I ended up coming to the guild house with Loretta without much thought, but…wasn’t this the first time I brought Loretta here? Yes, it was…After realizing that, I began to sweat.

If Hwaya or Ludia sees me…A war that destroys the entire Residential Area might break out! However, I soon became relieved after discovering that no one was in the guild house. Loretta pulled on me.

“Come on, Shin-nim. Let’s go!”

“Ah, yeah.”

Loretta should have an idea about who was in my guild. Was she not curious? In the end, I didn’t ask her. There was no reason to ask for trouble when I had just dodged it.

“Make sure to introduce me to your guildmates next time, okay? Huhu.”

“Ahem!”

Loretta…You scary woman!

As I had already explored Beyond’s Residential Area, there wasn’t much fog, and it wasn’t hard to find the second explorer, Daisy Ectradion’s mansion.

Loretta commented, “It’s been a while since I’ve been here.”

“Re…Really?”

“Yes…I didn’t think I’d ever come back.”

“You’re the one who suggested coming along,” I pointed out.

“Yes, I’m extremely happy because I’m with you, Shin-nim.”

I didn’t respond and continued to walk silently. She also followed suit without saying anything. After twenty minutes, we finally arrived at the second explorer’s mansion. Only then did I sigh and come to a stop. Really, I thought I’d die from the awkwardness.

[Go back.]

Now, I felt like I understood what the mana surrounding this mansion did. As such, I wasn’t surprised when the communication channel got noisy.

I replied politely, [I came because I have something to talk to you about. Can you make time? If possible, I’d like to add you to my friend list.]

[Friend list? You don’t even know my name. There’s no way you could…Don’t tell me…]

[Can I?]

[…Go ahead.]

I added Daisy Ectradion, and she accepted it. I immediately messaged her, [As you probably know, I’ve met with Desert Scorpion’s guild master. He talked about you.]

She replied flatly, [Lodert Hydelcyon, head of Cyon Empire’s Royal Knights.]

[Yes, him.]

It was the first time I heard his full name, but I still answered calmly. I felt like I was worthy of getting an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

[You…If you fought him at your current strength, there’s no way you could be safe and sound.]

[The reason you’re cooped up in your mansion is related to him, right?]

[What if it is?]

I faced Loretta. She tilted her head cutely. Nowadays, she was trying to show off her charms whenever she could. She must have realized it was working!

[He’s reached his end, his guild too. It was found out that they bribed an administrative guild.]

[How could that…Could it be the person you brought along?]

[Precisely.]

There was no answer for a while. Then, the fog covering the mansion cleared up a bit, and the mansion’s gate opened.

[I want to hear what happened.]

I felt like I would get an alert saying ‘Quest Success!’ With a smile, I entered the mansion with Loretta. The mansion must have been neglected for a long time as all sorts of thornbushes, vines, and weeds covered the area. She must have never left the estate…I summoned Sharana and Peika.

“Can you clean up the garden?” I asked.

[Of course! Should I cut everything up?]

[I’ll burn everything. Let’s go, annoying wind girl.]

[After you, perverted worm-ssi.]

Please…don’t fight…! Nonetheless, they worked together and the garden was cleared up in three minutes. It was as if one hundred professional gardeners had worked on it.

Daisy commented, [Elementals are…really strong.]

After we finished cleaning up the garden, the mansion’s front door opened and I could see a spacious hall beyond the door. I entered along with Loretta and the elementals. Although they had finished the job, Sharana and Peika didn’t think of leaving. Sharana sat on my shoulder modestly, while Peika coiled around my arm. Since I wasn’t in battle and had to worry about using mana, I didn’t particularly mind them being out.

Daisy directed me, [I’m on the second floor. The room furthest into your left.]

I opened the door to that room. I expected it to be extremely messy, but it was actually immaculate. The window taking up the entire side of the room was open, letting air through. Daisy Ectradion was on the bed in the corner of the room.

She was lying face down, wearing nothing but a white dress shirt. Her black lace panties were in full view, but Loretta poked my eyes to block the view. Ow!

“What are you doing, Loretta!?” I asked indignantly.

“Whoa, so the Evil Eyes can petrify me too…Huhuhu, you’ve grown so much, Shin-nim!”

Loretta shook her hands, and her partially petrified fingers went back to normal. She gave me a meaningful smile, but I continued to quibble, “Why did you poke my eyes!?”

She retorted, “If you don’t look away quickly, I’m going to attack you again!”

Damn, but I want to see more! I’m kidding, of course!

While I looked away, Loretta approached Daisy Ectradion and shouted, “Why aren’t you wearing anything underneath!? Don’t tell me you’re trying to seduce my Shin-nim!? Do you want to get hit, customer?”

She replied in a muffled voice, “I don’t have…the strength…skirts are…uncomfortable.”

“Hurry up and wear something!”

“I only have the uniform…” Daisy protested weakly.

“Ughhhh! Then at least cover yourself with a blanket!”

It took another thirty seconds before I was allowed to look again. Daisy Ectradion was now sitting on the bed, wrapped in her blanket like a sushi roll. From her uncomfortable expression and her fully buttoned up dress shirt, I could tell that Loretta had buttoned her up too.

I had somewhat expected it from what Lodert Hydelcyon said, but she was gorgeous. Her ash-like hair flowed down her shoulders, and her ominous red eyes had a magic power that drew people in. They were undoubtedly Evil Eyes of some sort. I could recognize it more clearly now that I possessed them as well.

Her facial features were slightly unnatural. Her red irises took up more space in her eyes than the sclera, making her look a bit creepy. Her nose was small and stout, while her lips were overly thin and ash-colored like her hair. Also, her ears were small and sharp. Her lips and ears were especially unnatural. Her skin was also a pale gray-white. After a bit of thinking, I asked her, “Can I ask what race you are…?”

“Mmm…I’m a gray elf,” she replied dully.

“I see.”

She narrowed her eyes and stared up at me. Then, she asked, “What happened…to Lodert Hydelcyon?”

“Simply put, he picked a fight with my guild and his guild was destroyed. He lost his qualification as a dungeon explorer and was kicked back to his world.”

“To his world? My world…the Sylon continent was ruined. It’s been taken over by the Book Walkers.”

I immediately made a silent prayer. Good luck surviving, Lodert.

Ectradion became quiet after that and looked at Loretta who was standing next to me.

She finally asked, “Did you do it?”

Loretta shrugged. “Of course. He can’t set foot in the dungeon anymore.”

“I…see…”

She seemed to be immersed in thought. Then, she surprisingly bowed.

“Sorry, but I can't do it. I can’t enter your guild.”

I replied in bewilderment, “I didn’t say anything, did I…?”

She explained, “My Evil Eyes. They receive others’ thoughts or send them my thoughts. Because you possess Evil Eyes, I can only read a little…but I thought you were lying, so I read your mind. Sorry.”

She got me! To think she could do it so stealthily without me noticing. Damn, it was my fault for letting my guard down based on her appearance. I hit my cheeks, then asked her, “How about now?”

“Amazing. I can’t read your mind at all…Really. It’s been a while.”

“Well done, Shin-nim.”

“Don’t pat me.”

“Ah, the woman. I couldn’t read you at all, but I could read it just now…Why didn’t you do what you were thinking of?”

“Whoops. It seems I let my guard down. Geez, I’m still inexperienced. Shin-nim, can you leave the room for a moment? I’ll call you back once I compose myself.”

“I feel like you’re going to do something to Ectradion, so no.”

“Tsk.”

Loretta gave up on her plans to bury Daisy Ectradion. Relieved, I asked her, “It was my final goal to ask you to enter my guild. For now, I’ll be happy if you continue your activities as an explorer. There’s no one to hold you back now.”

“No, that’s not it.”

She widened her eyes, then blinked a couple of times.

“I…want to try again. My world collapsed, but if I climb the dungeon again…maybe…I can chase them out…”

“Then why?”

“I’m…a necromancer.”

She continued, “I can’t obtain corpses in the dungeon…”

“Don’t you have any?” I asked.

“After the decisive day, I only had half remaining. In the dungeon, the remaining half was lost due to Hydelcyon. I lost everything.”

With that, she raised her head and flashed her red eyes. I instinctively knew she was trying to convey something to me. I relaxed my Evil Eyes and let her thoughts flow into me in a way that wasn’t overbearing.

Daisy Ectradion had been the head of the military unit of Selone, an elven country in the Sylon continent. At a young age, she was chosen to become a First Dungeon explorer. She excelled and became the strongest in Selone. As she continued to get stronger, she could turn stronger demonic beasts into undead creatures. Eventually, she obtained a god’s true name and entered Beyond. It went without saying that she was the forefront warrior in the war against her world’s invaders, the Book Walkers.

However, on the day her world’s Hero died, she lost half of the army she commanded. The surviving people lost their will to resist the Book Walkers, but Ectradion continued to fight. It was then that a conflict broke out between her and Lodert.

Lodert had always harbored evil intentions against her, and, using the Event Raid that erupted when they were climbing the dungeon together; he crushed the remaining half of her forces. As they belonged to different countries, his Empire wanted to command Ectradion as they wished and supported Lodert’s scheme. Since Ectradion knew this, she returned to her mansion without going back to Sylon. Lodert had wanted her to offer her body to him in exchange for letting her recreate her army, but she refused to accept his terms.

When she tried to obtain corpses some other way, she could not achieve her goals in Sylon at all because Lodert obstructed her. It was the same when she tried to obtain them from other worlds’ explorers as the guild Lodert operated, Desert Scorpion, prevented them. Monsters strong enough to help her clear Beyond never came out for sale. She was no longer allowed to make an army for herself.

In the end, rather than submitting to such a cowardly man, she decided to give up on her world. Just like that, she became a neet[1].

Even if she had a god’s power, she couldn’t advance in the dungeon by herself because she was a necromancer. This was especially the case as an explorer of Beyond. Basically, she spent the past seventy-three years lying on her bed in her mansion doing nothing.

She said drearily, “I already gave up. Corpses…To clear Beyond’s 12th floor, normal corpses won’t do.”

“So you want to just die in your mansion.”

“Mhm…Thank you for ruining Hydelcyon and making him so miserable. Now, there’s no reason for me to raise my whip. I have…no regrets.”

With that, she laid back down and closed her eyes. I could finally see her clearly. For a hero of Selone and an explorer of Beyond, her body was petite. Perhaps it was a trait of the elves, but her chest and butt were certainly voluptuous. However, she still had a small frame. Her shoulders were narrow, and her limbs were pitifully thin.

I felt like I was watching a withering flower. I couldn’t just let her be.

“Ectradion. If…If there are corpses you can be satisfied with, will you continue exploring?” I asked hesitantly.

She replied dully, “Do I have to enter your guild?”

“I’ll back down for now. After all, I can’t bother you with my world’s problems. Once I push back the danger my world’s currently facing, I’ll ask you again.”

Loretta burst into laughter after hearing this.

“Shin-nim, what are you talking about!? You’re talking like you’re going to defeat other worlds’ enemies!”

I tilted my head and answered, “What are you talking about, Loretta? Once I defeat the two enemies my world is facing, do you think I’ll have anything to be afraid of? In that case, why wouldn’t I go defeat other worlds’ enemies?”

“Shin-nim, you really…”

Since my logic made sense, Loretta became speechless. Then, I heard the sound of a blanket falling. I turned my head and saw that Daisy Ectradion had put her blanket aside and was standing up and looking at me. Her Evil Eyes were shining with an exceptional red light.

“The corpses…Let me see them.”

Good! That’s what I wanted to see! 

With a grin, I answered, “First, wear a skirt.”

1. an acronym for ‘not in education, employment or training’ and refers to a person who is unemployed and not receiving an education or vocational training. ☜