PRSR | Chapter 10.1

“500 meters to White Ridge! We’re almost there!”

On the third day since entering the Tote Grove forest, we finally arrived at White Ridge.

“Woohoo! We made it!”

“We’re alive! I really thought we were gonna die.”

The number of Awakened that started the journey with us, excluding me and Rio, had dropped from twenty-one to seventeen. It was a shame we couldn’t defend ourselves properly in the beginning, causing more casualties than expected.

“If it weren’t for you two, we might’ve been wiped out. Truly, thank you.”

Kim Myungseok, representing the Awakened, expressed his gratitude. But Rio, as if uninterested, responded in his usual detached tone.

“We’re going on a date now.”

Before I could even respond properly to the thanks, Rio dragged me along, clinging to him as we moved toward the city.

How many more rumors will start because of this?

This is so unfair.

White Ridge had a quiet, clean vibe, unlike the rough and rugged port cities. The streets were unusually crowded compared to other regions.

We booked a room at the inn closest to the Field.

“Ah, I’m so tired.”

Even though all I’d done during the trip was cling to Rio, I was still exhausted. Stretching my arms wide, I collapsed onto the bed.

The beds at the White Ridge inn were far comfier than those in the port city.

“Soul, are you really that tired?”

“Just let me rest… ten minutes… no, thirty minutes.”

“If you’re tired, you should rest properly. We can go on a date tomorrow.”

“Mhm…”

“But you said people should always shower before getting into bed. That’s what you taught me, Soul.”

“Too tired…”

“Then… should I help wash you?”

At that, I shot up from the bed like a spring and headed straight to the bathroom. Behind me, I could hear Rio’s disappointed murmur.

“Then at least let me wash your feet. Back on Earth, you always cleaned my feet and tail.”

“That was because you were a mouse back then.”

“Will you wash my feet if I turn back into a mouse?”

“Absolutely not.”

Dodging Rio’s sneaky attempts, I thoroughly washed my hands and feet and came back out.

“Did you finish the quest?”

“Yeah, the reward is a bunch of experience points.”

“What a useless reward.”

Rio tapped the air, completing the quest and accepting the final quest in the chain.

Finally, the last one. Once this is over, I can go back to a normal life. Well, as normal as life can be when higher dimensions keep invading. At least I wouldn’t have to pretend to be an Awakened anymore. That thought gave me some peace of mind.

“Hey, Kang Rio.”

“Mhm?”

“Let’s go on a date.”

“Aren’t you tired?”

Though he voiced concern, Rio immediately shot to his feet and stood next to me. I wondered what kind of reaction he’d show if I jokingly suggested postponing it to another day. The curiosity itched.

“I’m fine. I can rest after. Let’s go.”

“Where should we go? A restaurant? Oh, it’s not mealtime yet… Then maybe a movie?”

I led an expectant Rio out to the Field.

“Ta-da! A Field date.”

“…”

Rio didn’t fall for it.

“How is this a date?”

“Didn’t you say every moment we spend together is a date? You even said you liked Field dates.”

“Well, yeah, but…”

Rio cast a resentful gaze at the monster charging toward us from a distance. It was like his eyes were screaming, ‘If only you weren’t here, I could’ve had a real date with Soul.’

“Before we tackle the final quest, we need to reach level 200 and test the updated pajama skill. After the date, let’s kiss under the streetlamp.”

“There aren’t any streetlamps here.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate.”

Rio took his frustration out on the Field monsters. His attacks were so ferocious that the monsters ran away in terror, simply from his glare.

To me, he still looked like a big sulking mouse.

“Come here. Let’s start with the pajamas.”

Even though Rio leveled up ridiculously fast, reaching level 200 was another story. Since it could take a while, the first priority was to test the cooldown for the upgraded protection magic. The update reduced the cooldown from 240 hours to just 72, giving us more room to test it.

Now was the perfect time to use the magic—so it could recover by the time of the final quest.

Rio grabbed the weakest Field monster and brought it to me.

“Do we really have to do this?”

“It’s fine. The description said it can block any attack. I won’t get hurt. Besides, we need to know how long the magic lasts for emergencies.”

“I’ll make sure you never need to use it.”

“You can’t stay glued to me 24/7.”

“I can.”

“…Huh. I guess you could. Still, I need to know how the pajamas work. Otherwise, it’ll feel pointless to wear them.”

“I don’t want Soul to feel frustrated…”

I put on arm guards and held up the prepared shield.

“Wow. This is so heavy.”

My arms trembled, but there was no choice. If I got hit before activating the protection magic, I could end up seriously injured.

Once the magic activated, all attacks would become nullified, and none of my gear would take damage. We’d already confirmed that.

Rio stood ready to yank the monster away if the shield broke, and we had high-grade potions on standby, just in case. Safety first.

“I’ll let its claw barely touch you.”

Rio held the monster by the scruff, slowly bringing it closer. Tap. The monster’s sharp claws grazed the shield.

‘Magic activate.’

Just thinking about using the protection magic triggered it. This was the first test of the upgraded version.

Tap, tap.

The monster kept scratching at the shield but quickly realized its attacks were useless.

‘One… two…’

I silently counted the seconds.

Around the two-second mark, an unpleasant sensation spread through me. It felt like I was floating, even though my feet were firmly on the ground. Was it fear from facing the monster?

‘Three…’

“Soul!”

Suddenly, Rio tossed the monster aside and pulled me into his arms.

He’d run over so quickly that we collided hard, but thanks to the magic, I felt no impact.

“I haven’t finished checking the duration! This is the last chance before the final quest…”

Rio’s arms were trembling, and I couldn’t bring myself to finish the sentence.

“…Rio.”

Was he that shaken from seeing me under attack, even though he knew I was safe? I gently patted his back, and he hugged me even tighter.

“It’s okay. Look at me.”

I coaxed him to loosen his grip enough to see his face. His expression was utterly distraught, like he was terrified.

“Soul… Soul…”

“See? I’m perfectly fine. Not even a scratch.”

He fumbled to check my back, as if to confirm I wasn’t hurt. As I started to feel constricted, I realized the magic had probably worn off. So much for measuring the duration.

‘Still the same clingy mouse, just bigger now.’

He’d been like this the day after we brought him home. He thought he’d been abandoned when I left for errands, crying in a corner until I came back. I comforted him the same way I did back then.

“Why are you so scared, my Rio? I’m fine, really.”

“I thought… I thought you were disappearing.”

“Disappearing? I was right here.”

“I could see you, but it felt like you weren’t there. Like you were leaving me.”

His words reminded me of the new feature in the upgraded protection magic: “reduces presence.” It was meant to confuse monsters and make them stop attacking. A great option—except it fooled Rio instead of the monster.

“Oh, it’s that new ability in my pajamas. Remember? It makes me feel less present. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Don’t wear those pajamas again.”

“But I need to use them.”

“Fine, but don’t activate the magic.”

“Then what’s the point of wearing them?”

“I never want to feel like you’re slipping away from me again.”

“Alright. Now, let go. If you hug me that hard, my back will break.”

At the mention of breaking my back, Rio immediately released me.

“Kang Rio, let’s go on a date.”

“We’re already on a date. A Field date.”

“I mean a real date.”

Ever so simple-minded, Rio perked up at the mention of a date.

“Let’s explore White Ridge, check out the shops, eat something nice, and buy some fruit before heading back.”

“And kiss in front of the inn?”

“If there’s a streetlamp.”

The whole time we explored White Ridge, Rio clung to my hand like it was his lifeline.

Unlike the bustling port city with its street performers and con artists, White Ridge had quaint shops selling toys and trinkets. We browsed, ate at a lovely restaurant, and returned to the inn as the sky began to darken.

Since White Ridge didn’t have streetlamps, people lit lanterns by their doors or windows after sunset. The inn had one hanging by its door, too. Rio stared at it intently, then spoke.

“Inventory.”

He pulled out a ridiculously long wooden pole from his inventory. When did he prepare that?

“What are you doing?”

“Just wait, Soul.”

He shoved the pole into the ground in front of the inn and hung the lantern on top of it.

“Ta-da! Streetlamp.”

Honestly, he was adorable.

“Well, since there’s a streetlamp, I can’t say no. Come here.”

I grabbed Rio’s collar, pulled him close, and gave him a light kiss. I could feel his lips curve into a wide smile.

“Let’s head inside now.”

“Does the second date also end with a kiss…?”

“In my version of dates, it doesn’t.”

Feeling embarrassed, I turned away and darted into the inn. Rio followed with his long legs, easily catching up.

As we climbed the stairs to our room, the innkeeper’s voice rang out from outside.

“What the heck? Who put this weird thing in front of the inn?”

Ah. The lamp post. I forgot about that.

Kang Soul and Rio continued field hunting starting the next day.

The goal was for Rio to reach level 200. Considering how quickly his level had risen while hunting in the port city field, which had a recommended level of 50, I thought hitting 200 would be a breeze. However, it took longer than expected.

Was it because the monsters’ levels were too low? Kim Myungseok and his party of Awakened had an average level of around 70 by the time they passed through Tote Grove, and they hunted efficiently. From the looks of it, the recommended level for White Ridge must be similar.

“If the recommended level for the previous zone is 50, shouldn’t the next zone be 100?”

With the final quest already in sight, I couldn’t understand why the hunting ground’s level cap was set at 70. How were ordinary Awakened supposed to hit level 100 and acquire their second skill at this pace? Were they just not supposed to get one?

“Soul. Let’s go on a date today.”

Rio, who was on the verge of acquiring his third skill, didn’t seem concerned about leveling up at all, his expression completely nonchalant. His calm demeanor made me relax too.

“Fine. What does it matter if we don’t hit level 200? Our rodent’s this strong even without a third skill.”

“We went yesterday.”

“And the day before. But it was fun, wasn’t it?”

“True, it was.”

Ever since we arrived at White Ridge, we had gone on dates every evening after hunting. Our dates were simple: eat a meal, stroll around, and then kiss under a lamppost before heading back.