Stroked Awake by the Sword Saint
Why are you looking at me like that? I'm an orphan. That means I grew up without a drop of love from anyone since I was a kid.
I've never once thought of it as unfortunate. Because it was never there to begin with. Losing something hurts, but if you've never had it at all, there's nothing to lose.
‘Then who the hell is stroking my head right now?’
The thought had barely crossed my mind when my eyes snapped open.
“Ack!”
It was Master. Had she come because she was worried about me? I'd caused her needless concern.
“Master, when did you...”
“A week ago.”
“A week? My God! Did I really black out for that long?”
“Yeah.”
I didn't feel particularly hurt anywhere. And yet I'd slept for a whole week?
“You burned through too much mana. It's like running a car on empty—put in too much gas too fast, and the engine stalls. Same thing.”
“Ugh... But I didn't think I was pushing that hard.”
“You pushed plenty. You wrapped way too much mana around your sword, didn't you?”
Probably when I blocked that Sword Ghost's attack. I must've drained myself blocking it. Otherwise, my sword would've snapped or my body would've taken the hit.
“I heard you ran into the Sword Ghost. Lucky you... really. Looks like the bastard took a liking to you.”
“Yeah, seemed like it. He even taught me some footwork.”
“That perverted fuck. Gets horny for anyone swinging a sword.”
Master must've crossed paths with the Sword Ghost once too. Facing down that monster and coming out unscathed... I respected her even more.
“Good thing you made it out in one piece. When I heard the news, my heart damn near stopped. Guess I can't just let you ripen a bit longer unattended.”
She grabbed my hand while spouting nonsense I couldn't follow.
Come to think of it, the vibe had felt off since I woke up. Wasn't she petting my head a bit too much? I wasn't a kid anymore.
“Thank you so much for coming to check on me, Master. Anyway...”
“By the way, you wrecked every piece of gear I gave you.”
What? Wrecked?
“No way. Right before I passed out, it was fine.”
“Looks like you need to relearn how to channel mana from scratch. Pump too much into gear, and it melts fast. Swords too.”
No way! That stuff must've cost a fortune...
“And what the hell happened to the potions? Each one's worth hundreds of thousands of won.”
“That was...”
“Fine if you drank 'em, but smashing them? Kinda pisses me off. Hmm... what to do about this.”
Unbelievable. Had I really fucked up like that? What an idiot...
“Well! I can forgive that much.”
“Ah... Sorry.”
“Forgiving's easy. But that was the first gear I bought after cashing in my first real payout.”
Forgiven or not, letting it slide would eat at my conscience. I spoke up right away.
“I'll pay for all the gear. The potions too...”
“Huh? No need. Big sis has plenty of cash.”
“Even so, there's trust between people. I'd feel bad if I didn't make it right.”
“Fine, whatever. But you haven't made any money yet, right? Floor 10 rewards are pretty juicy, though.”
Didn't matter. I'd gotten something priceless in return.
‘I can see exactly where to strike for a fatal blow.’
Take the potted plant nearby. I could instinctively tell the angle to smash it into pieces. Master's weak spots? Fitting her Sword Saint title, they were barely visible. At my current level, even aiming for her heart or head would get blocked effortlessly. That's why they didn't show.
“I don't need cash right now~ I'll just put it on the tab.”
“Yes! I'll pay it all back within a month. If not... add interest, I don't care!”
This was my self-imposed chain. Breaking it would make me less than human.
“Hmm... if you're that insistent, let's write up an IOU.”
“Yes!”
“Interest at 5% monthly. Full gear value comes to about fifty million won.”
A manageable sum. Players could scrape together cash like nobody's business.
“I'll work hard!”
“No need to overdo it. Plenty of ways to pay it off.”
If worse came to worst, I could always pay with my body. Master trailed off suggestively. I wouldn't learn what she meant until later.
After that, I dove into serious training.
Having picked up the basics inside Babel, keeping up with lessons wasn't hard.
“Real combat's the best teacher. Cuts out all the useless moves.”
“Hoo... But do we really need armor this heavy?”
Even with my level-ups and mana making me stronger, lugging around slabs of metal weighing tens of kilograms was brutal.
“Inefficient for regular sports training, sure. But you're a player, right? The gear you'll wear later weighs hundreds, even thousands of kilos. Gotta get used to it.”
Sweat poured down my body in rivers. Medieval knights fought in this crap? They were all insane.
“Thirty-minute break. Always rest properly after training—hydrate too.”
“Yes!”
“Ditch the armor completely! Elevate your legs above your head.”
I did as told. Luckily, the inner lining was thin enough for the cool air to hit fast. Ahh, feels like living.
“Legs up, I said. Don't just lie there. Improves circulation.”
“Ack.”
As I lay there enjoying the breeze, Master strode over, grabbed both my legs, and hoisted them up.
“...Spread 'em.”
My legs splayed wide. Already embarrassing in the thin undersuit...
“Hmm.”
Master loomed over me for a long while, letting out a low groan.
I was drenched in sweat—must reek. And she wasn't even wrinkling her nose.
“Sss... Hoo. Hard to hold back.”
“Sorry. The sweat must stink pretty bad, huh?”
“Yeah... that scent wafting off you is poking my nose.”
She seemed seriously annoyed, staring straight at my face as she muttered.
“Can't take it. Go wash up.”
“Uh...”
“Now! I'll extend your break to an hour.”
Didn't think I smelled that bad.
“I seriously can't handle you like this. Go already.”
Ugh... Twice a day from now on. Never thought I stank before. I grabbed a change of clothes, underwear, and a towel, then headed to the showers.
‘Smaller than I expected.’
Master's dojo was huge—I figured the showers would be too. Nope. Barely big enough for one person. Two at a squeeze. And why a tub? Ditch that, and it'd be roomier.
‘Feels amazing.’
Showering off a ton of sweat was pure bliss. The grime washed away clean. Standing under the droplets lulled my mind blank.
‘Gotta hit Babel soon and grind cash.’
Earn hard, pay off the debt, buy new gear. Climb the tower with that, rake in more money... Perfect. No real plan yet, but it was solid.
‘And what's with all these unfamiliar things?’
Living alone as a woman, maybe? Tons of stuff I'd never seen as a guy.
‘Love gel...? What's this? And weirdly shaped cosmetics.’
Shouldn't these be somewhere other than the shower? Kinda odd. And heavy too, with red gems embedded. Huh. Do women in this world design makeup like that? Kinda astral.
“Got clothes for you to change into outside. Put those on.”
“Got it!”
Shower done. Washed with body wash and shampoo, then cracked the door to snag the towel and clothes.
“This isn't clothes.”
Some hotel robe. No underwear? Ugh... Guess this is what she meant. Where'd she even get it? I toweled off and stepped out.
Stick to paths avoiding Master. Bumping into her would be awkward.
“Oh, all clean.”
Ten seconds into that plan, Master—who'd been waiting by the door—nabbed me.
“Ack! M-Master.”
“What? The robe? No big deal. Can't see anything private anyway.”
“True, but...”
“Why be shy between us? I'm fine with it.”
I'm not... She just eyed me up and down like it was nothing.
“Hmmm.”
“M-Master?”
“Ahem. Perfect fit.”
That glint in her eyes felt suspiciously lecherous... Nah, had to be my imagination. Master wouldn't do that to me.