Chapter 210: Parting and Meeting
Chapter 210: Parting and Meeting
“We’ve received a report about a rather unusual User from the fifth inn.”
“Then tell me how they’re unusual. Stop beating around the bush.”
Sung Yubin scowled, sharply pressing the female instructor. Wincing at her tone, the instructor continued in a dejected voice.
“Well…”
What the instructor said next was certainly interesting. Nearly fifty Users had poured out of the fifth inn at once, but unlike the other inns, the new Users were remarkably calm and composed. The scene from when the fifth inn opened, just before I came to the plaza, flashed through my mind.
She described the situation in detail, adding that it had made it easy for the instructors in charge of the fifth inn to handle the guidance and reception.
“Then why are you pointing at those new people?”
“Yes. According to the instructor in charge of the fifth inn, do you see that black-haired man sitting in the center?”
“There’s more than one person with black hair. God, you’re frustrating.”
“Ah, s-sorry. In the Magic Talent section, third step. He's sitting fifth from the left.”
Following the instructor's directions, my gaze shifted, and I soon spotted a man with a clean-cut appearance. He was quite handsome, and his physical condition looked good. Most peculiar of all was his expression, which was incredibly relaxed, and his composed demeanor. He looked decidedly different from the other Users, who were filled with anxiety.
My eyes narrowed instinctively as I looked at him. At the same time, I felt an inexplicable sense of concern. I searched my memories, wondering if he was a User who had been prominent in the 1st playthrough, but no one came to mind.
Thinking there might be someone I knew, I scanned all the new arrivals, but I didn't see any familiar faces. I would have to look more closely to be sure, but it seemed likely that this batch consisted of entirely new Users.
I turned my head toward him again. As I mulled over who on earth he could be, I heard the female instructor continue beside me.
“They say that man was at the center of the group from the fifth inn. He even helped the instructors who were trying to control the crowd….”
“He's certainly an odd one.”
“I don’t know, Hyunwoo-oppa. Maybe he’s just a carefree person? You know, some people are like that.”
“That could be. In any case, don't just dismiss it; look into him closely. Anyway, it looks like we should be starting soon. Have the other clans not arrived yet?”
Sung Yubin answered him and then raised both her hands. It looked like she was about to cast a Sound Amplification Magic. I took advantage of the brief moment to quickly activate Third Eye. The thought that he might be another regressor like me crossed my mind, but I immediately shook my head. Since there was only one Zero Code, the probability of that was practically zero. Rather than wracking my brain, it would be better to check his Player Status directly.
As I looked at the man again with my activated Third Eye, a series of messages began to float in the air.
〈 Player Status 〉
1. Name: Park Hwanhee (Year 0 User)
2. Class: Mage (Normal, Mage, Beginner)
3. Nation: -
4. Clan: -
5. True Name · Nationality: Mismatch of the Outer and Inner Self · Republic of Korea
6. Sex: Male (26)
7. Height · Weight: 185.5cm · 80.5kg
8. Alignment: Neutral · Chaos
[Strength 36] [Durability 30] [Agility 42] [Stamina 40] [Magic Power 52] [Luck 62]
(No stat points remaining.)
Unique Ability (1/1)
1. Charisma (Rank: D Minus)
“Hmm.”
I found myself tilting my head as I read his status. Of course, this User had inner potential for growth, and judging by his current attitude, his adaptability to the Hall Plain was outstanding, among the best I’d seen.
However, based solely on the stats I saw with Third Eye, he was just at a decent level. He didn't have a Secret or Rare Class, either. In other words, it wasn't a case of, "Wow, this guy is so amazing I have to recruit him, or kill him now before he becomes a problem later." It was more like, "He'd pull his own weight," or "He shows the potential to become a high-ranking User."
But when I turned my attention to the other information, my opinion began to change. True Name, Alignment, Unique Ability. The moment I saw these three, the scattered puzzle pieces in my head clicked into place. At the same time, I felt like I was beginning to understand why I had been so preoccupied with this new User. We weren't exactly the same, but perhaps I felt a sense of kinship, as if I were seeing someone similar to myself?
Deactivating Third Eye, I looked at the guy again, and he started to seem a little different. He was still calm, relaxed, and occasionally smiling as he comforted the trembling person next to him. But there was a strong, artificial air about him.
What the female instructor had said was true. I had thought the instructors were managing the crowd quite skillfully, but was it because they had received help from this new User, Park Hwanhee? The people from the fifth inn must have survived the Rite of Passage with him at their center, which would explain why they followed his lead and complied with the instructors’ control.
From this, I was able to glean one valuable piece of information: that man was definitely not one of the two who had passed on the fifth day. In any case, the thought of having found an interesting guy made me chuckle to myself. It was then.
“It is a pleasure to meet all of you who have survived the Rite of Passage and proven your qualifications as Users.”
“Soohyun-ssi, Soohyun-ssi!”
Park Hyunwoo's voice, amplified by magic, spread across the plaza. At the same time, I felt someone suddenly link their arm with mine. I turned my head to see Sung Yubin holding my arm with both hands, gently pulling me. I immediately understood the situation and let her lead me. The two of us walked toward the back of the stage for a moment. It was time for Park Hyunwoo's speech.
“The speech will take some time. Let’s stay back here together, just the two of us, while it’s going on. Ah, I’m sorry. I spoke too casually to you, Mercenary Lord.”
Sung Yubin put on a look of "Oops" and secretly pulled my arm toward her chest. A soft, supple sensation met the part of my arm that touched her chest. She was acting so coquettish and seductive toward me that it was hard to believe she was the same person who had been berating the instructor just moments ago.
Watching her smile with her eyes, a thousand thoughts ran through my mind. I understood why she was fawning over me. Honestly, I felt extremely uncomfortable and wanted to coldly pull my arm away, but she was a User with a respectable position in the Golden Lion Clan.
Like it or not, we would be running into each other a lot for at least the next three months. I figured it was better to play along and wrap Sung Yubin around my finger rather than create an awkward relationship. I didn't like her, but she was a woman worth using.
“I regret to inform you that we are not the ones who can send you home. As of now, we have neither the means nor the ability to do so.”
I heard a murmur and listened in. Park Hyunwoo's speech was just beginning. Compared to when I had first arrived, his words were much more refined. Taking advantage of the moment she turned her head toward the noise, I quickly softened my stiff expression. Then, with a gentle smile, I waited for her gaze to return to me.
“Misspoke? Not at all. In fact, the title ‘Mercenary Lord’ was starting to feel a bit stiff. Haha.”
“Wow~. Then can I keep calling you Soohyun-ssi from now on?”
“Of course. I’d be delighted to be called that by someone like you, Yubin-ssi.”
“Oh my. I'm so happy~.”
Even though I had also changed how I addressed her, Sung Yubin gave me an unfittingly innocent smile. It was as if she wanted to show with her expression just how truly happy she was. I smiled back in response, but inwardly, I scoffed.
Soon, we moved to a secluded spot behind the stage and stood close together, watching Park Hyunwoo's back. To be more precise, it would be more accurate to say she was clinging to me.
After listening to his speech for a while, I heard Sung Yubin's voice again.
“I heard from the instructors. They said you were the first to arrive and that you calmed the commotion. Thank you so much.”
“Don't mention it. I only did what needed to be done. You're making me blush.”
“Still, I think you're amazing. Hoho. Oh? Are you nervous right now? Your body and arm seem a little tense~.”
“How could I not be? When a man is alone with a beautiful woman in a dark place like this, he's bound to get nervous.”
I had only tensed up on purpose to make it look as though I was nervous. Of course, I only thought that to myself, playing along smoothly to lift her spirits. At my words, Sung Yubin's eyes widened before she stifled a laugh. Then, with a bashful expression, she pressed herself even closer against me.
“Oh my~. You're so different from when I saw you earlier. So forward.”
“'Earlier' was only a few hours ago.”
“I don't know about that. Still, this feels nice. Hehe.”
With a blush on her cheeks and her eyes cast slightly downward, she truly looked like a shy young girl. At the same time, however, the soft pressure on my arm grew stronger. Her face was pretty, but her body was stick-thin, not my type. However, the breasts I could feel now were quite ample for her frame. (Of course, it would be an injustice to compare her to Jung Hayeon, and an insult to compare her to Ko Yeonju.)
I could say with certainty right now: Sung Yubin was a woman who knew how to seduce men. If she set her mind to it, she could probably devour several men. I cursed her internally, calling her a lewd bitch, but then I remembered her disposition. And then, I had nothing more to say.
As Park Hyunwoo's clear, ringing speech continued, Sung Yubin and I kept talking. Neither of us brought up anything important. She had a foxy side to her, and if I approached her too rashly, she would likely see through my intentions. So we just built some rapport by beating around the bush with each other.
Some time passed like that.
“With that, I will conclude the basic explanation. Of course, I know you still have many questions. I would like to take a few, but since it is so late, I believe it would be best to head to the dormitories for now.”
Park Hyunwoo's speech was finally winding down. Hearing the deep hoarseness in his voice, he seemed quite exhausted. Sung Yubin, who had been giggling beside me, let go of my arm with a disappointed look on her face.
“I think I should get going. I have to lead the new arrivals to the Academy dorms soon.”
“I see. Understood.”
“By the way, the people from the other clans still haven’t arrived… I’ll head out first. I need to cancel the spell and give out some orders.”
“Alright. Ah, is there anything I can help you with?”
“It’s fine! Just come with us to the Academy at a leisurely pace. Oh, please gather with us later when the instructors from the other clans arrive. We need to decide on the details that weren’t settled at the Call to Arms.”
Sung Yubin shook her head gently and gave me a wink. Then, with a light, swaying gait, she hurried forward. I watched her back recede into the distance for a moment before I calmly took a cigarette from my pocket and placed it between my lips.
A lingering warmth remained on my right arm, where she had linked her own and pressed her chest against it. I took a deep drag from the lit cigarette. Then, I raised my left hand and forcefully brushed off my right arm, the one her body had touched.
*
“The influx of new Users has dropped sharply over the last year or two, which was a bit worrying, but it seems to be on the rise again, so I feel much more at ease.”
“Ah, I see. So there used to be more.”
“Yes. This is my fourth year. In the last two years, the cycle for the portal opening was a full year, and the number of new arrivals had dropped so much you could call it a sharp decline. Four years ago, when I had just arrived, the cycle was shorter and far more Users came through. It was on a completely different level than it is now.”
I nodded as I listened to him. In the 1st playthrough, the situation had remained similar for several years after I arrived. Then, toward the end, the cycle became irregular, and the number of incoming Users fluctuated wildly. I didn't know exactly how the portal would change in the future, but I didn't want to shatter his hopes by saying anything unnecessary.
Park Hyunwoo looked at the long line of new Users with a tired expression. His face was shadowed, and he looked to be in a very bad mood. It was probably because the members dispatched from the other clans were late.
Besides me, the first clan to arrive was the Northeast Wind Clan. They had shown up just as the speech in the plaza was ending and we were about to move to the Academy, so it was no wonder Park Hyunwoo looked so grim. Arriving so shamelessly after all the tedious work—the guidance and reception, the speech, and the preparations to lead everyone to the dorms—had already been done must have been quite irritating for him.
But they couldn't just send any instructor, so if they stubbornly claimed it took time to select their personnel, there wasn't much he could say. I could clearly see him stewing in his own frustration.
“By the way, Mercenary Lord.”
“Yes.”
After walking in silence toward the Academy for a while, Park Hyunwoo spoke to me. I lifted my head to answer, and he continued right away.
“Come to think of it, didn't you come here alone from your clan this time?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“If that’s the case, there’s something I’d like to help you with. No, ‘proposal’ would be the more fitting word.”
Something he wanted to help me with—no, a proposal? I wondered what it could be, but deciding to hear him out first, I gave a slight nod.
When I showed a positive reaction, a bit of life returned to his eyes. Park Hyunwoo immediately continued.