Chapter 407: 4th Floor
Chapter 407: 4th Floor
Of course, even if I pretended to leave, it wasn't like I had anywhere else to go.
I had to hold out here until lunchtime.
“P-Please, wait just a moment!”
That’s why I had no way of shaking off the Beastkin guy when he latched onto me like this.
“Don’t you have anything to do? You’re busy looking for a party, aren’t you? Just go.”
“O-One day is fine, sir. More importantly, I’d like to speak with you a little longer, Sir Guwon.”
What’s with this guy? Is he gay?
No. If he’s a high enough level to go to the 3rd Floor, he must be sleeping with women.
You don’t gain levels from doing it with men when women don’t even gain levels from anal sex.
…Whatever. It’s fine. It’s not like I have anything else to do anyway.
I gave up on trying to ditch him and decided to just kill time by making small talk.
His attitude was a little annoying, but at least he wasn’t begging me to save him, which made him slightly better than the others.
Adventurers, by default, are guys who can satisfy women, after all.
In that sense, they’re easier to deal with.
“Hmm. So the reason you keep going into the Dungeon is that you want to see its secrets with your own eyes and write a song about it?” I said, feigning a lack of interest.
No, I actually had very little interest. This whole conversation was just a way to kill time.
But seriously, this guy. Get a personality.
That reason… isn’t that the same line every bard who becomes the protagonist’s companion in a fantasy world spouts?
Wanting to witness a hero’s epic firsthand to write a song about it. It’s so cliché.
Then again, to continue being an adventurer after going through something like that, it must be a precious dream to him.
No, wait a minute. The protagonist’s companion?
“Yes! And I believe you, Sir Guwon, are the one who will uncover the secrets of the Dungeon.”
The Beastkin said, sending a passionate gaze my way.
Just as I thought. I told you, I don’t accept male bastards as companions.
I refused other beautiful women who wanted to party up because it would be hard to activate Healing Sex in a pinch, so you think I’d let some damn guy into my party?
My conviction on this will never change, not even at the moment of my death.
Even though my lifespan is basically infinite thanks to Diana.
“Ah, time’s up. Well, I’m off.”
Thoroughly ignoring the guy who was blatantly asking to join my party, I decided to make a cool exit.
I could hear him calling out a flustered goodbye from behind me, but I ignored it.
A meal with a beauty was just around the corner; I didn’t need to waste any more time on a guy like that.
It was still a little early for lunchtime, but it would probably take some time to find the place written on the note Rachel had given me.
And it’s better to be a little early than late.
So, I finally managed to arrive at the location on Rachel’s note, but I had already run into a major obstacle.
Finding the place wasn’t difficult.
It was the dormitory for Guild employees, so it wasn’t too far from the Guild itself.
The problem was that this was a dormitory.
Naturally, the building where Rachel lived was for women only.
And of course, there was a manager.
In a word, it was a men-prohibited zone.
How was I supposed to break through there and call for Rachel?
I looked at the note again, but it definitely had a room number written on it.
If she wrote the room number, she must have meant for me to come to her door.
No. In this world, it’s possible that even a women’s dormitory isn’t a men-prohibited zone, unlike what my common sense would suggest.
Should I try to break through?
“Hey! Who are you?! Men are forbidden here!”
I tried to walk in brazenly as if nothing was wrong, but just as I expected, I was stopped by someone who looked like the manager.
“I’m here to see someone. I have an appointment.”
“An appointment? With whom?”
“A woman named Rachel, who works as a guide. She lives in room 307…”
“Hah! What nonsense! Get! Out! Now! You stalker! How the hell did you even find out her room number?!”
The moment the manager heard Rachel’s name, she scoffed and waved her hand dismissively.
She had a practiced air about her, as if she’d seen plenty of guys like me before.
Her attitude made me want to punch her, but I desperately held myself back.
You should be grateful you were born a woman.
“Could you at least go to her room and check? She’ll know if you say it’s Guwon.”
I subtly tried to appeal to my status as the Saint, but the manager just waved her hand again in annoyance.
You don’t know?! It’s clearly an outsider’s name! They said there aren’t any outsiders these days! Why don’t you get the hint?!
“Hey. You don’t know me? Guwon the Saint. The one sent by the Goddess…”
“Saint, my ass. The Goddess sends all the outsiders. Don’t tell me you’re an outsider who doesn’t even know that’s common knowledge in this world?”
How do you know that piece of common knowledge but not the common knowledge that a real Saint has appeared recently?
Has she just been cooped up here guarding the dormitory all her life?
My patience was starting to run thin.
What should I do? Just force my way through?
No. It might look lax on the surface, but I’m sure the security is tight.
It seemed like plenty of guys had come looking for Rachel, and many of them must have been adventurers.
Judging by this manager’s attitude, she was skilled enough to repel all of them.
Then maybe I could use my Assassin skills to sneak in… No. There’s no way that’s possible with my current Assassin level.
In that case, the only thing left is…
I had no choice but to play my greatest trump card.
“Hey.”
Calling out to the manager, I threw back the hood of my robe, revealing my face.
Then, with the most serious expression I could muster, I approached her.
“You’re so persis… ah…”
The manager, who had turned her gaze back to me with an annoyed expression, was at a loss for words for a moment after seeing my face.
Yes. This was my plan.
My greatest advantage. The handsome man approach, using my ridiculously high Charm stat!
For the record, this is the first time in my life I’ve ever done something like this.
This is surprisingly nerve-wracking.
If this doesn’t work, my pride will be shattered.
“Ah… ahhh…”
Without saying a word, I slowly closed the distance to the manager.
She, in turn, suppressed her trembling legs and slowly backed away.
But her back soon hit a wall, and I leaned against it, placing my elbow above her head.
Now that we were at point-blank range, the manager’s face began to turn red in an instant.
Her eyes darted back and forth, as if she had no idea where to look.
I placed my fingers on the manager’s chin and gently lifted her head.
Even then, the manager offered no resistance.
Nice. It’s working! It’s working!
Did you see that, everyone! This is how good I am!
I’m a man who can get things done!
“My beautiful lady, I…”
“…Mr. Guwon. What are you doing over there?”
Just as I was about to state my business in a suave voice, a familiar voice came from the side.
“Gah! Rachel-noonim?!”
There stood Rachel, looking at me with narrowed eyes.
She wasn’t in her usual guide uniform but in casual clothes.
I’d seen her in casual clothes once before, but today’s outfit felt like she’d put in more effort than last time.
The flowy, sky-blue one-piece dress gave off an innocent vibe, yet her captivating figure certainly added a touch of sexiness.
It wasn’t overly revealing, but the smooth calves exposed below her skirt and her bare, white shoulders were dazzling.
Well, in a word, she was beautiful.
She was always beautiful, but today, she was even more so.
“Ah, n-noonim. Um… y-you look beautiful.”
“Oh my. Thank you. So, what are you doing over there?”
“W-Wait a second. This is, well, this person wouldn’t let me in no matter what I said.”
“Oh, my. I’m sorry. Now that you mention it, I forgot to tell her. I was so excited… I completely forgot.”
Seeming to grasp the situation from my words, Rachel immediately apologized.
“Ah, no. You don’t have to apologize.”
I was a little surprised that Rachel apologized so readily.
But on second thought, it made sense.
Rachel didn’t have any feelings for me, so there was no way she’d get jealous like my girls would.
Her tone was cold earlier simply because she was dumbfounded.
It must have looked like the guy who was supposed to be treating her to a meal was busy trying to pick up another woman.
Since the idea that I was hitting on a woman was a misunderstanding in the first place, there was no reason for me to be flustered either.
Well, it would be a little troublesome if Rachel tattled on me to my girls about this… but she wouldn’t, right?
“Well then, Mr. Guwon. Shall we go?”
Rachel took hold of my arm, which was still close to the manager, and pulled with a bit of force.
“Ah, y-yes, ma’am.”
I was surprised when she suddenly linked arms with me, but the magnificent sensation on my arm left me speechless, and I let myself be led away.
Once we were outside, we began to walk slowly down the street without any particular destination in mind.
Does Rachel have a restaurant in mind, perhaps?
No. This didn’t feel like she was leading the way; it felt more like we were just wandering aimlessly.
Should I subtly try to steer us toward a restaurant, then?
“Still, to think you’d try to seduce the manager to sneak into the dormitory… You’re quite the fast worker, Mr. Guwon, aren’t you? And with Lady Diana around, your party members just keep increasing.”
“N-No. Actually, that was the first time I’ve ever tried to seduce a woman like that. I just couldn’t think of any other way to get in, so I figured I’d try anything, whether it worked or not…”
“Hmm? Is that really true?”
As she said that, Rachel smiled as if teasing me.
Seeing that smile, I finally felt some of my tension melt away.
To be honest, I was a little nervous since this was my first time having a meal with a woman like this.
Of course, I’ve had dates like this with my girls, but that was after we had confirmed our feelings for each other.
Before that, we usually went out as a group.
But I see. I just have to treat her like a friend.
Maybe I was trying too hard because she’s such a beautiful older woman.
“Of course. Besides, the women around me, including you, Rachel-noonim, are all people who would never fall for something like the handsome man approach.”
“Hehe. I’ll take your word for it, then.”
Rachel’s smile made it seem like she was just having fun, like she was teasing a friend.
Well, the feeling of her chest pressing against my arm made it hard to think of her as just a friend.
It’s fine. I can do this. I’ve experienced sensations even more incredible than this.
Just remember the feeling of my angel. If I do that, this trial will… ah, this is having the opposite effect.
I felt myself starting to get hard and hastily suppressed it by circulating my mana.
“So, noonim, do you have a restaurant in mind?”
“Oh? Weren’t you supposed to be escorting me today, Mr. Guwon?”
Deciding not to overthink it and just be casual, I asked her directly, but the answer I got was, as expected, a no.
Then where in the world are we walking to right now?
This way leads to the shopping district. The restaurant I had in mind is that way.
“Of course. Leave it to me.”
I said confidently and tried to turn around.
But Rachel held my arm firmly and continued walking straight ahead.
The soft sensation on my arm made it difficult to use much force, so I ended up being dragged along by her.
“N-Noonim? The restaurant I was thinking of is that way?”
“Yes? Oh my? Are you leaving already?”
Already? We met up because we promised to have a meal, so of course we should go as soon as we meet.
Though, I admit, it’s still a little early for lunchtime.
“Are you perhaps tired of being with me? Do you want to just get the meal we promised over with and go our separate ways?”
“N-No! Of course not! I’m incredibly happy to be like this with you! I want to stay like this forever!”
Seeing Rachel’s disappointed expression, I reflexively blurted out a statement that was a little on the risky side.
“Oh my? Hehe. Thank you. You don’t go around saying that to just any woman, do you? Should I tell Lady Diana?”
“N-Nooniiim…”
Please, anything but that… This time, I’ll really be roasted to a crisp by her magic.
“Hehe. It’s a joke. If you don’t mind, could you just humor me for a little while? Like I said before, it’s been a long time since I took a day off. I feel like walking around like this for a bit.”
Led by her playful smile, we made our way toward the shopping district for the time being.