#07. Growth (2). #07. Growth.
The moonlight beyond the window was the only light that illuminated the dimly lit room. A single ray of moonlight collided with Yoo Dahui’s hand and shattered into countless pieces.
“Why won’t it stand?” Yoo Dahui leaned on the moonlight and toyed with a man’s penis.
Kim Jinwoo’s penis, which was hanging limply without even an erection, was being mocked by Yoo Dahui’s rough movements.
“Why won’t it stand, you bastard!” Kim Jinwoo had surprisingly held up well. Thanks to the Shinsung, he had tasted what the protagonist’s correction felt like.
“Why won’t it stand….” Yoo Dahui, her mind swimming in sweetness, poured out her frustration at the unstanding penis of Kim Jinwoo. She had mustered up all her courage for this, yet why wouldn’t it stand…!
She had no intention of going all the way, but the mere fact that she had gripped the penis herself was a huge challenge for her. Kim Jinwoo had achieved outstanding results just by watching her do it.
Swish… swish…
“Ah… my arm hurts.” She had seen it before and kept shaking his penis, thinking this would make it stand. But there was no reaction at all. Kim Jinwoo, drunk out of his mind, seemed to have his brain and dick completely disconnected.
So sleepy… Sleep was creeping in. Looking at the peacefully sleeping Kim Jinwoo made her want to sleep even more. She had forced courage through the alcohol, but it turned out to be a pointless effort.
“His baby dick looks pretty big… hmm….” In Yoo Dahui’s mind, a man’s penis swept across. She had actually seen only two: the Masked Man and Kim Jinwoo. She had only seen the Masked Man’s fully erect one with blood rushing to it, and Kim Jinwoo’s limp one. Based on information from the internet and various stories, both were above average in size. But she couldn’t casually decide if they were the same. She had heard the difference before and after erection was enormous.
“Next time. Next time I’ll see again….” Yoo Dahui decided to ease her suspicion toward Kim Jinwoo a little. Every situation pointed to him, yet when she had spilled her own story while casually mentioning her older sister’s, Kim Jinwoo had listened with an expression of genuine worry, as if he was truly concerned. That look had made her wonder if it could really be the Masked Man. Every time she recalled his face, a warm feeling spread in a corner of her heart. Kim Jinwoo himself had no idea.
For Yoo Dahui, Kim Jinwoo was a savior-like man. From the very first meeting, he had always helped her. In every way possible.
Next loop I have to grow first. Watching Kang Hana had made her realize it. She had to become stronger. That way she could protect someone. For now, by telling Kim Jinwoo the truth everything had gone wrong. It was time for a fresh start.
Yoo Dahui used the Self-Sacrifice blessing.
"[Line 1 of incantation]"
"[Line 2 of incantation]"
⟨ Return by Death ⟩
* * *
She had fallen asleep heavily drunk, and the regression pulled her in. There was only one way to regress: when Yoo Dahui herself died.
When? Where? No memory remained. She remembered only falling unconscious after talking with Kim Jinwoo and lying on the bed.
First she looked for Yoo Dahui. She spotted her standing blankly far away. Had she been discovered? Otherwise she wouldn’t be so calm. She should have been glaring at her like she wanted to kill her. So what? What the hell is this? The situation was hard to understand. Damn the alcohol. Just because she had pretended to be tipsy and had ended up like this. The absence of information brought enormous anxiety. Honestly, she hadn’t moved too carelessly, but she had believed she wouldn’t get caught. She had thought she could easily fake it.
Survived and defeated the field boss. Any means allowed.
The helper fairy had disappeared.
“Eh…?” Had she been screwed over…? She couldn’t grasp the situation. Yoo Dahui moving alone like this had happened only once in the second loop. It was the loop where she had gone too overboard after realizing the regression and fallen into the protagonist’s correction. But suddenly she had done a confession-like confession while drunk and gone solo to play.
Sigh… Then what about me?
“Excuse me.” Ignoring the maid, she headed toward the Colosseum square. Now that things had come to this, she had to eat all the hidden pieces obtainable from floor zero.
[Rarity / Grade]
[Effects / Properties]
[Rarity / Grade]
[Effects / Properties]
She packed the equipment and headed straight for the south gate. Not to meet Yoo Dahui, but to meet the legendary thief who would teach her skills.
A great guy. The thief she wanted to meet had a record of stealing the Holy Sword from the temple and fleeing. Stealing the Holy Sword wasn’t difficult; it was a basic concept of whether you could or not. Of course he was caught, but right before death he was summoned to the Tower of Struggle and became a resident. The role he chose was skill transmission, teaching the very basic skill Light Footsteps. The conditions for receiving the skill from him were…
“Caught you, brat.”
“Eh, how…!”
Yoo Dahui’s pickpocketing of the inventor’s inventory had been spotted. Currently her inventory held only 900 coins. The guy had stolen her 100 coins.
“Hey, my coins. Hand them over.”
“Aigoo, give it back!” The legendary thief, Phsing, was flailing his arm Yoo Dahui had grabbed and trying to shake her off. But as a guy who knew nothing except pickpocketing, escape was impossible.
“Okay, I’ll let you go just once.”
“Aaaah…!” Phsing couldn’t withstand the force and fell. He had a face like he was about to roll his hips and cry.
“Do you have something to tell me?”
“Tch… I thought you were some kind of idiot….”
“It’s all an act. To catch guys like you.” Yoo Dahui had learned Light Footsteps from Phsing. The teaching method was surprisingly simple. Just roughly follow the movements he made. The System would automatically correct it and input it into her information.
├─ Tier 1:Basic ability ✓
├─ Tier 2:Enhanced ability ✓
└─ Tier 3:New ability — UNLOCKED ★
[Light Footsteps Lv. 1 Acquired!]
“How did you know…?”
“You stole my coins?” Yoo Dahui finished teaching the skill and asked Kim Jinwoo, as if she couldn’t believe it.
“You were just summoned, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then how did you know…?”
“Spotting pickpockets is surprisingly easy.” Yoo Dahui said while scanning the surroundings. “Coming across a pickpocket in this backwater town is just a cliché used everywhere.”
“Cliché…? What’s that? Is it a skill name?”
“There is such a thing.”
“No, tell me properly…!” Ignoring Phsing, Yoo Dahui headed for the south gate. Since she had easily obtained Light Footsteps, there was no more business here.
She passed through the south gate. The air quickly grew chilly. This feeling of stepping outside the safe zone alone sent a thrill through her.
To grow, one had to surpass their own limits. The best way in the Tower of Struggle was to be pushed to the brink of death. Overcoming the moment of death, most players would rise from level 2 to 3. For someone riding on the regression option, it was impossible. So the only choice she had was player killing, PK.
PK was the most efficient method for growth. It clearly crossed the line, and stats, skill levels, and experience accumulated more than usual. The only downside was that it made you an enemy of all players, so the danger of dying was high despite the easy growth. Not for a regressor like me. Regressors who could start anew had zero penalty for PK. Die and start over, die and grow. As long as the regression structure was understood, she could enjoy Return by Death just as well as a regressor.
She was going to suck the honey out of it.
She waited at a suitable spot for players. She didn’t care how many came. Killing even one and dying would be beneficial for her.
How long had she waited?
“This place is creepy.”
“Indeed, princess.”
“Even if you’re not called princess, it’s not Alvheim, is it?”
“Ahaha… Changing at once is hard. I’ll slowly adapt.”
Three elves were walking leisurely. Two men and one woman. In terms of job composition, one knight, one scholar, and one princess. The tiara on their heads was evidence that she had received quite noble blood.
Hmm… Turning in a different direction would be better? Normal elves, unlike dark elves, were not hostile to other races. They were more gentle and kind, so the tendency to live alongside all things was stronger. Instead of PKing, it would be more beneficial to casually insert herself and receive the skill transmission.
It would be much harder since they were not residents but players, but this loop’s investment would likely yield at least one. She wanted to believe that.
Swish…
“Who’s there?!”
When Yoo Dahui stepped in front of them, the armored elf pointed her sword at her. It wasn’t at all threatening, being a sword from the Colosseum square.
“I’m just a passing player.”
Yoo Dahui raised both hands and declared she had no combat intent. The opponent was still on guard.