Chapter 48

As soon as I left the dungeon, I quickly darted behind my usual hiding spot, the stone tomb, and hid.

Then, I opened my inventory to check the decorated weapon.

The item tied to the string of the Yin-Yang Orb was:

**[Red Ribbon]**

**[Decorative Item]**

**[Can be used to decorate the handle of a weapon]**

"Heh."

I smiled brightly.

A pretty red ribbon would suit Chris’ red hair perfectly.

The weapon adorned with this was entirely Chris' now.

Should I send her a message?

Wait, is Chris still clearing the dungeon? If so, she’s probably busy.

Peeking out from behind the stone tomb, I looked toward the dungeon entrance, searching for Chris.

Tap, tap.

"Hyaa!?"

Something tapped my shoulder, startling me so much I screamed and jumped away.

I was so focused on looking for Chris that I didn’t pay attention to my surroundings.

Someone touched me!

Fear gripped me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, curled up, and covered my head. Unintentionally, a whimper escaped from my lips.

"Hee... hee."

"Oh my, Rain!? Did I scare you? I’m sorry!"

A familiar voice reached my ears.

I opened my eyes slightly to see who had touched my shoulder.

"C...Chris."

The sight of red hair and her worried face came into view, and I let out a sigh of relief, clutching my chest.

Strangely, my internal radar didn’t react to Chris, which explained how she snuck up on me.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I shot her a sulky look through my teary gaze.

She scratched her head awkwardly and laughed.

"I thought you’d be here, Rain. Uh, I just finished the dungeon too."

"Wow, great work."

I quickly softened my expression and smiled warmly at Chris.

Her hands fidgeted, hesitating as if unsure what to do.

I tilted my head in confusion, watching her. Then, with a sigh, she finally spoke.

"I know you don’t like taking things without giving something in return, Rain, but... um... would you be interested in buying something from me? It might be something you need."

"Something? Oh!"

Now that I think about it, I also had something for Chris.

Rather than selling it, it was more like a gift—after all, we’ve been running dungeon buses together and will continue to do so. In the long run, giving her this would be beneficial for me too.

It was a kind of bribe—a way of saying 'let’s keep working well together.'

"I have something for you too, something to give you."

I pulled out the item from my inventory, hiding it behind my back as I hesitated for a moment.

It was funny how both of us were hesitating at the same time, and I couldn’t help but giggle.

"Sh-should we show our items at the same time?"

"Yes."

Chris beamed, and both of us revealed our gifts at once.

When I saw her gift, I gasped in surprise.

"Aah...!"

**[Aspero’s Sword]**

**[Elite Grade]**

**[Attack Power: 270]**

**[40% increased damage for the ‘Moonlight Slash’ skill]**

**[Socket 1: EMPTY]**

**[Socket 2: EMPTY]**

**(Bound upon equipping)**

A sword—specifically for my class. It was the new weapon from this dungeon.

And the options were perfect for me, increasing the damage of my main skill.

This was far more valuable than the 1-gold costume from before.

Since the item wasn’t even listed in the market yet, it would sell for at least 500 gold, or over five million won in real-world currency.

I shook my head instinctively.

"This... this is too expensive...."

At that moment, I realized the item I was giving her held a similar value.

However, simply exchanging items didn’t feel right to me. It might diminish the meaning of gratitude and the favor I was offering.

But for now...

I sighed and brought out my gift from behind my back.

Chris' eyes widened in surprise.

At the same time, her gaze fell upon the red ribbon tied to the string of the Yin-Yang Orb.

She covered her mouth, staring at the Yin-Yang Orb with teary eyes.

"Gasp...! Rain...!"

Avoiding her gaze, I timidly spoke.

"I thought it might be something you need, Chris. Want to exchange it for the sword?"

"Waaaah!"

Chris suddenly burst into tears, and I watched her in shock, unsure how to react.

"I’m so grateful! What’s with this ribbon? Kyaa...!"

Chris held the red ribbon on the Yin-Yang Orb with her fingers, squealing in delight.

Seeing her so happy made me feel good too.

This was my first time exchanging gifts with someone, and it wasn’t a bad feeling at all.

Despite that, a sense of debt lingered in my heart.

I had received so much kindness, but in this exchange, I felt like I was on the losing side, receiving more than I gave.

I didn’t know how to express my gratitude properly.

How should I show my appreciation?

"Chris, um..."

Chris, who was happily fiddling with the Yin-Yang Orb, looked at me with a questioning expression.

I closed my eyes tightly and began explaining in a hurried tone.

"Um, I’ve always been grateful to you, and I wanted to give this as a thank you, but we’re going to keep running buses together, and I’ll be even more grateful in the future, and, um, but now I’m taking the sword too, and... so... I just feel a little bad about it."

Rain, you idiot. What are you even saying?

I didn’t even understand what I was trying to say.

What if Chris thought I was weird for rambling like this?

"Hehe?"

A mischievous glint appeared in Chris' eyes.

"So, what you’re saying is, you wanted to give me a gift to express your gratitude for everything I’ve done, and you’re hoping we’ll keep working together in the future. But now that we’ve exchanged items, you feel like the meaning of your gift is a bit lost?"

I nodded vigorously.

Wow, even I didn’t know what I was trying to say, but Chris somehow understood perfectly.

Chris chuckled softly before clapping her hands together.

"Then, how about this? Since I’ve spent time helping you out, next time, you can come with me to a place I want to go."

"Oh."

Would that be enough?

I did have my own schedule, but knowing Chris, she wouldn’t force me to go somewhere I didn’t want to.

Seeing my reaction, Chris cautiously added.

"Also, this part’s totally optional, so you can refuse if you don’t like it."

"...?"

Suddenly, Chris avoided my gaze and hesitated, her hand fidgeting.

"Uh, um, can I... pet your head? I mean, last time, I touched it just a little, but it was only for a moment, and I kind of want to do it properly."

"Gasp..."

I was taken aback.

My head? Why?

Is there that much value in petting my head that she’d have to ask me so awkwardly?

But then again, it wasn’t easy for me either.

It took a lot of courage even for me to hold someone’s hand.

With a firm expression, I clenched my fists and nodded.

Then, I shyly leaned a little closer to Chris.

"Fuu... fuu..."

Chris’ face flushed red, and it looked like she was almost snorting through her nose.

I took a step back in alarm.

"Uh, Chris, your face looks strange."

"W-wha? No way! I-I’m not making a strange face!"

After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, Chris slowly raised her trembling hand over my head.

Finally, her hand touched my hair.

Swoosh, swoosh. Her gentle hand brushed over the top of my head.

Flinch.

The unfamiliar sensation made me shrink back.

It was strange. She was just petting my head, but it made my chest feel tingly.

It reminded me of the warmth I felt when I received affectionate looks from my old companions, but this was more than that—a deeper, more fluttering sensation.

Before I knew it, I was half-closing my eyes, enjoying the feeling.

"Hah!"

As I was getting lost in this strange sensation, I suddenly jerked away in surprise.

The unfamiliar feeling scared me a little.

Chris looked at her hand, now left in the air, with a disappointed expression.

"S-sorry! That’s enough for today!"

My heart pounded wildly.

For a moment, an awkward silence hung between us as we both avoided eye contact.

I mustered up the courage to speak first.

"Um, you have more farming to do, right? I need to get back to it too."

"Yeah, that’s right? Hehe, hope I didn’t take up too much of your time."

"It’s fine."

Chris waved her hand in front of her face as if she were trying to cool herself down, then went back to join her party members.

Before she disappeared into the dungeon, she turned and waved brightly at me.

"Rain! Keep up the farming!"

"You too, Chris."

Still hiding behind the stone tomb, I poked my head out and waved back at her.

Chris’ smiling figure soon vanished into the dungeon.

Boom!

"Chris! Watch your damage output! You’re shaking the aggro!"

"Ah, sorry."

Craaack!

As the Bloodmaw fell

, Deathmaster let out a sigh.

"Phew, even with the Yin-Yang Aspero weapon equipped, it’s hard to maintain aggro."

"Normally, Chris would control her damage output better, but something’s off with her today, isn’t it?"

Beimerung cast a suspicious glance at Chris.

With a dazed expression, Chris absentmindedly played with the small ribbon attached to the Yin-Yang Orb, mumbling to herself.

"Beimerung, what do I do?"

"...Chris?"

"I don’t think I can live without Rain anymore. What do I do? The NoName party members are just business associates for farming anyway, so what if I just... steal Rain for myself? Deathmaster, should I increase your workload at the company? Yeah, if Deathmaster’s too busy, I can pull Rain into our party...!"

"Why is this suddenly affecting me!?"

"Aaah! Synchronization penalty...! I missed 80% of Rain’s head-patting experience! Aaagh!"

"Huh...."

Watching Chris tear at her hair in frustration, Beimerung broke into a cold sweat and distanced herself.

Grabbing Cherni by the sleeve, Beimerung whispered quietly.

"Hey, Jae-Wook. Do you really think it's safe to leave the real Rain in Chris’ hands?"@@novelbin@@

"...It might be more dangerous than we thought."