Chapter 135…
When I stepped into the living room, it was packed with the students of Tamer Class A.
Not just the students—Jegal Sang and Nam Woojin were there too, smiling brightly and clapping.
“Professor, congratulations on climbing the Tower!”
The students’ voices rang out once more.
Only then did I properly look around.
Colorful balloons were hanging on one side of the living room, and a banner on the wall read “Farewell Party for Professor.”
The table was covered with what looked like homemade food.
“Wow, look at the professor’s face! He looks totally shocked!”
“Heh heh, total success!”
The students giggled.
At a loss for words, I turned around and looked at Kim Pyeong-on and Rebecca.
Both of them avoided my gaze and pretended they didn’t know anything.
Kim Pyeong-on even started whistling.
Only Seo Gyeo-ul looked genuinely surprised.
Her eyes were wide open, her mouth slightly agape.
So that means…
Everyone except Seo Gyeo-ul had been in on this together.
Kim Pyeong-on and Rebecca, Nam Woojin and Jegal Sang, and even the students.
Ah, then that “safe place” Rebecca mentioned…
I realized it had been this guild headquarters, where a formation had already been set up.
These guys…
I let out a sigh and shook my head.
The corners of my mouth twitched on their own, but I didn’t feel bad.
“All right, shall we officially get started now?”
At that moment, the lights in the living room went out, and Hong Garam appeared from the kitchen carrying a cake.
On either side of her were Yoon Sion and Park Jun, each holding a gift box.
On top of the cake was a tall candle shaped like a tower, its brilliant flame softly lighting up the room.
“Professor! Make a wish and blow out the candle!”
“Come on, Professor!”
The students urged me on.
Looking at their pure eyes, I slowly stepped forward.
The cake clearly looked homemade.
They probably hadn’t had much time.
After they evacuated here, I came down from the Tower, dealt with the aftermath, and arrived here.
It hadn’t taken very long.
What an ugly cake.
The cream was sloppily spread, and the writing was crooked. But within that clumsiness, I could feel warmth.
“……”
I closed my eyes and thought for a moment.
A wish.
I made a wish that was slightly different from the one I’d had right after regressing, and blew out the candle.
Fwooo—
“Woooah!”
The students cheered, and applause filled the living room.
“Okay, party time now!”
“Let’s eat!”
“Professor, I made this myself, so please try it!”
The students eagerly offered the food they had prepared.
Sandwiches, fruit, tteokbokki, fried food, and even cookies that looked slightly underbaked.
Everything was clumsy, but the sincerity was unmistakable.
“Go on, try it. The students made it thinking of you, hyung. But I’m not eating it. My stomach is precious, you know. Hahaha—ack!”
Kim Pyeong-on laughed and handed me a plate.
I picked up the sandwich on it with both hands, shoved one half into Kim Pyeong-on’s mouth, and took a bite of the other half myself.
The bread was a bit soggy, and the filling wasn’t well balanced.
Still, it tasted good.
“It’s good.”
“Really?!”
The students’ faces lit up.
Just then, Nam Woojin came over with a plate.
“Hyung! Try this too. It’s the first time I’ve ever made gimbap, but I’m pretty confident!”
“You made it? For the first time?”
“Yes! Everyone helped me out, though.”
Nam Woojin said proudly.
Hmm… honestly, I hesitated a bit with this one.
Still, I picked one up and put it in my mouth.
“Oh, this is decent.”
Despite how it looked, it tasted better than expected.
Though it was a little salty—probably messed up the seasoning on the rice.
“Right?! I guess I secretly have talent for cooking!”
And so we spent the night chatting and having fun.
Eating, talking, and occasionally joking around.
Showing off our individual talents.
Jegal Sang went first.
With a flick of his finger, talismans transformed into crane shapes and flew through the air.
The students gasped in admiration.
“Whoa! How do you do that?”
“Ho ho, a secret technique is secret because it’s secret.”
Jegal Sang chuckled warmly and pressed a finger to his lips.
“Guys, look at this! I’ll show you something awesome!”
Caught up in the mood, Nam Woojin stood up confidently and formed a small bolt of lightning at his fingertips.
The lightning shot into the air, bloomed like a flower, and vanished.
When the turn came around, everyone’s gaze gathered on me.
It was my turn.
“Professor… before you leave, could you show us your magical beasts just once?”
Yoon Sion asked carefully on behalf of the others.
The rest of the students looked at me with eyes full of anticipation.
“My kids?”
“Yes! We’ve only heard rumors. They say your magical beasts are incredible!”
“I want to see them too!”
The students spoke in unison.
I nodded.
Since I was leaving anyway, could I really refuse something like this?
Broadening their horizons is part of education too.
I opened the nest.
Space tore open, and two wolves appeared.
Runir and Solbanir.
They had completed their evolution not long ago.
“Whoa…”
“So they really were gray wolves?! That’s what they said on the news!”
“That’s insane… so cool!”
The students burst out in admiration.
Runir walked gracefully, exuding blue frost, while Solbanir stood proudly, scattering red flames.
The two wolves looked down at the students and let out low growls.
Grrr—
Sniff.
It wasn’t threatening.
If anything, it sounded gentle—like a greeting.
“You can go closer and touch them.”
At my words, the students cautiously approached and stroked the wolves’ fur.
“So soft!”
“Wow, it’s warm.”
“Benefactor’s magical beasts are truly special. The aura they give off feels almost divine…”
Even Jegal Sang murmured in admiration.
The wolves accepted the students’ touch and lightly wagged their tails.
Seeing that, a smile spread across my face without me realizing it.
Yeah, moments like this aren’t so bad.
And so the night grew deeper.
One by one, the students got tired and spread blankets on the living room floor to sleep.
There were plenty of rooms, but they insisted on sleeping together.
“Professor, sleep here too!”
“Yes! Let’s sleep together!”
“Profeeeessor~”
“……”
Unable to resist their pleading, I eventually lay down on the living room sofa.
I could hear the students’ soft breathing.
A peaceful kind of noise.
My eyes slowly began to close.
Today was a long day.
From arriving in Korea at dawn until now, so much had happened…
Before I could finish the thought, I drifted off to sleep.
Tickle, tickle.
Something brushed against my cheek.
I waved my hand instinctively.
“……”
But soon, I felt it again—this time against my ear.
Tickle, tickle.
Then my eyelids.
Ugh, is it an autumn mosquito?
I turned over and waved my hand again.
After pushing myself too hard yesterday, playing too much and sleeping late, my body felt heavy and exhausted.
I just wanted to sleep.
But the tickling sensation wouldn’t stop.
This time, it touched the tip of my nose.
I felt a sneeze coming on.
“…Ah, damn it.”
I sprang up from the sofa in irritation.
Rubbing my eyes, I looked around.
The students were all asleep on the floor with their blankets.
It was early morning.
I looked around for the bug.
That was when—
“Huh?”
Something floating in midair caught my eye.
About the size of my palm, it was wearing a fluffy blue dress.
Large eyes and silver hair stood out.
A fairy? No—something that looked like a fairy.
Because fairies only appeared on the 200th floor, a full-fledged fantasy world.
“You’re finally awake!”
“……!?”
That fairy-like being met my eyes and exclaimed in a cheerful voice.
I widened my eyes.
Was I really awake?
Or was I still dreaming?
“…What are you? Where did you come from?”
At my question, the fairy-like being spun around in the air.
“You don’t recognize me?”
She pointed to the sofa where I’d been lying.
There, fragments of a dark blue eggshell were scattered about.
The Abyssal Egg—the one I’d been holding even in my sleep.
“Don’t tell me, you’re…”
“That’s right! It’s me!”
She spun around excitedly.
Only then did reality hit me.
That thing came out of the Abyssal Egg?
I hurriedly asked,
“But you’re not a magical beast—you’re a fairy?”
She tilted her head.
Her look clearly said, What nonsense are you talking about?
“No I’m not? I’m a dragon.”
Poof—
With a small puff of smoke, her form changed.
A tiny blue dragon, no bigger than my palm.
Flapping short wings, it hovered in the air—adorable.
Then, in a flash, she turned back into the fairy form.
“Wait a second…”
I quickly opened the magical beast information window.
A translucent window appeared before my eyes.
[Magical Beast Information]
Name: Tia
Classification: Daughter of the Abyss
Rank: S (Growing)
Level: 1
Loyalty: 100
Skills:
• Embrace of the Sea Lv.1 (S–)
• Deep Sea Lv.1 (S)
Potential Abilities:
① Dual Form (A+)
② Primordial Sea (SS)
③ [—Lock—]
④ [—Lock—]
Daughter of the Abyss…
A being born from the egg Leviathan gave me.
Rank S, still growing. And one of her potential abilities was SS-rank.
She was definitely no ordinary magical beast.
Only dragonkin usually reached a level comparable to Kakan like that.
“……”
Without a word, I held out my palm.
Tia floated down and perched on it.
She was light.
Like a feather.
“…Tia? Is that your name?”
“Yep! And your name is Kang Si-woo, right?”
“…How do you know that?”
“I heard it from inside the egg!”
Tia smiled brightly. I asked carefully,
“So you’re the one who consumed the power of the Outer God?”
That horrific thing?
I swallowed the rest of the sentence.
“Yep! Give me more next time!”
She seemed to think of fragments of Outer Gods as snacks.
Saying that with such an innocent face…
Seeing how she’d eaten Phalspera’s divinity and was perfectly fine, the title Daughter of the Abyss didn’t seem like something given lightly.
With a sigh, I said,
“Could you transform into a more familiar form? Like the dragon form from earlier.”
The fairy form wasn’t bad, but as a tamer—
As someone known, both by himself and others, as a “monster tamer,” a beast form felt more comfortable.
It was easier to give commands, and easier to predict how she’d move in battle.
The fairy form was too close to human, which made me uncomfortable instead.
At my request, Tia shook her head.
“No. I’m not angry, so why would I transform?”
“……”
So dragon form was for when she was angry?
Which meant she’d normally stay in that fairy form?
That’s a bit troublesome…
But Tia ignored my concerns and spun around on my palm like she was dancing.
This one’s got a strong sense of self, stronger than I expected.
For a newborn magical beast, she was remarkably independent.
Usually, they obey their master unconditionally.
“…I prefer your dragon form. If you stay like that, you’ll help out properly, right?”
At my words, Tia’s eyes suddenly sparkled.
“Of course! Um… aren’t you tired? Everyone here looks tired too. Want me to make everyone healthy?”
“All of a sudden?”
Before I could finish responding, Tia raised both hands high.
Whoooosh—
Suddenly, water splashed throughout the entire living room.
And not just any water—saltwater, rich with salinity.
“Ahh!”
“What—what is this?!”
“Ugh, it’s salty!”
“…Water?!”
The sleeping students sprang up in shock.
My face was drenched too, and I spat out salty water.
“Hey! You can’t just splash water like th—”
But something was strange.
The body that had felt as heavy as a soaked sponge just moments ago now felt unbelievably light.
Even though I was completely drenched.
It was a bizarre situation.
On top of that, I felt energy welling up inside me—like I’d received a fairly high-grade buff.
“…What is this?”
The students felt it too.
At first they were flustered, but soon they checked their bodies in amazement.
“My body feels so light!”
“I fought those cultists yesterday, but I feel totally fine now!”
“This is insane—is this healing magic?”
Tia smiled brightly from atop my palm.
“So? Isn’t it nice?”
I wiped the water from my face and sighed.
“Haa… okay, it’s great and all, but next time, give me a heads-up first.”
Still, the corners of my mouth lifted on their own.
She was definitely going to be a troublemaker—but this time, my gacha luck seemed pretty damn good.
