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“Aren’t you the administrator?” Tafel asked, glaring at the flaming woman who was walking alongside her. However, Gaegukja Yeol’s feet didn’t make any noise because she was floating an inch off the ground. Tafel turned her head, looking back at the massive stone door the group had just walked past. “Is it alright for you to leave the testing area?”
“Absolutely,” Gaegukja Yeol said and dipped her flaming finger into a jar of honey. She scooped a string of amber liquid out and hooked it into her mouth. “The test ends in three days. I’ll go back before it ends and pass or fail the rest.”
“Oh, were we not going to bump into Hyeonnam Tokki on the way out?” Lindyss asked, looking around. “I made a gift for him.”
Gaegukja Yeol raised an eyebrow. “What kind of gift? People are usually terrified of their guides, so they don’t tend to leave them gifts, and when they do, they aren’t pleasant ones.”
“I made him a coat,” Lindyss said. “I’m actually a pretty famed craftsman back at home. Dragons wear my work all the time.”
A root shifted to the side, and a skeletal rabbit wearing a cowboy hat and tall boots appeared. “You made me a coat?”
“Yep,” Lindyss said and reached into her pocket. She retrieved a sleek black coat with an inner fur lining. “I even added hooks and levers you can adjust to imitate having flesh.”
Hyeonnam Tokki hopped out from behind the root and walked the last few steps to approach Lindyss. He stared up at her, and the cursed elf smiled down at him. “Lift your front legs up,” Lindyss said. “I’ll help you put it on.”
Hyeonnam Tokki looked around, but no one gave him any advice. Well, the elf had already eaten him and brought him back as a freak of nature, so what else could she possibly do? The skeletal rabbit raised his front legs, and Lindyss crouched down to put the coat on the rabbit. With a few deft movements of her hands, she was done. She smoothed the fabric out and stood up, getting a better view of her handiwork.
“Cute,” Gaegukja Yeol said.
“Are those enchantment lines?” Tafel asked, leaning over to get a better look. “Did you weave mithril threads in there?” She blinked and made eye contact with Lindyss. “I didn’t know you could do that.”
“I learned it recently,” Lindyss said. She nodded at the coat’s movements as Hyeonnam Tokki whirled around and hopped a few times to get a better look at himself. “It’s my first time using the technique to actually make something. I figured since the coat was going to be small, and I had the perfect materials on hand, why not try and make an enchanted coat?” She squatted down and twirled the skeletal rabbit around to view it from different angles. “With this coat, you’ll have increased resistance to lightning, and since the material compatibility is so high, your mental resistance should increase as well.”
“Material compatibility?” Hyeonnam Tokki asked. “Is that an undead thing? I’ve never heard about it before….” Hyeonnam Tokki stopped talking as he stared at the insides of his new coat, one paw holding it open with his head and neck bent downwards towards his chest. “But, uh…,”—Hyeonnam Tokki raised his head to look at Lindyss, his paw still holding his coat open, revealing the fluffy fur inside—“what, uh, materials did you use?”
“Some molted basilisk skin, some mithril threads, some rabbit fur,” Lindyss said. “Nothing too fancy. You don’t have to worry about returning a gift of equal value or anything if that’s what you were concerned about.”
Hyeonnam Tokki glanced back down at the rabbit fur lining the inside of his new coat. He recognized the fur. Did he really want to know why? The skeletal rabbit took in a deep breath. “Is it my rabbit fur?”
A wrinkle appeared on Lindyss’ forehead. “If it was in my pocket, why would it be your—? Oh. Yeah. It’s your fur, yeah.”
“Is this a custom of sorts in your dimension?” Hyeonnam Tokki asked and released the flap of his coat, letting it settle into place. “Because here, in the tower, doing things like this is not cool.”
Lindyss shrugged and held out her hand. “If you don’t like it, I’ll gladly take it back.”
“I didn’t say that,” Hyeonnam Tokki said and retreated, hugging himself to keep the coat closer to his skeleton. “Thank you for the gift and for returning part of me.”
“Thought so,” Lindyss said and stood up. “Are you going to come with us through the tower?”
“Honestly, I rather not,” Hyeonnam Tokki said with a sigh. “I’ve been feeling pretty down lately ever since I was eaten. I was planning on handing in this mission and taking a break for a while.”
“Don’t let dying put you in a bad mood,” Gaegukja Yeol said. “It happens to everyone eventually. You should be ecstatic you’ve been given a second chance.”
“You try being ecstatic when someone skins you and turns your hide into a coat,” Hyeonnam Tokki said and grumbled.
“I see dying has made you more courageous as well,” Gaegukja Yeol said. “It’s not every day a Hyeonnam talks back to a Gaegukja.”
“Well, most Hyeonnams are afraid of death,” the skeletal rabbit said. He sidled over to Lindyss and nudged her shin. “Gaegukja Yeol seems to be oddly enamored by your group. If you keep her around, she’ll be much more useful than me when it comes to forming tower-climbing strategies and establishing connections. How about you let me go and take her instead? I’m just a weak little rabbit with no meat on his bones.”
“Not everyone can achieve the title of Hyeonnam,” Gaegukja Yeol said and smiled at the undead rabbit. “Don’t downplay your achievements.” The flaming woman looked at Lindyss. “If I’m not mistaken, this cute little guy used to be called the Hope Extinguisher.”
Hyeonnam Tokki cleared his throat upon seeing Tafel’s and Lindyss’ gazes landing on him. “Those were different times. Let’s talk about something else like, uh, what to expect when entering the tower.”
Thanks for the chapter!
Such an evil bunny…