Chapter 67: ■■■■ Skill Book

“Then, how about we go to my place to wash up and eat?”

“…!”

“I also have something I want to discuss regarding immigration and express my gratitude for helping Rohan.”

Rohan intervened in the conversation, attempting to convey Clara’s intentions and extract her from the situation on her behalf.

He thought that, given the girl’s timid nature, she would never accept the offer.

“Th-Thank you! Then… excuse me…”

But what was this?

Before Rohan could even move, Clara bowed her head deeply, indicating her agreement.

…Clara?

There was no way of knowing what she was feeling when she accepted Juyeon’s invitation.

Her answer left Rohan stunned, his heart doing a somersault and a lump forming in his throat.

Frankly, he was more bewildered than proud.

His speech was locked by this incomprehensible situation.

The girl lifted her lowered gaze and met Rohan’s eyes.

While she had agreed to go, Clara didn’t look well.

Her hands trembled with nervousness, and her face was pale.

It appeared that accepting the invitation had overloaded her mental capacity.

Then why?

Why did she accept Juyeon’s offer?

Rohan racked his brain, wondering if he had missed something in the girl’s behavior. He pondered whether he should ask again and stop her, even now.

But the determination in Clara’s eyes was clear.

“Rohan. What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

“Ah, I apologize.”

Juyeon’s voice snapped Rohan back to reality.

Letting out a short, amused laugh as if it was nothing, Juyeon brushed aside her red bangs and continued the topic.

“You said you haven’t eaten properly while adrift. It’ll be a late dinner, but would you like to join us, Rohan?”

“Is that alright with you?”

“Clara seems comfortable when she’s with you. I also want to hear the story in more detail.”

“…!”

Juyeon’s sharp deduction and judgment.

Clara blushed shyly, but the tension seemed to ease from her face a little.

“Rohan. The Peacekeepers will drive you to the front of your dormitory. Go wash up and come over slowly.”

At her words, Rohan looked down at his attire.

It’s just rags.

His cadet uniform was torn like rags, stained with dried blood.

It was an outfit that would draw attention if he walked out on the street as is.

“Don’t even think about wandering around alone. If you walk around like that, someone might report you, and you might end up back at the Public Security Bureau.”

“…”

At Juyeon’s words, Rohan wordlessly got into the Peacekeeper’s car.

He didn’t forget to exchange messages with Clara while on the move.

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I wanted to go to Oppa’s house…

Clara thought as she watched Rohan leave in the car. She’d changed a lot recently.

Many of these changes were for the better, but there were moments like this where she displayed an absurd level of boldness.

Before she could think rationally, her mouth would move first, leaving her in an awkward situation once she came to her senses.

She couldn’t quite grasp what feelings had led her to accept the invitation. Thanks to this, being left alone with Juyeon was extremely daunting.

So Clara, having come to her senses and experiencing a mental overclock, and Juyeon, who was relieved that Rohan had returned safely, found themselves in a one-sided conversation.

“Then, shall we get going?”

“Y-Yes…”

Clara, after Rohan’s departure, shriveled up like a flower deprived of sunlight.

As if the timidity she’d shown so far wasn’t even a fraction of her true timidity, she displayed an extremely shy attitude, barely managing to squeak out a response to Juyeon’s questions while sweating profusely.

However, Juyeon wasn’t flustered.

Wasn’t she an Instructor at Orion Academy specializing in cadets around Clara’s age?

As they headed home, thanks to Juyeon’s efforts, it seemed like the girl’s lips had opened ever so slightly.

Ding-dong!

Juyeon opened the door and gestured for Clara to enter.

“Make yourself at home.”

“Ex-Excuse me…!”

Clara took off her black boots at the shoe rack.

She lifted her lowered head and looked ahead. And she couldn’t help but admire the sight.

Wow…

Juyeon’s residence in Academy City. Should she call it a house or a palace?

In any case, this level of wealth overwhelmingly exceeded Clara’s expectations. Her shoulders involuntarily slumped.

The girl followed behind Juyeon, passing through a hallway wider and longer than her own room.

And then they arrived at the living room, which resembled a sports field.

Juyeon led the hesitant Clara and opened a shelf, taking out toiletries.

At the same time, she spoke gently.

“Take out your weapons and put them somewhere convenient. I won’t touch them. If you wash them as they are, either the washing machine or the weapons will be damaged.”

“…”

As expected, she knew without being told.

Clara started taking out her weapons without resistance. She knew how meaningless and insignificant her blades became in front of Juyeon.

Except for the weapons hidden in her boots, she began placing her weapons on the table.

Two classic fixed blade knives, a karambit, two folded balisongs, a silencer and a pistol.

Even the empty magazine she’d used in the Dungeon.

After neatly placing them, Clara held onto her most important weapon, Arachne.

“That door over there is the bathroom. Leave your clothes in front of the door, and I’ll wash them for you, so don’t worry and go wash up. I’ll leave out some spare clothes for you.”

“Th-Thank you…”

Clara took the items from Juyeon and scurried towards the bathroom.

The bathroom is bigger than my room…?

She marveled with every door she passed.

Clara quietly closed the door and carefully undressed.

Finally, down to her underwear.

She slightly opened the door, slipping her hand through the gap to hand over her laundry.

Before heading to the shower, which seemed ready to dispense hot water at any moment, the girl observed her naked body reflected in the mirror.

She moved this way and that, checking herself out.

Are they… too small?

When she cupped them in her hands and squeezed, they were soft and pliable, but they didn’t quite fill her hand.

It was something she had never cared about before, but lately, it had been a particular concern.

Noa unnie and Shion unnie were both big… And her too…

The women around Rohan all possessed strikingly voluptuous figures.

Except for herself.

Meeting such amazing people made her acutely aware of her own inadequacies.

“…”

Would the outcome have been different if she had eaten well during puberty?

Clara felt a pang of sorrow looking at the meager curves reflected in the mirror.

Meanwhile, outside the bathroom…

“Huh?”

Juyeon, picking up Clara’s clothes to do the laundry, stopped in surprise.

Her mouth dropped open unconsciously.

Where on earth did she get these undergarments…?

Juyeon had thought Clara’s outfits were unique and flamboyant. But what was hidden underneath was even more so.

In Juyeon’s hand was an incredibly revealing set of see-through lingerie, small pieces of fabric barely covering the essentials.

It seemed like even if worn, her buttocks would be completely visible, and it was so thin that you could see her fingers through the fabric.

Is this… what everyone wears these days?

Juyeon was flustered.

For someone who only sought comfortable, plain materials, this kind of underwear was something out of a fantasy.

She began to seriously consider whether it would be alright to give Clara her own plain clothes to wear while her clothes were in the washing machine.

“Phew!”

Arriving back at his dormitory, Rohan finally had time to relax and savor his rewards.

There had been some commotion, but in the end, things had been resolved rather smoothly.

He struggled out of his cadet uniform, which had stiffened with dried blood.

Rummaging through his jacket, he checked the rewards Shion had given him.

He’d had Clara consume hers on the spot, but Rohan’s remained. Things like this required a moment of focused concentration after consumption.

This is big.

Two fingernail-sized fruits rolled around in his palm.

Upon leaving the Dungeon, knowledge about this item had entered his mind. Rohan was familiar with it anyway.

In Abyss City, it was an item that could be obtained by repeatedly clearing Dungeons, but he didn’t know how things worked in reality.

In any case, he desperately needed power. So, he wouldn’t refuse the gesture.

Rohan swallowed both fruits, including the one Shion had given him.

“Hmm.”

A sweet taste lingered on his tongue, with a slightly bitter aftertaste.

He understood why Clara had grimaced after eating it.

How much time had passed since he swallowed it?

Rohan focused on the changes he felt.

Oh! Is this Mana?

Perhaps it was because it was an elixir, even if a low-grade one. The Mana in his body fizzed like popping candy.

The sensation quickly subsided, and Rohan felt a satisfactory improvement, considering the description of “slight.”

Good. Next.

It was time to check the real prize.

The reward called “Seneca’s Luck,” which he hadn’t understood by name alone.

Even after receiving it, Rohan couldn’t grasp what it was.

He found the answer by opening the Shop.

The pleasure of having abundant Points despite buying so much food and potions was secondary.

The text for the Random Skill Book was distorted. It must have been due to that thing called Seneca’s Luck.

His curiosity was intensely piqued.

Thinking deeply wouldn’t provide any answers.

Rohan immediately took action.