Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Royal Road Hero Tale (18)
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“Thank you, customer!”
“Take care.”
I got lucky.
Who would've thought they'd start a discount sale to clear out inventory today of all days!
If I'd come just one day earlier, I'd have had to pay full price. Talk about perfect timing.
Two boxes of six standard bomb packs,
one frost bomb pack,
one fire bomb pack,
one flash bomb pack.
That's what I splurged on today.
I hadn't planned on buying this much, but the prices were ridiculously low, so I went all in.
Stash 'em in my inventory, and I'm bound to find a use for them eventually, right?
My ever-present latest-model smartphone,
the green dagger I scored from the Royal Road Hero Tale,
the assistant's blindfold from the romance fantasy world.
Adding those three to the existing items makes eight slots total.
I'll leave one empty and toss a single bomb in another.
...That should be plenty, yeah?
Now I'm fully prepped to head back to the Royal Road Hero Tale for real.
Only one thing left...
Can't waste this inner energy I just got. Gotta test it before diving in.
Instead of heading home, I slipped into the hunter-exclusive training room in the building next door.
“Welcome!”
[B-Rank Training Room]
I went big and picked the B-rank room.
A bit pricey, but I saved a bundle today, so I had the budget.
Logically and rank-wise, C-rank would've made more sense, but...
It's inner energy! I had a feeling it'd deliver something beyond expectations.
-Creak.
I pushed open the door, and a training robot was waiting for me.
Looks kinda shabby, but it's tuned to B-rank hunter level...
No sparring mode for me. I'd lose for sure.
Instead, I just wanted to test B-rank armor and durability.
Could my inner energy punch through it?
“Hoo...”
I took a deep breath in, then slowly let it out.
Drawing on my memories, I circulated the inner energy along my meridians.
It started flowing through my body, invigorating my muscles.
“Ooh...”
Felt like energy was bubbling up inside me.
The more I circulated it, the stronger it grew.
I focused it into my fist and threw a straight punch at the robot.
“Hah!”
-KABOOM!
-Grind...
-Whirr... Whirr...
Even to me, it felt like something massive exploded out through my fist.
I heard the air itself ripping apart.
The mangled robot slammed into the wall,
and the whole training room shook from the impact.
“Gaaahhh!”
At the same time, my arm exploded.
From my right shoulder to my fist, the whole limb was shredded to rags.
Agony ripped through me as every muscle tore apart. I rolled on the floor.
“Huff... huff...”
Without healing, I'd be crippled for life.
Inner energy's no joke.
“That's why... huff... I got forced back... damn it...”
My body couldn't handle it.
Even with C-rank hunter stats,
I couldn't withstand a tiny bit of energy from my dantian the size of a fist.
“Haa... Usable, but I'll need to brace myself every time.”
Still, wrecking a B-rank robot that badly...
That's gotta qualify as a sure-kill move, right?
Side effects and all, but it's not unhealable.
I've got myself a killer trump card.
“Ah! Hold up?!”
Wait... does this recharge?
No Wijimamang, no refill? Am I screwed?
You idiot! Should've checked that first...
Panicking, I sat cross-legged and ran the Taiji Yin-Yang Divine Art that Wijimamang taught me.
No clue if it'd work.
Steeling my nerves, I calmly circulated it once around.
“Tsk... hoo...”
Thankfully, I felt it building up—slowly, but surely.
Wijimamang was a massive stroke of luck.
“Haa... Gotta get stronger fast. To pay him back.”
Back home, I double-checked everything from the start.
Reorganized inventory slots, bought a pause ticket, noted current stats and skill levels... nothing forgotten?
“Haa... Took forever.”
My vision went black.
I had the worst nightmares.
Dreams of my loved one dying,
of them leaving me,
of them abandoning me.
I fought to wake up,
but every time I came to, I was trapped in another dream.
The nightmares tested my love,
ripping us apart,
turning me into the tragic heroine over and over.
Lonely. Miserable. Sad. Anxious.
I knew it was a dream, but my heart ached all the same.
The more I longed for him, the farther he slipped away.
Was it because I nearly lost him today?
The nightmares tormented me relentlessly.
No... don't...
Oppa, please...
Don't leave me...
I prayed to him, knowing he couldn't hear,
but nothing changed.
Deeper and deeper...
Into the abyss of despair...
“Sophia.”
Aah...! Did he hear my cries?
He pulled me from the depths of despair.
“I love you...”
Aah...! My love, as expected!
One word from him melted away all my fears.
The hellish nightmares vanished,
replaced by heavenly warmth and joy.
“Oppa...!”
I opened my eyes to see my beloved gazing at me,
his eyes brimming with affection, just like always.
“I missed you...”
“Me too... I missed you so much, oppa!”
Did he have nightmares too?
He kept saying he missed me, hugging me tight.
I hugged him back just as fiercely.
Being in his arms makes everything feel safe...
He stroked my hair, and sleep washed over me again.
But this time... no fear.
Unlike before, I could dream happily.
“Hehe... I love you, oppa...”
I'm back... back at last!
After what felt like forever, I'm finally back in the Royal Road Hero Tale.
No time passed here—not even a moment.
Real-world wise, just a few months.
But in that romance fantasy? Nearly five years.
Subjectively, it's been ages.
Haa... I missed Sophia so damn much it hurt!
Sure, there was cute... anyway, cute Cecilia, my ideal woman Wijihye...
But not a day went by without thinking of Sophia.
I held back from rushing to see her right away,
and now—finally!—we're together!
But...
Waking a peacefully sleeping girl? Nah, feels wrong...
Sophia's buck naked beside me right now.
We went at it hard before I dipped back to reality.
Forcing her awake for more? Even I think that's too much.
Instead, I reached out to savor her face after so long, gently fixing her messy hair.
Man... she's gorgeous.
If Wijihye has mature allure, Sophia's got that fresh, youthful charm.
Like a flower just blooming.
To receive love from a girl like this? I'm one lucky bastard.
“Sophia, I love you...”
This time, I'll make her happy, no question.
No more goblins making her cry like before. Never again.
“Oppa...!”
Whoops, spoke too loud?
Sophia stirred awake and looked at me.
Her ocean-blue eyes still trembled with lingering fear.
“I missed you...”
She thinks of me this much,
and I took this long to return...
I pulled her close, murmuring that I missed her too.
A sweet scent wafted from her in my arms.
“Me too... I missed you so much, oppa!”
Nightmare about me vanishing?
She clung to me, saying she missed me.
So adorable.
I stroked her hair like old times.
“Hehe... I love you, oppa...”
She mumbled her love and drifted off again.
Guess she's wiped out.
I kept petting her until she was deep asleep,
then left a note and slipped out of bed quietly so I wouldn't wake her.
Too wired from just arriving to sleep.
Figured I'd head downstairs for a beer till morning.
-Click.
But as I locked the door and turned, a familiar face appeared in the hall.
“Hyung... you up?”
“What? You neither?”
Perfect. Was gonna drag him along if he was awake anyway.
No beer now—brothel it is.
Siwoo, time you lost that V-card too.