Chapter 15
I smacked my lips as I recalled the premium Korean beef set that had come out of the random box.
For now, it was sealed away. I’d left it near the cold spring—which functioned as a natural refrigerator—so it should stay fine for about two days.
‘You need salt to grill beef properly. Eating it plain would be bland….’
…Wait a second.
Was the system deliberately not giving me salt?
To force me to go to the village to buy some…?!
‘Are you serious? You scheming bastard…!!’
As I cursed the system internally, Ninabel fidgeted anxiously and stepped forward.
“Master…! If Nini spreads out wide and carries you…!”
Nope. That won’t work. Too slow.
I’d already tried the method Ninabel suggested a long time ago.
Muriel’s body was light, sure—but not feather-light. I weighed at least around 45 kilograms.
Trying to carry that much weight tired a low-level water spirit pretty quickly. The speed dropped to a pace that would make even a snail scoff.
“You just keep pulling the cart.”
That’s right. Ninabel’s role was to pull the cart loaded with strawberries and vegetables.
For the record, the cart itself had been whipped up by Lysian in no time flat. His craftsmanship was incredible.
When I asked if he could make furniture too, he said yes—so I immediately regretted the coins I’d spent buying furniture.
‘I should’ve had Lysian make the furniture and used the coins to open the hidden shop….’
Anyway, being carried by Ninabel wasn’t an option—and being carried by Lysian also felt questionable.
Wouldn’t that be exhausting for him too? No matter how his stamina was 999….
“Master, please get on my back. At this rate, you’ll collapse before we even reach the village.”
Lysian once again struck me right where it hurt—with brutal accuracy. Yeah… even I thought I’d probably come down with a fever if this kept up.
Letting out a deep sigh, I finally decided to follow his advice.
“If you get tired while carrying me, you have to say so. I’ll get down immediately.”
“I won’t get tired. You know how good my stamina is.”
“No matter how good your stamina is, you’re still a person—”
…The words slipped out thoughtlessly, and I froze.
…I’d completely forgotten.
This guy might not even be human…!
Lysian (Lv. ???): ?? ??, Male.
A laborer with exceptional physical abilities.
Looks like he’ll never suffer muscle loss in his lifetime!
Lysian’s status window was still nothing but question marks. It looked like it would stay that way until he chose to reveal his identity himself.
I was desperately holding back my curiosity. When would he finally tell me? Was there some reason he had to keep his identity hidden?
“Master, please get on.”
Lysian had already assumed the position and urged me on. There was no reason left to hesitate, so I obediently climbed onto his back.
As I wrapped my arms around his neck, he supported my thighs and straightened up effortlessly.
“Am I heavy?”
“Not at all.”
He answered lightly, as if it were truly nothing. There was even a faint smile in his voice.
…It was the same tone he’d used back then, when he’d said, “Why are you so cute?”
My heart, which had been beating normally, lurched violently.
‘Ah, damn arrhythmia!’
Maybe it was because I hadn’t been eating properly. This happened from time to time. I really needed to buy lots of good food once we reached the village.
Lysian walked at a steady pace—not too fast, not too slow.
Fluffy white clouds drifted across the sun, and the air was slightly cool. And yet, my cheeks burned as if they’d been scalded.
‘Why am I hot? The weather’s still chilly….’
I let out a soft sigh and buried my face into Lysian’s shoulder. A clean, fresh forest scent wafted from him.
He doesn’t even wear perfume—so why does he smell like this…?
Worried that sniffing too much would make me look like a pervert, I consciously regulated my breathing. My heart was still fluttering uncontrollably.
This was all because my stamina sucked. I needed protein. And exercise.
“Master, I suspected it, but you really are as light as a feather. I think I could even run like this.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. I’m not that light.”
“I’m serious. Want to test it?”
With confidence, Lysian shifted into a runner’s stance. He really looked like he meant it.
“Hold on tight.”
His voice carried a mischievous edge—reckless like a troublemaker’s, and tinged with the arrogance of someone utterly confident in their strength.
Questions about his true identity flared up again—
“…!”
Lysian kicked off the ground and sprinted forward. I reflexively clutched his neck tightly, squeezing my eyes shut before opening them again.
Cold wind brushed against my skin. Muriel’s pale emerald hair rippled and fluttered in the air.
Surprisingly, the speed wasn’t overwhelming. Lysian was clearly holding back for my sake.
That realization… stirred something strange inside me.
“Are you okay, Master?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“If you feel dizzy, tell me.”
“No, I’m fine. It’s comfortable.”
And it really was.
The Lysian Taxi™ had excellent ride quality—stable and smooth. He moved like… well, it sounded silly, but like a ninja.
Wasn’t this kind of movement something that required specialized training?
As I mulled that thought over, Lysian came to a gentle stop.
Blinking in confusion, I looked at his side profile and noticed his golden eyes fixed on something.
I followed his gaze—and the moment I did—
“Wow….”
A vast, beautiful lake reflecting the deep blue sky stretched out before us.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Yes. But….”
I could easily guess the rest.
This lake, too, was contaminated.
Because it mirrored the blue sky so clearly, it wasn’t obvious at first—but if you looked closely, the water was dark purple-black.
‘The area’s way too large… I can’t purify it right now.’
With my current skill, I could only purify an area of one pyeong.
Maybe as I leveled up, the purifiable area would increase… but for now, it was impossible.
Anyway—
“Should we rest here for a bit? You can’t keep running forever.”
“I’m fine. But if you want to rest, Master, then let’s do that.”
He showed no signs of fatigue at all. Still, I felt bad about making him carry me, so I decided to take a break for his sake.
“Let’s rest for 20 minutes. Put me down.”
“If that’s what you wish.”
Lysian slowly lowered himself. I carefully climbed off his back and looked around.
A wide lakeshore lay on one side of the road, and a dense forest stretched out on the other.
“Let’s rest under that tree.”
I pointed to a large tree near the lake.
I didn’t know what kind of tree it was, but its dense leaves and thick trunk made it perfect for resting.
‘I should purify this area at least. So we can rest here again later.’
I gently placed my hand against the dull, dark-purple trunk.
Paaah!
As always, a brilliant, opal-like light burst from my fingertips. But this time… something was different.
‘Huh…?’
The light spread much farther than usual.
Startled, my eyes widened—just as the system chimed in with a loud firework-like sound.
You have purified a new location!
Massive experience gained!
Purification Skill Level Up!
Lv. 3 → Lv. 4
Purifiable area increased to 4 pyeong.
Usable up to 3 times per day.
Remaining purification uses: 3
(※ Uses reset as a level-up reward.)
“Jackpot.”
“…Master?”
When I muttered out loud, Lysian called to me in confusion.
As I turned toward him with a bright smile, a fragrant breeze suddenly swept past, carrying the scent of flowers.
Drawn by it, I looked around—and the scenery had changed.
Near the large tree, an area of about four pyeong had transformed into a meadow filled with wildflowers.
Some of the plants I’d thought were just withered, dark grass turned out to be small, white wildflowers.
With those tiny blossoms revived, the scenery became breathtakingly beautiful.
Smiling contentedly, I leaned against the tree trunk and gestured for Lysian.
“Come on, sit here. You too, Ninabel.”
“My goodness! Did you purify this, Master?”
“Yeah.”
Ninabel flew over first and snuggled into my arms.
Lysian shot her a cold glare—but when our eyes met, he instantly softened his expression and walked over.
“As expected, you’re amazing, Master.”
Embarrassed by the praise, I smiled awkwardly as Ninabel unpacked the lunchbox she’d brought from the cart.
It seemed skill levels rose as experience accumulated.
Too bad there was no visible EXP gauge.
‘I didn’t expect the purifiable area to jump from 1 pyeong to 4 so suddenly.’
Level 4, four pyeong…
Then at level 8, would it become eight pyeong?
It was too early to be sure—but if the number of uses and the area kept increasing like this…
‘Someday, I might be able to purify this lakeshore… no, maybe even the entire contaminated land.’
