I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City

56 – Monolith -4-

Rohan. I have a canteen with about a sip left. It’s shameful and something to reflect on that we didn’t replenish our water supply before leaving the academy city, but…

This is a place where the availability of food and water is uncertain.

So let’s collect urine while our bodies are still healthy and not dehydrated.

That was the meaning behind Sion’s words.

Indeed.

Normally, given the situation, one would have to squeeze out shallow knowledge and seriously ponder over those words.

But Rohan is fine.

Because there’s a shop.

In Abyss City, it would have been a skill that ended with replenishing unused consumables depending on proficiency and control. In the dungeon that became reality, it became a skill that shone brilliantly.

Even the monsters they had dealt with on the way were enough to provide the girls with food and water.

Having the shop skill was truly a human rights character in the dungeon. The bottled water Shion was worried about could be purchased for 2P.

As soon as Shion finished speaking, a hand tugged at his collar.

“Brother…”

Clara, who had brought her lower body together and made pigeon-toed legs, was trembling and looked like she was about to cry.

Even with such a reaction, she seemed determined to move according to the decision, which was commendable.

In fact, Clara’s reaction was cute and amusing, so he thought about watching a little longer.

But he had a hunch that playing around with this would cause trouble. Rohan quickly made a decision.

“Shion. The water is fine, so go with Clara. There’s a way.”

“Got it.”

“I-I’ll be back…!”

Shion accepted without a word. He started moving, looking around for a safe place.

Clara, with a flushed face, glanced back at Rohan and followed Shion.

“If anything happens, shoot or scream!”

The two girls signaled their understanding with their own big and small gestures.

Rohan turned around and opened the shop. He scrolled down and purchased the item located at the very bottom.

[Purchased bottled water.]

He reached into the shimmering void and pulled out a cool bottle of water.

The bottled water he bought for the first time was a plastic bottle without a label, and its size was 500ml.

Rohan felt relieved and satisfied with the shop skill working without any problems.

“We can’t go on without eating for a few days.”

It’s not like there are many people to take care of in the dungeon. The expected time to escape isn’t long enough to be counted in months either.

It’s also beneficial for Rohan himself to make sure the two girls maintain their best condition.

“If I just give them a light hint, they’ll understand. Both of them are tight-lipped too.”

Besides, it’s not like he can hide it from Clara and Sion forever.

Thinking about the future, that is.

[ +1P ]

[ +1P ]

[ +1P ]

Rohan let out a hollow laugh at the notification window that popped up while he was deep in thought.

“How far have they gone?”

A small noise that wouldn’t be caught if he didn’t focus. Just hearing it brought in points, as if they had caught a monster.

The girls who had left their posts lightly made up for the resources they had consumed.

How long had Rohan been standing in the shade, avoiding the sunlight?

Sion and Clara appeared, looking unscathed.

“Nothing happened, right?”

“There were monsters, but they were weak, so it wasn’t a problem.”

“.”

Clara’s expression, with her mouth closed, was a mix of relief and an indescribable embarrassment.

Rohan wanted to comfort her, saying it was natural and okay, but he feared that might be more harmful to the girl’s heart, so he handed the water he was holding to Sion instead.

“Ta-da, here’s the drinking water.”

“It feels like I was only gone for a few minutes… Impressive. No visible impurities or foreign substances.”

To Sion’s naked eye, it was clean water. When he opened the lid, there was no particular smell either.

Watching the girl go through the process of verification, Rohan confessed the truth.

“It’s my skill. We won’t run out of food or water until we escape.”

“!”

“…You have an incredible ability.”

“But I can’t produce it indefinitely. There’s a cost.”

“Of course. Even so, thank you for revealing your skill.”

“Brother. Thank you…”

For Clara, it was literally a narrow escape from death. Just thinking about it made her dizzy, but it was a huge relief.

Regardless of anything else, how could she endure the embarrassment of Rohan drinking his own urine?

Rohan urged them to move again and added a word to the girls.

“Even if you’re thirsty, there’s no need to conserve it to that extent. Keep your condition as good as possible.”

“Okay!”

“Got it.”

In this regard, Sion and Clara were quick-witted.

They wouldn’t ask what the cost of depletion was unless Rohan mentioned it first.

Nor would they ask whether he created this water or took it out from stored items.

They knew well that probing into someone’s skill was not good manners.

They considered breaking through in a straight line to the target point to save time.

However, if they couldn’t shake off these monsters and got swarmed by dozens or hundreds of them, even these two couldn’t guarantee a complete victory, so they dismissed the idea.

The party moved steadily and quickly.

As the three of them continued on their way, the monsters gradually grew stronger.

Their numbers also began to increase.

“Hup!”

Boom!!! The refrigerator, which had been walking on vines, was smashed to pieces by Sion’s three-section staff and rolled away.

[+2P]

At some point, the point gain also increased from 1 to 2.

It must be influenced by the level of the monsters.

“Look at this. The parasitic form is explicit.”

Sion called the two over as he looked at the now inactive monster. The refrigerator door had flown off, revealing the inside clearly.

The vines extended inside like blood vessels. The invisible internal components were probably the same.

Activating the product without an electricity supply and launching strange attacks, there was no word other than “monster” to describe it.

“It’s not an ordinary plant, but a type of monster.”

Rohan actually knew.

The name of this plant-type monster was Parasitic Ivy. As the name suggests, it was a parasitic vine.

Its strength varied depending on what object it settled on, but of course, there were limits.

After finishing his appreciation, Sion wiped the sweat flowing from the heat and put the rod away.

He voiced the speculation he had been thinking about.

“And this is just a personal feeling, but it seems like something is trying to stop us from going this way.”

“It does feel like we’re heading straight to the center.”

“Oh, it looks like the place you first suggested, oppa, is the right one…!”

Rohan affirmed without dismissing the flawed speculation.

At times like this, maintaining positive morale and atmosphere is important.

Besides, this path is indeed the right one.

“….”

It had been over five hours since they fell into the dungeon.

The heat still lingered in this space. It was certain that it had exceeded 40 degrees at some point.

Step. Step. Step.

The three of them moved diligently without stopping.

Sweat dripped from the tips of Rohan and Sion’s hair due to repeated battles.

Even Clara, who doesn’t usually feel the heat, started to sweat a little.

“Oppa.”

“Yes?”

“Well, it’s just a thought…”

“Feel free to speak.”

It was rare for Clara to voice her opinion like this.

Rohan listened with a smile even as he sweated, while Clara fidgeted and looked at the sky.

“Here… it seems like the sun doesn’t move…”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true. Quite some time has passed, hasn’t it?”

Sion also felt something was strange and looked up.

‘It never showed the time. Smart.’

Rohan wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and looked up at the sun hanging in the sky.

As they said, this world is a place where the sun never sets.

Just as he decided to affirm Clara’s guess.

Rohan, focusing on the current situation, recalled a curiosity he had buried in his consciousness.

‘But why is this dungeon related to Solarea?’

It was something he had never thought about when playing as the protagonist.

He had skipped over the speculation posts written by users since they weren’t certain.

But since Rohan himself was now entangled with Solarea, he couldn’t ignore it.

‘It’s related to the nation, but we haven’t moved to the south…’

Rohan pondered over the related information.

For some reason, the temple where he first opened his eyes came to mind. He remembered it without rejecting the background.

A country that worships the sun. As he continued to ponder the connection with Solarea.

[ Rohan’s story is now unlocked. ]

Perception and awareness.

The anomaly appeared based on Rohan’s recognition of the situation.

Ah…

The sentence seeped into his mind.

It urged him to repeat it out loud, to make it certain.

When the dark tribes committed their persistent sins, we were convinced.

Murmurs spilled from Rohan’s lips.

The girls turned their heads.

Brother?

Hmm?

Sion and Clara’s gazes focused on him, not understanding the sudden words.

But Rohan was still staring blankly at the sky.

…They are afraid of this power.