"And I'll say it again, no alcohol at all."
On the festival day, it was a custom for parents to let their children, who were entering their youth, taste alcohol lightly, but Rune was still too young.
Moreover, since he had already been caught a few times trying to sneak a taste, the eyes watching him were especially strict.
"Though it's not much of a trade-off, I haven't scheduled any banquets for the next week. It's also to ensure a fair judgment, so take a good rest."
Even though it was unlikely, since he didn't know what kind of task might be given to him, it was best to minimize his meetings with the dwarves.
"No, I'm the one who should be grateful."
The warm bond between the brothers caught the attention of those around them, and they smiled contentedly at the heartwarming scene.
Thanks to this, for the first time in a while, Banya and Heumi were able to enjoy their free time, running and playing in the field that Ferdikion had permitted, in addition to the training ground.
Jed followed them, acting as a guardian to ensure they didn't get into any danger by Rune's order.
Ferdikion also entered the dungeon with the investigation team, leaving Rune to enjoy his alone time perfectly.
'Comfortable. It's been so long since I could relax without any disturbances.'
No matter how he thought about it, bringing Jed on as a subordinate was a good decision.
Rune took a slow, deep breath, organizing the mana and the qi in his dantians.
The meditation-enhanced rest was fulfilling and peaceful.
Unfortunately, his peace didn't last even half a day.
"Ouch! Take it easy, Heumi-nim!"
Just as he was half-dozing and breathing steadily.
'Just when I was about to fall asleep.'
Rune grumbled inwardly as he opened his eyes.
In front of him, Jed, Heumi, and Banya had all gathered.
"Heumi found something interesting!"
Behind Heumi, Jed was giving an awkward smile.
Exactly five salamanders emerged from Heumi's head, tail, shoulders, arms, and behind her waist.
They were faces he had seen before.
"…Are those, salamanders?"
As Rune frowned and looked at them, Jed cleared his throat.
"Yes, that's right. Do you remember the Ruby I bought yesterday?"
'Ruby… That one from the black market?'
It was the first item Jed had bought from the spirit hunter in the black market street.
The five salamanders, which he had promised to release into the volcanic land, were now attached to Heumi.
Moreover, the eyes of these salamanders were strange.
'They all have heart patterns in their eyes?'
In response to Rune's question, Heumi's information window appeared before his eyes.
- Race: Baby Succubus: One-Tailed Fox
- Hatching Condition: Born with a very low probability when the Master (Master) imbues the Enchanting Black Rose with a dream.
- To grow, nutrients with the same attribute as the Master (Master) are required.
With a very low probability, the seed contained the soul of a demon (succubus).
- Belongs to Rune Eclipse
- Servant transformation complete.
- Born with the soul of a succubus and a demon (succubus) fused with the soul of a one-tailed fox.
- Fire Attribute Affinity (Basic)
A new ability had been added.
Elemental spirits of fire.
The 'salamanders,' which would evolve into intermediate spirits with more growth, were wagging their tails and showing affection to Heumi.
Heumi held and petted the salamander that was rubbing against her cheek.
"Jed, so these lizards were the ones trapped in the Ruby, right?"
"Yes, I was going to show you the process of releasing them into the field, but…"
Jed scratched his head, puzzled.
"They looked like fish, but…"
"When they made eye contact with Heumi-nim, they stopped right there. And when Heumi-nim said, 'Come here,' they ran over, wagging their tails."
Actually, it wasn't entirely unexpected.
Given the succubus's demonic nature and the kitsune's ability to charm people, it made sense.
'And her fire affinity made her even more appealing to the salamanders.'
Psychic abilities were notoriously tricky to handle.
<Enchantment> would be a useful ability, but the problem was that Heumi was too young.
Telling her not to use her newly discovered ability would be like depriving her of the chance to develop her talent.
Rune rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
'Hmm. Maybe I should set some rules first.'
Even though it was a basic ability, using it recklessly would surely cause chaos.
At that moment, Heumi clasped her hands together and looked at Rune.
"Rune-nim, Rune-nim. Can Heumi keep these guys?"
She looked like a child asking to keep a stray cat she found on the street.
The five salamanders, sensing Heumi's mood, also looked at Rune with their big, yellow eyes.
"Sure. Just be careful with fire."
"Wow, that's great, Heumi-nim!"
With permission, Heumi hopped up and down, clutching one of the salamanders tightly.
Jed, standing nearby, also clapped and smiled.
After their excitement and celebration died down, Rune called out to Heumi.
"Do you know what power you used on the salamanders?"
'At least she's aware that she used her ability.'
It was fortunate that it wasn't an uncontrollable, unconscious activation.
Satisfied, Rune nodded and spoke to Heumi in a serious tone.
"<Enchantment>… no, the ability to make friends, should be used only with permission from now on."
"Why? Heumi wants to make lots of friends."
Heumi's fox ears drooped, and she looked up at Rune with a sad expression.
'Indeed, she has a loyal disposition.'
Rune nodded in approval and continued.
"The five salamanders you chose will feel the same way."
Heumi looked at each salamander's face, then clenched her small fist with a determined look.
"Heumi will love and care for all of them equally."
"Good. Train them to listen to you."
Heumi's previous gloom was gone, and she answered energetically.
The salamanders lined up in a row at Heumi's command.
Heumi looked at each salamander seriously.
"Everyone, follow Heumi!"
For some reason, Banya also fluttered over and perched on Heumi's head.
"Your future is really promising, Heumi-nim."
Rune, who had been watching him, said bluntly.
"Are you just going to stand there and watch happily? Hurry up and follow them."
"Ah! I'll go with you, Heumi-nim!"
As Jed hurried out, the room became quiet again.
'Her affinity with nature is like her mother’s.'
Indeed, blood is thicker than water, Rune mumbled to himself.
With Heumi's matter resolved, he recalled a task he had pushed to the back of his mind.
'This is the perfect time.'
Rune summoned the <Mana Key> he had copied onto his palm.
Heumi, Banya, and Jed wouldn't return for a while, and Ferdikion had gone to investigate the dungeon.
The investigation team's goal was to gather as much information as possible, not to clear it quickly, so it would take at least half a day for them to return.
This was the best time to experiment with the key.
Lying on the bed, Rune infused the white, glowing key in his hand with mana.
Then, a translucent door made of mana, inscribed with ancient runes, quietly appeared in the air.
He turned the key in his hand as if unlocking a door.
The door in the air opened.
'…This doesn't feel like it's connected to the black market.'
The scenery beyond the open door was completely different from the mana passage Jed had opened.
However, it felt strangely familiar.
The pitch-black space, where not even an inch ahead was visible, felt surprisingly comfortable.
When he pushed his hand through the door, a mysterious sensation greeted him as if welcoming its master.
Rune's figure and the door in the air silently disappeared.
Unlike teleportation magic, he had to walk through the mana passage on his own two feet.
'Sure enough, it's not the black market. Where does it lead?'
Rune prodded the ground a few times with his toes and then crossed over.
Perhaps because he had just been in the red dragon's lair, the cool air felt particularly noticeable.
After walking for a while, Rune reached a pitch-black exit.
'It seems I can go out here.'
He extended his hand beyond the boundary to check.
When he pulled his hand back, it was soaked.
The moment he smelled the briny scent, Rune knew what the water was.
Beyond the mana boundary, it was all sea water.
Moreover, it was so deep that it was pitch black, making it hard to see.
Rune, puzzled, took out a mana stone from his leather pouch.
It was a yellow diamond, which reacted particularly well to light attribute mana.
Rune infused the mana stone with light attribute mana.
It was the light attribute mana he had received from Christina when he inherited the magic.
A warm, bright yellow rose-colored light spread.
Something swam past quickly beyond the boundary.
'What was that? It looked like a fish's fin, but it had human hair attached to it.'
He moved closer to the water boundary to get a better look, but it was too dark.
Rune pushed the yellow diamond, which he was using as a light source, beyond the boundary.