Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 165
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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'She's pretty.'
Yang Ji-hyun's face under the mask had features so stunning I couldn't ignore them.
But only at the pretty level.
In raw looks, she could've hung with the trio of beauties no problem.
A notch below squeezing between Min Ha-yeon and Han Bom, though.
But looks aside, the real priority was the situation.
'Got the upper hand for now....'
[What's your next move?]
'...Impersonate someone?'
A famous impersonation game came to mind.
It was a Murim genre game, a guy lives his life as a third-rate warrior, somehow turns into a jiangshi and dies, then reincarnates.
There was one thing I realized while playing that game.
The power and information gained through regression create their own plausibility..
Though in this case, it was the power of Dream Intrusion rather than regression...
Plus, from eavesdropping before, Yang Ji-hyun already rated my skills highly.
Toss her some organization secrets, and she'd buy it easy?
'Worst case, kill off Han Yeo-reum and force a regression.'
[....]
Even if it's not my regression, there's always the method of making that bastard die in some way to trigger a return.
Gotta research ways to off Han Yeo-reum without getting my hands dirty later.
I eyed the Face Mask in Yang Ji-hyun's hands and said,
"Not something you find easily, seeing a rare item like this here."
"...Who are you? How did you know about this... "
Creak...
I drew my bowstring taut and muttered low.
"No reason I should tell you that, right?"
"Ugh... "
My arrow tip touched her cheek. She steadied her breathing, composing herself to speak.
"I apologize for deceiving you. But there were unavoidable circumstances..."
"Ha... Begging for your life? The Red Crescent has really hit rock bottom."
"!"
Her expression was far more shocked than before.
It was strange enough that I had seen through the human-skin mask, but since I knew her identity as well, it must have been utterly baffling to her.
This was floor 1, too. No way someone fresh from floor 0 knew about Red Crescent.
I muttered just loud enough to be heard.
"I worked so hard to build it, and it's become a complete mess."
"N-no way... "
Yang Ji-hyun twisted away from the arrow on her cheek, looked up at me, and said,
"T-Takeichi Souta?"
"... "
She took the bait.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I spun a lie for Yang Ji-hyun: I was operating incognito under a false identity.
The story was straightforward.
I told her I had almost been killed by unknown entities and had been hiding in a secret location for a long time, then discovered a way to the 0th floor and went there to scrub my identity.
I added that I had changed both my actual name and appearance.
And then, I claimed that we had happened to meet by chance here on the 1st floor.
Honestly, since I was the one lying, I wondered if Yang Ji-hyeon would actually believe me.
It was essentially bullshit—claiming I'd found some hidden piece and then accidentally discovered a passage to the 0th floor without any detailed explanation.
But Yang Ji-hyun bought it.
"I-I see... "
"Don't believe me? Fine by me."
"N-no, it's not that!"
This was Yggdrasil.
A world where absurd shit happened daily like clockwork.
Hidden pieces existed, and elites like me weren't getting summoned anymore.
With the solid initial dominance play, Yang Ji-hyun swallowed my tale hook, line, and sinker.
"Don't breathe a word to Ryosuke, got it."
"Understood."
I'd name-dropped the boss by his real name, so she'd probably buy my identity fully.
I had Yang Ji-hyun take point as we resumed scouting the sewer.
"So what were you lot scheming? Saw you huddled behind the inn last time too."
"Y-you saw!?"
"You gathered so blatantly, hard not to notice."
"S-sorry... "
They thought their midnight meetup was sneaky, but getting busted so easy deflated her.
Convinced of my identity, Yang Ji-hyun spilled everything.
Their motive was exactly as I'd guessed.
In Yggdrasil, non-combatants (healers, alchemists, etc.) becoming Red Summoners was rare.
The problem was that the Red Crescent was a group of Red Summoners.
Even though they had many skilled members, they lacked supporters, and their influence had begun to shrink.
Eventually, the leader, Ryosuke, planned to take advantage of the outbreak of war to seize the 1st floor—which no one was paying attention to—and recruit talent.
If they could completely occupy the 1st floor, new summoners would have no choice but to submit to the village group, biting the bullet.
In other words, it was a plan designed with the future in mind.
The problem was that just as they were nearly finished, I had interfered...
"Hmm... I just gave them a taste of their own medicine because they were acting like assholes."
"It's fine. They weren't real organization members anyway."
She explained they were just point-bought hires.
War had broken out on the upper floors, and they were gradually taking over the village by bribing those fleeing the conflict with points.
Han Bom was just prime recruitment material, nothing more.
Now came the real problem.
Yang Ji-hyun walked fine, then suddenly dropped to her knees before me, confessing like a sinner.
"I have something to say... "
"What?"
She'd been silent, sweating bullets, before finally speaking.
"I received a request to assassinate Take... no, Seong Su-ho-nim."
"... "
Who? On me?
One name popped up instantly.
'Han Yeo-reum... Who else?'
[....]
Yang Ji-hyeon explained that she had arranged for organization members to contact Han Yeo-reum, and through that, she received the assassination request for me.
However, to request a hit, Han Yeo-reum would have needed points or some kind of reward.
Did that bastard even have enough points to put out a hit?
Furthermore, Yang Ji-hyeon explained that Han Yeo-reum hadn't sought them out; rather, they had contacted him first.
As I wondered, Yang Ji-hyeon told me the conditions of the request.
"We do the hit, he gives us cooperation in return."
"What kind?"
Yang Ji-hyun looked up at me and said,
"To receive help in making Han Bom... a Red Summoner."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Huu... it's so hot..."
Han Bom whispered softly so the two people wouldn't hear her.
Occasionally fluttering her t-shirt to cool down, she thought back to the magic Seong Su-ho had cast for her earlier.
'That ahjussi seems like a really decent person... Honestly, he's way better than that piece of shit.'
He was someone she felt a certain human attraction toward.
He was the complete opposite of Han Yeo-reum.
Han Bom looked at Han Yeo-reum, who was clinging to Min Ha-yeon at the front, rambling on.
"Ha-yeon! How can you treat me like that while you're dating me?"
"No... I told you. Let's keep dating, but let's see other people too."
"Does that even make sense!?"
"And you? You saw other women too."
At Han Yeo-reum's shouting, Min Ha-yeon looked at him with a face of utter disbelief and sneered.
Han Yeo-reum was momentarily speechless, so he deployed the same nonsensical excuse he always used.
"M-men and women are different!"
"Wow... I'm going crazy."
Min Ha-yeon laughed hollowly as if she were appalled, then ignored Han Yeo-reum and started walking.
Her expression made it clear that communication was simply impossible.
"W-wait!"
Han Bom let out a heavy sigh as she watched Han Yeo-reum's pathetic display.
'Is he an idiot? I told him to get on his knees and beg, but he's acting like a moron again.'
Han Bom was intentionally keeping her distance from the two of them.
She had wanted to give them some time alone.
But it was obvious that the more time they spent alone, the worse their relationship became.
Given their position, she wanted to take Han Yeo-reum's side, but Han Bom was starting to get exhausted.
He was a man who had never once clung to a woman or apologized in his life.
'I'm the idiot for even expecting something.'
As she grew tired, a thought occurred to Han Bom.
'...If I just get close to that ahjussi, maybe Ha-yeon eonni will keep staying with us?'
Moving beyond the category of whether he was a bad person or not, he seemed like a decent man.
To the point where it was hard to believe he was a rapist...
'No, fuck... I still can't understand that part...'
No matter how many times she told herself he was a good or decent person, the moment the word rapist entered her mind, she couldn't think of him positively.
Han Bom fluttered her t-shirt and recalled yesterday.
'...Come to think of it, he didn't seem to have much interest in me.'
She was wearing a thin t-shirt that was practically see-through.
And hot pants.
In truth, she often dressed like this simply because she felt the heat easily.
She didn't dress this way to show off to others.
But yesterday, Seong Su-ho hadn't looked at Han Bom with any strange eyes.
In fact, he had avoided her gaze and even created a breeze for her.
'...Fuck, this is kind of annoying.'
She had never had a rapist by her side in her life.
And yet, a rapist who had pounced on Min Ha-yeon like a beast (according to what she heard from Han Yeo-reum) didn't spare a single glance for her.
'Does he not even consider me a woman because I don't have breasts? Ah, this is so fucking frustrating...'
Han Bom looked down at her chest and gave it a slight squeeze.
Naturally, there was no sensation.
But as she continued that sensationless action, the heat in Han Bom's head began to rise.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Han Bom's party proceeded through the waterway and joined the other members at a junction.
"Ah!"
"What a relief. It seems the passages are designed to intersect every now and then."
While everyone was chatting with glad expressions, only Han Bom quietly stared at Seong Su-ho.
"...."
Even Han Bom thought the source of her anger was ridiculous.
After all, the man was a rapist, and for someone like Han Bom, who had no interest in men, it wasn't particularly important.
But the complex she harbored kept stimulating her.
'Did he really not even think of me as a woman just because my breasts are small? Wow, this is so annoying...'
If an ordinary man had acted that way, she probably wouldn't have felt anything, but the fact that a rapist acted that way made her blood boil.
While she was suppressing her anger internally, Yang Ji-hyeon gathered everyone to speak.
"The timing is a bit awkward right now. I think we should proceed a bit further."
"True... it's only around lunchtime, so let's keep going as you suggested."
"Instead, let's switch groups this time."
"What?"
The formation Yang Ji-hyeon suggested wasn't significantly different from before.
The only change was swapping the positions of Han Bom and Yang Ji-hyeon.
It was certainly a reasonable suggestion.
If Han Bom, the healer, and Seong Su-ho, the alchemist, were in the same line, they could distribute potions to the groups in other lines.
Seong Su-ho didn't need potions in the first place.
Since he didn't even get injured, he could have practically gone alone.
But Yang Ji-hyeon's opinion was to attach Han Bom to Seong Su-ho just in case.
"At this rate, there's a possibility we'll meet again. So, I thought it would be good to coordinate by redistributing the teams."
"Hmm..."
Unlike the others who were agreeing, Min Ha-yeon was pouting with a dissatisfied expression.
Seeing Min Ha-yeon like that, Han Bom made up her mind, approached her, and spoke.
"Eonni."
"Yeah?"
"Can we... talk for a second?"
"Sure."
Han Bom told the other party members that she would be back after talking privately for a moment, and she led Ha-yeon to a corner of the waterway.
"Eonni... do you really like that man, Seong Su-ho?"
"Eh? Ah... well... haha..."
Min Ha-yeon scratched her head and answered bashfully.
During the drinking sessions over the last two days, Han Bom had asked Min Ha-yeon the same question whenever Seong Su-ho was absent.
But Min Ha-yeon had always brushed it off vaguely just like now.
While she was hesitating, Han Bom began to press her again.
"Eonni... I heard."
"Huh? Heard what?"
"...That that man raped you."
"...."
Min Ha-yeon closed her eyes tightly and cursed internally.
'Han Yeo-reum, that crazy bastard...'
Min Ha-yeon hadn't imagined that Han Yeo-reum would actually tell Han Bom about the "rape play" with Seong Su-ho.
She had thought he would have glossed over it by saying she had just cheated a bit.
'Then again... Han Yeo-reum... I'd be a fool to expect that from him.'
He was a man who didn't give a damn about others' perspectives and prioritized his own feelings above all else.
It would have been stranger if he hadn't said it.
Hearing those words, Min Ha-yeon found it difficult to look Han Bom in the eye.
Even if she tried to make her understand, she didn't know if Han Bom ever would.
'...Should I just tell her the truth? No... how do I explain regression... If Bom accidentally mentions regression to Han Yeo-reum, Su-ho could be in real danger.'
Regardless of anything else, the fact of the regression had to be hidden.
And without explaining that regression, it was impossible to explain the relationship between Seong Su-ho and Min Ha-yeon.
Who would believe that a man and woman who had only known each other for three days, without even building a rapport, would engage in rape play for the sake of a bluff?
While Min Ha-yeon was agonizing, Han Bom took her hand and spoke softly.
"Eonni... I don't care who you like."
"Bom-ah..."
"I believe there must be a reason if you like him... Still... I just can't understand that part."
"...."
After that, Han Bom looked up at Min Ha-yeon with a determined expression and spoke.
"So... let me verify it. Whether he's actually a decent man... "