Chapter 56
Chapter 56
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Same Bed, Different Dreams
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Unriworld's job grades totaled seven in all.
Common, Rare, Unique, Heroic, Legendary, Mythic, and the extra one: Hidden.
And reigning at the very top was the 'Mythic' grade.
Even Woojin, Jihyun, and Ailin weren't Mythic grade.
Theirs were strictly 'Hidden'.
The performance of Hidden jobs varied wildly.
As an extreme example, there were cases like 'Golden Goblin Hunter'—incredibly hard to obtain, but trash in actual performance.
It was like gacha pulls.
But Mythic was different.
Guaranteed overwhelming power, without exception.
Moreover, Mythic jobs could only be obtained by those chosen by the gods... or those who had slain a god.
Among them, 'Heracles' was a vacant throne that had never once permitted an owner throughout Unriworld's history.
'To think I'd see Heracles here... Reality and the game overlap in so many ways.'
Mythic-grade jobs had one unique trait.
Until reaching level 10 and unlocking their 'True Name,' the job name was fixed to the most negative epithet symbolizing that god.
For Heracles, it was the tragedy of being driven mad and slaughtering his own family—the 'Family Destroyer.'
Woojin made up his mind.
'I have to snag it! Before someone else does!'
"Jo Hulk—no, Ayoung."
When Woojin called Ayoung affectionately and normally, she felt an inexplicable chill.
"Y-Yes...?"
Woojin rummaged through his bag and pulled out a binder, holding it out to her.
Ayoung began reading the text on the papers inside.
"What's this? A bodyguard contract...?"
"Yeah. Quit being a civil servant and be my bodyguard."
Jo Ayoung's eyes went wide.
"Me?!"
"I'll pay you five times—no, ten times your current salary. How's that?"
"T-Ten times!?"
In truth, Woojin felt the need for protection down to his bones.
Now, it was only a matter of time before his abilities became known to the world.
A powerful shield like 'Heracles' would reliably safeguard Woojin, who might become someone's target.
Woojin was glad he'd asked Ailin to prepare the contract in advance.
– Contract? What for?
– To hire a slave—no, a bodyguard.
– Oh ho... So my man is finally starting to take care of himself. Fine. I'll have the legal team whip up the best contract packed with sneaky penalty clauses.
And so, the modern slave contract straight from Ailin's hands was laid before Jo Ayoung.
Ayoung hesitated over the complex clauses for a moment.
That's when Woojin drove in the wedge urgently.
"I'll take responsibility for you for life. So you stick by my side until I grow old and die."
Thump—
Ayoung thought her heart had dropped to the floor.
"W-What are you saying?! Out of nowhere!?"
"What else? I'll never abandon you. Check the terms—they blow your current job out of the water. And the work's light. Just follow me around and chill. When would I ever be in danger? Right? We'll hang out together, goofing off, and you'll get ten times your salary!"
Ayoung's pupils began shaking wildly.
But her focus wasn't on the ten times pay.
'For life... take responsibility? Until you grow old and die...? Stick by your side? Never abandon me? Goof off together, just the two of us...?'
Woojin meant he'd cover her livelihood, salary, and lifetime employment...
But to Jo Ayoung, already fully deluded, it rang in her ears like a marriage proposal: 'Marry me and live together forever.'
"P-President, you're serious about that... right?"
"Of course! Letting someone like you slip away would be my loss!"
Someone like me slipping away would be his loss!
With trembling hands, Ayoung gripped the pen.
Penalty clauses?
1,000x liquidated damages?
Lifetime ban on side jobs?
None of it registered.
Her eyes were fixed on one clause in the contract.
– Article 5 (Duty of Continuous Protection): In the event of significant harm to 'Party A's' person or clear recognition of such risk, 'Party B' must immediately provide 24-hour constant close protection to 'Party A,' and this duty continues until the risk dissipates.
'24-hour close protection!? Even sleeping together!?'
Gulp—
Ayoung's swallow echoed faintly through the waterway.
Instead, Ayoung turned the question back on Woojin.
"C-Can I... back out, President? You're really taking responsibility for life?"
Woojin was convinced she'd caved at the salary figure.
'Got her! Yeah, ten times her current pay—how could a hungry girl head of household hold out against that! Mwahahaha!'
This was the perfect moment: sweet, naive Jo Ayoung unaware of her own value.
The plan to acquire her for the cheapest price possible.
'Yeah, five times was too lowball. I'm a man with a conscience. Gotta go ten.'
As if he had any conscience to speak of.
"Yeah, no take-backs. Sign it."
Thump-thump—
Thump-thump-thump—
Woojin's heart raced with a conman's glee,
Ayoung's with her delusion.
Two hearts pounded fiercely for entirely different reasons.
Wearing an expression like she'd gained the whole world—as if this were a marriage certificate—Ayoung finished signing.
Scribble-scribble—
Woojin inwardly cheered at landing the jackpot sucker—no, bodyguard.
"Perfect! Contract sealed! Hahaha!! Let's go, Jo Hulkmon! No, Jo Mythmon!"
Ayoung pouted.
"I'm your... l-lifetime partner now, so call me by my proper name."
'Husband and wife' was still too much for Ayoung.
Whatever—at this point, the lucky charm had rolled right in.
"You got it! What should I call you, my pretty Ayoung? Just say the word! Hehehehe."
At 'my pretty Ayoung,' a blush spread across Jo Ayoung's face.
'I-Isn't this moving too fast?'
It wasn't at all.
In the end, just as in Woojin's devious plan...
20-year-old girl head of household Jo Ayoung: Lifetime slave contract confirmed!
Tucking the contract away preciously, Woojin shouted with more excitement than ever.
"Alright, let's move! Time to raid the Gate."
Only then did Ayoung snap back to reality.
"I-I'll do the bodyguard thing, but... I'm still weak... Shouldn't I train some more first?"
Woojin scoffed.
"Don't make me laugh—you know less about your talent than I do."
"B-But it's scary! How am I supposed to hunt monsters?!"
At that, Woojin pulled a faintly glowing golden pill from his pocket.
It was the Calming Pill he'd given Ayoung on her first day.
Level 3 back then, now 5.
"Here, take this."
"What's this...?"
"Calming Pill. Scared, right? This fixes everything. Just trust me."
It sounded like a snake oil salesman's pitch, but Ayoung knew full well how effective this pill was.
Gulp—
The moment she swallowed it, her fear vanished astonishingly, leaving her mind serene.
"F-Feel better now."
"See? Let's go!"
And so, Woojin's party advanced through the waterway.
Finally, the waterway's monsters came into view.
"Our cute little Ayoung! Charge!"
"H-How do I catch it?"
"Kick it, punch it, headbutt it—whatever feels right!"
Buoyed by the Calming Pill's effect, Jo Ayoung slowly approached a calf-sized monster rat.
Its drooling mouth baring sharp fangs, red eyes flashing—Ayoung's brow furrowed instinctively.
'Eww! Gross!'
Then, the monster rat reacted and lunged at her.
"Squeeeeek!!"
But whether due to the pill's potency, it wasn't as scary as expected.
'I-I'm done thinking!'
"H-Hiyah!?"
A cute kiai, but the result was anything but.
The instant Ayoung's fist met the monster rat's head.
Squish—
Its skull caved in first.
Then the bones shattered uncontrollably.
Crunch—
The shock reached its brainstem, making its entire head swell from within.
Ayoung's eyes widened.
'Huh? What?'
And then its head exploded like a firework.
Boom—!
Splat—!
Splat—!
Brains, blood, and bone fragments sprayed everywhere.
Plop-plop—
On the walls, the ceiling, Ayoung's face, clothes, shoes.
Red and white rained down like a storm.
"......?"
Ayoung stared blankly at her fist.
The sticky sensation clinging to it.
Drip—
Drip—
Red liquid trickled between her fingers.
"Kyaa, kyaaaaah!!!!"
If not for the Calming Pill, she'd have fainted right there.
"Great job! Our adorable Ayoung! Clothes are replaceable—just change! Smash 'em all!"
Woojin opened his bag, showing spare training clothes and a teddy bear panty set, thumbs up.
"Kyaaah! You perv! Why do you carry that!!"
No wonder the bag was so bulky.
"More coming from behind!!"
Ayoung vented her rage and embarrassment on the monster rats.
"Die, all of you!!"
Boom—!
Wham—!
"Kyaaaaah! I-It got in my mouth!"
"It's fine! Protein!!"
"What nonsense is that!!"
She screamed, but her fists never stopped.
The overwhelming power: walls crumbling, waterway collapsing from flung rat corpses in fury.
Even battle-hardened Woojin gulped.
"Whoa... insane... Even I'm a bit scared of that..."
At the grotesque scene, Woojin hurriedly pulled a Calming Pill meant for Sangjin from his pocket.
"Hey, Sangjin. You okay? Close your eyes and take this..."
The moment Woojin turned to Sangjin, his hand froze.
"Huh?"
Sangjin was unfazed.
Woojin had expected him to faint at the monster rat corpses, but Sangjin calmly examined the exploded remains with a straight face.
"Hyung."
"Y-Yeah?"
"This is wild. Head gone, instant death, but the muscles are still twitching. Nerve reflexes? Do mammals do this too?"
Sangjin's voice was utterly flat.
No—beyond flat, tinged with odd curiosity.
In this blood-soaked, guts-sprayed horror show reeking of iron, he eyed it like meat at a butcher shop. Woojin's spine chilled.
"Dude... not grossed out? Don't you wanna puke?"
"What? It's dead anyway. Dead things are just meat lumps, right?"
Sangjin replied nonchalantly, prodding the corpse with his foot.
"Whoa, almost got clawed."
"What? You've got Hunter talent, huh?"
Sangjin shrugged it off.
"Dunno."
"You do—this is huge talent. So many get PTSD from stuff like this."
Sangjin shrugged again.
"Eh, beats me."
And so, led by a screaming Jo Ayoung exploding monster rats, the trio blithely raided the Gate.
And at last.
"O-Oppa! It's level 10!"
It was the nickname Ayoung had wheedled out of Woojin by asking, 'Can I call you Oppa?'
Woojin had gladly permitted: 'Of course! Call me whatever, my lucky charm Ayoung!'
Ayoung gazed at the system message before her eyes.
Mythic-grade job confirmed.
True Name revealed.
"It says my True Name is unlocked!"
Woojin threw a joyful uppercut.
"You bet!! Jo Hulkmon! Evolve!"
"Call me Ayoung!!"
As the two bickered.
Fwaaaah—!
The entire waterway bathed in golden light.
The dark words 'Family Destroyer' in Ayoung's message window shattered and vanished.
Pop—!
In its place, a radiant golden name engraved itself.
[Myth: Olympian Feats – Heracles]
And Jo Ayoung's skill window was completely overhauled.
"O-Oppa... my body's... weird. Power... so much power overflowing!"
Woojin beamed as if it were his own achievement.
"Mythic grade—of course!!"
Celebrating Ayoung's True Name unlock, Woojin shouted.
"Awesome! Perfect! Sangjin's turn next. Let's go! Hera Jo!"
Ayoung puffed her cheeks.
"Why's my surname last this time...?"
"Heracles is a foreigner."
"......"
Utterly relaxed, they headed for the boss room.