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Memorize - Episode 54
054 Our Oppa (Hyung) Has Changed
In the middle of sleeping soundly, I felt someone shaking my body. As I opened my eyes with a groan, Sol's clear eyes were looking down at my face. The dim dawn scenery of the Pitch-black Forest entered my view. Perhaps because we were in the middle of the forest, a cold chill engulfed my entire body. After circulating mana briefly to restore sensation throughout my body, I raised my stiff body. My head felt refreshingly clear, putting me in a good mood.
"Was there anything unusual?"
"No, there wasn't. Did you sleep well too, orabeoni?"
Sol calls me oppa when we're all together, but strangely, when it's just the two of us, she always calls me orabeoni. It was a bit embarrassing, but not so cringe-worthy that I disliked it terribly, so I didn't say anything. Seeing Sol bow her head politely in greeting, I thought she must have received good home training, wondering whose daughter she was.
After responding to Sol's greeting with a gentle smile, I turned to wake up Hyun and Yoo-jung when I felt a hand tugging firmly at my collar. When I turned my head back, Sol was fidgeting with her lips, looking hesitant. It seemed she had something she wanted to say to me. I opened my mouth in the most caring voice I could muster.
"Yes, Sol. Is there something you want to say?"
"Orabeoni... I..."
At my question, Sol kept looking at the ground, still avoiding my gaze. But soon she bit her lip hard and raised her head with a face of grave determination. I don't know what she was going to say that made her act like this, but I also tensed up a bit inside as I waited for her next words.
"...I need to... pee."
"..."
"I'm too scared to go alone... I want to go with you, orabeoni."
"...Go ahead."
I shook my head with a deflated face. However, this time Sol didn't back down. Despite my firm(?) rejection, Sol kept biting her lips and wouldn't let go of my clothes. Just as I was about to scold her severely for how long she intended to act spoiled, I noticed Sol's trembling eyes.
In the end, I decided to give in just this once. But I couldn't help feeling doubtful when I looked at Ahn Sol. It had been over three months since we entered the Hollow Plane, which meant Sol was also a 20-year-old adult. Of course, she looked much younger due to her baby face, but she should have some mental age too, yet looking at her behavior sometimes, she was nothing but a child.
It wasn't just me who found her occasional behavior strange. At a glance, it might not be noticeable, but having spent some time with Sol, Yoo-jung and I clearly felt that her behavior was odd. Yoo-jung had once directly asked Ahn Hyun about it, but at that time, Ahn Hyun seemed to avoid answering. It seemed like he had something he wanted to hide about Sol. Making a mental note to ask again when I got the chance, I moved away from the camping site with Sol.
"This should be far enough."
"..."
"Sol?"
"Orabeoni... you won't go somewhere else and leave me, right?"
"I'll stay still. Don't worry and do your business."
"I'll definitely believe you. Really. You promised."
Sol made me promise two or three times before finally letting go of my clothes with an anxious face. Watching Sol slip inside hesitantly, I took out a cigarette from my pocket and put it in my mouth. As I lit it and took a puff, I heard rustling sounds of clothes being removed from the bushes inside. Soon after, I heard the sound of Sol urinating, which made me feel awkward. Doesn't she feel embarrassed doing this in front of a man? Or do I not even look like a man to her? Either way, it wasn't a particularly pleasant fact, so I just kept puffing on my innocent cigarette.
By the time the cigarette had almost burned down, the sound of urination gradually subsided. And then I heard the sound of footsteps walking on grass. Seeing Sol visibly brighten up when she saw that I had stayed in place waiting, I felt somewhat relieved.
"Thank youuu."
"Geez. Always acting spoiled. If you keep doing this, it won't do."
"Hehe. I'm sorryy."
As I lightly scolded her while she grinned happily for some reason, just as I was about to turn around, Sol suddenly threw herself into my arms. Surprised by Sol suddenly embracing me, I unconsciously dropped the cigarette I was holding. Why is she suddenly being so aggressive? Finding my flustered face amusing, Sol rubbed her face against my chest with a gentle expression.
"Orabeoni."
"Y-yes?"
"Honestly... I was a little scared of you yesterday."
"...Is that so?"
So it was like that after all. My casually stabbing the knife into the neck out of slight annoyance must have seemed cruel. However, Sol's face and body in my arms weren't trembling, so I quietly waited for her next words. After savoring my embrace for a moment, Sol continued in a careful voice.
"But... orabeoni is always strong and kind. If it weren't for you, I probably..."
Unable to continue, she trailed off and closed her eyes. Seeing this, I inwardly sighed. However, it was true that I felt a strange feeling holding her now.
The female user in my arms now is a famous user who later awakens as the Priest of Radiance. Her reputation was so great that rumors spread that the Odin Clan, a gathering of top users across all continents, had taken Sol away.
Although I had worked hard in my own way, the truth was that I was no match for her in terms of fame or innate abilities. Sol was a user at such a lofty height from my position at the time, but the fact that she was now in my arms and relying on me seemed to fill my whole body with a literally strange feeling.
Led by that feeling, I unconsciously wrapped both arms around her. Sol seemed startled by my action, taking in a sharp breath, but then her face gradually softened warmly. As I stroked her back with my left hand and her jet-black hair with my right, I whispered gently.
"Should I have just spared that female vagrant yesterday...? Is that why you're scared of me...?"
At my words, Sol shook her head vigorously. It tickled my chest, but since I got the reaction I wanted, I smiled slightly. Sol seemed to like my touch, as her initially anxious face was now gone, replaced by an occasional flirtatious smile as she opened her mouth.
"Mmm... no. I won't be scared. Hyun oppa said so. That we need to be like Su-hyun hyung to survive... that we should all sharpen our minds. That we would all be dead if it weren't for hyung... That we should stick close to hyung no matter what and do as he says... So I'll trust orabeoni too. So please... don't abandon me."
I see. So Ahn Hyun said such admirable things. This meant that I had now firmly established my place in the kids' hearts. If their attitude until now had been blind reliance, it had changed to firm trust upon entering the Pitch-black Forest.
"I won't abandon you. And Hyun's words are wrong in one part. It's not about doing as I say, but about all of us thinking together and working hard. This kind of spoiled behavior..."
"I know. I know. But... I just want to do this for a moment at times like this."
I felt like holding her a bit longer, but since I wasn't someone who couldn't control even that much, I gently separated her from my arms and opened my mouth. However, ignoring my gesture, Sol plunged her face back into my chest and nodded vigorously.
"I'll work hard too. I'll really work hard enough to make you satisfied... so..."
"So?"
"Can't we stay like this just a little longer?"
"..."
"Pat my head too. Quickly."
Taking my silence as agreement, Sol nuzzled against me again and urged me. Looking at her, I shrugged once and obediently raised my hand. Still, I felt that from today, Sol's perception of me had clearly changed in one aspect.
"How's your body?"
"It feels light. When I checked after waking up today, my endurance ability score increased by 1. My recovery seems amazing, to the point where I wonder if this is really my body. I also feel more flexible than before."
"Haha. As a close-range type, pay attention to your endurance score too. Otherwise, you'll end up with a glass body."
"Hehehe."
Ahn Hyun kept laughing happily, seemingly satisfied with the fact that his ability score had increased. I saw Yoo-jung pouting her lips beside him, but she seemed purely happy for him. And watching Hyun, I felt a bit envious too. I want to increase my vitality too...
There's a possibility of endurance decreasing if you receive injuries far exceeding your ability limit. However, if you receive injuries just slightly exceeding or right below the limit, assuming perfect healing, you can increase your endurance score. Just like how cleanly breaking a bone makes it stronger when it heals, the body adapts to a certain level of injury.
Leaving Ahn Hyun behind as he swung his spear around showing off his body's health, I packed up the campsite. After a quick breakfast, we set off again towards the alchemist's dungeon.
I could be certain that the traces we saw at the entrance of the Pitch-black Forest were not from vagrants. That's because I was currently following their trail. Seeing that the traces were still continuing without disappearing, it seemed they had gone quite deep.
From the mid to latter part of the Pitch-black Forest, it was a place that even fairly skilled users absolutely couldn't take lightly. Nevertheless, the fact that they had pushed further in despite the difficulty meant there was likely something there. I was guessing that something to be the dungeon of Vivian, the ancient alchemist.
"It feels like we'll be swarmed by creepy things in droves again today."
Ahn Hyun, who was guarding the right flank, stepped forward slightly and spoke. He was probably referring to yesterday's battle with the wolf pack. I opened my mouth, looking at Hyun who was still maintaining his vigilance even while speaking.
"That battle was certainly the most dangerous. While it's not rare for them to come in such large groups, it's not common either. Anyway, when we finish exploring and return, let's get you some armor first."
"Armor...? Ah. You mean defensive equipment? I'm wearing the basic defensive gear we received at the User Academy..."
"That's leather, so you can't expect much defensive effect from it. As a spearman, chain mail or scale armor that's easier to move in would be better than plate mail."
"Ah, I see. I know a little about weapons, but I don't know much about armor. Come to think of it, after yesterday's battle, it does seem like it would be good to have. Since I'm not defending, I can swing my spear more... But wouldn't it cost an enormous amount of money to buy such things at once?"
I nodded at Hyun's words. Truly renowned, proper upper body armor is mostly priced beyond what novice users can afford. Far from procuring defensive equipment, they're busy just trying to eat day by day. Even the fact that we prepared new weapons for our first exploration would be seen as an extravagance by other novices.
"That's true. Unless we hit a jackpot in the middle, there's no guarantee that income will be much even when you become a skilled user. In the end, we'll have to save money frugally from now on and prepare things one by one steadily."
"If worst comes to worst, we still have the GP we received from the Trial of Passage, so don't worry too much."
"Rejected. As I said before, that's really a last resort. Save GP no matter what. There might be a use for it later. For now, let's make do with what we have."
"Sigh. Money is always the problem, no matter where you go."
I chuckled and nodded, watching Hyun who was already talking like an old man, licking his lips. If I had to pick the user who had adapted best to the Hollow Plane among our current group, it would definitely be Hyun. His point about needing armor due to weak defense in battle and thinking about the distant future was praiseworthy.
After chatting briefly with Hyun, I activated my sensing and Third Eye. The traces of the users who had gone ahead were becoming stronger, suggesting we could catch up to them by tomorrow at the earliest, or the day after at the latest.
Of course, I had no intention whatsoever of acting together with them. If we were lucky enough to discover it first, I planned to claim the rights. Existing users should know about the rights of first discovery. However, even if we didn't discover it first, I wasn't particularly worried.
Originally, the alchemist's dungeon isn't supposed to be discovered now. I remembered it being discovered a few months after I uncovered the Cave of Screams two years later. But if the caravan that went ahead now discovers the alchemist's dungeon. And if my prediction is correct, it meant they would soon be completely annihilated. They probably failed to conquer the dungeon and all perished inside.
If they discovered it first, we could just step back for now. We could set up near the dungeon, wait a few days, then go in to find their corpses. Rather, they might have cleared some of the traps or monsters at the entrance, making it easier for us to enter later. Also, if we collected their equipment, we could make quite a tidy profit.
After finishing these various calculations in my mind, I started moving my feet more quickly. I wanted to deal with the dungeon quickly and explore the Ruins of the Laboratory and the Cave of Screams that I had my eye on next. The kids just followed behind me as I increased the pace, not knowing the reason why.
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