Chapter 136
Chapter 136
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: Chapter 136 - 8장-위화감
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: Chapter 8 - A Sense of Unease
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"Haaam..."
-Rustle
Feeling refreshed today as always, I woke up from a good night's sleep, yawning and stretching my limbs.
The pleasant, drowsy haze somehow lifted away alongside the satisfying pops from my loosening muscles, leaving behind a crisp sense of invigoration.
'I must've slept really well today.'
I'd woken up in a far more refreshed state than usual.
Lately, it felt like I hadn't been getting any proper rest, so after finally enjoying some deep sleep for the first time in ages, I had a hunch that things would go smoothly today.
As I did every morning, I offered a quiet prayer of thanks for safely greeting another new dawn, finished getting ready, and stepped out of the room.
I'd been planning to greet Yeo Socheon, who was in the room right next door, and ask if she'd slept well...
"Did you sleep well?"
"Eek! You scared me!"
The moment I opened the door, Yeo Socheon's face was right there, startling me into stumbling back a step.
"What's that reaction? Like you saw a ghost or something. That's rude, you know."
"If you shove your face right up to the door like that, of course I'm gonna jump!"
"I was just innocently greeting you and asking if you slept well?"
"...Be more careful next time."
I calmed my pounding heart and gave Yeo Socheon a quick once-over.
My own condition was pretty good, but hers looked even better.
"...Did something good happen or what?"
Her mouth was curved up in the goofiest grin, and there was this overall glow to her—like her face was plastered with the words I'm in an amazing mood right now.
"Something... major happened... Feels like a decade's worth of pent-up stress just melted away..."
"...Did you break through to a new realm or something?"
"Sadly, no."
I couldn't imagine what could possibly top that for a martial artist, but hey, whatever floats her boat.
Maybe she'd found some clue to her next breakthrough.
"No idea what it is, but congrats anyway."
"Aw, I'm the one who should be thanking you. Who knew you'd actually hold out through that..."
"Huh?"
"Ah, nothing!"
Her sudden pivot was pretty suspicious, but then again, this was Yeo Socheon—business as usual.
-Gurgle...
"...Let's grab some food. I'm extra hungry today, for some reason."
"Y-Yes! Fueling up is priority one! I'll go get it—hang tight!"
Right on cue with my stomach growling, Yeo Socheon bolted downstairs to the first floor.
"...Why am I suddenly feeling off?"
It was like I'd been put through something without even realizing it. I scratched my head and retreated back into my room.
Come to think of it, I was in no position to be showing my face to anyone right now.
Staying put quietly in the room, I tapped my foot in anticipation of whatever menu Yeo Socheon might bring.
This was supposed to be a post-long-expedition breakfast, after all. No way it'd be something lame like thin noodles...
"The owner said the noodles turned out perfect today, so I got some thin ones..."
"Out."
"Got it."
I chucked a pillow at her to shoo her away, grumbled under my breath, and picked up my chopsticks.
I wasn't thrilled that Yeo Socheon had brought thin noodles, but I couldn't exactly skip a meal over it.
-Slurp
'Why does my stomach feel so hollow?'
My mood was great, but my body felt strangely drained of energy, so I shoveled it in faster.
She wasn't lying—the noodles actually tasted pretty decent.
Still, thin noodles weren't beef broth, so it left a lot to be desired all around.
'She's loaded with cash, and she skimps on this...'?
-Slurp
She could've ordered one of every dish on the inn's menu without making a dent in her wallet, but nooo—thin noodles it was.
What a woman who doesn't have the faintest clue about a man's heart.
Right around the time I'd polished off about half the bowl...
A crisp chime rang out, and right before my eyes appeared a familiar mail icon from Earth—complete with a little red circle showing "1."
A mark buried deep in my hazy memories.
"Whoa, it's been forever..."
Only one person could've sent something like this anyway, so I clicked it, nostalgia washing over me.
And then...
The Saintess was on screen, arms flung wide in an ecstatic vibe.
[By now, you've definitely gathered enough points for the summoning ritual! I figured it'd take several more years, but this fast... Hero, you've done amazingly!]
"...Huh?"
[Who knew you'd cave to temptation so quick and just go for it... Talk about a goddess from some barbaric world—no patience at all! Zero! She was gonna lose anyway but still went through the hassle... Anyway, Hero! Let's kick off the summoning ritual!]
The Saintess was flushed red, breathing heavily in a somewhat agitated fervor.
No clue what was going on, but she wanted to start the summoning ritual? Had the points piled up that much already? I checked.
'?'
Still a long way short.
"Uh... Saintess...?"
"I only have 2,000 points, though?"
At my words, the Saintess froze up like she'd been smacked on the head.
It took her a good long while before she finally managed to pry her mouth open.
[.......Huh?]
She still looked rough.
"Precisely 2,208, but..."
[Still way short! What the hell?! That level of interference in the mortal realm should've netted at least 10,000 points by my math! Even if the calcs were off, zero points?! Something's seriously wrong...]
That was when it hit.
[...Ah.]
The Saintess's face shifted into one of sudden realization.
[Aaaaaaah!!!!]
She suddenly started clawing at her hair.
[Ch-Cheating! That's cheating! How is that even allowed?! Bypassing everything with that method to have all the fun, but zero interference power?!]
"Saintess...?"
-Rip
I could've sworn I heard a wet tearing sound from somewhere.
"...No idea what's up, but you okay?"
[...Not okay.]
"..."
"Uh... Sure..."
"Huh?"
-Poof
I swear I caught some weird last words, but the Saintess vanished in a flash before I could ask.
"...What the heck?"
Yeo Socheon acting weird, now the Saintess too—both of 'em off today.
I stared blankly at where the Saintess had been, then glanced back down.
"...Ah."
The noodles had bloated up into a swollen mess.
The Saintess didn't pop back up until quite a bit later, right around lunchtime.
"...It's fine. Even you need some personal time, Saintess."
No idea what she'd been up to, but honestly, I hoped she'd take more of it.
Otherwise, it'd mean she was watching me 24/7.
"No sly moves."
"Too bad. Go find another Hero while you're at it."
"Tch."
I was grateful for the help on a personal level, but no thanks to becoming her personal stud horse.
That said, if she actually ditched me for another Hero, I'd lose access to the shop window, putting me in a real bind.
'Just return to Earth first, then ghost her...'
[How can you so brazenly plan to squeeze every last benefit out of me?!]
"One thing you want from me is my life, right?"
"Pfft."
As if. This wasn't some sweet fantasy romance backdrop—it was an apocalypse world of nonstop debauchery.
The last man standing in a world where men went extinct?
I'd obviously end up strapped down, getting milked around the clock like a glorified semen factory.
The root of all my current woes traced straight back to the Saintess, anyway.
"Anyway, got a question."
Shelving our usual back-and-forth, I cut straight to what was bugging me today.
"...Anything happen while I was asleep?"
Yeo Socheon, the Saintess—both were hiding stuff from me as usual, but today's level of shadiness was off the charts.
I might not get women at all, but even I could tell this much for sure.
Something had definitely happened. 100%.
"Yeo Socheon rags on me all the time for being clueless about women's hearts, but even I can see something went down!"
The Saintess was visibly flustered, eyes darting away.
Seeing that, it was like a lightbulb flicked on over my head—intuition hit hard.
"...You didn't, like, grope me while I was out cold, did you?!"
A chill raced over my skin as I clutched my chest with both hands.
"What is?!"
For a split second, I thought I caught a cold glint in the Saintess's expression, but I chalked it up to imagination.
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