Chapter 16
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Novice Heroes
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The group arrived at the motel and immediately booked two rooms. The person manning the counter was a middle-aged man, which felt a bit novel—perhaps because spotting men in this world was such a rare sight.
Rooms 402 and 403. Minguk stuffed Hyun-ah and Ashlyn into 403. One on the bed, one on the floor, so even their sleep habits wouldn't wake them. If there was any silver lining, the motel's facilities were surprisingly top-notch. A motel like a hotel. Exactly that caliber.
After tucking Hyun-ah and Ashlyn in, Minguk and the two women headed straight to the convenience store right next door.
"How much are we drinking?"
"Not enough to black out.... Let's keep it light."
Saying that, Minguk tossed two bottles of soju and four beers into the basket.
From what he'd seen at the barbecue joint, Lin Sha and Yuna could hold their liquor pretty well. Probably came with being heroes. Or maybe they just liked it. Still, he didn't enforce the one-bottle limit per woman like he might with friends. They'd only known each other for two days, so he played it cautious.
"......Is it okay to buy that much?"
The two women stared at the bottles in Minguk's hands, wide-eyed in shock. Minguk just smirked at them.
"It's fine. I won't force you. Just in case we run short. Skip it if you don't feel like it."
"Ah, no, that's not what I meant.... And with a male hero, what woman would lose a drinking contest......"
He caught Lin Sha muttering something behind him, but her voice was too soft to make out. Minguk paid at the counter. He grabbed a few packs of snacks for munchies too. Six bottles of booze and some chips came out to a whopping 70 dollars—nearly 80,000 won.
The bonus from conquering the Dark Forest, plus the payout from monster drops, all vanished into dinner and drinks.
"Those damn Dark monsters are the problem. Should just catch 'em all and beat the crap out of them.... Even I could......"
Was it the alcohol hitting his veins? As they left the store, the classic male bravado after a few drinks spilled from Minguk's mouth.
"Totally. If it's you, Oppa, you could pull it off."
Yuna giggled from behind, watching him.
Shed seen drunk women bragging a million times. Probably one at every table in a bar right now. But a man—a hero at that—strutting and talking big? First time for everything.
"Is Minguk Oppa always that cute?"
"......We've known each other about half a year, give or take, and this is my first time drinking with him."
Lin Sha shrugged. She found drunk Minguk just as unfamiliar.
"Aha."
Yuna nodded knowingly at her response. Shed always thought show-offs were pathetic, but Minguk's antics just came off as endearing somehow. And so the three settled into one room, chatting away.
"Kuh.... Soju really is like dew. Honestly, Chamisul's better, but they didn't have it at the store?"
"Who drinks Chamisul these days? It's all Izakaya now."
"Izakaya?"
Minguk tilted his head at Lin Sha's words. He'd seen it before but never tried it. Vaguely remembered the bottle being transparent like an old toad. Yuna, sipping beside him, asked,
"Oppa, do you drink a lot of soju? Most guys don't go for it much......"
From what she knew, 80% of what men drank was beer or fruit wine. Sure, some did soju, but maybe one or two glasses tops. Yet Minguk had already downed over two bottles since the barbecue place.
"I'm a real man. Not like the others."
"Pfft! Anyone'd think you're some booze legend."
"I am. Pretty good, right?"
Lin Sha snorted at Minguk's claim, her face screaming bullshit.
Minguk bristled at the jab for a second, but then remembered her nationality and had to concede.
From the original owner's memories, Chinese Lin Sha chugged baijiu and erguotou straight from the bottle. Her face was just a healthy flush—no slurring or anything.
The second Minguk drained his glass, it refilled. Yuna's doing. As the youngest in her raid group, she had that habit of topping off empties pronto.
"By the way, Oppa, you graduated from Seoul Hero Academy this year, right? Class of 64?"
"Uh, yeah? That's right?"
No memory of graduating that weird-named school, but the original owner had. In this world, Han Minguk was a star graduate.
A true hero with mana awakening, no less. He'd passed the Raid Qualification Exam, shedding his provisional status. Yuna cocked her head at his answer and pressed,
"Then you're one class ahead of me......"
"Oh? Seoul Hero 65? Straight-up senior? But why bring that up?"
Lin Sha chimed in. She was Seoul Hero 64 too, same as Minguk. So was the passed-out Hyun-ah next door.
"No, it's just.... I've never heard of a male senior like you, Oppa, who gives such great orders. No prof ever mentioned it."
"True. Minguk's commands were on point."
Lin Sha nodded in agreement with Yuna.
Just two raids, but Minguk's leadership as raid leader outshone other provisionals by miles. Even full-time raid leaders might not match that precision. It had been a shock.
"Obviously."
Minguk grinned. The original owner couldn't lead jack, let alone play ranged dealer properly. Grades at Hero Academy were meh. No way rumors flew about his orders.
"Back then, I was hiding my skills on purpose. No one knew."
"Huh? Why?"
"Man's secret I can't explain. You know how it is."
Couldn't spill the real truth, so Minguk bullshitted. Yuna looked baffled; Lin Sha tilted her head.
"Come to think of it.... I graduated Hero Academy with him too? But honestly, he sucked back then."
"......Told you, I was hiding it. Protagonist hides power? Never heard that tale?"
Again, it was the original owner's talent now. Minguk figured he could handle ranged dealer fine. Raid experience gave him instincts that didn't fade.
GGW raid leading meant mastering every class's role. He could outperform average in non-healer roles too.
Ignoring Minguk's grumbling, Lin Sha kept going.
"Still, as a male hero, tons of teams wanted him pre-graduation. Ended up prepping for the raid exam with Hyun-ah somehow?"
Minguk's eyes narrowed at Lin Sha's story. The truth: original owner clung to Hyun-ah to join R's, her sister's famous Seoul raid team, Rose Shield.
"I'd been tight with Hyun-ah since Hero Academy, so we teamed up naturally. Dealer spot opened up right then."
"Aha, gotcha. Makes sense—male heroes are rare. None in my year."
Reminder: Korea had exactly ten mana-awakened male heroes. Globally, under 300.
Most stayed rear-guard anyway. Frontline fighters? Maybe thirty men total. Versus tens of thousands of women. Yuna leaned in whisper-soft, like spilling state secrets.
"Truth is, I joined this team 'cause of the male hero rumor. Had to see for myself."
"Hahaha. Curiosity satisfied?"
Minguk smiled warmly.
Maybe the booze, or the cute junior beside him—his voice came out soft. Old-world guy friends would've roasted him for being cringey. But Lin Sha and Yuna?
"Wow......"
"S-so this is drinking with a guy."
They gasped, faces flushing red. A tipsy male hero stirred something in them. A brief, heavy silence hung in the room. Charged atmosphere.
Yuna met Lin Sha's eyes, gave a slight nod, then asked Minguk timidly.
"Um, Oppa. Want me to pour one? As your direct junior.... Sokmaek?"
"Sokmaek? Sure."
At his okay, Yuna whipped out a paper cup fast. Soju and beer poured in—8:2 ratio.
But Lin Sha blocked Minguk's view perfectly, and he was too buzzed to notice or care.
"Here! W-with all my love. One shot!"
"Yeah, one shot."
Minguk chuckled at Yuna's sudden aegyo, raising his cup. Felt like a army junior buttering up a senior.
Hero class culture was even fiercer than his old world's military. Memories confirmed it went beyond imagination.
Anyway, couldn't refuse a junior's pour. Minguk chugged the sokmaek. Bitter as hell—heavy on soju. But he'd downed worse in the army; promotion drinks could flip your stomach.
"Kuh......"
Still, the sudden load knocked his already fuzzy mind flat. Minguk slumped from sitting to half-lying.
Hot from the booze? Shirt buttons undone a few, belt unbuckled. Sober, he'd have kept composed—but liquor won.
"......Gulp."
Lin Sha squirmed at the sight. Yuna seemed calmer, the junior. She whispered to Lin Sha, eyes on Minguk.
"Unnie—no, Sunbae, one more?"
"Unnie's fine. Might pass out if we do.... Go for it."
Lin Sha swallowed hard, nodding slowly at half-lidded Minguk. Yuna mixed another sokmaek at scary speed. Same 8:2, generous pour. Brought it to the reclined Minguk.
"Oppa, you okay? Here's some water."
Lin Sha's eyes bugged at Yuna's seamless lie. Her thumb shot up instinctively.
"Uh.... Thanks."
Minguk guzzled the "water" without question. The women watched intently as his throat bobbed—glug glug. Then he blacked out, gone.