[BRIN'S CANDY]
“Bryn’s Candy” — the shop is crazy. A place that’s gone completely mad for candy. Honestly, if you look at it, all you’ve got is a bunch of sweet stuff piled up.
Yoo Dahui in particular loves sweets more than anything. Ever since I told her about this place, after I came back from the Tower of Struggle, she ordered enough for a lifetime of eating it and lugged the whole bag back up with her. From the moment one of her many boyfriends handed her a pack of Bryn’s Candy, the addiction took root. It’s been running through her veins ever since.
“...Your tastes are quite unique.”
Bryn’s Candy was filled to bursting with that sickeningly pink-pink decor. The way Yoo Dahui was looking at me had completely flipped. Now she was eyeing me like I was a pervert.
She was only in her fourth regression. She still hadn’t tasted Bryn’s Candy yet. Because she hadn’t met Baek Seon-woo, one of her boyfriends.
“I ended up here by chance. It’s not my taste.”
I stepped into Bryn’s Candy. The sweet scent hit my nose right away.
“Hello.”
I walked up to the counter and found a little kid sitting there. The shop owner, Bryn, the owner of that wild pink hair.
“Hwaaaaaam.”
Bryn opened his mouth wide and let out a huge yawn. The guy had zero manners. He didn’t even pretend to welcome customers, but he still expected us to respect him. These kinds of people were actually fun once you got close to the main character, Yoo Dahui.
I ignored the rude Bryn and started wandering around the shop.
Reading about the shop in the logs was nothing compared to seeing it in person. The atmosphere was completely different.
“There it is.”
The candy Yoo Dahui liked best. Poop-shaped candy.
“...Your tastes are quite unique.”
“You want to share? This one’s from over there.”
“Eh?”
I casually picked up one of the plain round candies. The ones I was supposed to give Yoo Dahui as a gift were a whole pile of poop-shaped candies.
“You’ve got some sense on you.”
I scooped up a huge handful and was about to leave when Bryn tossed out one last comment.
It was a praise for my choice of the pink poop-shaped candies. It was kind of funny — you really needed taste to pick those things.
“500 coins.”
“W-what?! 500 coins?!”
Yoo Dahui jumped in shock. She was staring at me with eyes that said, What the hell is a candy worth 500 coins for? Why are you buying this?
Well, what could I say?
“It’s cheap.”
“Are you insane?”
“It’s just coins. I’ll earn more later.”
That was the honest truth. The 1,000 coins they gave me at the start were only enough for the first meal and a night’s stay. After that, you had to earn every single coin. I couldn’t waste the day, and this was basically the price of a stick of gum — or more like actual candy.
I pulled 500 coins out of my inventory and paid.
These were glowing gold coins with the number 500 engraved on them. 700, 900, even 999. Once you hit 1,000, it turned into silver.
“Since you’re the first customer of the new shift, you can take a little extra.”
Bryn said it with total arrogance and walked inside. Probably off to make more candy again.
I grabbed extra poop-shaped candies and stepped outside.
Yoo Dahui followed right behind me.
“Why did you even buy any?”
“They looked delicious.”
“Th-that’s poop-shaped candy?”
“Yeah. Try it. They’re sweet and so tasty.”
I handed her two full bags of the candies. The little bags were the size of a fist and stuffed to the brim.
“Gift.”
“H-haha. Seonwoo?”
Yoo Dahui looked at me with utter disbelief. The heavy weight of the bag made her shiver strangely.
“If you don’t like it, I can share it with you later.”
“Where are you going?”
“The bathroom. Want to come with?”
She backed away with a disgusted face.
“That’s... too much.”
“Then just suck on them while you wait. I’ll be back in no time.”
“What?! ‘Suck on them’? You’re really...”
I left the place in a hurry.
To be honest, the bathroom was just an excuse to escape. I was glad Yoo Dahui was still innocent. She actually believed that nonsense. The reason I had left her behind was simple.
Mask.
I needed to get a mask to hide my face. And masks were easy to find nearby.
“500 coins, please.”
“Kuhk...!”
Just buying them outright would’ve been easier. The white masks were everywhere.
[1★] — No special effects.
Only covers the face.
Higher-value masks can apply debuffs like Illusion, Curse, Weakness, etc.
I tucked the mask into my inventory. It was more than enough to use right before Yoo Dahui got too close. She wasn’t faster than me, so I’d wait for the right moment and steal it clean.
“Thank you!”
I received the shopkeeper’s thanks and headed toward the gathering spot. The north gate.
“No one’s here yet?”
“Ah!”
Yoo Dahui jumped like she’d been caught red-handed, quickly hiding whatever she had in her hand. One of her cheeks was strangely puffed out.
I smirked and asked,
“Tasty, right?”
“It’s not tasty or anything...! I only ate it because you gave it to me as a gift! That’s the proper thing to do!”
This woman was going to become completely obsessed with poop-shaped candy from today on. She’d keep coming to Bryn’s Candy every day, and before you knew it, she’d be friends with Bryn.
“Bon appétit.”
“No, it’s not that I ate them because they were tasty!”
I ignored Yoo Dahui mumbling with the candy still in her mouth.
In the distance, I saw a group of Korean party members walking over. Everyone was in a cheerful mood. I could guess what they’d been doing for the past hour — definitely not hel-party worthy.
“Let’s keep it simple and start moving.”
The leader began the formal greeting. It was just out of respect for me and Yoo Dahui. These guys were going to die soon anyway. No point memorizing their names. Maybe I could boil their bones later.
I erased everyone’s names except Yoo Dahui from my head.
The party had eight members total. Me, Yoo Dahui, the leader, anchovy, pig, glasses guy, glasses girl, and suit girl. No explanation needed.
These Korean parties were packed with annoying characters perfect for the early story.
“Then... let’s get started.”
The leader said it with a face full of tension. It was like he was already picturing his own death.
No power at all.
“I’m a bit nervous. Everyone be careful.”
The suit girl gave a natural cheer. She was the most motivated one.
Equipment: bows and arrows. Fuck.
We stepped out of the gate. Once we left the walls of Beginner Village, we were basically in no-man’s-land. Survival of the fittest.
“Huu...”
Looking at the Korean party stepping out of the gate felt exactly like watching mercenaries charge into battle. It was the same feeling I got when I was high on military stims during training. Total garbage.
Half of them weren’t even properly armed. The leader, anchovy, and glasses girl had spears. Spears were the most reliable choice. The pig carried two-handed swords, and the glasses guy had dual swords. Just watching them made me want to laugh.
You bastard.
Even on the fourth regression, you’re still this bad.
“The air has changed.”
The glasses guy muttered while holding a sword in each hand.
“Yeah.”
No one answered, so I just played along.
The Korean party’s formation was a complete mess. Aside from the leader walking at the front, they were all jammed together like they were too scared to move. They kept bumping into each other.
“Tsk.”
Annoying as hell, so I just started walking in front. Naturally, it was me, Yoo Dahui, and the leader at the front. Once the front was secure, the others started taking their places. The safest spot in the middle was taken by the pig with the two-handed swords. The formation was now complete.
Krurrruuung-!
“H-huh...! What’s that weird sound...!”
The glasses girl whimpered after hearing the Deadman’s cry. Her spear was shaking violently.
“B-battle preparation!”
The Deadman appeared from the bushes and the leader shouted loudly.
These things had super sensitive hearing. They were like living bombs.
Kaaaaaaaak-!
“U-uuuuaah!”
“Kyaaaaak!”
They were screaming like they’d wandered into a coin karaoke room. It was disgusting to even hold those weapons.
“Kill them! Kill them!”
The leader swung his spear. The Deadman exploded into powder.
“It’s nothing. Everyone can do it!”
The leader tried to pump up the party’s morale. One hit was all it took to give them courage.
Smashed-!
Aside from the ugly design, the Deadman was totally harmless. Facing one near the gate was basically impossible. But as we got closer to the field boss, the stronger versions started spawning, and things got harder.
Right now, even these hel-party Korean idiots could handle it.
I killed three. One swing of the sword, one push of the shield — they all died. They were thinner than paper.
“Dieee!”
The pig swung his two-handed swords wildly. This guy was way more threatening than the Deadman. But his power was undeniable. The weight behind every swing turned the Deadman into floating dust. He wiped out nearly ten of them in one go!
“Wow, you’re amazing.”
I forced a smile and praised the pig.
Hel-party. This is where it really begins.