14. My Buff is a Drug
14. My Buff is a Drug
"Hey, hey! Geon-hu! What are you doing? Move!"
He turned, but he was so goddamn slow.
"Hwooough...!"
Why was that guy so sluggish?
It's not like hauling a body that size around fast was ever going to be easy.
But this was way past slow.
'Maybe I should wipe his buffs right now and swap in a shield buff...'
It was already too late.
"Hwooooooogh!"
Han Geon-hu screamed because he couldn't dodge in time as the Earth Golem closed in.
A massive fist of solid earth swung toward him.
"Huh-huh-huh-ho!"
Han Geon-hu, barely turned around, looked back just as the fist was about to land.
BANG!
The sound was like a soccer player kicking a ball at full power, and Han Geon-hu went flying.
He was already round from the fat, so watching him sail through the air, he really did look like a ball.
"Urgh."
"Oooh..."
"Aaaah...!"
Choi Ah-young averted her eyes. Chae Hwa-ra let out an admiring sigh. Seo Ha-yoon was horrified.
'Yeesh.'
At the grisly sight, Hye-yong's brow furrowed deeply.
"I'll go! You three handle it!"
While the three of them kept the Earth Golem occupied, Hye-yong ran to where Han Geon-hu had landed.
Up close, it wasn't quite as horrific as he'd feared, but blood was pouring endlessly from Han Geon-hu's nose and mouth — maybe something inside had burst.
"Hey, Geon-hu. You alright?"
He asked as a courtesy, even though the guy looked like he was dying.
"Huff, Hye-yong-ah, haaah..."
"Yeah, yeah. You've got something to say, say it."
"I, huff, wanted to change too... huff, like you."
What the hell was he talking about?
The thought crossed his mind, but Hye-yong listened quietly for now.
"Huff! I... haaah. I know. Huff! Nobody... likes me or actually sees me as a real friend."
Han Geon-hu was gasping like he'd drop dead any second, but the way he kept forcing the words out made it clear this was incredibly important to him.
"There's nothing I can do... huff. That's what I thought, but huff! I was wrong. You, watching you... I realized... cough!"
"H-Han Geon-hu."
"Because you changed, huff! Everyone started seeing you, huff! as a real friend — I could feel it. Me too, I used to think you were frustrating, huff! but now, I don't... huff! The way you try so hard to change, I even... respect you..."
Han Geon-hu had been thinking like that?!
Hye-yong had honestly thought Han Geon-hu never thought about anything except food.
"So I, I wanted to change too... huff, so I decided to start by losing weight, huff. Skipped breakfast today... haaah."
There it was — the reason he'd failed to dodge, dawdled, and taken a fist head-on.
'Gah, Han Geon-hu...! So you really were capable of genuine introspection.'
What he'd done was a complete troll move, but Hye-yong still felt like cheering for his will to change.
"Huff, haaaaaaaah!"
Han Geon-hu, who'd been sucking in a huge breath, convulsed as if having a seizure.
"Han Geon-hu!"
"Haaah... if I... try... can I... change too...?"
"Of course! Look at me! I did it! You can do it too!"
"Th... thank..."
Han Geon-hu's breath finally stopped.
His corpse immediately turned to dust and vanished.
For him, deciding to skip breakfast this morning must have been an agonizing choice.
Even if the result was a catastrophic nuisance!
'You were awesome, Han Geon-hu. I'll fill your spot with a cute female ranged dealer!'
A cute and female ranged dealer!
The "cute and female" part was non-negotiable.
"What happened to Geon-hu?!"
As soon as Hye-yong returned to the battlefield, Ah-young asked, panting.
"...He died."
"This is bad! The core's about to open. We absolutely need a ranged skill..."
Choi Ah-young's shoulders trembled.
'What a waste. Such a goddamn waste...! But I've got to make a call.'
If they failed to intercept the core properly when the chest opened, the Earth Golem would recover its energy and return to full health.
The party was already exhausted.
If they kept dealing damage, they could eventually take it down, but before that happened, someone might die or get seriously hurt.
She was this party's leader.
She couldn't just stand by and let her party get wiped.
"Let's... let's give up. Even if we fail, as long as we're alive we can keep trying, but Geon-hu is dead — there's nothing we can do!"
"Sounds good."
Sounds... good?
Ah-young had clearly heard Choi Hye-yong agree.
'No, he wasn't saying "good" to running away.'
Choi Hye-yong was smiling now.
Did he have some kind of plan?
"Time to show you all what I can really do."
"You have an idea?"
"Obviously. Just open the core for me."
Hye-yong spoke more confidently than ever.
'Everything's falling into place so neatly. Damn, I'm glad I made that skill this morning.'
Trusting Hye-yong, Choi Ah-young threw herself back at the Earth Golem.
Everyone gave it everything they had.
As they dodged and attacked, steadily wearing the Earth Golem down, the area around its chest soon began to open.
"Now! I can see the core! It's casting Earth Wave too!"
"Okay!"
Just in case, Hye-yong deleted the dead Han Geon-hu's buffs and raised the power.
After casting Holy Aura on himself, just to make a moment of it, Hye-yong shouted loudly —
"Holy Bolt!"
Four spheres materialized around Hye-yong!
Possibly because of the increased power, they were larger too.
'Go!'
He launched all the Holy Bolts toward the core simultaneously.
Bam! Bam-bam-bam!
The core, struck four times in a row, began to tremble violently, its shape dangerously unstable.
Crack!
Then it crumbled into sand and scattered.
Thud!
The coreless Earth Golem dropped straight to its knees, then vanished the same way Han Geon-hu had.
'Thanks for letting me look cool, Han Geon-hu... I've avenged you.'
As soon as the Earth Golem went down, the party's mood shot up instantly.
"W-whoa! We took it down!"
"As expected of 'That Person's' faithful retainer! He unveils a new technique in the moment of crisis!"
"Seriously, Hye-yong, you... you're doing way too much for us."
They'd already forgotten Han Geon-hu was dead.
"This is nothing. Don't flatter me so much. More importantly, let's check the loot. With timing like this, something good ought to drop."
"Ah, right."
The four of them gathered around the box.
This time it was a wooden chest.
The tier right above the dirt box was wood.
Still cheap, but the odds of something better than dirt were higher.
"Oho, the box got upgraded."
"Yeah. Even this is probabilistic, so that feels good."
"The contents are what matter! Let's open it already!"
As Chae Hwa-ra urged her, Choi Ah-young's hand immediately moved to open the lid — as if to say, "Yeah, I'm doing it."
Inside were a pebble the size of a fingertip, and a single flower.
What were these?
'At a glance, this looks like a bust...'
Choi Ah-young would know the items' value best.
Hye-yong turned his head.
Choi Ah-young looked like she'd been hit with a shock.
'Is she shocked because it's too crappy? I mean, there isn't even a safe soul stone...'
What kind of words would console her?
While he was thinking that, a shout suddenly came from beside him.
"A-A Spirit Stone! And even a Spirit's Moonlight Flower!"
Huh? This atmosphere was —
This felt like they'd just scored something huge.
"I-isn't a Spirit Stone pretty expensive?"
Seo Ha-yoon asked, voice brimming with anticipation.
Choi Ah-young nodded and answered.
"It's an Earth Spirit Stone. You can imbue mineral equipment with a self-repairing property. It's basically the best item you can get from this place!"
She was talking it up that much?
"So how much is it?"
"Three thousand to thirty-five hundred points! Jackpot, total jackpot!"
Whoa, seriously?
'And it looks like that Spirit Stone isn't the only thing.'
Hye-yong pointed at the flower and asked.
"What's this Spirit's Moonlight Flower do, and how much does it sell for?"
"The Spirit's Moonlight Flower is a material that raises spirit affinity. I'd say at least 2,000 points. Both of these are really hard to come by, and they dropped together like this. I honestly can't believe it."
Having said that, Choi Ah-young let out a very deep sigh.
"Haaaaaaaah. Now I can finally relax a little...!"
A sigh of relief.
She swept her hand down her chest, her expression showing extreme reassurance — like someone who'd just been saved.
Roughly 5,000 points, divided by five people, would be 1,000 points each.
This, for someone like Choi Ah-young, who'd agonized over a body wash that was only a two-point difference before ultimately picking the cheap one — this kind of luck really could feel like salvation.
"So we don't have to worry about living expenses for a while! Maybe we can even go up a rank!"
"All our devotion to 'That Person' has paid off! Once in a while, they bestow treasures like this!"
Seo Ha-yoon and Chae Hwa-ra were also genuinely delighted.
Just watching these fresh-faced girls gather and laugh happily was enough to lift his mood.
'Wait, isn't this a chance to score some points with Choi Ah-young?'
Right now, Choi Ah-young was in a state of extreme relief.
In other words, she was extremely off her guard.
If not now, when would he ever get the timing right for a kind word?
'The fight's over, so let's wipe all the buffs.'
And he decided to recreate the Allure blessing to boost his charm.
[ Allure ]
Charm stat +7 levels
Conditional on viewer being Choi Ah-young
Exclusive to Choi Hye-yong
'Okay.'
This time, it looked like he'd be able to properly check whether charm actually had any effect.
"Things worked out well, Ah-young."
Hye-yong spoke to the happy Choi Ah-young.
"Yeah."
Even as she answered, her eyes were still on the Spirit Stone and the flower.
'Now, look at me!'
As if sending a telepathic command, he willed her to look at him and continued.
"Seems like luck has finally come your way."
"Luck..."
Choi Ah-young lifted her eyes from the items and looked at Hye-yong.
Hye-yong, who'd been entirely focused on her reaction, did not miss the faint flinch of surprise on Ah-young's face when she saw him.
So she really did see him differently than usual?
"You've been nothing but unlucky all this time. You used up all your bad luck right about now. From here on out, only good things will happen."
"You think? I hope it really turns out like you said."
When Hye-yong said it with a light smile, Choi Ah-young answered with one too.
'Well, it's not like it stands out enough to be instantly obvious.'
Obviously, even with the charm stat raised, it wasn't going to beat plain good looks.
It was probably just a little extra polish on his usual appearance.
Thinking that, Hye-yong took the lead toward the Otherworld exit.
"Since today's such a good day, how about we skip the cafeteria for lunch and go out for something delicious? No matter how much you eat, it's all on me! Just say the word!"
"A-ha-ha. This body of mine is not one to decline an offering! Prepare yourself, for I shall devour it root and stem!"
"Where are we going to eat? Am I included too?"
Unsurprisingly, Chae Hwa-ra and Seo Ha-yoon, also in clearly great moods, fell in behind him with light steps, chatting about what to eat.
'Luck... huh.'
Amid all that, Choi Ah-young's gaze remained fixed on Hye-yong's profile as he talked with Seo Ha-yoon, still wearing that same smiling expression.
'It feels like it's already come.'
On this lovely day, Ah-young wanted to go eat something delicious with her friends too.
"No reason to turn down a free meal."
Joining the lunch party, Ah-young jumped into the debate over what to eat.
"Ugh..."
Ah, right. Han Geon-hu.
Back in the Otherworld Waiting Room, Han Geon-hu was right next to the crystal, groaning with a scrunched-up face.
Come to think of it, wasn't this stroke of luck only because Han Geon-hu died first?
'Anyway, let's just chalk it up as a sacrifice. No profit split, though.'
The girls murmured as they looked at Han Geon-hu.
"Geon-hu... that's too bad."
"It couldn't be helped."
"He'll be stuck in that kind of lethargy for at least a week. He won't come to his senses until tomorrow, so we really should move him to his room..."
All three girls' gazes fixed on Hye-yong.
"Anyone know the way to Han Geon-hu's room?"
At Hye-yong's question, Chae Hwa-ra looked at Choi Ah-young.
Their eyes met.
You're the leader, don't you know?
No, I don't know either.
That kind of exchange seemed to pass between their eyes.
In the middle of that, Seo Ha-yoon stepped forward.
"I know where it is."
Seo Ha-yoon.
Seemed she'd taken care of Han Geon-hu before.
'That kid is seriously innocent. With even a tiny bit of loser-awareness, you'd know looking after others isn't good for you. Guess she's never had her world rocked after getting confessed to, huh?'
Then again, thinking about it, the facility was overwhelmingly female, so maybe that was just how things went.
First things first: figure out how to hoist Han Geon-hu onto his back and get him to his room.
"Hup!"
But the guy wouldn't lift.
Hye-yong had figured that since Geon-hu was short, he might be manageable, but just how much did he weigh?
"I'll help."
Choi Ah-young scooped Han Geon-hu right up.
'Wait... her strength is insane? If we went one-on-one with all buffs stripped, I'd get absolutely wrecked.'
Although, well — of course.
Choi Ah-young was a swordswoman who swung a greatsword, and Hye-yong was a Blessing Mage.
Meaning? No reason to feel embarrassed about losing to a girl.
Thunk!
Choi Ah-young set Han Geon-hu on the table.
If she positioned him like that, a piggyback ride looked doable.
'Alright, I'll grab his legs.'
He gave a nod as a signal. Choi Ah-young pushed Han Geon-hu's body forward, helping Hye-yong shoulder him.
"Hrrk!"
Holy shit, he was heavy!
A sound like the air being squeezed out of him came out on its own.
"Maybe... I should carry him after all?"
"N-no... I've... got this."
Like he'd let Choi Ah-young piggyback Han Geon-hu?
Just picturing her marching along with an unhappy face, her body swallowed up by fat, seemed so pathetically tragic that Hye-yong, sharing the same gender, figured it was better to take the sacrifice himself.
'Fuck, so goddamn heavy. This isn't working.'
[ Seriously Fucking Heavy ]
Strength stat +10 levels
'Phew, that's a bit better.'
As soon as he created and applied the buff, the sensation of weight shifted drastically.
"Ha-yoon, show me the way to Geon-hu's room."
"Mm! This way."
With Ha-yoon's guidance, they managed to get Han Geon-hu all the way to his room.
He found the key after searching every pocket.
'This guy really came with serious resolve. No snacks in his pockets at all.'
He'd resolved to change as a person, so — shouldn't he at least get a little encouragement?
After laying Han Geon-hu on the bed, Hye-yong found a pen and a piece of paper in his room, wrote a short message, and stuck it on the table next to the bed.
ㅡ I'll look forward to seeing you change. These will be trying days, but I believe someone like you won't give up. You've got this.
"Urgh..."
When Han Geon-hu woke up and saw that, his favorability would surely go up.
Though he'd written it like that, Hye-yong didn't actually expect Han Geon-hu to change.
Or rather, he just didn't have much interest.
As he said earlier, kind words are free; bad words can cost you.
'From here on, I'm going on a 3:1 date with the party girls, Geon-hu.'
Thinking that as he looked at the groaning Geon-hu's face, Hye-yong left the room.
'Don't worry. Your empty spot is going to be filled by a cute female ranged dealer anyway.'
Click!
Inside Han Geon-hu's room, with the lights off and the door shut, only groans and silence remained.