Extra simply wants to live in Novel

"Pain is an inevitable part of life. What you do with it is what defines your path."

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A ginseng digger was someone who climbed mountain terrain at every possible angle for the sake of ginseng. They were often not strong enough to fight monsters, so they traveled the world in search of ginseng using their keen sense of smell and sight to the limit.

Ginseng could be found in many countries, but the most expensive ginseng was found on the Korean peninsula. Naturally, ginseng diggers were common in Gangwondo.

Kim Yunjoon was also a ginseng digger.

Gangwondo ginseng was sold for a very high price, even to young people, because it increased the amount of mana in the body. Kim Yunjoon didn't really understand what this meant, but he had spent 10 years in the dangerous mountain ranges of Gangwondo, full of monsters, to, quite literally, "dig up money."

The last ginseng he discovered was a year ago. It was a 4-year-old ginseng. In other words, he hadn't had any income for a whole year since then, but because he had received 300 million won for the ginseng at the time, his family didn't complain much.

Today marked Kim Yunjoon's twentieth time climbing Gari Mountain.

"…hm?"

As usual, he walked with his head lowered.

Whoosh.

Even though he was concentrating on finding any trace of ginseng, that sound once again reached his ears.

A soft sound of wind, as if it were passing quickly, echoed through an area a little far from his position. Along with faint sounds of subtle electrical crackling, as if small electrical discharges were emitted on the ground.

Kim Yunjoon raised his head, confused by the constant repetition of the sound. "Where is this sound coming from?" He asked, doubting his own sanity.

He decided to ignore it for the ninetieth time and continue his search for his "pot of gold".

Whoosh.

The sound came again, this time closer than ever.

Kim Yunjoon took a deep breath, trying to focus on his search for the ginseng, but the strange sound wouldn't leave his mind. The wind continued to rustle around him, accompanied by electrical crackling that seemed to increase in intensity. He finally decided that he had ignored the noise enough.

"Hey! Is anyone there?" He shouted, his voice echoing through the mountains.

But the only answer he received was the growing sound of "whoosh" and crackling, which was rapidly approaching. His uneasiness grew. "No, no, no, this is not good!"

When he turned around, his eyes widened as he saw a figure approaching at high speed. The young man with messy hair, wearing sneakers that seemed to be lit up with electricity, was coming towards him like a rocket.

"Oh no, what is that?!" Kim Yunjoon shouted, his survival instincts kicking in. He started to run, but soon realized that the figure was much faster. Panic began to take over his body.

"Hey, calm down! I can give you anything! I have... uhm, some ginseng!" Kim shouted, his voice full of desperation. "Or maybe a snack, I have a sandwich in my backpack! Don't run me over!"

Kim Yunjoon, overcome with anxiety, decided to close his eyes for a moment, as if that would ward off the strange figure that was approaching. When he opened them again, the sound of the wind and the small electrical discharges had disappeared. Silence enveloped the mountain, and the sense of threat seemed to dissipate, replaced by a strange peace.

Kim turned his head from side to side, a little confused and relieved, when suddenly, a scream erupted from the depths of the forest around him, making his heart race. "Why won't these ginsengs appear!!!!!!!"

Oreki stood there, his hair disheveled and his expression one of pure frustration. On impulse, he punched a nearby tree, and the sound of cracking wood echoed through the area.

Fear took hold of Kim, who jumped back. "That's it for today!" he shouted, turning and running away, without looking back.

Oreki stood there, standing, staring in the direction Kim had disappeared. He took a deep breath, his anger slowly dissipating, replaced by bewilderment. What had he done? In his frustration, he had split the tree.

"Why is it so hard to find ginseng? Not even my keen perception can find that." Oreki muttered to himself, shaking his head in disbelief. He looked around, the silence that had once calmed him now feeling unsettling.

He stepped away from the tree, the wood still crackling slightly where his fist had landed. With a resigned sigh, Oreki decided he needed a new plan.

"Screw it, I'm going to go get Aether and Evandel anyway." He kicked the ground angrily, and headed towards the mountain where his objectives lay.

After running for thirty minutes through the forest, he had already mentally mapped it out almost completely. Of course, that was within a nine-kilometer radius of where he was at the moment.

Oreki turned and started running again, this time towards the Gari Mountain Dungeon.

His speed remained the same as when he had fled from the three women earlier, not having slowed down in the slightest.

"Apparently when I infuse an object with my gift, it optimizes the mana as much as possible to use it for a long time. That's useful." The satisfaction of having discovered even more about his gift was motivating him to grow stronger.

"I forgot something." Oreki muttered as he dodged some trees that were in the way. "I haven't tested the Emblem or the Investigation book I obtained yet."

Oreki continued running through the forest, his agile and light body moving almost effortlessly, in contrast to when he started, when he couldn't even run for twenty-five minutes at his top speed.

The feeling of freedom in exploring his abilities grew with each step.

"Should I try now?" He murmured, feeling the black line around his wrist pulse slightly, almost as if responding to his thought. "Yes, now is a good time."

Still running at high speed, Oreki concentrated on the Emblem. The sensation of touching the extradimensional space that he knew existed began to emerge. He reached out and, almost automatically, saw a small stone on the ground in front of him disappear, as if the laws of physics around him had been momentarily distorted.

"It worked." He smiled. The stone had been stored perfectly. The process was smooth, without interruptions, and the object seemed to be somewhere intangible, but at the same time, under his complete control. He kept up the pace of his run and tried to bring the stone back.

With a simple thought, the stone appeared in the air, about a meter in front of him, floating momentarily before falling. He caught the stone in midair without slowing down.

"The storage space works... but I need to test it further." Oreki began to expand his concentration, picking up and storing random objects as he ran. Small twigs, leaves, and even a few larger stones disappeared and returned at his command.

After the initial tests, he was already beginning to outline the limits of the ability.

"The weight limit seems to be approximately twenty kilograms, and the maximum distance I can store is three meters, the same as for retrieving objects," he muttered, assessing the results of his experiments. It was promising, but limited.

His attention, for a brief moment, turned to his surroundings. He noticed a fly flying about five meters ahead. Deciding to test something different, he quickly approached, focusing his mind on trying to store the small insect.

Nothing happened.

"Tsh," he clicked his tongue in irritation. "I can't store living things, it seems..." The plan to have an arsenal of poisonous insects for extreme situations was, for now, ruined. He huffed in frustration, but continued running.

The landscape began to change as he approached his destination. The dense forest gave way to rougher terrain, with large rocks and twisted trees that looked like they had grown there for centuries. On the horizon, the craggy outline of Gari Mountain stood out. He knew the Dungeon was close.

After a few minutes of intense running, Oreki finally spotted what he was looking for: a steep stone wall, covered in moss and vines, that seemed to merge with the mountain. The Gari Mountain Dungeon was hidden there, "buried" halfway up the cliff.

It was a place that, to the inattentive eye, might go unnoticed, but Oreki knew what to look for.

He stopped at the foot of the wall and studied the structure. "So this is it..." he muttered, his hands already beginning to form fists, preparing himself for the climb.

The climb looked challenging, but for someone with Oreki's skills, it would not be an obstacle.

Oreki looked down at his sneakers, which still glowed with the energy that surrounded them. He had already added an effect for each element he had infused, electricity and wind.

"I hope I don't fall," he thought. His mind led him to imagine him crashing to the ground.

"Let's see what else I can do," he muttered, flexing his fingers as he stared at the vines hanging from the rock wall.

Taking a step forward, Oreki grabbed the first few vines and began to climb. Every pull was deliberate, and the extra confidence his CC gave him helped him move more nimbly.

He could feel the connection to the elements around him, something that came with Deep Elemental Connection.

As he climbed, the rough rock beneath his hands began to become more treacherous. Wet moss and narrow crevices made climbing difficult, but Oreki was prepared. Each time his hand or foot slipped, he manipulated the earth a little to create holes in the wall to grab onto.

This allowed him to move more confidently and quickly, without fear of a fatal slip.

After climbing more than a hundred feet, Oreki decided to pause for a moment. He looked out over the horizon, feeling the cool breeze from the mountains and the vastness of the forest below him. The sense of serenity was brief but invigorating.

"Only a few meters to go," he thought, his hands gripping tightly onto a moss-covered rock.

Then, as he made another move, a rock gave way beneath his hand, throwing him off balance. For a brief moment, he felt his body begin to fall. But before he could pull himself up by controlling the rocks, the effect he had infused into his sneakers activated at his command.

A gust of wind pushed him back against the wall, allowing him to regain control.

"It worked," he muttered, relieved but with renewed focus. The rest of the climb was done more carefully.

Finally, when he reached the top of the cliff, Oreki stopped to catch his breath. The dungeon entrance was just ahead of him, inconspicuous, barely visible among the mossy rocks and vines. Now, however, he could feel a strange energy emanating from the dark crevice between the rocks. The air around him was thick, charged with powerful mana.

Oreki closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the slight vibration of the ground beneath his feet.

Opening his eyes, Oreki took a deep breath and approached the entrance. The darkness of the dungeon was profound, but still he could see something.

"You really are taking this to another level, huh?" Blood's voice echoed, almost admiring, but still tinged with cynicism. "This thing about using wind and electricity in sneakers. Creative, but... don't you think you're trying too hard to prove yourself?

Oreki didn't answer right away. The silence between them lasted a few seconds, until Oreki, with a heavy sigh, decided to break it.

"Do you still think I'm trying to prove myself to others?" He gave a wry smile as he adjusted his equipment. Dagger, Desert Eagle, Cubo pistols. He put the dagger and one of Cubo's pistols inside the Emblem. "Where is that entity that was feeling irritated by a human making him feel weak?"

Blood laughed, but it wasn't a mocking laugh this time. "Oh, really? Then why that angry speech when Lilith provoked you? You didn't seem like someone who 'got over' things."

Oreki clenched his jaw. He knew Blood was right, but he also knew it wasn't that simple. What happened at that moment was an explosion that he still couldn't fully control, but that didn't mean he wasn't in the process of transformation.

"This time is different," Oreki muttered, finally choosing how he would enter the dungeon. "I don't want to be the one who just reacts anymore. I won't accept feeling helpless anymore."

"I swore I would get stronger and overcome them, but so far nothing."

The silence between them was heavy, while Oreki looked at the horizon. He felt the wind blowing through his hair, and for the first time in a long time, he enjoyed the landscape he saw.

Blood seemed to think for a moment before giving an almost dismissive response. "Nice speech, but don't you think it sounds a little dramatic?"

Oreki smiled, a tired but defiant smile. "Maybe. But until I die, you'll have to deal with it."

"Sure, sure. Just... try not to make your death a bad movie, okay?" Blood replied, but there was a lightness in his voice that hadn't been there before. It seemed that, deep down, he was starting to accept Oreki's existence.

But he would never say that.

Oreki wasn't afraid of the undead inside the Dungeon or the darkness, since they would barely get in his way.

Oreki remembered the highlight in a paragraph of the Novel, "The reward of this hidden stage was better the faster it was cleared." Knowing this, he was determined to see if he could get something more if he cleared the Dungeon as quickly as possible.

With an idea popping into his head, he took out five stones he had stored in his Emblem as he ran to the Dungeon.

The stones were small, about the size of marbles. Having the six stones in his right hand freed him from carrying the Desert Eagle.

He calmly infused them two at a time, spending only 5% of his Mana to infuse them with the light element and an effect on each of them.

Oreki stored them in his emblem again, feeling prepared to finish the Dungeon.

Before entering it, he confirmed everything.

He held the Desert Eagle in his right hand and the Cube pistol in his left hand. His senses alert, CC active, SP (Sharp Perception) and his elemental connection working fervently.

"Sneakers also ready." He muttered confidently, just to confirm that he was ready to do his speed run in the dungeon.

Now fully prepared, he ran at high speed into the Dungeon.

As soon as he entered the dungeon, Oreki quickly realized that the monster that activated the mechanism was the same one from the novel: a ghost.

Without wasting a second, he raised his Desert Eagle and, with precision, shot straight between the spirit's eyes. The light-infused bullet hit the vital spot, and the ghost exploded in a silent flash of light.

Immediately, an anomalous gust of wind swept through the room, pulling the ghost's glowing fragments in a specific direction. Oreki did not hesitate. He knew that this light would guide him to the hidden stage.

Running without losing focus, he followed the luminous trail, nimbly dodging skeletons, dullahans, ghosts and banshees. He felt the vibration in the air and kept his eyes fixed on the light that guided him.

In two intense minutes, Oreki arrived at a secluded area of ​​the dungeon. In the center, there was a witch.

She was small, almost childlike, no more than 140 cm tall, her delicate hands holding the soul of the ghost that Oreki had just destroyed.

He quickly saw the information of both Aether and the witch.

===

[Witch] –

Evandel the Witch. Has a spiritual body and produces low-rank ghosts.

===

===

[Aether]

[Mystical Item – Formless] [Evolving]

A corporeal weapon, but without form. Attaches to its master or another weapon, reinforcing it and increasing its stats.

– Master Selection

* Will be useless in the hands of another once a master has been chosen.

– Physical Body Reinforcement

* Increases its owner's variable stats by 0.6 points.

– Weapon Reinforcement

* Attaches to its master's weapon and strengthens its attack power. The Ether itself can also transform into a weapon. (Current Rank = High)

– Evolving Weapon

All of the above functions evolve along with its owner. Depending on the state of the Ether's awakening, other functions may develop.

===

"My condolences, but you will have to die," he murmured, his voice cold and resolute. Since their synchronization, he knew he would have to overcome any sentimentality at that moment. He knew he would have to kill that child. He would have to put his love for cute things aside at that moment.

Without hesitation, he removed the three stones infused with the light element from his Emblem. With a swift movement, he threw them around Evandel, forming a one-meter triangle.

"Explode." His voice was firm. He closed his eyes for a moment, channeling 30% of his mana to infuse his next bullet with the light element.

The stones glowed brightly, exploding in a blinding flash that lit up the entire space around them. Wasting no time, Oreki fired his Desert Eagle, the bullet of light whizzing toward the witch.

The light bullet cut through the air like lightning, moving precisely toward Evandel's small figure. The glow surrounding the projectile was so strong that its trajectory seemed like a line of pure light, tearing through the darkness of the dungeon.

Evandel couldn't even react to these attacks. It was as if she didn't even have a chance to defend herself.

When the light provided by Oreki's attacks ceased, he opened his eyes to see Evandel's state clearly.

It was a pitiful scene.

Her skin was burned by the explosion of the rocks, the left side of her face had been blown off by the light bullet.

This made Oreki's heart sink as he realized that his attempt to grant Evandel a quick death had failed. He didn't know why. With all his strength and power concentrated, he was certain that she would die instantly.

Yet there she was, collapsing with a strange scream. The life energy disappeared from her body and a seed fell to the ground.

For a moment, Oreki stood still, watching the scene in silence. His gaze seemed more distant. He walked slowly towards the seed, stopping in front of it. In an almost involuntary gesture, he placed his hand on his chest, an act of respect, although without evident emotional attachment.

He was not religious, nor did he follow some code of honor like a samurai. But somehow, in that moment, he felt the need to acknowledge the life he had just taken. Perhaps it was the residual echo of life he felt in Evandel, a child.

For a few seconds, silence dominated the chamber as Oreki remained in that position, until he finally bent down, collecting the two items that the battle had provided him.

Aether, a shiny substance like a shimmering blue slime, the weapon that had originally allowed Kim Hajin to draw so much attention.

And the Witch's seed.

He held the seed carefully, his eyes tired. His mouth opened, releasing a barely audible murmur: "I will take care of you. Don't worry."

The sound of bones dragging echoed through the room, cutting short the moment of reflection.

Clack, clack, clack—

From every direction, bones began to join together, forming skeletal humanoid soldiers. Oreki looked up, staring at them with a blank, exhausted expression.

"Mask," he murmured, calling Blood calmly. There was no hesitation, only weariness.

"Copy." Blood's voice rang with dark excitement, accepting the command without a second thought.

When they switched positions, the change in aura was immediate. Oreki's presence disappeared, and Blood took over, exuding a raw, savage energy.

"Ahhh…" Blood took a deep breath, taking in the damp, musty air of the dungeon. "Aren't these idiots going to move?" He looked around, clearly frustrated by the skeletons' hesitation.

They seemed frozen, as if waiting for some unspoken order.

"Well, never mind." He smiled, that sadistic smile he liked so much. "This will only make things easier."

Wasting no time, Blood launched himself at a group of three skeletons. His movements were a stark contrast to Oreki's calmness. He threw a side kick, pulverizing the first skeleton. With a swift movement, he spun into a half-round kick, destroying the second. And the third fell to a vicious cross that shattered its skull into pieces.

No weapon. No dagger. Just brute force and pure savagery.

"Hahaha!!" Blood's laughter echoed through the dungeon, filled with evil pleasure. "Moving your body feels so good!!!"

"Synchronize with the Aether," Oreki muttered, almost emotionless in Blood's mind.

"Oh, shut up!" Blood snapped, dodging an attack from behind. He spun around, returning the blow with a mana-powered elbow, pulverizing the skeleton behind him. "I'm having fun here!"

"Okay..." Oreki sighed in Blood's mind, disappearing for a moment, as if resigned. An imaginary bead of sweat dripped from his forehead.

At that moment, the ground began to shake.

Blood stopped in place, his eyes sparkling with a mixture of excitement and curiosity. Bones began to assemble, this time heavier, more robust. From the center of the room, a colossal skeleton emerged, much larger and more imposing than the others. Its time-corroded armor still glowed with a faint hint of mana, and its empty eye sockets emanated an evil purple energy.

"Ahhh... there it is," Blood muttered with a grin from ear to ear. "Something that will give me some real fun. Too bad this shit doesn't bleed or feel pain."

The creature raised its enormous sword, the steel creaking as it made the movement.

Blood advanced first.

With impressive speed, he dodged a downward sword strike, using the force of the impact with the ground to propel himself into the air.

Instead of a direct attack, he spun in the air, delivering a kick to the giant skeleton's helmet. But the impact did not have the expected effect. The skeleton merely retreated a step, as if it had barely felt the attack.

"Tsk," Blood grimaced in frustration. "Looks like we'll have to change tactics."

In that instant, Oreki took control.

His stance changed, more precise. He synchronized with the Aethe. His mana, strength, speed, and all his variable stats increased.

At his will, the Aether immediately formed around the Desert Eagle in his hands, glowing with a blue light.

He fired at the giant skeleton, the mana-charged shots striking the creature's exposed joints. The dry sound of bones cracking echoed through the room, but even so, the monster continued to advance.

Oreki took a deep breath, assessing his opponent.

"Blood, switch with me again," he said calmly.

"Finally!" Blood immediately regained control, rushing straight at the giant skeleton, but this time changing his approach. Instead of rushing forward, he launched rapid strikes, aiming for the weak points Oreki had created.

With each strike, the giant skeleton would lose part of its armor or bone structure. But then, the monster counterattacked with surprising speed, swinging its sword in a rapid arc.

Blood barely had time to dodge, the blade ripping through the air and leaving a trail of black mana. "Damn it!" he screamed internally.

Oreki took control again, dodging the barrage of attacks while infusing more mana into his Aether Bullets. They were constantly trading control of the body, each taking advantage of their specialties.

With Blood taking over the physical attack and Oreki coordinating precise movements and shots with the Desert Eagle, they finally began to turn the tide. Blood's attacks weakened the creature's defenses, while Oreki fired at the critical points.

"Now!" Oreki shouted mentally, synchronizing perfectly with Blood. The two delivered their final blows.

Blood used the walls of the chamber as leverage to head towards the skeleton. Using the effects still left in his sneakers, he accelerated the roundhouse kick he had delivered to the skeleton's skull, severely cracking its head.

Oreki forcibly took control of the body and added Aether to his Desert Eagle, and before falling to the ground, he fired a luminous bullet straight into the crack in the skeleton's skull.

With a loud crash, the monster fell. The bones crumbled, creating a pile of rubble as a wave of dark mana dissipated into the air.

"That was fun," Blood commented, relaxing his mind but still smiling as if he was ready for more. "But maybe I should let you take control now. Quick exchanges are tiring."

Oreki, with a slight smile, shook his head. "You weren't that bad. It gave me time to study the skeleton's patterns." He observed the broken bones on the dungeon floor. But something was wrong, and he knew it.

Before Blood could let out another one of his taunts, a wave of energy ran through the air. Blood's anger subsided, replaced by an interest in what was happening.

"Oh, right... there's always a second phase, right?" Oreki sighed, as the bones of the giant skeleton began to dissolve into a dense, black mist.

From the center of the mist, a new figure began to emerge. The new skeleton was slender, its bones a shiny black, and the blade in its hands emanated a menacing glow. The flaming eyes fixed on Oreki, like a predator about to strike.

Blood chuckled softly. "Now we have something more interesting. This guy seems to know how to fight."

Oreki, without answering, focused his mind. 'Sharp Insight' activated almost automatically. Every movement of the skeleton was analyzed with precision, from the slight oscillation of the blade to its posture. He understood quickly: this enemy was different. Faster, smarter, and far more deadly.

The skeleton lunged forward, its blade slicing through the air in a deadly arc. Oreki ducked instinctively, the blow passing inches from his face. The pressure of the attack reverberated around him, and he felt the impact of the shockwave.

If it weren't for the boost in variable stats that Aether granted him, that blow would have killed him.

"This definitely screams 'second boss phase'..." he muttered, backing away with fluid movements, his mind already analyzing his opponent's possible weaknesses.

"Let me take control!" Blood demanded, his voice echoing with authority in Oreki's mind.

Oreki rolled his eyes. "No. I want to try some things."

Blood roared in frustration, but Oreki ignored it. He was too focused on the opponent in front of him.

Oreki activated his enhanced flow state. But not using it to its fullest.

The skeleton wasted no time, the blade flashing again as it came down in a clean strike, aiming for Oreki's neck. But in a split second, Oreki's body moved almost instantly, as if he were one step ahead of the attacks.

He jumped back, sliding down the wall, his feet barely touching the surface, and landed softly on the ground.

Without wasting a moment, he raised one of his pistols, already infusing the bullet with the lightning element. "Let's see how you handle this." Electricity echoed through the chamber, the bullet cutting through the air in a trail of pure electricity.

But his opponent was fast. With a fluid turn, the skeleton dodged, his black sword ricocheting off the projectile with precision.

"Good..." Oreki muttered, already anticipating the next move. He released his combat dagger, infused with wind and fire, and threw it in a perfect arc.

The dagger sliced ​​through the air with a deadly hiss, but once again the skeleton intercepted it, its instantaneous reactions protecting it from the attack.

However, a millisecond after the blade collided with the dagger, an explosive flare erupted, briefly blinding the skeleton's vision.

Oreki smiled, this time arrogantly. "You landed exactly where I wanted you to."

The thin strands of Aether that Oreki had secretly manipulated were already attached to the skeleton's bones. They were nearly invisible, extending from Oreki's quick and precise movements as he distracted his opponent with frontal attacks.

With a simple gesture, he moved the Aether. Suddenly, the skeleton was suspended in the air, bound by the ropes that held it tightly. Each attempt to free itself caused the ropes to tighten even more.

"How does it feel to learn to float, pile of bones?" Oreki scoffed, already channeling more power into the final attack.

The skeleton, now powerless, struggled uselessly. Oreki reached out his hand, and with a silent command, the Aether surrounding the skeleton began to glow brightly, its color changing to a luminous white as it was infused with the element of light.

But Oreki didn't stop there. The glow of the blades of light quickly changed, intensifying into a metallic silver hue. Aether, now infused with a combination of light and metal, hardened as it became even more lethal.

The skeleton writhed in the air, helpless against Oreki's power.

"Lightsteel," he whispered, almost like a summons, as he traced the lines.

The skeleton's body shattered in a silent explosion of light, the bones falling to the ground in fragments of white and black. A heavy silence fell over the dungeon, broken only by the sound of the bones rolling to Oreki's feet.

Feeling tiredness finally setting in, he looked around. "I used almost 70% of my mana… I'm definitely not at my best."

Blood chuckled softly, still in his mind. "Really? That was the big challenge?"

Oreki took a deep breath, wiping away the light sweat that was beginning to form on his forehead. "It was just another strong skeleton, nothing second-stage." He bent down and picked up the bone fragments, storing them in his Emblem. "But these bones... are worth a good amount of money."

Even though he was tired, Oreki looked around the now silent dungeon. Something was bothering him. Maybe it was the emptiness left by the end of the battle, or maybe he simply wanted to do something.

"Why not?" he muttered, opening a small cut on his palm with his dagger. Blood began to drip, and with it, Oreki traced half of an eagle on the ground. The other half, he drew with a light touch of mana, forming a blue glow that contrasted with the intense red of the blood.

The eagle represented a symbol of duality: one half a bright and noble blue, representing good karma, and the other a deep shade of red, evoking the essence of a hideous, skeletal vulture. The wings of the symbol spread out, reflecting the duality between Oreki and Blood.

"Half eagle, half vulture," he mused to himself, admiring the mark. "I guess this works."

Blood, watching silently, finally spoke in his mind. "Really? You did this with blood? How dramatic. Besides, you're not the good guy."

"Don't worry, I was just bored." Oreki shrugged, still looking at the eagle. "And someone had to leave a message."

Blood chuckled softly. "What message? That you have a penchant for modern art?"

Oreki smirked. "Maybe."

He took one last look at the glowing symbol.

"Let's get out of here," he said, already turning toward the exit.

Blood sighed in his mind, but kept his tone light. "So much effort to draw a bird on the ground..."

Oreki chuckled softly as he walked towards the dungeon exit. "The old me wouldn't do that. But what can you do, right?"

And with that, he walked away, leaving the mark on the ground as a silent reminder of his presence.

"Solo leveling complete." He let out his final sentence.