Item Power vs Raw Skill (1)
The meal was nothing short of magnificent. Hyunwoo couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever tasted anything like it in his entire life.
Having scraped by in poverty his whole existence, he'd been reveling in the electric thrill on his tongue for well over thirty minutes now.
"This is abalone. Pair it with the sauce on the side."
Abalone could grow that big? And how did they cook it to make it taste like this?
Every bite drew a sigh from Hyunwoo. It was almost a shame to let it slide down his throat. Truly...
"Looks like it's to your liking."
"Yes...!"
"Heh, I come here about twice a week. The menu changes every time—that's the charm. It depends on ingredient availability, so you always get something fresh."
Twice a week? Hyunwoo was floored.
Both of them were level 5 or higher. Naturally, their earnings dwarfed his.
But their lifestyles were worlds apart...
The reason? Hyunwoo was pulling out all the stops to pay back his debt to his master.
"It's really delicious."
Of course, Hyunwoo's day-to-day was decent enough.
Ryu Ga-eul covered all his living expenses, and he got pocket money for odd jobs under the guise of allowance.
But Ryu Ga-eul rarely splurged, except when she wanted to show off.
She didn't even know how much was in her accounts to begin with.
All she knew was that the bank deposited money every month—and the amounts were astronomical.
"Not a bad spot. Yeah..."
Ryu Ga-eul smiled languidly, a glass of wine in hand that cost hundreds of thousands per pour.
Well, duh. The Sword Saint's loaded. Nothing weird about that.
She didn't feel intimidated. As a promising player eyed by Acacia Guild, and with a LV.71 player for a mother, she'd grown up wealthy too.
They say rankers have insane fortunes. The Sword Saint's gotta be right up there.
From floor 70 and up, superconductors dropped—actual superconductors, not materials or blueprints to make them.
Scientists threw everything they had at analyzing the things, but modern tech couldn't crack them.
All they figured out was you could plug in wires and use them, and each lasted just a week.
Thus, every ranker wielded the might of an oil nation.
If they stopped raiding Babel, it'd be like OPEC shutting off the taps—economic catastrophe.
"Not bad at all. Seriously... a great place."
Something in the Sword Saint's subtle tone set off Ra Chae-young's alarms.
"Is there... something not to your taste?"
"Nah? Nothing like that. It was really good."
The woman who could single-handedly trigger inflation grinned wickedly.
"For our budget, this is putting in effort, right? Isn't it, Hyunwoo?"
"Hey, you can't say that. What does that make Chae-young for inviting us?"
Ra Chae-young felt even more on edge from Hyunwoo's desperate shield.
"I thought it was great, Chae-young."
No joke—dead serious. Hyunwoo doubted he'd set foot in a place this pricey again anytime soon.
"I said it's fine, geez? Why does everyone overthink it?"
"...I'll take you somewhere even better next time."
"Better than this?"
The implication? You think you can top this? But Chae-young missed it.
Was trying to score points, but it flopped. Guess you can't buy her favor with money.
Chae-young saw their relationship as parent-child.
Made sense—players forming master-disciple bonds was basically adopting a kid.
But Ryu Ga-eul ignored such outdated customs.
She'd twisted the system to make Hyunwoo utterly hers...
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, right? Fine, I'll take it slow and win over the Sword Saint.
Undeterred, she resolved to try again. Meanwhile, Ryu Ga-eul whispered into Hyunwoo's ear, oblivious.
"Let's fuck..."
"Ugh."
"Fuck, right? We're doing it today. Head home soon and let's go. Sis'll grab condoms."
"...Yeah."
"Good boy. Wash up and lie in bed while I'm out. I'll climb on and fuck you right away."
Hyunwoo nodded slightly—out of Ra Chae-young's line of sight.
"Had a blast today. For real... Ra Chae-young, was it? Hmm, come to think of it, Ra Yu-jin sunbae had a daughter."
Right as they were parting, his master casually dropped a name.
"That's my mother."
"Ah! Yeah, you look just like her. You know your mom?"
"Of course. She helped me out a ton. Acacia Guild leader, right?"
"Yes, that's her."
A guild leader's kid held more sway than a general's son in the '60s military.
Made sense—you could command your guild like personal troops.
"Heard that knight order bitch got disbanded recently. Must've been a boon."
"...Can't deny it. Business expanded, honestly."
"Gotta visit sunbae soon... Oh, right. Speaking of knight orders..."
Shwaaaaa—!
Something glinted in the darkness.
I thought my reaction was fast, but master beat me to it.
Only after I moved did Chae-young notice and twist away on instinct.
"A scalpel."
The gleaming object? A surgical scalpel.
"What psycho bitch ambushes us in broad daylight? Ballsy as hell."
"Sunbae, you okay?"
"No. Not okay."
Chae-young and I caught the flying scalpels. Master? Didn't.
The blade pierced clean through her pale hand. Blood trickled down...
Could someone actually hurt master like that?
It shattered my sense of the world. Someone as strong as her...
"Snap out of it, Hyunwoo. Enemy's still out there—don't panic."
"Sorry."
"Fucking cunt. Waited for us to drop our gear."
Just as panic clawed at me, master yanked out the scalpel with a relaxed grin.
"Come on out, you bitch. Unless you wanna die."
"As expected of sunbae. Pulling it out like that."
No presence. My senses are sharp enough to pick up people hundreds of meters away if I focus.
Even I couldn't sense her. Pro-level stealth...
"Lee Seo-ah here. I work in the shadows more than the light."
"National Intelligence Service, but edgier."
"Plenty of leisure to joke, huh? Coated it with lethal poison."
But master shrugged it off.
"Didn't your client tell you I drink fugu blood for fun?"
"Truly the Sword Saint. Never got a clean shot. Couldn't even infiltrate the dojo—god knows what you did there."
Good—she must've missed our secret fling.
"Spent months hunting for an opening. Tough gig."
"So you step up now?"
"Yeah. Figured I could definitely kill you."
Taking master head-on? She seemed dead serious.
"Think you'll win just 'cause I got a scratch?"
"Of course not. What makes me think I can win? Pure item carry, obviously."
The assailant reached into her inner pocket and flung more scalpels.
Blades flashed toward us, razor-sharp. Fast, but dodgeable.
Chae-young and I sidestepped easily. Master too—or so it seemed.
When did that scalpel embed in her shoulder?!
One I'd sworn she dodged was lodged there.
"Dartboard of Inevitability?"
"You know it."
"Famous unique item. Last thrown weapon on a marked target always hits. Random spot, though."
Such a broken item existed?! If it nailed the forehead, game over.
"But it's niche. Needs luck for vitals."
"True enough. What kind of freak body is that? Lethal venom and you're fine."
Tell me about it. Even I wonder what master is sometimes.