episode_0054

Day 3 in the dungeon.

Already halfway through the schedule, the final boss, which could be considered the ultimate task, was discovered and defeated within a few hours of its appearance.

In essence, the main event had already ended.

As the end of the dungeon approached, the competition among the players became even more fierce.

Hong Yeonhwa and her party, including the teasingly playful Ihayul, moved away from their spot.

Everyone had consumed a considerable amount of health and mana in defeating the boss.

Baek Arin, who took an aggressive approach to attract the boss’s attention, and Elia, who provided various enhancement spells and buffs to the combatants for powerful strikes.

And Hong Yeonhwa, who pushed her fear-suppressing abilities to the limit and even used her expansion ability.

Feeling the disturbance, they were hesitant to engage in a battle with the approaching Ihayul.

After creating some distance, they dug a small hole in the ground. Baek Arin quickly set up a temporary base by casting various spells.

Creating temporary bases or strongholds was occasionally necessary in dungeons or battlefields, and Baek Arin’s expertise in this area had gained recognition in the Shiyoram training program.

Some time passed as they hid to recover their health.

Inside, only a small opening allowed a trickle of sunlight to enter.

The party sat in a triangle around the central glowing spell for illumination.

…There were four of them, but it formed a triangle.

Baek Arin sat on the left diagonal of Hong Yeonhwa, while Elia sat on the right diagonal. Their gazes were fixed in her direction.

With awkward glances and a tense atmosphere, curiosity lingered, but no one dared to ask.

Hong Yeonhwa cautiously adjusted her posture.

– Gently

“Hng…”

The breath tickling her neck became stronger. Hong Yeonhwa’s eyes trembled slightly.

What was squirming in her arms wriggled inside and the warm sensation became more pronounced.

Hong Yeonhwa glanced down hesitantly. There, Ihayul was nestled against her chest, with one cheek pressed against her upper chest, eyes tightly shut.

‘Ugh…’

His eyes closed tightly against the relentless attack that shook his heart.

In general, Hong Yeonhwa’s personality was often described as impulsive and fiery. To some extent, it was true.

She was someone who would throw a punch before using words to persuade her opponent.

But what most people didn’t know was that the result was achieved after considerable effort to control herself.

The fear-suppressing ability Hong Yeonhwa possessed was unprecedented in the family’s history, leading to the highest emotional intensity ever recorded.

From a young age, she was far from having a calm temperament, especially after manifesting her fear-suppressing ability at an early age.

Therefore, she received intensive training on fear suppression and emotional regulation from an early age.

In other words, contrary to appearances, Hong Yeonhwa was a person with strong patience.

She was currently being tested on the limits of her patience in real-time.

After barely suppressing the rising impulse, she gently patted Ihayul’s back with the hand supporting him.

“Don’t go anywhere, it’s okay…”

The usual shy demeanor seemed to have disappeared, replaced by a comforting and soothing presence.

Whispering that it was okay in his ear, the squirming subsided. As the patting continued, the erratic breathing gradually calmed down.

A relieved sigh escaped Hong Yeonhwa’s lips as she continued to stroke Ihayul’s back.

As she did so, her gaze was caught by Baek Arin, who had a very subtle expression.

“Yeonhwa, you being like this makes it too awkward.”

“What’s so awkward about it?”

“You’re not the violent Yeonhwa I knew…”

Hong Yeonhwa frowned at Baek Arin’s exaggerated reaction. She knew that it was just a brief joke before getting to the point.

The Changhae family, to which Baek Arin belonged, had a deep relationship with the Geophwa family for a long time.

As the successor of the Changhae family, Baek Arin had often met with members of the Geophwa family and had also encountered their unique abilities.

Therefore, she couldn’t help but know the true nature of the flames emanating from Yi Hayul.

It would be difficult to find someone who didn’t know about the unique ability of Geophwa from the beginning.

Elia had disappeared in that brief moment. Judging by the feeling from above, it seemed she left to gauge the atmosphere.

Baek Arin hesitated unexpectedly, rolled her eyes, and spoke casually.

“Yi Hayul, were you from the Geophwa family?”

“I don’t know.”

“Huh.”

“I don’t know either.”

Yeonhwa replied bluntly, ignoring Baek Arin’s gaze that seemed to question what would happen if she didn’t know.

But the complicated feelings couldn’t be helped.

The Geophwa family was a faction that had been formed 200 years ago.

With the bloodline of the founder Hong Yeon continuing, the unique ability of Geophwa had also been passed down.

Just as people’s nature changed with each generation, there were various changes in Geophwa, but the fundamental foundation remained unchanged.

Not everyone who inherited the bloodline of the founder manifested Geophwa.

Some couldn’t awaken their magic, some couldn’t manifest their unique abilities, and some manifested a different elemental ability, such as a normal fire attribute or a completely different elemental ability.

Even the rare manifestation of Geophwa had slight differences among users.

Not everyone who was part of the Geophwa family manifested Geophwa.

But those who manifested Geophwa were naturally all members of the family, and especially the ‘powerful’ Geophwa users were always from the main family.

Yeonhwa gently stroked Yi Hayul’s head with a complicated expression on her face.

For a moment, feeling awkward about the sensation in her palm, she smiled at his nodding approval of her touch.

“…Is this the first time you’ve manifested it?”

“It seems so.”

Yeonhwa agreed with Baek Arin, who was watching them closely.

“What will you do from now on? Will you join the family?”

“I guess finding out if he’s from the family comes first.”

Yeonhwa’s expression hardened.

He had used Geophwa. Assuming that Geophwa had manifested due to the continuation of the bloodline, Yi Hayul was undoubtedly a member of the Geophwa family.

But why was Yi Hayul abandoned at an orphanage from infancy? How did he get the burn on his right hand? Who did such a thing to him?

Nothing was confirmed yet, but those things needed to be found out first.

“Will Yi Hayul become Hong Hayul then?”

“W-what… That’s… He should talk to Hayul first.”

“Or are you planning to take him as a foster child?”

“W-what? What are you talking about all of a sudden! Ugh! You’re saying weird things!”

Baek Arin burst into laughter at the expected strong reaction. Yeonhwa, unable to help it, adjusted her posture in case Yi Hayul felt uncomfortable.

The awakening of magic and innate unique abilities occurs in early childhood.

When Geophwa first manifests, flames are wildly emitted in all directions.

Fortunately, there were precautions that could be taken, but it was still dangerous.

In addition, the inability to control Geophwa is accompanied by a dramatic increase in emotions.

Yi Hayul’s current state would likely be in that condition. Although the magic had stopped as his mana was depleted, the intensity of his emotions remained.

That’s why… he had suddenly leaned into Yeonhwa’s embrace.

Intensification, amplification, escalation of emotions.

You could call it whatever you wanted. Regardless, at that moment, regulating emotions became difficult.

However, the same point was that new emotions didn’t suddenly appear.

You could hate someone even more if you already hated them, but you couldn’t suddenly start liking someone you disliked.

Being embraced by oneself… Did she always want that…

Her face flushed at the sudden thought.

The inside of the cave was dimly lit by magic. Hong Yeonhwa lowered her head to hide her flushed face, only to have her nose buried in Lee Hayul’s hair.

“…Sniff?”

Heuk.

Hong Yeonhwa held her breath. An indescribable sensation ran down her spine. The faint scent that had been lingering since earlier now pierced her brain.

Lee Hayul’s scent filled her nostrils. An exotic scent she had never smelled before… yet strangely familiar.

Would it be somewhat similar if the fragrant scent of grass mixed with the warm scent of honey?

The subtle yet not overpowering scent filled her chest beyond her nostrils. Her body trembled with a euphoric sensation.

‘Wow, what the… this is insane!’

Such madness. The rationality that had been melting away under impulse suddenly returned.

Hong Yeonhwa panicked and scolded herself. This crazy guy was doing something absurd.

Then, she abruptly raised her head and sneakily glanced at Baek Arin.

“……”

There seemed to be no particular reaction. With her eyes closed, she was tapping her fingers as if lost in thought.

It seemed like Lee Hayul was contemplating the concept of a soulmate.

Although Hong Yeonhwa’s mind was in turmoil, the current situation was more provocative than any complex thoughts.

“…Hm.”

Hong Yeonhwa fell silent for a moment before gently lowering her head. Her nose was buried in his soft hair.

Sniff…

Come to think of it, wasn’t Lee Hayul also entrusting himself to emotions rather than just holding her? This was just an amplification of emotions. It didn’t mean new emotions were arising.

In other words, Lee Hayul ultimately wanted to hold himself inwardly, didn’t he?

If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be permissible for her to allow this much?

Hong Yeonhwa rationalized to herself. Despite focusing on mental cultivation, she was still young and immature.

‘…What is he doing.’

Baek Arin tilted her head with half-open eyes.

Hong Yeonhwa’s forehead was clearly visible. When she listened closely, she could clearly hear the perverted breathing.

…Even if she tried to muffle the sound, she was blatantly sniffing the scent?

Cutting out the front and back of the situation… no, even pasting them together, it was a very strange sight.

Embracing a person who seemed to have lost consciousness, burying her head in his hair and sniffing the scent with a perverted expression…

‘Isn’t that sexual harassment…’

She thought about restraining her, but then she remembered Lee Hayul’s usual attitude towards Hong Yeonhwa.

…Considering his dull personality, if he asked her to let him smell it, wouldn’t she scold him but still comply?

Baek Arin stood up, shaking her head, and decided to bring Elia, who was bored outside.

She stepped out of the cave with Elia.

– Ring!

Lee Hayul writhed as a sudden breath tickled his ear.

* * *

– Ring!

[“Blessing of Growth” supports your growth]

[“Special Blessing of Growth” supports your growth]

[“Blessing of Growth (Top Rank)” supports your growth]

[“Curse of Beauty and Fame” supports your growth]

[“Curse of Solitude” supports your growth]

[“Curse of Silence” supports your growth]

[Ability “■■ and □□” grows]

[Unique Ability “Alluring Beauty” grows]

[Unique Ability “Magic Affinity” grows]

[Unknown Ability “?” temporarily manifests]