Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: TS?
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Woojin decided to open the door after seeing the premium Hanwoo beef gift set that Yoo Jihyun had brought.
The moment Yoo Jihyun stepped inside, she gave Woojin a quick bow.
"We meet again so soon! Woojin. Have you been well? Wow, nice place. Here's a housewarming gift."
She didn't seem like a chaebol heiress at all—just bright and good-natured, as he'd noticed before.
"Uh, yeah... Thanks. But who's the person with you...?"
At Woojin's question, Yoo Jihyun stepped forward and whispered in his ear.
"You know the American 'Benedict' family, right? This is their young lady, 'Eileen Benedict.' I ran into her in front of your place, and she was looking for you. Do you have some connection with them too?"
Benedict.
He didn't know the details, but Woojin had heard the name on the news at least once.
A massive family that dominated America's political and business spheres.
But why would someone of that stature come looking for him?
"Are you going to keep your guests standing at the door? As you can see, our hands are full."
The woman called Eileen ignored Yoo Jihyun's whisper entirely and stared straight at Woojin with bold confidence.
Silver hair and blue eyes. She was an overwhelmingly stunning beauty who almost didn't seem real.
The odd thing was the massive bag strapped to her back—like a long coffin.
'She carries some weird stuff around...'
Not wanting to be rude by leaving his guests outside, Woojin let them in.
"Ah, yes. Come on in. It's a bit humble."
Once inside the living room, Eileen quickly scanned the place before fixing her gaze on the sofa in the center.
"Ho...?"
Without hesitation, she plopped down onto the +15 'Sacred Sofa of Repose.'
"Mm!?"
Eileen's eyes widened.
"Impressive. Was there a sacred relic like this in Unriworld?"
Woojin inwardly cursed but played it cool.
"Eh, yeah. Something like that. Got it by luck."
She seemed to think the sofa was a 'perk' Woojin had brought back from Unriworld.
Hold on. She knows about Unriworld? That means she's a Player too.
There was no silver-haired female Player like her in Woojin's memories.
Meanwhile, Yoo Jihyun standing beside him was stunned.
"Oh my god!? W-what is this, Woojin!?"
"Haha... What it looks like..."
"+15? A +15 sofa? Something like this really existed in Unriworld?"
Woojin deflected shamelessly.
"Frontline combatants don't know everything. Stuff happens in the rear too."
"...I see. The world of production classes runs deep."
It was a flimsy excuse, but fortunately, Yoo Jihyun seemed to buy it.
Woojin quickly changed the subject.
"Fine with you, Jihyun, but what's your business? You don't seem to know her, so how'd you find my address?"
Yoo Jihyun chimed in from the side, her tone a bit colder and more curt.
"I'm curious too. What does the Benedict family want with Woojin?"
At Yoo Jihyun's words, Eileen leisurely crossed her legs and rested her chin on her hand.
"Surprising. Don't you recognize me, Jihyun? After all the time we rolled together in the dirt."
"Huh? Rolled together? We've never met..."
Eileen chuckled.
"Ha, you really don't know."
She tapped her chest with an amused grin.
"Then you must know this name. Aaron Benes."
"Aaron Benes? I know that name well, but... why bring him up?"
Eileen smiled faintly and stated matter-of-factly.
"That's me."
Silence fell over the living room.
Woojin and Yoo Jihyun exchanged glances, then looked back at Eileen.
And shouted in unison.
"What!!??"
Woojin shot to his feet.
"That's insane! Aaron's a guy! Sure, he was pretty handsome, but he was a muscle-bound macho man all over!"
Yoo Jihyun looked equally flustered.
"Right! He was a giant, like two meters tall... You're a woman! And your build..."
Eileen—no, Aaron—waved it off irritably.
"Ugh, enough with the gender crap. What was I supposed to do about Unriworld's shitty system?"
"System?"
"Yeah. What was my class?"
Yoo Jihyun racked her brain and answered.
"Goddess's... Saint?"
"Bingo. You're Valkyrie, I'm Saint. Get it?"
"N-no way...!"
"Yep, that's exactly it. I just cleared a hidden class change quest."
"...So... because you're a Saint... you underwent gender transformation into a woman?"
"Spot on."
"......"
It was nonsense beyond imagination, but coming from Unriworld, it felt entirely plausible.
"Then... Aaron Benes?"
"Baptismal name. Got it when I became a Saint. I'm originally a woman, and Eileen Benedict is my real name. You have no idea how uncomfortable it was living in that muscle blob for ten years. The worst part was the thing dangling in my groin..."
Yoo Jihyun screamed.
"Kyaa! I don't want to hear it!"
Eileen shrugged.
"What's there to be embarrassed about? We're all adults who know the facts of life."
Eileen casually spilled her dark history without a care.
If anything, she acted like it was no big deal.
Her brazen confidence actually made Woojin believe her.
That speech pattern, that arrogance. It was Aaron Benes.
"Whoa... really Aaron? Incredible."
"Finally convinced, huh? I get it. I had trouble adjusting when I first came back too."
Eileen placed the long bag she'd brought on the table.
"Enough chit-chat. Down to business."
As she opened the bag, a blinding sacred light filled the living room.
'Th-this is...!'
Woojin swallowed hard.
The sword inside the bag.
A transparent, beautiful blade that seemed made of light itself.
Woojin knew this sword. He couldn't not know it.
Even now, it was the pinnacle among all items in Unriworld—a Mythic-grade weapon that utterly dominated.
The very sword that had pierced the Demon King's heart and saved the world.
"You... brought this?"
"Yeah. It's my perk."
As the #2 contributor, Aaron naturally qualified to bring an item.
But the 'Goddess's Sword' of all things.
"It got reset when I came here, though. Enhance it again."
Eileen said it so casually, like asking him to sharpen some chopsticks.
But Woojin's expression hardened.
"...I can't."
"Why? Materials? Don't worry. I have 'Blessing Stones.'"
"What? How do you have those?"
Eileen shrugged it off.
"Gates opening, superhumans popping up, people diving into games and coming back—what wouldn't exist in a situation like this? There's nothing our family's power can't obtain."
The revelation that Blessing Stones existed in reality was shocking, but Woojin still wasn't thrilled.
"Not a material issue."
Woojin looked at the Goddess's Sword and spoke gravely.
"This is a Mythic item. This is reality, and how can I guarantee you'll use its power properly?"
Eileen fell silent at Woojin's firm refusal.
She eyed him with intrigued curiosity.
"Fair point."
Woojin was the surprised one now.
He hadn't expected her to concede so easily.
"You've changed, though. You."
"Changed how?"
"Back in Unriworld, you were always holed up in a corner, trembling like a rotten pollack eye, not knowing when you'd die. Now you've got some real manhood."
"...If you're insulting me, just do it."
"It's a compliment. A man brimming with confidence is attractive. Fine. How about this?"
Eileen flashed Woojin a seductive smile.
The kind that would make any man's heart race.
"I'll draw up a contract in the Benedict family's name. If I use this power for evil, you can seize me and all my assets anytime. Including this Goddess's Sword, of course. We'll get it fully notarized for legal binding."
"What?"
"That's how desperate I am. As a Benedict, I have a duty to protect America—and the world. You think this world is safe right now?"
Woojin couldn't refute Eileen's words.
He knew full well that ordinary people like him could live safely because people like her stepped up to fight.
"I won't demand crazy enhancements. Just +3 for now. That's it."
"+3?"
"Yeah. +3 unlocks Blessing and opens up holy power. One of the problematic gates in America right now needs holy power to clear."
Woojin pondered.
'Damn. Refusing now would make me look like the fool.'
He had no grounds to refuse.
She was offering a contract, and her reason for enhancing the weapon was to protect people.
In the end, Woojin had no choice but to allow it.
"Fine. But I'll take compensation."
At that, Eileen pulled out a checkbook.
"How much? Money's no object for me. Good thing it can be settled with cash."
Her attitude sparked Woojin's competitive streak instead.
"Who said anything about money?"
A smile crept onto Eileen's lips.
"That's more like it. So, what's the price?"
Woojin racked his brain.
What could he demand from someone with such an immense family behind her?
"Someday, if I ask for your help, you help me."
Eileen closed her eyes briefly at Woojin's words.
"Use me at your whim? Quite the steep price."
"So, you in or not?"
Eileen snapped her eyes open.
"Deal. I swear on my family's name. In return, if materials are ready, push it past +4 sometime."
"No materials needed."
"What?"
Woojin reached out toward the Goddess's Sword.
Blue mana rose from his fingertips like a haze.
Mythic item or not, there were no exceptions. Woojin's Enhancement skill didn't require materials.
"Here we go."
As Woojin laid his hand on it, the Goddess's Sword began to resonate.