053 – Nymphs Together Are Unstoppable! #1
Swipe-.
Yu Ara picked up the Squirrel Beast Kkungkkungi with her hands.
After checking its condition by touching its tail and opening its mouth, she gently placed Kkungkkungi back on the ground.
━Kkung…!
“How is it, Ari? Does Kkungkkungi seem healthy? I even sent some magical power to it; could there be any issues?”
“I’m not sure since animals aren’t my specialty. But I did a quick examination, and nothing seems particularly off. It looks quite healthy. Its fur is nice too.”
Indeed.
Kkungkkungi is very healthy.
Yu Ara said with pride, “I’ll need to consult the vets at the animal hospital for more details, but I’m sure they’ll say something similar to what I just told you.”
Yu Ara has been a great help in many ways!
Suddenly, I remembered something Seo Ye-rim had said.
For every gain, there must be a loss.
Yes, that’s business.
“Ari, I feel like I’m always taking from you. What can I give… wait here. Inoi! Do we have any more golden apples?”
Golden apples.
I had retrieved another one not long ago.
“Inoi, did you put the apples in the refrigerator?”
“That one has been saved for Core Ye-rim…! It’s not for a Nymph hater…! Nymph haters ought to quickly get lost…!”
Inoi was on guard.
I opened the refrigerator, and there were two golden apples inside.
“This spoils quickly. Eating more than one won’t make sense.”
“Well, that’s true…!”
“Here, Ari, I’ll give you one. It’s probably best to eat it soon, right? I heard it spoils quickly and smells really bad.”
“Are you sure it’s alright to give me something this good? You really don’t have to go this far! The examination was just a favor in return for all the things I’ve learned from you!”
“No, you need to take this so I can ask you for favors freely in the future.”
Swipe-.
At my words, Yu Ara accepted the apple.
She then placed it nicely in a stylish eco-bag.
Now my heart feels a bit more at ease.
Soon, Yu Ara spoke.
“If this is the case, I feel like I need to offer more services. I also consult on career paths for ability users. It seems we could also consult on how to nurture Kkungkkungi.”
Can we really offer advice on raising Squirrel Beast Kkungkkungi?
That sounds amazing!
Yu Ara soon pulled out a tablet from her eco-bag.
Swipe swipe-.
She started writing something on it.
‘Name: Kkungkkungi
Species: Squirrel
Skills: “Barking,” “Chasing Bugs,” “Tree Climbing,” “Napping”’
“This is the simplified health record I’ve organized for Kkungkkungi. I’ve expressed it in a way that’s easy for you to understand, like a game; is that okay?”
Indeed, it looked just like a stats chart from a game.
It made it easy to comprehend.
Soon, Yu Ara continued writing on the tablet.
“Kkungkkungi has excellent balance in speed, strength, and durability. It’s a well-rounded character, and that seems a bit similar to you.”
━Kkung…!
With a quick leap, Kkungkkungi climbed onto my shoulder.
As I looked at it, Yu Ara concluded.
‘Growth potential: High!
Potential ability: Upper’
“I think Kkungkkungi is still a young individual. Depending on training or experience, it might even learn super skills like Awakens.”
“Oh, is that true?”
Kkungkkungi’s skill “Squirrel G Dive.”
The fact that it can learn other super skills aside from that is remarkable.
“What about shooting destructive beams from its mouth?”
“Well, I’m not too sure about that…”
“Then what about Ahn Ahn? I want to show Ahn Ahn too.”
Ahn Ahn had vanished somewhere in the yard.
It was probably burrowing in a rice paddy or field.
Ahn Ahn has a hobby of digging and picking up stones or coins.
What a shame, but it’s unavoidable.
“Then how is Inoi doing? You checked on the health of the Ice Water Nymph Coris, right? How’s Inoi doing?”
I was a little worried about Inoi’s health too. It had a similar diet to mine; I wondered if that was good for a Nymph.
Gently.
Inoi peeked out from the doorway and met my eyes.
Inoi said, “This Inoi is healthy…! I don’t need any check-ups…!”
“But Inoi, if your health deteriorates, you might have to take bitter medicine… and it might be really unpleasant and require injections.”
“Hik…!”
Inoi shivered.
About five minutes passed.
Inoi stumbled into the living room.
In its hand was an electric fly-swatter, which looked like a very threatening weapon.
“This Inoi does not trust Nymph haters, but I trust the owner of the house…! However, if suspicious things happen, I’ll swing this electric fly-swatter, so be prepared…!”
“Well then, Inoi, show me your wrist.”
Swipe-.
Inoi extended its wrist to Yu Ara.
Yu Ara placed her finger on it and nodded, saying, “Hmm, as expected—.”
What would the result be?
“How does it seem?”
“It’s healthy. But it seems like there’s a bit too much sugar intake. Have you been feeding it a lot of candies, snacks, or juices?”
How did she know?
Recently, Inoi had been consuming candies from neighbors and the large quantity of Ipercent juice I bought as if it was water.
Inoi had expressed its joy, saying, “This Ipercent drink tastes like the ditch water from my hometown…!”
To have deduced that from a pulse check.
Yu Ara said, “I suggest reducing it by half. Otherwise, it might lead to health issues.”
“Hik…! For this Inoi to have to cut down on eating candies and drinks…! It’s clear you’re trying to be mean to this Inoi…!”
In the end, Inoi decided to reduce its sugar intake by half for health reasons.
But it seemed that Inoi’s resentment towards Yu Ara had grown significantly.
# # #
“Inoi, what are you doing? Hurry up and follow me.”
“This Inoi needs to play Machine Snail 2 with the coin I found not long ago…! This time I feel like I can surpass level 3…!”
I took Inoi around the neighborhood.
According to Ari, Inoi’s exercise amount was low?
Indeed, since bringing in the game console, Inoi had spent most of its time sitting in front of it.
Where did it keep finding coins?
Were the neighborhood adults giving them?
Anyway.
As Inoi’s protector, I had the duty to make sure Inoi stays healthy.
“This Inoi is already feeling tired….”
“If you’re tired after just running 10km, how are you going to manage? You’ve been playing games every day and drinking soda, and that’s what happens. What are you going to do if you turn into a stagnant water Nymph?”
“Hik…! I don’t want to be a stagnant water Nymph…! But I really don’t have energy left….”
“You just have to run one more lap. There’s no choice. Using my magical power—.”
Swish-swish.
I unleashed my magical power.
My magical range was now about 50 meters.
That’s quite a broad area under my domain.
“Ah, now that explains why it feels warm and energizing…!”
Inoi, who was just tired, regained its vigor and started bouncing around again. I recently discovered that my magical power has a warming effect on the surroundings.
So, Inoi’s vitality was being replenished.
Kkungkkungi felt the same as well.
━Kkung…!
With the richness of magic around it, Kkungkkungi bounced left and right with joy.
The experimental results showed that during this magical deployment state, the power of the Squirrel Dive increased by about 1.2 times.
1.2 times.
It seems insignificant, but it’s a significant effect!
For example, if a C rank’s attack power is 100, and a B rank’s attack starts at 200.
If a veteran C rank with an attack power of 170 increases its power by 1.2 times, it becomes 204.
This means a C rank possesses attack power equivalent to a B rank.
“Support types are very popular when forming parties. Ah, I want to hurry and go to the rift for experiments!”
Vroom-.
At that moment, I heard the sound of something resembling a helicopter taking off.
━Zzzi.
Turning my head, I saw the Emperor Ant Angangi spreading its wings like a beetle and flying.
Usually, Angangi’s bulk means it can only glide for about five seconds, but within my magical domain, it was flying freely.
━Zzzi…!
It looked so happy fluttering around.
Pop—.
Kkungkkungi hopped onto Angangi’s back.
Finally rising high into the sky, Kkungkkungi leaped towards the ground.
Spinning in the air like a top, Kkungkkungi.
The little guy crashed onto the ground.
━Krrr…!
Bang-!
The ground where Kkungkkungi hit was deeply dented.
Crack.
The earth seemed to have split as if struck by lightning.
In terms of skill power, it looked stronger than the Squirrel G Dive.
“That’s incredible!”
Shall I name this technique “Rams G Thunder”?
At that moment.
━Krrr…!
Kkungkkungi bristled its fur and dashed off somewhere.
What could be the matter? I wondered, and then I noticed the Gaming Spider Kkungkkungi was close to my feet.
“Oh, what’s that? When did you arrive?”
━Hiooong…!
Kkungkkungi picked something up with its forelegs.
What could it be? It was a bundle of spider silk that shone with vibrant RGB colors. Though it was lumped together like yarn, it was intriguingly not sticky and felt silky smooth.
“Ghost Spiders release their internal magical power in the form of spider silk…! It must be the spider that spun this after receiving the magical power unleashed by the owner of the house…!”
I see.
They say that using this spider silk to make clothes will yield summer coolness and winter warmth.
I heard you can also make talismans with it.
Various smooth maintenance times.
Now that I’m stretching out, I definitely feel a strong desire to go into the field and jump into real combat.
In the face of being on the cusp of rank B.
I want to build my skills quickly.
Should I contact Lee Jin-A about going to the rift together?
━I think I’m going to be busy for a while. I need to hand off the moving company work to my brother-in-law. I got entangled with those gang members again, and it became a hassle.
“Well? I wanted to loosen up in real combat.”
━Since we’re talking about real combat, how about you consider working with the gang? Your name has been mentioned quite a bit among them lately. Didn’t you disband that Fairy Tale Gang?
“Why would I work with a gang?”
━Well, I think that too. In that case, could you look after Coris for a bit?
“Coris?”
Vroom—.
At that moment, a luxurious car slid into the neighborhood.
The car stopped in front of my house.
From it, girls with orange and blue hair got out.
“Inoi! This Illinois has come to meet you…! As expected, this eco-friendly environment is definitely the home ground of the Inoi sisters…”
“And this Coris has come too…! I’m curious if there’s a water purifier nearby…!”
Three Nymphs gathering in one place.
Until recently, Inoi was the only Nymph around.
Tap-.
Seo Ye-rim, who got out after closing the car door, said, “Ugh, Illinois has been making a fuss about meeting the sisters. Illinois, I’ve let you meet them as you wished, so handle it yourself! Got it?”
“Muhuhuh, Core Ye-rim is indeed a partner who knows business…! So, where is that very funny Machine Snail…?”
“Ahh-! This Inoi will guide you…! It’ll surely be very fun to have a mini car race with the three of us…!”
“Nymphs can do anything when three or more gather…! Today, we must definitely clear at least level 3…! But the Machine Snail is a 2-player game… Hik…!”
Chattering-.
The Nymphs excitedly rushed into my yard.
What a chaotic situation.
Soon, Seo Ye-rim asked.
“Yu Ara came and went, right? What did she say?”
“Nothing much, just that I’m almost at rank B? She mentioned something about the engraving procedure being expensive and asked if I want to benefit from being an academy instructor.”
“…An academy instructor!? That’s not something anyone can enter since it’s not publicly recruited. What connection does Yu Ara have to get you in?”
Seo Ye-rim narrowed her eyes.
She then asked, “You don’t have 300 million, do you?”
“Do I look like I have that?”
“If you truly reach rank B, the procedure cost could be covered by Telos. However, you’d have to be part of a corporation. You’d have to work with Illuminate.”
When Seo Ye-rim offered to support the 300 million, I wondered what was going on, but there was a condition. They wanted me to become a corporation-tied Awakened.
Does that mean they would accept me as a strike team member?
“You know this is a rare opportunity, right? Do you know how many people write resumes and come wanting to get hired? You’d be stunned hearing the average salary of the Illuminate team.”
They’d probably pay well.
I was tempted, but with my extraordinary patience, I declined.
“Honestly, I’ll pass. Seo Ye-rim, if I owe you, I’ll have to repay it meticulously. Working under a corporation isn’t really my style. I like being free, just like I am now.”
Going to work and back at the same time every day.
Receiving a salary.
I’m just not cut out for that.
“Then what do you plan to do?”
Seo Ye-rim narrowed her eyes even further.
I stepped into the yard.
“Inoi, do you have a training center too?”
