Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Otherworld Cheat Harem.

Episode 20: Thanksgiving Festival (3).

“Ugh…”

Waking up with a hangover, I gulped down the water on my desk. Even then, the hangover didn’t go away, so I sat with a frown for a while.

Then suddenly, realizing that a hangover was also a form of pain, I used my ability to convert the pain into pleasure.

The intense headache that had been engulfing my head instantly disappeared, replaced by a refreshing pleasure sweeping through my entire brain. The minty scent, sharp and invigorating, seemed to resonate deep within my mind.

Feeling a freshness as if my brain was being washed with bleach, I woke up and checked the time on the clock.

It was still 5:50 in the morning. Too early for sunrise. After roughly wiping the sleep from my eyes in the bathroom, I started running around the city.

The aftermath of last night’s festival hadn’t been fully cleaned up, with vomit and trash scattered throughout the city.

Sweating slightly, I returned to my room, took a shower to wash off the sweat, and changed my clothes.

By then, the inn’s dining room was bustling with people who had come down for breakfast.

The second day of the festival.

Today, I had another date planned with Seoyoon.

“You’re late.”

“Haha, sorry.”

I woke up early in the morning, did a quick workout, showered, dressed, and waited for Seoyoon, who was still asleep.

But in this other world where there were no smartphones, no TV, not even a book to read, what could one do?

Sleep was the easiest form of entertainment for people, and it was the same for me. What was supposed to be a quick nap turned into over an hour of sleep, and in the end, I didn’t wake up until Seoyoon had finished all her preparations and came out.

“What kind of guy oversleeps on a date day?”

“I said I’m sorry.”

“I’ll let it slide this time. Next time, don’t expect any mercy.”

“Yeah, yeah, thanks.”

I expressed my gratitude to Seoyoon, who accepted my apology, while I looked her up and down. She seemed to sense my gaze and casually tucked her hair behind her ear.

“You tied your hair up? It looks nice.”

“I just tied it because it’s hot.”

“It suits you.”

She usually wore her hair down, but today, she had it braided and half tied up.

It resembled a laurel wreath that goddesses might wear.

‘She put on makeup too.’

Knowing how hard it was to find cosmetics in this other world, the fact that she dressed up to look pretty was deeply moving to me.

And what had I done in comparison? Absolutely nothing. Feeling a bit sheepish, I grabbed her hand and took the lead.

“I’ll be your guide today.”

“Okay.”

“You can look forward to it.”

I led her towards the city.

In the distant past in the other world, it was said that there were coliseums where humans fought against each other. However, as time passed, it became rare to see humans fighting each other.

Making slaves fight among themselves and watching it from a safe place was all to feel a sense of superiority.

I was better than those guys.

I was a slightly better human being.

It was for that little sense of superiority; the problem was that creatures inferior to real humans appeared.

Monsters without a shred of intelligence.

Moreover, these creatures had inferior intellect but far superior physical abilities compared to humans, making their battles inherently more entertaining.

“Damn, it’s huge…”

“Yeah, really.”

The two of us arrived at the interspecies coliseum. Today’s event featured a giant monster special: a 5-meter-tall ogre versus a 10-meter-long giant salamander.

Both were said to have been captured alive from the upper levels of the dungeon. In other words, these two monsters were foes we might have to face someday.

“What do you think? Could you take them down?”

“…I wouldn’t know without trying. Especially that salamander.”

Seoyoon said, pointing at the salamander that was thumping around on all fours.

“Do you think you could freeze it to death?”

“If I do it from this distance, maybe I wouldn’t get caught?”

“Hmm…”

Soon after, the ogre and the salamander clashed. Despite being more than twice its size, the ogre held a weapon in its hand.

It was said to be a club carved from a world tree that had aged for over a thousand years. Whether that was true or false, the wildly swung club left not a scratch on the salamander’s body even when it struck.

The salamander endured the powerful blows, capable of breaking ancient trees, with its bare body, then used its weight to pounce on the ogre.

The ogre was not to be underestimated, but the size difference between them was over twice, resulting in a weight difference of more than ten times.

Even for an ogre known for its strength, it was quite a challenge to exert more force than an opponent ten times its weight, so it was only able to hold on to the salamander with difficulty.

As the ogre’s defeat seemed half-assured, Seoyoon closed her eyes and focused.

At the same moment, the salamander let out a strangled cry and froze for a brief moment. The ogre, a natural hunter, didn’t miss its chance.

Soon, a club swung with full force struck its head, and the salamander, hit at a vital point, collapsed with its tongue out.

Once the salamander’s defeat was confirmed, the mages cast spells to subdue the ogre and escorted both monsters to prison.

People couldn’t believe the outcome that the ogre had won and went wild.

“Bullshit! This is rigged! How’s that even possible?!”

“It’s rigged! Why did it suddenly stop?!”

Where there’s a duel, there’s gambling. It was no different in this world. Moreover, the ogre was the underdog, matching its massive size. The odds were over two and a half times…

Seoyoon, who caused this disaster, opened her eyes with an indifferent expression.

“It didn’t work.”

“R-really?”

“Yes. The defenses are stronger than I thought… Stopping it for a moment is the limit.”

Unlike the physically strong lower-tier monsters, the upper-tier monsters tend to become more magically powerful.

The salamander was, of course, a beast that breathed magically powerful fire, and it was natural for it to have resistance to Seoyoon’s abilities.

And that meant that either I or Eunha had to directly take down that monster.

‘…Is that even possible?’

I unconsciously fiddled with the sword hilt at my waist. Honestly, I wasn’t confident. It was human nature to be reluctant to face something about 20 cm taller than oneself.

Facing a 5-meter or 10-meter monster was something that was practically impossible. The problem was that the people of this world were indeed accomplishing such difficult tasks…

‘I don’t know.’

I stood up after watching the finished match. There were still many places to go. The festival was in full swing, and as long as you had money, there were plenty of things to enjoy.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay…”

I held Seoyoon’s hand. For some reason, her hand was warm. I wondered if it was just because she used that ability.

“Are you okay? Can you manage?”

“…I’m okay. For now. I’ll let you know if it gets tough.”

“If you feel like you can’t hold on, let me know. If it’s urgent, we can even go into the back alley…”

Thud, Seoyoon’s fist struck my shoulder.

“…Just kidding, kidding.”

“Let’s go.”

However, Seoyoon still seemed upset and ignored me as she began walking ahead. I couldn’t even visit the next shop because I was busy calming her down.

“Here we have something you don’t see every day! A circus made entirely of mages!”

A circus made entirely of mages.

We, enticed by the phrase, headed straight to the circus tent. After paying an exorbitant fee that seemed excessive for an ordinary circus, we went inside, and soon the circus began.

[Welcome, audience!]

Indeed, it was no exaggeration to say that everyone was a mage, as the performance started with a strong sound amplification magic that made our bodies tremble.

The mage who caught our attention was flying through the air, suspended by a very thin wire, spinning around and creating a breeze to circulate the air inside the tent, which could have been warm.

‘What kind of magic is used like this…?’

Next, a goblin appeared, riding on a ball and juggling multiple balls, followed by a mage who shot flames like arrows, piercing all the balls the goblin was rolling.

The fireworks shot out seemed to head towards the audience, but were scattered in the air by a wind mage, and then disappeared like a bird in the sky.

My impression of it was… underwhelming.

‘It’s not too bad, but something feels off…’

The mages, who didn’t seem to use much power, started panting.

Shortly after, when the mages who cast magic a couple more times were so exhausted that they couldn’t even lift their heads, the show ended.

Having paid the equivalent of ten movie tickets on Earth, yet the show lasted less than ten minutes, I expressed some dissatisfaction.

“What is this…?”

However, the reactions of the people around me were different.

“To think you can watch magic for money.”

“I hope I can see it again next time.”

“No way. By tomorrow, the rumors will spread, and you won’t even get a seat.”

Hearing their words and falling into thought for a moment, I finally understood why they reacted that way.

‘…Well, this is another world.’

To modern people accustomed to all sorts of dazzling CGI, magic seemed less impressive than a mage’s show or even a cheap B-grade movie struggling with a lack of budget.

But the people of this world were different. They likely hadn’t even seen a movie filmed with a camera, let alone computer graphics.

“Interesting.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. It’s interesting.”

Fortunately, Seoyoon seemed to enjoy this cheap magic show. Watching her reaction, I slipped out of the tent.

At the same time, my stomach began to signal. I met eyes with Seoyoon. Although she didn’t show it, she seemed to be getting hungry too.

“Let’s go eat.”

I said that as I led her to a restaurant.

Lunch was had at an outrageously expensive restaurant—one where a single meal cost as much as what Seoyoon earned in an entire day.

There was no other choice. The Great Thanksgiving Festival was a nationwide celebration, and every restaurant was packed with customers. Ultimately, the only places with available seats were such upscale restaurants…

“It’s delicious.”

“If it weren’t tasty at this price, it’d be shameless.”

“It’s fine. It’s not that expensive.”

“Two days’ wages just flew away.”

“You can earn more easily if you want.”

“That’s true, but…”

Seoyoon didn’t mind spending her own money. After all, for her, it was as if money poured in just by waving her hand a few times.

Moreover, she could earn more if she wanted. She only held back to prevent the market from crashing after bringing in too many mana stones at once.

‘Lately, I don’t even worry about such things…’

As I was thinking that while walking down the street with Seoyoon, someone blocked our path.

“Wow, you two look close! Are you a couple?”

“…No, why are you suddenly picking a fight?”

Instinctively, my hand went to the hilt of my sword, but I paused when I saw the person who appeared.

“Long time no see, man. How have you been?”

Hanyoung and his gang were standing there. Hanyoung looked at the two of us holding hands and gave a sly smile.

“I knew you two would end up like this.”

“…It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, it’s been a while. How have you been? Leveled up?”

“No, not yet.”

“…Not yet? Why not?”

Hanyoung stroked his chin thoughtfully, as if he couldn’t believe it. I told my former colleague the truth.

“…What? You’re still hanging around on the third floor? Why?”

“Well, if you go up quickly and get into danger…”

“Are you an idiot?”

“…Huh?”

“No, I asked if you’re an idiot. Why are you still messing around on the third floor?”

He said that as he took out a silver-plated badge from his pocket. It was a senior adventurer badge given only to those who had reached level 2.

“We leveled up long ago.”

Then, the nameless thugs standing behind him also took out their badges. They, too, had the same senior adventurer badges.

In other words, we were far behind those who had left the party long ago.