episode_0043

Time passed by in the blink of an eye.

A week?

Not that I was busy, but with the noise outside due to the 10th floor conquest, I spent my time hidden in the guild home training with my comrades, not paying attention to anything else.

During that time, the guild members who were staying at the Hwangdong Tower moved out. The atmosphere in our guild home became lively.

– Especially here in the lounge where I am standing.

It was a meeting place where someone was always lingering around, and even now, things were constantly being moved around, so the sound of footsteps never ceased.

“Hehe, did we spend time with the guild master and vice guild master while we were gone?”

“Changgi, I envy you~! We can’t play with the guild master even if we want to~!”

– It’s not a joke, they really worked hard.

“It seems like that. Just by looking, they have a lot of minor injuries.”

“Did they also get severe burns?”

“Yeah… How did they manage to get a D rank?”

“How much did they have to work to get burns…?”

– Those were already there.

“Hehe. Just kidding. Congratulations on conquering the 10th floor.”

“Although the information is limited, skilled hunters already know about the Hwangdong Tower!”

“Hunters at that level have their own sources of information.”

“No wonder there were suspicious people lingering at the entrance of the guild home!”

“Obviously. Changgi must have come for information.”

– Sorry for causing trouble.

“Trouble? Thanks to you, our guild’s reputation has risen, and there are many grateful people!”

“Right. Some people even offered us free food?”

“Don’t eat what others give you recklessly…”

“But it’s takoyaki! Made with ingredients brought from the UK tower! It was really delicious!?”

“Wasn’t that takoyaki shop called [Cthulhu Takoyaki]…?”

“Why?”

“Never mind.”

Everyone praised me and chatted nonsense while laughing heartily.

Wanting to be praised by others is not the goal, but even if it was something done at the urging of Seongyeon, to others, only the results matter.

‘I feel comfortable and good being mixed in this community.’

If you look at the hunter-related bulletin boards, there are numerous posts saying [Isn’t it annoying how guild members stick together?], but in the end, this is reality.

Humans are social animals. When they are part of a community, and the community is strong, their egos grow bigger.

I felt frustrated when I played solo before, but now I feel secure.

“Uh, seniors. I’m sorry for interrupting your conversation.”

“Why all of a sudden? What’s bothering you?”

“I heard from the vice guild master. The person who was diligent went up the tower because of me…”

“Oh, him? Yeah…”

“I attended his funeral last time.”

“But why all of a sudden?”

“The circumstances are like that, and I feel responsible for him going up the tower. Since there are colleagues here, I wanted to apologize.”

“No, don’t do that.”

“How is that your fault?”

“We all concluded that it was his own doing, even though we didn’t say anything first. Who would blame someone like you?”

They patted my back and reassured me that it was okay.

I thought I might get scolded, but the atmosphere was not tense.

After chatting for a while and laughing loudly again, they dispersed, saying they would finish moving by the time the conversation was over.

‘I hope my comrades don’t become victims of that annoying tower. Especially since our guild has many people who have been active in the Hwangdong Tower.’

There are quite a few men in our guild, as it is Seongyeon’s guild, and there are also many who have experience in the Golden Tower, but about half do not, which is a problem.

Sigh… What if they develop trauma on the 1st floor? It was really scary there.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Uh, uh…?”

“Why are you startled?”

At that moment, a gender-neutral handsome man suddenly appeared.

Within a week, the human weapon guild leader who used to tease me with a smile.

Right now, he’s stretching out his upper body and laughing heartily, but just yesterday, he threw me against the guild home wall under the guise of training.

“Why… why are you running away? I’m getting hurt!”

“You beat me up so mercilessly yesterday, and now you’re saying this and that?”

“I used that much force because you’re so tough! I was quite serious too!”

“Ridiculous. Using skills against a D-rank opponent. Coward.”

“You’re the coward! A beam suddenly came out of your hand! Do you know how surprised I was!?”

“I blocked that and countered, you idiot.”

“If you think you can suddenly do it, imitating what you saw in a comic, you’re the weirder one! I was just responding appropriately!”

That annoying little brat…

He blocked my desperate blow, even a new ultimate move, and repaid me with a punch.

With a snort, I turned and asked, “Were you busy?”

“As you can see, things are mostly settled. Interior work and renovations are done, just waiting for people to come in.”

“What about the old home?”

“It’s not completely destroyed, so I plan to use it alongside the new one.”

“Going to the bronze district?”

“Yes. Not to make money, but to gather human resources. Since newbies come to the bronze district every year, I’m aiming for that.”

“Recruiting those with decent skills, adept at using auras, or potential talents while they’re still newbies?”

“Exactly.”

As expected of the guild leader.

Returning to the 131st floor, it seems he’s accumulated knowledge on dealing with newbies.

“Well, the bronze district is perfect for testing skills. Since you’ve cleared it, the respawn is slow, and the difficulty is much lower, so safety is guaranteed.”

“That’s right! In that sense, Korea has good geography. With the bronze, silver, gold districts, there’s a variety of difficulty levels!”

“What about foreign countries?”

“Some places only have silver without bronze, or only gold. In those cases, there are many cases of newbies who don’t know their own abilities dying on the first floor.”

That’s a terrible thing.

Listening to this, I couldn’t ignore the tower of bronze.

“The move is progressing smoothly, but…”

I stood in the center of the lounge, looking around.

Seongyeon was talking to me, but when she called out “Guild Leader~!” she disappeared somewhere, and Seres was busy moving around for work.

I’m the only one with nothing to do.

“It’s been about a week, I thought there would be some contact by now, but there’s no sign of that.”

Even talking normally with Seongyeon.

Despite declaring that I would steal his girlfriend, we maintained the same master-servant relationship as usual.

“Why am I getting anxious?”

I gained something by playing along for a week, but…

Is this some kind of strategy?

Is he trying to play hard to get with me?

Is he deliberately waiting for time to pass?

Why?

“Hmm…”

I don’t know.

“…Is the move over?”

“Oh, uh, I finished it yesterday.”

“And the meal?”

“I finished it with Seongyeon too.”

“I see.”

…

Surprise.

While pondering, this time he appeared next to me.

Moreover, with his hands behind his back, he stretched out his upper body and slightly coquettishly.

His rough attitude contrasts with his provocative figure, making him stand out too much.

…Did he imitate Seongyeon’s flattering behavior?

“Why?”

“If you have time, would you like to go out together?”

“Oh. Our Guild Leader is so sudden. What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”

“It’s nothing special. Since the move is over, I feel like taking a short break.”

“Why with me?”

I wouldn’t mind.

I’m secretly looking forward to how this rough lesbian will seduce me.

“There’s a nice cafe right in front. Let’s have a cup of tea there.”

“You and Seongyeon really like tea.”

“I was influenced by Seongyeon. Do you mind?”

“No. It’s nice to get some fresh air together.”

There was no reason to refuse.

I agreed and called Seongyeon before we went out together.

“Are you going out?”

“Yeah. Seores said let’s have a drink together.”

“…Alright.”

Seores understood and accepted my intentions without me having to explain.

Seores also added, “Don’t worry. Today, we’ll just talk.”

“I hope so.”

After exchanging meaningful conversations, we immediately changed our location.

Our destination was a nearby cafe, just a block away from our guild home.

We chose the most secluded spot in the cafe, which was popular for its good location and atmosphere, even in the morning.

“How’s the aroma?”

“I don’t know. I always drink Americano. Or maybe Java Chip? But the desserts here are delicious.”

“It seems you don’t consume sugar unexpectedly.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Based on my observation for a week, you seemed to be adjusting your diet, even with burdock tea.”

Ugh. Is she a stalker?

This kind of thing is really scary.

“……….”

“Sigh….”

Seores took a sip of her drink happily, regardless of my reaction.

She seemed to genuinely enjoy the tea, unlike me, who was just pretending.

Her cultured behavior stood out, showing her manners despite being rough around the edges.

‘Her only flaw is her rough behavior.’

– Especially when she’s angry.

Considering all the hardships she’s been through, it’s understandable.

“Why are you staring at me so obviously?”

“Just wanted to see your face.”

“I do have a face, you know.”

“Oh, are you self-aware?”

“Of course. I can easily take care of those mediocre girls who dare to challenge me outside the tower.”

So arrogant.

But it’s also true.

With her short hair and masculine appearance, she has no rivals in terms of looks or physique.

“Sure. You’re so great. Beautiful to death.”

“Don’t mock me. Bringing up such a topic to a pretty woman. You must have felt embarrassed, right?”

-Splutter!

Oh, damn, I almost spilled it again.

Lately, I’ve been spilling things a lot.

“Are you surprised?”

“Aren’t you surprised? You, bastard, don’t you have any intention to hide it?”

“If I wanted to hide it, I wouldn’t have told Seongyeon. I never thought I could hide my body with just a face mask.”

Well, covering that body with a face mask won’t hide much.

“You called me out of the blue. Was that the plan all along?”

“Yes. Now that I’ve settled things with Seongyeon, I wanted to talk to you.”

“You didn’t contact me until now?”

“I was busy. Now that I have time, I need to start persuading you.”

“You’re going to follow a step-by-step approach after suddenly bringing up the topic?”

“That was also a form of persuasion.”

“What persuasion?”

“You’ll see, won’t you?”

Seores opened her coat, revealing a black and flashy bra hidden underneath.

“How my vulgar body can help with your sexual desires… Let’s start persuading now.”

I swallowed nervously.

I realized once again that she was a woman whose excitement showed on her face when she was passionate about a subject, despite her usual rough demeanor.