Chapter 38

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 38

Chapter Title: Anyway, It's Not Me (1)

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My new ability, Body Strengthening.

Its true nature was... an ironclad defensive stance that pushed the defense of my entire body to the absolute limit.

Smack!

"...What are you doing?"

"Testing. It really doesn't hurt at all, huh?"

Baek I-seo, who had suddenly flicked my forehead with her fist, tilted her head repeatedly with a look of wonder in her eyes.

'Hmm.'

Commonly known as 'Harden'.

The technique that the crystal golem in the Abandoned Fish Farm Dungeon had used, only to earn my scorn and a death sentence.

Looking back now, I felt a twinge of guilt, but there was no helping it. Who could have guessed that the same fate awaited me?

'Somehow... this doesn't feel like the end of it.'

However, at my current level, I didn't think I could reach beyond this realm just yet.

After all, the harsh reality right in front of me was that once I reinforced my entire body with mana, I could barely take a few steps without turning into a helpless sandbag.

Thud.

Thump.

Thud.

"This is a first. The reinforcement itself seems to work perfectly fine."

"...It feels gross, so stop hitting me."

"By the way, why are you so tough? Are you really C-rank?"

If we kept testing, Baek I-seo might figure out the truth, so I pretended to lose focus and released the strengthening, smoothly sliding into the chair beside me.

"Anyway, it worked, so that's good. It'll get better with practice."

"Yeah... I guess so?"

It really was a solid result.

For someone like me who hadn't had a decent defensive measure, gaining a way to protect my body was huge.

"Heading out now?"

"Yeah. I feel grimy since I couldn't change clothes."

"Take care. Come over anytime if you're bored."

Our farewell was remarkably brief.

Then again, since we saw each other every day on the channel, it was only natural.

Rumble.

Rumble.

Screech.

On the bus ride home, a strange melancholy settled in, and I stared intently out the window at the passing scenery.

I'd had a fulfilling day, so why did my heart feel so empty?

"......"

I had become a Clam star with 800,000 followers, achieving the feat of shaking heaven and earth with my unfathomable power.

My progress was tremendous—no, my entire life had been turned upside down.

Yet even so, there was still something in a corner of my heart that refused to be filled.

'I don't know.'

If I hadn't awakened that day at that moment, would my life have stayed frozen in place forever?

The thought crossed my mind unbidden, making everything feel futile, and my energy naturally began to drain away.

Drip.

Drip drip.

Pour.

"Mom! It's raining!"

"Yeah... Should I call Dad and ask him to bring an umbrella?"

"I'll do it!"

Still, my control had improved a lot. Even lost in this gloom, my powers were instinctively suppressed in my subconscious.

Yeah... For now, I'm working hard to adapt to this upended life, so that's enough.

Tucking that thought away in my chest, I logged into the Archive with a somewhat dampened mood, as always.

Seeing Baek I-seo stirring up trouble amid all this, I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.

Come to think of it, the channel users who'd partied with her in dungeons had known Temu Mountain Sword God was a woman all along?

They were truly shameless.

Who knew the spy was hiding right under my nose? As a sense of betrayal—not quite betrayal—washed over me, Cha Se-ra, sensing something, started firing off messages rapidly.

At Cha Se-ra's sudden menhera antics, I quickly changed the subject and refreshed the channel to check the updated posts.

"Oh."

The return of King Nyan Bread, the mod I'd forgotten about, caused a stir, with everyone celebrating his comeback.

It was just a space beyond the screen, but seeing the channel liven up lifted my gloomy mood a bit.

[Next stop: Majang Intersection, Majang Intersection.]

After transferring buses twice more and binge-reading the channel, I arrived home before I knew it.

Mod's return or not, I still had things to do.

Returning home after two days, I quickly showered, picked out some clothes, and plopped down on the bed.

'Hmm......'

Maybe it was time to show something different?

Uploading photos with just outfit and pose changes every time— if I were a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠follower, I'd start getting bored.

Click!

I took a photo and activated Clam's recording function, pausing it as I pondered a trivial dilemma.

'...What language ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠should I record in?'

To clarify, my Clam followers were incredibly diverse, multinational.

English speakers were the majority, but not overwhelmingly so.

After all, supreme cuteness knew no borders.

'Hmm.'

I considered searching up phrases from various countries and reciting them one by one, but decided it was pointless and dropped it.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do—I didn't need to cater to everyone.

Restarting the recording, I pressed the button and left a short greeting.

"...Good ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠night."

I uploaded the pre-taken photo along with the recording.

After closing the app and lounging on the bed for a while, Cha Se-ra, who'd seen it, suddenly called.

Tap.

"What?"

[Can't you do that for me too......?]

"Go to sleep or don't."

I hung up, and Cha Se-ra, now in the Archive, bombarded me with whiny private messages.

No, what did she expect me to do? Sorry, but when she asked so blatantly, it just made me too embarrassed to oblige.

Ignoring her, I sat quietly on the bed and began practicing my new ability, 'Iron Wall'.

Whooosh!

'Hmm.'

As expected, it felt like I could break through to the next level if I just did a little better...

But that wouldn't happen right away. It probably needed consistent practice and training.

With a new goal set, I lay down and drifted off into a daze, falling asleep.

#

Bzzz.

Bzzzz.

Morning again, and a sudden phone call.

Wondering who it was, I sleepily checked the screen to see "Landlord" filling my vision.

'Hmm.'

So it came.

What to do?

Ignoring it would just delay the inevitable; I needed to hear what the person involved had to say, whatever it was.

Answering the call, I decided to go with the first of the three plans I'd prepared.

"Hello?"

[Ah, yes. Is this Ji-an Choi's number?]

"Ah, I'm his... little sister. Oppa stepped out for a bit. Is there a message I can pass on?"

[Little... sister?]

I hadn't said anything that strange, but the landlord's reaction was oddly peculiar.

After fumbling in bewilderment for a while, the flustered landlord cautiously began explaining the situation.

[Well... there've been complaints. People keep hearing embarrassing noises from the building late at night. We haven't pinpointed the unit yet, but witnesses say an unfamiliar woman has been visiting Ji-an's place regularly...]

"...?"

What the hell... was this?

My mind went blank at this unimaginable situation, but one thing was crystal clear.

'Damn.'

The situation was heading in a very bad direction.