Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Yu-na's Resolve
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Yu-na had lost her parents at a young age.
She wasn't the only child who lost their parents to monsters when the gates first appeared.
But Yu-na was lucky.
A family friend of her father's, whom she'd known since she was little, adopted her.
Even though her adoptive parents already had their own child, they raised Yu-na like a precious new daughter, cherishing her even more than their biological one.
It must have been a difficult decision, even if their parents had been close friends from the start.
Yu-na was always grateful for it.
And she gained a younger brother the same age as her.
He had been her close childhood friend, but suddenly they became family.
At the family dinner table, Yu-na saw her adoptive father's weary, shadowed face, weighed down by exhaustion.
Looking at his deep dark circles and haggard appearance filled her with worry and guilt.
"Dad... um, is it the company...?"
"Yu-na, you don't need to worry about the company. Just focus on enjoying school as a student and don't stress about that stuff."
His warm but shadowed smile made her heart sink.
"Come on, Yu-na, eat up. Doesn't the food taste good? Want me to get you some chicken later? You like that, right?"
At her adoptive mother's words, always doting on her, Yu-na felt a lump in her throat.
"N-no, it's fine."
"Ooh! Chicken!"
Jin-woo, sitting beside her, cheered without a care.
Yu-na hung her head and ate, guilt washing over her.
The thought that she hadn't noticed anything until her dad had become like this...
"Hey, you're making the food taste bad with how gloomy you are."
Jin-woo chided her.
"S-sorry. It's nothing..."
Yu-na forced a smile.
"Weirdo."
Jin-woo gave her awkward smile a dubious look.
After losing her family to the gate incident, her new family showered her with excessive love and attention.
"Hey, is something wrong?"
Yu-na had always been quiet, but her even darker expression prompted Jin-woo to ask when they were alone.
"N-no..."
Yu-na choked up at Jin-woo's warm concern, realizing he noticed her odd behavior, but she brushed it off vaguely.
There was a lingering attachment.
This might be her last chance.
To confess her feelings for Jin-woo, harbored in her heart since their childhood friend days...
"Jin-woo..."
"Yeah?"
"I..."
The words wouldn't come.
What would change if she said it now?
Jin-woo sensed something different about her, his expression tense.
"........."
".........."
Silence stretched between them.
"Yeah... it's nothing."
In the end, Yu-na couldn't say it.
"Oh? Uh, yeah. If something's up... tell me."
Jin-woo scratched his head awkwardly and retreated to his room.
Drip...
Tears welled up at Jin-woo's warm words, the same kindness he'd shown since childhood.
Yu-na quietly stifled her sobs.
Back in his room, Jin-woo dove onto his bed, replaying the earlier scene over and over.
'What was she trying to say?'
That subtle atmosphere...
No way?
'Was she going to confess? Nah, probably not.'
Jin-woo had actually liked Yu-na since childhood, even after they became family.
'We're siblings... No, our blood doesn't connect anyway.'
After her adoption, they'd both ignored their feelings because they were family now.
Yu-na had been quiet and shadowed since losing her parents.
He remembered her as a bit brighter before that.
It wouldn't be easy for her to muster the courage first.
'Argh! Idiot! That might've been a perfect chance. What do I do?'
He tore at his hair in self-loathing.
It had been a great moment to confirm each other's feelings, but the suddenness left him flustered and embarrassed, fumbling it away.
'Damn it!!! You idiot! How could you miss that?!'
'No, wait, there's still a chance. Tomorrow, man up and confess! Then we can date over the weekend!'
Jin-woo resolved to confess to Yu-na.
Today, he'd cleared another F-rank rift and returned home to shower and rest.
This was his third F-rank rift cleared.
'F-rank rifts are too easy now.'
His skill tests were mostly done.
And he'd learned that leveling up solely from F-rank monsters wasn't as straightforward as expected.
Absorbing the rift cores and a few mana stones he'd collected so far got him one level up.
According to Suni's calculations, level 3 required nearly double the experience of level 2.
Then level 4?
Double that again?
If experience kept scaling like this, could he keep up?
Should he start hunting D-rank monsters?
Complicated thoughts swirled in his mind.
"Yeah, right?"
Even in games, quests were more efficient than grinding.
D-rank monsters were mostly mid-sized.
Their habitats were far from the camps.
Hunting them didn't wrap up in a day.
You needed a party and supporters.
Going solo would get you labeled insane.
So D-rank hunting didn't seem that efficient either.
He'd have to level up once more and use the Login skill.
He absorbed 2 F-rank cores and 5 mana stones to level up.
"How much for the next level?"
His prediction was spot on.
Why was leveling so grindy from the start?
Grinding alone didn't seem viable.
"Can I upgrade Body Strengthening?"
As expected, it needed at least 2 skill points.
So which skill to upgrade?
Inventory or Combat Suit.
Those were the candidates.
"What do you think, Suni?"
"Huh? Not Combat Suit?"
He'd stuffed so much into his inventory lately that it was almost full.
Like his computer's hard drive.
Increasing Inventory's summoning range would extend Suni's support range too.
"What about Combat Suit?"
Suni made a solid point.
His defense was plenty sufficient.
Skin impervious to bullets, layered with Combat Suit—and another suit on top for hunts.
Inventory expansion was the way to go.
Especially if using Login, he'd need to carry more.
He invested the skill point into Inventory, upgrading it to level 2.
"Spending the weekend at a friend's house?"
Yu-na told her adoptive mother the prepared lie to ease worries about her long outing.
"Yes..."
"Hehe... Alright, have fun. Call when you get there. Need any pocket money?"
"N-no... I still have plenty from before."
Her adoptive mother seemed pleased that the usually quiet Yu-na was spending the weekend with a friend.
Of course, she never suspected it might be a guy.
Proof of how much she trusted Yu-na without doubt.
"Okay. Wake Jin-woo up, will you? Breakfast is ready. Goodness, when will that boy grow up? If only he took after you half as much."
"Yes, Mom. I'll wake Jin-woo."
Jin-woo, who slept like a log, always needed Yu-na to wake him.
She opened his door familiarly and shook the fool sleeping on the bed.
"Jin-woo, get up."
"Huh? Ungh."
Jin-woo blinked awake groggily, recognizing the familiar face.
Yu-na's pretty face came into view.
Seeing her reminded him of yesterday, blood rushing to his face as sleep vanished.
"Uh... oh, Yu-na."
"Mom says breakfast is ready."
"R-right. Coming."
As she confirmed he was up and left the room, Jin-woo's eyes unwittingly drifted to her white thighs peeking from under her skirt.
'N-not now, right? Ooh... I'll confess after academy today!! It's Friday, so weekend date after!'
Jin-woo skipped PC bang with friends after class, hurrying home early, tense with anticipation for Yu-na.
But his mom's words left him stunned.
"She's staying at a friend's for the weekend?"
"Yeah, didn't you know? Some Alice or whatever friend's place. You didn't know either?"
"Huh? Uh..."
He recalled a short foreign girl Yu-na hung out with sometimes.
They'd met briefly, not close.
"S-so she's not coming home tonight?"
"Said Sunday."
Yu-na had no obligation to report her hangouts to him.
But disappointment deflated Jin-woo's tension and energy.
"When's she arriving?"
"Hm..."
"You're even asking about my worries now? Suni's all grown up."
At this point, he questioned if she was really AI.
"Yeah, yeah. Gotta trust the profile, right?"
"That's why I've been pondering how to smash these guys if it's a scam."
"Over 300 million won gone... for one girl."
He honestly hadn't expected it to cost this much.
"Part of me wonders if they're messing around... Can you trace them?"
Suni was capable.
"Track them for now. If I don't like her, I'll wreck them."
Over 300 million for one outcall girl crossed a line.
He'd avoid needless hassle, but there were limits.
Yu-na's trembling hand hesitated over the doorbell several times.
Thump. Thump.
Her heart pounded.
Should she turn back now?
"Your dad took out several life insurance policies."
Choi Yang-gyu's loan shark words echoed in her ears.
She pictured her adoptive father's shadowed face and faint smile.
Was this body more important than her family?
No.
Steel ing her resolve, she pressed the bell with her shaking hand.
Ding-dong.
'I-I did it!'
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her heart raced wildly.
No turning back now.
Gulp.
Beep-beep~
The door lock clicked open.
Click.
The door opened.
"Huh?"
Her head tilted way up.
A massive man, over 190 cm tall, stood there.
'...Huge!'
For a moment, she regretted her choice.
The girl at the door, Yu-na, wore a white blouse and a black pleated skirt reaching her knees.
"Come in."
Yu-na hesitated but stepped inside.
Her pronounced bust and hips made her waist look especially slim.
Better than expected—beyond expectations.
The profile hadn't captured half of her appeal.
Or maybe he hadn't dared hope?
But her timid demeanor made him wonder if a proper encounter was possible. A twinge of regret.
Looks and figure were his type, but maybe he should've picked another?
He had no intention of forcing it.
"No pressure. If you want to leave, go ahead."
"Huh?"
Yu-na looked up, dazed.
He wanted her, but women were plentiful.
He could smash the guys who sold her and get another.
Yu-na bit her lip, then approached slowly, resolute.
Real or acting?
Even watching, he harbored doubts.
Her large eyes met his.
"You sure? Made up your mind?"
Nod.
No need to hold back now.
He reached out, wrapped an arm around her waist, pulled her close, and lifted her into an embrace.