Chapter 24: Aftereffects

“Damn it, what’s that nurse doing, hiding information from a patient.”

Although he was curious about the three girls the nurse mentioned, there were more important matters at hand.

“Brother… I’m so glad!”

Hill lunged at him.

“Guuh!”

The hug was a bit too strong, and there was a pleasant milky scent.

“There was a huge earthquake in the Dungeon. Hill thought you were trampled into a meat paste by rampaging monsters and was very sad…”

No… I’m suffocating…

The will to survive let Siloque regain control of his body, and he slowly raised his right hand to pat Hill’s head.

Feeling someone stroking her, Hill released him with teary eyes.

“Hill, I’m fine. Sorry for making you worry. I promise, nothing like this will ever happen again.”

“Really?”

Hill’s eyes were red with anxiety.

“Really. If I’m lying, I’ll buy Nintendo and make games for you every day.”

“That’s impossible. Be careful not to get a warning from the Legal Department, brother.”

Hill giggled.

Siloque hugged his sister gently, and finally had room in his mind to process the incident.

I shot it out.

I could use a late-game Skill from the third playthrough.

Remembering that world-destroying power, Siloque felt a bit afraid.

And a bit addicted.

I want to shoot it again…

“Hill, how did they find me?”

“…??”

“When the Rescue Team found me, what was the situation?”

“Um… The Rescue Team wouldn’t let Hill into the Dungeon. They told me they found you on a big tree using the ring monitor. They figured you used Magic to attack monsters from the tree, but overdid it and got stuck there after running out of strength.”

Good grief, another embarrassing incident recorded.

It seemed the recoil from the Skill knocked Siloque flying.

At least he landed on a tree instead of shattering himself on the ground.

The important thing was, he wasn’t found in a monster room.

That leveling spot wasn’t widely used—better if fewer people knew about it.

“Brother, Dad and Mom came to see you, but after the Doctor said you were fine, they both went home.”

“…Really? Did they say anything?”

In his previous life, Siloque was raised by his father and hardly felt the love of both parents.

“‘Little Siloque will be fine after all. Mom’s going home to make dinner, come back soon.’; ‘As long as you’re alive, that’s enough. I’m heading back to work.’ Something like that.”

Hill mimicked them perfectly.

As expected of my parents, they’re really carefree.

In this world, injury or death for Explorers was everyday life.

Just coming to see him was more than enough for Siloque.

“By the way, Hill, what about casualties? Were many people hurt?”

“Um…”

Hill pulled out her phone, a pink bunny-shaped smart device, and scrolled through the screen.

“They said many people were frightened, but no one went missing. Only one Explorer was lightly injured.”

Was that Explorer me?

Hill showed Siloque the news, with video of a black ray descending from the ceiling and piercing the ground, filmed by bystanders.

Thankfully, no innocent people were hurt, or my nonexistent conscience would be pricked.

“Wait, injured?”

Siloque realized something and struggled to open the ring monitor.

“This…! These stats…!!”

(Name) Siloque

(Lv) 7

—Newcomer—

—First Layer—

HP Max: 40→60

MP Max: 39→69

STR: 33→53

END: 36→56

AGI: 39→59

DEX: 45→69

INT: 38→70

—Heating—

—Pure Black Annihilation Ray—

—Transform Into Rock—

This is seriously strong!

Siloque stared at the ring monitor several times; the numbers clearly said Lv7.

All stats were up—maybe the Skill wiped out some unlucky Layer 2 monsters, boosting his EXP and causing a level up.

Fantastic! Level system!

Magic power increased by 12, likely from using Magic to boost stats.

Mama, stat inflation… Well, not quite, but at least it’s average now.

—I remember that’s a Skill from the Layer 2 Stone Monster.

It seemed after defeating it, the dropped Skill Crystal also shattered, letting me learn it.

Normally, those Crystals had to be held to use, and you’d need at least Lv70 attack power to break them.

Luckily, there was a Skill slot open—otherwise the Skill would have just been destroyed.

To have two Skills that shouldn’t be accessible under Lv10…

It’s like using a cheat device.

God, am I actually in a Dragon Overlord scenario and just never realized it?!

“As expected… The Pure Love God hasn’t abandoned me…”

“?”

Hill was confused by the emotional Siloque.

Especially about .

That was a Skill that only dropped from killing the Dead Dragon Milugar on Layer 5.

Even first playthrough gear couldn’t take it on; only with third playthrough stats could a team stand a chance.

Speaking of which, I remember its power wasn’t this high.

Back when I was Lv2, piercing floors was no big deal…

Did the stat damage from later playthroughs carry over too?

“Brother, your smile is gross.”

“Hill, can you not say that with such a cute smile?”

A little sister who insults you with a sweet face—what’s with this weird XP of mine?

Just as Siloque was feeling elated, negative thoughts crept in.

Why was I able to use it?

Well, at least I didn’t test it at home or at school, or I’d have remodeled the map…

“Right! Hill, please help me look up more news on this ‘Mysterious Black Light Incident.'”

“Oh, okay.”

Hill’s fingers danced across the phone, so fast…

She brought up the related news, laid it out before Siloque, and sorted through the key articles under his direction.

After checking them, Siloque breathed a sigh of relief.

No one had realized he was the cause of the incident.

At least, no public news report mentioned it.

If a Large Guild or the Tuners organization found out, his peaceful life would be over.

It’s time to secretly grind monsters with this Skill, power-level up, rise to the top, and marry a White Rich Beautiful, stunning everyone!

…Like hell.

Siloque’s excitement quickly calmed.

Firing one shot is stronger than throwing a nuke; the noise is absurd. If you keep using it, you’ll definitely get caught eventually.

This time, it just drained all my Magic and strength—do I want to collapse and die after every shot?

My goal is to take down Yellow-haired Characters, not to kill the protagonist, heroine, and myself all together.

Being able to use unlearned Skills—is it a benefit from the world, or did I touch something I shouldn’t have?

Or maybe the System awakened?

But I haven’t seen any Status Window or heard any voices in my head…

The more Siloque thought, the more his head hurt.

By the way, what about other Skills?

Can I use all late-game Skills, or only ?

I should experiment and see if I can use other endgame Skills.

If equipment also works, I’d hit the jackpot.

Siloque grew eager to try and immediately said, “Hill, I want to go to…”

The Dungeon.

Hill seemed to sense something. She silently grabbed Siloque’s hand, her tearful eyes staring at him.

Her pitiful look made Siloque swallow his words.

“…Brother earned a lot of Crystal Cores grinding monsters earlier. After we exchange them for money at the Dungeon Hall, I’ll treat you to dinner. Let’s go back and play ‘Little Dream Demon 3’. I really want to game.”

Hill’s eyes widened.

“Brother, really? You promise! But, your injuries…”

“It’s fine.”

Siloque sat up easily and stretched.

“My strength has recovered before I knew it. I’m fully charged.”

Besides, it’s already late. And experimenting in the Dungeon alone isn’t safe.

Tomorrow’s the weekend, so I can take my time.

Siloque lowered his head to change his shoes, his hair drooping down—and suddenly he caught a glimpse of white.

“?”

It was his own hair.

His hair had turned white.

“Hill, lend me your mirror!”

“Here.”

When the mirror reflected his face, Siloque was shocked.

Who is this beautiful girl?

Light green eyes, widened in surprise.

I don’t remember wearing colored contacts.

Delicate, soft cheeks, skin as smooth as silk.

Long white hair flowed down his face like the purest snow of early winter—pleasing to the eye, yet noble like a work of art.

Siloque remembered what the nurse had said.

Aftereffects.