[13th Round] Coupling
“If you complete the task, I will give you a free pass to enter and exit this realm, eliminating the need for you to escape secretly like what you’re about to do now. At least when you miss this place, you can return at any time.”
“I can just run away, so I’m not sure if that’s necessary…”
The only difference was the secrecy of it.
“I didn’t want to tell you this since I didn’t want to make you feel like you wasted your efforts, but this method will not help you. The real Snow Woman has long since died. You can only use the power of the reborn Snow Woman here.
“And my son?”
It was a bit of a strange question, but I had to know.
My son was also born in this world, after all.
What would become of him if he tried to leave him?
“Your son will be alright. The living creatures of Fantasy can be divided into two groups. One group includes beings with a remnant soul born from existing records. Essentially, they were artificially created for the sake of teaching new students.”
The most common example was monsters, created as if based on a blueprint so that heroes could gather experience points. The Hero’s companions, whom the Demon Lord destroyed with just a movement of his hand, also belonged to this category.
They didn’t know about it themselves, however.
“The second group includes those born on the continents of Fantasy, which is almost everyone except monsters. If this world is a pizza, then the divided souls of the inhabitants are its toppings, although the live-born have full-fledged souls even if their parents have defective souls.”
I got it.
But my answer wouldn’t change.
“That’s a meager reward!”
The pass was useless to me. The moment I graduated and returned to Earth, I wouldn’t even think of coming back here.
I needed a far more valuable reward than that.
“I think this is the most appropriate reward that the teaching staff can give to a student… but since you don’t want it, there’s nothing I can do. I really wanted to provide you with such a bonus, too. Who knows? Maybe after graduation, you will miss this place and want to return.”
“A curse dragging me back is more likely!”
I didn’t even want to hear about it.
“Then we will discuss something more individual. As I said before, I am a basic medical knowledge teacher. Therefore, I can only give you something related to my specialty. However, if you can tell me exactly what you want, I will introduce you to a teacher specializing in that area.”
“I’ll think about it.”
A gift from Health Teacher!
Would she give me some kind of four-dimensional pocket where I could store heating pads?
“You’re probably thinking of something eccentric because of my previous gift, but you shouldn’t think so narrowly. Let’s talk about healthcare.”
“But I’m healthy.”
I was always ready to fight.
“Even if you are healthy, what about your environment? Your parents, friends, brothers, sisters, sweethearts. Even members of the elven royal family, who boast eternal life, die of diseases. You’re no different from them. Due to the peculiarity of your race, the origin of which isn’t clear, you can never succumb to death, but there’s the possibility of you suffering all your life because of illnesses.”
“If you can solve this problem, then you are no different than a god.”
That was already out of bounds.
One needed to take care of their health themselves. Those who led toxic lifestyles often suffered from cervical or dorsal hernias.
Nothing in the world was free.
It would be convenient if someone would study and play sports in my stead.
“Hmm. Do you know about the harmony of yin and yang?”
“A little.”
I hadn’t yet reached the level of the First Hero, whose passion couldn’t be stopped by the difference in races, but I knew more than usual.
“I can offer you paired rings.”
The teacher waved her hand, and a pair of rings with very unusual designs appeared on her palms.
As far as I knew, paired rings looked the same. But not the ones in front of me.
One ring was convex, and the other concave.
Once connected, it would take the form of the number “8”.
“Not eight. If the creator hears this, he will be upset, but these paired rings symbolize infinity.”
“Infinity…”
The traders invented all these names. Wasn’t this all a ploy to sell rings to couples?
If these rings simply symbolize ‘everlasting love,’ then I would be disappointed in the teacher.
“Of course, these aren’t simple paired rings. However, you shouldn’t just chase after functionality, Kang Han Soo. After all, there are so many things in the world that are valuable simply because of their design and brand.”
“I’ll think about such useless things later. So what are their abilities?”
Sighing, the teacher replied.
“If you and your beloved put on these rings and connect them together like yin and yang, their real power will be activated. However, you have to know that this doesn’t work between same-sex couples.”
“And if they change genders?”
“Hmm… kudos to you for thinking of something that no one else has thought of before.”
That aside, I still hadn’t heard what their real power was.
The rings would fuse a man and a woman together, would it?
“I will never give you such a crazy gift! These rings were made by a man whose wife was beaten off by his own sister. He tried to prove that the harmony between masculine and feminine principles is needed not only for reproduction.”
“What are their properties?”
I didn’t know how many times I had to ask that.
“Drug Hero, rings that are 69% romantium aren’t common. The fact that these rings are made of such a rare metal alone makes them already worth considering. I don’t know about their properties, but since such a legendary metal was used, these are definitely not ordinary rings.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
After reproaching the First Spirit for supporting the teacher, I rushed the teacher to answer me.
“I was just about to tell you about it. The First Spirit, the godmother of the entire natural world, accurately determined the composition of these rings. These rings are 69% romantium, which, depending on the wearer’s feelings, can both help and cause harm. In addition, this is a real product, not one separated by the system.”
“So, what are their properties?”
I was getting tired of waiting for an answer.
“If a man and a woman, who has cognized the harmony of yin and yang, put on these rings and connect them, they’ll be able to share each other’s abilities until one of them takes off the ring. It will also be possible for them to share their joy and pain, both physically and mentally.”
“Sharing skills…”
Now that was an entirely different story.
I still needed to think about how best to use them, but judging by the teacher’s explanations, they could be extremely useful.
There was only one problem left.
I have to do some work to get these rings.
“This isn’t a bad proposal for you at all, cadet Kang Han Soo. I know I shouldn’t say this to someone who doesn’t want to do it, but it’s an extremely honorable mission.”
“I have only one question.”
“Yes. Sure.”
“It doesn’t matter how I do it for as long as I kill Demon Lord Pedonar, right?”
“You asking that question makes me feel a little uneasy, but you’re right. The First Hero became so famous because he was able to defeat the invincible Demon Lord Pedonar. The process isn’t important. If you kill the Demon Lord, your mission will be considered complete.”
I liked everything about this deal except for the fact that I had to take on this business.
The first reward was a pass that allowed me to freely enter and exit this place.
I pretended not to need it, but it was a ticket that would grant me access to Earth even if I didn’t graduate.
The second was the paired rings, composed of 69% romantium.
If Health Teacher was telling the truth, then there were many ways that I could use them. It seemed that a strong heating pad would soon appear that would be as powerful as me.
I could dump all the work on her.
“Okay.”
I just needed to defeat my father-in-law by any means… Without having to worry about grades!
As soon as I learned that I didn’t have to care about it now, my soul became calmer.
“Cadet Kang Han Soo, you seem like you agree. I will give you the paired rings as a deposit. The pass will be given after it’s over. If you get it, you can return to Earth at any time. And come back too. I pray that you can stop the danger that threatens Fantasy.”
She clasped her hands in prayer, said goodbye to me, and left.
This time, it seemed, she didn’t pretend. She really left.
I reviewed the rings she gave me. The convex ring was for men, and the concave one was for women.
I had already decided on whom to use it on.
“Addicted Spirit.”
“Yes?”
“Put on the ring.”
I held out the concave ring to the First Spirit.
I think she was the most suitable partner for it.
She didn’t boast of fighting power, but she, like a bottomless vessel, would be able to fully accept my strength.
Plus, she had a mandate and a status that I didn’t.
“Drug Hero, for such a small and fragile spirit, such a ring is…”
“Are you a man?”
“No! No aspect of me resembles males even a little!”
“Put it on your wrist.”
If it didn’t fit because her fingers were too small, she could just wear it like a bracelet.
I had some doubts about her gender, but since she so confidently declared that she was a female, I thought there should be no problems.
“Ah! Drug Hero, you are a genius!”
The First Spirit, who had only recently been discouraged for not being able to wear it, was now smiling brightly as she put it on like a wristwatch.
But so far, there had been no changes.
That was understandable.
“Well, let’s check it out.”
I, the Righteous Hero with 65 years of experience, and the First Spirit connected our rings!
Everything changed at that moment.
***
(Good morning, Sir Hero! You look good today. Beautiful sunny weather is waiting for you outside, as if blessing you for going on a journey that will go down in history!)
The next day, like a doorbell, I was woken up by a system message.
This time there was already a pleasant female voice, as befitted the “Goddess of Fantasy.”
Just…
“Wonderful weather?”
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, which only portended a drought, but the Goddess rejoiced nonetheless. Her morals were definitely questionable.
> Reminder: Recording is in progress.
‘Hey system, have you ever heard of variety shows? This is a live performance without editing or pretenses. I want to be as honest of a hero as I can be.’
(Sir Hero! An evil dragon is living nearby. He goes by the name Snow King Eshinoff. Please punish him with the power of justice!)
Not He. Her.
They shouldn’t forget about the gender reassignment surgery I performed.
As with live broadcasting, I was required to convey accurate information to viewers and listeners without any deception.
“Drug Hero, I want more sleep,” The First Spirit said, rubbing her eyes.
“Since when did you need my permission?”
“Oh, you’re right. Is this one of the ring’s effects too? For some reason, I got the feeling that if I didn’t get your permission, I’d be breaking the law,” She spread over my head.
I shook my arms and legs to check if I was okay and then jumped out of the hotel window.
The wind spirits helped soften the landing, which was extremely polite of them.
Soon enough, a multitude of spirits gathered before me.
“Greetings, my legion. The time has come to let both demons and angels alike know who the true ruler of this world is!”
My father-in-law will have to go on the defensive.
