Chapter 43
The giant slater's corpse turned gray, then crumbled into ash and vanished.
"Phew."
"Excellent work, my lord."
"Thanks. You did well too, Tina."
Despite investing in stats, Karp felt a slight unease about Elemental Arrow being only a 3-star skill. He worried it might lack the damage needed, but fortunately, it seemed to be just enough.
-Mastering Elemental Mastery must have been a big help too. Whew, I'm glad it's over quickly.
'Indeed. If that thing had survived with a sliver of health and entered the second phase... Ugh. Imagine it crawling crazily on the ceiling and walls? Catching it would've taken forever.'
-Is time the problem? Just the thought of it makes me dizzy, so please stop with the disgusting descriptions. Please, I beg you.
'But in Soul Mode, that thing wouldn't be able to harm us even if it attacked.'
-It's not a physical issue, man. It's a primal rejection that comes from deep within our DNA. Anyway, let's stop talking about this and collect the loot first.
'No. We'll do that later. Right now, let's go over there.'
-Huh?
Surprisingly, Karp headed towards Hanzo.
"It doesn't feel right to grab items before checking on a party member who isn't doing well."
-...Huh.
Cheonma spoke with a face that clearly conveyed, 'Did I hear that right?'
-The infamous loot goblin Karp is prioritizing a party member over loot?
"It's not like the loot will run away if we check it later. What do you take me for?"
-Wow, 'Our child has changed' is actually possible. I'm not someone who cries easily, but... I'm tearing up?
"You must be shedding tears after being scared by a bug. Ah, come to think of it, there's no need to collect it myself."
Mukhyang's skill, 'Collection Instinct'.
The ultimate skill for effortless gathering! It automatically collects items around the player and even comes with an inventory to store them!
Karp glanced at Baekseol and then spoke to Mukhyang, who was slowly approaching.
"Hyang-ah."
"Kyuu?"
"Your inventory is empty, right? Could you go over there and pick up the items? I'll give you acorns if you bring them all."
"Kyuu!"
Mukhyang saluted with her short front paw and then scurried towards the spot where the boss monster's corpse had been.
Seeing this, Karp chuckled.
"When did she learn to do that?"
Tina, who had returned to doll mode, replied to Karp's mumbling.
"I taught her. As Hyang is also your knight, I judged that she should know etiquette."
"...Really?"
"Yes. She learns quickly, making it rewarding to teach her. She will surely become an excellent knight."
It didn't really matter if she didn't become a knight, but Karp just nodded, thinking Tina would be disappointed otherwise.
"Ugh."
Having regained consciousness, Hanzo suddenly lowered his head as Karp approached.
"I have shown you an unseemly side of myself. I will surely repay you for this."
"No, well..."
If Hanzo had forced the boss raid and this mess had happened, it would have been quite frustrating. However, in this case, Karp himself had initiated the boss fight, so he wasn't bothered at all.
But perhaps because he stopped talking mid-sentence, Hanzo, mistaking Karp's hesitant attitude for anger, started rambling excuses.
"Well... I was bitten by a spider when I was young."
"Huh? A spider? Are there poisonous spiders in Korea?"
"Hmm? I'm an American, though?"
"...Really?"
"Indeed. I've been staying in Korea for the past two years, but I am definitely American."
"..."
An American comes to Korea, chooses a ninja concept, and plays games?
What kind of bizarre hybrid is this...
"Going back to the story, the spider wasn't a particularly venomous species. However, the problem was that I had an unknown allergy to spider venom."
"Ah."
I think I've heard of this.
There are people who experience allergic reactions when stung or bitten by venomous insects.
I'm pretty sure it's called Ana something...
-Anaphylaxis shock. You've seen those news reports about people being rushed to the emergency room after getting stung by bees during the weed-clearing season, right? That's all due to anaphylaxis.
Cheonma added that it's a scary condition that can even be fatal.
"I almost died, but I barely managed to survive. However, since then, I freeze up whenever I see bugs."
"A kind of trauma, I guess."
Karp nodded.
He's fine now, but he briefly struggled with trauma in the past, so he understood the feeling completely.
"If that was the case, I could have just gone alone."
"No way. A true swordsman never sends his comrades alone!"
"Amazing, really."
When a concept takes over your brain, not even trauma can stop you.
Karp was genuinely impressed.
"And recently, I thought I was getting better. But it was just arrogance. I apologize."
"It's okay, don't worry about it."
In fact, Karp wanted to applaud him for trying to help despite such trauma.
"Anyway, it's over now, so let's clean up and get out of here. You must be mentally exhausted, so you should rest."
"Thank you for your consideration, Toushin."
After confirming that Mukhyang had collected all the boss drops, they left the boss room.
Until they reached the spot where the pendant had fallen, only a few more mobs appeared.
Ding
[You have acquired a Hard Carapace Imbued with Magic Power (15/15).]
"Oh."
Perhaps thanks to diligently defeating all the monsters in the dungeon, one of the materials needed to upgrade the room had been fully collected.
Karp opened his status window to confirm.
Ding
[Room Upgrade]
Player Level (20/20)
Hard Carapace Imbued with Magic Power (15/15)
Bark of an Ancient Tree Holding the Sea (0/1)
'Now all that's left is the ancient tree bark... where can I find that?'
-Since it only requires one, it seems like we need to hunt a named mob, right?
'That's highly likely.'
Even Cheonma had never heard of the materials needed to upgrade the room.
So, when the Hard Carapace Imbued with Magic Power suddenly appeared in the Sea Cave Dungeon, he was quite surprised.
-It must be a material specifically for players who have unlocked the room function. It's natural that I wouldn't know about it.
As proof of this, the Hard Carapace Imbued with Magic Power was marked as 'untradeable' despite being a material item.
-Anyway, don't worry too much. Sea, ancient tree, and a named mob. With these hints, we'll find it soon. I can already think of two possibilities.
"I always find your insight remarkable, sir. You must have accumulated knowledge over a long period of time."
-...Well, about 10 years?
"Amazing. I will try to learn from you and strive to improve myself."
While they were having such conversations, they finally reached the end of the cave.
"Is this it?"
A small pendant lay on the cave floor.
As Karp picked it up, a notification window appeared as if it had been waiting.
[You have acquired 'Girl's Pendant'.]
[You have completed the quest. You can receive rewards from the NPC.]
[A warp gate has been created. You can use this warp gate to move to either the dungeon entrance or Ruana.]
"Done. You?"
"I also just received a notification that it's complete."
"Good. It's really over now."
He had gained a lot for coming here tempted by a skill pack.
He had leveled up by 3, successfully hunted the boss monster, and even obtained materials for the room upgrade.
Karp thought it was a satisfying dungeon and was about to activate the warp gate.
But at that moment, Hanzo suddenly spoke.
"Excuse me, Toushin."
"Yes?"
"Aren't you going to ask? The truth is..."
"That you're a woman?"
"...That is correct."
He had been glancing at Karp throughout the entire journey, so he wondered what was wrong, but it seems this was what he was concerned about.
-Huh? What? He's a woman?
'Didn't you hear her scream in the boss room? It was a woman's voice.'
-I was too busy screaming myself to notice... Hmm, then that male voice must be a cash item. Those only activate when you're conscious of them.
'This really is a game perfect for roleplaying. There are all sorts of items.'
Hanzo hesitated for a moment but then immediately apologized to Karp.
"I'm sorry. But I didn't deceive you with any bad intentions..."
"Wait a minute. Honestly, I don't really understand. Is this something to apologize for?"
Karp had enjoyed countless games throughout his life.
He had played many online games and been active in guilds, witnessing and experiencing countless incidents and accidents firsthand.
A user hiding their female identity? That's so common it's not even worth mentioning.
The reasons are varied.
Because they dislike being hit on.
Because they want to be a damage dealer but hate being expected to be a supporter.
There were even people who, for the sole reason of being female, would start by cursing at them out of the blue. Sexual harassment was optional.
Throughout Karp's long gaming history, there had been more than a few parties and guilds that had fallen apart because of such a small number of people.
"In a way, it's wise. There are crazy people out there, though they're rare. You don't need to apologize for just hiding your gender. It's not a big deal. As long as you play the game well, that's all that matters."
"...It makes me feel relieved to hear you say that."
For Karp, it was just his usual thoughts spoken without any pretense, but Hanzo seemed quite moved.
He couldn't see her exact expression due to the mask, but that was the feeling he got.
"Good work today. Let's meet again if we get the chance. I'm rooting for your roleplaying."
"Ah, wait, Toushin! Just a moment..."
She tried to stop him, but Karp disappeared into the warp without looking back.
Hanzo stared blankly at the warp and muttered.
"I haven't added him as a friend yet..."
"Messenger of God! Thank you so much!"
Ding
[You have acquired a Beginner Skill Pack.]
"Nice!"
Returning to the dungeon entrance through the warp, Karp received his reward from the girl.
"Hehe. Two skill packs."
Including the skill pack he got as a reward for reaching level 20, he now had a total of two skill packs loaded in his inventory.
Smiling as if just looking at them filled his stomach, Karp moved to a secluded area.
-Can't you just open them anywhere? It's not like other people can see them anyway.
"Oh my. Don't you know the common knowledge that crowded places have bad luck? It brings negativity."
-It seems like you're just denying the concept of probability itself...
After walking a bit into the forest, the area became deserted, and Karp sat on a nearby rock and took out the skill packs.
"It would be nice if I got a decent attack skill."
Elemental Arrow was versatile, but using the same skill over and over was getting boring.
-Well, if you keep rolling repeatedly, you'll get one eventually. Besides, you have two packs.
"I hope so."
"Kyuu kyuu!"
"Ah, right. Come to think of it, I haven't checked."
He had asked Hyang to collect the boss drops, but he hadn't actually checked what she had brought.
"I should check the items before opening the skill packs."
Karp was the type of person who saved the best food for last.
Just as he was about to naturally postpone opening the skill packs,
"Huh?"
Karp saw it. A rectangular object in Mukhyang's mouth.
"...Hyang-ah. Where did you get that?"
"Kyuu?"
In Hyang's mouth was an object identical to the one in Karp's hand: a skill card pack.
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