Marriage. Adoption. Both were shocking options. The former could somehow work in a country where same-sex marriage was legal, but the latter? Ryu Seoha couldn’t even begin to guess the reasoning behind that suggestion.

“You… want to adopt me?”

“If you feel that legal and institutional protection is necessary for our relationship.”

Choi Kanghu stroked Ryu Seoha’s cheek as he spoke, his lips curving into a lazy smile as he noticed Ryu's lips trembling, unable to find the right words to respond.

“And why are you pretending you didn’t hear me mention marriage?”

For some reason, those words made Ryu Seoha relax, and she let out a small laugh.

“I don’t care about recognition from others.”

It was true that if Choi Kanghu wanted, Ryu Seoha wouldn’t shy away from a public relationship. He had spent his entire life worried about the eyes of others, but when it came to love, he didn’t want to live like that anymore. Hatred or scornful gazes? They meant nothing.

“Then do you want a biological family?”

“What?”

Ryu Seoha tilted her head, confused by his strange question.

“If you want us to share blood, I could start some research on genetic modification.”

Did he mean manipulating DNA to make them literally share the same bloodline? The strongest person in the world suggested something so outrageous with the most casual expression, leaving Ryu Seoha at a loss for words.

“...Choi Kanghu, you’re already the most important person to me. Do we really need to tie ourselves together with the title of family?”

The moment she uttered the words "most important person," the coldness in Choi Kanghu’s eyes softened noticeably.

“I’m jealous.”

However, his softly spoken words still carried a trace of lingering sharpness.

“Of my sister?”

“To be honest, I hate hearing you say ‘my sister’ or ‘our’ anything.”

His confession came out like a sigh, followed by a muttered, almost self-deprecating comment: “I didn’t realize I was this petty.” The bitterness in his voice made Ryu Seoha’s chest tighten oddly.

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“I feel like I haven’t considered your feelings enough.”

Ryu Seoha realized he had never imagined how Choi Kanghu might not understand his sister’s carefree, seemingly frivolous attitude, something that was so natural to him. He should have at least explained it better.

“From now on, when I’m with you, I’ll focus entirely on you.”

The soft apology and promise made Choi Kanghu flinch slightly, as if he wanted to say something but then simply scratched at his eyebrow instead, giving off a hint of embarrassment.

“...As promised, I didn’t do anything to her.”

After a brief pause, his response wasn’t the expected questions like, “What about when you’re with your sister?” or “When will you go visit her again?” Instead, it was a childish declaration, almost as if he were reassuring her that he hadn’t been up to anything bad.

Ryu Seoha simply smiled brightly in response, without further comment. She spread her arms wide and pulled her massive lover into a tight embrace, filled with trust and affection.

As she stroked Choi Kanghu’s back, who had curled up to fit into her arms, she thought to herself: from now on, she would only text her sister during the busy hours when Choi Kanghu was preoccupied with guild matters, to avoid making him uncomfortable.

After holding each other for quite some time, the jealous man finally pulled back just a little, creating enough distance for their lips to meet naturally. It was a passionate kiss, filled with longing.

Knowing full well that once she allowed one kiss, it would never stop, Ryu Seoha still couldn’t bring herself to push him away. Just as she expected, she was trapped by his insistent lips for quite a while.

“Well then, shall we get back to gathering materials?”

After what seemed like an eternity, Choi Kanghu finally released her, revealing a refreshed expression as if nothing emotional or childish had just transpired.

“...Yes.”

Even though she felt completely drained, Ryu Seoha responded diligently. Soon, a net-like item floated into the air, spreading wide like a cloak.

Each tiny mesh of the net was baited with fireworms and ice snails, the favorite food of the Magnifying Lens Fireflies. Unsuspecting, the fireflies flew straight toward the trap like moths to a flame.

Crackle!

The moment the fireflies bit into the bait, a weak electric current flowed through the net as planned. Their glowing abdomens flared up in a reflexive burst of bright light.

Bzzzt—!

The enchanted magic stone at the center of the net, which was designed to absorb electricity, amplified the surge, causing the stone to overload and explode with a pop.

In the blink of an eye, the entire net, along with the fireflies, vanished, sucked into [Subspace] before the creatures had a chance to react to the electric and spatial manipulation.

The same process was repeated several times in quick succession.

Meanwhile, the bubble-scaled carp that had been swimming under the crashing waterfall began to float up to the surface, one by one. It didn’t take long to hit the thousand-mark goal.

[Mission accomplished.]

[You have successfully completed the A-rank dungeon.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Rewards will be distributed according to your contribution.]

[Group rewards will be distributed based on mission completion time.]

As always, the task was fast and simple—almost anticlimactically so. The same pattern played out several times throughout the day, as they passed through multiple gates identified by Han Gangseok, repeating the process over and over.

The captured Magnifying Lens Fireflies were immediately sent back to Korea, where crafting hunters, led by Han Gaeul, were undoubtedly churning out amplification items nonstop.

Everything proceeded smoothly—until they exited the fifteenth dungeon to find a circle of thousands of skeletal remains surrounding the gate’s entrance.

It hadn’t even been ten minutes since they cleared the dungeon when they came across Han Gangseok, fifty meters away, struggling to fend off an army of skeletal soldiers while surrounded by the protective barrier of [Sanctification].

“Help me!”

The poor researcher let out a desperate cry the moment he saw them. Even before his voice reached them, Ryu Seoha had already pulled out her bow and an arrow from her spatial expansion pouch.

Twang—!

In one swift motion, she nocked, drew, and released the arrow. Thunk! A solid thud echoed as the arrow struck its target.

The skull of a skeletal soldier that had latched onto the barrier shattered into pieces, and the rest of its body crumbled into a heap of bones. Another skeleton immediately stepped over the fallen bones and clung to the barrier.

To make matters worse, the headless body of the shattered skeleton reassembled itself with a creak and staggered toward the barrier, joining the others in clawing at the protective shield.

“Damn it!”

Han Gangseok cursed under his breath, clearly overwhelmed by the relentless assault of the undead soldiers.

“Ryu Seoha, what should we do?”

Choi Kanghu asked in a low voice, calmly observing the situation. While it had occurred much earlier than anticipated, the scenario was something they had prepared for, as it was detailed in the "Future Incident Log." His lack of surprise showed how expected the turn of events was.

“Should I wipe them all out?”

If Choi Kanghu stepped in, he could clean up the mess in an instant. The problem was that the bones littering the ground weren’t just monsters—they were the remains of bodies originally buried in the cemetery that had been repurposed into a park.

Reducing them to dust would leave them with a tricky situation on their hands. The cult must have known this, and that’s why they expedited their plan, hoping to entangle them in moral dilemmas.

Ryu Seoha shook her head slightly, then recalled the [Sanctification] core she had placed outside, expanding the barrier’s range. She immediately sensed the presence of a hidden "shaman."

[Applying status effect “Stun” to the designated target (S-rank Awakened, 1 entity).]

[Due to the trait "Mana Pattern Disruption (S-rank)," the debuff has failed.]

The debuff she applied was instantly nullified. The enemy, likely an S-rank Awakened under the cult’s control, seemed to possess abilities specialized in negating magic. It was a disastrous situation.

Awakened with magic-based abilities tended to stack themselves with physical-defense items, and this shaman was no exception, likely wearing high-grade defensive gear.

However, the shaman’s trait, which disrupted mana patterns, was probably only effective against direct magical contact. Even first-generation hunters struggled with controlling external mana.

Keeping calm, Ryu Seoha slipped on her [Piercing Power] enchanted finger tab, then downed a strength booster potion. She attached an “Armor Nullification Bomb (S-rank)” to her arrow and nocked it onto her bow.

Using the sensory input from [Sanctification], she estimated the location of the hidden shaman, who was concealed behind cover. She aimed the sharp arrowhead, not at the target directly, but at the empty air.

With a creaking sound, the arrow was drawn back at an impossible angle, high into the air. When she released the string, the arrow shot upward with a sharp thwang that sliced through the air.

And then—

“Aaaaargh!”

The scream of the shaman echoed through the sky, pierced by the arrow that had descended from above.