Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Chapter 6 - The Summons
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-Chirp chirp
"..."
The piercing morning sunlight and the chirping of birds outside the window made me grimace as I opened my eyes.
-Rustle
The fatigue weighing on my body and the throbbing pain in my head took a moment to shake off before I could fully wake up.
As my mind gradually cleared, the events of last night came flooding back.
"...Haa."
I let out a deep sigh, covering my face with my hands.
'I've really lost my mind.'
Just after barely sweeping the previous incident under the rug, I couldn't hold back and caused another mess.
It was something only a madman would do.
If I tried to make excuses, it was true that Dang Ayoung had asked how I saw her, and suddenly my mind went blank, making my body move differently than usual—but that didn't make it disappear.
The thing with the Sword Empress had only been overlooked because of her kind heart; in truth, it was a grave discourtesy.
She had sacrificed her body to heal me, and I'd said something like that to her.
But after barely making that go away, now this...
"Aaaah... You absolute lunatic..."
My future looked bleak.
At least last time, I had the excuse that it happened while I was unconscious, but not this time.
I didn't remember everything, but I recalled taking the lead this time.
How could I shamelessly pretend this never happened?
'I... have to take responsibility, right...?'
Considering our positions, it would probably mean me entering the Tang Clan of Sichuan as a son-in-law rather than me taking responsibility—but either way, I'd have to own up to it somehow.
'But I have to return to the mountains someday... and the world might end before that... I need to stop that first... Argh...'
My thoughts spiraled endlessly.
I knew even on Earth that messing around down there could screw you over, but how could I have known it'd happen to me?
-Glance
I looked at Dang Ayoung, still asleep beside me.
-Snooore...
"..."
It hit me anew, but she was really beautiful.
Compared to my Master, whose features I'd grown accustomed to—and who was a step above—objectively, she had to be in the top 0.1%.
Yeah. Objectively speaking, both the Sword Empress and Dang Ayoung were flawless in looks, status, wealth, and martial prowess—prime catches you had to seize if the chance arose. I knew that.
I knew I was whining from a position of privilege...
'I'm not in a place where I can even think about romance...'
-Smoosh
I covered my face with my hands again.
My current situation: sneaking out of the mountains without my Master's knowledge to enjoy the jianghu, on top of potentially having to avert the world's end or escape it.
Setting aside personal feelings, I was in no position for romance.
Time was of the essence—when would I have time for dating, building emotions, marriage?
And if the world ended anyway, it was all over.
'What the hell do I do...'
Even if I somehow resolved things with Dang Ayoung, my relationship with the Sword Empress was another issue.
How long ago had we parted after those words, and now this mess?
'...She absolutely cannot find out.'
She might swing her sword at me, calling me a lecherous demon.
...Wait a second.
The Sword Empress was a virgin... and so was Dang Ayoung...
So I'd be the man who took the first experiences of a righteous hero and the greatest heroine of the next generation at the same time?
'I have nothing to say even if they brand me a lecher?!'
No matter the details, that's how it boiled down—what more needed saying?
At this point, I was worried they might hunt me down to the mountains.
'Arghhh...'
-Rub rub
I clawed at my hair in frustration over the hopelessly tangled mess.
I'd really lost it. Completely lost it.
I wasn't unaware this could happen, so why did I cross that line and cause this disaster?
Even drunk, my body hadn't obeyed me.
As I was cursing my past self—
-Srrk
"Mmngh..."
Dang Ayoung stirred, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she sat up.
For the record, we were both naked.
"Yaaawn..."
Her skin caught my eye as she rubbed her eyes upon waking.
Her skin had always been good, but now it practically glowed, like she'd properly drained my essence.
...And indeed, unlike her vibrant look, I felt quite depleted.
"Oh... you're up already?"
"D-Dang Miss... um..."
"Hungry, right? Wait a sec. I'll whip up something delicious and nourishing."
She hopped out of bed the moment her eyes opened, looking perfectly healthy.
Was this her real personality... or because of last night? I couldn't tell, but one thing was clear.
Dang Ayoung wore an incredibly refreshed expression, like a long-pent-up tension had been released.
.
.
.
After a quick wash and dressing, we sat at the table eating the meal she'd prepared.
"I put some real effort into this one—how is it? Tasty?"
True to her words about effort, the food was quite good.
Good enough to rival most inns, I thought.
"It's delicious. You could make a living selling this."
"Oh come on, selling it?"
"Seriously. I'd eat it every da—"
I hastily swallowed the words about to slip out.
It was a casual remark, but on second thought, it was one of those classic proposal lines from Earth.
'That was close.'
Good thing I wasn't like this normally; if I were, it'd be a real headache.
"What was that you were about to say...?"
"Huh? I didn't say anything."
"Hmm..."
I averted my eyes from her narrowed gaze.
Normally it'd be fine, but right now, meeting her eyes was incredibly awkward.
I just couldn't get a read on how to handle this situation.
"C-Could you grab seconds? My calorie burn's pretty high right now..."
"...Well, you did work hard."
She looked a bit uneasy but willingly got up to serve more.
But the portion size...
"...That's a lot."
"Pfft, gotta eat big to build up strength again."
"Pardon...?"
Her whisper tickled my ear.
"Looking forward to tonight..."
"I-I have to get to work!!"
Chicken skin prickled across my body as I threw on my cloak in an instant and bolted out of Dang Ayoung's house.
Glancing back as I fled, she wore an ominous smile.
-Slam!
I shut the door and headed to my fortune-telling shop, thinking:
I'm definitely sleeping at the inn tonight.
.
.
.
-Knock knock knock
Despite saying I was off to work, I wasn't in any shape to open the shop right away.
There wasn't anything special, but it'd gathered a lot of dust from neglect.
"Oof, my back..."
After hours of solo labor, I finally cleared the dust and prepped to open.
My back was already sore from last night, and cleaning alone made it worse.
I lay in the back room for a bit to soothe it.
'What do I even do about this...'
I'd pondered during cleaning, but no solution came to mind.
If I'd firmly rejected her or said I saw her as a friend, none of this would've happened, and life would've stayed peaceful—instead, I fell for temptation.
I wished I could turn back time.
Too bad I couldn't.
'Why doesn't the shop have a time-reversal item...'
If it did, I'd buy it on credit, no question.
Not like the absurd 10,000-point prices for return or summon—at least those were doable.
The shop felt uselessly frustrating right now.
'Oh yeah, I need to meet Yeo Socheon too.'
Thinking of the shop reminded me.
The Saintess's words to stay close to Yeo Socheon.
She hadn't explained why, but it was her last message, my only clue—so contacting Yeo Socheon was my only lead.
The problem: I had no idea where she was.
'A Kunlun Taoist, she said... so maybe at Kunlun?'
In this vast world, finding someone was no small task.
'Come to think of it, all the people around me are women.'
As that thought crossed my mind—
-Knock knock
"Anyone home?"
Someone knocked on the shop door.
I wanted to pretend no one was there, but it was a customer, so I rubbed my back, got up, and headed to the door.
-Creak
"Who is it...?"
"Ah, Faceless Golden Ghost... right?"
"As you can see...?"
My appearance was distinctive enough for anyone familiar with the rumors to spot immediately.
How common was a face shrouded in darkness under a cloak?
'A customer?'
The man's words, which I'd first taken as a patron's, left me stunned.
"I'm from the Murim Alliance. It seems you'll need to come with us."
"...Pardon?"
It had been about a year and a half since fleeing the mountains to roam the jianghu.
Now, I was suddenly being dragged to the Murim Alliance.