We returned to the tent with the new mattress and the box, thanks to Jung Yu-na lifting the mattress with magic, it required no effort to bring it back.
"Wow."
Pop! Pop!
As I patted the mattress with my palm, its unique elasticity pushed back against my hand.
It was so soft and cushiony, to the point where even if I hit it with all of my strength, my hand's still fine.
'Incredible.'
It felt almost disrespectful to compare it to a mere box.
After staring at the mattress for a while, I picked up the refrigerator box nearby, not to use it for myself, rather, I planned to give it to Sophia, who had complained about her uncomfortable sleeping spot.
"Excuse me. Do you want to use this box? It's big and looks brand new."
"You little—"
Thwack!
Sophia bopped my head with her cane, and the light shock made my shoulders involuntarily shrink.
"Ah, I just asked because you wanted the box earlier... You can use the mattress..."
Well, yeah.
It was right to yield the mattress to someone with physical disabilities.
As I tapped the mattress, feeling a bit disappointed deep inside my heart, Sophia plopped down on it.
"Lie down with me, the bed is big enough for two to lie down."
"Both of us?"
"Yes. We're both quite small, aren't we?"
Well, she's not wrong, from the look of it, even if the both of us lay down in it, there would still be plenty of space left on the mattress.
However, I didn't nod my head in agreement, since the idea of sharing a bed with someone I barely knew felt strange.
"But… you shouldn't sleep with someone you don't know well..."
"That's right, but now we know each other, don't we?"
"Is that so?"
We've only met yesterday, can that be considered knowing each other?
As I frowned in thought, Jung Yu-na suddenly wedged herself between us.
"Couldn't we find another mattress?"
"It's impossible. Mattresses like this one are rare, maybe I can only find one once in ten years."
"Is that so? There's a recycling area near my house too. I should check it out."
Jung Yu-na showed an awkward smile.
I watched her, then picked up a pot nearby.
"Would you like some tea?"
"Tea?"
"Yes. Dandelion flower tea is delicious."
Though she had come reluctantly, she did help us, so I felt obliged to show some gratitude.
A little dandelion flower tea wouldn't be enough, but it was a start.
I held up the well-processed dandelion flowers.
"Okay. I'll have a cup."
"Yes..."
The dandelion flower tea was running low, and with that thought in mind, I used a portable stove to brew the dandelion flower tea.
The tea, with flowers floating on top, was beautiful.
"A tea with blooming flowers."
"How pretty."
"Right...?"
After preparing three cups for Sophia, Jung Yu-na, and myself, the container holding the flower petals was empty.
I wanted to make more petals, but were there any dandelions nearby?
I sipped the tea, peering outside through a hole in the tent.
"This is better than expected—Huh?"
"Hmm?"
Sophia and Jung Yu-na, who had also sipped the tea, stared at their palms as if on cue.
They both took deep breaths and exhaled, looking somewhat perplexed.
"Why? It doesn't taste good?"
"No, it's delicious, but why is my mana…"
"Mana?"
Why suddenly talk about mana while drinking tea?
As I pondered over Jung Yu-na's odd remark, she took another sip of the tea.
"Oh?"
Her eyes widened in surprise, they were so wide open that the whites above and below her pupils were fully visible.
I couldn't ignore the fact that it was my brewed tea causing such a reaction.
"Why, what's wrong?"
"When I drink this dandelion tea, my mana increases...?"
"Hmm... Mine too."
"...What?"
Their Mana increased after drinking the tea?
How come!?
I didn't get that effect when I drank it!
Confused, I poked at the dandelion flowers floating on top of the cup.
They looked pretty but were just ordinary dandelions.
"The more I drink, the more my mana fluctuates."
"Isn't that something you should see a doctor for?"
"It's fine. It's in a positive direction."
Phew
As Sophia exhaled, blue smoke emitted from her mouth.
It was somewhat impressive, like she was breathing out a breath attack.
"It seems you have a buff-type ability."
"A buff?"
"Yes. One of the rarest abilities. In the world I came from, just having such an ability could earn one noble status."
"Wow..."
Noble status, that sounded nice.
But then I remembered belatedly that Earth wasn't a class-based society.
There must be differences between Earth and that other world.
I decided not to expect much.
Expectations only lead to greater disappointments.
A life wisdom learned through long experience.
'...But how does this buff effect come about?'
Is it something that comes through food?
Pondering this, I took another sip of the dandelion flower tea.
Jung Yu-na murmured to herself with a lively voice.
"With this much mana, maybe it's possible...?"
What was she so excited about?
Knowing her usual fierceness, I instinctively stepped back.
"I have something I want to try. Can I step out for a bit?"
"Ah, sure."
It's okay if you don't come back.
I suppressed the urge to say that aloud.
To live long in a world where a single man rivals a nation, one always needs to be careful with their words.
✧✧✧✧✧
There was a laboratory in the Daybreak Guild headquarters building, meant for guild mages.
On her way there, Jung Yu-na assessed her condition.
'Incredible.'
She just drank a single cup of tea, but the increase in her mana capacity is as staggering as 30 percent!
What was even more astonishing was that the buff given by the child could be stacked with other buff potions.
Each buff normally applies only once, but this ignored the usual rules.
With this amount of mana, it might be possible to create a magical tool that was only theoretical until now.
'Did she put something else in the tea?'
There was much to explore and confirm.
As Jung Yu-na hurried to the lab, she spotted familiar faces at the end of the hallway.
Kang Jinho, the guild master, and her colleague, Han Yeoreum.
And there were Encia, the wolf beast-kin, and Argo, the lizard man, who had been guarding the child.
"Guild Master?"
Kang Jinho walked down the hallway with an unusually upbeat mood, which stunned Jung Yu-na.
"Yuna."
Han Yeoreum, spotting Jung Yu-na, hurried over to her.
Despite her destructive powers, her appearance was quite cute.
Jung Yu-na thought so privately.
"Yeoreum, what's going on?"
"Oh, it's because of Gyeoul."
"Oh? Gyeoul?"
"Yes. We've formed an alliance with the beast-kin tribes of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for taking good care of Gyeoul. It ended quite positively."
"Oh my."
An alliance with the beast-kin, who lived hidden in the forest and ignored even the government's call.
It could be considered the first of its kind in South Korea, perhaps even the world officially.
Unofficially, that might be a different story.
"The beast-kin will also provide technical support. Isn't that amazing?"
"That's really incredible..."
The reason the forest-dwelling beast-kin were treated as VIPs in modern society was because of their unique technology.
"Gyeoul really is a blessing."
"I know... And I've only been mean to the kid."
"Oh, well... there's plenty of time to make up for it."
"Yeah. I'll try to do better slowly."
Jung Yu-na sighed deeply.
Between the buff effect and the alliance with the beast-kin, she had intended to help but ended up receiving more instead.
Closing her eyes, Jung Yu-na reflected on what she needed to do.
She decided to use her increased mana to create a magical tool for the child.
✱✱✱
"Hehe."
This is so cushy.
I lay idly on the mattress.
I had work to do, but the softness of the mattress was too inviting to move.
It was a level of comfort I hadn't felt in years, perhaps making me even lazier.
"You little rascal, when do you plan to train?"
"Just, just a little longer, I want to lie down more."
I buried my face in the mattress, whining like a child.
Then Sophia grabbed my arm, trying to pull me up.
I resisted, not wanting to be pulled away, but Sophia was stronger than I anticipated and I couldn't overpower her.
"Get up quickly."
"Yes..."
I wanted to savor the softness a bit longer.
Reluctantly, I got up from the mattress, smacking my lips with disappointment.
At that moment, Sophia, seemingly thirsty, poured water from a kettle into a cup.
"By the way, where do we get water? There doesn't seem to be a suitable place nearby to get drinking water."
Gulp—
Saying this, Sophia drank the water.
She must have been very thirsty, as she drank it all in one go.
Aren't sharks supposed to drink saltwater?
I chuckled inwardly at such a pointless thought.
"I–I fetched it from the pond."
"Pfftt–!!"
Was there something strange about what I said?
Sophia spat out the water she was drinking into the air, and then coughed with tears welled up in her eyes.
'Huh?'
It was a pond filled with expensive purification items.
The pond, home to fish and despite looking dirty, actually contained water clean enough to drink directly.
So, it couldn't be that the water was dirty. Did she choke on it?
I'm not sure of the reason, but I decided to pat her back anyway. After all, having water stuck in your throat can be extremely uncomfortable.