Chapter 145: Villa in the Forest

“If no one can handle vitality, then the source of the Team Leader’s power must be a different fuel. It could be the blood of the Heavenly Tribe.”

“What? This human child is a half-blood of the Heavenly Tribe?”

Pi recoiled in disgust. However, when Ilon coughed a few times, she immediately stuck by his side again.

“What does the Team Leader think? Since it is your own ability, you must have looked into it.”

“I don’t know about vitality or Heavenly blood, but I do know that now is not the time to be talking about my abilities.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“What’s the point of debating whether to put tuna or fish cakes in seaweed soup when we need to be boiling kimchi stew right now? Dam Ilon, isn’t the matter of the Demon King more urgent for us?”

“No. Damion’s health is more— mph.”

Ion clamped his hand over Baba’s snout.

“If Baba didn’t show up in , then you probably don’t know that the Demon King has been released from his seal.”

“What?”

“What!? The Demon King… did what and what?”

They spent time sharing the events that had occurred while Ilon was away in the Demon Realm.

Ilon had foreseen everything related to the information he possessed before leaving for the Demon Realm: the Hahoetal, the Butterfly Mask, the memoirs, the Breeders… even the seven Apostles of Emotion.

Ilon had even speculated about the [April 18th Descent]. He predicted that, at this rate, the System Administrator would manifest in the flesh.

However, the disappearance of the Demon King was entirely unexpected. To put it another way, if he had known about Baba, he could have sufficiently deduced the Demon King’s disappearance.

Zing—

Dark indigo mana dwelled in Ilon’s eyes.

.

Ilon’s complexion grew even paler. Yet, no one could tell him to stop.

While Ilon, having acquired the new keywords ‘Baba’ and ‘Demon King’s Disappearance,’ wandered through the depths of , Ion was lectured by Baba.

“Damion keep covering my mouth. I worried about Damion.”

“Want some Mana Sulfur?”

“Don’t tempt with food. I adult bat now. Doesn’t work.”

“Then I shouldn’t give you any?”

“For now, if you give, I eat.”

Since it was mealtime, Baba could not refuse. Seeing Baba plopped down and eating Mana Sulfur, Puru peeked over as well.

Nom. Puru cautiously ate one grain of Mana Sulfur, spat it out, and then hopped into Jin Seongha’s arms in horror.

Pururru…

Puru cried sorrowfully.

“I told you not to just pick up and eat things.”

The touch stroking Puru was gentle, but Jin Seongha’s gaze was cold and sunken.

“Does the Team Leader not even wonder what the source of his own power is?”

“Not really. Right now, I’m most curious about where on earth the Demon King is hiding.”

“If you are consuming vitality without even knowing it, the side effects could come crashing down on you all at once someday.”

Regrettably, I am consuming it while knowing all too well.

“Whatever side effects come, I’ll handle it. It’s none of your business.”

Jin Seongha’s face hardened even further. Pi gave a short laugh.

“Human child. You really are family with our human [Ilon]. When he coughs up blood and I worry, he cuts me off, saying it’s not something ‘Lady Pi’ should worry about. Do you know how off-putting that is every time?”

“The influence of the environment they grew up in is significant. You’re suffering too.”

“You’re suffering as well, human.”

Jin Seongha and Pi were forming a strange sense of empathy.

After a while, the mana swirling around Ilon vanished as the results were deduced. Pi supported the collapsing Ilon. The way she wiped the cold sweat from his temples looked very familiar.

When Ion poured warm tea, Ilon took it with trembling hands and drank. Ion’s mind was complicated.

Ilon had been the healthiest among the orphans. With a robust constitution that had never even suffered a cold, he was the one who survived alone to silently nurse the others whenever they all fell ill.

‘Ilon…’

Although Ion was certain without a doubt that the orphans were all the same age… somehow, looking at the current Ilon made him feel like he was watching a strong older sister, who had led the household, suffering from a terminal illness.

After a moment, Ilon, who had regained some stability, opened his mouth.

“The missing Demon King is in the Heavenly Realm.”

It was a story no one could have imagined.

“Wait a minute, human. Not the Titan Temple, not the Demon Realm or Idea, but the Heavenly Realm?”

“Yes, Lady Pi. Please take ‘that’ out.”

“Th-that? Ah, that. Got it.”

Pi reached her hand into the void.

“A vest?”

Ion was handed an open vest without buttons. The moment it entered Ion’s hands, the vest’s size adjusted itself to fit the one holding it.

“Is this… miniaturization equipment?”

“Yes. I felt a strong urge that I had to secure it, which felt strange, but it was to go to the Heavenly Realm.”

“Are there no spares? I can’t send the Team Leader alone.”

“The Heavenly Realm is a place only non-awakened people can enter anyway. Only you can go in.”

“……!”

Ion froze stiffly.

‘He knows… that I’m a non-awakened person.’

It was a secret he didn’t want to be found out. His ears burned and heat rose to the nape of his neck. It was shameful. The fact that he was a non-awakened person.

Ion’s eyes shook like foxtails in a stormy field. Then Jin Seongha sighed and spoke.

“I already knew the fact that you’re a non-awakened person. I won’t tell anyone else until you reveal it yourself, so don’t worry.”

“You knew…?”

“It would be strange not to— no, it’s just that I’m quick-witted.”

“Then everyone else…”

“The others probably haven’t noticed, so rest easy and let’s continue the conversation. Guild Leader On-il, then we can just attach the non-awakened hybrid Duke to the Team Leader. Is there more miniaturization equipment?”

Jin Seongha acted as if Ion’s status as an awakened person was not important at all. He seemed obsessed only with the fact that a companion had to be attached, whether they were non-awakened or not.

Because Jin Seongha brushed it off so casually, Ion was dazed.

The secret he had always been anxious and worried about had been discovered. Yet, the aftermath of that discovery was not as fatal as he had thought. After realizing that…

The tension snapped.

“I have two more. We don’t need them, so you humans use them as you see fit.”

Pi handed two miniaturization devices to Jin Seongha instead of Ion, who had fallen into other thoughts. Jin Seongha learned how to use them, even though he couldn’t enter anyway.

“Then the Team Leader and I will head over to Idea once the raid is over.”

Ion snapped back to his senses and spoke.

“Why you? I can go over alone. You can’t enter the Heavenly Realm anyway.”

“I’ll feel better going together. I want to go and see if there’s any way for awakened people to enter.”

“I agree. Jin Seongha go together. Then Damion safer. Cute Puru, cute me. Cuteness doubled. Damion’s heart also stable.”

“Did you finish the Mana Sulfur already?”

“Yes!”

Ion wiped the Mana Sulfur crumbs from the corners of Baba’s mouth with his finger.

“Ion, there’s one more thing to give you.”

“What is it?”

“In the ring I gave you back then—”

“In the ring, what?”

“…….”

Ilon stopped speaking and stared at Ion and Baba. Looking at the bat with fluffy down feathers rubbing against Ion’s finger, Ilon said:

“I have one thing to ask. What do you plan to do after you achieve your goal?”

It was a question he had heard before. When he was leaving for the Demon Realm from the Daisytown Dungeon, he had asked the same thing.

‘What do you plan to do after you achieve your goal?’ ‘What?’ ‘I asked what you’ll do after you achieve all your goals. If you answer this question, I will send you to the Demon Realm.’

“…….”

Just like then… Ion remained silent. However, it was not for the same reason.

He had wanted to die for a long time. Ion yearned for death. If he died, he wouldn’t need to find a reason for living, and there would be no reason to suffer over the fact that he was “residue.” He would become free.

It was different from the freedom Teacher spoke of. What Ion wanted was the freedom of there being no ‘story afterwards.’ From a young age, Ion knew no other escape. Just as only death sets a plant free. Death was the only freedom a “residue” could dream of.

‘But now…’

Ion’s gaze lingered on Sanse in his arms and Baba, who was listening intently while eating Mana Sulfur. After everything is over, he wants to build a house deep in the forest… and take naps surrounded by Sanse, Baba, vines, spirits, and plants.

It was strange. Until now, Ion had never even taken a nap. Yet, he truly didn’t know why such a leisurely scene came to mind. As soon as he heard the words “after achieving the goal,” a villa in the woods was drawn in his mind.

“I’m not sure.”

Ion answered honestly. He didn’t talk about things like a villa in the woods.

“……I see.”

Ilon smiled. This reaction was also different from the time in the Daisytown Dungeon. It was the smile of someone who had heard the answer they wanted.

[Shin Minji: This crazy treasure chest is asking for the chemical equation for the decomposition reaction of mercury oxide f*ck is the system insane?????]

Dam Daon sighed after reading the message sent by Shin Minji.

“You sent it like this?”

“Yep. I was just so pissed off for a second. Hehe.”

“The Horizon Guild’s image damage is…”

“Ayy, Mr. Assistant. Don’t worry too much. Guild Leader On-il isn’t an old fogey; he’s a peer, so he’ll just laugh it off.”

Shin Minji laughed lightheartedly. She was a very thick-skinned person.

‘I don’t know what her true self is like, though.’

Ding.

“Look at this, Mr. Assistant, he just gives a clean reply.”

As Shin Minji entered the correct answer, a fanfare sounded, and the treasure chest vanished. The two continued their search.

They didn’t open every treasure chest the moment they found one. They were opening the treasure chests selectively. This was because, thanks to Daon’s <Sage’s Eye>, they could know the type of test the treasure chest held even before opening it.

[Tada-da-dan☆ Pass the treasure chest’s test! Can you truly defeat the S-rank monster—Hydra?]

If it contained an S-rank monster encounter, they would mark the location on the public phone and pass.

[Prepared for you, the seeker of knowledge☞]

Quizzes were opened.

[Tell the bored system an interesting story♪]

Tests that could be passed with childish nonsense were opened. In that way, they spent all day moving around and cleared five treasure chests.

When Daon checked the map with his <Sage’s Eye>, there were no more unopened treasure chests in their area. It looked like the other groups would finish in about five or six hours.

“Mr. Assistant, what should we do? Should we sleep here? Or go back right away?”

“Let’s rest for a bit and then go back.”

“Okey-dokey. Have a seat. I’ll get ready quickly.”

Shin Minji whistled as she took out portable chairs, a heater, and blankets. Although Shin Minji told him to sit, Daon naturally didn’t stay still and helped with the preparations.

Since the maze was cold, they took out five heaters, hugged one each, and placed three around them. The two sat facing each other.

‘How should I bring it up?’

When they decided to split up to open the treasure chests, Daon had chosen to be in the same group as Shin Minji.

The leader of the Hahoetal. It was finally time to confirm whether his deduction was fact or not.