Happy
Happy
Seventeen months had already passed since the Otherworlders first appeared.
Naturally, their levels had been steadily climbing all the while.
Though their growth rate had slowed, they were still advancing.
Only the rank-1 spot remained unstable—because growth had become so sluggish, the title changed hands constantly.
So there was no clear-cut rank 1, just a pack of jackals snapping at the spot... or so Ha-neul had told me.
But in the country where they lived, South Korea, there was said to be an undisputed rank 1. A rare talent who could even contend for the world's number one spot.
That was the figure named Shin Han-byeol. So famous that even I, holed up in the forest, knew the name.
'This chick?'
And the person who had appeared before me now was, apparently, that very Shin Han-byeol.
Because in the chat window visible through the Player's Eye, they were calling her Han-byeol.
Could be someone else with the same name, but I figured the odds were slim.
Making it all the way here alone meant she had something to back her up.
And that guess hardened into certainty before long.
Because she rushed straight at me.
Thud!
They say a master's footwork sets them apart from the start. The speed with which she closed in was plenty fierce.
Her balance was stable, and the stance for her sword strike was decent.
Well, that was all just bonus points. What truly surprised me was the blue aura coiling along her blade.
In other words, Sword Aura. She was the very first among the Otherworlders to manifest it.
'Ho-oh?'
A glint of interest naturally rose in my eyes. I was a little curious about her skill.
Then her sword bit in toward me. I likewise infused my weapon with Sword Aura and blocked her blade.
Clang—!
A clear note rang out. I judged inwardly.
'Power's so-so.'
Even after accounting for the level gap, the same held true. It was an ordinary strike, neither especially heavy nor light.
But her assault didn't end there.
The woman yanked her curved saber free with startling speed and aimed for my flank with the blade in her other hand.
A strike smooth as flowing water.
I dodged that too, naturally. Yet her combo felt like it would keep going forever if I let it. Not that she was flailing mindlessly.
She added rotational force to keep the offense going, but she was always ready to pull back.
The stance betrayed formal training, and it was threatening precisely because of that.
With long violet hair streaming, she swung the two curved sabers, looking almost like a dancer.
In fact, she was wearing something like tights, and her curves were clearly outlined.
'Ahem...'
I coughed dryly to myself and thrust my spear toward her body.
I'd seen enough spectacle. I couldn't let her keep up the attack forever.
And honestly, I was starting to feel like she'd land a cut if this dragged on.
Whoosh—!
The spear drove in, and sensing the threat, the woman hastily pulled back.
Even the way she dodged was far from ordinary.
She flung herself into a back tumbling flip and put distance between us.
Never in my life did I think I'd watch someone do a somersault right in front of me.
I let out a hollow laugh and continued assessing her.
'Her technique is top-notch.'
She genuinely felt different from every Otherworlder I'd faced before.
Whoever taught her, she kept perfect balance even from an unstable posture.
Honestly, her swordsmanship itself was better than a five-million-gold nobody like me.
Well, I'd never had anyone teach me, after all.
I turned my head for a moment to check her chat window.
[That's insane how'd she dodge all that?]
[WTF what was that backflip lol]
[KYAAA! Han-byeol! You're so cool T_T]
[In Search of Romance has donated 50,000 won!]
- No wonder you're a highlight-reel regular lol
[Nam-Mi-Sae has donated 30,000 won!]
- Han-byeol, you're amazing, you're the best. Got enough footage for today's YouTube. So can't you please head back now...? Why's a girl with that much money trying to kill Yor anyway T_T
The chat was in an uproar, probably because the scene wasn't exactly common.
A few donations popping off caught my eye.
Seeing that, I couldn't help feeling a bit puzzled. As the donation said, she didn't exactly look hard up for cash.
The five million gold on my head was certainly big money, but it was also awkward money.
Once you hit S-Rank, cash was just something you could rake in. I knew their bounties were no joke.
Of course, she still looked a long way from becoming an S-Rank adventurer.
But from what I could tell, the income from her stream didn't seem small either. She was a considerable powerhouse among Otherworlders, anyway.
Then what? No way she really came all the way here for just fifty million won.
'Did she seriously come just to film YouTube content?'
Several questions came to mind, but honestly, they weren't my problem.
All I needed was the Holy Water she had, right?
While I was thinking that, my opponent moved again.
"Hoo, you really are strong. That being the case, I guess I can take on a little handicap. Right?"
She rummaged around in her inventory and pulled out the Holy Water.
Two vials of Holy Water appeared. She poured one over her curved saber and splashed the other over her body.
Since throwing it and landing a hit would be difficult, she was just buffing herself instead.
Watching, I clicked my tongue.
'Using precious Holy Water like that...'
Well, it was a method, technically.
The holy-element buff on her curved saber would deal extra damage to me. She'd probably be able to fend off my blood, my best weapon, for a short while.
A nuisance in multiple ways.
But as always, it was pointless as long as I didn't let it touch me and she didn't use it.
The gap between us was still large enough to make that possible.
So I rushed her. I poured Sword Aura into my spear and thrust at her with full force. The mutual reading phase was over, so I had no reason to hold back.
As befitted someone with excellent technique, she did manage to block.
"Kugh...!"
Though her expression twisted sharply, likely from the weight of the blow.
After that, a few more exchanges of offense and defense took place.
It didn't take very long to subdue her.
Puh-uhk—!
Along with a heavy thud, she flew into the distance and slammed against the wall.
In trying to block my kick, she'd also lost her grip on both curved sabers.
I walked up to her and pressed a dagger to her throat. Time for some fun interrogation.
"Right then, shall we have a little chat? Tell me. How many Holy Waters do you have in total right now? And where'd you get them?"
[A dagger to the throat is terrifying af lol]
[Got wrecked after all www]
[Dayum, extreme close-up of Yor...]
[He really is handsome though...]
[Is it really necessary to capture her...?]
I could see the chat window scrolling up beside her.
She scowled and glared up at me.
"Ha, you think I'll tell you that? Quit dawdling and just kill me already."
"Hm."
Well, of course she wouldn't answer on the first try.
I nodded. Then, without warning, I smacked her hard across the cheek.
Slap—!
A sharp sound rang out, and her head whipped to the side. Her lip split, and red blood trickled out.
As if she'd never expected to be struck like that, her eyes flew wide open.
I looked down at her and said,
"Otherworlder brats these days just don't listen."
To be honest, I'd been developing a bit of a grudge against Otherworlders lately.
Plenty of them showed me good will, but there were also loads who treated me like a genuine NPC, like that bastard the other day.
And judging by this bitch's conduct, her outlook didn't seem all that different.
So I decided I'd dish out a little rough treatment myself. She was a streamer anyway—might as well make an example of her.
With that, I grabbed her chin and slapped her cheek a few more times.
Slap—! Slap—!
"Ugh... Kugh...!"
The sharp sounds echoed through the cave. Each time, a faint moan leaked from her lips.
She came here gunning for my life, so she should be prepared to suffer this much.
...Except the chat's reaction was a little weird.
[Whoa holy shit he's giving out prizes lolol]
[You're telling me I can get hit if I go now? Fuck, I want him to hit me too, I want him to hit me]
[Hnnngh... Yor... hnnngh... Yor...]
[I'm not even a masochist but this composition is kind of turning me on lol;]
[Save... adding to the woodpecker folder...]
[These fucking perverts are on some serious bullshit]
[No, Han-byeol!]
[That's so cruel T_T Yor you demon bastard I'm gonna kill you for sure]
I had imagined them trembling in fear at my brutality.
Instead, I felt something... viscid and craving... from the chat window.
Caught off guard by the gap between reality and my imagination, I had no choice but to hastily pull my hand away.
Still, the one upside was that the person involved understood my intent exactly.
I could see her glaring at me, snarling.
"You fucking bastard..."
Her face twisted with rage as she tilted the corner of her lips up.
"Ha, go ahead and hit me all day. It barely hurts anyway thanks to the Assimilation Rate. Honestly, it'd be faster if I just died. I'm never opening my mouth."
I furrowed my brow slightly. I appreciated that she got my intent, but this wasn't the reaction I wanted.
I'd figured a little interrogation would make her spill just to avoid getting hit.
But her eyes were still utterly ferocious. Her expression said that whether from sheer pride or stubbornness, she really wouldn't listen, even in death.
I clicked my tongue.
"...Tch."
Not a great response.
What to do?
Other Otherworlders, I could kill without a second thought. But I needed this one.
At the very least, I had to secure the Holy Water she was carrying.
And if possible, I needed to hear how she'd managed to scrounge up Holy Water in this drought.
But with her being this uncooperative, damn...
'Should I try stabbing her a little?'
The thought crossed my mind for a second, but I shook it off at once.
No, it'd be a pain if she ended up dying from blood loss.
At a 15% Assimilation Rate, it would barely sting anyway.
So then how...
'Ah-ha.'
While I was lost in thought for a good while, a decent idea came to me.
If interrogation won't make her talk, why not just lock her up?
Luckily, you could tie up even an Otherworlder.
Because even if they log out and their body disappears, the bindings don't come undone.
Up until now, I'd just let them log out because I hated leaving someone in my house, but if Holy Water was on the line, that changed things.
So I started tying her up fast.
I fetched rope and iron stakes from storage and hammered the stakes into the ground.
Then I bound her with the rope and secured her to the stakes.
'Her chest's bigger than it looks...'
There was a bit of physical contact while tying her up as she resisted, but I managed to get it done.
Hands and feet were all bound tight, so she definitely couldn't untie herself alone.
Trussing up a woman in a tights-like outfit with rope did create a rather risqué scene, but that was ultimately a secondary matter.
Bang! Bang!
"Kugh! Untie this! I said untie it...!!!"
She flipped out, naturally. As if she'd expected death but never imprisonment, her resistance was incredibly violent.
Watching her thrash tied to the stakes, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
"Hmm..."
Come to think of it, I...
Long ago, there had been a time when I'd wanted to keep a pet.
It was a wish I'd held since my previous life, even.
I wasn't exactly a huge animal lover, but living alone, I'd needed at least an animal to ease the loneliness.
Trouble was, in my previous life I had no money to afford one, and all the beasts in this forest were utterly untameable.
So I'd had no choice but to let the wish remain a wish.
But now that I'd brought a person into my home, couldn't you say I'd fulfilled that dream, in a way?
Sure, she looked a little savage, but that was nothing a gentle taming couldn't fix.
Truly, you never know how things will turn out in this world.
And so, like approaching a fierce dog, I carefully neared her.
Then, cautious not to get bitten, I carefully stroked her head.
Her soft hair felt almost like fur.
I smiled warmly at her and said,
"From now on, your name is Happy."
And that was how I acquired a pet.