Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Suspicious Invitation
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Lucia arrived at the station and froze, her face etched with shock at the sight of the massive throng of people.
In the place where she had lived, it wasn't common to see so many people coming and going like this.
"Has a war broken out or something?"
"No."
"Then is it market day? Why are there so many people?"
"It's like this every day here."
Lucia's expression was one of pure astonishment.
She couldn't believe this was a daily sight, not just a one- or two-day occurrence.
"Just how many humans are there in this world?"
"Roughly over 7.7 billion, I'd say."
When Kang Jin-hyuk shared the figure he'd once seen on the internet, Lucia's jaw dropped in horror.
"W-What? Do the humans here have breeding rates that surpass even orcs?"
"Orcs? That's a bit harsh."
There were people who got called that sometimes, but humans didn't actually outbreed real orcs.
It was just an insult based on appearances, so Kang Jin-hyuk looked a little uncomfortable.
"With that many humans, no wonder there isn't a single elf."
Lucia's face was one of shock as she began convincing herself of something all on her own.
She seemed to think that sub-races like elves had been overwhelmed by sheer human numbers and wiped out.
It was completely different from the history Kang Jin-hyuk knew, but he didn't feel the need to correct her with a full explanation.
Right now, checking out his skill took priority—this wasn't a field trip for history lessons.
"Let's see..."
Kang Jin-hyuk observed the passing crowd with his skill activated.
He quickly jotted down the numbers he observed in the notebook he'd pulled from his pocket.
"52, 81, 33, 92..."
While Kang Jin-hyuk solemnly recorded the karma values, Lucia craned her neck this way and that, taking in the surroundings.
Things she'd overlooked while roughly scanning on the way to hunt the new monster species now captured her attention.
"Even as the sun sets, it's this bright here."
The street aglow with dazzling lights was a sight Lucia had never witnessed before.
In her world, even royal palace festivals didn't shine this brightly.
Normally, only major cities had a few streetlamps.
Villages away from cities required personal lanterns as essentials if venturing out at night.
"But wouldn't this brightness attract monsters' eyes?"
Suddenly, Lucia grew worried about the city's security.
The lack of lighting development where she lived was partly due to technological differences, but mostly because of monsters.
Monsters, which were mainly nocturnal, had a habit of being drawn to light.
In villages with weak defenses, shining bright lights would invite concentrated monster attacks, so even bonfires were used cautiously unless for major events.
"And those hunters here don't seem that strong, judging by that one."
Lucia recalled how the hunters had trembled against the new monster species she'd dispatched with a single arrow.
"How have these not-so-strong humans held out against monsters?"
With no information to go on, Lucia's speculation served as fitting entertainment to pass the time while Kang Jin-hyuk recorded his numbers.
But the idle fantasy she started for fun had to end at an unwelcome moment.
Someone kept talking beside her, so Lucia reluctantly turned her head.
The man who had approached her unnoticed had brown-dyed hair that stood out, and refined features making him handsome.
His looks might have been appealing, but Lucia disliked his sleazy smile.
In her world, men who approached with that expression almost always had ulterior motives.
"#$%%@#."
The man earnestly spoke, but Lucia couldn't understand his language.
'Looks like this guy doesn't have a translation item.'
She'd forgotten their languages differed because conversations with Kang Jin-hyuk had felt natural from the start.
Only after Lucia cast her translation spell did the man's words become intelligible.
"So, what I'm saying is, are you interested in modeling?"
The translation worked, but Lucia still had no idea what he meant.
"Modeling?"
As Lucia tilted her head and mumbled, the man took it as interest and brightened up.
"Yes. We happen to have an opening."
Lucia didn't know what 'model' meant exactly, but she could easily guess his intentions for approaching her.
'Let's check.'
Just to be sure, Lucia amplified her senses with aura, and felt gazes directed at her from around.
Among them were several with an off-putting vibe unlike ordinary people.
'His accomplices? Or just passersby?'
It wasn't enough to decide how to respond, so as she hesitated, a familiar back blocked her view.
"What's the matter?"
The brown-haired man looked flustered at Kang Jin-hyuk's sudden appearance.
He clearly hadn't expected her to have company.
His eyes darted side to side before he masked it with a smile again.
"Sorry. Is he your boyfriend?"
"No, not exactly."
"Then a friend?"
"Ah, yeah... you could say that."
Seeing Kang Jin-hyuk answer promptly and the man's face light up, Lucia sighed inwardly.
'You idiot.'
A firm rejection might have made him back off.
His half-hearted response gave the man an opening, and he promptly invited them to chat at a nearby café.
"Why doesn't your friend join us too?"
His attitude blatantly signaled that Lucia was the target.
But such a clumsy approach worthy of a third-rate playboy wouldn't work.
They'd just met the brown-haired man, and she had other plans here—she could brush him off easily.
She held the justification, so dodging was simple.
But contrary to Lucia's thoughts, Kang Jin-hyuk accepted the invitation.
"I was just looking for a way to kill time anyway... Ack!"
Unable to stand Kang Jin-hyuk so readily agreeing, Lucia stomped unhesitatingly on his foot.
The man, unaware of the action, startled at Kang Jin-hyuk's sudden scream.
"Is something wrong?"
"Ah, no, it's nothing—don't worry about it."
Kang Jin-hyuk bit his lip, enduring the pain from his foot.
As the man led the way to find a seat, Lucia sneaked an extra elbow to Kang Jin-hyuk's side from behind.
"Urk!"
Worried the man might turn, Kang Jin-hyuk clamped his hand over his mouth.
"You idiot, what if he just follows along like that?"
"I have my reasons."
"What reasons could your empty head possibly come up with?"
"That's harsh. Just hear me out."
Kang Jin-hyuk whispered carefully so the leading man wouldn't hear.
"That guy's karma is abnormally high."
"What?"
"What else? His karma value."
"How high?"
"300."
Lucia halted her second swing of the fist upon hearing that.
"So you deliberately went along for that?"
"It's a rare chance—I'd hate to miss it."
From observing so many at the station, Kang Jin-hyuk hadn't seen anyone over 100, let alone 300.
Miss this, and who knew when he'd encounter someone with such a value again.
Understanding the situation, Lucia suppressed her irritation and scratched her head irritably.
"Fine... I hate the guy, but guess I have to play along for a bit."
"If he does anything shady, tell me right away."
What actions would a human with such superior karma show?
Curiosity piqued, Lucia closely watched the leading man's behavior.
He seemed to look around for a place to talk, but something felt off.
Lucia quickly pinpointed the inconsistency and whispered to Kang Jin-hyuk.
"He's pretending to look around, but his steps are straight toward that building ahead."
"So the destination was set from the start."
"It's blatantly a trap, so stay sharp."
When the leading man turned back, Lucia and Kang Jin-hyuk stopped whispering and hurriedly put distance between themselves.
Unaware he was under suspicion, the man smiled casually and pointed to the sign ahead.
"That place looks good."
His chosen spot was a secluded-feeling 'bar' that was hard to spot without close inspection.
With cafés nearby, picking this screamed ulterior motives.
But Lucia and Kang Jin-hyuk pretended to fall for it and followed.
"Grab a seat first—I'll order and be right back."
To the man's question about drinks, Kang Jin-hyuk ordered a non-alcoholic cocktail on Lucia's behalf.
She handled tons of chocolate without issue, so caffeine was probably fine for elves too.
But safest to go with the most neutral option just in case.
After seating them at a table, the man headed straight to order.
While he was gone, Kang Jin-hyuk and Lucia discussed how to proceed.
"First off, he's definitely after me, right?"
"Obvious to anyone."
"Does chasing women affect karma values?"
"Doubt it."
While checking values on the street, Kang Jin-hyuk had seen many men staring at Lucia.
Her standout beauty made it hard to chalk up to mere womanizing.
Any man with normal tastes would want to approach her.
Suggesting modeling fit naturally in that light.
If Kang Jin-hyuk couldn't check karma with his hidden skill, he wouldn't suspect a thing.
"So he's plotting something on the sly."
"High chance. But his approach is so tacky."
Lucia nodded in agreement.
Even to her, unfamiliar with local customs, the man's method was cringeworthy and sloppy.
"Could he just be an idiot...?"
"Passing cafés nearby to come here means he's not clueless."
"What's a café?"
"Uh... a place to sip drinks and chat casually?"
"So no different from here."
"The no-alcohol part is."
Lucia tilted her head with a puzzled look.
"What's there to talk about without booze?"
True conversation flows best with alcohol's help.
That was the rule Lucia had learned from years as an adventurer.
"To me, a guy trying to pick up a girl bringing her to a no-booze spot is the suspicious part."
Having lived in different worlds, Kang Jin-hyuk's perspective and hers aligned yet diverged.
An intriguing difference, but now wasn't the time for chit-chat.
"Anyway, let's see how he plays it."
For now, they had only suspicions.
They needed more info for a solid judgment.
"Hm?"
With a jingle of the bell, the door opened and several men entered, prompting a reaction from Lucia.
Her long ears, visible only to Kang Jin-hyuk, twitched up and down like antennae.
"What's up?"
Ignoring his question, Lucia glared at the newcomers.
Her eyes grew increasingly menacing over time, signaling trouble brewing.
"Those guys who just came in—they're definitely the ones watching me on the street earlier."
"What do you mean?"
"They were near the guy who approached me."
The spot she subtly indicated without alerting them had burly men settling at the bar.
Muscular builds their suits couldn't hide, and grim faces.
They screamed steakhouse or pub crowd, not cocktail bar.
"Not a coincidence."
"Definitely not."
Lucia's long experience let her state it with certainty.
Those men and her approacher were in cahoots.
"Looks like more trouble than expected."
Kang Jin-hyuk cracked open his inventory slightly, ready to pull his baseball bat anytime.