“Those were eyes filled with contemplation. You… sometimes look at me like you’re deep in thought.”
”…”
Contemplation, huh? I narrowed my eyes, trying to suppress the laughter that threatened to escape. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself without making a sound.
Go Yeon-ju slowly stepped away from me, putting some distance between us. As she retreated, I felt a strange sense of unease watching her move in a straight line. But before I could figure it out, she continued speaking.
“But I couldn’t just ignore that contemplation. It felt too dangerous to leave it be… You know? Every time I see those eyes of yours, I get chills all over. It’s enough to make me shiver.”
“Hmm.”
The cigarette I had been holding had gone cold. Hers was the same, extinguished. I dropped the cigarette butt into my hand, rolling it around as I realized I had been too complacent. I thought I had been observing her, but she had been watching me even more closely.
Yeon-ju flicked her cigarette butt away and spoke quietly.
“What could that contemplation be? What are you thinking about that gives me such chills? I was so curious, and then, by chance, I figured it out.”
“When was that?”
“When I teased you with some information. You mentioned SSUN and the ordinary city of Hail. That’s when I finally understood. The nature of that contemplation is…”
“And what is it…?”
Yeon-ju smiled slightly at my question, pausing for effect. It was then that I realized the source of my unease. Just as I was about to turn my head, her words reached my ears.
“Killing intent.”
Damn. The moment I heard her answer, I calculated her position and the distance between us. I glanced at the sword I had left under the table, but it was nowhere to be seen.
“Looking for this?”
I looked up at her voice and swallowed hard. Her slender fingers were twirling the sword’s hilt, which she had somehow taken. I grabbed a chopstick from the table and lunged at her.
“Ha, chopsticks?”
Despite my swift action, Yeon-ju laughed leisurely. Then, as if sinking into the ground, she vanished. I immediately activated my third eye and gathered all my magical energy.
I knew the techniques she had just used. She likely used both stealth and shadow manipulation. But both could be countered with the third eye. So, I quickly scanned the shadows around me with my unique ability.
The third eye didn’t react to the shadows under the table. In that case…
“Gotcha. You were behind me, weren’t you?”
At that moment, a figure leaped from my shadow on the floor. Behind me, I heard Yeon-ju’s mocking voice and the sharp sound of air being sliced. It was a fleeting moment, but I remained calm. I had faced these techniques countless times in the first round, so I wasn’t about to fall for them again.
I executed the ability I had prepared.
Sssst. Thud.
”…Oh my.”
“Not behind, but in front, Shadow Queen.”
I whispered softly into her ear, aiming the chopstick at her slender neck.
In short, Yeon-ju tried to attack me from behind through the shadows, but my ability countered her. Instead, I ended up behind her. By using my hidden ability, I had turned the tables.
Yeon-ju stood still, seemingly unable to believe what had happened. Her dagger had stopped at a safe distance, indicating she hadn’t intended to harm me. I, too, had no intention of killing her, so I didn’t press the chopstick further.
Eventually, Yeon-ju spoke in a faltering voice.
“Im… Impossible… Is this Shape Shift?”
“Oh, you know it? Correct.”
“This is… I heard it was still in development by the Eastantel Law clan. How do you…?”
Ah, that guy. Yes, I learned it from him in the first round. I thought I needed at least one life-saving skill. But I didn’t say anything.
When I lightly pressed the chopstick, I felt her neck tremble slightly. It seemed she was shocked to be subdued so easily.
Honestly, luck played a part in the recent situation. Yeon-ju hadn’t used her full strength, but more importantly, I was familiar with her combat techniques. In the first round, I encountered her on the battlefield multiple times. As one of the
In other words, she hadn’t gone all out, I surpassed her skills, I knew all her techniques, and I was prepared with the third eye. These four factors combined allowed me to subdue the
Of course, the woman in front of me had no way of knowing these circumstances. On the surface, a five-year user had been subdued by a zero-year user. No matter how exceptionally strong I was, it was hard for even Yeon-ju to accept that a
“Surrender.”
She accepted it. She dropped her dagger and sword without hesitation. Her quick response almost made me drop the chopstick, but I managed to hold on. It was absurd, but in a way, it was just like her.
She might seem free-spirited and hard to control, but once she pledged loyalty, she was unwavering. The
Pressing the chopstick against her neck, I pondered. Should I kill her or not? In the first round, killing her would have been easier, but I felt a twinge of regret. How could I turn this woman into an ally? How did those guys win over the free-spirited Yeon-ju?
While I was lost in thought, Yeon-ju’s weary voice broke the silence.
“Ha… Yeah. This is exactly how it felt.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Sometimes, the killing intent I saw in your eyes felt just like this. Like you were debating whether to kill me or not.”
Her words hit the mark, leaving me speechless. Silence hung between us for a moment. Perhaps finding the silence uncomfortable, Yeon-ju cleared her throat and continued.
“Can I turn around now?”
”…Slowly. With your hands up.”
Yeon-ju raised her hands in the air and slowly turned around. She glanced at the chopstick in my hand, giving me a playful look. I chuckled and dropped the chopstick, kicking her dagger and sword away. We were both unarmed, but with my swordsmanship at an EX rank, I had the upper hand.
“In the end, you let me live. But my arms hurt.”
“Yeah, keep them up. It looks good.”
“You’re such a pervert.”
I snorted and gently lowered her arms. Yeon-ju gave me a sharp look before walking past me and throwing herself onto the bed. She landed with such force that the bed shook. I felt like I could handle any of her sudden actions now.
Lying face down on the bed, she muttered in a weak voice.
“Ah… I’m exhausted. What a terrible day. I escaped death and suffered humiliation. Why is today like this?”
“Maybe it’s just not your day.”
She pouted at my response, trying to appear nonchalant, but it was clear she was upset.
After rolling around on the bed for a while, she met my gaze and patted the empty space beside her. I understood her intention but chose to sit on the edge of the bed instead.
There was no need to be wary of Yeon-ju anymore. Her expression clearly said, “I’m tired. I’ve lost my will to fight.”
Go Yeon-ju leaned her head towards me, then promptly rested it on my thigh. Suddenly finding myself providing a lap pillow, I couldn’t help but let out a wry smile. It was a fleeting moment, but it left the atmosphere awkward. One thing was certain, though: by sparing her life, Go Yeon-ju now owed me a debt. As a user who had reached the 10th level, she surely understood the implications.
After enjoying the comfort of my thigh for a moment, she let out a long sigh and began to speak.
“Phew… Well, at least now things are a bit clearer.”
“What’s clearer?” I asked lightly.
She raised her hand and playfully poked my nose with her fingertip.
“I thought I might die just now. But here I am, alive. You… you were definitely debating whether to kill me or let me live.”
I didn’t respond, but Go Yeon-ju glared at me with a pout. She seemed to take my silence as an unspoken confirmation. After staring at me for a while, she clicked her tongue and continued.
“But since you chose to spare me, it means you want something from me, right? So why don’t you just tell me? We didn’t even know each other before you joined the group. What do you want from me, and why did you consider killing me?”
”…”
“Stop with the silent treatment and just tell me. I deserve to know what’s going on, don’t I? So I can at least say something in return.”
Despite her insistence, I deliberately held back my words. Go Yeon-ju was different from Ha-yeon or Shin Sang-yong. As a proud user with a secret class, she had her own thoughts and a strong sense of pride. While my caravan was decent and my plans were well-regarded, it wasn’t enough to convince her to join the clan I intended to form. I suspected she would likely refuse. Of course, if she did, I could just kill her, but there was a lingering sense of regret. I couldn’t help but imagine how valuable she would be to our group and the clan.
After some contemplation, I made up my mind. The conclusion was, “I can’t decide right now.” Go Yeon-ju was intrigued by me, and I wanted to see more of her. It seemed necessary to give her time to spend with me and our group, and for me to observe her more closely.
Having sorted out my thoughts, I calmly raised my hand and gently stroked her soft hair. She closed her eyes, as if savoring my touch.
“It’s getting pretty late, don’t you think?”
“Huh? Why the sudden formality?” she asked, opening her eyes slightly in response to my words.
I wanted to say, “You started speaking informally first,” but I held back. I had a condition in mind for her, one she couldn’t refuse. After all, she owed me her life, so she would likely comply.
Moreover, considering what awaited us at the end of the Cave of Despair, having Go Yeon-ju with us would be a great advantage. I licked my lips and spoke before they dried.
“Business hasn’t been great for you lately, has it? Why not take a little break now that things have turned out this way?”
“Hmm…?”
Her voice turned playful at my suggestion. Seeing her reaction, I continued slowly.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Hello, this is Ro Yujin.
Yes, I’ve decided to put Go Yeon-ju’s situation on hold for now. She’s such an intriguing character that it felt wasteful to kill her off just yet. We’ll see how things progress, but it seems the scales are tipping towards recruiting her. Haha.
Oh, by the way, there are some character fan arts by “BrokenFan” in my gallery. I highly recommend checking them out. Personally, I really like the drawings of Go Yeon-ju and Kim Soo-hyun. I find myself looking at Go Yeon-ju’s picture repeatedly. Hehe.
『 Reader Comments 』
WarriorHunterT: Congratulations on being first! I was surprised at how quickly you commented. Haha. Congratulations again on beating the competition, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Kuroshion: Yes, I sometimes wonder too. How do you manage to comment the moment it’s posted? -_-a
hohokoya1: I completely understand the struggles of work life. ㅜ.ㅠ Especially Mondays. I hope my novel provides a brief escape from that. If it helps, I’m even more grateful. Fighting!
GradeRown: Haha, “You’re the first to treat me this way.” That’s surprisingly good. I’ll consider it. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ.
Dangryong: Yes, that’s correct. The key themes were conflict and survival.
NoruSquirrel: Oh, please don’t report me. My writing isn’t a drug. ㅜ.ㅠ
BrokenFan: Go… Go Yeon-ju… pant pant. Oh, no, it’s not because of the fan art. Really, it’s not. pant…
MoonCookie: I apologize. Please put the axe away. It’s scary… ㅜ.ㅠ
OjaAjaAna: I asked for a little more time to think. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ. I should have a conclusion by next week.
BoredTraveler: Even with the 10th level, there are times when positions open up, and new talents can push out the existing top 10. And… as events unfold, many positions in the top 10 will become vacant. :)
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