Chapter 26

Chapter 26

I Installed a Dating App and Girls from Another World Became Obsessed with Me.

Episode 26: Martial Arts (3).

“Heu-heung~”

“…”

Having finally finished off two bags of chocolate, Cheon Yeo-hwa returned to the lake, humming happily.

I trailed behind Cheon Yeo-hwa.

“Why did you come back here?”

“Why, to retrieve the belongings I haven’t yet packed, of course.”

Leaving Cheon Yeo-hwa to gather her hidden belongings, I plopped down in a suitable spot.

Truthfully, I could have just given her the chocolate and gone our separate ways, but since Cheon Yeo-hwa was my matching partner, I needed to improve our relationship to claim the settlement rewards.

‘Even if not for the settlement rewards, leaving Cheon Yeo-hwa, my matching partner, alone might provoke this crazy app to do something.’

I couldn’t just blindly trust that the app would only reward my actions.

It might impose penalties at times.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.

First of all, Cheon Yeo-hwa was pretty. As pretty as Iris.

It would be a lie to say I didn’t have any ulterior motives as a man.

‘If only her personality wasn’t so… unique, she’d be alright.’

Of course, if she refused to accompany me, I’d be jumping to conclusions.

Honestly, in this harsh world of Murim, would any woman, even if rescued from bandits, continue traveling with a strange man she just met?

‘I don’t even know why a young lady from the Cheonma Divine Sect is here.’

I had a feeling this involved complicated matters, just like with Iris.

The problem was, unlike with Iris, I couldn’t learn what happened through the romance consulting curriculum.

‘I doubt she’d answer even if I asked.’

It was already incredibly strange that I knew she was a young lady from the Cheonma Divine Sect, given we just met.

‘Should I just tell her I’m from another world?’

I told Iris without much thought, but the more I thought about it, the less wise it seemed.

This was a one-sided matching.

I matched to meet women or get stronger, but what about the other person?

Iris, for instance, had no idea about the matching.

That meant the matching was done without at least getting the other person’s consent.

And where could I get the assurance that the other person was normal?

This app?

Even with my vague guess that my awakened abilities were involved, this app was the least trustworthy.

I could chalk up Iris’s case to sheer luck, but I needed to hide the fact that I was from another world from now on.

I didn’t know what the other person might think.

Seeing that the survey included hobbies like human dissection and corpse artistry, this app didn’t have any prejudice against anyone’s hobbies.

“Did you get everything?”

“Don’t rush me. A pervert like you only knows how to say things that make women dislike you.”

“…”

Should I just abandon her, farm elixirs here, and look for another matching partner?

I seriously considered it.

“Travel together?”

“Yeah, to a nearby city. How about it? I’m lost right now.”

I racked my brain, but couldn’t come up with a reason to travel with Cheon Yeo-hwa.

So, I decided to buy time while traveling to a nearby city and look for other options.

“Hmm…”

Cheon Yeo-hwa seemed to be deep in thought.

If she rejected this too, stalking would be my only option, so I couldn’t help but feel tense.

“Alright. It’s an obvious ploy, but I’ll play along this once.”

“What…”

“Isn’t it obvious? You can’t do anything to me right now, so you plan to travel with me and wait for an opportunity, don’t you?”

“…Should I just attack you then?”

“Hehe, don’t.”

The sword hanging at Cheon Yeo-hwa’s waist gleamed ominously.

It was in its sheath, but when did she draw it?

“I don’t want to see blood in broad daylight.”

“…You tried to kill me earlier.”

Anyway, after agreeing to a few conditions, I was able to travel with Cheon Yeo-hwa to a nearby city.

First, I had to lead the way.

“Isn’t that obvious? I know nothing about you. It’s only natural to walk behind to prepare for any situation. Just tell me the direction.”

Second, I had to answer her questions as truthfully as possible.

“What was that you used against the bandits? Lightning martial arts? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Not even evil techniques… Was it divine arts?”

“Magic.”

“Magic…? What’s that?”

“If you’re curious, let me touch your chest.”

“Acting like a pervert, as expected.”

“If you call me a pervert, I have to respond.”

I refused to bow down to her just because she’s a young lady from the Cheonma Divine Sect.

Third, I had to provide chocolate.

“You ate it all earlier.”

“That’s a lie.”

“…Eat moderately. You’ll gain weight.”

“That’s impossible. I’ve mastered several Maiden Cultivation techniques. Thanks to them, I don’t gain weight even if I eat excessively.”

Wow, what was that?

That was a martial art that reeked of money.

If you sold it to rich women, they’d flock to you with bundles of cash.

“Ah, of course, it has a side effect of weakening male sexual function if a man learns it. But how about it? I think it’s a martial art you really need.”

“On my face? I don’t look like I need it.”

“…You have strong self-love.”

As the two walked through the forest, exchanging pointless banter, Cheon Yeo-hwa stared at Kang Hyeon-u, who was walking ahead, with a chilling gaze.

The murderous intent she couldn’t hide, like a third-rate assassin, was nowhere to be seen.

Her perfectly refined murderous intent was so subtle that Kang Hyeon-u, who was nearby, couldn’t sense it.

‘What on earth is he?’

From the moment she met Kang Hyeon-u until now, Cheon Yeo-hwa hadn’t let her guard down for a single moment.

Not even when she was trapped under the metal net.

Not even when she was unguardedly packing her belongings by the lake.

She was ready to pull out the hidden dagger in her bosom and stab his neck at any moment if he tried to kill her.

But thankfully, or perhaps not, Kang Hyeon-u hadn’t shown any murderous intent since they met.

Only when he fought the bandits, perhaps?

That made it even harder to figure out his true identity.

If he were a killer under the First Young Master, he wouldn’t have come alone. He would have stalled for time to call his comrades, but he hadn’t shown any signs of doing so.

Besides, the chocolate he gave her wasn’t poisoned or drugged, but just a normal… no, incredibly delicious treat.

Of course, she couldn’t rule out the possibility that his actions were a ploy to lower her guard.

But as time passed, she began to wonder if he was really an assassin sent by the First Young Master to kill her.

Currently, the Divine Sect’s succession competition was a bloodbath.

Among the five successors, she and the First Young Master were the most likely candidates.

But that was in the past. After being tricked by the First Young Master’s schemes and losing most of her forces, she was no longer a candidate for the great sect’s succession, but just a loser.

Her once transcendent martial prowess was now only at the level of a high-ranking expert, due to the poison.

She was resisting the poison with Wollyeong Magong, but that too was reaching its limit.

The deadly poison that invaded her dantian was slowly eating away at her life.

She lost her position as a successor, her followers, and the martial arts she had practiced all her life. Now, she was just fleeing across the unfamiliar lands of Murim, avoiding assassins who could appear at any moment.

Kang Hyeon-u’s appearance in such a situation made her mind even more complicated.

He seemed to have fallen from the sky.

Even though her current martial prowess was only at the level of a high-ranking expert, she could confidently say that she could sense the presence of even a master at the peak of transcendence, at least while she was bathing.

But he was standing in front of her from some point on.

As if he had been there all along.

It was an extremely excellent stealth technique for an assassin, but if he were an assassin, why didn’t he try to kill her and just stood there?

And there was also the problem of his magic, that unknown technique that wasn’t evil or divine.

If he were an assassin, he wouldn’t have foolishly revealed his abilities to his target.

That made her even more confused.

She couldn’t trust him now, given the life she had lived, where she couldn’t trust anyone.

It was easier to constantly doubt others than to trust them. She felt safer thinking that others were looking for an opportunity to stab her in the neck than believing they trusted and followed her.

The reason she allowed him to accompany her was that if he were an assassin, it was better to keep him by her side and observe him.

‘I don’t know exactly what this magic is, but it can’t be perfect. If I see any suspicious signs…’

Cheon Yeo-hwa quietly stroked the sword at her waist.

“So, where are we going?”

“…Xi’an.”

In fact, I didn’t know much about Murim, to the point of memorizing all the place names.

Even if she kindly told me Xi’an, it was no different from telling a foreigner, “Let’s go to Pocheon!”

It would be stranger if a foreigner knew all the city names in the provinces, even if they knew famous cities like Seoul or Busan.

“Where’s Xi’an?”

“…Are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

What? Why? No, people could not know. The way she looked at me with an expression that said, ‘What kind of guy is this?’ was a bit much.

I wanted to confiscate her chocolate.

“Xi’an is the capital of Shaanxi Province, one of the largest cities in the Central Plains.”

“Shaanxi? Where the Mt. Hua and Zhongnan Sects are?”

“Yes.”

Nine Sects One Union, a group of nine sects and one gang that appeared in most Murim stories, claiming, “We’re really strong and influential. And we’re even kind.”

The Mt. Hua and Zhongnan Sects were Taoist sects that belonged to it.

‘So, the capital of Shaanxi Province is Xi’an?’

But something’s strange.

Then, were the bandits who appeared earlier trying to rob people near the capital?

Weren’t they afraid of the government troops?

I told Cheon Yeo-hwa my doubts.

“It takes about two days to get to Xi’an on foot. And the government troops? It seems the government troops in your hometown were quite diligent if they patrolled outside the capital.”

It was about a two-day walk, and the government troops were only interested in the security inside the city, not outside.

“Of course, if the bandits become too rampant and even the large merchant guilds complain, they’ll step in. So, the bandits don’t touch large guilds. Besides, such guilds usually have skilled security companies.”

“Thanks for the explanation.”

As a reward, I tossed her a chocolate, and she unwrapped and ate it happily. It was quite a familiar sight now.

She’s kind of like a cat.

“But why are you going to Xi’an?”

I only wanted to travel to a nearby city, not Xi’an.

Even if Xi’an was close, there was no need to go to a place that wasn’t her destination.

Especially if it took two days.

“Why are you curious?”

I was taken aback by her cold voice, a stark contrast to when she was eating chocolate.

“No particular reason.”

“Don’t forget. We’re only traveling together to Xi’an.”

She was so firm that I was reminded of girls from my school days.

‘Was I being too pushy…?’

Except for Iris, I’d never had a proper conversation with girls my age, so I didn’t know how to respond in this situation. I could only walk a little further away in silence.

‘Oh, right. Iris was 500 years old, wasn’t she?’

But aside from her age, she seemed younger than me, so I didn’t really think of her as 500 years old.

Her face, voice, and figure.

‘I suddenly miss Iris.’

It felt like newlyweds being separated right after their first night.

No, we didn’t even have a proper first night.

With the sudden appearance of the temple, the World Tree, and the dungeon exploration.

Honestly, with my current stamina, I could probably do it five times in a row, but I only managed once. Thinking about that makes me so frustrated that I want to dump cow dung on the World Tree as fertilizer.

Of course, if I did that, Iris would probably foam at the mouth and collapse, so I can’t actually do it.

Anyway, Cheon Yeo-hwa and I continued walking through the forest without much conversation.

Considering her cold reaction earlier, I was a bit reluctant to talk to her first.

As we continued walking, with me just giving directions, the sun began to set.

They said night came early in the forest, and it was true.

‘Wasn’t that about mountains?’

That wasn’t important right now.

“The sun will set soon. What are we going to do?”

We’d inevitably have to camp out, and if we didn’t find a place and start a fire, we’d wake up covered in morning dew.

“This way.”

Cheon Yeo-hwa, who had told me to lead, suddenly said that and quickly walked away.

Her speed was unusual.

‘Is that some kind of martial art?’

Her speed itself seemed normal, but she moved through trees, bushes, and rough terrain as if she were walking on a well-paved path.

Now I understood how she had kept up with me during the day.

No matter how fast I was, I’d have to slow down to avoid trees and bushes.

But Cheon Yeo-hwa didn’t have that problem.

Honestly, I wanted to learn it if I could. There are martial arts on Earth, but they weren’t something you could learn easily just because you wanted to.

‘…I heard there’s chocolate supplied to the royal family. Should I try to bribe her with that?’

Even if nothing else worked, she might teach me martial arts if I gave her expensive desserts.

Following Cheon Yeo-hwa, we arrived at a large tree.

“We’ll spend the night here.”

It seemed like we wouldn’t get wet even if it rained, and there was enough space to start a fire in the forest.

“Have you ever camped out? You look like a rich young lady from your clothes.”

“Of course.”

Cheon Yeo-hwa began tidying up the area, preparing for the night.

“Go get some dry firewood. It might be warm during the day, but it’ll be cold at dawn.”

“Do I have to?”

I took out a small fire pit and stones from my inventory.

“…Is that magic too?”

I felt good seeing Cheon Yeo-hwa surprised as I took things out of thin air.

“Something like that.”

I set up the fire pit in a suitable spot and took out a small stone from my inventory.

This was a special stone called Fire Stone that came from volcanoes. Depending on the size, the effect varied, but this size would keep the fire burning for up to 12 hours once lit. I bought several of them to give to Iris when I saw her next.

I threw a small fireball into the fire pit with the Fire Stone, and a large flame flared up.

“How’s that?”

I grinned at Cheon Yeo-hwa, and she immediately looked away, seemingly displeased.

“…People become lazy when they only seek convenience.”

“It’s better than wasting effort on unnecessary things.”

I walked over to Cheon Yeo-hwa, who was still tidying up, opened my inventory, and took out a tent.

It was a one-person tent from Mountain Spot, a top-tier camping gear brand.

It had automatic temperature and humidity control and was made of material that couldn’t be torn by a wild bear’s claws.

It also had pest control, cleanliness maintenance, and a mattress as comfortable as a hotel bed.

“Wh-what is that?”

“A tent.”

Cheon Yeo-hwa couldn’t take her eyes off the thing called a tent.

Kang Hyeon-u’s ability to start a fire instantly was certainly amazing.

Not having to gather dry firewood and rub sticks together until it caught fire was revolutionary, but she ignored it, disliking his smug expression.

But the tent was different.

It had been half a year since she was pushed out of the succession competition and came to the unfamiliar lands of Murim, and she hadn’t slept comfortably even once.

She always had to sleep lightly, both outdoors and in inns, due to the anxiety of assassins appearing at any moment.

Especially outdoors, it was the worst.

Having grown up being treated like a princess in the royal court, her camping life was indescribably miserable.

She still couldn’t forget the first day she had to camp out. The only thing she had on the ground was a few large leaves she had hastily gathered. Even those were barely dry, but the moment she lay down on them, Cheon Yeo-hwa realized.

Stacking leaves didn’t change the fact that her back hurt.

And the bugs that constantly bothered her made her already uncomfortable sleep and light sleep to guard against assassins even more terrible.

Moreover, she always woke up groaning in pain from sleeping on the dirt floor.

But this tent was different.

It was warm and comfortable inside, as if by magic. And the soft, plush fabric on the floor made her feel strangely emotional.

Most importantly.

‘Someone who uses such magic can’t be an assassin under the First Young Master.’

Of course, she still didn’t know anything about his identity, but there was no way someone like him would be under the First Young Master.

If rumors of someone with such abilities had spread, the sect leader would have personally tried to recruit him.

‘He had many opportunities to kill me. The fact that he hasn’t shown any signs of doing so means he’s not here to kill me right now.’

She would have scolded herself for such naive thought normally.

But she couldn’t help it now.

Cheon Yeo-hwa was too exhausted from camping out for the past month and the poison slowly eating away at her dantian to make rational judgments.

For her, the existence of this tent and her assumptions about Kang Hyeon-u’s identity were an opportunity to sleep comfortably and soundly without worrying about assassins or camping, at least for today.

However, there was one problem that stood in the way of her rising desire.

“…But about this thing called a tent. Is there only one?”

“Yeah, only one.”

A silence fell between them.

“Give it to me.”

“Why should I?”

“…”

Cheon Yeo-hwa, brain in overdrive.