You all should respect me.
I am the champion of the National Kendo Championship, and recently I also won in the Infinity Arena.
At the same time, I have never dropped from the top tier since starting Inbl.
At this point, it’s not an exaggeration to say I’m the best assassin user.
Also, I am a legal adult, and I can prove this with the ID in my wallet.
Although I may look young on the outside, the fact that I’m over 20 years old does not change.
So, so…
Can you guys back off a little?
It feels too close.
“Da-eun’s hair is really nice. What shampoo do you use?”
“Something cheap I found online…”
“OMG. That’s a crime. You should use better stuff for hair like that. What a waste if it gets damaged. How about conditioner?”
“I usually get it together with shampoo. It’s usually discounted as a set…”
“I seriously might have to report you. I think I’m getting jealous right now.”
This is no good.
I can’t possibly ask them to back off.
I am San-sae. So I was trapped in the embrace of Kim Sin-ah.
It’s not like anything physical is happening. It’s just that we are so close our bodies are touching.
Moreover, Sin-ah was gently fixing my hair.
Yet, the reason I feel like I’m tied up with ropes… is because of the soft parts touching my back.
I can’t even describe this.
I felt my face heat up, so I just barely lowered my head.
After all, I’m also a guy. I don’t dislike it… but it feels wrong to fully enjoy it.
I felt my energy draining away from the guilt of my conscience.
What if I melt away like this?
“Can I touch your cheek?”
“Sure…”
“Ugh, I knew it. Your skin is like a baby’s. It’s so soft, it feels great. You haven’t put on any base makeup, right?”
“Just some lotion.”
“How is the world this unfair?”
San-sae’s hand rubbed against my cheek.
She squeezed my cheek with her fingers, then stretched her index finger along my face.
In the meantime, Elderin began to braid my hair neatly.
Looking at the atmosphere, it seems like no one is thinking of rescuing me.
Elderin is focused on her delicate task.
Dol-gwal’s uncle is just watching with the eyes of a dad looking at his daughters.
If I ask for help, he’d probably just chuckle and say, “Haha.”
As for Sulbbang… I don’t know. He seems just as clueless as me.
He glances over but seems too timid to approach me.
So, a savior had to appear from outside.
Just when I felt like all my energy was being sucked out of me…
The restaurant staff came in, and it was a breath of fresh air.
“The meat you ordered is here. This cut is…”
The tray they brought in was filled with tempting meat.
The white marbling spread between the red meat drew in my gaze.
Indeed, expensive restaurants grill the meat for you.
They explained how to eat this cut for the best flavor, how to dip it in the carefully made sauce.
Stimulated by primal instincts, I felt drool pooling at the corners of my mouth.
Elderin… or rather, Serin glanced at my face and smiled softly.
I must have shown how much I liked it.
The host of today’s gathering, looking proud, suggested,
“Shall we eat first?”
“Sure!”
*
Right now, my taste buds are more sensitive than before.
I can detail the rich taste of the melted fat and the flavor seeping deep into the lean meat.
So, the beef was delicious.
I forgot to maintain my expression, and my lips curled into a wide smile.
I understand why women love food adventures.
If I could feel such happiness every meal, I’d also be obsessed with finding new restaurants.
However, alongside this heightened sensitivity, there was one thing that became weaker.
“Ih… Haa. Hooo.”
I can’t handle hot food anymore.
Unlike the time when I could eat anything, now I have to blow on hot soups a couple of times before I can eat them.
I took a spoonful of the salty soybean paste stew into my mouth.
The orange broth dampened my tongue, and I slurped the spoon just to make sure I didn’t spill any.
After swallowing that fluffy white rice, I couldn’t help but smile again.
In such happiness, there is one thing that must not be missed.
“How many bottles of alcohol should we order? Can Da-eun drink?”
“I told you, I’m an adult.”
“Hmm…”
Everyone had a doubtful expression on their faces.
I’m serious, though.
The doubts surrounding me were put to rest once I pulled out my ID.
I, Han Da-eun, am 23 this year, and I’ve aged three more years.
As the mood grew more relaxed, the ordered alcohol arrived, and I felt a buzz in my head.
San-sae… Sin-ah’s embrace felt warm.
I loved the way her arms wrapped around me like a hug, so I placed my hand on top of hers.
It was warmth. The kind of warmth I had longed for.
The kind of warmth only felt between people finally came to me.
It was so much warmer than the hot water from the shower.
As my body warmed up, there was something that bothered me a bit.
It was Sulbbang. It seems that women are more comfortable with me, and here I am, snuggled up in San-sae’s arms.
The shy Sulbbang seemed unable to find the opportunity to speak.
That won’t do.
I’m feeling really good!
This hyung will give you a chance to talk.
“By the way, what’s the plan for next season? Especially Sulbbang, you were originally getting into siege wars, right?”
“Oh, I was just a subcontractor mercenary guild, you know?”
“Yeah. It’s hard to go solo, but that doesn’t mean you’re weak. Hehe, it’s because the guild leader is weak.”
“Crazy. I’m strong enough!”
“I don’t think so. Prove it with strength.”
“Thinking about it, maybe I am weak.”
Sulbbang laughed after saying that.
It was so funny that I laughed too.
“This time, our guild, Sin-ah’s guild, and Serin’s guild are going to try to take a rural territory. Dol-gwal will come over to my side soon.”
“Hehe, so you’re going for independence this time?”
“Well, somewhat. I think it’s possible.”
With the next patch announcing multiple small siege areas, the middle-level guilds found the opportunity to go independent.
Securing resources became crucial, needing more personnel now.
Sieges, once the domain of high-spec users, have become more accessible to more people.
The increase in participants means the stakes in the battlefield have grown.
It’s natural for the existing powers’ grip to weaken.
Now, with the influence of someone like Sulbbang, he might be able to aim for a peripheral territory.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I thought you became too much of a big deal to just ask you to join. You’ve probably received much bigger guild offers by now.”
“Well, that’s true. Hmph…”
Elderin grabbed a piece of meat with chopsticks and brought it to my mouth.
I’m not a kid or anything, you know?
But I was feeling good right now, so I just accepted it and ate.
If you enter a big game, you obviously get big rewards.
However, that’s the guild’s reward, not the crumbs that fall to me.
I didn’t want to pick one of the two factions dominating the siege situation until now.
Preferably, I’d like to take contracts from both and get the best of both worlds.
It’s best to sneak in and grab the honey without causing major waves.
“Hmm…”
“Don’t answer now; just think about it. It’ll feel awkward if you accept it now. It feels like we’re trying to lure you with alcohol.”
“I never suspected that. Okay, I’ll do that.”
Elderin’s consideration is quite meticulous.
Indeed, this isn’t something I should quickly answer when I’m in such a good mood.
I would need to think it over a bit more.
That’s the end of the discussion about the next season.
Whether intentionally or not, everyone tried to change the topic.
The topic that came up was still within the game realm.
Naturally, since this gathering was because I won, the talk turned to the arena.
From the second preliminary round to the group stage of the finals.
We even moved past the battle with the Ripper.
“Hehe, back then, so many people said I would lose.”
“Right? You even made a bet, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. I said I was going to win. I was really confident.”
“If you hadn’t won, would you have really revealed your face?”
“I don’t know. Why would I think about things like that when I know I’ll never lose?”
Looks like I was secretly hoping for this.
I was obviously happy when I won, but it made me even happier to have these few people celebrate with me.
Maybe it’s because I was a little tipsy.
After drinking, I think my emotions have become a bit more vivid.
Even little things made me chuckle, and it’s been ages since I felt so blissfully happy.
And so, time flowed by as we chatted.
Like the time when I exchanged daggers with the Ripper, or Crow’s corpse bombardment.
There were stories only I who fought there could share.
Thank goodness, no one asked about my swordsmanship.
Maybe it’s a consideration. Anyone could see I wasn’t in good shape back then.
However, there was something we all overlooked.
“By the way, why did you cry after winning?”
“Huh?”
“You did great in the interview, then suddenly cried over salmon. You’re more emotional than I thought.”
Drunk me realized I had become way more sensitive than I imagined.
And like Sulbbang said, I had indeed become quite teary.
So much so that I couldn’t control it.
Usually, a teasing joke would have been nothing to me.
But when we talked about salmon, memories of my mom suddenly came back.
I started feeling gloomy, thinking I might be the butt of a joke.
“Why, why are you suddenly teasing me…? Huh… Huh…”
“Hey, are you crying? No, I didn’t mean to… so…”
“What are you doing?!”
“Da-eun, come over here. I’m right here.”
Sulbbang endured over 30 minutes of the two girls’ teasing.
This… may be quite nice.
Is this why a woman’s tears can be such a weapon?
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