Blinding sunlight hammered against my eyes. I struggled to open them, and through the blurry haze, I saw the old ceiling trembling as if it might collapse at any moment. I waited for my vision to clear, then groaned and pushed myself up—only to be hit by a wave of dizziness like a tidal surge. I felt like I was going to die.
“…”
My tangled hair, pale face, and eyes darkened as if lifeless… The reflection staring back at me from the grimy cracked mirror was pitiful beyond words. Who am I? Where am I? A mountain is a mountain, and water is water. If you want to live, you’ll die; if you want to die, you just die. Last night, I almost really died.
Lost in my own ramblings, I suddenly heard the bathroom door open.
“Oh, you’re awake.”
The woman who stepped out, gently running a white towel through her wet hair, was Han So-young. She smiled warmly when she saw me, came closer, and quietly pulled me into a gentle embrace, patting my back softly.
“You really went through a lot yesterday. Hehe.”
Hearing her soft voice sent a chill down my spine, reminding me of the ruthless cowgirl So-young had turned into last night. But I forced a smile and quickly took the lead.
“Nothing to complain about. I’ll wash up and come out soon.”
“Will you?”
“Yes. How about we have breakfast before I head back?”
“Sounds good.”
So-young nodded with a bright smile I’d rarely seen before—maybe once in ten years. Not wanting to hear her say, “It’s a shame to leave so soon, so how about a quick round over breakfast?” I hurried into the bathroom and shut the door tight. The faint hum of her humming on the other side gave me a small measure of comfort.
After eating breakfast at some nameless inn, So-young stuck close to me all the way back to Atlanta, acting sweet and affectionate. When we parted, she even walked me to the clan house and gave me a deep kiss, thanking me.
Just yesterday, her every move had been laced with inexplicable irritation and hysteria, but overnight, her attitude had done a complete 180. That much pent-up desire, huh.
I kept sighing all the way to Mercenary Castle. How did things end up like this?
Well, who could I blame? It was all because of my own mouth.
The whole mess started a week ago during the festival. After being dragged away suddenly, I was hit with a random question: “Who’s your ideal type?” Without thinking, I blurted out, “Hmm. Probably Im Hanna?”
But by the time I realized that question was a trap set by Gongmyeong—or rather, Jeogal Haesol—it was already too late. The festive atmosphere, once so lively, instantly turned cold as if doused with ice water.
No matter how much I tried to explain, it was useless. Every woman except the deeply embarrassed Im Hanna expressed their displeasure in their own way, and the festival ended in a tense, hostile mood. The blame—“The clan lord ruined the festival,” “The clan lord was at fault”—was just the icing on the cake.
The next day, through Ko Yeon-ju, I received an official statement from a strange group called “Down with King Jjijji.” It was a cute note saying they’d grant each of us a wish to cheer us up. Thinking it was no big deal, I approved it without hesitation. From that moment on, things started to go weird, and before I knew it, I was in this mess.
Well, fine, I could accept granting wishes. When I spent the whole day playing with Soona, the first to make a wish, it wasn’t so bad.
Ko Yeon-ju’s request to call her “noona” for a day was bearable, and Nam Da-eun’s bizarre roleplay—where she was a noble and strong female warrior, the “Queen of Swords,” who lost a duel to the demon king Kim Soo-hyun and was captured, humiliated, and ultimately corrupted—was strange but manageable.
The problem was Gehenna and Hwajeong. Gehenna, fourth in line, dragged me over to Hwajeong and made me say things like “Hwajeong is so ugly” and “Gehenna is way better than Hwajeong.”
Then, the very next day, Hwajeong, fifth in line, forced me to shout things like “How dare you crawl back after running away once?” and “I can’t stand the sight of you, so get lost in hell.” Eventually, the two of them ended up in a full-on brawl, hair-pulling and all.
And then there was the encounter with Han So-young, which started and ended with sex…
“Haaah…”
Come to think of it, how many are left now? So-young was the sixth. I pulled out the statement I’d received from Ko Yeon-ju and checked. Let’s see… the remaining names were Lee Yoo-jung, Jung Ha-yeon, Kim Han-byul, and Excalibur… Wait, what? Excalibur? Who wrote that?
“Oppa!”
Just then, as I rubbed my eyes and double-checked the statement, a high-pitched voice pierced my ears. Glancing up, I saw the pristine white castle looming nearby, and at the main gate, Lee Yoo-jung was waving at me, dressed up beautifully. If she’s out like that…
“Here she comes! Hehe.”
“Yeah, I guess. Were you waiting for me?”
“Of course~. I’ve been counting down the days until it was my turn. I got up early this morning to get ready and wait, you know?”
“Ha ha. You didn’t have to go that far…”
Don’t smile at me like that. If I tell you to take it easy, you’ll probably get hurt.
“Oh, I see. So, what kind of request do you have?”
But the weak must comply with expectations. I hate this about myself. Where did the dignity I had when commanding the entire army across the plains go? This frail version of me is pathetic. Whether she knew it or not, Yoo-jung came closer as if to claim me.
“I’ve already thought it all out. Follow me.”
“Where are we going?”
“Just come with me, I said!”
“Could you at least tell me where…?”
Yoo-jung grabbed me like I was hers and bounced along as she dragged me. We warped to the city of Barbara in the old northern continent. As soon as we stepped out of the portal, she linked arms with me and after a short walk, stopped.
“Where is this…?”
The final destination was, surprisingly, the Inn of Beginnings—the place where prospective users who survived the rite of passage first set foot on the Hall Plain.
“Where was it… the second one? Ah, there it is!”
Yoo-jung walked to the second building from the left and flung the door open without hesitation. She stepped inside and let out a soft gasp.
“It’s just like it used to be.”
“You wanted to come here?”
“Hmm? Yeah, I did.”
“Why?”
“Just wanted to come once. Just the two of us.”
“…”
Yoo-jung spun around once and smiled brightly at me. Setting aside the fact that it was a surprisingly wholesome request, it was unexpected in many ways. I stared blankly for a moment, then slowly stepped inside.
Though the move to Atlanta had been underway, the old Inn of Beginnings was, as Yoo-jung said, preserved exactly as it had been. Except for the thick layers of dust, it was like coming home after a five-year journey.
“Wow, so this is what nostalgia feels like.”
“Honestly, I thought you were really dead back then.”
“Yeah. It was here. I fought like hell with that bastard Park Dong-geol who said he saw the broken crossbow.”
“Speaking of which, I wonder what that bastard’s up to now. Hope he’s still alive.”
While Yoo-jung wandered around giggling, I watched her quietly for a while before speaking softly.
“Yoo-jung.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you want to go home?”
“…Home? Earth?”
The sudden question made her hesitate. Yoo-jung straightened up from the railing and twirled the ends of her red hair, tilting her head.
“Yeah~. I guess, at least once?”
“At least once?”
“Yeah, yeah. You know how we were dragged here so suddenly. So I want to see my mom and dad. And my friends. Even if I end up living here, I want to come to terms with it at least once.”
“That sounds like you want to live on the Hall Plain rather than Earth.”
“Maybe?”
“Why?”
I kept pressing, and Yoo-jung’s eyes widened. Then she said,
“Because I don’t think I can adjust to life on Earth.”
So that’s what she meant by “at least once.” Her words were vague, but there was a part of me that felt the same way.
“So if you get the chance to go back, you wouldn’t refuse?”
“No? Of course I’d go back.”
“What? But just now you said…”
“No, wait a minute, oppa.”
At that moment—
“Do you have to choose just one?”
One simple sentence stopped the whirlwind in my head cold.
I stared blankly, and Yoo-jung blinked as if to say, “What’s so hard about it?” Without thinking, I walked over and sat on the stairs beside her. It was a signal to keep talking. Yoo-jung plopped down next to me and shrugged.
“Like I said earlier, I like this world. I don’t think I can live on Earth. But I want to see my mom and dad at least once.”
“…”
“You know, the residents have it tough, but users can come and go freely, right? So if the opportunity comes, like you said, I can just go and come back.”
“…”
“To be honest, I’m not really sure. If I go and find it livable, maybe I’ll stay… If not, I’ll just use my abilities to make a ton of money and take care of my parents. A year or two should be enough, right?”
“……”
“And after that? Mom and Dad? Well… wouldn’t the me on Earth, who’s steadily working toward the ordinary dream of becoming a police officer, be better than the me in Hall Plain itching to fight monsters?”
“……”
At that point, Lee Yoo-jung laughed and said, “Ah, scratch that ‘steadily’ part.”
And I just sat there.
“……Yeah.”
Suddenly, I felt something strange.
What Yoo-jung said was simple. It was just casual talk, really. There was no guarantee it would work out.
Still, at some point, my mind cleared. It was a way of thinking I’d never considered before, trapped as I’d been by my own obsessions. I just listened without overthinking it, and somehow, I found myself agreeing without resistance.
It was completely unexpected. I’d only asked out of curiosity about someone else’s thoughts, never imagining I’d hear something like that. It felt like walking through a dark tunnel with no end in sight, then suddenly spotting a faint light ahead. Like shedding an invisible noose that had been tightening around me, freeing my body.
Even lost in thought, Yoo-jung’s chatter kept flowing.
“Oppa, oppa. Talking about this reminds me of that time at the mule’s inn… what was it called again?”
“The Proper Lady.”
“Oh, right. Do you remember? Back when you were still a rookie user, you gave me a dagger.”
“Yeah. I don’t remember why, but you sulked under the covers afterward.”
“Ugh, don’t bring that up so bluntly. It’s embarrassing. Anyway, I think I’ve changed a bit since then.”
“How so?”
I asked, nudging her side playfully.
“Think about it. Who would’ve guessed that sweet, obedient girl would turn into a blood-soaked crazy woman five years later? Heheheh!”
“Oh? Your moans sound extra charming today.”
“W-what! Don’t scare me like that! I’m just excited.”
“Then say it again.”
This time, I suddenly tickled her underarms. Yoo-jung screamed, “Eeeek!” Seeing her adorable reaction, I couldn’t help myself and started tickling her with both hands. She squirmed and made sounds somewhere between laughter and moans, and I laughed along.
“Enough already. If someone outside hears that, they’ll think you’re up to something.”
“Wah, wah! I’m ticklish!”
“Wow, the famed mercenary queen making such embarrassing noises. If our clan members, especially Ahn-hyun, heard this, they’d faint on the spot.”
“D-don’t say that! Hic! I only act like this around you! Do you think I do this to everyone else? …Ah, oppa! Why are you suddenly like this?”
Feeling fond of her, I swallowed my teasing words and softened my tone.
“Why? Because you like it.”
And with that, I tackled Yoo-jung, knocking her down.
“Yeah, actually I do like it… Ah! W-wait a minute!”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
I’ve posted the event results in the previous chapter’s notes.
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Have a relaxing night. :)