A/N: Four more reviews for an extra chapter.
Perhaps because I spoke from the heart, Ha-Yeong looked up at me with a speechless expression. I gazed steadily into her eyes, and soon her entire face flushed a deep red, as if it might burst. She opened and closed her mouth silently for a moment before finally mumbling in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.
"I… I believe you. I'll trust you."
"Thank you. Then…"
Hearing her response eased my mind, but not entirely. In my first life, I didn't have to deal with these kinds of things, so I simply lived without giving them much thought. Of course, in the Hall Plain, it wasn't particularly frowned upon for one man to have multiple women or one woman to have multiple men. The most important thing was a player's ability, after all. As I mentioned earlier, beyond players spending a night together because they clicked, it wasn't uncommon for someone to offer their body to gain the protection of a caravan or clan.
But putting myself in her shoes, I felt a strange pang in a corner of my heart. An indescribable emotion pricked at my chest, leaving me with nothing but a sense of guilt. As I was sinking into this unfamiliar sentiment, a trembling voice rang in my ears once more.
"A-are you sleeping in this room tonight?"
"Yes, I suppose so."
"Th-then I'll come to this room tonight. Don't go to bed too early."
"Hm? I rarely go to bed early… Wait, what?"
Her words were slightly off-topic, and I started to question her, but I couldn't hear any more. With that, Ha-Yeong grabbed the money pouch in front of her and bolted out of the room. I tilted my head with a dazed expression, then pulled the record I had pushed aside back in front of me.
At that moment, I suddenly recalled someone once saying, "Player Kim Su-Hyeon, you're really clueless." But I shook my head, brushing the thought away. From now on, I needed to prepare to leave Mule, so it was best to move diligently while I had the time.
… … … … … …
How much time had passed? After finishing the expedition report I was writing, I looked up to see the window bathed in the glow of sunset. The report on the Cave Of Wailing needed to be more detailed. Not only was it farther than the previous two dungeons, but we hadn't fully cleared it. I included everything we experienced, along with as many educated guesses and possibilities as I could. Even trivial information was valuable. The more details provided, the less damage the investigation team would suffer. Though the presence of Banshees was a slight concern, participating in the investigation team would also boost performance records, so unless a major clan monopolized it, many players would likely want to join.
I had originally planned to visit the temple today, but it seemed better to postpone it. I could submit the expedition report and collect performance certificates at the same time, then get the certificate for the Cave Of Wailing at the temple in the next city. There was no need to make two trips—one for the report and another for the certificate. Besides, getting a rough sense of the current atmosphere wouldn't hurt. Understanding the situation in this city would give me a better grasp of how things were unfolding.
As such, I managed to handle most of the paperwork today. All that remained were the tasks requiring action. I placed the expedition report on top of the neatly arranged clan application form. The thought of truly leaving Mule filled me with uncontainable excitement.
Having wrapped up my work, I stood up energetically, ready to check on the Chaos Mimics I had left airing out on the second floor earlier. I carefully tucked the Nil Sword and a bottle of elixir, which I had neatly stored in the drawer, into my chest. These were items I had picked up from the storage when I went to get the clan application form earlier.
Looking at them, my excitement doubled.
*
As I descended to the first floor, the lobby was filled with a savory, delicious aroma. We had decided to have dinner a bit earlier tonight because, at player Go Yeon-Joo's strong insistence, we were holding a welcome party for her joining the clan. I had questioned the need for such a grand welcome, but her argument about using up all the food ingredients before leaving Mule, combined with her mention of the day off, left me speechless.
Entering the kitchen opposite the inn's entrance, I saw Go Yeon-Joo's back as she hummed a tune and stirred a sizzling griddle. Sensing my presence, she didn't turn around but raised one hand, beckoning me over. I approached her side. On the griddle, pieces of meat coated in spicy seasoning were being perfectly seared.
"Have you gathered any information on the current state of the Hall Plain?"
"Who do you take me for? I already got a rough update from the
"Could you elaborate a bit… mmph."
"Shh."
Go Yeon-Joo picked up a piece of meat and, without warning, shoved it deep between my lips.
"What's the rush? Sometimes you're just too restless. It's a day off, you know. Rest when you can, or you'll wear yourself out. If you're that curious, come to my room tonight~."
I couldn't respond. It would've been fine if she had just fed me the meat, but her finger went so far into my throat it nearly reached the end. I tried to spit it out, but when her nail grazed my uvula, I reflexively closed my mouth. Only then did she flash a sly grin and slowly withdraw her finger.
Slurp.
The tender meat, her slender finger, and the spicy seasoning clinging to her skin hit me all at once. I briefly considered biting her finger, but knowing that's what she wanted, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Letting out a small sigh, I left the kitchen, her words about the food trailing behind me. It didn't seem like she had no intention of sharing information tonight; rather, she likely planned to compile everything she'd gathered by evening.
Bang.
As I stepped back into the first-floor lobby, the group, having just finished their city exploration, came pouring through the inn's door. The timing was perfect. The players (and one resident) who arrived just as the food was nearly ready caught sight of me but didn't exactly wave enthusiastically.
"Hyung, we're back."
"Oppa, we're here."
"We're back…"
"Ughhh…"
One by one, An-Hyun, Yun-Jung, An-Sol, and Vivienne let out deflated groans and collapsed onto the table. Tilting my head in confusion, I noticed Ha-Yeong avoiding my gaze while Shin Sang-Yong gave an awkward smile. It seemed they had taken the 'day off' more as a mission to gather information, exhaustively scouring every corner of the city.
The sprawled-out group perked up at the delicious aroma vibrating through the lobby, and when they heard about the welcome party, they let out small cheers. Seeing Ha-Yeong approach and hand me back a nearly empty money pouch, I could roughly guess how hard the group had worked today.
I took Ha-Yeong's arm and led her to a table to sit down. She looked a bit tired, but my curiosity about the outside situation was too strong to ignore. The only times I'd stepped out today were to visit the player exclusive shop and pick up the clan application form, so I was completely in the dark about the external situation. Thankfully, Ha-Yeong, ever diligent in her information-gathering mission, gave me a relatively detailed rundown.
"The atmosphere in Mule… it's hard to describe, but it felt really gloomy."
"Gloomy?"
"Yes. First, the Vagrant Extermination Plan succeeded, as you predicted, Player Kim Su-Hyeon. They say it dealt one of the biggest blows to the Vagrants in any battle so far. But the players took significant losses too. Rumor has it that SSUN, the leading clan of the general city Halo in the west, was nearly wiped out. And the surviving Vagrants reportedly fled to the Western Continent."
"Hm."
"As for the Golden Lion Clan, they entered the Iron Mountains three days ago, as of today. But the moment they went in, all communication with them was cut off, so their current situation is unknown. However…"
Ha-Yeong paused and glanced around. Shin Sang-Yong was busy joining tables together for the welcome party, and An-Sol, staggering slightly, was moving to help him. An-Hyun suggested to Yun-Jung that they go to the kitchen to help carry food, but she buried her head in the table, offering no response.
After scanning the surroundings, Ha-Yeong leaned in closer and whispered in a hushed tone.
"It seems like there's something fundamentally wrong with the Golden Lion Clan's expedition itself."
"If it's an internal issue?"
"I couldn't find out the details. But it feels like they handpicked the clans participating in the expedition to suit their own tastes. They didn't even include the representative clans from the eastern cities, and it seems they didn't involve the representative clan of the southern small city, Monica, IstanTel Law, either. Some say it was the Golden Lion Clan's unilateral decision, while others claim those clans refused to join. What's certain is that all the clans participating in the expedition are pro-Golden Lion. I also heard that the small city of Mule recently replaced its representative clan. The original representative clan joined the expedition, though. They've really staked everything on this expedition."
Her last words made my eyebrows twitch. The participation of pro-Golden Lion clans was consistent with my memories of the future, but the replacement of Mule's representative clan at this point definitely didn't align with what I remembered. The most certain thing was that Mule was supposed to be a no-man's-land right now. I asked her urgently, "Do you happen to know the name of the new representative clan?"
"Sorry, this is all I could barely dig up. It was replaced so suddenly, like roasting beans in a lightning flash, that hardly any players know about it. It seems to be a pro-Golden Lion clan, and I heard it was given as compensation for not being able to join the expedition. But it's not certain. Still… Considering they sidelined other famous clans and entrusted the representative role to a relatively unknown one, it doesn't seem entirely baseless. Plus, with players' attention still heavily focused on the expedition…"
I nodded at her apologetic words. I had wondered why there were fewer players around than expected, but if the expedition was still ongoing, it was likely that most players were gathered in the central or southern regions. Most of my questions were answered, but something still nagged at me. I could understand Mule's representative clan being replaced—it was plausible. But the idea of an unknown clan, so obscure that players didn't even know about it, being appointed was something I couldn't wrap my head around, no matter how much I thought about it.
Perhaps reading my troubled expression, Ha-Yeong looked flustered, almost as if she'd rush out to find the clan's name if I said a word. I quickly composed myself and reassured her. This much information was already a lot. The finer details could be confirmed with Yeon-Joo, so I let it go. Though part of me wanted to storm into the representative clan's headquarters or the temple right away, I thought Yeon-Joo was right—taking a step back and observing the situation calmly wasn't a bad idea. These things would reveal themselves slowly, after all.
As I organized my thoughts and looked around, I noticed the group had already stood up, helping prepare for the welcome party. Yeon-Joo, seemingly done with most of the cooking, was out of the kitchen, giving instructions here and there. Players were moving tables or setting out food as directed. I even spotted some alcohol, suggesting they were going all out tonight. Watching them, I thanked Ha-Yeong and spoke calmly.
"You worked hard today. Shall we go help them?"
"Worked hard? I'm sorry I couldn't find out more. Hehe. Let's get up then. I'm starting to feel awkward just standing here."
We exchanged light smiles and stood. Ha-Yeong rushed to help An-Sol, who was struggling to move a table alone, while I walked toward Yeon-Joo, who stood with her arms crossed.
"I know which clan it is~," She said abruptly as I approached, as if she'd overheard my conversation with Ha-Yeong. But I smiled calmly, still remembering how she'd flustered me this morning. So, I decided to make a request.
"Player Yeon-Joo, I have a favor to ask."
"Oh my, a favor from Player Kim Su-Hyeon? I'm honored. What could it be?"
"I hung some Chaos Mimics on the second floor. Could you grab them? I think it's about time to open them…"
"I'll be right back."
She tilted her head briefly at my request but, eager to open them, vanished from sight at lightning speed. I'd done a bit of cleaning when I stopped by earlier, so there shouldn't be any major issues. Still, I was curious to see how she'd react to the room with the Chaos Mimics.
A few minutes later, Yeon-Joo's sharp, drawn-out voice echoed from upstairs. "Kim~ Su~ Hyeon~!"
Soon, I saw her darting down the stairs with the Chaos Mimics in hand. With a sly grin, I greeted her nonchalantly.
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