Is This a Company or a Motel?
I had so much sex this week, yet I still hadn't reached Level 6. Before I possessed this body, the sex-related skill tree had such a terrible reputation that I'd never even tried it. Turns out it really does give way less experience than combat.
Even with combat experience, the gains slowed down noticeably after Level 5. Level 6 was a meaningful milestone in both TMC and the MegaCorp's Youngest Son system. Up to Level 5, players would pick one of three random traits and raise them haphazardly, but from Level 6 onward, they usually settled on one or two clear concepts to build around.
Starting at Level 6, one of the three random traits offered after each level-up would be related to the traits and skills you'd already invested in. It was the point where this complete luck-based trash game finally reduced the random element a little.
Then, from Level 16 onward, two out of the three choices would be connected to your previous investments. In other words, it was telling you to complete the build you'd been working on from Level 16 all the way to the max level of 20.
On top of that, thanks to the Yeouiju, I could reroll a trait once, which let me shape my growth even more precisely the way I wanted.
Having decided to hit Level 6 this weekend, I finished my Friday work and was now heading to Tokyo International Airport. From Yotsukaido City, there were two ways to reach the airport by car: heading west through Funabashi and downtown Tokyo, or going south to take the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line on the southwest side of Chiba.
Normally the western route would be shorter, but since it was Friday night and rush hour, I figured that road would be jammed. So I took the southern route instead. Chiba would definitely have less traffic than central Tokyo.
The Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line was an impressive 15-kilometer elevated highway stretching across the sea. Driving with the Tokyo night sea as my backdrop felt fantastic. It was still chilly in early March, so I kept the windows closed, but the atmosphere was perfect.
Once I crossed the Aqua-Line, Tokyo International Airport was practically right there. It was 8:10 now, and Han Yugyeong's flight had landed at 7:48, so she was probably already waiting for me.
I parked in the airport lot and checked my phone. There was a KakaoTalk message from her sent just a minute ago.
Let's see... McDonald's... Ah, there it is. The McDonald's was in Terminal 2. The moment I stepped inside, out of all the countless customers, only one person immediately caught my eye. Of course, it was Han Yugyeong. The other customers were whispering among themselves while staring at her.
She definitely had a different vibe compared to when I met her during my trip to Korea. Back then she gave off a high school girl feel, but now she looked like a proper college student. Was it the makeup or the outfit that had changed?
She looked a bit thinner. Still, the good news was that even though she'd slimmed down, her chest size seemed to be exactly the same.
"Ryuta!"
Han Yugyeong spotted me and practically threw herself into my arms. She'd been incredibly affectionate before I returned to Japan last time, and that hadn't changed at all. Still wrapped around me, she buried her face in my chest and rubbed her cheek against it. What was she, a dog or cat marking her scent?
"Have you been well?"
"Yeah. Classes were fun, talking with friends and seniors was fun too, but waiting for this moment was the best part."
She really knew how to say the right things. After she finished her coffee, we headed back to the parking lot.
"You said you got your driver's license. Is this the car you bought?"
"Yeah. They told me to drive safely and got me the sturdiest one they could."
"It's such a manly car. It really suits you, Ryuta."
I let her sit in the passenger seat and drove toward the hotel I'd reserved. Something kept bothering me the whole time. I'd felt a strange tightness in my chest ever since leaving the airport, like my Master's Senses were continuously sending out warnings.
"Yugyeong, how many people knew you were coming to Japan today?"
"My family, the bodyguards, and a few friends from school?"
That meant pretty much everyone who should know, knew. With two chaebol heirs riding together, it was hard to tell who the target was—me or her. I'd been keeping a low profile lately, so the odds were low it was me. Was someone after Han Yugyeong?
"Oh, you mentioned before that you were going to meet the chairman of the Shinkang Group and his family. What about the chairman or the other relatives?"
"Some welcome me, some ignore me, and some hate me. That's just how the world works. I knew from the start that not everyone would welcome us with open arms."
"But why would they hate you? You're a girl, so you shouldn't have anything to do with the successor fights, right? Someone like you would only help the company, not harm it."
Given Han Mungang's personality as chairman of the Shinkang Group, the other potential successors should see Han Yugyeong as a useful piece to utilize for the group rather than a rival. There shouldn't be any reason to dislike her... It was strange.
"That's because..."
"Hmm? Why? Tell me."
When I pressed her after she hesitated, Han Yugyeong finally spoke, albeit reluctantly.
"My parents want to make me the daughter-in-law of the Jeil Group. But apparently my third uncle's daughter is also planning to marry into the Jeil Group. That's why my third uncle's side hates me."
Then... could it be that the third uncle's faction had sent assassins to Japan because it would be easier to deal with her here?
It could just be my imagination, but the fact that my senses kept sending warnings was real. Inside the car, we were safe. I could easily deflect bullets from personal firearms with a snort. The dangerous part would be when we got out.
"Wait a second."
I parked the car in the hotel lot and got out first, scanning the surroundings. Nothing. Was it really just my imagination? I let Han Yugyeong out and practically dragged her into the hotel as quickly as possible. She must have sensed something was off because she asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"Ah, you might not believe this... but I felt killing intent."
"No, I believe you. If it's coming from you, Ryuta, I believe everything."
Even when I told her to invest all her money in stocks last time, she did it without hesitation. Why did she trust me so completely? It was good that she trusted me, but wasn't it a bit too easy? She didn't trust random strangers like this too, did she?
"Was that why you asked if anyone hated me earlier? Because you felt killing intent?"
"Yeah. Something just felt off."
We got our room key at the front desk and took the elevator up. Our room was 606 on the sixth floor. Huh, now that I thought about it, it was basically 666...? That felt ominous.
"Now that we're inside the room, nothing big should happen."
"Yeah. Hehe, this feels like something out of a spy movie."
"Did you eat dinner?"
At my question, she fidgeted awkwardly and shook her head.
"I wanted to look a bit slimmer for you, so I skipped it."
"From now on, when you meet me, eat a lot instead. I'll make you lose weight even if you eat five hamburgers."
I said this while holding her shoulders, and only then did Han Yugyeong smile brightly and say she was starving.
"It's already late, so instead of going out, let's just order room service."
No need to go outside and risk getting attacked. We looked over the room service menu and picked a few things. Less than five minutes later, there was a knock at the door.
"Room service."
"...!"
No. The way my hairs were standing on end told me this was definitely not room service. Han Yugyeong was smiling innocently and reaching for the door, so I covered her mouth and stopped her.
"Wait...!"
BOOM!
The door exploded, sending smoke billowing up. Using the smoke as cover, I grabbed Han Yugyeong and sprinted to the bathroom, throwing her inside the tub.
"Lie down here! I'll take care of them!"
"Ryuta!"
It was a high-end tub made of stone. If she lay down in it, she should be safe. Ignoring whatever she was saying, I closed the bathroom door and came back out.
"You sons of bitches!"
All three of them were holding pistols with silencers attached. I raised both arms to cover my face and charged forward. As long as they didn't shoot me in the brain, I'd be fine. My regeneration would handle the rest.
Pffft! Pffft! Pffft!
Bullets slammed into my body and arms, but I rushed forward like a wild boar and reached the first attacker.
Shinkai Yatsude - Shokushu Blade: Tentacle Blade
It was the same technique I'd used before, but this time there was one difference—my fingertips were stained with the energy of the Abyss. My hand pierced through the opponent's clothes and tore into his flesh as easily as dipping a finger into mud.
"Guhk!"
"Chao!"
From the way he was cursing, he must have been Chinese. I used the captured Chinese attacker as a shield and closed in on the second one. Both of them, terrified, were shooting at their own comrade who wasn't even dead yet.
The bullets couldn't penetrate the shield. They'd used a door-breaching explosive but were using cheap guns? Or so I thought, until I noticed the shield was wearing a bulletproof vest. Hmm... so they weren't cheap guns after all.
I shoved the human shield forward with all my strength, knocking both of them down in a tangle, then charged at the one still standing. He seemed surprised that I would attack him directly and flinched for a moment.
"Qù sǐ ba!"
"What are you even saying?"
The momentum of my charge combined with the speed of my punch turned his jaw at an insane velocity. It was faster than the time it took him to pull the trigger. From the feeling in my fist, I could tell his jaw had been shattered to pieces. He wasn't dead, but he'd definitely passed out. I was about to finish off the two tangled together when—
"I thought three of us would be enough for one little girl... Looks like there's a pretty decent fighter here, huh?"
Shit! There was one more! What appeared before my eyes was a gun barrel that had somehow gotten right up close. To sneak up on me and fool my senses... this guy was an expert! The killing intent that had been giving me chills this whole time must have been his.
BANG!
A massive impact struck me between the eyes, and everything went black.
