Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: I'll Take It Off?
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"Why are you acting like that, young miss? Don't you like the alcohol?"
"Ah, no... um..."
When I came to my senses, I was inside a tavern.
Of course, I don't hate alcohol. It's not like I love it to excess either, but I do know how to enjoy it in moderation.
That said, drinking alone is completely different from drinking with someone else. Especially a man.
'How long has it been since we met?!'
I shouldn't trust the person Namgung Jin sent so easily.
To lure a woman to a tavern with just a few words.
This wasn't the work of a novice.
'...What do I do.'
If it were my usual self, or if this were anyone else, I never would have ended up in a place like this to begin with. And even if I had, I would've refused flat-out.
But the man across from me was someone just awkward enough to firmly refuse.
If I shot him down decisively right here and hurt his pride, it'd damage our relationship.
He's not fully established yet, and he owes me one, so nothing major would happen immediately. But I hadn't fully grasped his abilities, and I didn't want to sour things when they were still unknown.
His foresight was just that enticing.
'If only I could be sure his power really is prophecy.'
If I could confirm it beyond doubt, there'd be no dilemma at all.
I'd offer this body of mine in a heartbeat to bind him to the Tang Family as a son-in-law.
No matter that I'm one of the most promising late-generation talents around—I'm still just a first-rate expert who hasn't breached the peak realm.
Genius enough at my age, sure. But it doesn't do much for the Tang Family right now.
Prophecy, though? That's another story.
Not just immediately, but anytime—its value outstrips even a decent transcendent expert. I could say that with certainty.
'Ughhh...'
As countless possibilities warred within me, one fact dawned.
"Young miss? Not drinking? This place was recommended by all the top drinkers in Shaanxi—they pooled their praise. They say the alcohol's top-notch."
He'd already polished off a whole bottle by himself.
...This guy.
Now I saw it. He wasn't interested in me at all.
His gaze had been fixed solely on the alcohol from the start, never on me.
"...Um, so why exactly did you come here?"
"Huh? It's a tavern—of course to drink."
"Ah... right..."
They say true alcoholics care only about booze above all else. Guess this fortune teller was one of them.
"You like alcohol a lot?"
"Lately, it's the alcohol that's kept me feeling alive."
Even with his face hidden, I could feel the utter sincerity pouring out.
"...Our Tang Family has plenty of famous brews too."
In truth, the Tang Family's alcohols had a solid reputation.
Working with poisons means new toxins sometimes yield alcohols along the way—and those had caught on big.
People even joked that poisons were just an excuse, that we'd been brewing booze from the start.
"...How do I get my hands on some?"
"Well... become one of us, and I'd happily bring a few bottles as a welcome gift..."
"How? Should I sign a contract or something?"
I'd just been testing the waters, but he got dead serious.
Then it hit me.
'Right. He said he came down from the mountains.'
He knew the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families from hearsay, but the finer ways of the world? Not so much.
This was my chance.
Trick the naive newbie into binding himself to the Tang Family...
"...Kidding. We sell them outside too. I'll grab some for you later."
"Really?"
"Put it on your tab. When the debt's piled high enough, I'll call it in—so brace yourself."
"You got it!"
Better to play nice than deceive him outright.
We'd cross paths plenty more. Rack up the favors right, and I could legitimately bind him to the Tang Family down the line. Not impossible.
"Ah. So, how's the booze? Not good?"
"Eh... the taste..."
It wasn't premium stuff, nothing to rave about like that.
"Pretty decent."
"Glad you like it."
The vibe was delicious.
I still reminisce sometimes.
What if I'd made a move on him then?
What if I'd learned sooner he had to head back somewhere in three years?
Could I have gotten a better outcome?
"Urgh...!"
"Told you so."
I was tangled in Dang Ayoung's arm, pinned immobile.
First lesson in Golden Claw Technique.
"Just because Golden Claw Technique uses the hands doesn't mean it's only about hands—you can't go wrong thinking that? Legs too, every joint in your body. That's what makes it real Golden Claw Technique."
My stubbornness got me here.
Insisting on keeping the cloak on till I learned it? Too greedy.
Not built for movement. Flowy enough to conceal my build—but that makes it way too easy to grab.
The massive skill gap didn't help either. But getting pinned and flattened before learning a thing? Infuriating.
"Fine. I'll take it off. This ain't working."
Time to drop the stubborn act.
She'd carved out time to teach me. Botching it would be rude.
"...Take it off?"
"Yeah. Gimme a sec. I'll change and be right back."
I left the dazed Dang Ayoung behind and opened another door inside the shop.
No dedicated changing room, but whatever.
-Srulk
'Been a while since I took this off.'
The cloak felt like an extension of me now. As it came off, a translucent window popped up before my eyes.
[Recluse's Cloak]
No one knew the past of the recluse 'Hermit'. One of the heroes who shone in the war against the undead with his elusive movements. It's said that until he returned to the goddess's embrace amid those who escaped death, no one ever saw his true face.
The one thing I had when I arrived in this godforsaken world.
The shop window.
Not as vital as a status screen, but damn useful.
One reason I could cling to hope in this blood-soaked, iron-hard land.
Without it, I'd have lost all will to live for real.
'Took forever to afford.'
Shop currency: points.
This cloak? 2000 points.
Don't ask about shops or English in a murim world. Getting isekai'd here in the first place is the real mystery.
Point sources: just two.
Time: 1 point daily.
Money: 1 nyang gold = 1 point.
Ten years in the mountains, no gold touched—so basically saved via time. 2000 days. Just shy of six years.
Reason I hide my face? Plenty.
Nearly got wrecked bad before meeting Master.
[Don't show your face. That face will bring you great calamity later.]
Plus, Master's reading of my fortune.
Can't read my own, so she did.
Endured, scraped, saved—for this cloak.
Looks cumbersome, but comfy as hell. Breezy in summer, toasty in winter. All-purpose gear.
No washing needed.
Makes sense why Hermit never ditched it.
'Shame no magic tomes.'
Shop scan screams fantasy world connection.
At first, I hunted desperately: 'No kung fu? Fine, magic instead?' Nada.
Plenty of standout items, though.
Top of the list, always:
[Return]
Price: 10,000 points
Ten thousand nyang in gold. Twenty-seven years in time.
Even grinding one gold a day since arriving? Still out of reach.
Honestly, by the time I could afford it, would I even want Earth?
That much spare change means I'm thriving here.
'Patience.'
Lost in thought—changing dragged on.
Movement-friendly fit showed my build, but face stays hidden.
[Phantom's Mask]
Made by the White Tower Master—once hailed the continent's greatest beauty—to hide her rotting face after a scratch from blood-craving undead. True to her wish, even after she returned to the goddess's embrace, no one saw her ruined visage.
Stays put unless I will it off my face.
This one's 500 points.
Unlike the recluse's cloak, though—feels off on the face. Cloak for most days.
-Clunk
'Face covered now.'
Ready.
Dang Ayoung was curious about my face, sure. Sorry, but no dice.
For real.