Chapter 172: An Unexpected Encounter (2)
Chapter 172: An Unexpected Encounter (2)
Just as the others finished stuffing all the gold coins and jewels into their bags, the mages seemed to have completed their equipment appraisals. As they read the descriptions written on the appraisal scrolls, the party members let out gasps of astonishment. Above all, discovering another Rare Class was an event so miraculous it felt impossible without some divine intervention.
While it was undeniably an encouraging development, I couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt, wondering why my 1st-playthrough self had never managed to find such things. I quickly shook off the feeling. With a warm heart, I watched my companions buzz with excitement. The first playthrough was nothing more than the past; what mattered now was the second playthrough—the present.
After a period of boisterous chatter, the mood shifted, and the party members began to eye each other with tense expressions. With so many incredible items on the line, they seemed to be on edge about who would get what.
As I mentally sorted out how to distribute the equipment, a slight sense of disappointment washed over me. The items laid out before us were a stark demonstration of why I emphasized the Magic stat so much, and why I obsessed over every single point.
Many of the items were for melee classes, specifically tanks, which would make Ahn Hyun the most suitable candidate in our group. However, most of them came with the condition: Based on the user’s Magic Power stat.
For example, even if Ahn Hyun were to wield the shield called Legend of Hoplon, its reflection effect would be drastically reduced if he were struck by a user whose Magic stat surpassed his own. If I were to strike him with even a fraction of my strength, the shield wouldn't reflect anything; he’d just be sent flying. Of course, there was the additional correction from the Luck stat, but it was always better to exclude such uncertain factors from one's calculations. In any case, while it was a bit of a shame for now, it also meant that these were pieces of equipment that would grow more effective as the others developed.
Just as I finished my assessment and was about to begin the distribution, Jung Hayeon, who had been staring at me intently, suddenly took a step forward and spoke.
“Soohyun. On behalf of the other Users, I’d like to make a suggestion.”
I closed the mouth I had just opened and turned my gaze to her. Her face was calm, but her eyes held a firm resolve. The phrase ‘on behalf of’ bothered me a little, but I decided to hear her out in silence.
“All the achievements we’ve made so far have been under your decisions as our leader. I know that is your prerogative. Still, just this once, I would like for the opinions of myself and the other Users to be reflected.”
“Th-that’s right, Hyung. Please let our opinions be heard this time.”
The moment Hayeon finished, Ahn Hyun immediately voiced his agreement. Soon after, Ahn Sol, Lee Yoojung, Shin Sangyong, and Vivian all nodded, lending their support to Hayeon’s statement.
“Hmm.”
I scratched my head for a moment, lost in thought. These were issues that would have needed readjusting anyway as we grew into a clan, especially one aiming to be a small, elite force. It was just a little surprising that it had come up so soon. I thought I had been giving them as much as I could, so I couldn't deny feeling a bit sheepish. Still, I shrugged and took a step back, gesturing for them to go on. I was willing to at least hear what they had to say.
However, the party didn't speak again. The moment my permission was granted, they glanced at one another, then simultaneously reached out and picked up one piece of equipment each from the pile in front of them. I frowned as I watched them. They were supposed to choose items that matched their individual classes and stats, but the way they were grabbing things seemed completely random. I especially couldn't understand why Hayeon had picked up a helmet, and I decided to ask what they were doing. Just as I was slowly opening my mouth to speak…
“Hiyah!”
I was about to speak again but froze in bewilderment as Yoojung charged at me, holding the Glory of Heaven. Before I knew it, everyone except Ko Yeonju had swarmed around me, their hands fumbling all over my body. I tried to resist, wondering what in the world was happening, but multiple hands were holding me down. At such close range, it was obvious that if I used any real strength, they would get hurt. Since I still hadn't grasped the situation, I couldn't risk doing anything drastic.
“Wh-what are you all doing? Hayeon, get that helmet away from me! Why are you trying to force it on… Hey, are you going to get your hand off my chest?”
“Just hold still. You keep moving.”
“That’s right, Hyung. We’re giving everything to you this time.”
“What do you mean by…”
“If we leave it to you, you’ll just give it all to us again, won’t you?”
“Wow, wow! Off with Orabeoni’s clothes! Hehehe.”
“Kim Soohyun! This raises Stamina! Hurry and eat it! Ahhh~. Come on, say ahhh~.”
In the midst of the chaos, I turned my head and shot a pleading look at Ko Yeonju. However, she seemed to have just figured out what was going on and was merely smiling enigmatically. Her smile made me even more anxious, and I tried to retract my plea for help, but it seemed to have provoked her instead.
“Hoho. Everyone, step aside for a moment. A man’s clothes should be…”
Her form blurred for an instant.
“...taken off like this.”
The moment she finished speaking, I felt something whip across my body. Immediately, the simple shirt I was wearing was ripped clean in half. The party members cheered at Ko Yeonju’s handiwork.
“Soohyun, your head this way…”
“Hyung, this first…”
“Wow, wow! Finally, Orabeoni’s chest…”
“Don’t be mad, just eat this first…”
As my torn shirt slid to the floor, my bare upper body was completely exposed. At the same time, I could hear the cheers of the party gradually dying down. With a bitter expression, I lowered my head and looked down at my own body.
Thanks to my high Durability, it was better than before, but my entire body was still covered in faint scars. The old wounds, it seemed, could never fully heal. Even Hayeon’s eyes widened in shock. We had slept together once before, but we had been in a dark room, so she must not have noticed. But now, under the light of the Light Stones hanging from the lobby ceiling, the countless scars on my body were laid bare for all to see.
The once-boisterous group fell dead silent, and awkward expressions began to creep onto their faces. On every one of them, a common emotion surfaced: guilt.
Wordlessly, I took the Glory of Heaven that Yoojung had half-draped over my back and put it on properly. Then, I snatched the Red Belt from Vivian’s hands and tied the Glory of Heaven securely. The clothes fit perfectly, as if they had been tailored for me.
When I lifted my head again and slowly looked at their faces, I could see them flustered, not knowing what to do. Vivian was scratching her cheek, looking embarrassed, while Ko Yeonju was smacking her lips in thought. Finally, after Shin Sangyong let out a deep sigh, Hayeon’s small voice reached my ears.
“Soohyun. I-I’m sorry.”
“…It’s fine.”
“E-earlier, when we went to the city, I spoke with the other Users. We agreed that we should give most of the equipment we find this time to you… You’ve always been the one to give things up, so we wanted to make sure you received something, no matter what…”
“I appreciate the sentiment. But I don’t think you needed to go this far. I would have understood if you had just told me.”
Hearing my words, Hayeon took a small step back, her shoulders slumping. She bit her lip hard, and her eyes trembled as if she were about to burst into tears. I sighed and patted her shoulder a couple of times.
Honestly, I did feel annoyed. But showing my scars wasn't a huge deal, and they had all acted with good intentions, so I thought it best to let it slide this one time. As if sensing my mood, Shin Sangyong, who was holding a pair of gauntlets, bowed to me at a ninety-degree angle.
“L-Leader. I’m truly sorry. User Jung Hayeon was only acting as the representative; she wasn't the one who first proposed this idea. And I was one of the Users who agreed to it. We thought it was a good idea, but I see now we were only thinking from our own perspective. I am truly sorry.”
Receiving such a sincere apology, the displeasure I felt began to subside. And as he said, they had done this for my sake. I didn't like their methods, but I relaxed my expression and gave a nod.
Sensing that I had calmed down a bit, Yoojung, who seemed to be acting as the group’s representative now, spoke up.
“Oppa, I’m sorry. To be honest, I was the one who first came up with the idea. Like Sangyong-ssi said, User Jung Hayeon was just representing us. So it’s my fault. Still…”
Yoojung paused, a cautious look on her face. I stared at her pursed lips, and taking it as permission to continue, she swallowed once and went on.
“All the equipment and stuff we’ve found until now… besides that one ring, you haven’t taken anything for yourself. So I thought it would be good to give them to you this time… I’m sorry. But from now on, please don’t just look out for us. I hope you’ll take a few things for yourself, too. It’s been bothering me for a while, but seeing the scars on your body now… it really hurts my heart.”
The other Users didn't add anything else, but from the slight nods they gave, it was clear they all agreed with Yoojung.
“……”
It was a refreshing feeling. During my first playthrough as a novice User, I had spent my days drifting from one caravan to another. Back then, whenever good equipment or items appeared, it was common for people to eye each other warily, trying to claim them for themselves. In that process, I had sometimes been subjected to unfair distributions. Of course, the situation now was very different from back then, but seeing their attitude still stirred an unfamiliar emotion within me.
The party members weren't making a fuss like before, but they were still holding out the items in their hands toward me. I cleared my throat softly and began to quietly equip the gear they handed me, one by one.
*
A little while later, I was finally able to finish distributing the equipment. Since most of the items this time were for melee classes, many of the Users received nothing, but they didn't complain, as they had already received their share before. The only one I was concerned about was Shin Sangyong, and I planned to arrange a separate meeting with him and Vivian soon. I would hear him out, and if I judged him worthy of the Chimera Alchemist, I would gift him the Rare Class.
This time, I received the largest share of equipment. Just as Yoojung had said, the party members seemed to have made up their minds, showing no greed and readily yielding to one another.
“Wow. Oppa, you look so cool.”
“A jet-black uniform with a red belt. It suits you quite well. Hoho.”
“Hee… Orabeoni, you look so handsome.”
Amid the praises chattered by the female Users around me, I gave an awkward smile and opened my Player Status window. It seemed best to check my updated stats first.
Player Status
1. Name: Kim Soohyun (Year 0 User)
2. Class: Sword Specialist (Secret, Sword Specialist, Master)
3. Nation: -
4. Clan: -
5. True Name · Nationality: Master of the Sword · Republic of Korea
6. Sex: Male (24)
7. Height · Weight: 181.5cm · 75.5kg
8. Alignment: Lawful · Chaos
[Strength 96(+2)] [Durability 92] [Agility 98] [Stamina 72] [Magic Power 96] [Luck 90(+2)]
(You have 12 remaining stat points.)
Achievements(1)
1. Rite of Passage Boss Monster
Unique Ability(1/1)
1. Third Eye (Rank: S Zero)
Special Ability(1/1)
1. Unity of Sword and Self (Rank: EX)
Latent Ability (4/4) (You have 1 remaining ability point.)
1. Close-Quarters Combat (Rank: A Plus)
2. Unyielding (Rank: A Plus)
3. Mind’s Eye (Stillness) (Rank: A Plus)
4. Blessing of the Battlefield (Rank: EX)
Strictly speaking, the only Users who benefited from the Chaos Mimic were Ahn Hyun and me. A total of 16 items had dropped, and I ended up with 8 of them, exactly half. The list was as follows:
Lucky Four-Leaf Clover
TOPG (Twin-Headed Ogre Power Gauntlet)
Coat of Plates
Glory of Heaven
Glory of the Sun
Elixir (Stamina)
Formless Sword
Sun and Moon Divine Sword
I received the right to use these eight pieces of equipment and items.
Not all of the remaining eight items went to the party, either. I decided to hold on to three Elixirs, Pegasus's Egg, Unicorn's Horn, the Rare Class (Twilight Medium), the Evil-Banishing Bow, and the Legend of Hoplon for management purposes, as there were no Users who could use them right away.
In the end, only two items went to the rest of the party: the Helm of Courage and the Mighty Sun.
If there was one thing I coveted, it was the Mighty Sun. But in the end, I gave it to Ahn Hyun. My Durability wasn't as lacking as my Stamina, and the clothes I was wearing now were far more comfortable for moving around. More importantly, since I had decided to raise Ahn Hyun as a damage-dealing tank, giving him the Mighty Sun seemed like the right choice rather than being needlessly greedy. With Ahn Hyun taking the Mighty Sun and the Helm of Courage, the equipment distribution was finally complete.
Lost in thought for a while, I eventually looked up, sensing a strange gaze on me. I saw Ahn Sol’s face, grinning happily at me. It wasn't just her. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, their lips curved into faint, pleasant smiles. Even the Users who had received nothing were smiling at me, which made me feel strangely awkward.
To be honest, I couldn't understand them. I wondered if they were hiding feelings of disappointment, or if they were just naturally good-natured people. It was enough to make me consider all sorts of possibilities. They should have at least felt a little regretful at not being able to claim such great equipment for themselves, yet they all seemed content for the sole reason that I had received it.
I let out a meaningless sigh and shook my head. Then, I turned my gaze to the Stamina Elixir held gently in my hand. If I drank it now, I could raise my Stamina to 76 points. It was an elixir on par with the reward for completing the User Academy.
Instead of swallowing it immediately, I just stared at it. I had once obtained an elixir from the Ruined Laboratory that raised Stamina by 2 points for Users with less than 70 points in the stat. However, I had hastily consumed a Stamina-boosting elixir purchased from the GP shop before that, wasting the opportunity. Learning from that mistake, I had since refrained from consuming elixirs right away. The reason I hadn't used my remaining ability and stat points was similar. I didn't want to repeat the same mistake.
And so, I turned my gaze to Vivian. I still had Vivian's Inner Core, Belphegor's Heart, two Stamina Elixirs (+2 for under 70, +4 for under 80), and Horrence's Magic Core. A thought flickered through my mind that combining these materials might produce an even better elixir. I decided it would be best to bring it up when I called for Vivian regarding Shin Sangyong's matter.
It was then.
Clunk! Creeak.
“Excuse me… I heard there’s a Year 0 User named Kim Soohyun here.”
With the sound of the door opening, a voice—slightly unfamiliar, yet one I remembered hearing before—flowed from the inn’s entrance into the lobby. A clear, soft voice. The entire party, myself included, reflexively turned our heads toward the sound.
And there, where my gaze landed, was a User I never would have imagined meeting right now.