Preparations for Flight
“Working hard in the shadows, aren’t we? Even if we’re enemies… it’s nice to meet you.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard a lot about you. Han So-young, the commander of the battlefield. And you’re her Sword Master, right? Was it Jin Soo-hyun?”
“Oh, sorry. Not Jin Soo-hyun, but Kim Soo-hyun.”
“Maybe if I’d met her first, I might have joined her ranks. She’s that captivating.”
“Not much for jokes, are you? Where I am now isn’t bad. Besides, betrayal isn’t my thing.”
Fortunately, the warp gate was still offering discounted rates. Normally, it would cost 2 gold per person, totaling 8 gold for all of us, but with a 50% discount, we only had to pay 4 gold.
The kids were wide-eyed with wonder as they stepped into the portal, rippling like a gentle wave. They’d been through this a few times during initiation, so you’d think they’d be used to it by now. But their gawking was a dead giveaway: “I’m a newbie user.”
Such small actions could make them targets for vagrants, and I was itching to warn them. But I didn’t want to be labeled as the nagging mom right from the start, so I kept my mouth shut.
Once fully immersed in the portal, it felt like diving naked into the sea, a refreshing sensation enveloping my entire body. I closed my eyes, savoring the clear energy that filled me. When I opened them again, the scenery had changed to the humble sights of a small town.
We had arrived in Mule.
Mule was far from prosperous, to put it mildly. The kids’ reactions were priceless. Having lived in the bright, grand city of Barbara, with its neat roads and clean buildings, they were at a loss for words seeing this rundown town.
It was unlikely that a frontier town like Mule would ever catch up to Barbara, unless its leader was exceptionally skilled. I led the kids over the uneven, ochre-colored dirt paths.
The streets of Mule were mostly quiet. The few users we saw were poorly equipped. Considering it was the time between morning and afternoon, most people were probably out of town, but even so, you couldn’t expect to see users at every step like in a big city. (Not that I expected it in the first place.)
Yoo-jung, looking around with unfamiliar eyes, asked me curiously, “Oppa, what do we do now? Are we heading out of the city right away?”
What a reckless thought. We need a place to return to first. I shook my head.
“No, we need to find an inn to use as our base camp for now.”
“Base camp? An inn?”
“Without official clan registration, it’s hard to get a house, let alone a clan house. We’ll be staying at an inn for the time being.”
Besides, I planned to stop by an inn to grab some breakfast and lunch. The kids might not realize it, but for someone just setting foot in Hall Plain, this wasn’t a bad start. Users who couldn’t join a clan or dropped out of the user academy would struggle to make ends meet.
While a pub might be the most information-sensitive place in town, I had a different reason for choosing an inn. During my first time in Hall Plain, I spent a brief period in Mule and stayed at an inn without much thought.
Back then, I stayed there without a second thought and moved on, but later, I stumbled upon an interesting fact about that inn.
As I retraced my steps down the main road, I stopped in front of a shabby-looking inn. The kids following me also came to a halt. The faded sign read “The Modest Lady,” a peculiar name. I smiled lightly, thinking I’d found the right place, and was about to step inside.
Crash! Bang!
“Ahhh! Somebody help!”
A loud noise erupted from inside the inn, and a bearded male user burst through the door, running out in a panic. He nearly tripped over himself as he rolled to a stop in front of us.
But then, with a move almost like a stunt, he sprang to his feet and ran off without looking back. I could guess what had happened and chuckled, but the kids just stared dumbfounded in the direction he had fled.
“Don’t just stand there, come on in.”
A slightly husky but distinctly feminine voice floated out from inside the inn. I ushered the dazed kids inside, where we found a scene of chaos. Scattered dishes and overturned tables were the least of it. An-hyun groaned at the sight of broken chairs and toppled tables.
In the center of the hall stood a woman with a serene expression, a satisfied smile on her face. Her hair had a faint ash-gray tint, a unique feature among users.
She glanced at me, then slowly looked over all of us before speaking.
“New faces, are you guests?”
Her soft voice, capable of melting a man’s heart, flowed from her lips. An-hyun’s face turned red without him realizing it. Here we go again. I was immune to such temptations by now and answered calmly.
“Yes, we’re guests.”
“Dining? Lodging?”
“Both. We’d like to eat first, if possible.”
She smiled faintly at my response.
“I like polite men. Alright, kids. This place is a mess, so it might be a bit difficult. Why don’t you find another spot to wait?”
I led the kids to a table she indicated and sat down quietly. At first, they seemed too flustered to notice, but once they settled down, they began looking around curiously.
“The Modest Lady” was an inn I hadn’t visited in a while. It had three floors, with the first floor serving as a lobby and dining area, and the second and third floors as accommodations. The important thing was that there were no other users inside the inn besides us.
A short while later, the woman approached our table with a smile. The tables and chairs were still in disarray. She almost tossed the water, cups, and menu onto the table, but they spun in the air and landed gently in the center. The kids’ eyes widened in amazement.
“You can order anything, even if it’s not on the menu. I can make most things. What would you like?”
The kids all turned to me. I glanced at the menu briefly before answering. Honestly, I was just pretending to look; I already knew what to order here.
“Four A-course meals, please.”
“Oh my, handsome and decisive. The A-course will be out soon, so just wait a bit.”
With a sway that flaunted her figure, she headed into the kitchen. An-sol was pouting at me, and Yoo-jung’s expression was odd. Only An-hyun looked at me with envy.
“Oppa, this place feels weird. Why did we come here?”
“Yeah, it’s strange. Can’t we go somewhere else?”
Yoo-jung spoke with a dissatisfied look, and Sol quickly chimed in, agreeing with her. I tilted my head, surprised they wanted to leave. Was it really that strange? Hearing them, Hyun hurriedly spoke up with a flustered face.
“Well, I think it’s fine. It doesn’t seem that weird. Do we really need to go somewhere else?”
As soon as Hyun finished speaking, the two female users glared at him. Yoo-jung’s look said, “I knew it,” while Sol’s was filled with disappointment. Startled by their gazes, Hyun cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject.
“I’m really hungry. Let’s eat first and then talk.”
“Yeah, right. Did you fall for her at first sight?”
Hyun didn’t respond, just turned his head to look at the distant mountains. Yoo-jung shifted her focus to me, her voice sharp. Sol, who had been in a foul mood since the Barbara plaza, was grumbling uncharacteristically.
“Hmph. I don’t like being called ‘kids.’ We’re not babies.”
When An-sol finished speaking, Yoo-jung looked at her with a startled expression. I had also thought of Sol as a kid, so I had nothing to say. Yoo-jung scratched her head and continued to voice her complaints. Hmm. Why are they acting like this?
“If we’re going to an inn, we should go to a proper one. This place is obviously strange. It’s a mess inside, and that guy ran off like his life depended on it.”
I barely suppressed the urge to say, “Your personality is stranger. It’s unpredictable,” and responded with an awkward smile. Yoo-jung, still dissatisfied with my reaction, was about to start gossiping about Hyun and me with Sol when it happened.
Swoosh.
“Eek!”
Yoo-jung let out a strange squeal as she jumped. The woman had suddenly appeared behind her, holding a tray. An-hyun and An-sol looked like they were about to faint. They hadn’t sensed her presence at all, even though she was so close. Life is full of surprises, I thought wryly.
With her characteristic languid eyes and soft voice, the woman spoke.
“Oh my… I’ve never heard such a peculiar scream before.”
“You crazy…?!”
Yujeong was about to lose her temper at the woman’s calm demeanor when her eyes widened in shock, and she fell silent. The woman leaned forward and wrapped an arm around Yujeong’s shoulder, pulling her into an embrace. Before she knew it, Yujeong’s face was buried in the woman’s chest.
“Sweetheart.”
While Yujeong was too stunned to speak, a subtle aura began to emanate from the woman, quickly enveloping the room and transforming into a heavy, oppressive atmosphere. As the air changed, Ahn Hyun, Ahn Sol, and Yujeong all froze, their expressions turning rigid.
The woman leaned in close to Yujeong’s ear and whispered softly, “Curious why that man ran away so fast?”
Yujeong didn’t respond. Or rather, she couldn’t.
I watched the scene unfold without intervening. The woman was using a basic skill known to those with magical talent:
“The man came in and asked for an order… Do you know what he wanted?”
The air around the table was thick with tension, almost suffocating. Even if Ahn Hyun and Yujeong were oblivious, Sol should have been able to resist somewhat. Seeing Sol trembling with a bewildered expression, I realized she needed more real-world experience.
While I pondered these thoughts, the woman continued speaking to Yujeong.
“He said he wanted to drink my milk.”
The woman chuckled softly, and I couldn’t help but acknowledge her audacity. She then turned her gaze from Yujeong to me and Ahn Hyun, flashing a seductive smile. I wanted to let it play out a bit longer, but I couldn’t ignore Yujeong’s pleading eyes any longer.
I slowly reached for the glass of water on the table. The woman’s eyes lit up with interest as she watched me. I took a sip and set the glass back down, infusing it with a touch of my own magic.
Thud.
The sound of the glass hitting the wooden table was unusually loud. In that instant, my magic spread out from the glass, neutralizing the woman’s aura in a flash. Normally, I would use this to deliver a shock to an opponent, but this wasn’t a combat situation.
The oppressive atmosphere dissipated as quickly as it had come, like curtains being drawn back. Ahn Hyun and Ahn Sol, who had nearly sunk into their chairs, looked back and forth between me and the woman in surprise.
Yujeong, having been closest, was breathing heavily, clearly affected. Her face showed signs of frustration, but she kept her gaze lowered. She must have instinctively realized the vast difference in power between herself and the woman.
“Oh…?”
The woman straightened up, a small gasp escaping her lips, her expression shifting from surprise to curiosity. I spoke calmly.
“Sounds like that man deserved to be kicked out.”
The woman looked at me with amusement, then nodded in agreement.
”…Right? But he was still a customer. Business hasn’t been great lately… So I told him it would cost a hundred gold for a taste.”
I have a thousand gold.
“He didn’t seem like he had much money.”
“Yeah, he said he didn’t have any. But he offered something else in exchange.”
“What did he offer?”
The woman’s smile deepened as she replied, “He said he’d give me a bunch of syringes.”
“Wait, are there syringes in this world too?”
Ahn Hyun, having regained some composure, joined the conversation, his voice unusually low. It was clear he was trying to engage with the woman, and I couldn’t help but think how typical it was for a man to act this way.
The woman laughed, finding Ahn Hyun’s attempt endearing, and answered, “Of course. Every man carries a syringe filled with nutrients, don’t they?”
“What…?”
Ahn Hyun looked confused, and the woman pointed a slender finger at his pants.
“You have one too. A syringe filled with white nutrients.”
“White nutrients? Oh…?!”
“Yes, he said he’d inject it directly between my legs.”
Ahn Hyun’s face turned crimson as he finally understood the implication, and he lowered his head in embarrassment. Only Sol seemed oblivious to the conversation’s meaning, her expression blank.
“I was going to break that syringe… but he got away. Lucky him.”
The woman clicked her tongue in disappointment, and Ahn Hyun swallowed hard, quickly closing his legs.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
The reason Yujeong and Sol are so irritated is similar to why children look to their mothers. Haha.
A significant character made an appearance in this chapter. I hope the image I intended reaches the readers as I imagined.
Haha. The protagonist’s clan name is already decided… But thank you for all the great suggestions. I sincerely appreciate it.
CrossDie: Congratulations on being first! A surprising twist indeed. :)
여옥아놀자: Oh, full-body caress, huh? I’d like to learn more next time. (Haha)
아일릴리아: Thanks for pointing out the typo. It’s been fixed. Considering Suhyeon’s personality, you can probably guess.
vkfkd54: A clan name related to return (regression) might be interesting. Thank you for the valuable input.
Toranoanal: I’ve already come up with a clan name called Han. Your suggestion helped me think of another one. Thank you. You’ll see the second comment you made in the next chapter or the one after.
초하루: That pickpocket might get a taste of their own medicine. Thoroughly.
봉인된톨스토이: Wow, you’ve left a lot of comments. Thanks to you, I’ve found many new ideas. Thank you for the valuable advice.
불곰리즈: Get well soon…ㅜ.ㅠ Be careful on the slippery roads these days.
Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusk: You’ll find out within two chapters. Please wait a little longer. :)
블라미: Yes, there’s a definite merit. Barbaro was once an uncharted territory like Atlanta. I can’t say more without spoiling, so no comment. PK is like reality. If no one sees it, there’s no loss. Even if it happens, the judgment can vary depending on the situation…ㅇㅅㅇ.
I always read all the comments repeatedly. Please don’t feel too disappointed if there’s no reply. If you’re really curious, send me a message, and I’ll respond!
I’ll take my leave for today.
I hope you always read my work with a relaxed mind.
Recommendations, comments, critiques, and questions are always welcome.