Chapter 170: An Unexpected Encounter
Chapter 170: An Unexpected Encounter
Perhaps it was because I had spoken from the heart. Jung Hayeon looked up at me, at a loss for words. I gazed steadily into her eyes, and in the next moment, her entire face flushed a deep red, as if it might burst. After moving her lips silently for a moment, she finally spoke, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
“I… I believe you. I will.”
“Thank you. Then…”
Hearing her answer didn’t put my mind at ease. In my first playthrough, things like this never happened, so I never paid them any mind. Of course, in the Hall Plain, it wasn’t a major issue for one man to have several women, or for one woman to have several men. The most important thing, after all, was a User's ability. As I’d said before, it went beyond simply spending a night with someone you clicked with; it wasn't uncommon for people to offer their bodies to gain the protection of a caravan or a clan.
But when I tried to put myself in her shoes, I felt a strange ache in a corner of my heart. An unidentifiable emotion pricked at my chest, and all I could feel was sorry. Just as I was getting lost in this unfamiliar feeling, a trembling voice reached my ears once more.
“A-Are you sleeping in this room tonight?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Th-Then I’ll come to this room tonight. Please don’t go to sleep too early.”
“Well, I rarely go to bed ear—huh?”
I questioned her slightly off-topic remark, but I couldn't hear any more from her. As soon as she finished speaking, Hayeon grabbed the pouch in front of her and scurried out of the room. I tilted my head with a blank expression, then brought the records I had pushed aside back in front of me.
Suddenly, I recalled someone once saying, “User Kim Soohyun. You’re really clueless.” But I was able to shake the thought away. I needed to start preparing to leave Mule, so it was best to get busy while I had the time.
………. ………. ……….
I’m not sure how much time had passed. When I finished the expedition report I was writing and looked up, I saw the window was already stained with the light of the setting sun. The report on the Cave of Screams needed to be more detailed. Not only was it farther away than the previous two ruins, but we also hadn’t completely cleared it. I had to present possibilities based on our experiences and include as many predictions as I could. Even trivial information was good. The more information there was, the fewer casualties the next survey team would suffer. Even with Banshee there, which was a slight concern, participating in the survey team would help with one's achievements. So, unless a representative clan claimed the spots first, many Users would want to join.
I had originally planned to stop by the temple today, but it seemed better to put it off. I could get the achievement certificate for the ruins when I submitted the expedition report, and then get the one for the Cave of Screams at the temple in the next city we visited. There was no need to make two separate trips. Besides, it wouldn't be a bad idea to gauge the current atmosphere before leaving. I needed to understand the city's situation to know how things were unfolding.
And so, I was able to take care of most of the paperwork today. All that was left were things that required action. I placed the expedition report on top of the neatly stacked clan application forms. The thought that I was really leaving Mule now filled me with an unstoppable excitement.
After finishing all my work, I stood up energetically, planning to go check on the Chaos Mimics I had laid out on the second floor. I carefully tucked the Formless Sword and a bottle of Elixir from my drawer into my coat. I had picked them up from the warehouse when I went to get the clan application forms earlier.
Seeing them made my excitement grow even stronger.
*
When I went down to the first floor, a savory and delicious smell filled the lobby. We had decided to have an early dinner tonight. This was because of User Ko Yeonju's strong request to hold a welcoming party for herself. I had asked why we needed such a grand welcoming party, but I shut my mouth when she mentioned using up all the food ingredients before we left Mule and brought up the vacation.
Entering the kitchen, which was opposite the inn’s entrance, I could see the back of Ko Yeonju, humming as she stirred a pan over the fire. As if she knew I had entered, she didn't even turn around, simply raising a hand and gesturing for me to come closer. I approached her side. Looking at the pan, I saw meat in a spicy marinade being stir-fried to a perfect golden-brown.
“Have you gathered any information on the current state of the Hall Plain?”
“Who do you take me for? I already got the gist of it from the Shadows around lunchtime. Just like you said, it doesn't look too good.”
“A little more detail—mph.”
“Shh.”
Ko Yeonju picked up a piece of meat and shoved it deep between my parted lips.
“What's the rush? Sometimes, you have a tendency to never rest. This is a vacation. You should rest when it's time to rest. Otherwise, you'll wear yourself out. Well, if you really want to know, you could always come to my room tonight~.”
I couldn't say anything. She could have just given me the meat, but her fingers went almost all the way to the back of my throat. I tried to spit it out, but her fingernail brushed against my uvula, and I reflexively clamped my mouth shut. Only then did Ko Yeonju grin and slowly pull her fingers out.
Schlick.
The taste of the tender meat, her slender fingers, and the spicy seasoning on her skin all hit me at once. I considered biting down hard on her fingers, but I had a feeling that would be giving her exactly what she wanted, so I couldn't bring myself to do it. I let out a small sigh and, hearing her say the food was almost ready, slowly left the kitchen. It seemed less like she had no intention of telling me the information today and more like she planned to consolidate the intel that came in tonight.
Bang.
As I re-entered the first-floor lobby, the rest of the party came flooding through the inn's door, apparently having just finished their exploration of the city. The timing was perfect. The Users (and one Resident) who arrived just as the food was about to be ready saw my face and waved happily… or not.
“Hyung. I'm back.”
“Oppa. We're back.”
“I'm baaack…”
“Hweeeh…”
One by one, Ahn Hyun, Yoojung, Ahn Sol, and Vivian made deflating sounds as they collapsed onto the tables. Wondering why, I tilted my head and saw Hayeon avoid my gaze while Shin Sangyong gave an awkward laugh. It seemed they had explored every nook and cranny of the city, not for a vacation, but for the express purpose of gathering information.
The kids, sprawled out everywhere, twitched their noses at the delicious smell filling the lobby, and they all let out small cheers at the mention of a welcoming party. Seeing Hayeon approach and hand me back the pouch, which was still nearly full, I could guess how hard the kids had worked today.
I took Hayeon by the arm and led her to a table on one side. She looked a little tired too, but I was so curious about the situation outside that I couldn't stand it. The only times I’d gone out today were to visit the User warehouse and pick up the clan application forms, so I was completely in the dark. Fortunately, thanks to Hayeon, who had been diligent in her information gathering, she was able to explain the situation in relative detail.
“The atmosphere in Mule was, how should I put it, very gloomy.”
“Gloomy?”
“Yes. First, the Vagabond Extermination Plan succeeded, just as you said, User Kim Soohyun. It inflicted unprecedented losses—more than any previous battle with the Vagabonds. However, User casualties were also considerable. I heard that the SSUN Clan, the representative clan of the western city of Halo, suffered a blow that nearly wiped it out. The remaining Vagabonds all fled to the Western Continent.”
“Hmm.”
“Also, as of today, it's been three days since the Golden Lion Clan entered the Steel Mountains. All communication was cut off as soon as they entered, so their current situation is unknown. However…”
Hayeon paused and looked around. Hearing about the welcoming party, Shin Sangyong was pushing tables together, and Ahn Sol, staggering to her feet, moved to help him. Ahn Hyun suggested to Yoojung that they go to the kitchen to bring out the food, but she didn't answer, her head still buried on the table.
After a quick glance around, she leaned in closer and whispered in a hushed voice.
“I think there's a problem with the Golden Lion Clan's expedition itself.”
“A problem with the expedition itself?”
“I couldn't find out the specifics. But it seems they were very particular about which clans they chose to join the expedition. They didn't include any of the representative clans from the eastern cities, and it seems they didn't even let Istantel Low Clan, the representative clan of the small southern city of Monica, participate. Some say it was the Golden Lion Clan's unilateral decision, while others say those clans refused. The most certain thing is that all the clans that did participate are pro-Golden Lion. Even the representative clan of Mule, this small city, was recently replaced. The original one joined the expedition. They've really staked everything on this expedition.”
Her last words made my eyebrows twitch. The participation of pro-Golden Lion Clans was the same as in the future I knew, but the representative clan of Mule being replaced at this time definitely didn't match my memories. The one thing I was sure of was that Mule should have been without a leader right now. I asked her in an urgent voice.
“Do you happen to know the name of the new representative clan?”
“I'm sorry. This was all I could find out. The change happened in such a flash that almost no Users know about it. It seems to be a pro-Golden Lion Clan, and I heard they were given this position as compensation for not being able to join the expedition. I’m not sure, though. But… considering they entrusted the position to a relatively unknown clan, passing over other famous ones, it doesn't seem entirely baseless. Besides, most Users are still completely focused on the expedition…”
I nodded at her apologetic words. I had been wondering why there were fewer Users here than I expected; if the expedition was still ongoing, it was highly likely that most Users were gathered in the central or southern regions. That cleared up most of my questions, but one thing still bothered me. I could understand the representative clan of Mule being replaced. It was plausible. But no matter how I thought about it, I couldn't accept that they would install a clan so unknown that other Users hadn't even heard of it.
Reading my troubled expression, Hayeon looked anxious and fidgety, as if she were about to run back outside to find out the clan’s name at any moment. I quickly composed my face and reassured her. She had already found out a lot with just this much information. Ko Yeonju would know the rest of the details, so I could just hear it from her. I cleared my mind of the matter. A part of me wanted to dash to the representative clan’s castle or the temple at once, but I thought it might be fine to watch the situation unfold at a leisurely pace, just as Ko Yeonju had said. It was all bound to be revealed sooner or later anyway.
Having organized my thoughts, I looked over and saw that the rest of the party was now up and helping with the preparations for the party. Ko Yeonju, having finished most of the cooking, was out of the kitchen and giving directions, while the others moved tables and set out food. I could see some alcohol here and there; it looked like they were planning to go all out tonight. I thanked Hayeon for her work and then spoke calmly.
“You worked hard today. Shall we go help them?”
“It was nothing. I'm just sorry I couldn't find out more. Hoho. Well then, let's get up. I feel like we’re being watched.”
We shared a small smile and stood up. Hayeon rushed over to help Ahn Sol, who was struggling to move a table by herself, while I walked over to Ko Yeonju, who was standing with her arms crossed.
“I know which clan it is~.”
As if she had been eavesdropping on my conversation with Hayeon, she spoke up as soon as I approached. But I just smiled nonchalantly. I still hadn't forgotten how she'd flustered me this morning. So, I opened my mouth to ask her for a favor.
“User Ko Yeonju. I have a favor to ask.”
“Oh my. A favor from User Kim Soohyun? I'm honored. What could it possibly be?”
“I've laid out the Chaos Mimics on the second floor. Would you mind bringing them down? I think it's about time to open them…”
“I'll be right back.”
She tilted her head for a moment at my words, but she must have been dying to open them, because she vanished from my sight at an incredible speed. When I was up there earlier, I did a bit of cleaning inside just in case, so there shouldn't be any major danger. However, I wanted to show her how the room where I'd laid out the Chaos Mimics had changed.
And then.
“Kim~ Soo~hyun~!”
A few minutes later, Ko Yeonju's sharp, drawn-out voice called down to me from upstairs. As I watched her quickly descend the stairs carrying the Chaos Mimics, I greeted her with an innocent expression.