Oppa

The shop has opened. A massive update had begun. I'd heard it was coming soon, but I hadn't expected it to drop this quickly. That meant the event dungeon would open three days from today. The timeline felt tighter than I'd anticipated.

"Oppa? What's going on?"

Jeong Ji-yun asked, watching me stare blankly into space. Ah, so notifications like this don't appear for them.

"Looks like the shop's opened. Give me a second. I need to check something."

I clicked the message floating in front of me.

Hmm. So the system makes you physically visit the shop. I'd been about to try it out when another message popped up, freezing me in place.

It was exactly the event dungeon the rat-headed bastard had told me about. The fact that three dungeons would appear in 'Korea' and all the specific details matched perfectly. There was only one new piece of information he hadn't mentioned—the exact locations where the dungeons would spawn.

"Hmm, that's pretty far. I might need to move closer ahead of time."

The spots where the dungeon entrances would form were quite a distance from where we were now. Roughly fifty kilometers away. If we had a car it would be a quick trip, but on foot it would take a serious amount of time. And it wouldn't be a straight walk either. We'd have to fight through every monster we encountered along the way, so it definitely wasn't close.

Still, it's a distance I can cover in about a day if I commit the time. It's not like I lack the stamina. This is actually pretty generous. If it had spawned one or two hundred kilometers away, I'd have had to set off immediately without any rest.

The survivors out in the provinces would probably have to start running the second they saw the message if they wanted to join this event. That was fortunate, at least... but it was still disappointing.

I'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠only just finished one full round—twice with Si-eun, once with Ji-yun, once with Ji-su. And now a massive update was already kicking off.

Tonight with Ji-yun... and it looks like we'll have to move out tomorrow at the latest? That means I'll lose an entire day tomorrow... which means the time I have left to raise their stats... hmm...

I'd already pushed the main stats of Ju Si-eun, Jeong Ji-yun, and Seo Ji-su into the seventies. If I went hard with Ji-yun tonight, I could probably bring her main stats close to a hundred.

I wanted to get all three of their average stats up to around a hundred... It's a shame. It would've been perfect if the large-scale update had been delayed by just a few more days.

Right now, I was confident their raw stats were higher than anyone else's. But stats alone didn't mean everything. Honestly, when I'd fought Junieles de Guz, her stats had been lower than mine yet I'd still been the one getting pushed back.

I wasn't worried about Seo Ji-su, who would enter the same dungeon as me, or Junieles de Guz, who would go in alone. Her combat experience was unmatched and her raw stats were in a completely different league.

The two I was concerned about were Ju Si-eun and Jeong Ji-yun. They'd have to coordinate with Daejang-ajeossi, who they didn't get along with at all, to clear their dungeon. My worries were far from trivial.

But what could I do? I had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no choice but to trust them.

For now, I'd already ordered Daejang-ajeossi to stockpile as many goblin poison needles as possible. On top of that, the four women had been hunting outside and steadily gathering them too.

If they used those in an emergency, at the very least the old man could act as a meat shield and buy enough time to save Ji-yun and Si-eun.

I pulled Jeong Ji-yun tighter against my chest and kept reading the messages that continued to appear.

That was the last one. No further messages appeared. I let out a big yawn and thought to myself.

Should I go ahead and try using the shop? I need to figure out how it actually works.

I was exhausted after pounding Seo Ji-su all night, but I still had things to do before I could sleep. There wasn't much time left.

"Shop Movement."

The moment I quietly spoke the keyword, the world before my eyes went completely black. When my vision returned, I immediately noticed the environment had changed.

A small room constructed entirely from wood. I was lying in the middle of it. The Jeong Ji-yun I'd been holding in my arms was nowhere to be seen.

I looked around in confusion and spotted a figure standing in one corner of the room. My body stiffened instantly.

"W-welcome, Kang Min-gu. Thank you for coming to the 'Shop'."

A small being stood in the corner. Green hair that fell to her shoulders, small eyes that sparkled like emeralds, and a tiny face with pale white skin. Her delicate features—eyes, nose, and mouth—were clustered together in an impossibly cute arrangement. She looked no taller than 150 centimeters. She wore what appeared to be a ragged cloak cinched tightly at the waist with a worn-out string.

Those are... wings?

The two pairs of transparent, delicate wings on her back made it clear she wasn't human. I stared at the girl in front of me, dumbfounded.

Wow, she was too cute. A sudden urge to stroke her head surged through me and I started to raise my hand—

"K-Kang Min-gu?"

The sound of my name snapped me back to my senses. I quickly lowered my hand and stammered.

"Ah... yes. Who are you?"

The cute girl in the ragged clothes bowed politely.

"Hello, Kang Min-gu. My name is Jun. I'll be in charge of your personal shop from now on. It's nice to meet you."

What? So the shop was run like this? Each customer got their own dedicated attendant? And it was a fairy this pretty and adorable...

I shook my head quickly. Jun stared at me for a moment before speaking again.

"Before you use the shop, let me go over the precautions first. Have you confirmed there is no danger around you before accessing the shop? If not, please return immediately and use the shop later. Your main body becomes completely defenseless while you're here, so it can be very dangerous."

I shook my head at her words.

"Ah, you don't need to worry about that. My body is perfectly safe."

Jun let out a sigh of relief.

"That's good to hear. I've been told that a large number of customers end up dying while using the shop. Since you're my very first customer, I really don't want you to lose your life so pointlessly. Please make sure to only use the shop in a safe environment from now on."

"Yes, I understand. When you say my main body is defenseless... does that mean only my mind has been sent to this shop?"

"That's correct. Right now, your physical body is in the same state as when someone is sleeping. It might be easiest to think of this as using the shop in a dream-like state."

Huh? Wait. If that's the case, then my body is actually getting rest?

When I asked, Jun nodded.

"Yes. Your physical body is currently resting. You don't need to worry about mental fatigue either. As I mentioned, this is similar to dreaming."

"Ah... I see. Then how does the time here compare to time in the real world? Is an hour here the same as one minute outside or something like that?"

Jun shook her head at my question.

"No, that's not the case. Time flows at the same rate here as it does in reality. So if you plan to shop, I recommend doing it quickly and returning. No matter how safe your body is, unexpected situations can still occur."

Well. Even if unexpected situations could happen, my real body was currently inside the Sanctuary Cradle—the safest place in the world.

"Then I'll explain the shop quickly. First—"

"You don't have to explain it so hurriedly. I was already planning to sleep anyway. I don't intend to return right away, so you can take your time."

At my words, Jun began fidgeting anxiously.

"I-I've heard that so many people die because they act so confident. I can't afford to lose my assigned customer. So please don't plan on staying long. Return quickly, okay?"

What exactly happened if she lost her assigned customer that made her so desperate? Seeing this adorable girl so flustered and at a loss for what to do made me suddenly want to tease her mercilessly.

Hmm. Guess I'm not exactly normal either.

I put on a relaxed expression and muttered quietly.

"Well... when you put it that way, it makes me want to stay even longer. Maybe I should just rest here for a while?"

Jun's face turned deathly pale.

"K-Kang Min-gu! You can't do that. It's really dangerous! I've heard that countless users die after confidently claiming their safety. If you act so recklessly and end up dying in the early stages...!"

"Hey, I told you it's fine. The place where I am is really—"

"Kang Min-gu!!!"

The tiny girl shrieked at the top of her lungs. Her eyes were brimming with tears. Uh... now I feel a little bad.

"It's not something you should take so lightly! If you keep thinking like that, you'll really die soon. If Kang Min-gu dies, then I... I...!!"

She was this worried about someone she'd just met? It was actually kind of touching. Jun clenched her small fists and shouted.

"My income will ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠completely stop!"

... Ah. So that's what it was.

Jun continued shouting, completely ignoring my slightly sour expression.

"Do you have any idea how much debt I took on just to get this shop attendant position? Do you know how much bribe money I had to pay those rat-headed fairies to barely get this job? If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you die without me earning any income at all, I'll be broke. No, I'd be better off broke. I'll just end up as a debtor for the rest of my life!"

Tears welled up in her eyes as she passionately vented. Yeah, there was no way she was worried about a complete stranger. I gave her a slightly bitter smile.

"I see... So your income would stop. That's pretty scary."

Jun nodded, eyes still watery.

"By the way... rat-headed fa... iry?"

Was the guy that popped into my head the same as the rat-headed fairy Jun was talking about? It probably was... but fairy? Really?

Jun looked at me with wide, startled eyes.

"D-did I say rat-headed fairy? P-please pretend you didn't hear that."

"No, before I pretend I didn't hear it, tell me who exactly these rat-headed fairies are."

"Ah, I really misspoke..."

Jun's face crumpled. When I stared at her steadily, she finally gave up and answered.

"I'm referring to the rodent-headed fairies who manage this game. Among ourselves we just call them rat-headed fairies... but if you ever meet the rat-hea— I mean, the administrators, you absolutely cannot say that. Understand?"

Wow, she really was talking about those rat faces. Rodent-headed? So their actual species name was basically "rat head." And they were considered fairies? The already repulsive faces suddenly seemed even more disgusting. How could there be such a difference between fairies? One side was utterly repulsive rat-headed monsters, while this side was an adorably beautiful, genuine fairy.

I calmed Jun down as she started to get worked up again and continued speaking calmly.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of reporting you to the administrators. Besides, I have a skill that lets me hide in a dimensional gap. No enemy can find me there. My physical body is resting in that place, so you really don't need to worry. Got it? I'm perfectly safe even if I stay here for a long time."

Jun frowned slightly.

"You... really have a skill like that?"

"Yes, I'm telling the truth. So you don't have to worry about my body being in danger. Why would I lie about something like that just to stay here longer?"

"... My seniors told me stories. About customers who became so enchanted by our fairy race's appearance that they stayed in the shop for too long and ended up dying."

Yeah, I could understand that. Even I had to admit Jun's looks were stunning enough to make anyone do a double take. But...

"I acknowledge that your appearance is beautiful, but... I'm not really into minors..."

Jun's eyes widened into perfect circles. Then her face turned bright red as she started firing words at me rapidly.

"M-m-minor? Are you saying I look like a child? Where exactly do I look like a minor? Ah, these clothes... it's because of the clothes, isn't it! I couldn't help it. I'm poor. But to think of a proper adult like me as a child? How rude!"

It wasn't the clothes. Still, this was a bit surprising. An adult? She looked like a high school student at best... Ah, maybe the fairy standard for adulthood was different.

"Ah... I'm sorry. For us, you have to be nineteen to be considered an adult. I judged you by our standards without thinking. So the fairy race reaches adulthood earlier?"

"N-no, that's not it!!"

Jun stomped her feet in even greater indignation.

"How old do you think I am?! I'm at least older than you, Kang Min-gu!"

"... Huh?"

"You're twenty-four, right?! I'm twenty-five. That makes me your older sister!"

Wow. Older sister? This tiny cute thing? How refreshing.

When I looked at her with surprised eyes, Jun puffed up a little and said.

"Well, even though I'm older, you don't have to call me 'Big Sis Jun.' After all, you're still a 'customer.' You can just call me Jun. Though... if you really, really want to, I might allow you to call me 'Big Sis Jun.'"

Hmm. My personality isn't nice enough to just smile and let that arrogant tone slide. She'd managed to make me want to mess with her even more.

I smiled and said to Jun.

"... Oppa."

"... Yes?"

"Call me 'Oppa' from now on. When you address me, don't say Kang Min-gu the customer. Just call me Oppa. Got it?"

Silence fell between us for a moment. Then Jun's face flushed red as she snapped back.

"W-what are you saying? Oppa? I'm older than you..."

"Ah, I registered my birth late. I'm actually twenty-six. So I'm the oppa, right?"

I picked at my ear and answered nonchalantly. Since I'd decided to act childish, I might as well go all the way. Who did she think she was, trying to win a power struggle against me? From the way she spoke, it was clear I held all the cards. If I didn't spend money in this shop, Jun would be completely screwed. Left with nothing but massive debt.

She'd said I was her first customer. How naive. She'd revealed her own weakness without me even trying.

I looked at her triumphantly. Jun stared back with a reddened face and said.

"Y-you... The customer card clearly said Kang Min-gu was twenty-four!"

"I told you to call me Oppa, not Kang Min-gu the customer. What kind of shop can't even fulfill a customer's single small request? I guess I shouldn't come here anymore."

Jun shouted with a look of utter disbelief.

"N-not come anymore? Then where will you buy your food, daily necessities, items, weapons, and everything else?"

"I don't have to use this shop, do I? The products are probably all the same anyway. I can just give gold to a friend and have him buy everything for me. I happen to have a friend who travels with me. Why would I bother using a shop that won't even listen to its only customer's tiny request?"

Of course, it was all bullshit. There was no such friend. And even if there was, I wouldn't trust anyone with my precious gold for proxy purchases. But Jun had no way of knowing that.

Her face went from red to deathly pale.

"T-that doesn't make any sense... I mean, that is..."

She stammered, unable to form a proper sentence. Hmm, maybe I'd gone too far with the teasing. I was starting to feel a bit guilty. She really was too cute, which made me want to bully her.

By now, tears were glistening in Jun's eyes. Sigh. I should stop. I'd tormented her enough. Just as I was about to apologize, Jun looked at me with watery eyes and said.

"O... Oppa..."