We returned to the tent with the new mattress and the box.
Thanks to Jung Yu-na lifting the mattress with magic, it required no effort to bring it back.
"Wow."
Pop! Pop!
As I patted the mattress with my palm, its unique elasticity pushed back against my hand.
It was so soft and cushiony that even hitting it hard didn't hurt my hand.
'Incredible.'
It felt almost disrespectful to compare it to a re box.
After staring at the mattress for a while, I picked up the refrigerator box nearby.
It was to offer it to Sophia, who had complained about her uncomfortable sleeping spot.
"Excuse . Do you want to use this box? It's big and really good."
"You little..."
Thwack!
Sophia tapped my head with her cane.
The light shock made my shoulders involuntarily shrink.
"Ah, I just asked because you wanted the box earlier... You can use the mattress..."
Well, yeah.
It was right to yield the mattress to soone with physical disabilities.
As I tapped the mattress feeling a bit disappointed, Sophia plopped down on it.
"Done. The bed is big enough for two to lie down."
"Both of us?"
"Yes. We're both quite small, aren't we?"
True.
Even with both of us, there was plenty of space left on the mattress.
Yet, I couldn't easily nod in agreent because the idea of sharing a bed with soone I barely knew felt strange.
"But you shouldn't sleep with soone you don't know well..."
"You've learned well, but now we know each other, don't we?"
"Is that so?"
We've only known each other for a day.
Can that be considered knowing each other?
As I frowned in thought, Jung Yu-na suddenly wedged herself between us.
"Couldn't we find another mattress?"
"It's impossible. Mattresses like this one are rare, maybe once in ten years."
"Is that so? There's a recycling area near my house too. I should check it out."
Hehe.
Jung Yu-na showed an awkward smile.
I watched her, then picked up a pot nearby.
"Would you like so tea?"
"Tea?"
"Yes. Dandelion flower tea is delicious."
Though she had co reluctantly, she did help us, so I felt obliged to show so gratitude.
A little dandelion flower tea wouldn't be enough, but it was a start.
I held up the well-processed dandelion flowers.
"Okay. I'll have a cup."
"Yes..."
The dandelion flower tea was running low.
With that thought, I used a portable stove to brew the dandelion flower tea.
The tea, with flowers floating on top, was beautiful.
"A tea with blooming flowers."
"How pretty."
"Right...?"
After preparing three cups for Sophia, Jung Yu-na, and myself, the container holding the flower petals was empty.
I wanted to make more petals, but were there any dandelions nearby?
I sipped the tea, peering outside through a hole in the tent.
"This is better than expected... Huh?"
"Hmm...?"
Sophia and Jung Yu-na, who had also sipped the tea, stared at their palms as if on cue.
They both took deep breaths and exhaled, looking sowhat perplexed.
"Why? It doesn't taste good?"
"No, it's delicious, but why is my mana...?"
"Mana?"
Why suddenly talk about mana while drinking tea?
As I pondered over Jung Yu-na's odd remark, she took another sip of the tea.
"Oh?"
Her eyes widened in surprise.
They were so wide open that the whites above and below her pupils were fully visible.
I couldn't ignore the fact that it was my brewed tea causing such a reaction.
"Why, what's wrong?"
"When I drink this dandelion tea, my mana increases...?"
"Hmm... Mine too."
"What...?"
Mana increasing from drinking a cup of tea?
I didn't get that effect when I drank it.
Confused, I poked at the dandelion flowers floating on top of the cup.
They looked pretty but were just ordinary dandelions.
"The more I drink, the more my mana fluctuates."
"Isn't that sothing you should see a doctor for...?"
"It's fine. It's in a positive direction."
Phew.
As Sophia exhaled, blue smoke emitted from her mouth.
It was sowhat impressive, like she was breathing out a breath attack.
"It seems you have a buff-type ability."
"A buff?"
"Yes. One of the rarest abilities. In the world I ca from, just having such an ability could earn one noble status."
"Wow..."
Noble status, that sounded nice.
But then I rembered belatedly that Earth wasn't a class-based society.
There must be differences between Earth and that other world.
I decided not to expect much.
Expectations only lead to greater disappointnts.
A life wisdom learned through long experience.
'...But how does this buff effect co about?'
Is it sothing that cos through food?
Pondering this, I took another sip of the dandelion flower tea.
Jung Yu-na murmured to herself with a lively voice.
"With this much mana, maybe it's possible...?"
What was she so excited about?
Knowing her usual fierceness, I instinctively stepped back.
"I have sothing I want to try. Can I step out for a bit?"
"Ah, sure..."
It's okay if you don't co back.
I suppressed the urge to say that aloud.
To live long, one always needs to be careful with words.
---
---
There was a laboratory in the Yeomyeong Guild headquarters building, ant for guild mages.
On her way there, Jung Yu-na assessed her condition.
'Incredible.'
Just a cup of tea had increased her mana by about thirty percent.
What was even more astonishing was that the buff given by the child could be stacked with other buff potions.
Each buff normally applies only once, but this ignored the usual rules.
With this amount of mana, it might be possible to create a magical tool that was only theoretical until now.
'Is there sothing other than the tea?'
There was much to explore and confirm.
As Jung Yu-na hurried to the lab, she spotted familiar faces at the end of the hallway.
Kang Jinho, the guild master, and her colleague, Han Yeoreum.
And there were Encia, the wolf beast-kin, and Argo, the lizard man, who had been guarding the child.
"Master?"
Kang Jinho walked down the hallway, unusually upbeat, which stunned Jung Yu-na.
"Yuna."
Han Yeoreum, spotting Jung Yu-na, hurried over to her.
Despite her destructive powers, her appearance was quite cute.
Jung Yu-na thought so privately.
"Yeoreum, what's going on?"
"Oh, it's because of Gyeoul."
"Gyeoul?"
"Yes. We've ford an alliance with the beast-kin tribes of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for taking good care of Gyeoul. It ended quite positively."
"Oh my."
An alliance with the beast-kin, who lived hidden in the forest and ignored even the governnt's call.
It could be considered the first of its kind in South Korea, perhaps even the world officially.
Unofficially, that might be a different story.
"The beast-kin will also provide technical support. Isn't that amazing?"
"That's really incredible..."
The reason the forest-dwelling beast-kin were treated as VIPs in modern society was because of their unique technology.
"Gyeoul really is a blessing."
"I know... And I've only been an to the kid."
"Oh, well... there's plenty of ti to make up for it."
"Yeah. I'll try to do better slowly."
Jung Yu-na sighed deeply.
Between the buff effect and the alliance with the beast-kin, she had intended to help but ended up receiving more instead.
Closing her eyes, Jung Yu-na reflected on what she needed to do.
She decided to use her increased mana to create a magical tool for the child.
---
---
"Hehe."
This is so cushy.
I lay idly on the mattress.
I had work to do, but the softness of the mattress was too inviting to move.
It was a level of comfort I hadn't felt in years, perhaps making even lazier.
"You little rascal, when do you plan to train?"
"Just, just a little longer, I want to lie down more."
I buried my face in the mattress, whining like a child.
Then Sophia grabbed my arm, trying to pull up.
I resisted, not wanting to be pulled away, but Sophia was stronger than I anticipated and I couldn't overpower her.
"Get up quickly."
"Yes..."
I wanted to savor the softness a bit longer.
Reluctantly, I got up from the mattress, smacking my lips with disappointnt.
At that mont, Sophia, seemingly thirsty, poured water from a kettle into a cup.
"By the way, where do we get water? There doesn't seem to be a suitable place nearby to get drinking water."
Gulp-
Saying this, Sophia drank the water.
She must have been very thirsty, as she drank it all in one go.
Aren't sharks supposed to drink saltwater?
I chuckled inwardly at such a pointless thought.
"I, I fetched it from the pond."
"Ptuh!"
Was there sothing strange about what I said?
Sophia spat out the water she was drinking into the air.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she coughed.
'Huh?'
It was a pond filled with expensive purification items.
The pond, ho to fish and seemingly dirty, actually contained water clean enough to drink directly.
So, it couldn't be that the water was dirty. Did she choke on it?
Not sure of the reason, but I decided to pat her back anyway.
Having water stuck in your throat can be extrely uncomfortable.
---
3/5 Enjoy the chappy!
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