After leaving Beyond, I slumped down on the chair in front of Loretta’s Floor Shop. Loretta stared at me intently and tilted her head.
“You didn’t change much.”
“Do I have to undergo some super transformation every time I come back?”
“You’ve been doing that for a while now. I thought Oldie was pouring she has for Shin-nim.”
Thinking about it now, she wasn’t wrong. I scratched the back of my head and retorted.
“Well, Sherafina will have some trouble filling up the higher floors again, but not this time. Even I can’t stick a straw in and suck everything out from every enemy I meet. Ah, by the way...”
Suddenly remembering what I just experienced, I clenched my right fist and raised my index finger before slowly moving it to the right.
“Yes?”
“Mm...”
As Loretta didn’t seem to understand, I went slower and gestured more clearly. Only then did Loretta seem to understand.
“Huhu, I see.”
“Yes.”
“That’s great... I knew my eyes weren’t wrong.”
Loretta smiled brightly as though she knew this would happen. I reached out and grabbed her hand before asking her what I’ve been wondering for a long time.
“Did you decide it was me from the very beginning?”
“Of course. When Shin-nim was on the 7th floor, I was already certain.”
Loretta smiled shyly and grabbed my hand tightly before continuing.
“Though, I didn’t think I would come to love that person. That was also when I gave you the key.”
“... Really, I can’t win against Loretta.”
“Now you know how amazing I am.”
Loretta strutted her chest and smiled confidently. Seeing her, I spoke as though I only just thought of something.
“By the way, I picked up an axe. Do you want it?”
What I took out from my inventory was none other than the black giant axe which carried the Death Lord’s life.
“Chaotic Spear is full now. I already extracted the skill it had, but it shouldn’t lose in terms of sturdiness.”
“If it’s a present, I’ll gladly accept it. But you should know that giving an axe to your lover isn’t common sense.”
“Don’t complain if you’re going to take it.”
I grumbled and handed her the axe. Loretta swung the axe a couple times and seemed satisfied.
“Wow, this is a great weapon. Hm? I can’t appraise it... It’s beyond what Lord can read!”
“It’s perfect for self-protection, right?”
“Shin-nim, have the monsters in the dungeon been that freakish lately?”
“Yes, even Loretta might have trouble dealing with them.”
When I nodded seriously, Loretta made a tired expression before swinging her axe like she was angry.
“Just how many monsters did Lord put in the dungeon without me knowing? If not for Shin-nim, they might have swallowed up all of the dungeon’s mana! The resources in the dungeon are infinite. Lord seems to be taking in monsters without much thought. How is she planning on dealing with the maintenance cost?”
“Thank you for telling me things I didn’t want to know. Anyways, stop swinging that axe every time you say something. It’s scary.”
Loretta smacked her lips and swung the axe a couple times more before putting it away in her body. I couldn’t get used to it no matter how many times I looked at it. Still, I now knew that it was Loretta’s unique spatial magic.
“I’ll take good care of it.”
“Even if I’m not there, that axe will protect Loretta well.”
“Or Shin-nim can just stay with me always.”
Loretta murmured as she slowly approached me. Seeing her shining eyes, I could tell what she was thinking about. I scratched my face and replied.
“I have to climb the dungeon.”
“That spear, it’ll take some time for it to evolve, right? I’m sure it will.”
Now that she mentioned it, I indeed didn’t have a reason to hold back from evolving the spear. I held up Chaotic Spear. Although it has been sucking in my mana for some time, it didn’t seem close to finishing its evolution. I had to take a seat and focus on pouring mana into it.
“Fairy Garden has great air and great water! I’m sure being there will help Chaotic Spear’s evolution!”
“You have no basis for that, right?”
“Yes!”
Loretta nodded confidently. She already had one hand holding onto mine, but now that she put away her axe, she used her freed hand to grab my shoulder tightly. If she had a tail, I’m sure it would be shaking fiercely.
“Come on, let’s go! I can give it some of my mana too.”
“No, it’s fine. Just make me some delicious tea.”
“Sure!”
As soon as I gave my agreement, Loretta opened the gate to Fairy Garden. With a bitter smile, I walked in with Loretta.
“Noonim, you’re being rude.”
“Leave.”
For some reason, when she saw Lin at her cabin, she tried to chase him out. However, Lin laughed shamelessly as he shook his head.
“Now, now, this is the final evolution of a weapon I made. As its creator, shouldn’t I offer my help?”
“Liiiiiin...!”
It seemed Chaotic Spear automatically notified Lin when it became ready to evolve. But still, to think he would predict that I’d come to Loretta’s cabin...
I pacified Loretta, who was in her battle mode and smirked at Lin’s slyness.
“I didn’t know I needed Lin’s help.”
“When it evolved into Chaotic Spear from Gluttony Spear, I think it wasted too much energy. Plus, I thought its attribute would become similar to yours, but for some reason, its fire attribute became strengthened, which I didn’t like.”
“Isn’t Lin a flame dragon?”
“That’s how it was made, but it wasn’t supposed to be like that when it evolved.”
This was the first time I was hearing about this! When I stared at Lin, wondering why he didn’t tell me all this time, he slowly dodged my gaze and looked away.
“A-Anyways, it didn’t fully digest everything it devoured either. I guess it’s my fault for not knowing it would devour a holy sword. So I went and settled it out with Eleine.”
“How does Eleine relate to any of this?”
Lin took out a small bead from his pocket.
“As you know, the magical tool Eleine gave you was quite extraordinary. Until then, I was looking down on her quite a bit. But that magical tool of hers could raise an item’s rank by a stage even when it wasn’t part of the item’s creation process. That’s a feat that’s hard to explain with words. So if we borrowed her power, I figured we could get your spear to evolve without having any energy indigested.”
“And that bead is what you got from Eleine?”
I placed Chaotic Spear on top of a table. Lin examined the spear before letting out a sigh.
“I expected as much, but it sure ate a lot of random stuff. Be thankful for my foresight.”
“I’m always thankful.”
“Lies.”
Lin snorted, but he seemed quite satisfied. At that moment, I saw a kiss mark on his neck. Thinking about the price he must have paid to get this item, a chill went down my back.
“Lin, you going that far for me is a bit creepy, so please...”
“I know what you’re trying to say, but this is from Loka.”
Lin almost smacked me.
I obediently placed my hand on top of Chaotic Spear. Loretta and Lin, whom I trusted absolutely, were both here with me. After gathering nearby mana with Peruta Circuit and Absolute Soul, I began to push every ounce of mana into Chaotic Spear.
“This bastard... I already had an idea, but just how much mana does he...”
“Lin, if you’re going to do it, do it properly. If possible, end it quickly and leave.”
“I understand, so stop with that killing intent.”
As I poured mana into Chaotic Spear, Lin also placed the bead in his hand on Chaotic Spear before drawing out his mana. From the side, Loretta watched the scene of two horned men holding onto a single spear.
After some time, the spear began to shine on its own. The amount of mana put into it easily surpassed 1.5 million. However, Lin’s gaze told me to keep going, so I continued to pour more mana in.
After a truly baffling amount of mana went into the spear, the bead placed on top of it disappeared. Lin widened his eyes.
“Whew, there. Kang Shin, finish it.”
“Yes.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, I poured all the mana I had left in a final spurt. Immediately, the spear released a blinding light. Amidst the light, the shape of the spear became more simple.
After one powerful light filled up the cabin, the spear finally stopped devouring my mana.
The smooth spear handle was revealed first. The reddish black symbols covering the spear had disappeared, and an absolutely spotless platinum metal filled my eyes.
“... Lin, did something go wrong?”
“You think I know?”
After leading me on all this time, Lin betrayed me! I examined the spear more worriedly. First, the length didn’t change much. The spear blade was a bit longer, making it more suited to stabbing than cutting, and it was made of an even whiter metal than the spear blade. I had never seen such a metal before.
“What a beautiful spear.”
Did it look different to Loretta? Her dazed voice made me reexamine the spear. Because of what she said, the spear suddenly looked prettier.
“Grab it, Shin-nim.”
“Mmm.”
I grabbed the spear like Loretta said. Immediately, an electrifying feeling spread from the tip of my fingers. Just by holding onto it, it seemed as though it had become a part of my body. Although Chaotic Spear was a supreme item in its own regard, it was incomparable to this spear.
“How is it, Kang Shin?”
“Shin-nim, how is it?”
The draconian and elf were waiting for my reaction. I held up the platinum spear and embraced it. After confirming one thing, I spoke confidently.
“This... I can’t see its information.”
Sherafina’s indignity had yet to end.
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