The moment the last ally stepped clear of the fallen monsters, June moved.
There was no chant this time. No flourish.
Only will.
Twin pillars of chaotic flame erupted from her staff, twisting upward like spiraling serpents made of fury. The colors danced in unnatural rhythm—red, green, blue, and violet—blending into a wildfire of untamed magic. The flames struck the remains of the two severed Zombie Ants, now still but not yet dead.
The bodies screeched, not with breath or voice, but with the high-pitched groan of corrupted flesh unraveling. The sound clawed at the air as the fungi recoiled and burned, and the twisted roots that once held them together shriveled into blackened thread.
They did not thrash. They simply ceased to be.
The fire didn't scorch them. It devoured them—slowly, deliberately, until all that was left was ash and silence.
Noah stood still, watching the flames eat away what remained of the battle.
Dimitri stood beside him, sword lowered. Aiko remained near the center of the field, quiet and composed. Fiona leaned on her quarterstaff, chest rising with controlled breath, while Luis held tightly onto her sleeve, eyes wide but dry.
The fire faded.
Noah let out a long, tired breath, his shoulders dropping just slightly.
"Well… that's finally over."
[Quest: Spores of Mercy has been completed.]
[You have received Experience Points.]
From the scorched earth where the last of the Zombie Ants had fallen, a shimmer pulsed through the air like a breath released.
Noah watched as six items materialized before him—quiet, without fanfare, as though the forest itself had exhaled the final remains of the battle.
Six mushrooms.
They were small, yet strangely vivid. Purple in hue, but not the deep kind that whispered secrecy—these were luminous, almost inviting.
Hints of red, blue, and green glimmered faintly along the edges of their caps, as if painted by something that didn't understand restraint. Beautiful, but off. Suspicious, somehow. The kind of beauty that didn't feel safe.
[Tier 1: Parasitic Mushroom.]
The moment his eyes locked onto them, they vanished—no touch required. One by one, they flickered from the ground and blinked out of sight, absorbed directly into his inventory.
Effortless.
Automatic.
Noah didn't reach for them. He didn't have to. The system already knew they were his.
From where he stood, Noah could hear the voices behind him—relieved, cheerful, tired in the way only victory allowed. The tension of the battle had faded, and in its place was the lightness that came with knowing they'd survived.
They were celebrating their loot.
June's voice drifted through the quiet smoke, crisp and composed.
"For such a difficult fight, I'd say the reward is acceptable. Not brilliant, mind you, but I've had far worse."
Near her, Aiko knelt with her newly acquired mushrooms pressed delicately to her chest. Her arms cradled them like fragile treasure, eyes shimmering with something more than joy.
"I can sell these… then I can buy more food. I won't go hungry again."
Fiona looked over, her expression laced with both warmth and unease. She tilted her head, brow furrowed ever so slightly.
"Ey wouldnae recommend cuddlin' that thing, lass. Looks like it's got ill intentions."
Dimitri laughed softly, a low rumble of comfort and ease, the sound of a man who'd survived another day with no regrets.
"Ah, more gold coins for a few pints at the bar. That, my friends, is always a worthy reward."
HP: 36/40
MP: 7/80
SP: 2/30
The numbers hovered faintly at the edge of his vision, glowing just enough to register—and it was that last line that hit him hardest.
SP: 2/30.
That was when it hit.
The ache in his legs.
The burning in his chest.
The tremble in his fingers he hadn't noticed until now.
Noah exhaled sharply and let his body drop, collapsing into a seated position on the cracked, blackened ground.
His arms hung loosely at his sides, his back hunched just slightly forward as he tried to steady his breathing.
He was completely, utterly drained.
"I'm just gonna sit here for a second. Jumping around like a madman really emptied the tank. Pretty sure my legs just filed a lawsuit for workplace abuse."
He leaned back, eyes squinting upward.
"I might need to throw a few points into Strength at this rate. If every battle ends with me crawling out like roadkill, that's not exactly a sustainable build."
His gaze drifted across the clearing.
The others were laughing. Talking.
Aiko still holding her loot like a lifeline.
June brushing ash off her shoulders with regal composure.
Fiona keeping an eye on everyone, even while pretending not to.
Dimitri looked like he hadn't been hurt at all—like he was ready for round two.
And Luis.
The boy stood a few paces away, his eyes wide—not with fear, but curiosity. Awe.
Noah let out a small breath, quieter this time. Not a sigh. Just reflection.
"I can't believe we actually pulled that off… That fight had real stakes."
June flicked her hair with a flourish, the motion as practiced as it was effortless. The chaos of battle no longer touched her. Not in posture. Not in tone.
"You really ought to have more faith in us, Noah."
Noah didn't respond.
He was already lying on his side in the dirt, arm tucked beneath his head, one knee bent like he'd claimed the ground as a makeshift bed. His eyes were open but unfocused, staring off at nothing in particular. The silence he gave wasn't bitter. Just tired.
June's attention shifted, her gaze sliding toward Aiko.
She tilted her head slightly, curiosity blooming across her face like a smirk waiting to happen.
"I do wonder, Aiko… if you haven't completed Dein's quest, then how do you have inventory access? I checked Merkado's shop the other day, and just one slot costs more gold than I'd spend on a weekend holiday. It's so absurdly priced, it feels like they're actively trying not to sell it."
Aiko turned her face away, unable to meet June's eyes. The weight of that gaze—sharp, unwavering—was too much. Like standing beneath the sun when all you wanted was shade.
Her fingers fidgeted near her waist, twisting lightly in thought.
"There are only two NPCs who give out inventory slots… The first is Dein-san. But I didn't do that quest. The thought of fighting a pack of wolves alone was… scary."
Her voice softened with the last word, almost swallowed by the quiet around her.
"And the second one… is Leonora-san."
June narrowed her eyes, the name unfamiliar. Her brow furrowed with a mixture of suspicion and intrigue.
"I've never come across an NPC with that name. Not even once."
Aiko's eyes remained downcast as she toyed with her hands, her thumbs brushing against her palm in nervous rhythm.
"That's because she's considered… almost a secret NPC. She only appears in dark alleyways and only offers her quest during a very specific window. One day. One hour. If you miss her… she vanishes again. For weeks."
Noah, who had been lying half-dead and half-dramatic just a moment ago, suddenly pushed himself upright. He planted himself on the ground, cross-legged, his interest visibly piqued.
His head tilted slightly.
"Huh."
[That NPC is tricky. In order to get her quest, you need to have a lot of time in hand—like, a lot—just waiting for her to show up. And even when she does, the window is ridiculously short. Miss it once and she disappears again for weeks.]
Noah blinked.
"So... a limited-time side quest from a shadow alley cryptid? Great."
Aiko gave a shy smile, her fingers curling against the fabric near her knees.
"All I did was search through this knee-deep, murky canal… looking for her missing key. It was really dark. And smelled really bad. But she was so happy I found it that she gave me five inventory slots in return."
There was no hint of exaggeration in her voice. Just quiet honesty—like the memory of wading through filth had long since been accepted.
June visibly recoiled, brows furrowing as her lip curled ever so slightly.
"That's disgusting. I wouldn't—absolutely wouldn't—degrade myself like that, not even for inventory slots."
Her tone was firm.
But her eyes told a different story.
She was already calculating. Already imagining where the alleys were, which districts had canals, what time the NPC might appear.
And most of all… whether she could find a pair of gloves thick enough to make it bearable.
Dimitri chuckled softly, brushing soot from his arm.
"Let's go visit that NPC once we're done here. Sounds like an adventure on its own."
Fiona gave a firm nod beside him, her expression bright despite the grime on her face.
"Aye, ah think that's a fine idea."
Noah leaned back on his hands, glancing toward Aiko with a wry smirk. His voice was low, but the amusement in it was clear.
"Yeah, count me in. Inventory slots are inventory slots—no one sane passes that up."
Aiko's eyes sparkled a little as she tapped her fingers together, already mentally flipping through invisible notes.
"If my calculations are correct… she'll appear again in a few days. We can camp near the alley ahead of time. That way, we won't miss the window."
June crossed her arms tightly across her chest, head tilting just a bit higher as she watched them all with a look of distant indifference.
"Whatever. Do what you like."
But her foot tapped—just once—and she didn't walk away.
•••••
INVENTORY:
1: Small HP Potion x1
2: Small MP Potion x1
3: Tier 1: Parasitic Mushroom x6
4:
5:
•••••