Infinite Competitive Dungeon Society
chapter-176

Hwaya stood on Ludia’s side for once and glared at Loretta. It was because Loretta was standing right next to me. Ye-Eun was still in a panic, while Daisy was busy with moving the corpses and didn’t care about what was happening here.

“Shin, who’s that woman?”

“She’s Loretta, the Floor Shop shopkeeper and a guild master of one of First Dungeon’s administrative guilds.”

“Hello, my name is Loretta. You’re members of Shin-nim’s guild, right? It’s nice to meet you all.”

“Administrative guild master…? She’s not an explorer?”

The girls looked flustered. Hwaya then said with a more relaxed voice.

“I misunderstood. It looks like my intuition’s not working well.”

“I’m also Shin-nim’s future wife!”

“I knew it!”

“An enemy…!”

At Loretta’s bold statement, Hwaya and Ludia immediately entered battle mode! Loretta most likely said that to keep them in check, but it seemed Hwaya and Ludia took it as a provocation. Balls of flame appeared in mid-air and the garden’s ground began to crack. I was afraid they would really turn this mansion into a battlefield if left alone, so I stopped them with a sigh.

“Loretta, don’t spread lies. You guys too, stop using your power for useless things.”

“Lies? Really?”

“It’s not useless. It’s justice.”

“D-Don’t be angry, Shin-nim. I’m sorry.”

Loretta was eventually going to meet the others, and I knew Hwaya and Ludia would react this way. But if they really fought, it would only end with Hwaya and Ludia getting punished by the administrative guilds. Regardless, since Loretta was the one who provoked them, I warned her.

“Loretta, I’m sure you were kidding, but don’t cause trouble. Got it?”

“B-But I wasn’t kidding… I was being honest… Shin-nim got mad at me. Shin-nim…”

Loretta drooped her ears and sulked. It seemed she was shocked quite a bit as her eyes were slightly teary. I wanted to hug her, but I wasn’t done talking. I turned to face Hwaya and Ludia.

“Hwaya, Ludia, Loretta isn’t an enemy. She’s a benefactor who helped me for a long time. You guys are being rude to her. She didn’t do anything wrong, she was just kidding. Plus, I should be the one angry at her joke, not you.”

“Shin, I told you how I felt about you. It’s normal for me to get angry.”

“M-Me too! I’ll be troubled if you go to someone else!”

“Let me say this clearly.”

I breathed in and breathed out. Then, I continued.

“Until I solve the danger Earth is facing, I won’t date anyone.”

The atmosphere chilled, but I didn’t stop.

“I think I said before too, but I don’t have the time for it. I’m already busy breaking through the dungeon and fighting Earth’s monsters, so how am I going to find the time to have a relationship? Even if I had the time, I wouldn’t have the peace of mind to do so. Even now, I’m confused because of all of you. You’re all charming and out of my league, but you all said you like me! I can’t just choose one of you like choosing a college course! I have to think about it over and over again, but I don’t have the time for that right now! Even if I have to miss this golden chance that might never come again in my lifetime and have you all come to not like me. Even if I have to remain single for the rest of my life! I still can’t make a decision! Romantic relationships aren’t allowed for me right now! Understood?”

“Puhahahaha! So my son can say that!”

“G-Gol, Golden chance, kukukuk!”

“… Un.”

Father and Walker burst into laughter, while Hwaya nodded and the others drooped their heads. Hwaya’s cheeks were flushed.

“That was a pretty good effort. I can’t say that I’m happy that you can’t decide on me, but I’ll let it slide.”

“You sure are confident.”

“Of course, I’m the best woman in the world. But, since she isn’t from our world, I’ll still leave some space for deliberation.”

“I like Shin too… I was the first to confess too… I hate unni.”

“But remember, I won’t let you go until you fall for me. I told you last time, right? What’s important is that I like you, so be prepared. Ina, let’s go back.”

“Okay, Mommy.”

“Ah, unni, me too.”

Hwaya took her flame back. Then, with a slightly uneasy expression, she took Ina from me and went into the mansion. Sumire looked at me for a moment, then ran after Hwaya.

While Hwaya’s words were weighing down my head, Loretta flapped her ears and shouted.

“I, I’m used to waiting too!”

“You say that, but you take out your axe whenever I talk about other women.”

“T-That’s… Sorry. I know I shouldn’t, but I get worried about thieving cats… I apologize for today. I’ll go back and reflect on it, so come console me kindly later.”

“I don’t think if you can say you’re reflecting when you’re asking me to come console you…”

“I’ll see you later then, Father.”

After politely saying goodbye to Father, Loretta disappeared from Marianne’s Garden. Hwaya and Loretta. The two storms had passed by safely, and I couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

Daisy then approached me. She seemed unfazed by everything that just happened. She simply had a jubilant expression that showed just how elated she was about getting new corpses.

“I used my skills. First time in a long time. I’m hungry.”

“Daisy, why are you asking me tha… Eh? What happened to all the corpses?”

“Inventory. Do you want payment?”

“Later. For now, let’s go in the mansion. I have to properly introduce you to everyone. After that… I’ll let you eat an amazing tuna sashimi.”

After hearing the phrase ‘tuna sashimi,’ Father and Walker slowly got up and walked into the mansion. When I was about to invite the others in, I noticed that Ludia was nowhere to be seen.

“Ye-Eun, where’s Ludia?”

“She took Shuna and went to the dungeon. She looked like she was extremely troubled. I’m worried…”

“… I’ll message her later. Let’s go in for now.”

What I said might have shocked Ludia. She was relying on me, but what I said today was no different than saying that the status quo would change. Perhaps, she might have imagined a future without me.

Huu… It really was complicated.

“Um, Shin.”

“Hm?”

Before I noticed, Ye-Eun had approached me. Her eyes trembled apprehensively.

“Can it not be… me? Am I not charming at all to Shin?”

“Of course not. Don’t be absurd.”

“But, I’m just a normal girl…”

“What normal? You’re extremely charming and unique. You don’t lose to anyone.”

Especially when you’re fighting monsters. Because I didn’t add the last part, Ye-Eun seemed to be feeling much better.

“Hehe, thanks. I really like you.”

“Yeah, yeah, I like you too.”

“Then is today our day 1!?”

“My answer is the same as last time.”

“Tsk.”

“Alright, let’s go in. I’m sure everyone’s waiting. I don’t want to see Father’s personality when he’s hungry.”

“Un.”

“Blood sugar… low. Can’t, move.”

While joking with Ye-Eun, I dragged Daisy, who had gotten extremely sluggish after playing with the corpses, inside the mansion. This time, we managed to finish a fourth of the melting tuna that I had left.

Around dinner time, I left the guild house. Although it was good to spend time with my guildmates, it was more important to quickly finish grinding the Twin-headed Ogre. If I dawdled too long and a day passed by, I would have wasted a day. I reluctantly refused father who asked if I wanted another drink and headed to the dungeon.

Since Walker was there, I figured he wouldn’t be lonely. Though they weren’t that close, in the beginning, they had gotten much closer after drinking together. I wanted Walker to participate in the guild’s activities out of his own volition, not because of the contract. In order to do so, it was best that he got closer to the guild members.

Walker wasn’t a saint, but he wasn’t evil either. He was over thirty, but talking to him, I realized just how caged he had lived his whole life. More specifically, he was very biased toward one side of things. His thoughts were dark, sometimes overly down-to-earth, and sometimes cold-hearted. Since he must have had to deal with Brightman’s shady actions, it was understandable.

However, that didn’t mean he had to continue that way forever. That wasn’t the proper and normal way of living. Though, I couldn’t say that our current lives were normal either.

Being bound to us through the contract and having to work with us, it seemed he was changing one step at a time. I could tell that he was opening up to the people in the guild. He was even joking with me when I had severely beaten him up and forced him to sign a contract.

I was certain that a day would come where the contract would become unnecessary. I wanted that day to come.

*

I had an idea of what kind of elixir the Twin-headed Ogre would drop. When I ground the Giant Wolf on the 45th floor, it dropped tattoo invigoration elixirs. When I was talking with Ren, he casually remarked that he was grinding invigoration elixirs on the 55

floor. As such, I was more or less certain.

[Choose your reward.]

[1. Ogre’s Tattoo Invigoration Elixir

2. Twin-headed Ogre’s Leather Belt]

To my eyes, the words ‘Ogre’s Tattoo Invigoration Elixir’ looked like the words of God. Without hesitating, I chose the tattoo invigoration elixir and threw it in my mouth. Instantly, the tattoo on my arms glowed. If this elixir had the same function as the one for the wolf tattoo…

[Your Twin-headed Ogre’s Tattoo becomes more invigorated. Your strength increases by 0.5% and constitution increases by 1. As you have the Twin-headed Ogre’s Tattoo, your strength increases by an additional 0.5% and your constitution by an additional 1.]

As I thought, there was an additional bonus! I flexed my arms contently and thrust my spear into the air a couple times. No other explorer had the Twin-headed Ogre’s Tattoo. I was the only one who had it.

When the normal Ogre’s Tattoo was invigorated to its limit, it would raise its possessor’s strength by 15%. However, that would only be half of the strength increase I would enjoy.

‘First’! It was truly a sweet word! The 55th floor was the best!

“Alright, then let’s continue this momentum and go again!”

[Yes, Master! If it’s only this, I can go 100 times without feeling tired!]

“I wish I could…”

The dungeon’s mana, the effect of other explorers, and whatnot, it seemed the dungeon’s system wasn’t so simple. Although this ten-time battle ticket looked like a simple piece of paper, it contained an extremely complicated arrangement of vast mana that I could not even begin to fathom. Plus, it was undoubtedly made of special material as well. I was certain that the price I bought them from was a bargain.

With such a thought, I left the Floor Master room. When Loretta saw me from the Floor Shop, she flapped her ears with a blooming smile. Then, her ears drooped. It seemed she remembered me scolding her.

“You came, Shin-nim?”

“Yeah, I’m going to go back for another round though.”

Although I didn’t mean to answer curtly, Loretta shrunk back slightly and asked carefully.

“Are you… still mad?”

“No, I wasn’t mad, to begin with. It was just that I didn’t like how you lied to provoke the others.”

With that, Loretta would probably not joke like that again. When I glanced at Loretta with that thought, Loretta was tearing up. No, she was crying!

“… Hic, hic, I’m sowwy. Hic. I didn’t you’d hate it so much.”

“Loretta!?”

“I, I won’t do it again, I won’t joke again, so don’t hate me, hic. I’m sowwy, I’m sowwy…!”

“No, no, I don’t hate you at all. I don’t hate you, so crying!”

I had to stay for 30 minutes to console Loretta who started crying. How can a woman who’s lived over 2000 years cry like a teenage girl!? It’s too cute!