Couple Items
The room featured high-end marble floors and walls, along with a massive bed crafted from luxurious wood. On the equally premium, cloud-soft mattress lay Jun and me.
Jun nestled in my arms. I gently stroked her pale cheek and asked, “Did you like it?”
Her face flushed with embarrassment at my question. She burrowed deeper into my chest like a shy kitten and whispered, “I-I don’t know… Husband, you’re so mean.”
God, she was the absolute pinnacle of cute. I had to fight down the fresh surge of heat rising inside me. It was almost time to return to reality.
Last night I’d spent a very enjoyable two-on-one session with Juniel and Si-eun, only slipping away to Jun in the early dawn hours. Even though it was my first threesome, my sub-class stats hadn’t risen. Still, I could tell by feel. It would probably level up at four-on-one. Next time I’d have to test a proper four-player game.
Anyway, my body had been milked dry to the point I thought not a single drop could possibly remain—yet the moment I stepped into the shop, it was as if nothing had happened. My condition was completely refreshed. Probably because what got used in reality was my physical body, while what got used here was my mind.
With my body back in peak condition, an impossibly cute, beautiful, and lovable wife, our fresh honeymoon phase, and the huge, luxurious bed I’d upgraded with gold last time, there was only one obvious thing to do. Jun and I spent a long, sweaty, thoroughly satisfying time together.
Still holding her in my arms, I sighed. “Ah, it’s a shame. I wish I could stay a little longer…”
Jun peeked up from my chest. “It can’t be helped, husband. No matter what, reality must come first.”
Leaving this adorable wife who said such adorable things… the only ones waiting for me outside were four stunning beauties. Huh? Actually, that didn’t sound so bad. Ahem.
“Next time I’ll try to come a bit earlier. It feels like our time together is too short.”
Jun looked at me with serious eyes. “No, husband. You don’t have to do that. As I said before, reality is far more important than life here. You must never overwork yourself just for time with me. Understand?”
Just whose wife was this perfect? I nodded and stroked her hair. “I’ll keep it in mind. Before I go… shall we do a little shopping?”
“You have more things to buy?” Jun’s eyes sparkled.
Of course I did. I was planning to invest in the hero. If she died pointlessly, the whole game would end. Defensive gear was an absolute necessity.
From what I’d seen, she’d spent quite a bit on a decent weapon, but she had zero defensive equipment. Running a guild that housed over a hundred people probably left her with little spare gold. Just the daily cost of feeding, housing, and clothing that many survivors would be enormous. The way she’d hesitated even to buy that 500-gold spatial ring during the last event dungeon proved her funds were tight. No wonder she couldn’t afford proper armor.
Since the hero’s life was most important until she grew stronger, I needed to support her. And I had plenty of gold—over six thousand now, after starting with four thousand and fighting the goblin army yesterday.
When you have money? You flex.
I first bought Jun another coat identical to the one I was wearing. It was for Lee Su-a, who currently had no armor at all. The price was reasonable, the defense excellent, and the functions were quite good. I also picked up five potions—two healing potions for the hero and three mana potions for myself.
Learning the Legion of the Dead skill was great, but the mana cost was no joke. Having extras would definitely come in handy someday.
“Jun, this ring. The shop sells them too, right?” I showed her the Ring of Protection on my finger.
Jun’s eyes widened. “Oh my, a Ring of Protection. That’s an extremely expensive item. Where did you obtain it?”
“Event reward. Do you have the same one?”
“Of course. It’s one thousand gold.”
One thousand gold, huh. It really was an amazing item—automatically blocking one unrecognized powerful attack per day. But the price was brutal. Still, this was all an investment. The hero had to survive if my dreams were going to survive.
I boldly bought another Ring of Protection. While I was at it, I also picked up a 1m × 1m × 1m spatial ring. I already had the massive Cradle of Rest, but a portable ring had different uses. It was perfect for carrying small things and pulling them out whenever needed.
Coat: 500 gold. Spatial ring: 500 gold. Potions: 900 gold. Plus the 1,000-gold Ring of Protection. Nearly 2,900 gold gone in one shopping spree.
Jun’s smile stretched so wide the corners of her mouth looked ready to touch her ears.
“That happy?” I asked.
“Of course! When you return next time, there will be even more convenient facilities here. 2,900 gold…”
My cute wife was this delighted, so of course I felt happy too. I stroked her hair, rose from the bed, and got dressed. It was time to leave.
Jun also got up and picked up her ragged clothes. I frowned. “Jun. Don’t you have anything else to wear?”
“W-well… I could buy something, but…” She lowered her head, fidgeting.
Right. Jun was incredibly poor. That was why she’d signed that unfair contract and was bound to work in this shop. She never spent money on herself.
I’d been too thoughtless. I’d dropped thousands of gold on gear for the hero while letting my small, adorable, precious wife wear literal rags.
“Jun, use my gold to buy yourself clothes. Next time I come, I want to see you wearing something pretty.”
“H-husband…”
“I mean it. If you’re still wearing those rags next time, I’ll just turn around and leave, okay?”
“B-but…”
“Don’t worry and buy whatever you want. Got it? I’m not so pathetic that I can’t even buy my own wife a single outfit.”
Jun stared at me for a moment, then gave a tiny nod. I smiled in satisfaction and stroked her hair again. “Then I’ll look forward to it. You’ll greet me looking beautiful, right?”
“I understand… husband.”
I gave her small lips a light kiss, then returned to reality.
When I opened my eyes, sunlight streamed through the windows, brightly illuminating the classroom. Juniel and Si-eun lay sleeping on either side of me. The intense traces of last night’s passion still remained all around us.
In the dream world I could meet my small, cute, lovable wife. In reality I could meet loyal, adorable thralls who would do anything I commanded. How could I not be happy?
A shiver of pure bliss ran through me as I stood up. The moment I rose, Juniel and Si-eun opened their eyes and got up as well. Of course—they hadn’t actually been sleeping.
Si-eun noticed the items beside my pillow and exclaimed in surprise, “Oppa, did you buy more things from the shop?”
“Yeah. They’re for the hero. Her safety is important, after all.”
I handed her one of the mana potions. “Keep this with you and use it when you need to. There might be times during battle when you run out of mana.”
“Oppa…” Si-eun looked at me with touched eyes.
I really had just given it to her because she was our mage, yet she was getting all emotional. And why was Juniel staring with such envy? You don’t even need mana potions.
Shaking my head, I got dressed, stored the items in the spatial ring, and stepped out of the Cradle of Rest.
The weather had grown noticeably colder, but the coat wrapped me in a perfectly comfortable temperature—neither too hot nor too cold. It really earned its price. The hero would definitely like it too.
I told Ji-yun and Ji-su, who were resting inside the classroom tent, to stay inside the Cradle of Rest, then headed outside. I planned to hand the items to the hero right away. Raising both her safety and favorability would make persuading her later much easier.
As I walked through the school building, I saw people already busily moving about since early morning. Watching everyone diligently doing their assigned tasks should have been heartwarming, but—wait, wasn’t that guy…?
That slick, pretty-boy face. Even someone like me who didn’t watch much TV recognized that mug. The man carrying two sacks of rice on his shoulders and hurrying along was definitely Jeong Min-woo, the one Si-eun had mentioned yesterday.
Si-eun’s sad face suddenly flashed through my mind. The urge to slam the back of his head flared up, but… I had to hold back. I needed to maintain a good relationship with the hero. Causing a scene would be stupid. Besides, Si-eun wouldn’t want that.
If she had wanted it, I wouldn’t have cared about the hero’s feelings and would have dealt with him already. Consider yourself lucky, you bastard. And be grateful Si-eun is kind.
I glared at the back of his head for a moment before continuing on. Damn it, he’d ruined my good mood.
While walking with a sour face, a middle-aged man approached me.
“Hello. Did you sleep well?”
I looked at him for a second before remembering—he was Yu Seong, the man who had guided us to the classroom.
I gave a polite bow and returned the greeting. “Yes, I slept very well.”
“I wanted to greet you properly at last night’s dinner, but you didn’t attend. Allow me to introduce myself officially now.” Yu Seong bowed deeply. “Thank you for helping our guild.”
These people really loved bowing. I waved my hands and helped him straighten up. “The guild master already thanked me enough. There’s no need for that.”
“No, thanks to you, everyone here was able to survive.”
“I only helped a little. The hard fighting was done by the guild master and her combat unit.”
“I fought alongside them, so I know the truth. Without all of you, our guild would have been wiped out.”
This was going to go on forever if I didn’t stop it. I tried to wrap things up. “I’ve received enough thanks. By the way, do you know where the guild master is? I have something to give her…”
“Ah, she should be at the playground equipment in the schoolyard. She’s probably playing with Ji-ah.”
Ji-ah… that must be the little niece she mentioned. I nodded in thanks and quickly left. If I stayed any longer, I’d never escape Yu Seong.
When I reached the schoolyard, I spotted jungle gyms, seesaws, and other playground equipment in one corner. There, I found Ji-ah playing and Lee Su-a, the guild master.
As I approached, Su-a greeted me. “Hello, Min-gu. Did you rest comfortably? You weren’t cold, were you?”
“Not at all. I rested very well.”
“Your companions as well…?”
“They all said they slept well too.”
“That’s a relief.” Su-a smiled.
Ji-ah, who had been on the swing, stared at us with wide eyes. Su-a called to her, “Ji-ah, come here. You should greet this uncle.”
Ji-ah approached us hesitantly. She was… pretty cute. I didn’t particularly like children. The little brats who came to the PC bang to play games had given me a solid negative impression. But it was hard to dislike a small, adorable girl like this.
I smiled at Ji-ah, who was half-hiding behind Su-a. “Uh… hello?”
“Ji-ah? You have to say hello properly.”
At her aunt’s gentle prompting, Ji-ah gave a small bow. “…Hello.”
Then she immediately ran back to the swing and started swinging again. Su-a watched her with a soft smile. “She’s a bit shy with strangers.”
“All kids are like that. Still, it feels… refreshing. Actually, this is the first time I’ve seen a child since the world changed.”
“That’s true. It’s not an easy world for children to survive in…”
“Kids probably don’t have classes… Wait, do children get classes too?”
Su-a nodded at my question. “From what Ji-ah told me, she also entered a dark space, met the administrators, and received a class. Something related to singing, but I don’t know the exact details. She’s so young… Of course she hasn’t activated it.”
Made sense. Activating a class meant killing at least one monster with her own hands. No matter how important classes were, making a child like her fight monsters was too much. I let out a small sigh.
“She’s your biological niece, right?”
“…Yes. She’s my older sister’s daughter. The last blood relative I have left.”
Su-a gazed at Ji-ah on the swing with sad eyes. “To create a world where this child can play freely with friends her own age… I will definitely defeat the Demon King.”
Looking at Su-a’s determined face, I couldn’t bring myself to offer words of encouragement. That wasn’t the world I wanted. Sigh. Could I really change this hero’s heart? It seemed hopeless.
Anyway, that was something to think about slowly. I took the items out of the spatial ring and handed them to her.
“This is…?”
“A gift.”
“A gift…?”
Su-a looked at the coat and potion bottles.
“You know better than anyone that the hero’s safety is more important than anything else, right? Yet you don’t have a single proper piece of armor. That doesn’t make sense. So I bought these from the shop. Try it on.”
“Uh…”
Su-a looked back and forth between me and the coat with startled eyes.
“I told you. Until you gain power worthy of a hero, I’ll protect you. So put it on.”
After staring at me quietly, Su-a took the coat and slipped it on. It had looked quite large, but the moment she wore it, the coat instantly shrank to fit her perfectly.
“Oh my…”
“It automatically adjusts to the wearer’s body size. It always maintains a comfortable temperature and will automatically repair itself if damaged. Its defense is—”
I summoned my spear and gripped it. “Don’t block.”
I thrust the spear at her lightly. Trusting me completely, Su-a didn’t defend herself. With a loud clang of metal on metal, my spear bounced off.
“It provides defense comparable to most metal armor—”
“Waaaaahhhhh!!!!”
Huh? What the—?
Ji-ah, who had been on the swing, suddenly ran over and started whacking me with her tiny fists. “Waaaaah! Don’t bully Aunt! Don’t bully her! Waaaaah!”
Uh… maybe demonstrating defense in front of a child was too thoughtless. What was I supposed to do when a kid cried?
While I stood there flustered, Su-a quickly hugged Ji-ah. “Ji-ah, Uncle wasn’t bullying Aunt. We were just… playing. Okay?”
“Hwaaaaang!”
“Come here, come here. Aunt will hug you.”
Holding Ji-ah, Su-a looked at me apologetically. “I-I’m sorry. Ji-ah misunderstood…”
“No, it’s fine. That can happen. Oh, and this ring—it’s called a Ring of Protection. It blocks one unrecognized attack per day. Just wear it on your finger. I’ll be going now. Take care.”
I placed the Ring of Protection in her hand and quickly made my escape.
Whew, kids crying is terrifying. I hope I didn’t earn her hatred by showing off the armor’s defense. Since Ji-ah was Su-a’s only remaining blood relative, I needed to get along with her too.
…Next time I’ll buy a doll or something from the shop and give it to her.
Thinking about how to befriend Ji-ah, I walked quickly back toward the classroom.
Still holding the crying Ji-ah, Su-a watched Min-gu’s retreating back.
A coat, a ring, and potions. Having used the shop herself, she knew exactly how much value these items held. The man named Kang Min-gu had spent an enormous amount of money for her safety.
And moreover…
The coat and the ring… they’re exactly the same as what Min-gu is wearing. This is almost like…
Su-a’s face turned slightly red as she patted Ji-ah’s back.
…couple items.