[Opportunity (3)]
I earned a whopping sixty thousand coins from the quest that day, and to be honest, that's no small achievement. If I hadn't pulled it off, I wouldn't have been able to afford even a dream. "If there's anything you're hiding, spill it right now," Yoo Dahui said, pulling several thick blankets from her inventory and shaking them vigorously before spreading them across the dirt floor. The layers looked surprisingly soft and plush. "Hiding what? Nothing..." "Nothing? Really?" "..."
"Don't bother with an explanation. Just know that if you don't speak up now, I'll never ask again." Yoo Dahui stood abruptly, fixing me with a stare that chilled me to the bone. Her eyes, usually playful and teasing, had gone ice-cold—far more terrifying than anger or rage. That meant she was done questioning. One wall, once built, could never be crossed again. The sheer dread it inspired was enough to drain the fire from my loins, so I had no choice but to speak. "Actually... I..."
The moment I opened my mouth, her expression shifted instantly. I'd been ready for a leopard to bare its fangs, but it turned out to be a kitten wearing boots looking back at me. *This girl... is she playing around right now?* The chill on her face returned in a flash, but I couldn't escape her gaze. Pretending like she'd never even ask... that was just more empty talk. As I fell silent, her urgency grew. "Actually what? Stalled halfway through? Remember the last loop? Or that awkward feeling you get when you want to chop up the ocean like that boy did in the old days?" "..."
"Huh? Who was that person anyway? It was like she knew the exact cut for the hobgoblin camp..." "Actually, every now and then I see weird stuff in my dreams. Big monsters fighting people from all different races... I used to not know, but now I get it—those people are players. You were there too. You had that cool armor on. That monster? Probably a boss."
Yoo Dahui listened intently, her once-fierce expression melting into sweet, eager curiosity. "You're seeing the future. Those fragments like the other guy today. It's clear as day." "Is it?" "So? How did you figure out the player named Hugo from that scene?" "They called each other by names. The one called Hugo was a tiger beastman. I ran into a hobgoblin today too. I used a spirit, and the one with her felt completely different from the spirit I met with Elysha." "Hmm... Got it. So in the dream, you... weren't there?" Yoo Dahui asked, a faint spark of hope in her eyes. *Time to give her a little poke.* I struggled to force a laugh. "It's my dream. Of course I looked for myself first. But... there I wasn't. Haha. What can you do about it." "..."
I gave an awkward chuckle, and her face hardened with serious concern. It seemed she thought we'd be sticking together to the end, and honestly, I felt a swell of pride in my chest. *But in the end, you'll go alone.* That was the only way to clear it. To break through the tenth floor, everyone else had to die—including her. Unaware of that, she was now seeing my death as the only reason the people I'd been with until now would be gone. "Kim Jinwoo..."
Yoo Dahui looked at me with eyes full of pity, as if I were some poor little puppy. She reached out and placed her hand on my shoulder, making me meet her gaze. "No matter what I have to do... I'm going to change that shitty future. I'll find a way." And then she leaned in for a kiss, the smell of alcohol thick in the air. Because I'd been holding back the truth, her eyes burned with rough intensity.
Elysha stood blankly in front of the hut. *I knew the two of them had some kind of complicated relationship...* but I never imagined she'd get her own room. Especially not the best one. *Even if it's just a little...* Elysha's coin count alone was enormous. The "First City" hut was nothing special to her. "Hmm..."
Just the two of them—man and woman—taking separate rooms. She didn't know what it meant. Especially not with the power of alcohol. In her mind, a man and woman tangled together. Covered in clothes, naked bodies pressed close, biting, sucking, licking, sharing warmth. Lewd sounds filled the room, filling the emptiness. "Haa..."
Elysha felt herself growing wet down there. Imagining it had turned her excitement into something she couldn't control. "Crap..."
No way to deal with the rising heat. Self-pleasure under the Submission Oath was poison in itself. It only made her stay awake with unfulfilled desire. She could only calm it by imagining Pluto. Kim Jinwoo's cock had done the job perfectly. "Haa..."
Elysha wandered around the hut, waiting for him to come back. It stung her pride and made her sad to cling to a man who already had someone else, but what could she do? The Submission Oath made everything impossible except waiting until the child was born. Just hold on until she could express her own will. Then she could shatter the oath through the child and take revenge on Kim Jinwoo and Pluto. *I already received it...* She stroked her belly. It wasn't the way she wanted, but she was pregnant anyway. Life had blossomed inside her body. After decades... rustle-rustle. "Heh..."
Sounds came from inside the hut. Someone was coming out. Elysha hid behind it in a panic, crouching and covering herself. *Why...* Her chest tightened, but she didn't move. It was Yoo Dahui, not Kim Jinwoo. "Ah... I should've given her less to drink."
After the fourth round, Kim Jinwoo's cock no longer stood up. He passed out like a limp noodle. Yoo Dahui scratched her head and headed to the shop. She walked there with the night breeze on her skin. "Excuse me. I watched the duel between you and Horin. It was great." "Yes. Thank you." "It's deep into the night. How about one drink? I'll pay." "Yes. That's fine."
On the way to the shop, Yoo Dahui received endless advances. "If you're going to be fucked, it's only right you take a superior dwarf's cock! The warrior from the Black Beard clan... what the hell is that disgusting finger gesture? Why is he pointing his middle finger?" "Puhi hihihing!" "Why are you yelling at humans like that?" Humans, dwarves, lizardmen, centaurs—all of them treated her like a whore the moment they saw her. Any male with a dick wanted to flood her regardless of species. "Annoying..."
Horrified by the countless suitors, Yoo Dahui frowned and stepped into the shop. Elysha had been waiting for the perfect moment. As time passed and Yoo Dahui emerged holding a fat envelope, Elysha called out. "Dahui-nim." Yoo Dahui sensed it immediately. This woman had been waiting for her. "Dahui-nim. Could you spare a little time?" "Of course... just a bit..." Yoo Dahui thought of Kim Jinwoo inside the hut but forced herself to make time. *This woman is definitely after Kim Jinwoo.* She didn't know Elysha's reason, but she couldn't let her stay. Pure instinct. *I'll listen to the reason, regress, and stop the contact from the start.* Her plan had been to block Elysha since the Academy. Elysha walked ahead of Yoo Dahui toward a quiet spot where no one else would be. Even though she could hide her voice with mana, she moved to a secluded corner. "...Dahui-nim."
Elysha used polite, respectful language. Just because she'd saved the princess Elysha, she was owed respect no matter what. "Is there something you want to say?" "...There are a few things I want to ask." Elysha felt the sharp edge on Yoo Dahui. She must have been determined to regress today or tomorrow, unintentionally sharpening her thorns. It was defiance against the sweet look Elysha had sent Kim Jinwoo. *Are you really in love?* Elysha knew what it was like to play the villainess who stole a boyfriend without doing anything—bad girl role she herself had played. So she understood the hostility perfectly. She wasn't flustered. Just a little confused because of the way Kim Jinwoo had treated her. "What's your relationship with Kim Jinwoo?" When Elysha asked, Yoo Dahui clenched her teeth. *Straight to the point...* It was a normal question, but it hit her like a truck. Elysha didn't know, but Yoo Dahui had already taught Horin a lesson for teasing Kim Jinwoo. *Cut one year, and another one sticks.* This time the one who stuck was a big deal. Unlike Horin, who couldn't even clear the first floor, this was someone who had to play on the highest levels. "...With Kim Jinwoo..." Yoo Dahui hesitated. *Should I even worry? I'll regress anyway.* She emptied her mind. The filter no longer mattered. "Are you going to marry him?" "Marry...?" "Yes. We're going to conquer the Tower of Struggle and get married after we get out. Why?" Elysha couldn't hide her shock at Yoo Dahui's bold words. *Marry that damned sorcerer?* It was impossible to understand no matter how different the dimensions were. The gap between Yoo Dahui and Kim Jinwoo was too wide. "Why... are you trying to marry Kim Jinwoo?" "...Just because." Elysha asked for a reason, and Yoo Dahui had no answer. *A reason...? What is it?* Even she didn't know why she wanted to keep him. Something she couldn't feel from the countless male players around her. *Hard to explain in words.* When Kim Jinwoo was next to her, she felt like the protagonist of the world. The seven loops without him had been short—two months—but they had been hell for her. "Do you even know what kind of man that man is before you say the word marriage?" "I know him better than you do." Watching Yoo Dahui act so blunt, Elysha felt nothing but pity. *Why such a woman...* As a player, her level was nothing compared to Elysha as a woman entangled with someone like Kim Jinwoo. "...That man is..." Elysha opened her mouth to tell the truth. Her throat clogged. *The sorcerer!* She realized Kim Jinwoo had placed some restriction. She couldn't speak the sexual stories she'd had with him. *Damn bastard...* "Hmph, trying to flirt now?" Watching Elysha tremble as she couldn't finish her sentence, Yoo Dahui snorted. Her flushed cheeks, the damp spot on her pants, the sweet breath. *Perverted bitch.* Yoo Dahui reevaluated her opinion of Elysha and activated the Blessing of Suicide. There was nothing more to say. ['Death by Regression' activated.] "I'll give you suitable equipment. Wearing it will make things much safer." "Eh...?" Even after the regression, Elysha's voice came through. The Academy was right behind them. *Where the hell am I?* She looked around and saw Elysha pulling out equipment from her inventory. Elysha, Eloin, Elbaren, and Kim Jinwoo. *The first floor...?* Yoo Dahui activated the Blessing of Suicide again. ['Death by Regression' activated.] "I'll give you suitable equipment. Wearing it will make things much safer." Again. ['Death by Regression' activated.] "I'll give you suitable equipment. Wearing it will make things much safer." Again. ['Death by Regression' activated.] "I'll give you suitable equipment. Wearing it will make things much safer." They were still on the first floor. *The starting point changed...?* Her plan to block Elysha from the beginning was in ruins. Yoo Dahui frowned and approached the equipment Elysha had dropped. *...When should I take it...?* She didn't know that Kim Jinwoo had been watching with a dark glint in his eyes. She picked up the gear and put it on anyway.