「Growth Condition.
Absorption Target: Dead organic entities only.
Absorption Progress: 1 / 80 Bodies.
Boss-class entities: Locked. 2/8
Absorption requires direct contact.」
For a few seconds...
I just stared at my own hand.
More specifically— at my finger... no I an... the Ring.
Right where the faint outline of the proto ring was quietly resting... as if it had always been there.
No glow. No dramatic aura. No music screaming legendary items obtained.
(Wait... actually it has always been there... what the fuck? What am I talking about.)
Well, the proto ring was just... there.
Calm.
Silent.
Suspiciously normal.
Even though it isn’t....
"...What," Seorin said slowly beside , her voice unusually empty, "...was that?"
I turned my head.
Her mouth was slightly open. Eyes frozen. Expression stuck sowhere between shock, confusion, and I’m about to question every life decision that led here.
Honestly... fair reaction.
Before I could answer—
A new window popped up beside my hand.
Not the usual blue one.
Not the sarcastic one.
This one was... slightly darker.
But still blue— but like soone lowered the brightness and added bad intentions.
And the text inside it appeared instantly.
「(≧▽≦) MORE!」
Seorin: "...."
; "...."
Seorin blinked.
I blinked.
We both slowly looked at the window... then at each other... then back at the window.
"...Did," she whispered, "...your finger just ask for seconds?"
"I... don’t think that’s the correct scientific interpretation."
I raised my hand and pointed at the goo-like ring resting on my finger.
"You an this thing. Not my finger."
I replied quietly.
Seorin: "ಠ,_｣ಠ"
While Seorin’s brain was clearly overheating, the familiar sarcastic blue window finally popped up beside my face.
Right on cue.
「(ಠ_ಠ)>⌐■-■ Wait... when did that thing gain a Window Text...」
"...Uh," I said, still staring at my finger, "just now?"
A pause.
Long.
Judgntal.
System-level disappointnt kind of pause.
「...」
Then—
「...I leave you alone for five minutes and you start evolving side characters???」
"IT’S NOT A SIDE CHARACTER," I hissed.
"IT’S THIS RING THAT I GOT ON... ARVEN CAVE!"
I ran a hand through my hair and sighed.
"Five minutes? Be serious. You an thirty seconds, ಠಿ_ಠ."
「ಠ_ಠ」
Seorin slowly raised a hand.
"...I don’t like this conversation," she said.
Honestly?
Sa.
The darker window bounced slightly in the air.
Like it was... excited.
「(≧▽≦) MORE! MORE!」
"...No," I told to the ring.
The window froze.
Silence.
Seorin leaned closer to and whispered. "...Are you... now negotiating... with your hand?"
"It isn’t my hand... It is a ring. And yea... probably i don’t know." I whispered back.
She nodded slowly.
"...Yeah. That makes sense. I hate that it makes sense."
Then suddenly— Warmth.
Not outside.
Inside.
The proto ring pulsed once against my skin... soft... slow... almost... impatient.
And for the briefest mont— An emotion slipped through that wasn’t mine.
Not hunger for food.
Not thirst.
Sothing quieter.
Sothing deeper.
Sothing like— curiosity.
I swallowed.
"...System," I muttered, "tell honestly."
A small pause.
"...Is this... normal?"
The blue window didn’t answer imdiately.
Which was already a terrible sign.
Finally, text appeared— much slower than usual.
Careful.
Like it didn’t want to be overheard.
「...No.」
My stomach dropped a little.
Seorin looked between and the window.
"...I’m guessing that’s bad?"
"...Historically," I said, "When a mysterious floating system like text says no in a quiet tone— it’s usually not great."
"...Yeah," she nodded.
"Yeah that sounds right."
"(⌐■-■) Yeah... and I don’t even know why I can tell it’s whispering."
A brief silence followed— then...
Seorin narrowed her eyes.
"Also... stop acting smart. Sothing in my stomach is telling I should hit you."
I just nodded.
The darker window wiggled again.
Still cheerful.
Still waiting.
Still patient.
「(≧▽≦) ...MORE?」
I looked down at the dozens of mole-rat corpses.
Then back at my hand.
Then at Seorin.
She stared at .
Slowly.
Suspiciously.
"...Don’t," she said.
: "I didn’t even say anything."
Seorin: "You were thinking loudly."
: "?! I wasn’t even thinking about anything.."
Seorin: "Your face has subtitles."
"ಠ益ಠ."
But the warmth in my finger... didn’t disappear.
If anything— it grew slightly stronger.
Not forcing .
Not controlling .
Just... waiting.
Like it knew this was only the beginning.
And sowhere deep in the darkness beyond our tiny circle of vision— Sothing unseen shifted again.
This ti... a little closer.
Seorin’s hand slowly rose to her chin, her brows knitting together in deep, suspicious thought.
"ಠ_ಠ ...Haha... so... how did you even get that...?" she asked, voice flat but eyes very much not calm.
I inhaled.
A long one.
Because sohow... this story will sound dumb... I know it will.
"Sooo... I took a bath in Arven Cave... saw sothing shimring... reached out... then sothing wrapped around my finger... and that was it... ಠ‿ಠ"
Silence.
"...Wow," Seorin said after a sec.
"That explanation was actually... understandable."
I didn’t know if that was praise or an insult.
Probably both.
Then her gaze slowly dropped back to my hand, eyes sharpening again.
"...The real question is... what even is that thing?"
"...It’s called a Proto-Ring," I replied, casually scanning the dark surroundings, that now feels like... it isn’t that dark anymore due to my new found skill or sothing.
Then—
"...ಠ_ಠ Ohhh, I see... you just made up sothing that sounds cool... yeah no, seriously, what is its real na?" she said instantly.
I slowly turned my head toward her.
"ಠ_ಠ..."
Her face...
She was smiling.
But not really.
It was that fake polite smile that scread...
’I don’t believe a single word coming out of your mouth Bitchass.’
(...Yeah. She definitely doesn’t believe .)
I cleared my throat awkwardly.
"Systemy... P-Proto Ring... status!"
For half a second—
Nothing happened.
Then a familiar blue window ford beside with visible disappointnt radiating off it.
「ಠ,_｣ಠ ...Si Hon... sotis... you can just say it normally... or just... whisper it」
"ಠ_ಠ... Just show it," I muttered.
Another window appeared beside the first one, text forming neatly in the air.
「Na: Proto-Bond Ring
Status: Dormant Seed (Phase 1 / 8)
Binding: Soul-Linked — Temporary Lock
Removal: Unavailable until Phase 4 / 8
Growth Condition: Absorption Target — Dead organic entities only
Absorption Progress: 0 / 80 Bodies
Boss-class entities — Locked (2 / 8)
Absorption requires direct contact.」
I slowly lifted my eyes toward Seorin.
Her expression... Was gone.
Not calm.
Not shocked.
Just—
Completely blank.
The kind of blank that ant her brain had quietly stepped outside for fresh air while spreading her arms.
"...System," I said quietly, "...can you... move it in front of her?"
The blue window tilted slightly, like it was amused.
Then it obeyed.
The status screen floated forward... drifting gently through the cold night air... until it stopped right in front of Seorin’s face.
Very close.
Too close.
Close enough that if she leaned forward one inch— She’d probably headbutt the weird system I have.
She didn’t move.
Didn’t blink.
Didn’t even breathe.
Five seconds passed.
Ten.
"...Seorin?" I asked quietly.
Her lips parted slightly.
"...I’m thinking," she whispered.
Another pause.
"...Very hard."
Then— She slowly raised one finger... and poked the floating window.
Tap.
The screen rippled like water... but didn’t break.
Her finger froze mid-air.
"...It’s solid," she said faintly.
"Yeah."
"...It’s real."
"Yeah."
"...You’re soul-linked to a corpse-eating ring."
"...When you say it like that, it sounds bad."
She turned her head toward .
Very.
Very slowly.
"It is bad..."
(Fair.)
Behind us, the darker cheerful window suddenly bounced back into view like it had been patiently waiting its turn.
「(≧▽≦) MORE!」
Seorin flinched.
Seorin; "Maybe?!"
"So... it’s great?" I said defensively.
The cheerful window wiggled faster.
Excited.
Hungry.
Waiting.
And the warmth in my finger pulsed again—
Soft.
Patient.
Expectant.
Seorin noticed.
Of course she noticed.
Her eyes dropped to my hand... then slowly lifted back to my face.
"...Don’t tell ," she said quietly, "...you’re actually considering it."
I didn’t answer.
Because honestly...
I was.
Just a little I swear.
Far beyond the scattered mole-rat corpses... deep in the darkness where our vision barely reached...
Sothing shifted again.
Closer than before.
And this ti— It didn’t feel like curiosity.
It felt like sothing had started paying attention to us.
The slightly darker window appeared again.
Right beside my hand.
Quietly.
Patiently.
Then— Text began popping up.
Not once.
Not twice.
But over... and over... and over again.
「(≧▽≦) More?」
「(≧▽≦) More?」
「(≧▽≦) More?」
「(≧▽≦) More?」
「(≧▽≦) More?」
"...Wait..." I muttered slowly.
And sohow— That was enough.
The proto ring pulsed.
Soft.
Happy.
Like it had just received permission.
"...Oh no," I whispered.
Too late.
My hand moved.
Not fast.
Not violent.
Just... decided.
My arm lunged forward toward one of the dead mole-rat corpses lying nearby— And the goo-like ring instantly stretched outward, wrapping around the body in a thin, shining layer.
Then— It tightened.
Silently.
Hungrily.
The corpse collapsed inward... dissolving... vanishing... Until nothing remained.
No flesh, bone, skin.
Just empty dirt.
A faint screen appeared.
「 0.1 STR」
"...ಠ_ಠ..."
I slowly turned my head toward Seorin.
She wasn’t even looking at .
Her entire focus was locked onto the status window floating in front of her face, eyes scanning every line like she was studying for the most traumatic exam in human history.
"...Seori—"
Before I could finish— The darker window popped again.
Right beside my finger.
Cheerful.
Unashad.
「(≧▽≦) More? Hihi」
"N—"
My arm moved again.
On its own.
Smooth.
Certain.
Like this had already been decided sowhere far above my pay grade.
Another dead mole-rat.
Another stretch of glowing goo.
Another silent, complete absorption.
Gone.
「 0.1 STR」
I froze.
Slowly lifting my eyes to the floating screen.
"...ಠ_ಠ..."
Then to the other one.
"...ಠ,_｣ಠ..."
No emotion.
No thoughts.
Just the quiet realization that— My finger had been... taken over by this thing, and it was winning.
Behind , Seorin finally spoke in a faint, distant voice.
"...The progress number... just increased again..."
Pause.
"...Si Hon..."
Another pause.
"...Why is your hand farming monsters by itself...?"
I didn’t answer.
Because honestly— I wanted to know too.
Seorin: "And... you wouldn’t believe this but..."
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