Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Skip (Physical) (1)

“Clean!”

With Carla’s activation phrase echoing, a magical circle enveloped us. It neatly erased any traces of our intimate encounter, after which we took out our discarded clothes from the inventory.

“Master, your ability is really convenient.”

“Right? It’s incomparable to a mere spatial bag.”

For example, let’s say you put 10 pieces of bread inside.

In a normal spatial bag, the bread would take up space equivalent to 10 pieces. And that was obvious since you would put 10 pieces in there.

However, the inventory was a bit different.

Strangely enough, due to the game system, you could stack the same item up to 999 times.

And that meant you could fit 999 pieces in the space of just one.

Additionally, there were features like auto-sorting, time-stopping for the stored items, and you could also store an infinite amount of gold.

It was more convenient than a spatial magic tool in many ways.

Excluding the game aspects, and after explaining a bit, Carla, who was changing her clothes, opened her mouth wide.

“Wow… So, do we get something good in this dungeon, too?”

“Well…”

Knowing what the rewards in the Gef Dungeon were, I couldn’t help but make an ambiguous face.

The rewards here were essential for the early and mid-game, but if you ask if they could match the capabilities of the inventory, the answer was no.

Of course, I couldn’t say this, so I simply shrugged my shoulders.

“The rewards in the dungeons vary widely. Given that this place can be cleared by just the two of us if we prepare thoroughly, I don’t think the rewards will be that great.”

“Um… I see…”

Carla pouted, obviously disappointed.

I chuckled at her expression and did a final check on our equipment.

Once we left, there would likely be guards surrounding the exit.

And some theatrics would be needed.

“Carla, come here.”

“Yes? What is it, Master?”

Carla, who had already put on her clothes and was checking her accessory-type magic tool, tilted her head and walked toward me. Her appearance resembled that of a defenseless herbivore who didn’t know what was about to happen.

I gently stroked Carla’s platinum-colored hair, then…

“Gotcha.”

“Eek!”

Suddenly, I messed up Carla’s hair thoroughly.

“Hey! Hey!”

“Ouch! Ah, it hurts, Master!”

I even pulled on strands of her hair a few times.

To any observer, this might look like childish bullying, but why would I bully Carla at this point?

“Why are you doing this, Master? Please don’t tease me… Sniff.”

Hmm, I just found a reason.

Her disheveled hair and the look of her trembling—Carla looked a bit cute, to be honest.

However, I messed up Carla’s hairstyle for a different reason this time.

This was a form of theatrics.

It was to give the impression that we hadn’t just snuck away while others were fighting with socialites. Instead, we’ve had a hard time clearing the dungeon.

In this world, if one didn’t look out for oneself, no one else would.

“Understand? This wasn’t mere teasing. It was necessary.”

Upon hearing my brief explanation, Carla reluctantly nodded her head.

“Uh… Okay, I understand.”

“Good. Now, let’s tear up your clothes a bit.”

“What?! No! How could we do that? It was the first gift you ever gave me!”

“I’ll buy you a better one later. Just stay still for a moment.”

“But… I can’t… I really can’t…”

Carla hesitated, struggling to oppose me, but she ultimately stood in front of me, while sniffling.

I looked at her for a moment, then let out a sigh.

“Do you like this dress that much?”

“Yes… But this dress belongs to you, Master, so you can do whatever you want with it… Really…”

Even as she said that, Carla looked at her dress with a lingering attachment.

If she were pretending, she would outfox any fox, but based on what I’d seen so far, that was unlikely. She was genuinely torn about it.

“…How about we get some dirt on it? You’re a mage, after all. A mage wearing clothes that don’t look torn from front-line battle would be suspicious.”

“Really, Master?”

“Yes. So, go roll around on the ground over there.”

“Okay! I’ll do that, Master!”

Carla excitedly hopped away. She clumsily fell to the ground in an area unaffected by Prominence Flare and began to dirty her clothes.

I couldn’t just stand on the side, either.

Even though Carla practically cleared it on her own, revealing that would be too conspicuous.

So, I had to also give the impression that I’d been on the front line, taking the brunt of magical attacks. I did tank some of it during the boss fight.

I rolled around near the ash, even smearing some soot on my face a few times.

“Master, Master! I did as you asked! How does it look? Do I look like I’ve struggled?”

Carla, now grubby, came back and twirled in place, asking me.

…Why was she still cute even when she was dirty?

I reminded myself of an unchanging universal law and stood up.

“That should do it. You did well. Now let me do the same.”

“Huh? What do you mean? Oh, Master, you also look like someone who just escaped a fire!”

“No, not that. I mean your hair. Now, I got to make a mess of my hair, too.”

Just like how I messed up Carla’s hair, I should also mess up my own, right?

“The issue is that if I do it myself, it may lack detail. Carla, can you do it for me?”

As I said this and offered my head, Carla let out a gasp.

“Me, touching Master’s hair?”

Her voice was full of anticipation.

Curious, I looked up to see Carla panting, her face full of excitement.

“Haah… Haah…”

“Carla? You can do it, right? Just make my hair messy.”

“To make Master a mess?!”

Her choice of words was a bit off, but it was accurate, so I nodded.

“Can you do it?”

“Yes, yes! Of course! Don’t worry, I will ruin it properly!”

“……”

I feel uneasy. Extremely uneasy.

But I had no other option, and with the philosophy of trusting someone I’d tasked with something, I offered my head again.

Gulp.

Carla swallowed once and started touching my hair with trembling hands.

Rustle, rustle.

Carla’s slender fingers sifted through my hair, gently scratching my scalp.

I thought she was being too cautious, but I could feel my hair tangling properly.

What was this? I was worried, but she was doing a good job.

…Though Carla’s heavy breathing as she touched my hair was a bit distracting.

Carla and I nodded at each other, thoroughly assessing the disheveled state we had each created for ourselves.

“Alright. Shall we go now?”

“Yes, Master.”

I led Carla towards the exit portal, still flickering in mid-air.

Standing in front of it, Carla took a few shallow breaths. I briefly explained what would happen next.

“As soon as we go through the exit portal, the dungeon will disappear, and the reward will appear.”

“Yes. You said it would appear in a translucent form in the air?”

“Exactly. No one but us, the dungeon conquerors, can touch it. However, the moment we touch it, it becomes solid. So be cautious.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Have you heard about magical items that choose their master?”

“Ah… You don’t mean?”

“Yes. Sometimes, among the rewards are items that are given to the first person who touches them. It’s best to know them before touching.”

“I won’t touch anything. I listen to Master well.”

Carla stretched her arms behind her and vigorously shook her head. I guess I didn’t have to worry about her inadvertently touching anything.

The reason I specifically mentioned this to Carla was simple.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Because the reward for the Gef Dungeon was actually a piece of bound equipment.

Then I vividly remembered how regretful I felt when I carelessly touched it as an archer character the first time I cleared it.

Sighing, I grabbed Carla’s arm.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Carla and I threw ourselves towards the exit portal simultaneously.

.

.

.

.

With just a single step, our view suddenly shifted. Instead of being in an open outdoor area, we found ourselves in a narrow, dimly lit underground passage.

Then came the usual challenging remark from the guards, or so I thought…

“HAHAHA! Do you really think you can lay a finger on me?”

Instead of the guards, a guy wearing a dark robe appeared before us, laughing manically.

What was going on?

Of course, the guards were there, too, looking furious beyond some sort of dark barrier.

So, this robed guy set up a barrier to block the guards, and we ended up behind him after leaving the dungeon?

“Just stand there and watch! His Great Unification wouldn’t want me to die here! HAHAHAHA!”

He seemed oddly familiar.

That annoying voice, the tooth marks on his robe, and even the lines I’ve heard dozens of times…

…lines I’ve heard dozens of times?

As I pondered that, I moved reflexively.

Wooong-

A strange noise echoed as the dungeon disappeared. At the same time, a small light cluster appeared in front of Carla and me. So, I reached out to touch it.

Ding!

I pushed away the system window that popped up to announce the dungeon’s clear reward, gripping hard on what I had just acquired.

Thanks to the sudden noise and my abrupt movement, he must have sensed our presence.

I had to strike before he could react.

The translucent dagger quickly took on a solid form, emanating a sharp aura.

Thanks to the weapon’s rudimentary skill being activated when I gripped the dagger, my body felt slightly more robust.

Gathering all my strength, which was now a bit more than that of an average person, I aimed at the rogue and thrust with full force.

“What the…?!”

He started to turn around in a hurry, but it was already too late.

Thud.

“Kuh…”

With my attack piercing through his lungs, the rogue coughed up blood, accompanied by a wheezing sound.

“How… How did you…?”

“You know what’s annoying?”

I quickly withdrew the dagger and aimed precisely at his heart this time.

Thunk!

“Guh!”

“People from your rogue tribe all talk too much. It’s irritating.”

It was already bad enough that he showed up in unskippable event cutscenes and had lots of dialogue.

Players had to consider how many times they had to hear the same lines over and over again.

Frustrated, I furiously slashed at his wounds.

He wasn’t dead until the system confirmed it, so I should take this opportunity to finish him off for sure.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

In an instant, his back became a bloody mess, and he finally fell, lifeless.

It was a quick and quiet death, without even a chance to leave his last words.

Just as a feeling of accomplishment for finally being able to physically skip flooded over me, a clear bell sound rang in my ears.

Ding!

【Rogue Leader Defeated!】

You have defeated Pietro, the Bishop of the Church of Tainted Unity.

He was not destined to die here. The grand scheme of the Church of Tainted Unity faces a significant setback.

The Church of Tainted Unity has officially marked you as an enemy.

The Righteous Radiance is highly pleased with your act of cutting down evil with its fangs.

You have acquired the Trait: ‘Blessing of the Sun God (C)'

Only after confirming the rogue’s death through the system was I finally able to let out the breath I had been holding.

“Phew…”

Wait, why did the tutorial boss show up here?

I got so startled that I stabbed him without thinking.