[All aggressive actions are strictly prohibited within the rest area. Rest at your leisure. Time remaining: 71 hours 28 minutes.] Is she hiding something from me? The thought alone made me tense up, even though there wasn’t much of a basis for it. Judging by Ha Hee-Jeong’s behavior, it didn’t seem like anything bad. Is she preparing a surprise gift as well? It was a strong possibility. As a regressor, Ha Hee-Jeong was well-versed in many of the hidden missions and had occasionally brought me elixirs or items. It was something I had grown accustomed to. However, it didn’t explain why it would take her so long while in the rest area. Should I just give her my gift now, too? We were alone. This could be the perfect opportunity to see her genuine reaction. Yet, after a brief moment of thought, I shook my head. It would probably be better to wait until later, after a few drinks, when the atmosphere was just right. Perfectly coinciding with my decision, the door creaked open. “Sorry, did I keep you waiting?” Through the slightly opened door, Ha Hee-Jeong peeked out. Her words and expression didn’t match in the slightest. If anything, she looked completely at ease, even refreshed. I instinctively lowered my gaze. Her hands were empty. She hadn’t applied makeup or changed her outfit, either. Follow current novels on nοvelfire.net Wait, so she doesn’t have a gift? It appeared like she had just gone to the bathroom. A faint sense of disappointment flickered within me. Not that I would let it show; it wasn’t as if she owed me anything. Feeling let down over something I had merely assumed made me feel a bit ridiculous. Suppressing any trace of emotion, I coolly responded, “You think that’s an excuse? What took you so long?” “I just went to the bathroom. What, got a problem with that?” She lifted her chin slightly, unbothered. “Then why make me wait?” “Wow, really? A friend can’t even wait a mere twenty minutes for someone to go to the bathroom? I’m actually disappointed!” “Only twenty minutes? Are you serious? Forget it.” I sighed, and Ha Hee-Jeong let out a quiet chuckle. As I continued muttering to myself, she suddenly flung the door open and grabbed my wrist. A gentle warmth spread over my skin. “Relax. Just come in for a sec.” She smirked shamelessly. “What, you think I’m gonna eat you or something?” “Ho-Su and others are waiting,” I replied. “I already let them know. It’s fine. Now, are you going to accept your gift or not?” Of course, that explained everything. So she was preparing a surprise after all. She would have known that I was suspecting something, which was why she had decided to play around. Even though I had fallen for her little trick, I didn’t mind. A faint twitch tugged at the corner of my lips. I could feel my expression shifting, but I couldn’t quite control it. I had no idea what kind of face I was making right now. Ha Hee-Jeong let out a quiet laugh before giving my chest a light tap. “You were looking forward to it, weren’t you?” She wasn’t wrong. While she had never gone out of her way to surprise me before, she had gifted me elixirs and equipment on multiple occasions. Naturally, I had been anticipating it. I just assumed she was teasing me. I muttered a complaint, “What exactly are you giving me that required you to mess around ?” “You made me wait twenty minutes.” “I wasn’t playing around. I needed time to prepare. Just come inside and see for yourself.” Before I could even ask what she had prepared, she grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the room. I had been in her room before, but being dragged inside made the atmosphere feel strangely different. Taking a slow, deep breath, I scanned my surroundings. Even though I hadn’t heard anything during my wait, at some point, all the furniture, including her bed and chair, had been moved to the edges of the room. At the center, an unfamiliar magic circle was drawn across the floor. An unfamiliar and luminous yellow gemstone hovered above it, crackling intermittently with streaks of lightning. “What the hell is this?” “I told you I went to the enchantment world, remember?” Right. The other climbers had spent their sixty-fourth and sixty-fifth floors in a realm where they could imbue their gear with elemental properties. Most had returned with enchanted weapons. To be honest, I had felt a slight pang of regret at missing out on that opportunity. I had acquired the dragon’s legacy, but enhancing my weapon would have been nice. Moreover, it came as a surprise to me that Ha Hee-Jeong had learned that world’s enchantment techniques. “You’re going to enchant my weapon?” “No. I actually picked up something different during a hidden mission. Turns out, enchantments can be applied to living beings too, even humans.” “You can enchant people?” “Well, technically, it’s not exactly an enchantment. It’s more like I can fuse an artifact directly into a person. And apparently, only one person in that world was allowed to learn it.” It sounded incredible, but before I could even process the full implication of her statement, the sheer absurdity of it hit me first. “Wait, and you just picked that up?” “Somehow. The people there were calling me a god-given enchanter or something like that. Even the continent’s greatest enchanter practically begged me to become her disciple.” “Holy shit. You were a prodigy all along.” Thinking about it, Ha Hee-Jeong was ranked second on the Leaderboard. It wasn’t wise to view her as just another climber. “Look who’s talking. You’re calling me a prodigy?” she quipped back playfully, but a thought crossed my mind. “Wait, you didn’t do this in your previous life?” “Nope. I didn’t even hear a whisper about this hidden mission back then.” So she had never realized her potential as an enchanter. It made sense. Someone who wasn’t already skilled in the craft wouldn’t be able to recognize another person’s latent talent. My gaze drifted back to the magic circle. “So, I just step onto that?” “Yeah. But wow, you’re really not even going to say thanks? A little disappointing. This is why I shouldn’t be nice to you,” she grumbled playfully, and I smirked, giving her a light tap on the shoulder. “Of course, I appreciate it. So, I just stand in the center?” “Yep. Oh, and you need to strip down and sit cross-legged.” “You heard me. Strip.” She nodded firmly, though the slight flush creeping onto her pale cheeks didn’t escape my notice. Even as she spoke, she seemed a little flustered. Almost as if to justify herself, she quickly added. “It’s not like I want you to. That’s just how enchantments on humans work.” I stared blankly at her. Hmm. Getting stronger is undeniably advantageous, but stripping completely in front of Ha Hee-Jeong? An inexplicable sense of unease settled over me. “You’re not messing with me, are you?” “Come on. You think I’d joke about this?” Her expression was completely serious. She wasn’t playing around. As I hesitated silently, she added, “That’s why I called you here while everyone else was drinking. Just hurry up and get it over with. It won’t take long.” Feeling somewhat awkward, I nodded. “Alright.” If I had to do it, better just get it over with. The longer I dragged it out, the more uncomfortable it would become. Trying to ease the tension, I muttered, “This kinda feels like Pookimon.” “You said it’s a Thunderstone. Feels like I’m evolving or something. Like I’m turning into Pikarai.” Fortunately, the joke landed, and Ha Hee-Jeong snickered. “Su-Hyeokmon, take off your clothes!” A beat of silence filled the space. I stared at her, wordless. A moment later, her expression stiffened as realization dawned on her. It was clear she had just spoken without thinking. Her face froze as if she had only now grasped how absurd that sounded. She quickly cleared her throat and muttered an apology, “My bad.” “It’s fine, but will this knock me out?” “Hmm, for a little while? You’ll probably be out for about thirty minutes.” Sensing the slight awkwardness in the air, I forced a playful smirk. “You better not try anything funny while I’m out. I’ll report you.” “Shut up. I need to focus, too. Say one more dumb thing and I’ll kill you. Now, hurry up and take off your clothes. Let’s get this over with.” I almost shot back with another joke, but I had a feeling the mood would get even weirder if I did. As I reached to remove my clothes, I noticed Ha Hee-Jeong staring right at me. Undressing while being watched felt a little uncomfortable. At that moment, I realized that this was the perfect time to hand her the legacy. Without a moment’s hesitation, I pulled it out of the mimic and tossed it to her. Despite the sudden movement, she reacted quickly and easily caught it. She blinked, glancing between the object in her hands and me. “A gift? Just like that? Where did you even get this?” “Found it on the way.” It was an old joke, yet she smiled brightly, her expression softening. It was rare to see Ha Hee-Jeong look so genuinely touched. This reminded me of the time I received my first paycheck from a part-time job and gave my mother a small allowance. That was the kind of expression Ha Hee-Jeong wore now. Now that I thought about it, she had given me plenty over the time I had known her, but I had hardly ever given her anything in return. “It’s nothing complicated. Just check the description, and you’ll get the gist of it.” “Su-Hyeok, this noona is deeply moved.” “There it is again—noona.” “What? My birthday’s earlier than yours.” I sighed and turned around. “Just face the other way, will you? I need to change.” Ha Hee-Jeong covered her face with one hand, but before long, she spread her fingers apart and peeked at me mischievously. “Why? I’m gonna see it eventually.” “Well, if you’re shy, I guess I have no choice.” She chuckled and finally turned away, clearly messing with me to ease the awkwardness. Not that it helped much. The sound of rustling fabric sliding off me felt unusually loud in the silence. I undressed quickly and stepped onto the magic circle. Without turning around, she asked, “You ready?” “Yeah. I just sit in the center, right?” “I don’t have to face toward you, do I?” “Just sit with your back toward me.” I settled into position and faced away from her. In front of me, the Thunderstone hovered midair, flickering with bursts of lightning. “When I tried this on Ha-Rin, she blacked out the moment the spell started. Nothing weird is happening, so don’t try to resist or anything.” Slowly, Ha Hee-Jeong began chanting. The outer edges of the magic circle shimmered as mana surged through it. As soon as the formation glowed a deep blue, she hesitated for a moment. She spoke up again, but softer this time. “Hey, Su-Hyeok.” “Thanks for the gift.” 「Invisible message: The Thunderstone is merging with Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok.」 「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s identity as a ‘Challenger’ has been confirmed. The fusion process will proceed more smoothly.」 「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has already absorbed Lightning Essence. The Thunderstone is integrating with it.」 「Invisible message: The lightning energy within Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has been further enhanced. Strength, agility, stamina, and mana increased by 2, 5, 5, and 8, respectively.」 [All aggressive actions are strictly prohibited within the rest area. Rest at your leisure. Time remaining: 70 hours 42 minutes.] By the time we arrived at the dining hall, the place was buzzing with energy. There wasn’t an actual party happening, but the climbers’ spirits were unusually high. The atmosphere felt livelier than in previous rest areas. It was likely because half of the sixtieth-floor sector had collapsed. Ha Hee-Jeong and I weaved through the crowd, searching for our party. We found them already seated with Alexei’s group. Everyone seemed in good spirits—except for Alexei, who looked noticeably sulky. Considering how much she liked me, I had a pretty good idea why. The others had probably filled her in already, but she still seemed annoyed. Maybe she was irritated despite knowing the situation. As we approached, our party members waved us over. “Oh! Su-Hyeok’s here!” “Yeah, long time no see, everyone,” I responded, returning Seo Ho-Su’s friendly nod while I greeted the others. However, I couldn’t ignore the weight of Alexei’s gaze. When I finally met her eyes, she sharply remarked, “You said it would take thirty minutes. That took longer than expected.” The comment hadn’t been directed at me, though. Her glare had shifted to Ha Hee-Jeong. The last time I had seen them together, they had seemed to get along just fine. This time definitely didn’t seem like a place I should step into, however. I wisely turned to Ha Hee-Jeong instead.