Chapter 22: Overnight Lodging (3)
Seated on the edge of the bed, Yeongwoo silently listened to the sound of water flowing from the bathroom.
What on earth is all this?
In front of the practically useless glass door of the bathroom were scattered clothes and a backpack that a woman had been wearing, except for daggers, a short sword, and a shield.
‘What is she doing in there.’
It was almost inevitable to imagine the woman showering.
Carrying nothing but a sword and shield, she entered that narrow bathroom.
Of course, it was not at all sensible for a man she had never seen before to casually enter a room where two people were and start showering.
‘Does she have that much confidence in her fighting skills?’
Looking back at the woman’s appearance and story, it was clear that she was no ordinary novice.
‘Anyway, once she finishes showering, I should tie her up securely.’
If he tied her hands and feet with a rope and left her on the floor, even if she tried to break free and launch a surprise attack, he would be able to respond in time.
Of course, Yechan would probably wake him up before it’s too late.
Yeongwoo still stared intently at the commemorative coin on the desk.
Then, he noticed that the timer at the top of his field of vision had disappeared.
‘Ah, come to think of it.’
By now, a red mist should be forming outside.
Since there was a window on the wall to the right of the bed, Yeongwoo quickly approached and looked outside.
Even though the half-open window also had a blue barrier, he could see the outside situation well enough.
It was like a truly grim fog spreading throughout the city.
Gradually, silhouettes of people appeared near the fog.
A man running frantically towards somewhere.
Seeing that he was completely unarmed, it seemed like he either fell victim to bandits or was a latecomer who didn’t follow the initial quest line.
‘It seems he managed to survive without encountering goblins.’
But luck seemed to have run out here.
The red mist was closely chasing the man’s rapidly moving legs.
Without any sound or sign, the mist swallowed the man.
Although the distance between the scene and the motel was considerable, screams should have been heard, but there was still no sound.
Instead, the blurred silhouette of the man, enveloped in the mist, staggered and stumbled.
The man stopped walking and collapsed to the ground.
‘How long did it take? About a minute?’
Yeongwoo recalled the time from when the man touched the mist until he became unable to move.
‘It seemed like about a minute. I’m not sure if he’s dead or not.’
While Yeongwoo pondered alone, Yechan called him from behind.
Turning around, Yeongwoo saw Yechan looking somewhat confused.
And the woman who had just finished showering was standing a few steps away.
Wrapped in a shower towel, she held a short sword and a shield in each hand.
Nevertheless, Yeongwoo’s Gumi Sword Technique and Golden Flash remained silent.
He judged that it wasn’t a combat situation at the moment.
“Thanks to you, I had a good shower. Thank you.”
Glancing briefly at the commemorative coin on the desk, the woman leaned the knife she held in her right hand against the wall.
Making sure the hilt of the knife was within reach in case she needed to grab it again.
In response, Yeongwoo looked at her with a sharp expression, as if not to forget the promise they made outside.
“I told you I’d tie you up unarmed, didn’t I? I’ll do as I said, so put down that shield too.”
Then, the woman obediently dropped the shield in her left hand to the floor.
“I didn’t lie earlier. So, I hope you won’t be too weary.”
But instead of responding, Yeongwoo placed the shield between the wall with the window and the bed.
This way, he could grab the shield even while lying on the bed.
The woman, who couldn’t help but notice this, smiled again.
“But seriously, you’re not the Strongest Sword, right? Gumi is not a big city, but can there be two people who look so alike?”
“What does it matter if I am or not?”
“Well, if you are… it’s a good thing to meet a noble, and if not, it’s not a problem.”
Yeongwoo decided to remain silent to avoid unnecessary disturbance.
After all, he planned to leave Gumi as soon as the mist disappeared.
‘I have to go to another city before the next Mutant appears. The longer it takes, the greater the difference in abilities with the Strongest Sword of other regions will be.’
|Summon the Golden Rain in two or more regions. (1/2)
[Excellent Social Worker]
|Send the mutants back alive.
Of the recommended achievements that could be attempted in a short period, these two were available.
If lucky, he might even accomplish both simultaneously.
“By the way, what’s your relationship?”
The woman threw another question.
“Not a special relationship. It just happened that we ended up travelling together.”
“Not family either? But you can share the same room?”
Surprised by the woman’s question, Yeongwoo instead smirked.
“Well, you’re sharing a room over there right now.”
Around this point, Yeongwoo sensed something suspicious.
“Well then, could you put some clothes back on? It’s a bit awkward to leave you tied up in that state.”
When Yeongwoo signaled to Yechan to prepare the rope, the woman chuckled and spoke again.
“Wouldn’t it be more dangerous to tie me up while I’m dressed? You never know what might be in my pockets.”
The woman, wrapped in a towel, nonchalantly raised both arms, displaying a cheeky expression.
Seeing this, Yechan, holding the rope, looked awkwardly between Yeongwoo and the woman.
Meanwhile, Yeongwoo, standing by the bed, spat out his words with annoyance.
“That’s my business to take care of. Hurry up and get dressed. If we delay any longer…”
“What if we delay any longer?”
For some reason, the woman seemed extremely relaxed.
From this point on, Yeongwoo was convinced that at least one of the things the woman claimed was a lie.
For example, the story about being pregnant.
‘No matter how easy we may seem, our levels are different. Yet she can afford to be so leisurely? Especially since she’s claiming to be pregnant.’
Yeongwoo still shook his hands, gesturing for the woman to be tied up quickly, and observed her closely.
She came down from the bed, took the rope from Yechan, and Yechan, looking perplexed, alternately looked at Yeongwoo and the woman.
On the other hand, Yeongwoo, holding his Early Bird in his right hand, spoke irritably.
“Just do as I said. Quickly, put on some clothes. If we take more time…”
“What if we take more time?”
The woman seemed oddly relaxed.
From now on, everything seemed unbelievable.
The strangest thing was that the woman continued to insist on being unarmed.
Yeongwoo continued to gaze fixedly at the woman, who, despite his gestures, was still not tied up.
When Yeongwoo kicked away the shield under the woman’s feet, she raised the corners of her mouth.
“Now, can you relax?”
Yeongwoo, holding Early Bird in his right hand and the rope in his left, approached the woman.
At that moment, the woman looked at the terrifying blade of Early Bird and shivered as if in fear.
“Are you trying to tie me up with that in your hand? It’s dangerous. Lower it for a moment; after all, I don’t have any weapons.”
However, Yeongwoo was ready to corner her, disregarding her words.
As both sides approached within two paces…
Yeongwoo’s eyebrows twitched.
It was because he saw something flashing from inside the towel the woman had wrapped around her body.
And simultaneously, Gumi Sword Technique and the Golden Flash warned him.
「The Senses value has temporarily increased from the original 100 to 137.」
Yeongwoo and the woman moved almost simultaneously.
The woman tried to draw the dagger hidden inside the towel to stab Yeongwoo’s neck, and in return, Yeongwoo…
Raised the Early Bird, which had been lying down, to cut the woman’s arm.
It was the arm she was extending with the dagger towards him.
Whether she forgot the pain in the rapidly unfolding moment or not, the woman looked blankly at her right arm springing in an unnatural direction.
With a thud, along with the sound, she screamed as her arm fell to the ground.
Blood spurted from the severed part.
Yeongwoo sighed while observing the blood staining the bedsheet.
It was all because he realized he would spend the night on a sea of blood.
“Your previous words about this being the last room, did they mean something else? You’ve already ransacked the other rooms, and only this one remained, right?”
Yeongwoo made a plausible inference, but the woman seemed too preoccupied to respond.
She was too busy rushing towards the entrance as if crazed.
“Wait. Anyway, even if you go outside, you’ll die.”
Yeongwoo, retrieving the shield wedged between the bed and the wall, threw it diagonally toward the woman’s lower back.
With a dreadful noise, the steel shield stuck into the woman’s waist, curving in a peculiar direction.
With a moan, the woman, who had fallen forward, poured out sweat from her whole body, writhing in pain.
Yeongwoo, jumping off the bed, muttered quietly.
“You should have quietly waited and attacked at dawn… Why did you choose the difficult path? Surprisingly, it seems to have worked well with other guys.”
Then, terror filled the woman’s face.
She had now realized that she had seriously misunderstood her opponent.
“You… you were the Strongest Sword.”
“Weren’t you trying to act tough with me? Wasn’t it different from what you imagined?”
Without bothering to hear more, Yeongwoo deeply stabbed the woman’s lower back with the tip of his sword.
With that, the trembling woman’s movements ceased, and a small puddle of blood formed beneath her.
Yeongwoo stepped on the blood while searching the woman’s body.
There was no other weapon in the towel, but he found something in the woman’s fingers.
It had a color as if it were a discolored silver ring.
‘I wonder if it’s an item.’
When Yeongwoo pulled the ring from the woman’s hand, an item tooltip appeared.
「Assassin’s Finger」 – Artifact Ring
【10% increase in stats in a one-on-one battle】
*‘Portrait of a Murderer’ bonus.
‘Portrait of a Murderer?’
This was an achievement.
To be more precise, it was an achievement that Yeongwoo had never seen before.
Probably an achievement corresponding to a different personality, not “Stubborn,” and that is to say…
‘Did she also open achievements?’
Anyway, at first glance, it was confirmed that this woman was not an ordinary player.
And Yechan, who had witnessed all these scenes up close…
He stood frozen in place, as if he couldn’t even properly breathe.
Every moment he had just witnessed was shocking.
“Are you okay? In the end, she was a scammer.”
Yeongwoo tried to comfort Yechan awkwardly, swallowing the remark, ‘Che claim of being pregnant was probably a lie as well.’
[Current time, 11:23 PM.]
After confirming that the fog outside had thickened more than before through the window, Yeongwoo lay down on the bed with a delicate bloodstain.
The fresh smell of blood rose through his body.
However, it wasn’t disturbing enough to hinder him from falling asleep again.
Thanks to becoming accustomed to the scent of blood during that time.
Relieved tension allowed his entire body’s muscles to relax.
With a sigh, his eyelids became heavy.
Unlike Yeongwoo, he couldn’t easily fall asleep.
For a while, he stood still, gazing at the corpse lying near the entrance.
It was a cruel and bizarre night.