āGweeeeeeeā¦ā
A strange groan escapes my lips. At the same time, my knees give way and my body collapses.
This was expected. To capitalize on agility, the only advantage I have over the King of Thorns, I ran around non-stop, swinging my dagger.
On top of that, I drank potions to recover my magic power, only to exhaust it all and even triggered mana exhaustion.
Plain exhaustion + mana exhaustion = uh, Iām dead.
This simple equation comes to mind right before my head hits the ground.
With a soft thud.
āā¦Good job.ā
Before I knew it, Ellie, who had run over, embraced me with her one arm.
The unique softness of a womanās body is vividly conveyed through her skin. Yet, beneath that lies densely packed, resilient muscles, providing a strange sense of security.
Ellieās scent arrives a beat later, a mix of body odor and the slightly musty smell from her ears and tail fur. And then, the familiar aroma blended with a hint of tobacco finally eases my tension.
At the same time, the fatigue that had been building up hits me all at once.
āAh, weāre in big trouble, Ellie.ā
āWhatās wrong? Donāt tell me something else is going to come out here?ā
āItās not thatā¦ Iām so drained I canāt even move a finger.ā
āWell, it canāt be helped. Youāve become surprisingly strong, but it was still too early for Jonah to face such an opponent.ā
āIf things stay this way, I wonāt be able to resist whatever Ellie does to meā¦!ā
āWhat?ā
āOh no~ To be left defenseless like this, at the mercy of a wolf like Ellie. Iām definitely going to be devoured!ā
āNo, Iām not going to eat you?ā
āMiss Wolf, Miss Wolf. If youāre going to eat me, please do it quickly and painlessly.ā
āā¦ā¦ā
Ellie, who looked to be at a loss for words, managed to lift the corners of her mouth that hardly moved and chuckled.
Only then did Ellie snort with laughter and sighed.
āJonah, youā¦even in such a situation, you want to do this?ā
āBut wasnāt Ellie making a scary face? As if it was Ellieās fault that I got hurt.ā
āThatāsā¦ā
Ellieās eyes drooped sadly, her ears perked up, and her tail lost its strength, pointing towards the ground.
āAgain. Thatās why Iām telling you not to make that face. Anyway, not only did we thwart the plan of One Who Devours the Twilight, but we also took down a leader, and Iāve grown strong enough to fight and win one-on-one against a Floor Guardian. Itās a day to be happy, isnāt it? You should smile!ā
āā¦Yes. Thatās right. Itās a happy day, just like you said, Jonah.ā
With a faint smile, Ellie skillfully lifted me up with one hand and carried me on her back.
Perhaps because she was wearing a full-body suit that clung tightly to her, I can feel Ellieās touch distinctly.
As I bury my head in the unprotected nape of Ellieās neck and secretly sniff, Ellie adjusts her hold on me and says,
āWeāll go to the surface like this. Just rest deeply.ā
āIs that really okay? We took down The One Who Devours the Twilight, and itās the first time weāve summoned the Floor Guardian of the first floor. It seems like there will be a lot to testify about at the Guildā¦ā
āThere will be a lot. But the Guild isnāt crazy enough to detain the injured and force testimony. Besides, Iāll be watching sharply from behind, how could they dare?ā
āAh, right. Iām just bringing this up nowā¦what exactly is Ellieās identity? I knew you were a retired high-ranking adventurer, but youāre too strong for just that.ā
Regarding Ellie, I only conceptualized the important charm points and personality-defining traits, without specifically thinking about how strong she was or how much she had achieved in her youth.
Thatās because settings that are not directly related to the story, that exist only for the sake of the setting, tend to strangle the writerās neck as the series progresses.
Itās true that as settings accumulate, the depth of the character deepens, but as a side effect, the episodes that can be used become limited.
For that reason, I tend to make settings as open as possible. Except for whatās absolutely necessary, it might as well be considered left blank.
In Ellieās case, itās about her active days, and for Eve, it would be about her time as a queen.
Anyway, the important thing is that Ellie is a retired adventurer who has never even held hands with a man, and Eve is historically a virgin.
Everything else is just a side story, a side story.
ā¦Somehow, it started to feel like the unicornās horn being pulled from the gacha wasnāt a coincidence. Could this have been intentional?
While seriously considering the theory of a dark plot by the Goddess of Love internally, Lydia, who had approached unnoticed, spoke up in place of the hesitating Ellie.
āThe Hero Ellie. Until five years ago, it was a famous name.ā
āHeā¦ro?ā
Surprised by the grander than expected nickname, Lydia nodded expressionlessly and continued.
āYou know, once youāre a high-level adventurer, mastering either aura or magic is essential, right?ā ĘreeĻebnovel.Ęom
āRight. Both are versatile and effective.ā
Anyone can learn aura and magic. Of course, the speed and the point where one hits a wall vary depending on the level of talent, but it is still possible to learn.
Usually, at this point, it is treated as a privilege granted only to a chosen fewā¦but not so for adventurers.
As long as one can somehow return alive, there exists a Labyrinth that forcibly enhances oneās growth and elevates their rank based on their achievements.
Lacking the talent to accumulate more aura? No matter. The Labyrinth will provide you with aura!
Lacking mana sensitivity to handle high-level magic? This too doesnāt matter. If you relentlessly cast magic in the Labyrinth, eventually, as a reward, your sensitivity will increase!
The reward of the Labyrinth is in itself another miracle. Even though I havenāt gained much muscle, Iāve become much stronger than before.
So, if you want to achieve higher as an adventurer, you must learn aura and magic.
Isnāt it too inefficient to not carry a weapon like everyone else does?
āBut Senior Ellie didnāt manage to do it.ā
āEhh?ā
āSenior Ellie is, how should I sayā¦beyond lacking talent, she was a hopeless case.ā
āā¦???ā
Despite trying to make sense of what was said, I briefly tilted my head in confusion. I was convinced by Lydiaās next words.
āShe can feel aura and mana, but itās impossible for her to accumulate it in her body.ā freŃweÉnovel.com
āAh ha.ā
āMoreover, she was so unlucky that she had never received aura or mana as a reward from the Labyrinth, despite having been an adventurer for a considerable time.ā
āā¦ā¦ā
Is that so? Is that how it is?
Did Ellie completely bomb in both the talent gacha and the Labyrinth reward gachaā¦
Feeling sorry, I rub my face against the nape of Ellieās neck, and her skin slowly heats up. She seems to like it.
āBut even without aura or magic, Senior Ellie was amazing. She faced formidable enemies with nothing but courage and won. Thatās why she was labeled a hero.ā
āUhā¦wait a minute. You mean she had no abilities at allā¦not even divine powers?ā
āYes. She reached this point with just the body of a pure hybrid human.ā
āā¦ā¦ā
If I had known, I would have just seasoned it moderately and told Ellie to deliver the final blow.
Then at least she could have received the World Treeās power.
Feeling guilty, I gently nibble on Ellieās nape, recalling the way she fought.
The ground flips with a single step. Trees crumble just from the shockwave of a straight punch, and power enhanced lightning or even crystal spears are repelled with bare flesh.
The most basic reward.
Physical ability enhancement. Surely, she has reached a higher realm than anyone else by focusing solely on that.
Muscles that contain the strength of a giant. Durability harder than most metals. And on top of that, the acute senses unique to the hybrid human tribe.
At this point, Ellieās body itself is practically a power.
As my thoughts reached there, a sudden question arose. Pulling my mouth away from Ellieās saliva-drenched nape, I asked.
āUh, hold on. Then how exactly was Ellieās arm cut off?ā
Ellie herself was strong. What kind of being could possibly have had the power to sever Ellieās arm?
Ellie, flushed bright red, rubbed the saliva on her shoulder with the sleeve of her suit and spoke.
āWhatā¦ Even I would lose an arm if hit by a dragonās breath.ā
āDragonās breath?!ā
āThe Floor Guardian of the 6th floor was a dragon who had gone mad. It even went berserk because of The One Who Devours the Twilight.ā
āā¦ā¦ā
A dragon thatās gone mad and berserk. Thereās nothing to be done about that.
I didnāt include settings about dragons, but considering itās a fantasy world, it wouldnāt be strange for there to be one.
The sixth floor, isnāt that where the Beast God sleeps? I hadnāt thought about what kind of monster or guardian might appear, butā¦seeing the dragon as the pinnacle of beasts makes sense.
It goes without saying that it had gone mad since it had been turned into a monster.
For a moment, I nod inwardly. But soon, overwhelming fatigue closes my eyes.
From a distance, Karen was gathering things that could serve as evidence, along with Lemon and Apple, when I was about to fall asleep.
āAh.ā
I remembered then.
I took out the statue of the Goddess from the Subspace Ring, unfolded the mini sanctuary, and then put it back immediately.
Even for me, it was a bit embarrassing to show the squishy, irresistible, warm, mini Goddess of Love in front of others.
A surge of vitality quickly filled me. I was still too exhausted to feel it, but my physical abilities must have certainly increased.
I was intoxicated by the atmosphere, and since I hadnāt thought of it immediately after acquiring it, I hadnāt used it during the battle with the King of Thornsā¦but now that Iāve remembered, isnāt that good enough?
As I nibbled and sucked on Ellieās nape with a revived spirit, the surrounding gazes focused on us.
āA hero beside a saintā¦ Yes. A fundamental combination.ā
Lydia clapped her hands in satisfaction.