episode_0017

………….

These days, every day was a new experience.

Under the same sky, in the same room, living through the same days, but one thing had changed.

[Todays’ Call History]

[♡Milk Cow♡]

[7 AM]

[Hello. Shy owner. How have you been lately?]

[Oh, me? I’ve been practicing my fencing these days.]

【Attached Photo】 ← [Neck hurts ㅠㅠ] [hehehe]

[Look at this picture~! Turned out great, right~!?]

[Next time we meet, I’m planning to tease you about your neck?]

[When we meet next time, I’ll suck with Milk.]

[I’ll work hard, so you work hard too, okay? Don’t get hurt~!]

[A diligent Milk for a cool owner-♪]

The air felt sweet.

Just reading the messages made me feel good.

Could this fuel igniting my life bring a surge of heat~!

“Why do I end up liking a girl like this? Is this really love? Maybe I just liked her body and decided to date her instead of keeping it as a casual relationship?”

The attached photo was an erotic selfie of her [putting a dildo in her mouth while wearing a turned-over plastic bag].

Appealing erotically that she’s practicing hard for me. These kinds of emails come almost every day.

“She tells me to call her anytime, yet she leaves me hanging like this.”

It’s been two weeks since I met this crazy Milk.

A whole two weeks~!

We’re only communicating through texts now, and we haven’t been able to meet because she’s busy!

“I doubted Cerese back then.”

I said she wasn’t Seongyeoni, but out of curiosity, I once called her in front of her. Of course, the phone didn’t ring, and it didn’t vibrate, but Milk answered my call.

In other words, someone else.

From guessing her bra size to pointless deductions, it was all futile reasoning.

“Ugh, let’s stop. It clearly says in the contract not to dig into the other party’s identity. What if I get caught and scolded?”

Lost in pleasure.

Even though I’d already messed up, I picked up my phone and adjusted my posture.

There’s someone coming to whip me like a farmer who sees a cow not plowing when it’s time to work.

“Hmm. Not only looking at the phone but also spacing out suddenly. Indeed, my training seems boring. Very well. Shall we start raising the stakes slowly?”

“Aaah!”

At the back of the guild home, in the wide central training ground, a weakling named Nara screamed in pain.

Well, that sharp punch grazed my nose again.

“Can’t you be a bit gentler!?”

“Hmm?”

With a sound cutting through the air when swung, the extended hand gracefully retracted in a curve.

A lion tattooed on the back and such a cowardly woman.

“Gentle, you say. Are you kidding me, the criminal who stole my precious time? There aren’t many lucky ones in this guild who can receive one-on-one lessons from me. Please enjoy it with a smile.”

Yes, I was currently training against the guild master Cerese.

Seongyeoni said, “Even if you go to the Tower of Gold like this, it might be dangerous, so build up your skills!” or something like that.

…Facing a Ranker is tough, right?

Damn, it hurts so much.

My nose got torn again, damn it.

“Criminal, huh. Just because you want to stick with Seongyeoni, why are you beating around the bush?”

“Is that a crime? You just want to be with Seongyeoni, and yet you talk like you know everything. Don’t speak as if you understand everyone’s hearts.”

“But you still want to be with her, right?”

“…Yes.”

“She’s really an interesting person.”

If you’re going to be blunt, be completely blunt. Even then, as always, it’s funny to see emotions leaking out from this person who acts tough.

As Seongyeoni said, she’s like a fire. Completely different inside and out, so you can’t hate her.

“If you like him that much, why not just confess? Because I like Guild Master, should we date? If you think about it from Ceress’s perspective, she would probably be shocked.”

“Do you think Seongyeon sees you as vulgar as yourself? I am aware of my appearance as well, but that person is not like that.”

“In the end, he’s just a man… What’s all the fuss about?”

“Please be quiet. Don’t babble about Seongyeon any further. It’s an ignorant topic.”

– Stepped on a landmine.

The love story was a no-go and immediately took a step back.

“[Butch Stalking].”

“Wait, this isn’t Eva’s skill-!?”

Practicing with skills!

I don’t know what kind of skill it is.

But surely, Ceress, who had been ‘ready to attack in a punching stance’ in front of me, vanished in an instant.

‘Teleportation type! Where did she go!?”

『Remember. Skills of this nature primarily aim from behind or above. To get out of the opponent’s field of vision.』

Above, behind, but the voice came from behind.

I quickly turned my head.

– Nothing there.

“You’re quite perceptive. However…”

“I’m abo─”

─ Wham!!!

“Ugh!”

Right before the attack, I saw it.

The butler’s uppercut, skimming the ground and springing his waist like a coil!

“Ugh! My chin~!”

Damn it. I thought he was behind me, but he must have crouched down.

“Don’t relax your posture. Your chin didn’t fly off. If you can move, continue moving. The aura is still there, isn’t it.”

“Isn’t deceiving too much going too far~!”

“You speak well. Considering the topic of guarding you just defended against.”

As I held my chin, he rushed at me again, chuckling briefly.

“- Opportunity.”

“This woman is real!”

Just because we talked a bit about dating, she immediately uses her skills like a damn dog.

Let’s stop calling her Miss. She’s a crazy woman, a crazy woman.

Look.

“[Butch Stalking].”

Again!?

“I’m not an idiot to fall for it twice!”

“You will.”

Despite responding without letting my guard down, the opponent smirked.

Clearly chanting the skill name, she disappeared, then reappeared in front of me, accurately seizing the moment when I flinched.

‘Oh sh*t!’

I assumed a guard stance, but she teleported, evading slightly from the guard point, and struck my stomach.

Ouch!

“Ugh!”

“Are you coming again? Your operational speed is fast. I commend you.”

‘You motherfu─!’

My stomach hurts. Even though I guarded against it, I could feel a deep bruise forming.

Damn it, now I have to use a potion again. I really hate that taste~!

“Aren’t you holding back your strength since earlier!?”

“I am. You know it too, don’t you? If I hadn’t held back, you would’ve been dead by now.”

“This woman never thinks about fighting fair and square! There’s not an ounce of cuteness!”

“I’ve never tried to look cute to a man. It makes me want to vomit.”

So hurry up and disappear, she reached out with her fist again.

She was a bit faster than before, but it’s fine without the skill.

“Hmm?”

“Ow~!”

Even after getting slapped, I turned my head, completely avoiding the flow of the attack.

“It hurts~!”

“…Just like before, you’re using strange tactics.”

“You didn’t climb the Tower alone with just form. How about it? Does it feel good to finally hit me?”

“Yes. It’s a rare sparring match, and I wanted to see how you handle it. Here I come.”

‘Crazy woman.’

The melee mixed with skills began.

A pure martial arts contest without skills.

However, I deflected all incoming attacks without skills.

Turning my head to avoid punches to the cheek, turning my arm to dodge punches aimed at my wrist, aiming for the ribs, anticipating the timing, relaxing the muscles and turning my body in the direction of the blow.

Even if I die, I avoid fatal injuries! This is the secret of a solo hunter!

“What a peculiar turn of events….”

Surprised by my tactics, I exerted even thicker coercion, unconsciously increasing my defensive aura.

“Oh. Simple strikes won’t work. Then how about this?”

“!”

She turned around and aimed for the back of my head.

At the moment of impact, she stretched her neck forward, pushed her whole body forward, and spun around once with a ping.

“Indeed. Will you respond if you recognize it? Understood. Next, how about the other side?”

“Why don’t you try it yourself~!”

“I’ll go without any reservations.”

Bang!

As a kick flew towards her stomach, she sidestepped it towards her ribs, then countered with a kick while turning her body with the energy from the impact.

Naturally, it didn’t connect. She blocked the kick with one arm.

“…How peculiar. People can spin like tops. Where did you learn this?”

“From a comic book!”

“Are you really an idiot?”

“One day, a teenage boy thought seriously! There are extraordinary powers in this world, so maybe we can watch comics and imitate them!? So, first, let’s train with extraordinary powers! If successful, let’s also practice martial arts from comics!”

“There are many extraordinary people in the world, and you’re just like that. If you had trained diligently under a master, you would probably be in a high position by now.”

“Really?”

“I’m not lying about this. Your talent is exceptional, yet still unpolished.”

After praising her suddenly, she pulled something out of her large milk jug pocket and tossed it over.

“Take this.”

“Wow!”

It was a potion.

Moreover, it was quite expensive due to its vivid color.

Why would someone carry a potion in such a place?

“Don’t look at me strangely. It’s because I’m sick, so I kept it in a safe place.”

That meant her breasts were soft and plush enough.

Was she confident in her breast size?

“Your side has much more extraordinary individuals.”

“If you want to die, keep making noise. Distorted person.”

“You call me that again….”

Although her consumed aura and energy weren’t fully restored, the pain in the hit area quickly disappeared.

A sensation that felt addictive. Something desired by anyone who exercises.

When she was solo, she hesitated to buy it because it was expensive, but here, it was a basic supply item, which was great.

Hail to the real big companies, right?

“What is the highest climbing level you’ve reached?”

“The 49th floor of the Bronze Tower.”

“Why didn’t you climb higher?”

“Because I’m solo. I saw online that the difficulty increases after the 50th floor, so I was cautious, and even now, the earnings aren’t bad, but if I get hurt, it will be a big problem.”

“Skills are essential for hunters. That’s why I gave up climbing since I knew I couldn’t make it.”

“It’s not always like that… surprising. You speaking so weakly.”

“In Korea, there’s a culture of looking down on people unnecessarily when they show weakness. So, I have to put on a show more than necessary.”

I gather information as a solo hunter on the internet. The atmosphere on the net made me not feel the need to climb above the 50th floor.

“Why, am I more useful than you thought?”

As I started to babble, she sighed as if she didn’t want to praise me.

“I just thought you could handle being alone. No need for excessive compliments.”

What, a cheap tsundere?

As I was about to chuckle, she turned gloomy as if blocking me preemptively.

“Why?”

“No reason. If newbies were as cautious as you, they wouldn’t have died.”

“The one I brought?”

“Yes. I returned the body to the deceased’s family. They were wailing. They said their child had come back like this within days of going to the tower….”

“They must have cried. Surely the parents tried to stop them. Why did they do something they were told not to and end up dead?”

“You know well. It was exactly as you said. They cried while consoling the child, saying it was sad, and they couldn’t stop resenting us.”

“……”

“Do you encounter this often?”

“A lot. People who mistake sadness for anger. I’ve been there a few times myself.”

“Is that so….”

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

Ceres’ experience was bitter, but the potion was sweet.

“If that’s all, you wouldn’t feel so uneasy….”

“What else is bothering you?”

“The person who was angry with you over the dead newbie, do you remember them?”

Of course.

Having drunk, despite the dissuasion of colleagues, he poured abuse at me.

“Well, this is convenient. We’re in the same guild, and I thought we might meet, but it’s been two weeks without seeing your face once. I’m itching to resolve things, where are you and what are you up to?”

“I understand, but meeting is out of the question.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s dead.”

Suddenly?

“You said that person was conscientious.”

“He wasn’t the type to lock himself in his room for his mistakes. He must have been hurt a bit. Climbing the Tower of Gold on a whim, thinking he could do the same as you… looking for her and then stopping…”

He speaks cryptically again.

“What were you looking for that got you killed?”

“He’s one of our missing guild members. Seongyeon will explain more about this today.”

He tossed me a towel.

It wasn’t Ceress.

“Chang-gi. Is training over?”

Suddenly, Seongyeon appeared, nodded after sensing the atmosphere.

“Uh, seems like it?”

“Then wash your face and come with me. Let’s go out for a bit.”

At that moment, I didn’t know where I was being led.

Innocently, not knowing anything, I asked.

“Why suddenly go out?”

The place we were heading to now.

“The Tower of Gold. There’s a big meeting where all six major guilds are gathering.”

The end of the reunion.

“Come with me to the meeting.”

Moreover, it was the clear sound of a new adventure beginning.