You need to show me some respect.
I am the winner of the National Fencing Championships, and I recently won at Infinity Arena as well.
Since starting Invul, I’ve never left the top tier even once.
It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that I am currently the undisputed top assassin user.
Additionally, I am a fully grown adult, which I can prove with the ID in my wallet.
Even though I may appear young on the outside, the fact that I’m an adult over 20 years old doesn’t change.
So, so…
Could you maybe step back a little?
You’re a bit too close.
“I like Da-eun’s hair. What shampoo do you use?”
“Uh… the cheapest one I found online.”
“Eek. That should be illegal. You should use something better. It’s precious. What about conditioner?”
“I usually buy it in a set with shampoo, because it’s discounted that way…”
“Wow, I should report you. I’m getting jealous right now…”
This won’t do.
I can’t even tell you to back away.
I’m caught in the embrace of Sansa, or rather, Kim Sin-a.
Nothing physical has happened; we’re simply so close that our bodies are touching.
Not to mention, Sin-a is gently combing my hair.
Still, the reason I feel like I’m tied up with ropes is…
because of the soft flesh touching my back.
And there’s no way to describe this.
My face heats up and I simply lower my head.
I’m a guy after all. It’s not that I don’t like it, but accepting it too readily feels wrong.
The pang of guilty conscience.
I feel my strength draining little by little.
If this continues, I might melt right here.
“Can I touch your cheeks?”
“Yes…”
“Hehe, I knew it. Your skin’s completely baby soft. It’s so smooth, it’s nice. Don’t you wear any foundation?”
“Just some lotion.”
“How can the world be so unfair?”
Sansa’s hand is rubbing my cheek.
Sometimes pressing my cheek firmly with her fingers, sometimes pulling it with two fingers.
Meanwhile, Elderlyn has begun braiding the side of my hair.
Judging from the atmosphere, it seems no one intends to rescue me.
Elderlyn, or rather, Se-rin, is focused on her delicate work.
The middle-aged man is simply watching us with the eyes of someone observing his daughters.
Even if I asked for help, I think he’d just laugh it off with a “hehe.”
As for Soobin? Unclear. That guy seems just as shy as me.
He keeps glancing at me hesitantly, as if he wants to say something but lacks the courage.
Thus, a savior must come from outside.
Just before all my energy was about to be drained,
the restaurant staff arrived, bringing relief.
“The meat you ordered is ready. This part is…”
On the tray he carried, succulent cuts of meat were laid out.
The marbling spread like white nets through the red meat, drawing everyone’s eyes.
Sure enough, expensive restaurants even have staff barbecue the meat for you.
They kindly explained not only how to eat each cut for maximum flavor but also which sauces to dip them in.
Driven by primal instincts, my mouth began to water.
Elderlyn, or rather, Se-rin, glanced at my face and smiled.
Apparently, I was enjoying it too obviously.
The host of today’s gathering proposed with an air of pride,
“Shall we start with dinner?”
“Yes!”
*
I can now taste things more acutely than before.
I can feel detailed nuances, such as the savory flavors of melting fat and the deep taste that soaks into the meat fibers.
So the beef was delicious.
My expression couldn’t help but reflect my joy.
I understand now why women enjoy visiting good restaurants so much.
If every meal brought this kind of happiness, even I would be obsessively searching for new restaurants.
Although, the heightened sensitivity came with one downside:
“Oof, haaah. Whooow.”
I can no longer handle very hot foods.
Unlike the old days when I could eat anything, dishes like stews with boiling broth now require several breaths before I can eat them.
I take a bite of the slightly sour doenjang jjigae.
The orange broth thoroughly wets my tongue, and I even suck the spoon clean to avoid spilling any.
After swallowing the white rice, I smile again.
In the midst of this happiness, there was one unavoidable matter.
“Should we order a few bottles of alcohol? Can Da-eun drink?”
“I am an adult, remember?”
“Hmm…”
Everyone looks doubtfully at me.
It’s true, though.
The doubts surrounding me only subsided when I took out my ID.
I, Da-eun Han, am more than twenty-three years old.
As the atmosphere warmed and the drinks arrived, a tipsy haze filled my head.
The warmth of Kim Sin-a’s — Sansa’s — arms was comforting.
I liked the embrace around my waist, so I placed my hand on hers.
It’s warmth. The warmth that I longed for so deeply.
A warmth one can only feel between people.
The hot water from the shower couldn’t compare to this warmth.
As my body warmed, one thing nagged at me.
It was about Soobin. Apparently, the women around me find me easier to get close to, and I’m now practically in Sansa’s embrace.
The shy Soobin didn’t seem ready to speak up.
That’s not right.
Right now, I’m feeling absolutely fantastic!
I’ll give this older brother a chance to speak.
“Speaking of which, what are we all planning for the next season? Especially you, Soobin, didn’t you join some fortress battles?”
“Yeah, I was originally just working as a mercenary guild.”
“Ah, you’re the type who takes occasional contracts, right? It’s hard to go solo, but you’re not completely weak either. Puuh, too bad your guild master’s not very strong.”
“Are you serious? I’m plenty strong!”
“I don’t think so. Why don’t you prove it?”
Upon hearing this, Soobin laughed.
I found it funny too, so I laughed along.
“This season, our guild, combined with Kim Sun-a’s guild and Se-rin’s guild, is planning to go after a rural fief. Brother Turkul will be finalizing things and joining our side soon.”
“Hmm, are you thinking of becoming independent this time?”
“Sort of. I think it’s feasible.”
With the announcement of the next patch, small-scale fortresses will be introduced, offering opportunities for mid-tier guilds to try independence.
As securing supplies becomes increasingly important, a larger manpower pool is required.
Thus, sieges, which were previously dominated by high-spec users, are now open to a wider audience.
An increase in the number of participants means an expanded game landscape.
Naturally, the control of the existing powers is lessened.
At this moment, even someone with Soobin’s influence might stand a chance to secure a border fief.
“Didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I mean, you’re too big of a deal for just a casual invitation. You’ve probably already gotten offers from much larger guilds, right?”
“Yeah, that’s true… Hmm…”
Elderlyn picks up a piece of meat with the chopsticks and brings it up to my mouth.
Even though I’m not a child, I ate it cheerfully because I was in such a good mood.
Joining a large faction naturally comes with large rewards.
But those are for the guild’s gain, not directly translating to me.
I didn’t want to choose one of the current two dominant forces.
The best position for me would be to accept contracts from both factions.
Being in a place that wouldn’t significantly sway the larger currents and just enjoying the honeycombs would be ideal.
“Hmm…”
“Don’t answer right now. Think about it once the alcohol wears off. We’d feel awkward now if you said yes; it’d seem like we tricked you into agreeing while drunk.”
“I hadn’t considered that. Okay, I’ll think about it.”
Elderlyn’s consideration was detailed.
Truly, this wasn’t the kind of question one should respond to right away, no matter how good one feels at the moment.
I should contemplate this further.
That settled the topic of the next season.
Whether intentional or not, everyone seemed to change the subject.
Thus, the topics continued to revolve around the game.
Considering how this gathering followed my championship, it was natural for arena talks to arise.
Starting from the second preliminaries and moving onto the main tournament group stages, the conversation continued up to the battle with the Reaper.
“Hah, remember how many people thought I was going to lose back then?”
“Yeah, you even made a bet.”
“True. I was really confident.”
“Were you really going to reveal your face if you lost?”
“Don’t know. I was sure I wouldn’t lose, so I didn’t think about it.”
Apparently, this is what I had hoped for.
While winning the championship naturally brought happiness, seeing the congratulations given by these few individuals made it all the more joyful.
Perhaps it was because I was also tipsy.
The alcohol seemed to make me more emotional.
I smiled easily at nothing in particular—a happiness I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
As the conversation flowed with the time, we discussed incidents like silently exchanging daggers with Reaper or Crow’s corpse bombing during the match.
There were stories from the matches that only I could recount.
The fortunate part was that no one here asked about my swordsman skills that day.
Maybe it was out of consideration since everyone could tell I wasn’t in the best state back then.
However, we all overlooked one detail:
“But why did you cry after winning?”
“Huh?”
“Remember during the interview? You suddenly cried while talking about salmon. I didn’t know you were such a crier.”
Drinking made me more emotionally sensitive than usual.
It also revealed I was much more likely to cry, as Soobin’s words indicated.
What might have been just teasing under normal circumstances made me miss my mother upon mentioning salmon.
And I felt so mocked that I suddenly became gloomy.
“Why? Why are you teasing me suddenly? Huh… Snnif…”
“Hey? Oh no, are you crying? I didn’t mean it that way. I wasn’t trying to make you feel like that. I…”
“What are you two doing!”
“Da-eun, come here. I’ll protect you, sweetheart.”
Soobin then suffered under the scolding of two women for over 30 minutes.
This… might actually be quite all right.
Is this why they say a woman’s tears are weapons?
