Chapter 109: The Protective Seal

Even so, Qiu Nuoya felt that he should have developed at least a little more muscle. Unfortunately, his body did not seem particularly inclined to build muscle.

It was not as though his lack of muscle caused him any particular problems, but Qiu Nuoya still admired a well trained physique.

"You. What are you planning to do to Nuoya?"

At those words, Warren’s body was suddenly pulled backward. He hurriedly turned around to see who was standing behind him.

"Viktor! Igor, welcome back too! How’s the dungeon exploration going?"

The person standing behind Warren was Viktor, with Igor behind him. The two of them had been staying in the dungeon for the past several days, so Qiu Nuoya had expected them to be gone for a few more days. Their return was a pleasant surprise.

"We still have a long way to go, but for now, we’ve managed to install a teleportation magic circle up to the forty eighth floor. So we’re almost there."

"Wow, that’s amazing! We’re almost at the fiftieth floor!"

When they had first arrived in the city, Dungeon Castle only had teleportation magic circles installed up to the fortieth floor. Since then, Viktor had been steadily working on installing additional ones.

Naturally, installing a teleportation magic circle in the dungeon meant they had to clear each floor while progressing deeper into the dungeon. Apparently, the process was quite exhausting.

Qiu Nuoya had never been below the fortieth floor, so he was extremely curious about what the deeper floors were like.

Incidentally, the four of them had once ventured together as far as the fortieth floor. Since teleportation magic circles had already been installed up to that point, Qiu Nuoya had initially thought of the trip as something of a sightseeing excursion.

It quickly became clear that the fortieth floor was not a place for sightseeing.

The monsters that appeared there were on an entirely different level of strength.

They had somehow managed to clear the fortieth floor, but Qiu Nuoya had done little more than hold Viktor and Igor back. Realizing just how inadequate his own abilities were, he had stayed behind ever since while the two of them continued exploring the deeper floors.

Qiu Nuoya certainly possessed a talent for magic, a cheat like ability granted to him by the gods. However, there was nothing he could do about his lack of experience.

In dungeon combat, even a momentary mistake in judgment could lead to death. Qiu Nuoya had learned that lesson firsthand. For now, he was dedicating himself entirely to gaining more combat experience.

"Warren passed his test, and the two of you are back too, so I have to make an extra special feast tonight!"

"Oh, Wareen, you passed the test? Good job." Igor ruffled Warren’s hair vigorously and congratulated him. Yet Warren, who had been so excited moments ago, suddenly became as quiet as a cat that had been caught doing something wrong.

"Oh, right. Warren, earlier you said there was something you wanted to tell me..."

"Ahhh! Another time! I’ll tell you another time!"

Qiu Nuoya tilted his head as Warren began fidgeting in obvious panic. "What was he so flustered about?"

"Nuoya." Hearing his name, Qiu Nuoya turned his attention away from the two who were still fooling around and looked toward the voice.

There stood Viktor, the beautiful mage who showed absolutely no signs of aging, gazing at him with a gentle smile.

Qiu Nuoya and Warren had changed considerably in appearance over the past three years since they were both still growing. Viktor, however, had not changed at all.

Even Viktor’s longtime partner, Igor, had begun to develop a more mature, weathered charm, but Viktor had not changed by even the slightest amount. It was almost as though time itself had stopped around him.

"I’m home."

"Welcome home, Viktor. You must be tired. I’ll get dinner ready right away, so go rest with everyone." As Qiu Nuoya said that and started toward the kitchen, Viktor gently lifted a lock of his hair.

Over the past three years, Qiu Nuoya’s hair had grown down to the middle of his back. Sometimes it got in the way, but for some reason, he had continued letting it grow.

Besides, people in this world believed that magical power resided in one’s hair, so most mages kept their hair long. Qiu Nuoya figured that following the local custom would help him avoid standing out.

"What is it?"

"I want to check your protective seal."

"Oh." Qiu Nuoya nodded and lifted his hair. A magical sigil created by Viktor was engraved on his body from the nape of his neck down across his back, resembling a tattoo. Since the mark was on his back, Qiu Nuoya could not see it clearly himself, but apparently it consisted of a tree like pattern drawn in white lines.

It was a protective seal meant to keep Qiu Nuoya safe. It had never activated before, so he did not know exactly what would happen when it did. However, Viktor had explained that the magic would activate if Qiu Nuoya were harmed, while simultaneously informing Viktor that something had happened to him.

As for why Qiu Nuoya had ended up with such a protective seal engraved on his body, that was a long story.

The biggest reason was simply that Viktor refused to leave his side. Three years had passed since they arrived in the dungeon city of Oraria.

Qiu Nuoya’s safety had been guaranteed because Viktor had accepted the Guild Master’s request. However, although Viktor had accepted the request, he had made absolutely no effort to complete it.

The reason was extremely simple. There was no deadline. As far as Viktor was concerned, he was free to complete the request whenever he pleased, and nobody had any right to complain about it.

It was true that the Guild Master’s request did not specify any deadline. After all, clearing a dungeon that only high ranking adventurers could enter, finding the dungeon core, and installing teleportation magic circles were not tasks that could be completed easily.

Still, that did not mean it was right to make absolutely no attempt to work on the request.

After all, they were already enjoying the reward for accepting the request, namely having their living expenses and safety guaranteed. Refusing to do any of the actual work would basically be fraud.