Chapter 19

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 19

Chapter Title: Panties (2)

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"Is there a problem?"

"Ah... no. Just, this structure seems completely impossible."

Yu So-jeong fell silent at my assessment. An awkward silence stretched out, until she finally spoke.

"...I see. Then, could you try on the remaining one?"

Inevitably, the moment had arrived. With a deep sigh, I picked up the strawberry-patterned panties.

It was a low-rise style, so the fabric was minimal—more like a scrap of cloth than actual clothing.

'Still, it might be comfortable to wear...'

Comforting myself with that thought, I slipped my legs into the panties. Draped over my tail, they fit my body snugly.

The sensation was soft, like wearing nothing at all, with nothing catching or bunching. At the same time, they perfectly covered the important areas. Functionally, they were flawless.

But looking at my reflection in the mirror was another story. The tail swaying just above my butt, paired with the cute strawberry print peeking out below—it dealt a heavy blow to my psyche.

"Miss Yi Da-yun. What do you think?"

"...It, fits well. Comfortable."

"I'm glad. Then, could you step out for a quick check?"

There was no escaping it. I squeezed my eyes shut, took a deep breath in, then let it out slowly.

...It's covering everything that needs to be covered anyway. If you think about it, it's no different from a swimsuit.

People wear swimsuits in front of strangers without a second thought. No need to be embarrassed. It's just checking the fit.

After hypnotizing myself a few times, I opened the bathroom door and stepped out.

To my surprise, Yu So-jeong simply stared at me with an expressionless face. She circled around me, eyes fixed intently on my lower body.

"It doesn't seem to catch on your tail, but is it uncomfortable when you move?"

"......"

Unable to speak, I nodded. Yu So-jeong leaned in, reaching toward my tail with her hand. Her pale, slender fingers gently brushed the soft spot just below the tail, right above the panty line.

"Eek...?!"

In that instant, a ticklish sensation shot up my spine like electricity.

I hadn't realized it until now, but my tail felt like an extension between my waist and hips. Having my lower body exposed while an attractive woman touched that spot was far more novel and stimulating than I'd imagined.

Especially since Yu So-jeong's figure and face were anything but ordinary.

Embarrassment surged past the breaking point in an instant.

"Th-that's enough checking, right?!"

"Yes—"

"I'll change right now!"

A shrill voice burst from my lips. Terrified she'd see my flushed face, I bolted back into the bathroom.

"Hoo...."

After pulling my pants back on, washing my heated face with cold water, and finally regaining my senses, I emerged.

Yu So-jeong stood there with the same impassive expression, as if nothing had happened.

"We've confirmed enough. I'll bring revised underwear incorporating your feedback soon."

"Yes...."

I mumbled without meeting her eyes.

Yu So-jeong gathered the clothes I'd left out and packed them into her bag.

"I'll have your laundry back by tomorrow morning."

"Ah, thank you."

"Also, if you have time, please visit the Management Office."

She turned her head as she headed for the door.

"Pardon? What for?"

"A physical exam. It's recommended, but the office has a system in place to prevent health issues for Awakeners."

"Hmm. Does it take ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠long?"

"No. It's a simple checkup, about one or two hours."

"I'll check my schedule and get back to you."

A simple exam—probably nothing major.

The next day, I was back at the Azure Rose Guild's workshop.

Not for panty fittings or drake hearts, but for straightforward, wholesome work related to my main profession.

'Repay with my body. Five weapons.'

I recalled my deal with Vice Guild Master Lee Ji-young. In exchange for a 50-billion-won heart, I'd craft five B-grade or higher weapons for her guild members.

I pulled out my phone and checked the five requests she'd sent.

The first was a tower shield for a tank, the second a dagger, the third and fourth were longswords for swordsmen of different styles, and the last was an axe for a berserker.

"Hmm... Guess I need to pick a new shield and axe."

I opened my Status Window to check my crafting skills. My level-up had added a +3 to the list of craftable items.

Without hesitation, I selected shield and axe.

[Current Craftable Items: Sword, Necklace, Shield, Axe +1]

Now fully prepared, I gathered materials from the workshop that matched the Hunters' specs on the requests and laid them out on the workbench.

...

As the light faded, the five requested items sat neatly on the workbench.

Satisfied, I inspected them one by one.

"Nice. These are solid."

Lee Ji-young had said B-grade was fine, but everything came out A-grade.

I'd skimped on scales, using only tail hair as extra material, but the results were still impressive.

'If I'd made them exactly B-grade, I might've felt a bit guilty.'

I could've gotten petty revenge on Lee Ji-young that way, but I couldn't sabotage the work out of spite.

These would more than cover the 50-billion-won heart.

Suddenly, I realized my sense of money had changed.

Just the materials I'd used—mana-infused steel, premium ogre tendons, specially processed titanium alloy—were all B+-grade rare drops or higher. Their combined cost was easily hundreds of billions.

Crafting A-grade weapons cost a fortune. Weapons worth hundreds of billions each—my old self would've been too scared to even touch them.

'Now I'm blowing that on snack money...'

What if I ended up dumping all my Azure Rose Guild shares into buying baby dragon hearts? The thought sent a chill down my spine.

Especially since I'd just signed a new deal to buy all elixirs and baby dragon hearts from their dungeon byproducts.

The uneasy imagining passed, and I shook my head.

"No way I'd ever spend that much."

I'm not a money pit. I won't eat elixirs like snacks every day.

With a light heart, I left the workshop.

A few days later, I was lounging in bed, idly scrolling through Hunter Gallery.

Now that I was deeply involved with a Hunter guild, I spent more time there. Outside of gaming, my phone was glued to Gallery.

And lately, Hunter Gallery felt a bit different from usual.

Half the recent posts were about Azure Rose Guild. All announcing new records or fresh dungeon clears.

At first, people focused on the guild's explosive growth, but they soon zeroed in on one oddity.

No one had figured out it was me yet, but attention was shifting to the items.

And some comments hit the nail on the head.

Little by little, my identity was leaking into the world.