Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: You're Ugly!
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“Got it? Marriage is about finding a partner whose heart matches yours. But just as importantly, you yourself must become someone satisfactory to them.”
“Ooh.”
“Strength? Beauty? Ha! If that were the case, this lady would have already looped around this building twice with husbands in tow!”
Slurp.
I just can’t seem to quit this damn coffee. It’s like cigarettes.
“Don’t look down on men! The days when a wink would make them swoon and marry me are long gone—over a thousand years ago!”
“Th-then why didn’t you do it back then?”
“......”
Reneah, who had been spitting fervor mid-rant, froze at Kim Yang’s sharp jab.
She brushed the dust off her apron and headed outside.
“Th-this lady can’t leave the shop unattended for long. I’ll be off now.”
She ended up running away.
“Ah! Wh-where are you going?!”
Baek Yeonhwa, who had been seeking advice, wanted to grab her, but Reneah was too quick and already gone.
Left all alone, Baek Yeonhwa glanced around cautiously.
“I-it’s really impossible with a duel marriage, isn’t it?”
“......Come sit here.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
Baek Yeonhwa hurriedly dragged a chair right in front of me and plopped down.
There were only two chairs in the office. Kim Yang grumbled as hers was taken and shuffled off to the consultation room.
“P-president. Buy some chairs, will ya? Skinflint.”
Thud.
As Kim Yang entered the consultation room, I wanted to ask Baek Yeonhwa something more seriously.
“Why are you so fixated on a duel marriage?”
“......”
“Is it tradition? What was that sect you mentioned earlier?”
“Tai Chi Yin-Yang Sect.”
“Right. That. Is duel marriage a tradition in the Tai Chi Yin-Yang Sect? Did your parents marry that way?”
In cases like this, parental expectations often play a big role. Especially in the Old Martial World, where tradition reigns supreme.
“No, it’s not like that.”
“Then why? What’s the reason you’re so insistent on a duel marriage? Do you want to prove your own strength?”
If that were the case, it’d be a misguided approach to marriage that needs correcting.
A husband isn’t a trophy to validate your abilities.
Baek Yeonhwa, deep in thought, let out a sigh, rubbed her dry face, and cautiously spoke up.
“Th-this is a real secret. You get that, right? If it leaks out, I’ll hunt down Meracle to the ends of the earth—!”
“I get it, no need for threats.”
“......The truth is, my martial arts aren’t entirely my own.”
Her martial arts aren’t her own?
“The Tai Chi Yin-Yang Sect is about harmonizing yin and yang—”
“Sorry, I don’t know much about that. Keep it simple, please.”
“......Simply put, there’s yin energy and yang energy. Women are usually born with strong yin energy, men with strong yang.”
Feels like I’m at a herbal clinic.
Kim Yang’s from the Old Martial World; should’ve asked her to explain.
“But I was born with exceptionally strong yin energy. The Tai Chi Yin-Yang Sect requires balance between yin and yang. I needed yang energy to match my overwhelming yin.”
“So you need a strong man?”
That’s how it connects, right? But she shook her head.
“No, I resolved the yang energy issue as a child by consuming scales from the divine beast, the Azure Dragon.”
“......You guys must be a major sect.”
“We have quite the reputation.”
Essentially, she ate part of a body from a being akin to a god.
Her pride lasted only a moment.
A shadow fell over Baek Yeonhwa’s face.
“But now, I’m the problem. Though my yin and yang energies are in harmony, the power is so vast I can’t control it properly.”
“So, in simple terms, you need a man who can subdue your power?”
“......Yes.”
That’s why duel marriage is crucial?
It made sense.
“Have you tried controlling it yourself?”
“I-I have! I’ve tried my whole life! But......! It just doesn’t work! I’m twenty-three now! My peers went off and got married ages ago!”
In the Old Martial World, people marry young. That’s why Old Martial World folks are popular.
They enter the marriage market early despite their youth, and being conservative, they stick to one partner.
Though their conservatism means slim pickings on the market.
“I heard Meracle specializes in hunter-related professionals! P-please! Right?”
“Ahem.”
I crossed my arms.
I got the picture.
No need to insist on duel marriage anymore.
She wasn’t toxic inventory now.
Twenty-three.
Decent looks.
One of the top ten young experts.
Prestigious family.
Prime stock.
Mouthwatering.
“Phew, it’s tough, but not impossible.”
“Rea-really?!”
At some point, I’d become the grand hero.
Not a bad feeling.
“Kim Yang!”
I called for the paperwork, but no response.
“One sec.”
I got up and went to the consultation room. There was Kim Yang with earphones in, glued to her phone.
“......What are you doing?”
“Huh? P-president. You called?”
“You’re obsessed lately. Go get the paperwork. Premium contract.”
“Whoa, jackpot.”
“Jackpot’s you. Earphones during work hours? Nice one.”
“P-president. Buy a chair. There’s only two in the office.”
“Consultation room has chairs. Broke right now.”
“Didn’t you make bank?”
I puffed up proudly at Kim Yang’s tilted head.
“Kim Yang, investing means going all-in aggressively when it’s time. Brimrock Smeltery and Dragon Horn Clinic are on an upswing, so I dumped everything—!”
“Sigh, president. If my salary’s late again, I won’t hold back.”
“Even after I tip you off, you complain. Don’t worry. Bonus on top.”
“......”
Kim Yang eyed me suspiciously and held out her phone.
“What?”
“Re-recording. One more time.”
“......No bonus for the distrustful. Go get the contract.”
“Tch!”
Moments later, I called Baek Yeonhwa into the consultation room and had her sit.
A premium contract lay on the table.
“Whew, ma’am. First off, finding someone at the level you want is harder than it seems.”
“Mm! I know!”
Know what?
Finding experts is surprisingly easy.
With floors 3 through 6 and all those worlds.
The world’s wide, full of powerhouses.
“Anyway, strength is like a spec. Top powerhouses usually hold positions matching their caliber.”
“Like me being one of the top ten young experts!”
“Exactly, ma’am!”
My capitalist smile bloomed.
This lady gets it perfectly.
“Shall we take a look?”
I deliberately brought profiles of male S- to A-rank clients.
“This is Kim Tae-o, currently an instructor at Hunter Academy. A-rank. Solid-looking guy, right?”
“Hm......”
Hm?
“He looks a bit too angular. Square jaw and all.”
“Ah, yeah? Kinda stiff impression. How about this one?”
Flip to the next. A handsome man in training robes.
“Moo Jin-cheon. Famous even in the martial world—”
“That jerk lost to me.”
“......”
“And he’s got a rotten personality!”
Moo Jin-cheon’s top ten too.
Sneak to the next.
“This is Luca Bradford. Runs a top mercenary group on Floor 6. You know Cyber City—mess up and there’s a hole in your head?”
“Hm, but he probably smells. I’m sensitive to odors.”
“......”
“Especially gunpowder.”
Next.
“Edric Silverline, half-elf. Age is still—”
“Over a hundred years younger? No thanks.”
Sigh.
What’s with this girl?
“Listen, Baek Yeonhwa.”
“Yes!”
“Tell me your conditions. I’ll match you with someone who fits.”
Better to hear conditions and suggest than force options.
But.
“Huh? Just stronger than me. No conditions!”
I could kill her.
The problem? She genuinely believes that.
I’m great at spotting lies, but she’s sincere.
“Sigh, fine.”
Whatever.
Sign the contract first, think later.
More talk might lead to rude words.
Capital infusion needed urgently.
“Shall we start with membership? The powerhouses you want mean a high-tier contract. Starts at five million won—”
“Um—”
“Yes?”
“I’m still on allowance, so I haven’t saved much.”
“......”
“Basic tier, maybe......”
Sigh.
Could happen.
It could.
She herself is S-tier goods.
A bit picky, but no real issues.
As I caught my breath, Kim Yang burst in clutching papers.
“P-president! He’s here! Ugauga!”
“What? Why?”
Before I could answer, an orc filled the consultation room doorway.
“Huurk! Boss! The girl you set me up with last time dumped me! Next girl!”
“......Mr. Gallowshi, you’ve used up this month’s meetings. Need extra payment.”
“One more! Girl! I’ll do good this time!”
Haa.
Some clients just don’t communicate well.
As I pondered how to explain, my eyes landed on Baek Yeonhwa.
Perfect for both.
Teach Gallowshi not to wreck someone else’s shop.
And show Baek Yeonhwa she has unconscious standards.
“How about this one? She only cares if you’re stronger—no other conditions!”
“Ooh! Pretty! Pretty! You, my bride! Me strong! Let’s go! Make babies—.”
“Waaaaah! You’re uguuuuuly!”
A gust of wind.
As Baek Yeonhwa swung her fist, Gallowshi’s body folded in half, rolled across the floor, and collapsed.
“......”
“......”
Kim Yang and I stared at her in shock. Panting heavily, Baek Yeonhwa gasped out.
“He’s—weaker—! Haak! Haak! Than me!”
“Do you always strike first like that? Were you from an evil sect?”
“Am-bush. Sneaky.”