The Hero's Shadow
Return by Death
I filled Yoo Dahui's womb to the brim, then sneaked back to the inn like a thief who couldn't feel his own feet. The moment I saw the look in her eyes after I came inside her… I felt like a herbivore standing in front of a carnivore. My balls shrank up, and I couldn't stay a second longer. She was clearly still groaning and seething from pleasure, but once it was all over, it turned out completely different. It had just been my own misunderstanding.
Yoo Dahui glared at me with murderous intent, vowing revenge. To be safe, I decided to lie down quietly on the hard bed here. I couldn't leave. My body was too heavy and exhausted—I didn't even think about it. Eventually I fell asleep.
*creak…*
In a daze, I felt someone entering the room. Who the hell had the gall to just walk into someone else's quarters? My spine tingled.
*Wait a second…*
Only the System could let anyone in. The only two people registered in this room were me and Yoo Dahui.
*Then…*
The person who just came in had to be Yoo Dahui. Why? In the middle of the night, into my room?
*swish… swish…*
Yoo Dahui said nothing. She pulled down the blanket over me. She wasn't being thoughtful—she was about to do something I couldn't do while I was still awake.
Her hand grabbed the waistband of my pants. She pulled it down. She was trying to strip me.
*Fuck? Why the hell is she doing this?*
She wasn't that aggressive. She was always so careful and guarded with men, especially in bed. Stripping a guy's pants after only a month? Impossible. But why? The reason was obvious.
“Uhn…?”
I was already fully awake, but I pretended to stay asleep. If I woke up now, we'd both regret it. When I shifted, she stopped and muttered.
“Haa… Why am I acting like this… Why am I suspicious of my friend…?”
She still hadn't been swallowed by rage. I hadn't been completely exposed yet. She was just checking. Checking what, I had no idea. But it looked like she'd put me back on the suspect list after the last time I “ate” her.
*What a sweet deal.*
She sat there for a long time, then left the room.
After she left—
The Colosseum square greeted me.
— Welcome, players.
The familiar process followed. The fairy welcomed us, the green-skinned guy died, the Korean party formed… Another safe day of hunting and return.
Nothing happened on the first day of the 6th loop. Yoo Dahui was quiet, no spikes at all. I had no idea what she was thinking. After the “eating,” she’d been ready to destroy the world. Now she was just… normal.
The Korean party disbanded the moment they returned. But Anchovy and the Pig tried to hit on Yoo Dahui. This was the usual pattern. The real question was how Yoo Dahui would react.
“Just go ahead. I’ll wait for you, Jinwoo.”
Yoo Dahui waved them off and started walking. She was being firm. It seemed she no longer wanted to be dragged along by those two. And there was one big difference from the 6th loop—she had already spoken to me. Since we were the same age, she had no hesitation. She naturally asked my age and started talking. That alone changed everything.
“Hey, Jinwoo-kun. What’s the deal between you and Dahye-jjang…? You guys are really close.”
The Pig glared at me with an overly confident smirk, like he was bragging.
“Since this morning you’ve been glued to her… Is she your girlfriend? You two are dating?”
The bastard was way too confident. After being summoned to the Tower of Struggle and dealing with those weak deadmen, his self-esteem had ballooned. “Just enough ego to function” was the polite way to put it. In other words, arrogance. Everyone died because of assholes like him.
“Haa…”
Yoo Dahui sighed and shook her head. I quietly watched her reaction. In the early days I hadn’t been that proactive, so I kept my stance ready. Anything could change.
“…Just ignore them. I don’t want to fight.”
“Dahye-jjang!”
The Pig grabbed her wrist. Yoo Dahui yanked her hand free with a scowl.
“Ugh… Seriously annoying.”
“Dahye-jjang…?”
The Pig stammered. Anchovy jumped in.
“Dahye-ssi, why are you so angry about asking to eat a meal together?”
“Show your teeth and I’ll eat them. Just go away. Please.”
“What? Go away? Wow, you’re seriously uncalled for.”
Anchovy laughed and stepped closer. His swagger was obvious.
“Fuck, you think your face is pretty enough to be worth it? You’re seriously expensive.”
“How come you don’t change? Always the same. Always.”
Yoo Dahui stared into empty space the same way she did when looking at a System message.
“Fine. Just one round. Winner gets to eat with me.”
“A duel…? What the hell is this?”
“It’s a duel. Come on. Scared?”
“Who’s scared? But why is the reward so shitty? Strength 1 level…?”
Yoo Dahui was betting the reward for winning the duel was Strength 1. Meaning she’d get Strength 1 if she won.
“This is nothing. Eating with that bitch isn’t even worth it.”
“Oh? Then let’s do it.”
“Don’t cry later when you lose.”
“Don’t you dare say that.”
We watched Anchovy whine and kick up a fuss. Yoo Dahui smirked, probably remembering the old Anchovy. That smirk lit him up like gasoline.
“You laughing? Wow, you really don’t give a damn.”
They stood a certain distance apart. A semi-transparent barrier spread out around them.
—- [Duel] [Yoo Dahui vs Jeong Hyeonjae] —-
The outcome was already decided. Yoo Dahui had deliberately provoked him and won.
“What… How…?”
Anchovy couldn’t believe his loss. Yoo Dahui smiled brightly at him.
“Thank you for the Strength. Current oppa.”
“Ah…?”
“Let’s go. Stop whining about the stats.”
Yoo Dahui grabbed my hand and ran. The two hands she held were burning with pain.
*This bitch…!*
She probably had Strength Lv. 3. She was pouring every ounce of it into my hand. The fact that she was suspicious made my lower body throb. Still, I played it up at the right moment.
“Dahye. My hand hurts.”
“Ah. Sorry. Was it that bad?”
Yoo Dahui immediately loosened her grip, looking genuinely sorry. I looked around—somewhere completely unfamiliar. A narrow back alley. I was searching for a place to rest. I’d just come back from hunting, so it was almost dark. I wanted to get inside as fast as possible.
“…Aren’t you going to ask anything?”
Yoo Dahui spoke first, like a thief who couldn’t feel his own feet. It was payback for a month of torment, but from my perspective, she was aggressively hitting on a complete stranger.
“I have my reasons. Understand?”
I didn’t add anything. It was the same as the first time we’d met. I played along with her.
“I’m glad you understand.”
Yoo Dahui smiled faintly and walked ahead. We didn’t have to search long. We found an inn.
*This place…*
It had a familiar name. I’d read about it somewhere before. My memory was blurry, but I remembered. This was the inn where Yoo Dahui started staying from the 8th loop onward. Why had I only remembered it now? What reason did she have for staying here? Honestly, nothing special. The food was decent for the price and the facilities weren’t terrible. But there were better places. This one didn’t have to be the only option.
“Let’s go in. It’s too late anyway.”
The only reason we had to stay here was that the current top player in the 0th floor—the No. 1 Hero All Mighty—was staying at this inn.
We followed the sign that said “Rest Area” and entered.
*tinkle—*
The doorbell was pathetic. How was this place so empty?
“Welcome.”
A plump auntie sat behind the counter. Human, and she ran the inn, so humans came here often.
*Where’s All Mighty…*
She still wasn’t here. Maybe we’d arrived too early.
“Not bad…?”
Yoo Dahui looked around the lobby and gave an embarrassed smile. The outside was shabby, but inside it was surprisingly clean.
“What do you think? Okay?”
“I’ll just look at the price.”
The price wasn’t bad. In the original story, she’d decided to stay here after long consideration.
“How much for one night?”
“100 coins.”
“Wow…”
A decent price. I was worried about whether we could even afford it. Of course, the bigger problem was that humans weren’t allowed in and the stubborn other-race players stayed away.
“Let’s stay here.”
Yoo Dahui made the decision quickly. She didn’t even hesitate. This was different from the original story too. I already knew why.
“Then we’ll take two rooms. How long will you be staying?”
“Until we defeat the field boss?”
“For now… a week…”
She asked me first, then looked me over.
“You earned a lot today. Good for you.”
700 coins was easy. The Korean party had earned plenty. There was no shortage.
“Here’s the key.”
This key was just decoration. The System protected us, so we could sleep without locking the door. No unauthorized player could intrude.
*tinkle—*
When we paid and got the key, someone walked into the inn.
“Oh, why are you dressed like that…?”
It wasn’t clothes. It was a suit. The suit heroes wore—their symbol. Of course, the concept was up to the person. The hero who entered the inn’s suit was disgusting to look at. It clung to every curve. The cloak couldn’t hide it.
He was wearing a suit completely out of character. It was actually hilarious to watch.
“Please excuse me…”
No. 1 Hero All Mighty appears at the Rest Area inn.
Number 1 Hero
Current status: Exclusive contract with Whiteface (Kim Jinwoo) — active
“Body-hugging excellence meets absolute authority.”
“I protect the public by becoming their shadow.”
“No one escapes my justice.”