Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Dance Partners and Wild Party
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Primavera and Luyan headed toward the ballroom, dancing to the music.
Finally, he could dance side by side with Prim.
Lately, Prim had been too busy with various matters to attend any non-mandatory parties.
Luyan gazed down at Prim with gentle eyes. His heart fluttered a little, for some reason.
"Luyan, what do you think is the process for building trust?"
Prim spoke up after spinning once to the tune of the song.
Luyan rolled his eyes at the sudden question.
"I think trust naturally arises when people share the same goals and time passes."
"Right. For trust to form between people, they at least need to be facing the same direction."
Her bond with Luisa had shattered, leaving her skeptical about human relationships for a while.
Building an army and leading monster subjugations without even basic faith in people had been incredibly burdensome and exhausting at times.
"After the empress I thought of as my mother betrayed me, trusting people became a bit difficult."
Luyan's lips tightened, knowing roughly about Prim's circumstances.
"It was only later that I realized I'd given my trust to the wrong person. I mistakenly thought that since I needed Luisa's affection, she needed mine just as much."
Prim looked up and flashed a small smile.
"I'm glad I met you and Dun. Thank you for being my strength and support all this time."
"Not at all."
It was a relief. She'd finally opened her heart to him completely. He'd thought it would take time because of her many wounds.
His chest swelled with emotion.
"Thank you for trusting me."
Luyan held Prim's waist to the music, lifting her up and leading the dance once more.
*Epic.*
Both being of noble birth, they danced flawlessly by the book.
Dun, who had been watching Prim and Luyan dance, brought his cup to his lips to sip some orange juice.
"Huh, it's all gone."
Realizing the orange juice was empty, he headed toward the area piled with food.
Chatter filled the air.
Turning his head, he saw the invited players noisily chatting up the academy students.
The area around the players was quite a mess.
They'd smashed plates claiming they didn't need food, but since they were all high-level players, no one stopped them.
"Isn't that a popular NPC?"
"Whoa, come dance with me too!"
The students, who just wanted to enjoy the party quietly, looked uncomfortable and averted their eyes to avoid Gyeou's gaze.
Dun, filling his cup with orange juice, raised one eyebrow and headed toward the commotion.
With Prim playing with Luyan, it was time to entertain these guys.
"I'm more popular. Dance with me."
Dun grinned and approached the group of players.
"Whoa, you always log out— what's up?"
"Can you poppin'? Do some poppin' for us?"
"Huff huff, Dun, can't you trigger a dance event?"
"Hey, no. You might step on Dun's foot by accident and tank your affinity."
Dun turned his head, and cheers erupted around him.
"Streaming on YouTube?"
Dun caught Gyeou's eye next to the students, brought it close, and peered into the eyeball.
-Whoa whoa, Dun's too close
-Dun's eyes are really red lololol
-Aaaahhhh
The chat window sped up.
"Whatever you're doing, switch to playing with me content. I'll do poppin'."
-For real??? lololololol
-Admin, you can't do this here lolololololol
-How does he even know poppin' lolololol
-Dun's Dun, just go with it
-Stop pretending to be a kid and reveal your true identity already
Dun grabbed the floating Gyeou eyes in the party hall and headed out to the garden, which wasn't used much outside school.
* * *
"Adventurers who play music while dungeon crawling and hunting?"
Dun asked after drawing aggro and luring the players outside.
"Me!"
"Hand over your music orbs."
"Huh?"
"You play EDM and stuff in dungeons to feel pumped up while hunting."
"How did you know...?"
"I watched you wondering what you weirdos were doing. Gimme the music orbs."
-lolololololololololol
-lololol Player analysis on point
Dun collected the music orbs from the players and played a song.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
An upbeat EDM track blared everywhere.
Dun pulled out a shiny glowing item and floated it into the sky. The party vibe hit suddenly.
Lively chaos.
All the adventurers still inside the academy ballroom came rushing out to see what Dun was doing.
Dun took out his sketch diary from his inventory, ripped out pages roughly, and spread them on the ground.
Then he pulled out the leftover ceramic cups from deliveries to Rihao Well's general store and placed them on top.
As compensation for minimizing the commotion inside the party hall, he brought out the massive orange juice and apple juice barrels he'd gotten from the head chef.
He lined up the ceramic cups filled with orange juice and topped them with sauce bowls filled with apple juice.
Normally you'd put alcohol here, but this was a wholesome party.
Dun flicked the sauce bowl at the end and shouted in a dry but loud voice.
"À votre santé, people~~~!"
Clink. Clatter clatter clatter!
One sauce bowl fell into a ceramic cup, knocking the others over like dominoes.
The sound synced perfectly with the music's beat.
"What the—!!!"
"Woooaaahhh!!!!"
-Who patched K-culture into Dun lololololol
-lololol insane
-Where did he learn that? lolololololol
-No way lololol mixing orange juice and apple? lol what combo lololol
Boom boom boom.
Fast, exciting music.
Dun grabbed a player's hand and jumped up, and everyone caught the vibe and started jumping too.
"Everyone, mouth full of appleorange juice and jump! Keep jumping! No jumping means drink through your nostrils!!"
Splash!
Dun raised a cup of mixed apple and orange juice, splashing it on people.
Then he tossed the juice high into the air from his cup and caught every drop without spilling, downing it.
"Woooaaahhh!!!!"
"How'd he do that???"
Amid the players' cheers, Dun pulled a fire illusion scroll from his inventory.
Not actual burning fire—just one that caused heat poisoning and drained HP.
"Sudden fire show!! Random fire show! Floor's scorching hot, so jump!!"
"Woooaaahhh!!!"
"HP dropping!!!!"
"This is hype!!!!!"
People hopped around joyfully.
Soon, Dun climbed a tree and pulled out sparkling recovery potions from his inventory.
"These are the sparkling recovery potions I supposedly sold to some foreigner for tens of thousands of tig!!"
"Woooaaahhh!!!!"
Rainbow-colored sparkling recovery potions rained down beautifully from the sky.
Everyone jumped with mouths wide open to catch them.
"If you wanna live, open wide and drink, you fish!! All free!!!"
*Gulp gulp!!*
"Kaaaah!!! Healing!!!!"
-Why's he so good at partying lolololol?
-??? lololololololololol
-No lolololololol
-Damn ㅠㅠㅠ lolololol so funny lolololololololol
After wildly partying with the players, Dun collapsed first from exhaustion.
The crowd's energy hadn't died down yet.
"Appleorange! Appleorange!"
"Appleorange! Appleorange!"
The players hoisted the sprawled Dun onto their shoulders and started jumping to the music, arms linked.
Still not as tall as the other players, Dun's feet dangled off the ground as he was dragged along limply.
Carried along on the human pony ride following the flow, Dun turned to look back at the party hall.
The party had ended, and cleanup was underway.
Dun spat into the music orb to shatter it.
"Alright, we had fun, so let's clean up the mess."
Dun hopped off the pony ride and clapped once.
"Eeeh?"
"I'm popular at the academy. Wanna keep it that way. I let you have fun, so clean up."
[F-Grade Quest] Clean Up the Mess
Description: Clean up the messy space!
Reward: Dun's favor
Penalty for refusal: Dun's disfavor
Everyone's eyes bulged as they started tidying up.
* * *
"......"
I Saebyeok lay sprawled on the association training ground floor in the dead of night.
She'd partied hard with whoever had free time at the training ground, then ended up alone. The others had all gone gate diving.
Training was pointless anyway, and she'd grown increasingly hollow, so a bit of drinking left her blissfully thoughtless.
The spinning world was delightful.
She felt good yet melancholic.
Ding ding ding.
Suddenly, guitar sounds came from beside her. Turning, it was Lee Yuhyeon. No greeting—just strumming away.
"...What are you doing."
"Practicing guitar."
"Suddenly next to me?"
"The training ground isn't all yours at night, right? It's big and nice, so I felt like playing here suddenly."
"Fair enough."
A gentle guitar melody echoed.
I Saebyeok, about to flee from Lee Yuhyeon, stayed put because she liked the sudden guitar sounds.
*Finally, she's not running...!*
Talking to or conversing with Saebyeok always made her bolt like a sprinter, so he'd thought to lure her interest first—and luck was on his side.
"Interested? Want me to teach you how?"
"Doesn't look that hard."
I Saebyeok, who had been staring at Lee Yuhyeon playing, spoke up.
"Oh, wanna try?"
I Saebyeok nodded and took the guitar.
Recalling Lee Yuhyeon's finger movements from earlier, she played it exactly.
Just moving her body produced music—it felt a bit magical.
Normally, guitar strings are tough for beginners to press, but with her callused hands from training, I Saebyeok gripped the chords effortlessly.
Lee Yuhyeon marveled at how she played it perfectly on first try.
No wonder she's called a genius.
"Wow, you're good. Could debut as a musician right away?"
Not praise for fighting, but something else—I Saebyeok blinked, then scratched her head.
"You really have so much talent, Saebyeok."
At Lee Yuhyeon's following words, I Saebyeok frowned.
Was he about to say she wasn't qualified as an unawakened and should find something else? Is that why the guitar?
I Saebyeok started to stand. Lee Yuhyeon quickly spoke.
"Are you thinking 'This guy's probably here to convince me to find another job' and trying to leave?"
"......"
I Saebyeok halted mid-step. He'd nailed it.
"Don't misunderstand. I support what you're doing, Saebyeok."
"...Really? Everyone says it's suicide, that I'm stubborn."
"Actually, I have a gift that might help you. Can you give me a strand of hair and a drop of blood?"
At Lee Yuhyeon's request, I Saebyeok yanked out some hairs.
For blood, she had a small cut on her arm and held it out.
Lee Yuhyeon planned to try making a package with them.
Maybe something Saebyeok needed would come out.
*Do you remember when we first met, you said you'd make one thing I wanted? If you make a package for that kid with it, I'd be grateful.*
It was also at Seol Do-yoon's request.
Truth be told, he'd always wanted to give her one, but she always avoided him, so timing was never right.
Now was perfect.
[Subject already issued a package.]
"?
'Why won't the package issue...?'
I Saebyeok looked at Lee Yuhyeon expectantly.
She'd sensed from the vibe that he'd make her a package.
"Not giving me a package?"
"......"
"It's not that unawakened people can't get packages in the settings, right?"
"...Not a package. I wanted your DNA samples to research why you haven't awakened. The real gift is separate."
"Ooh."
Her expression softened at the promise to research her lack of awakening.
"No research—the gift's something else? What's the gift."
"Truth is, eating alone is lonely. Wanna eat together?"
Can't say he'll buy her food. She'd say no need.
"The gift is watching you eat, mister?"
"...Yes! It's a 4D mukbang."
She sensed something off but didn't dwell.
I Saebyeok nodded and followed Lee Yuhyeon to a barbecue place.
To bond with Saebyeok, he'd finished work early, so plenty of time.
Lee Yuhyeon ordered two portions of sirloin, sliced the meat, and placed it on the grill.
Both Seol Do-yoon and I Saebyeok were types who exploded if approached carelessly while upset.
Watching I Saebyeok poke at the chives with chopsticks up close suddenly reminded him of their first meeting.
Managing Abyss kids, he'd heard about what I Saebyeok had done.
'Saebyeok's scary... but thinking of her makes me feel secure.'
'Getting chewed out by Saebyeok is the best. Feels good somehow.'
'She's always the one who shows up right before we die.'
'She's unawakened now, but if she awakens later, she'll be stronger than anyone. Don't underestimate her. She's our pride.'
Nearly all Abyss kids adored I Saebyeok immensely. Hearing their stories, it was inevitable.
Impressive she grew up unwarped, but constantly watching her surroundings in that situation was admirable.
Yet he worried too.
He couldn't shake the feeling she was slowly breaking down.
She seemed to try emptying her mind and managing her mental state, but first priority was escaping the harsh environment causing the breakdown.
But I Saebyeok wouldn't leave this situation for various reasons.
Telling her to quit hunting would wound her deeply too.
Forcing her out might still leave her obsessing over gate-involved kids, leading to suffering.
Given her personality and tenacity, even if she left, she'd return to the hunter world.
Even after pulling down Kim Woo-sung, as long as gates and monsters existed, the issue persisted.
In a human life with a set end anyway, 'satisfying life' varies per person.
I Saebyeok absolutely wasn't the type to ignore dying kids and live quietly happy alone.
If stopping her led to the same result, better to let her pursue what she wants and maximize fulfillment and joy in the process.
At the same time, think of ways to safely protect Saebyeok, who later charges into gates like a bulldozer.
"Truth is, the 4D mukbang was an excuse. Wanted to borrow this chance to say you've always worked too hard."
Sizzle, sizzle.
Lee Yuhyeon continued as he grilled.
"Huh? What hard work. My awakening fails?"
Awakening fails. Yeah, worked her ass off for nothing.
I Saebyeok toyed with the garlic on the grill with her chopsticks.
"I know you've taught the physical techniques you honed trying to awaken to the other kids."
"They'd die without it."
"Saw recent gate exploration footage—everyone using your tips usefully, remembering them."
I Saebyeok blinked downward. Embarrassed.
"What I mean is, your efforts weren't wasted."
"......"
"The kids aren't as warped thanks to you. They're all super grateful."
I Saebyeok grimaced at the flood of praise.
"Suddenly what. Crazy, what're you saying. It means something only if I awaken. I'm just giving away what I worked hard for."
Mumbling incoherently, she skewered all the garlic on the grill with her chopsticks.
Making garlic skewers, I Saebyeok bowed her head.
"When everything's over, let's all go somewhere scenic together. You need rest and big rewards. You've suffered too much...."
Hearing Lee Yuhyeon, I Saebyeok shed tears drop by drop.
"No, fuck. Embarrassing, shit. Garlic, shit."
Seeing weakness was utmost shame for I Saebyeok, who couldn't lift her head.
Watching her cry tore at his heart.
But mentioning it might make her bolt.
"Here. One more bite of meat."
Must feed her extra while dazed from crying.
While crying and embarrassed, I Saebyeok casually accepted the food Lee Yuhyeon offered.
Wiping tears, she stuffed the received ssam in her mouth to muffle sobs.
"Tasty?"
Sniff.
"You're so tough."
Nod nod.