The dungeon boss had been reduced to smoldering ash a while ago, and the final loot shimmered under the fading dungeon lights.
Johee stood in the center of the clearing, twirling in her newly acquired Robe of Forest—a rare drop from the boss they'd just wiped off the map. It shimmered with hues of deep emerald and golden veins, the hem decorated in delicate leaf-like embroidery that fluttered with her every movement. Jinwoo hadn't said anything yet, but damn, she looked unfair in it.
In her hand was the staff he'd handed her earlier—a sleek, rune-inscribed piece pulsing with gentle green light. He'd simply said, "Figured you'd like it," when he gave it to her. No mention of where it came from. And Johee, still unsure how this man had everything, decided not to ask.
She looked at it with quiet awe, then at him. "You're sure it's okay to give me this? This feels like something straight out of an S-rank treasure vault."
Jinwoo was crouched nearby behind a rock, suspiciously focused on something. "Totally fine. It's… one of my spares."
Behind the rock, Fenror the Mimic glared at him while being forcibly shoved into his inventory like a grumpy, gurgling suitcase.
"Get in the box, you bootleg chest-puppy," Jinwoo hissed. "You tried to bite my girl's leg. That's an instant vacation."
Fenror squeaked in indignant protest—and blink! vanished into digital containment.
He dusted his hands and turned back to Johee, eyes glinting with mischief. "Now… where were we?"
Johee raised a brow. "You were crouching behind a rock for no reason."
"Oh no, it was a very noble reason. I was protecting the realm… from a jealous, tongue-happy mimic."
She rolled her eyes, adjusting the robe. "You're ridiculous."
"I'm also heroic, smart, and devastatingly attractive. But I understand if your lips haven't caught up yet."
She blinked. "Caught up?"
He grinned, stepping closer. "Just wondering if they plan on doing something reckless again soon. Like stealing mine."
Johee looked away, trying to hide her smile.
Together, they stepped through the collapsing dungeon gate. Light flared around them as the space tore open, and the two emerged into the real world once more.
It was around 4 PM. The spring sun bathed the city in a soft golden light. Johee let out a breath and turned to him—
Only to freeze as Jinwoo suddenly spun toward her with an unreadable expression.
"I want to tell you something."
She blinked. "Okay?"
-------
He pulled out a small black box from seemingly thin air. The lid flipped open, revealing a gleaming emerald-green ring, its gem glowing faintly like it had a heartbeat of its own. The band was slim, silver-laced with mana circuits, and incredibly intricate. A faint projection flickered above it—Aria's UI rotating like a hologram.
Johee stood frozen, eyes wide, mouth slightly open.
[JINWOO HAS ACTIVATED: "DROP-THE-KNEE.EXE"]
[Analyzing situation… High probability of romance. 99.87%. Chance of rejection: negligible. Chance of her sobbing adorably: medium. Chance of Jinwoo fumbling speech: 0%. He's too smooth.]
Jinwoo looked up at her, eyes gentle but still dancing with his usual cocky warmth.
"Johee," he said, voice softer now, "before this raid, I know you were scared… scared I'd disappear. Or that this wasn't real."
She swallowed.
He smiled. "But after everything we've faced, every smile you've stolen, and every time I find myself flirting with you just to see you blush—"
[CONFIRMED: System registers 143 flirts in the last 3 hours. Would you like a highlight reel?]
"—I've decided I'm not letting you go. Not tomorrow. Not ever."
Her hands flew to her mouth, eyes misting. "Jinwoo…"
He lifted the ring slightly
She blinked at the ring again, the soft emerald gleam glowing gently against her skin.
"What… is this, exactly?" Johee asked softly, lifting her hand to study the band. "It's not just a ring, is it?"
Jinwoo chuckled, slipping his hands into his pockets, cocky and casual.
"You could say… it's your new personal bodyguard, assistant, battle coach, emergency healer, and digital gremlin—all rolled into one."
Johee gave him a look that said: Stop being vague and hot, and start explaining.
He sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine. Her name's Aria. She's an AI—Artificial Intelligence."
Johee blinked. "AI? Like… from sci-fi movies? Those don't even exist yet."
"They do now," he winked. "Well, she does. She's a quantum neural net built from memory, integrated into the ring, fused with mana-circuits and holo-projectors. Basically, she's smarter than most governments and sassier than me."
[HELLO JOHEE. I AM ARIA. PLEASE IGNORE HIM. I'M THE RESPONSIBLE ONE.]
Johee flinched as the glowing projection hovered from the ring—a sleek, minimal UI spinning gently in the air, displaying real-time vitals, mana flow, combat simulations, and a mini version of herself waving awkwardly.
"W-What the hell?" she whispered, stepping back in stunned awe. "This is… this is impossible."
Jinwoo leaned down beside her ear and grinned. "So was falling for me. Yet here we are."
Johee stared at the HUD as Aria ran through a quick diagnostic, then mapped her body's mana flow into a rotating model.
"This… this is years, decades ahead of anything on Earth," she whispered. "How—how do you have this?"
Jinwoo gave a lopsided smile, half-shadowed under the golden sky. "Let's just say… I don't play by Earth's rules anymore."
Johee turned, searching his face. "Are you even real?"
He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Very real. Slightly on fire. Possibly magic. Madly in love. Choose whichever sounds sexiest."
[NOTE: HE IS CURRENTLY RUNNING ON 76% FLIRT ENERGY.]
Johee laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. "You're ridiculous."
"And now you're stuck with me," he said brightly.
[ERROR: TOO LATE TO UNINSTALL.]
Johee laughed through her tears.
"Will you be mine?" he asked simply.
She didn't answer immediately.
She just knelt, too, right there on the pavement, and kissed him.
[ACTION DETECTED: LIP-TO-LIP COLLISION. FINALLY.]
[JINWOO HAS UNLOCKED: ACHIEVEMENT - "SHE SAID YES WITH HER FACE"]
When they finally broke apart, breathless, Johee rested her forehead against his.
"Yes," she whispered. "Obviously, yes, you idiot."
He slid the ring on her finger, and a soft green glow pulsed.
[ARIA ACTIVATED: USER "JOHEE" NOW ONLINE. WELCOME, WIFE PROTOTYPE 1.]
Johee blinked. "She's... snarkier than I expected."
Jinwoo chuckled. "Oh, you haven't even seen her sarcasm settings yet."
They stood hand in hand, eyes locked for a moment.
Johee eventually smiled, cheeks still flushed. "So… do I get an owner's manual for you too?"
Jinwoo smirked. "Nope. But I'm user-friendly and come with unlimited cuddles."
[DISCLAIMER: MAY ALSO COME WITH CHAOS, BAD JOKES, AND FATAL FLIRTING.]
---
As they walked down the street toward her apartment, the soft projections faded from the ring but left behind a faint warmth on her finger. A feeling of connection.
And safety.
They paused outside her building.
Neither moved.
Johee turned, hesitant. "If you want to come up, I—"
Jinwoo shook his head gently. "Not yet."
"Why?" she asked, eyes a little softer now.
"Because next time… I want it to be the kind of night we'll both remember forever," he said. "Not just a reward for surviving a dungeon."
She blushed deep, lips twitching. "You keep talking like that and I will drag you upstairs."
He leaned down, pecked her lips one last time, and grinned. "Promises, promises."
---
As she disappeared inside, the street quiet again, Jinwoo exhaled.
Then:
[THE TIME IS NOW 5:00 PM. INITIATING: PENALTY ZONE.]
[EMOTIONAL STATE: "FLOATING IN THE CLOUDS, READY TO DROP METEORS."]
[SYSTEM NOTES: CURRENTLY TOO HAPPY TO BE MERCIFUL. SORRY, PENALTY MONSTERS.]
The world warped, colors shifting, the ground falling away beneath him.
Jinwoo grinned wide as the fire crackled around his hands.
"Let's go melt something."
------
Author's Note – Chapter 26: "Alchemy and Algorithms"
Ahhh, this chapter was a ride. From smoldering dungeon bosses to a mimic getting punted into timeout, to Jinwoo's "totally casual not-proposal" (with 76% flirt energy), this one was a soft yet spicy turning point. Johee's growth, her reaction to Aria, and her trust in Jinwoo hit me right in the feels.
The AI reveal was especially fun to write—because in this world, AI doesn't exist yet. So Johee's awe and confusion felt earned. And let's be real, if someone gave you a sarcastic, battle-ready, sassy little holo-gremlin as a gift? You'd marry them too.
Also: shoutout to Aria for once again stealing the scene. If Jinwoo's the smooth-talking chaos gremlin, she's the digital disaster manager with zero filter.
Next chapter, we dive straight into another Penalty Zone—but this time, Jinwoo's high on romance and ready to rain lava-flavored affection on monsters. Buckle up.
Until then—stay dangerous, stay dramatic, and remember: flirting is a weapon.
– Author....