NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12
Chapter
Enok’s first enemy he encountered in the dungeon was a gigantic rock.
But now it looked like a person.
As I quietly recalled Rionne’s class, I remembered what such things were called.
“Golem.”
Since it was made of rock, maybe it’s called a Stone Golem?
I heard this was a concept similar to the summoned creatures that Mages usually manage, but I couldn’t figure out why something like that would be here.
This place felt more like a naturally occurring dungeon than a mage’s workshop.
But, who cares?
Having made his decision, Enok naturally charged at the golem without hesitation.
To summarize this battle:
Enok dodged the golem’s attacks, hit it multiple times, the golem broke apart, then regenerated, dodged again, hit again, broke again, regenerated again.
Enok, bursting with energy, slowly began to tire out, and just when he started getting annoyed,
[Sscrunch!]
A different sensation coursed through his hands.
It felt like breaking very sturdy glass.
“Ah.”
Only then did the shattered golem come to a stop.
And he recalled belatedly.
Golems typically have a core, and unless that core is destroyed, they keep regenerating until all energy is expended.
While he had diligently attended Rionne’s lessons, he had forgotten about it, caught up in thoughts of fighting.
This is why information about the opponent is so important!
Enok nodded in realization.
‘Should I head back first?’
After exhausting himself tussling with the golem, he thought it was probably about time the sun began to set.
Moreover, he had no idea how large this dungeon was or what strange properties it might have.
Having decided, Enok immediately turned his body.
And exiting the dungeon,
“Kweong?”
He came face to face with a bear.
A bear the size of a house.
*
“Yawn-”
Enok flopped his body onto the bear.
The poor bear was exploited as Enok’s mode of transportation.
Though he was tired, it wasn’t difficult for Enok to smack the bear a bit, and then suddenly a good idea struck him, and he set it into action.
As the already dark forest began to grow dim, Enok arrived at the boundary between the deep forest and the thin forest.
“Go.”
He gave the bear’s head a couple of pats, and it scrambled away in a panic.
Enok quickly picked up speed and returned home in an instant.
“Enok!”
As soon as he arrived home, Rionne rushed out anxiously.
The look of concern on her face blossomed into a smile the moment our eyes met.
She must have been really worried, as her smile burst forth beautifully like a blooming flower.
“Rionne.”
Enok pretended to struggle a little more as he walked over.
With a hug, he was immediately enveloped in her warm embrace and the refreshing scent of the forest.
It felt like all his fatigue washed away.
No matter what she asked, he could never refuse if it was at the price of this one hug.
“Were you okay? Was it dangerous?”
Rionne momentarily released Enok from her embrace and looked him over.
Though he had heard some details from Undine, she still couldn’t let her worries go.
“Yeah, it was nothing.”
“Then that’s a relief.”
Hehe, Rionne let out a small laugh.
“Are you hungry? I’ll make you some food.”
“Ah, wait a minute.”
Enok rustled something from his pocket.
It was the core of the golem he had met in the dungeon.
Although it was shattered.
“A gift.”
“This is….”
Rionne quickly saw through its identity.
Where did he get the golem’s core? That question was answered swiftly.
“I think I found a dungeon.”
“A dungeon?”
“Yeah. The one I mentioned last time, the one that occurs naturally.”
Rionne’s expression stiffened slightly.
“Did you go in?”
“…Yeah.”
“Hmm…”
Naturally occurring dungeons are dangerous.
No one knows what might happen.
She was sure she recalled explaining not to carelessly enter last time.
“…Well, you’re safe, so it’s fine. But from now on, you absolutely must not go in recklessly, okay?”
“Yeah.”
Enok nodded and placed the golem’s core into Rionne’s hands.
The golem’s core was already quite useful, but it could be even better since it came from a naturally occurring dungeon.
Rionne sighed deeply and hugged Enok again.
“Thank you. But really, be careful next time, alright?”
“Yeah.”
“Phew, what are we going to do with this?”
Though he answered well, she felt uneasy.
Is this what puberty feels like?
Compared to the juvenile humans she’d seen in books, Enok was certainly much milder, but occasionally he did take strange turns.
“I can’t just keep it with me for life.”
“Yeah?”
Enok perked up.
“I like it.”
“No.”
Enok lowered his head again.
“To overcome the Order of Heavenly Death, I need to raise my level quickly.”
And among the methods, the one with the highest possibility was to accumulate many experiences.
Some people can’t do it, but Enok is overflowing with talent, so it should be possible, right?
“Then… If you overcome that, will you be able to live together forever?”
“Yeah?”
Rionne’s eyes widened in surprise, then she chuckled softly.
Enok’s thoughtfulness made her smile warmly.
“Then, as long as Enok doesn’t just abandon me for some other girl.”
“No way!”
Enok’s unusually loud voice rang out.
Rionne smiled even wider.
And Enok made a vow.
I will definitely crush the Order of Heavenly Death as quickly as possible.
*
Even while lying in bed, Enok, who was a bit too excited to fall asleep, received gentle pats from Rionne’s hand and drifted into thought.
‘Of course, such a good child would never fall into extreme ideas like racial discrimination.’
Rionne remembered the day she first met Enok.
It was a natural thing to do.
After all, it hadn’t even been three years yet.
At that time, Enok’s appearance was far from neat; he looked disheveled and had scars and wounds.
After centuries of countless battles, Rionne could easily see what kind of wounds they were.
‘He must have been abused.’
She didn’t know if it was his parents or someone else who committed such a horrible act.
But one thing she was sure of was that the perpetrator was human.
Enok’s dislike for humans and dwarves was clear.
And his fondness for elves was just as apparent.
For Rionne, the dwarves were her own karma, but Enok’s aversion to humans was mostly shaped by his childhood memories.
The reason Rionne liked elves, considering them superior, was likely due to the fact that she took care of Enok.
As she thought more about it, all the painful stories and past experiences made her regret instilling prejudice against dwarves in Enok.
But… dwarves are still acceptable.
If Enok began hanging out with dwarves and picked up some strange notions, that would be even more painful.
‘Enok…’
Pat, pat, still unable to fall asleep easily, Rionne began to hum a lullaby.
A soft, quiet melody.
Feeling Enok’s heartbeat slowly calming down, Rionne made a firm determination.
‘I will protect you. No matter what happens.’
Until the day all the wounds he suffered heal cleanly, she would warmly embrace him.
*
‘Then… if you overcome that, will you be able to live together forever?’
An answer to that question.
A positive reaction.
Clear images flashed through Enok’s mind.
‘Forever…’
Though humans are a lower race that can hardly live for a hundred years, they can still overcome that lifespan.
And the method isn’t all that difficult.
You just have to surpass humans.
It sounds absurd, but in reality, humans who reach the Master level can live for centuries.
Even without reaching the Master level, simply achieving the Expert rank greatly extends one’s lifespan.
The level Enok would need to overcome the Order of Heavenly Death would be Demigod.
At that point, lifespan might cease to be an issue, and he could genuinely pledge eternity to Rionne.
Enok painted a vivid picture in his mind.
A cozy home, sprawling meadows, birds gently chirping, and the sound of water flowing in the distance.
Bathed in warm sunlight, both Enok and Rionne smiled brightly.
Yeah, occasionally, that pesky blue fly buzzing nearby wouldn’t be so bad either.
A quick breakfast, a stroll through the forest, lunch, maybe having a little party, dinner, washing up together, and then snuggling up to sleep.
Those days, like a dream that had lasted for three years, could go on forever.
Thump-! Thump-!
His heart raced.
For some reason, his face felt a little warm too.
Even as Rionne gently patted his chest, sleep wouldn’t come.
──────────♪
But when that beautiful lullaby was heard.
When words he couldn’t understand, likely in ancient elvish, tickled his ears.
Even without understanding the lyrics, Rionne’s warm-heartedness was conveyed.
Enok couldn’t help but melt into sleep.
That dreamy feeling as his consciousness blurred.
It was akin to the rampage of the Order of Heavenly Death submerged deeply, but it was not comparable at all.
Even if the Order of Heavenly Death rampaged, wouldn’t Rionne’s lullaby calm him down quickly?
That was the last thought before he dozed off.
*
As Enok, filled with enthusiasm to explore the dungeon, was held back, Rionne began to speak for a long time.
“If anything feels strange, you must come out right away!”
“Yeah.”
“If it feels ambiguous, don’t fight at all.”
“Yeah.”
“There might be traps too, so be careful about that.”
“Yeah.”
“And also…”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, if… ”
“Yeah.”
Worrying words didn’t go on for too long.
Maybe around two hours?
Then, as a matter of course, Rionne followed Enok around to keep an eye on him.