, there was no ulterior motive. Certainly not.

The Magic Tower stood tall in the sunniest spot in the city. It seemed to demonstrate the tower’s grandeur, built in a location even brighter than the Lord of the territory’s residence.

I looked up at the majestic Magic Tower, like a high-rise building, and then entered inside. There were no guards to protect the building.

Indeed, no fool would raid or sneak into the Magic Tower, filled with mages who were human weapons by their mere presence, to steal something.

If they did, they’d be detected by magic in an instant and turned into a human test subject who walked in on their own.

I approached the mage idly standing at the reception desk on the first floor.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, how can I help you?”

“I’m here to find someone.”

“The name is…?”

“I’m the leader of the Earth Trading Company.”

Saying so, I took out the token that Raize had given me. Whether it was really such an impressive item, the mage, who had been asking questions with a disinterested expression, instantly straightened up and responded attentively.

“Yes! Who are you looking for?”

“Raize…”

“Raize? One moment. Are you referring to the mid-level mage Raize?”

“Yes, the small boy.”

“Boy…? We only have one person named Raize in our tower.”

“Isn’t he a mage about this tall?”

“Ah, then it seems to be correct. Please wait a moment.”

The mage gave a slight smile and then picked up the communicator to call Raize. Before long, Raize appeared on the first floor through spatial teleportation.

As I stared blankly at him, Raize walked over and questioned the mage who had summoned him.

“…What’s the matter?”

“Visitor.”

“Visitor? Huh?”

Only then did Raize notice me, standing there with his mouth agape, and he quickly turned to tidy his hair.

Wondering why he was so concerned about appearance between men, I approached Raize, ruffled his hair, and greeted him.

“Long time no see.”

“…What brings you here?”

“I have something to tell you… Is there a quiet place where we can talk?”

“…Follow me.”

Seemingly not pleased with me messing up his hair, he led me with a slightly sharp tone.

Following him, we arrived at a flower garden filled with vibrant blooms. As I admired the surrounding flowers, I asked him.

“What are all these?”

“Alchemy materials. Don’t just sniff them. You’ll get addicted.”

“…Are they drugs?”

“There are drugs too.”

Upon hearing that, I immediately pinched my nose shut and quietly exited the flower garden. Shortly after, we reached a quiet vegetable garden that seemed deserted.

Upon arriving at the vegetable garden, Raize turned to me and spoke.

“So, what do you want to say?”

“…Is this really the only place you have?”

“Did you expect we’d go to a teahouse or something?”

“Not exactly… Anyway, let’s get to the point. Have you ever thought about becoming an adventurer?”

“…? I already am an adventurer.”

“Ah, it’s not that… Would you consider becoming my companion?”

At those words, Raize stopped and looked me up and down. Then, he began pulling on my sleeve, touching my cheek, or tugging at my hair.

“What are you doing?”

“Just… wondering if you’re a fake.”

“What nonsense… So, are you in?”

“Last time, didn’t you say not to meet until I leveled up?”

“That was then… Surely, you haven’t leveled up yet?”

At my words, Raize quietly averted his eyes. I thought that a mage of his caliber would have quickly leveled up.

I asked, just in case.

“Since then, how many times have you gone into a dungeon?”

“…times.”

“What?”

“Zero times.”

At that, I placed my hand on my forehead. My suspicion was correct. While he was indeed a talented mage, there was no way to showcase it.

Couldn’t he just demonstrate his magic? Maybe, but he didn’t even have enough mana to use magic inside the dungeon, let alone waste it proving himself.

In other words, one could only judge by his appearance, which resembled that of an ordinary elementary school child.

No sane person would take a child into a dungeon. Either they recruit him to pick up mana stones like a porter, or they’re a criminal with inappropriate desires toward a child.

Now that the dungeon had completely opened and become a bustling marketplace, such crimes had become impossible, which was probably why he’d been safe.

“Well… It’s fine. Leveling up isn’t urgent.”

Leveling up was a miracle that transformed an ordinary person into a near-superhuman. For mages who had already become nearly superhuman through long effort and study, it wasn’t particularly necessary.

There, as he said with his own mouth, wasn’t he a genius mage who mastered beginner magic? With a little help, leveling up would be achieved in no time.

“So, want to come with me?”

“…What’s in it for me?”

“You get to explore the dungeon with me.”

“How is that a benefit?”

Raize retorted with a glare. Still unnecessarily mature for a kid, like an old soul in a young body.

A child should have dreams befitting their age.

“Do you know what my goal is?”

“What is it?”

“My goal is… to see the end of the dungeon.”

“The end?”

Only then did he start to show interest. No one had ever seen the end of the dungeon. At most, around the 60th floor.

Even that was an achievement accomplished by heroes with state support, sacrificing many.

A lone adventurer without affiliation couldn’t surpass that. It was common sense.

I was proposing to break that common sense.

“How about it? Doesn’t it make your heart race with excitement?”

“…Not at all.”

“You have no sense of adventure. So, are you turning this down? The first adventurer to conquer the dungeon. The only mage in the party. You’re throwing that honor away?”

“Do you really think it’s possible?”

With continued persuasion, Raize was gradually being convinced.

Now is the time. If not now, I won’t be able to persuade him.

Thinking so, I delivered my decisive blow.

“It’s not about whether you can or can’t.”

“Then?”

“It’s about whether you do it or not.”

If you do it, you might succeed.

But if you don’t, you’ll definitely fail.

Isn’t not doing it the foolish choice?

Hearing my words, Raize twitched, lost in deep thought.

“…One thing.”

“Uh?”

“There’s one condition.”

“What is it? I’ll do it.”

“Don’t call me a kid.”

“Aha, you’ve been upset because I’ve been calling you a kid, huh?”

“…Also.”

I smiled slyly and extended my hand to him, who was now a comrade.

“Looking forward to working with you, Raize.”

“Yeah.”

He grasped my hand with a fresh smile.

After Dojin left, Raize looked down at her palm. The warmth still lingered.

‘…Foolish.’

And then she blamed herself for making a foolish decision. See the end of the dungeon? How could such a thing be possible?

Even the Imperial Knights couldn’t do it. That monstrous group that could take on an entire legion with a single battalion…

‘It’s a foolish act.’

Why did she make such a choice? She sighed naturally. She returned to the desk and frowned at Kahuu, who was waiting with a beaming smile.

“…What?”

“Did you have a good time?”

“Can’t you tell by looking?”

“Hehe, really? What did you do? Sex?”

Raize didn’t feel it was worth answering such a question and brushed past her. Then Kahuu immediately left the desk and hugged Raize.

“Hey, where are you running off to? Tell me something. Hmm? That man doesn’t even know you’re a woman. Why didn’t you tell him? Planning to jump him later while bathing together?”

“…Shut up. Let go.”

“I’ll let go if you tell me.”

Kahuu said that while squeezing tightly with her arms. Her ample chest pressed against Raize’s head. It didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t pleasant either.

“Let go.”

“Kyaaah!”

In the end, Raize had to release a current by drawing up her mana to escape from Kahuu’s embrace.

“He’s just… just a colleague.”

“A colleague? I heard that person is a merchant?”

“Adventurer colleague.”

“Oh, you’re still doing that kind of thing, huh?”

At the word “thing,” Raize quietly looked at her. Kahuu didn’t notice her reaction and kept muttering.

“What’s so hard about catching monsters that even kids can handle, right? They’d all be wiped out with a single spell…”

“It’s hard.”

“What?”

“I said it’s hard.”

With those words, Raize returned to her laboratory. Yes, that’s what ordinary mages thought.

In reality, even though the current dungeon was considered significantly easier compared to before, it was still dangerously challenging.

‘This place is a well.’

In her opinion, the current Magic Tower was too stagnant. It had stagnated to the point where only frogs unaware they were in a well remained.

‘That’s why.’

Only then did Raize realize why she accepted Dojin’s proposal. She instinctively understood that if she stayed here, she would stagnate too.

—There is a greater world, a greater truth.

Words her master often said. To follow those words, she stepped into a bigger world.

And the next day.

“…Hello.”

“Oh, yes.”

Seeing Eunha, who was about her size, Raize thought again.

‘Could he be a pedophile?’

And shortly after, an elf with a large chest appeared.

“Sorry I’m late, I’m Orion.”

‘…Guess not.’