Project: Create a Pet ------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Quiet.”
As soon as I spoke, Vivian clamped her mouth shut. Yet, her eyes, filled with longing, remained fixed on me, as if she still held onto hope. A memory of twisting Jung Ji-yeon’s neck in the clearing flashed through my mind. She, too, had wanted something from me—whether it was to be saved or to be killed, only she knew. But Vivian was different. She clearly wanted to live.
I needed more detailed information, but her rare class and stats were decent. A magic stat of 92 points—useful even in the later stages. Her other stats were also respectable for a mage. While she might not match the top-tier users, her class compensated for that.
The problem was that using an elixir would be costly. I couldn’t just buy another one with GP, having already spent 77,777 GP on hidden items. If there was no way to get more, I wouldn’t use it, but that wasn’t entirely the case.
I knew of a way to acquire two more elixirs. Not accessible right now, but I remembered it clearly. I had set aside two for Yoo Hyun and Han So-young, but those were for worst-case scenarios. Ideally, we wouldn’t need to use them.
Considering Vivian’s stats after recovery: [Strength 48] [Endurance 50] [Agility 56] [Health 45] [Magic 92] [Luck 74]. She was already at her peak, but with luck, her magic could increase by 1 or 2 points. Having such talent join us early on would undoubtedly be beneficial, especially to fill our current lack of a mage.
The greatest advantage was having two rare class holders. If I taught another user with the book Vivian gave me, we’d have two with the same class. Vivian, having already mastered it to some extent, could be a great mentor for the new user.
I felt my decision leaning in one direction. After all, as a resident, she had less fear of death (by my standards), and I wouldn’t hesitate to use a wish later. After weighing all options, I turned to Vivian with a gentle smile.
“Vivian.”
“Yes.”
I steadied her nodding head and met her gaze. Seeing her in her current state, I couldn’t help but think she was beautiful. Her long, jet-black hair, silver eyes, flawless white skin (excluding the cracked parts), and graceful face. As my eyes traveled over her well-toned body, she shrank back, visibly tense.
“As an alchemist, you understand the concept of equivalent exchange, right?”
“Y-yes. It means exchanging things of equal value….”
“Exactly. You’ve offered what you have, and I’ve decided to save you. This is an equivalent exchange. So, if you want me to save you again, what can you offer?”
“But…”
“I understand your situation is unfortunate. But I can heal you completely. I might even restore your lost powers. This is your only chance to return to human form without turning back into a spider.”
“How?”
Vivian’s eyes widened at my words. Her reaction suggested she regretted becoming a spider monster. With the first step successfully taken, I whispered softly in her ear, stroking her hair with one hand and her back with the other. Her trembling intensified with each touch.
“You’ll see. If I save your life, restore your powers, and return your human form, you’ll need to pay a corresponding price.”
“What do you want? I have nothing left….”
“That’s not true. You have one thing left.”
I pressed a finger into her back, causing a small crack in her skin, but I didn’t mind. The elixir would heal everything. Vivian winced in pain, but as she understood my words, her expression hardened. It was decision time.
Silence hung between us. But as I’d observed, Vivian had a fierce will to live. When she finally nodded, albeit slightly, I smiled in satisfaction.
“From now on, you must listen to me.”
“Okay.”
Vivian’s voice was subdued, sensing the danger in my words.
With the items Vivian had given me and two user cocoons, I returned to the clearing. Four cocoons lay there. I quickly cut through the silk and freed the others. Each time I released someone, they looked at me with joy.
After a brief reunion, their attention naturally shifted to the mysterious woman and the two cocoons. Vivian’s situation was urgent. Though we’d rehearsed our story, I was a bit worried, but Vivian was handling it surprisingly well.
“So, according to you, a long time ago, a wicked sorcerer turned you into a spider?”
“Yes, that’s correct. But this person here extracted the core from the spider, allowing me to regain my consciousness.”
“But even as a spider, you remember killing users and creating a dungeon.”
“After becoming a spider, I couldn’t leave. If I did, I’d be hunted immediately. My intelligence also regressed to that of a monster due to the core’s influence. I remember, but it wasn’t my intention. As a human, I would never have done such things.”
“Hmm….”
Yoo-jung eyed her suspiciously, then turned to me. I quickly added to Vivian’s explanation.
“Her story seems true. Without Vivian, I might have died. Her help from within the spider was crucial in limiting its actions. Without it, we’d all be dead.”
Yoo-jung and An-sol looked conflicted. Watching Vivian’s convincing performance, I smiled. I was deceiving them with a mix of truth and lies to integrate Vivian into our group. We needed to soften the impact of her past actions.
“Still, what you did doesn’t change.”
“Of course. I have no intention of avoiding responsibility.”
“But why is your body like that? Your shoulders and back seem cracked….”
An-hyun interrupted Yoo-jung’s questioning and asked Vivian. She glanced at me before answering.
“I’m in a very dangerous state. Extracting the core restored my body, but it’s under significant strain.”
“So, you’re saying you might die soon?”
“Possibly.”
“Huh….”
As expected, mentioning her potential death softened their expressions. They were confused. I seized the opportunity to step forward. It was time for a direct approach.
“We plan to work with Vivian.”
Their eyes snapped to me. An-hyun looked surprised, while Yoo-jung and An-sol frowned, clearly displeased. But they had never opposed my decisions since entering the Hall Plain, and I had no intention of backing down on this issue.
Recruiting a promising talent was good, but we needed to act quickly. It made more sense to recruit someone who could contribute immediately rather than a user who would take time to grow. With Vivian joining us, the time needed to execute my plans would be reduced by at least 30%.
“Vivian seems conflicted about her past actions. If she survives, she wants to atone. While what she did was wrong, there are mitigating circumstances. She shows signs of remorse. Let’s take her to the city, find a way to heal her, and if possible, work together. If not… well, we tried. Is that acceptable?”
An-hyun was lenient in such matters. Yoo-jung and Sol were more concerning, but they seemed swayed by her inherently good nature and the fact that she saved me. When I added, “She might die soon,” they reluctantly nodded.
Having resolved a major issue quickly, I sighed in relief. Though they still seemed skeptical, integrating her into the group was a success, and time would resolve the rest.
After exchanging glances with the others, I turned my attention to the space where the users lay. The others followed my gaze. There, a man and a woman, the two users captured by Vivian, lay on the opened cocoons.
Honestly, teasing Vivian had been so entertaining that I’d forgotten about them. If Vivian hadn’t called out to me as I was leaving, I might have left them there.
Their shallow breathing indicated they were alive, but their faces were pale. Both wore mage robes, suggesting low health stats. Yoo-jung, watching them, spoke with concern.
“Oppa, won’t they die like this?”
“They won’t. But we should get to the city as soon as possible.”
“I know a shortcut.”
As Vivian quickly raised her hand and stepped forward, Yujung shot her a sharp look and retorted, “Hmph. You talk big. Whose fault do you think it is that we’re in this mess?”
Vivian’s face flushed with indignation, but she bit her lip, holding back her words. Seeing her follow my advice to stay calm, at least initially, gave me some relief. Still, she couldn’t completely hide her frustration, letting out a huff of breath.
Amused by their bickering, I chuckled and turned my attention back to the users. I intended to check their information. Just as I was about to activate my third eye, a sudden dizziness hit me. My vision blurred, and I shook my head to regain focus, but everything around me seemed to tilt.
“Oppa, are you okay…?”
Sole, who had been watching me closely, rushed over to support me. What’s happening to me?
Noticing something was off, Hyun, Yujung, and Vivian approached me. I tried to assure them I was fine and attempted to activate my third eye again.
“Uh…”
“Hyung!”
“Oppa!”
My vision spun, and I felt my body grow weak. This sensation… it was exhaustion. Could it be? At that moment, Seraph’s words from before flashed through my mind.
<User Kim Suhyun, the power of Hwajeong is not something humans can take lightly. In terms of pure strength, it’s impeccable, but controlling and mastering it is a different matter entirely. To use it properly, your stamina needs to exceed 101 points. At the very least, it should be over 90…>
I hadn’t even used it to its full extent, yet… With that thought, darkness began to close in around me. My eyes were about to shut on their own.
『Potential Ability: Unyielding (Rank: A+) is activated.』
As a message appeared in the air, a surge of willpower lifted my collapsing body.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
This is not a continuation of episode 71. I apologize.
I just finished handing over my tasks today, and I can’t believe how busy it was. -_-a So I’m posting tomorrow’s update in advance.
I might not be able to post at midnight tomorrow, so I’m uploading the draft I wrote yesterday. There are probably many things to tweak. (I’ll make corrections if needed later.)
I’m sorry I couldn’t reply to comments, but I read every single one. Thank you sincerely, dear readers. Now that the handover is complete, I’ll get back to writing diligently from tomorrow.