It might have taken half a day to get to the village in carriages, but they needed four days of solid walking for the return trip home.

Maria didn't even bother to say anything and headed straight to her temple. Even if the adverse reaction was small, a Ceremony was still a Ceremony at the end of the day. She mentioned that she needed to pray and recuperate in a temple the god resides in order to prevent her from taking on potential losses.

On the other hand, Mikhail and Veronika looked as if they didn't want to part ways just like that. It was pretty obvious why they would feel that way; the abilities, judgment, and overall actions and behavior of Seol Jihu during the request itself had left a deep impression on them.

It was difficult to estimate just how much he'd grow in the future when considering how amazing he was as a Level 2. They would lose nothing by getting close to him now. After all, who knew what would happen in the future?

Mikhail had finished with his mental calculations and made a friendly suggestion of sharing a few cold ones together. He said that he'd pay for the drinks as a gesture of thanks for saving his and Veronika's lives.

Seol Jihu also busily tinkered with his internal abacus. He did feel this before, and even now it hadn't really changed; these guys weren't really up to his liking. However, their abilities should get a decent boost after reaching Level 4. If he thought about the future, then it would not be such a bad idea to get friendly with them. Most importantly, though, the free-alcohol-loving Chohong gave numerous hints of wanting to go, so he had no choice but to say yes.

On that day, Seol Jihu did as the pub advertised and ate, drank, and thoroughly enjoyed himself until he was nearly drunk out of his mind. He sang loudly and cheerfully with Chohong as they returned back to the office. He took a much deserved refreshing shower and laid down on his back on the bed. Having slept on the hard, unforgiving ground for a few nights in a row, this modest bed suddenly came across as the softest...