Episode 177. Living a daily life
“What is that hand?”
Meirena opened her eyes wide.
What is it?
“If you doubt the leader of a faction, of course you have to pay for it.”
“You want compensation for Bo?”
“I have to pay for mental treatment due to verbal abuse and PTSD treatment for our spirits. Oh, and defamation and contempt charges as well. I believe that you are aware of the specificity and performance proving.”
“PPT… specific…surname? What does it all mean?”
“In this world, I committed a sin so great that it destroyed the three tribes… I mean something like this.”
“I can’t…”
Meirena’s mouth opened wide.
It’s as if I didn’t know that the incident was so serious just a moment ago. An earthquake occurred in the pupil.
good.
As expected, it is best to use a lot of complicated jargon when shaking someone up.
To be honest, I don’t know what I’m talking about even after I said it, but the other person would be shocked.
Jinhyeok spoke quickly.
“but! However, I don’t mean to pull out the root of a pillar in the spirit realm. Just give me the ‘blessing of water’ and I’ll move on.”
‘Blessing of Water’.
When receiving a blessing with a skill that only some of the water spirits can use, the growth speed of the summoned beast increases by 10%.
‘The deadline applies only to one of the summoned creatures for a week, but it’s not too bad.’
Anyway, I had to build a build-up centered on sweet potatoes rather than the spirits of the five elements.
“Is that enough?”
“Originally it is not possible, but this time in particular, I think I can go beyond this much. Even the wounded spirits seem to have softened a little. Right guys?”
“Yes. huh!”
“I think my body and mind are getting warmer.”
“It feels like all the wounds are being healed.”
The spirit beasts of the five elements mechanically nodded.
“All right. It’s not a very difficult requirement… I think I can give you that much as an apology. Sorry for doubting you again. Player Kang Jin-hyuk.”
[Meirena uses her unique ability ‘Water Blessing’.]
[Applying the received blessing to a pet increases its growth rate by 10% for one week.]
A jewel shaped like a water drop fell on the palm of my hand.
This is one of the blessings that can only be used by Elemental Beasts of upper-middle level or higher.
“thank you. sir. It was deposited correctly.”
Now, for the last time…
Jinhyeok moved slowly.
Among the tables crowded with players and residents, I saw ‘Alfred’, the Chancellor of the Empire, standing.
At least, it seems that they are very busy selecting talents to be selected as the next best option.
It was to the point of feeling sorry for him to be sweating profusely through his beard.
Jinhyeok came closer to Alfred.
And whispered softly.
“…”
in a voice too low to be heard unless you are right next to it.
OK.
“…omg?”
The sound of air escaping came from Alfred’s mouth.
His rapidly dilating pupils were filled with emotions of astonishment and fear.
should never come out
This is because even within the Empire, a secret that only a very few people know about has leaked out.
I tried to grab the opponent right away and interrogate him.
“Wait a minute…!”
However, Alfred’s hand went limply through the air.
Jinhyeok had already disappeared like smoke.
He left behind the words, ‘I’ll visit the empire in a week.’
＊＊＊
When I came out of the tower, the sunset was dyeing the whole world red.
Unlike the frantic battle a while ago, this world was so peaceful.
Office workers leaving work and…
…laughing and chattering people passed by.
“Everyone looks peaceful.”
Alice, who had taken off her mask before she knew it, approached and stood by Jinhyeok.
Then I glanced at Jinhyuk.
“Do they know? The fact that the daily life that is maintained now can be destroyed at any time?”
If you don’t conquer the next level of the tower for 90 days, humanity will perish.
If an outbreak occurs, a city with an open gate will turn into a living hell overnight.
It was a reality that could come at any time after the Tower of Trials appeared.
“If I don’t fail, that won’t happen.”
“You are confident. Well, that’s your charm, though.”
“Stop talking nonsense and follow me. I’m going to make the others wait too long.”
Chun Yoo-seong and Teresa had already gone to the meeting place. Lee Tae-min and Yoo Yeon-hwa also decided to come after a long time, so it would be better to hurry as much as possible.
however.
“It’s not a nonsense.”
Alice’s voice was colder than usual.
The eyes were also looking right through Jinhyeok.
“You seem terribly selfish, but in fact your actions are always designed to save more lives of your kind.”
Punish the wicked and save the innocent.
Although the means and methods are different, the premise remains the same.
Because it was to prevent the extinction of mankind in the end to use the struggle to become stronger.
“In fact, turning all the competitors around you into enemies and acting as the arrowhead by yourself is probably based on the calculation that you don’t want to harm others.”
“I feel like I’m overinterpreting it… I’m just paying back what I did to the people I don’t like.”
“well. At least not in my opinion.”
“Did you learn how to care? So what do you want to say?”
“I am giving you advice.”
Elise shrugged.
“No one can control every situation. There will come a day when you too will have to make tough choices that you too can’t handle.”
Even wise men make stupid choices.
Even a sage is a law that makes judgments that lead to ruin.
It’s a natural story.
Because flawless existence is a law that no one but God exists.
“I know it’s reckless.”
“I don’t hate that kind of personality either.”
Alice was not rebuking Jinhyeok like that.
It wasn’t even more that I was scolding him for doing something he couldn’t handle.
only.
“Try to trust the people around you a little more.”
I wanted to give you strength.
I know how lonely it is to sit on a throne alone.
“Because a crown is surprisingly heavy.”
As the family head who protected the family from numerous enemies.
As a contracting contractor.
I just want to share that burden.
“mosquito!”
The sweet potato, which was curled up in a circle, also opened its eyes.
Seeing him vigorously wagging his tail definitely made my heart thump.
‘A colleague…’
Jinhyeok chewed the word to himself.
It was life in the past that everyone who approached could argue their interests and turn into enemies at any time.
You can’t trust anyone to climb the tower. I just had to take care of myself.
It was natural and it was the only way.
‘okay. It felt like this.’
Being with people you can trust and share joy and pain with.
Perhaps… the people waiting for them at the rendezvous are also beings that can be called colleagues, like Alice and Sweet Potato.
“therefore. I talked about it for a long time, but in the end, didn’t you ask me to buy you something delicious later?”
“When people speak seriously, please take it calmly.”
“They’re not human, they’re vampires.”
It is now trying to lose its own identity.
“So you’re saying it’s because of the course dish, which is fried rice with cheese dakgalbi sprinkled with plenty of seaweed powder and sesame oil?”
“Of course it’s because of that… not. hey!”
“As expected… they say that appetite makes even vampires dance.”
Jinhyuk clicked his tongue.
Then Ellis, whose face flushed red, let go of reason.
“Do you really want to be xxx after xxx because you xxx? Will you catch me today? I would have done it in moderation, but if I wanted to, I would have done xxx with xxx!”
Still, when we first met, he had a somewhat solemn atmosphere, to the point where the adjective ‘noble’ was added.
Now, the taste has become so bad that even gangsters in the slums cry.
‘…isn’t it because of me?’
no way. No way.
Probably not.
Perhaps…
Jinhyeok felt an unknown sense of responsibility and headed to the meeting place.
Elise, who was screaming for a long time, followed.
＊＊＊
About 1 hour later. Jinhyeok and Alice arrived at the promised place.
Even though it was a weekday evening, the streets of Myeong-dong were crowded with people.
The two entered a Chinese restaurant known as a good restaurant in Myeong-dong.
There were already Teresa and Chun Yoo-seong, Lee Tae-min and Yoo Yeon-hwa, and Kim Hee-woong, who had been entrusted with the Black Crow Guild.
“Brother is here!”
“brother! Welcome! oh. Alice is also here.”
Yoo Yeon-hwa and Lee Tae-min welcomed him.
Well, the two of them weren’t invited to the prom, so it’ll feel like they’ve been seeing each other for the first time in a while.
It made me even more happy.
“Jinhyuk. You have suffered a lot.”
“The hardships… What kind of hardships is a guy who came after only cheating?”
Teresa and Chun Yoo-seong also greeted each other in their own way.
That bastard came quietly this time and tried to look at it favorably, but he always added strange words.
“Is the representative here?”
Finally, Kim Hee-woong bowed his head politely.
Come to think of it, the Black Crow guild needs to be managed a bit…
The last time I heard it, I heard that there were a lot of new members, but I thought that was true.
The dark circles under Kim Hee-woong’s eyes were no joke.
“You seem to be in a lot of trouble. I’m sorry I couldn’t take care of you because I was busy.”
“no. Thank you, CEO, for being there. Thanks to that, I was able to settle down and grow the guild.”
Kim Hee-woong sincerely bowed his head.
Instead of being acknowledged for what he had done by Shin Geon-soo, the former guild leader, he was only exploited, so he was able to live gratefully every day just for being able to be here now.
After such light greetings, the full-fledged after-party began.
The side dish was beef noodle (牛肉麵) with thick meat and hand-made noodles, which are the best at this restaurant, and kkwobaro with excellent crispy taste.
Adding soryongpo and kaoliangju to it, a pretty nice table was completed.
“Oh oh. It is a dish full of elegance.”
Elise let out an exclamation.
Elise, who is obsessed with modern food these days, was enjoying her hobby of enjoying various foods from Korea, China, and Japan to her heart’s content.
“I had to go through so much trouble doing the chores for a lowly contractor, and I finally got a reward for that hard work.”
“what? Do you want to take care of me?”
“okay. If it wasn’t for the ‘Blood Lord’, you wouldn’t have achieved the goal you wanted. I don’t know how I used this noble body’s ability, but I’ll ask you about it after dinner.”
Elise held her head high.
It was lifted so high that only the neck was visible.
Hmm.
this probably won’t work
It’s been a while since I’ve had to fix my habit.
Jinhyuk sneakily placed the prepared food on the table.
Alice, who had been tinkering with this and that for a while, suddenly found the food Jinhyeok had put on it.
“What kind of food is this soft, grayish-looking food?”
“It’s called stinky tofu. It’s a food that famous BJs are trying to eat each other so that you and I can eat it.”
I left out the word for punishment, but it is true that it is popular.
It was a fuss to get it as soon as possible by express delivery by plane.
“Hoo. That famous dish?”
“huh. In addition, this is the mint chocolate I bought from Vera. It’s my favorite dessert. If you eat stinky tofu and then take a bite of mint chocolate, wow. I will never eat another food again.”
Maybe…forever.
The corners of Jinhyuk’s mouth went up.
At the same time, Elise grabbed the spoon with twinkling eyes.
