Chapter 11

<Yuyeona Lv.12>

Strength: 61 [Gender│Female]

Agility: 55 [Height│175cm]

Stamina: 57 [Weight│88kg]

Magic Power: 150 [Alignment│Evil]

Skills: [Devour Ω] [Ice Freeze X] [Cold Immunity X] [Stealth V] [Agility V] [Lightning IV] [Breathless IV] [Body Transformation IV] ··· [Intimidation I] [Transcendence I] [Regeneration I] [Domination I]

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“It’s about time to leave this place.”

Let’s see…

It’s been half a year since I fell here.

Every day felt so packed that it seemed like a long time, but it actually wasn’t that much.

In this Ice Field, I’ve absorbed about 15 Dimensional Stones so far.

Most were small, but I still devoured them diligently. According to Belva, the Dimension Power I hold now is greater than most dimensions.

It’s time to move on.

I’d like to stay a bit longer, but unfortunately, my growth has stalled.

There are no more monsters around here worth catching.

Ever since I defeated the Ice Queen and absorbed her abilities, ice-attribute monsters no longer scare me.

The only exception was that dinosaur I fought recently.

A creature resembling an Ankylosaurus pushed me back with its hard icy armor and heavy tail club.

For me, that kind of brute physical force was way more troublesome than those weird ice magic users.

And there are plenty more like that out there.

No reason to stay here and get complacent.

Let’s go. To the new continent!

“So, Belva. Scout ahead and see where we should go. While you’re at it, check if there are any intelligent beings around.”

[You don’t even pay me, yet you keep bossing me around.]

“I did pay you! That, uh, Ice Fossil thing.”

I’ve faced death once, but I never gave up on using Dimension Power.

Now, I’m seeing some results.

I can sense things within a 100-meter radius without even looking.

However, since it’s based on reading unique wavelengths, I can’t detect ores I’ve never seen before.

I did feel something off, though.

Without seeing it with my own eyes, it’s hard to even confirm the direction.

What can I do?

For about a month, I manually mined and identified various ores.

After that, I could detect them with my senses.

I’ve been making a decent amount of coin.

Among them, I discovered the Ice Fossil.

A mineral that grows like a flower in the freezing underground.

When a flower called Pliegel, which grows underground, is exposed to extreme cold for a long time, it hardens like metal.

That’s what’s called an Ice Fossil.

Thinking it might be valuable, I handed it over to Belva, and 50,000 coins were deposited.

When I asked why it was so much, Belva explained the uses of Pliegel.

‘When ingested, it releases dopamine, causing hallucinations and auditory hallucinations for 24 hours. And when it becomes an Ice Fossil, that effect is amplified dozens of times.’

In short, it’s a drug.

Without realizing it, I’ve become a drug dealer in another world.

Not my problem.

Coins are the best.

“Still, kid. Keeping 50,000 coins for yourself? That’s not cool.”

[I’m struggling too! Supporting you costs me thousands of coins a day. Besides, you couldn’t even sell it without me. Cut me some slack this time.]

One day, curious about the actual price of Ice Fossils, I asked Belva, but she avoided the question.

After pressing her, she finally admitted it was worth 100,000 coins.

What a heartless creature.

I know how important Belva is.

At least, she’s far more valuable to me than 50,000 coins.

But still, it’s annoying.

As punishment, I’ll force her to train in fusing Dimension Power and Magic Power today.

[······.]

Leaving the Ice Field, walking toward the distant volcano.

It’s boring and tedious.

Instead of daydreaming, it’s a good time to focus on something demanding.

I carefully raised Magic Power onto my hand.

Prism-like lights floated around like fireflies.

Now, imagery is crucial.

I slowly pressed down with my other hand.

The strong repulsion on my palm.

It felt like two magnets of the same pole resisting each other.

I used to fail at this part repeatedly.

But now, with my level increased, I have the strength to overcome the resistance.

Whoosh—

Ignoring it and continuing to press down, the repulsion suddenly disappeared.

A beautiful sphere of light glowed brilliantly on my hand.

It looks pretty, but it’s unstable—like it could explode at the slightest touch.

That’s why there’s room for another energy to enter.

Now, all I need to do is fill this gap with Dimension Power.

I’ve read dozens of books and studied the theory countless times.

I bought anything that might help and studied it thoroughly.

If I fail this, I’m really dead.

Focus.

I meticulously blended Dimension Power into the gaps between the Magic Power.

Like giving an injection, precisely.

Dimension Power, which has a gaseous nature, will fill the gaps in the sphere with just the right amount of force.

It’s just my thought, but after handling it so much, I’m confident.

How much time has passed? Like a heat haze on a summer road, an intangible force shimmered around the sphere.

It’s complete.

The Yuyeona Special Buggy Bomb—no, the Dimension-Magic Bomb Prototype.

[It’s eerily beautiful. What’s the advantage?]

Advantage?

The advantage of this Dimension-Magic Bomb is clear and simple.

I gently inserted my wrist into the sphere and pulled it out.

Surprisingly, nothing happened.

Outwardly.

“How’s that?”

[Just drink a potion…]

This thrilling pain.

When I raised my arm, my wrist hung limply downward.

This means the tendons are torn.

Not just the tendons, but the veins and arteries are all ruptured, and even the bones have micro-fractures.

Even though it was just a momentary insertion and removal, this result was created.

“Imagine. What would happen if you fought with this wrapped around your fist or sword. Everyone would just die.”

[Before that, you… no, Yeona has a higher chance of dying. Be careful. Please.]

“Eh. I won’t die.”

To keep this promise, it was important to safely dismantle the sphere first.

If touched wrong, the balance would collapse and it would explode.

After some thought, I decided to reverse the order of the magic formation and remove it one by one.

To put it metaphorically, it’s like unraveling a knitted sweater exactly in reverse.

Not just one thread, but a sweater made with dozens, hundreds of threads.

I thought I was going crazy.

It took 15 minutes to form the sphere, but 5 hours to completely remove it.

During the process, my understanding and control of magic power greatly increased, but it was so frustrating and annoying that I never want to do it again.

Exhausted, I trudged along.

[Looks good.]

*

“Ugh, it’s hot.”

Lava flows like a river, and flames bloom at the ends of black branches.

Stress is rushing in.

[The fox really likes it.]

Really?

No wonder it’s been jumping around so much since earlier, I couldn’t tell if it was a dog or a fox.

It must be happy after arriving in the volcanic region after being in cold places.

I watched the fox move for a while with the heart of a dog owner walking their pet.

“Do you like it?”

The fox nodded.

Come to think of it, I should give this guy a name soon.

The reason I haven’t yet is simple.

Honestly, I thought it would die quickly.

Sorry to say.

But now, I’ve apologized several times.

It’s okay, right?

When I reached out my hand, the fox ran over and rested its chin.

Aww, so cute. Really healing.

After scratching its chin a few times, I gazed at the fox, which had flipped over, apparently liking the warm soil.

A name for the fox.

Hmm…

“Foxes are nine-tailed foxes. Let’s call it Gumiho.”

[What’s that?]

Belva asked, curious about the name I gave.

What’s a Gumiho?

“It’s the name of an evil spirit.”

[Why would you name it after something like that…]

“It’s the most representative. Whether good or bad, famous is best.”

And, I said that for a fox to become a Gumiho, it must live for a thousand years.

I hope it lives that long.

I wish it could always be by my side while I live.

It was a name filled with such hopes.

[…I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ll register Gumiho in the status window.]

*

*

*

“I’m going crazy. There aren’t even many monsters here, it’s just hot.”

Annoyance is rising to the brim.

Sweat is pouring down my entire body.

I put the armor in the void space, but the underclothes are soaked and sticky.

Should I just take them off?

I heard that people in hot regions like the Middle East wear thick clothes to protect their skin from the sun.

So I tried it too, but it was just hot, no protection.

Come to think of it, there’s no sun here.

The sky was dark, probably because of the volcanic ash.

What the. I didn’t need to wear it.

My head must have been messed up from the heat.

Just as I was about to change into lighter clothes.

[In front! Enemy!]

At Belva’s shout, I looked ahead.

A reddish-brown dinosaur was opening its mouth towards me.

Even from here, I could feel the heat from its bright red mouth.

…Could that be what I think it is?

Instinct sounded an alarm for me.

That sense that has saved me countless times.

Clearer than ever.

I didn’t hesitate and immediately threw my body aside.

Then.

Whoooosh─!!

A giant pillar of fire cutting through the atmosphere.

Heat enough to burn the skin was transmitted to my skin, to my lungs.

Reflexively, I used freezing to ice my body.

The sound of sizzling as the burning clothes and burnt skin extinguished.

“Damn… it. Really.”

It hurts like hell.

Even though I didn’t get hit directly, I felt a burning pain all over my body.

Probably third-degree burns all over.

The dinosaur, surprised I wasn’t dead, was preparing to attack again, fully on guard.

And, I’ve experienced that pattern countless times.

I quickly grasped the necessary information.

The speed at which heat gathers in its mouth.

The amount of magic power moving inside.

Enough.

I took out a spear from the void space and charged at the dinosaur.

I’m faster.

I win.

And kill.

I will definitely kill it.

“Ahhhhh!”

The tip of my spear, filled with all my resentment and frustration, pierced its head like a ray of light.