Slap Slap
"Haha, my friend Ji-hyun. Is it too heavy by any chance?"
"Yeah. Super heavy."
"Hey, this is when you're supposed to say it's light as a feather."
"...Light as a feather."
"Really?"
"No."
"......"
Something feels off, like our roles have switched.
...Nah, must be my imagination.
Right now, I'm being carried on Seo Ji-hyun's back.
The airheaded friend I met in the fantasy world. I never imagined running into her like this out in the real world.
Well, not entirely by chance. She chased after me like she wanted to kill me.
"Giddyup! Giddyup!"
"...I'll just drop you."
"Sorry."
I didn't have much choice, so I asked her as a last resort, but she was carrying me along surprisingly steadily.
Is this girl from an athletic club or something?
I'd originally planned to just go to the main road and call a taxi, but Ji-hyun looked ready to carry me all the way home.
"Hey, Ji-hyun."
"What."
"Just drop me off by the road so I can take a taxi."
"...No need."
She was being weirdly stubborn.
"...Your leg's hurt, isn't it?"
"No, it's not hurt exactly—"
"Shut up and just give directions."
"...Straight ahead."
...It's not hurt; my legs are just weak from exhaustion.
Whatever. As long as I get home safe.
When else would I get the luxury of being carried like this?
I stopped complaining and just relaxed into it.
The street looked strangely vibrant from her back.
"...Hey."
"Yeah?"
"Um... do I smell like sweat?"
"Sweat?"
"N-no, never mind."
She shook her head like it was nothing.
I wouldn't know about sweat smell, but a faint citrus scent kept tickling my nose.
Come to think of it, I should be the one worried about sweat. I sweated buckets all day at work.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"But why haven't you contacted me at all this whole time?"
"...Huh?"
Ji-hyun's tone sharpened.
"In the game, I mean."
"Uh... didn't you say you were busy?"
"Weren't you curious where I was?"
"Didn't you say you went north?"
"North where exactly?"
"......"
"See? You don't even know."
"......"
I don't know why, but it feels like I need to apologize. Especially while I'm riding on her back.
Especially when she could fling me onto the pavement any second.
"Uh... sorry."
"Is that how you treat a friend? Huh?"
"I was a little busy..."
"Busy? With what?"
"Well..."
Bzzz—
As I fumbled for an explanation, a strong vibration buzzed from my thigh.
"Huh? Hold on."
"Phone?"
"Yeah."
I pulled out my phone and checked the caller. It was Dahyun.
"Customer-nim!"
"Yes, hello."
"Have you seen the video?"
"Video? What video?"
"Oh, you haven't! It's your video, customer-nim!"
"...My video?"
"Yes! It's blowing up right now! Check Nutube immediately!"
"Ah, I'm outside right now."
"Pardon? Isn't your shift over at 4? You haven't gone home yet?"
"Yeah, something came up."
"Oh, I see? Then make sure to check the video when you get home! It's insane."
"...? What kind of video is it?"
"I'll send you the link, so just watch it without complaining."
"Got it... I'll check it when I get home, Dahyun."
"You have to watch it! Promise?"
"Yes, yes."
Click.
I ended the call and pocketed my phone.
Then, a chilly voice whispered in my ear.
"...Who was that?"
"Huh? Oh, Dahyun. Someone I met in the game—"
"A friend?"
"Uh... kinda?"
It's hard to define exactly, but we're close, so maybe you could call it that?
Suddenly, her footsteps halted.
An icy voice poured down.
"Get off."
"...Huh?"
"I said get off."
"Why all of a sudden—"
"Not getting off?"
"Okay, okay, got it."
She looked ready to dump me on the roadside if I didn't comply, so I hopped off obediently.
"Oof."
In my haste, I twisted my ankle and tumbled down.
"Ah! You okay?"
She reflexively reached out in surprise, then hesitated and pulled back.
"...Hmph."
Instead of helping me up, she brushed off her hands and shot me a cold glare.
Then she turned and walked away.
I stared blankly at her retreating figure.
"Hey! Hey, Ji-hyun!"
"......"
"My friend Ji-hyun!!"
No response, no matter how much I called.
What the hell just happened? What did I do wrong?
No answers came no matter how I puzzled over it.
"......"
Now what? At least I'm by the road, so maybe call a taxi?
That's when footsteps stopped right beside me.
"...What're you doing here?"
It was Mansu.
On his way home from the convenience store, he eyed me—squatting on the sidewalk like some pitiful housewife—with a baffled look.
I quickly shifted into a deeply investigative pose, staring intently at the pavement.
"Oh, perfect timing. A bunch of ants just marching by."
"......"
"......"
His silence weighed heavy.
"Hey."
"What."
"Carry me."
"......"
* * *
After washing my unusually rebellious body and grabbing dinner, I logged straight into the fantasy world.
On the way back piggybacked by Mansu, he bombarded me with questions—how I knew the goddess, what bullshit about assassins, what happened with the goddess, and so on. It was annoying as hell, but I brushed them off with vague answers.
...Wait. Come to think of it, he didn't ask why I was sitting on the street.
Is this guy really my friend?
Would you like to log in as character 'Hura'?
"Yes."
Welcome to Fantasy World.
Flash—
I spawned right where I'd logged out: the secret cave hidden beneath the desert floor.
"Ah, Hura-nim! You've arrived."
Baek Bal Baek Jung greeted me, mouth full of something.
"You found it well."
"Yes. I had no idea there was a secret passage there."
Before logging out, I'd sent Baek Bal Baek Jung the location of the secret passage Gapsu mentioned.
Looks like he made it just fine.
"You've arrived."
Gapsu, still bound in chains, bowed his head in greeting.
I nodded back.
"What's with this guy?"
Baek Bal Baek Jung pointed at Gapsu.
"Gapsu?"
"Yeah. I heard the name, but he's a monster. High ranker level, practically."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah. Looks like a defense-specialized tank. I know one just like him."
"Me too."
I pulled a dish from my inventory.
Cooking Summon
Poof—
"Greetings, master."
"Hey."
I pointed at Geum Taeyang.
"Doesn't he look like Geum Taeyang?"
"Whoa, he kinda does."
Baek Bal Baek Jung clapped in surprise.
"Geum Taeyang, stand in front of Gapsu."
"Yes, master."
Side by side, they were eerily identical. Even beyond looks—the polite yet sharp-edged speech pattern.
"I'd believe they were twins."
"Right?"
I stared at Gapsu, who surely knew the riddle's answer.
But he shook his head.
"Time's short, so first, you need to fetch the Desert Rose—"
"Baek Bal Baek Jung-nim. Did you bring it?"
"Yes. About 30 for now."
Gapsu's eyes bulged.
"Th-thirty?"
"That's right."
Baek Bal Baek Jung handed me a sack. Inside were delicate rose-shaped sand crystals.
"Just grabbed what I saw. Let me know if you need more."
"Yes. Thank you."
"No problem."
Gapsu gaped at our casual exchange.
"Now, ready to answer?"
"Y-yes. I'll tell you everything I can, with all sincerity."
My first Cooking Summon, Geum Taeyang, and Sulis's first Cooking Summon, Gapsu.
They're uncannily alike.
Gapsu said he was fried cutlassfish butter grill. Geum Taeyang is egg Hura. So he carries an egg fry shield.
Which means...
"You got a cutlassfish shield too?"
"How did you know?"
...Parallel universe wouldn't even surprise me.
"Do Cooking Summons always come in generations like this?"
"No. This is the first time I've seen such similarity."
"Huh, really?"
"Yes."
Similar to Sulis, the ultimate and Demonic Chef? That's a good omen, right?
"What about the second Cooking Summon? Like Tteoksoon-i?"
Gapsu glanced at Tteoksoon-i and nodded.
"Yes. Very similar."
"Oh."
"That's what worries me."
"Huh?"
His unexpected words put a question mark over my head.
"Worried about what?"
"That your third summon might be similar too."
Third summon? First I've heard of it.
"What's wrong with the third?"
"The third summon is..."
Gapsu hesitated, lips twitching, then clamped his mouth shut.
"...Never mind. Words can become seeds. I'll hold my tongue."
"......?"
"Just... don't become like that one."
"......"
"Absolutely, never."
Gapsu shook his head firmly, shuddering like he couldn't bear the thought.
What the hell is it?
"...Got it. No more questions."
I had more, but first, learn the Desert Rose Processing.
We can chat while cooking.
"I'll head to the village. Coming, Baek Bal Baek Jung-nim?"
"Ah!"
He smacked his forehead like he'd just remembered.
"Hura-nim! Haven't you seen the video?"
"Pardon? Video? What video?"
"Someone filmed you schooling that ranker Blood Axe Thrower."
"...Really?"
Blood Axe Thrower, not tofu, but whatever.
"Yes. It's #1 on real-time popular videos right now."
"Whaa?"
"Take a look."
I opened Nutube in the system window.
"......!"
The views were exploding.
Oh yeah, Dahyun said to check a video too.
Forgot, but this must be it.
"...Why's it so popular?"
I couldn't fathom why this clip was such a hit.
Related analysis videos floated in recommendations.
...Unofficial ranker? What's that?
"I was too careless. Never thought it'd get filmed."
Baek Bal Baek Jung bowed his head, ashamed.
"You'll have to go to the village alone."
"Huh? Why?"
"I told you before. Rankers' lives are endless hardship."
"Yeah."
"Rank 10's is especially so. High rankers who recognized me are probably swarming the village and surroundings by now."
"To steal your spot?"
"Yes. I disguised myself, but anyone in the know would've spotted me. They have eagle eyes."
"Ah, so that's why the ridiculous turban and sunglasses?"
"...Pardon?"
"Oh."
"Was my turban and sunglasses... that bad?"
"No, I didn't mean—"
"...Here, take these."
Baek Bal Baek Jung handed me a scroll and a crystal.
"What's this?"
"Village return scroll and an artifact to come back here."
He pulled out an identical crystal from his inventory.
"Precisely, the Twin Crystals. Break one, and it teleports you to the other."
Finish the quest, break it, and return here.
"Ah, thank you."
"You have stealth, right?"
"Yes."
"Don't get spotted. Complete the quest and come straight back."
"Got it. But isn't this expensive?"
◈ Break to teleport to paired crystal
The Twin Crystals screamed high-value artifact.
"When if not now? I was gonna toss it anyway since it's just taking space. Use it freely."
"Thank you."
Baek Bal Baek Jung glanced at his wristwatch.
"Blood Axe Thrower's respawn's soon. Go quick before more crowd in. Dismiss summons—they'll draw eyes."
"Got it."
I unsummoned and went to rip the scroll, then looked at him.
"Um, Baek Bal Baek Jung-nim. About the turban and sunglasses earlier—"
"Don't worry. I didn't like them either. Just for disguise."
"Oh, really?"
"Of course. Who'd like that silly fashion?"
"Haha, true."
"Hahaha! Hurry back before it's too late. Hahaha!"
"Yes. Be right back."
I tore the scroll, laughing.
Flash—
* * *
Flash—
Hura vanished via the return scroll.
Dry laughter echoed hollowly in the cave.
"Ha... ha..."
Baek Bal Baek Jung's laugh faded into loss.
He crouched in a corner, removed his turban and sunglasses, and stared blankly at them.
"That bad, huh..."
The fashionista mumbled glumly, burying his face in his knees, wounded heart tender.