Chapter 96

The fire lizard crawled up the hand grabbing the steering wheel . Compared to a few days ago, the size was the same, but the color was a little lighter . No, should I say that a tint of yellow was mixed in? Just in case, I tried using the Seed-Leaf skill .

[Fire elemental – E-Rank]

In that time, the rank had gone up . It was still on the lower side, but it was really fast .

“That elemental, it seems like it grew a little?”

“Really? It did eat the things I gave it well, this and that . ”

“It eats things other than fire?”

“It mainly eats fire, but it also swallows magic stones and miscellaneous items . It doesn’t even glance at ordinary things, though . ”

Did it only eat things that came from dungeons? The lizard that was roaming around Yoohyun’s fingers went along his arm again and crawled up to his neck . It went once around his neck and went up toward his ear, when it suddenly disappeared around the corner of his right eye .

“…Hey, your eye . ”

The right eye had changed to red . There were times when there was a slight blackish red tint due to the influence of his skills, but right now, it had completely changed .

“It does seep into my skin like a tattoo, but it likes going into my eye more . ”

Yoohyun said, like it was normal . Elementals were quite unusual .

I thoughtlessly stared straight at the red eye, when the lizard appeared again . While shaking its tail as if it wasn’t pleased about something .

“Does it bother you?”

“Hm? Ah, did you make it come out? You can manipulate it?”

“To a certain extent . ”

The lizard that was wavering redly, was quickly crawling down, when it crossed over to my side . Peace was sitting in my lap quietly, when he stretched out a front paw with his eyes sparkling .

-Geureureung

He seemed interested starting from when it was an egg, and it seemed like he really liked the fire elemental . But the lizard soon turned quickly around and went to Yoohyun . Peace looked regretfully at the lizard going further away .

“…Can the system manufacturers certainly be trusted?”

Yoohyun asked, while we had stopped at a signal . I turned my gaze that was looking at the red light, toward my brother .

“Who knows . Before whether I trust them or not, it’s certain that they’re involved with the system, though I can’t say in detail . And it’s not like they’re making me do something weird . ”

I was startled to hear them tell me to fill up 50 with just S-Ranks, but if you calculated it out, it wasn’t any different from just telling me to reliably use my skill . The time length was long, and monsters counted . There was the Noah case, but if I wasn’t pointlessly greedy and raised just kiseungsu, it would be safe .

‘Besides fooling me with the wish stone, it didn’t seem like they pulled anything stupid . ’

Regressing was better in various ways, so I didn’t have any complaints about that . For the skill explanations being lacking, those people said that they couldn’t do anything about it either . If only they did something about that Deer guy . Would they really have cut off her antler?

“For now, I just have to do my own thing and live . There isn’t anything else I have to do . At the most, being a little burdened? And today, I’m going because I have some things I’m curious about . Do you happen to have anything you want to ask?”

Though I didn’t know if they would answer . Truthfully, I didn’t know if things would be prepared to talk like last time, this time too . I was just trying to see if I could find them .

“…There’s a lot of things I want to ask, so it’s hard to choose . It should be the same for other people, not just me . ”

“Then again, if I told Suk Hayan-ssi, it might be that her eyes would shine and she would bring over piles of questionnaires that would take a hundred days to read out . ”

The image of that side’s team members giving three cheers as a group while running around happily, automatically appeared in front of my eyes .

“Hyung, is your curse resistance also L-Rank?”

Yoohyun asked suddenly . Did I not tell him in detail up to ranks except for the poison resistance?

“Yeah . Don’t tell other people . Though it’s good that you know . ”

Putting aside the poison resistance, if my curse resistance rank was caught, then it would get really annoying . Even now, the thing that was used in many places, starting from inventories and contracts, was curse skills, and it was expected that they would be used even more diversely from now on . But if it was a curse resistance that wasn’t even S-Rank, but as much as L-Rank, that meant there was no curse skill that could restrict me . And that included other people who were inside the range of the skill’s influence .

“If it gets caught, I’m going to put it as S-Rank . ”

Because of the circumstances, it was impossible to not get caught at all, and if it was an S-Rank curse resistance, then the range wouldn’t be large enough to cover one person, and me alone was stat F, so people probably wouldn’t care too much . And Riette would think it was about that much . Or she might be expecting that it’s lower somehow . Whether her ability to use the skill wasn’t very good yet, or if she made it cheaply, Riette’s contract rank was B .

“If it’s that much, the rank probably wouldn’t get caught if I’m careful just when using contract . Even for contracts, as long as I don’t do something like ripping up an S-Rank, it wouldn’t show . ”

For Hunters’ curse skills, the effect compared to rank was low as long as it didn’t meet the conditions, so there was no problem . And it wasn’t like I was going to go catch a monster with a ton of attack type curse skills or something .

“Still, if you have to release an SS-Rank or higher curse, I’ll help you . Even saints can’t cover anything past S-Rank . ”

Though if it got caught, my peaceful retirement plan would get a little further away . Should I tell Yerim, too, I wonder . Unlike poison, would curses be okay as long as you were careful of illegal contracts?

“You’ll probably be able to block up to SSS-Rank for contracts . ”

“For curses with conditions where the person involved agreed, even a resistance or de-cursing item one rank higher can block them, so I probably could . At any rate, there aren’t even SS-Ranks yet, right?”

“There aren’t . ”

For some reason the replying voice was reluctant . Were there some? There weren’t any according to my memory, but it wasn’t something I knew about .

In the meantime, we had arrived at the dungeon building . I stopped and stood in front of the blue gate, and Yoohyun went in first . I waited for about 10 minutes and was about to follow in .

“…Yoohyun?”

Yoohyun came back out of the gate . With a slightly confused expression .

“……Did we happen to have come to the wrong dungeon?”

“No, it should be right? In the first place, if it was a different dungeon, we wouldn’t have been able to come into the building . ”

The serial number stuck on the wall next to the gate was the same as the dungeon we were supposed to go to . Under the serial number, ‘desert environment D-Rank’ was written . Yoohyun also saw that, and mumbled blankly .

“Snow… was falling . ”

“……Snow?”

“It was a forest covered with snow . And I didn’t see any monsters . ”

……This was my first time hearing of a dungeon environment changing . Would have to do with the system people by any chance?

“I’ll try going in, too . ”

“No . It might be dangerous . ”

“That gate is open . And there’s this, too . ”

When I took out the Shalos’ Bead and said it had the same effect as the bracelet last time, he consented . Anyways, fussy guy . Yoohyun went inside first, and I also went through the gate while holding Peace .

“It really is a winter forest . ”

A quiet forest covered with pure white snow was spread before my eyes . It seemed like a picture in a Christmas card . Snowflakes were softly falling from a misty sky . They flew around briefly, barely visible, before soon stopping .

“It’s a little cold . ”

“I don’t have anything with cold resistance . They’re easy to cancel out . ”

It was something Yerim would grumble about if she heard . And then, he took out a coat and hung it over me . Continuing, the fire lizard came over and wrapped around my neck, and when even Peace became bigger and leaned against me as if covering me, the cold quickly went away . Though I couldn’t do anything about my shoes getting wet from the snow .

We went a little further in the forest, but the surroundings were still just quiet . To think it was a dungeon without monsters . It really was weird . On top of that, a greeting message window didn’t pop up .

It was just when I was thinking if it would be better to go out .

Kwadeuk!

“Yoohyun!”

A sharp ice spear that came flying over without even a sound pierced Han Yoohyun’s forearm . It wasn’t that it was aiming for his arm . Specifically, he had blocked it flying toward his head with his arm .

Flames wrapped around his arm and immediately melted the ice . At the same time, Yoohyun strongly kicked the piled snow .

Chwaak-

The snow that had swept through for ten-odd meters like a giant wave, fell back to the ground . But a portion stayed floating in the air . No, it was covering something transparent . Something that had a form with a head and shoulders like a person, at about two meters height .

“The hiding skill rank is high . It’s definitely not D-Rank . ”

Yoohyun said lowly, opening a potion . I had already taken out and was holding Shalos’ Bead . Then I used the Seed-Leaf skill .

[Toy Soldier No . 6 – S-Rank

Contractor – □□□□□]

‘…An elemental?’

A status window similar to Yoohyun’s fire elemental popped up . Before that, S-Rank and no . 6? Did that mean there was no . 1~5, too? Possibly more than that, too…

I was about to conclude that we should escape through the gate as fast as possible .

[I apologizeee~~ . ]

A message window popped up . Could this be .

“…Yoohyun, wait a moment . ”

Yoohyun, who was fully prepared to attack as soon as I used the Bead, sent a doubtful gaze . Then, as a message window popped up again, I saw something bouncing over from far away .

[I did not know the kids would attack Honey’s brother~~ . ]

A volleyball with eyes, nose, and mouth drawn on came over . Yoohyun frowned a little . I mean, I was wondering why a volleyball, but before that .

“If you apologize, is that all? After putting a hole in someone’s younger brother’s arm!”

The round eyes drawn on the volleyball turned into a ㅠㅠ shape . The smiling mouth also became squiggly .

[Honey’s brother is also at fault……]

“At fault? After suddenly attacking, you’re also shifting it onto somebody else?”

I grabbed the volleyball that had come right in front of me and shook it . What nonsensical excuse was this?

[No, that is…]

“You’re Newcomer, right?”

[I am Wilson, though!]

…Wilson? Who was that?

[……Yes, I am Newcomerㅠ0ㅠ]

So I really was right . Anyways, it wasn’t an enemy .

“Yoohyun, this is the system- . ”

When I turned my head to say that it was okay because it was the system side, I saw Yoohyun who had drawn back several steps when I wasn’t paying attention . And with a taken aback expression . Peace was the same . He was staring at me pitifully while scratching the air, something like a transparent wall .

[It will become difficult if they hear the conversation . ]

“Still, you have to explain and then send them away . ”

It seemed like sound didn’t get through, and I was going to take out a memo sheet and a pen, but the inventory didn’t work . Without anything else to do, I crouched down and wrote down that it was okay on top of the snow . My hand was cold . At that, it was a relief that the lizard was still wrapped around my neck .

“Why did you attack, and where is this?”

[That is . It is because Honey’s brother has a connection to some people, with who we have decided to not to mention each other . This is a dungeon for Honey . If you knock three times in front of the gate, you can come in here . I worked hard to make it!]

“I do not remember knocking . ”

[For the first time, you have to just come in for me to tell you . The side that can’t be mentioned has recently interfered quite a lot, so we were able to make it . ]

He said he couldn’t mention, so I couldn’t understand at all . And related to Yoohyun… wait . I remembered an outrageous and suspicious thing that Yoohyun had said before .

“…That cannot mention whatever – could that be something like a cultist religion? Something like Confucianism?”

Though Confucianism wasn’t a cult . At my question, Newcomer didn’t give any answer . Seeing how he couldn’t say, I was right .

[Anyways, this place was nicely cleaned up, so nothing dangerous will happen . Though it cannot be opened for long . About 30 minutes?]

It felt like ten minutes had already passed . I should quickly ask them .

“Is that cultist religion very dangerous? Can you still not explain why you told me to gather S-Ranks yet? Is there no other people who can do my work instead of me? Could you possibly make the dungeon in Japan that has the stamina potion materials come out quickly? And there is a baby monster called Chirpie, but its status window information does not pop up properly . The keyword application worked, but taming nor the My Brat skill did not apply . Also- . ”

[Please wait! Danger, danger is… with this level, it is okay . If I explain in detail, it becomes more dangerous, so I cannot . Someone instead of Honey… there is none yet . But couldn’t Honey find some? Then it would be good!]

I could find them? Did he mean someone with a special skill similar to mine?

[Stamina potion materials…… ah, this . I will try to adjust it so it will come out around the full moon . Chirpie? Uh… um…… uh……? The keyword was applied?]

“Yes . ”

[……I do not see it? @△@??]

He couldn’t see it? Status window… also didn’t open . But Chirpie was definitely there . The rank was listed as □, though .

[That is strange . If you bring it over, I can check it and eliminate it for you . ]

…What the hell?

“No thanks!”

Fuck, ‘eliminate’, was he crazy, really? There would definitely be no reason to bring Chirpie into a dungeon . The kid could have a bit of a bug, why eliminate, crazy .

“And recently, a first attack reward for an S-Rank dungeon was different from the before the regression, but could that normally happen?”

[Was it possibly a consumable?]

“Yes . ”

[If it is a consumable, then it is because it was used . Of course items, but other things too – for example, dying – were all cut out . If there are several of the same thing, we replace them, but if there are not, we put in other items . ]

“……They were cut out?”

[Yes . Regression is originally like that . Right, Honey would not know well . Even if you regress, the target is only just Honey, so the remaining things are the same . The world where 5 year’s time had passed was left the as it was, and only Honey came back to 5 years ago . ]

Immediately, my insides roiled . It was the same . All of that, was left as they were . It wasn’t that they became nonexistent?

“The remaining, things, then…”

[Of course, they cannot just be left alone . If you leave it alone, it is the same as there being two of the same world . So all of it becomes overlapped with the present . They are fundamentally identical, so there is not much of a problem if they are squeezed in . For example, if you put an apple tree’s information into an apple tree, it is still an apple tree without a change . But dungeons, especially high rank dungeons, are a little different from Honey’s world, so they would be affected by the overlap, and so that is why the level of difficulty is growing faster . Um, it should be okay if I tell you this much!]

“……The things that were overlapped, did disappear in the end?”

[So to speak, it is the same as overwriting files with the same name, so I guess you can see it as having disappeared? It is actually combined, but you cannot feel or notice that, so it is the same as disappearing . Reeeally sensitive people might be able to feel a sense of separation, but normally they do not know . ]

Overwriting . Did that mean I had overwritten the future’s file on the past’s file, and it was the opposite for other people? So that was why the titles that started from future things, which I had thought would’ve disappeared, were left as they were .

Because the future’s file was the same for me .

“Then the people born after the present time, and… the dead people . That, being cut out……”

[There is no current information, while the information of the lives that did not die before the regression did not disappear . It is a bit complicated to explain this, but it is not that there is no overlapping influence at all, so in the end, they would generally be born similarly, and the minimum replacing information would come out . ]

The message window continued .

[On the other hand, things that disappeared from being used or lives that died had already been ruled out and thrown away before the regression . Suppose there is a Person A and a Person B . In the 1st year, both A and B exist . But in the 5th year, A is the same, but B had died . At that time, the 1st year and the 5th year became combined, but the 5th year A exists, while B died and their information disappeared . The existing 5th year A would safely become combined with the 1st year A, but 5th year B was disposed of with the already eliminated information, so they were cut out of Honey’s world . You cannot combine eliminated information with the 1st year’s intact information, right?

In the case of the item you spoke of, there is no 1st year information nor 5th year information, so it could not appear at all . ]

Eliminated information . The inside of my head became dizzy . The 1st year B was also B . It might merely be that the 5 years time was just erased . Even while thinking that, an unavoidable regret reared its head .

“……It would’ve been good too if I had just saved him . ”

[Excuse me? Uh, the explanation was a little hard, right? To teach you in detail, I have to tell you too many things, so it is difficult 8ㅅ8]

“No, it is fine . It is enough . ”

I didn’t want to know more in detail either . When I said that I was done, the volleyball said that it would return to the original dungeon in about five minutes and disappeared .

“Hyung, are you okay?”

-Kyaheung

Yoohyun and Peace came to my side . I lifted my head and looked up at my younger brother .

“Of course I’m okay . We just talked . Ah, they said that it would turn back to the original dungeon after five minutes . ”

“…Your expression doesn’t look that good . ”

“Because it’s cold . Because of that . Can I hug you?”

“Peace should be warmer than me . ”

He spoke like it was weird, but he didn’t refuse . I stretched out my arms and embraced my younger brother . I felt a definite warmth . Wouldn’t it be okay with this?

“Don’t die before me . ”

“What are you saying suddenly?”

“Peace, the same for you . ”

This time, I embraced Peace’s neck . Peace really was warmer .