A day where similar routines repeat again. "Maintenance" isn't just a word that means simple rest. As the word implies, it means to properly organize a disordered system and get it back in shape. In that sense, everyone in the group was diligently carrying out their maintenance.
At the faint sound of movement, I opened my eyes and felt the chilly dawn air surrounding the bed. Taking a deep breath of the cold air seemed to clear my head a little. Reflexively, I looked toward the table and, as usual, saw a steaming cup of tea and a few documents. I sat up in one motion.
"Ugh-cha."
Using a bit of magic, I loosened up my stiff body and gave it a light twist. Crack, pop. Rhythmic cracking sounds came from my joints. Shivering a little from the satisfying yet slightly painful sensation, I strode over to the table. First, I picked up the teacup that was gently releasing white steam.
"Heh."
I couldn't help but laugh when I saw what was in the cup. The tea was pitch black. Letting out a quiet laugh, I took a sip of the tea, and a refreshing coolness flowed down my throat. As my head cleared and my body felt lighter, I turned to the woman next to the table and spoke to her.
"It's good LaBin tea. Brewed well."
"…Hmph. It's a rare tea with Rekl added too. If you made another comment like last time, I was really going to stop making it for you. Seems like you've reflected a bit, huh?"
A gentle voice echoed through the room, and a faint silhouette drifted in beside the table. As Go Yeon-Joo fully revealed herself, I responded calmly.
"Is that so. You're always the one who leaves it behind and walks out—what brings you to stay behind today?"
"It was a bit urgent. For now, just read the records in front of you."
Slurp.
Even as I picked up the records, I took another sip of the tea. The taste was excellent. Perhaps knowing I liked it, Go Yeon-Joo had a faint smile at the corner of her lips. If only her manners were a little more refined, she'd truly be the perfect bride. Pretty face, great figure, cooks well, and probably good at… that, too—no, anyway, I lifted the records to eye level.
『…thus, the Golden Lion Clan's movements have officially begun. The main participating clans are the Golden Lion Clan and the representative clan of the western general city, Halo—called SSUN. (Including their affiliated sub-clans.) It was confirmed that twelve reconnaissance squads, composed of skilled players, departed early that morning. Notably, the morale was significantly boosted with the announcement of the appearance of a secret class—Jewel Mage. This incident especially highlighted the Golden Lion Clan's strong control over information. While allied sub-clan members were all in a celebratory mood, there was no visible unrest or surprise. Judging by those reactions, it's suspected they may have been informed beforehand. On the other hand, the vagrants settled in the Iron Mountains were heavily shaken by the appearance of a new secret class…』
"Hm."
I could feel my eyes narrowing more and more as I read. Damn Golden Lion bastards. So they're planning to use Kim Han-Byeol like this? It's obvious that when the time comes to bring her over, it won't be under peaceful terms. Of course, there's still no telling whether I'll accept her, or whether she'll even come to our clan at all. I was thinking of meeting her someday, maybe when the Golden Lion Clan collapses and she passes through Babara, but things just got a little more complicated. I let out a sigh and folded up the report. Roughly speaking, the time seemed about right.
"Whether it's there or not, it doesn't matter."
"What doesn't matter whether it's there or not?"
As Go Yeon-Joo suddenly chimed in from beside me, I asked her a question.
"Player Go Yeon-Joo. What do you think—what if this Jewel Mage joins our group someday?"
"That'd be great. But… I don't think you should count your chickens before they hatch."
At her clear and direct response, I let out a quiet hum. I wanted to ask, "Then what about rare classes?" But it felt too much like wordplay, so I decided to drop it. Instead, I made one more request of her.
"I'm planning a major announcement today. Please make sure everyone attends breakfast on time."
"Oh? Then does that mean you're heading out soon?"
I answered Go Yeon-Joo's eager question with a nod.
"That's right."
"Wow, exciting! Then I'll see you in the lobby."
With a truly excited look on her face, Go Yeon-Joo lightly stepped out of my room.
Suddenly, that cold yet proud face came to mind—the bold female player who was quite daring for a Year 0 player. She was probably having a rough time in the Golden Lion Clan by now. After ruminating on the memory of her for a while, I lifted the teacup and drained it.
After finishing the mildly sweet yet slightly bitter LaBin tea, I stripped off my clothes without hesitation. First, I wanted to take a shower.
*
"Woooow, unnieee, you look amazing!"
"Not pretty?"
"Well, you're pretty too, but also amazing. Woooow…."
Apparently tipped off by Go Yeon-Joo beforehand, Lee Yun-Jung came downstairs wearing all the new gear I had bought. The leather set was definitely worth every coin. In Hall Plain, practicality came first, but that didn't mean appearances were completely ignored. And in truth, gear that was both stylish and high-performing was hard to come by.
"Oppaa~ How's Yun-Jung unnie? She's pretty, right? Huh? Huh?"
"Uh, oh? Heh, heheh. They say clothes make the person, right? It's exactly like that."
An-Hyun was completely captivated by Yun-Jung's feminine appearance, something he was seeing for the first time. And naturally, his gaze was drawn to her chest. The tight shirt she wore emphasized the gentle curves of her bust without restraint. Just as he was getting absorbed in that view, he quickly turned his head at the sound of An-Sol calling him. It made me wonder if An-Hyun judged women primarily based on their chest.
Even so, he kept sneaking glances. Noticing this, Yun-Jung curved her lips into a deep smile. In the past, she might've cursed him out—calling him a pervert, a creep, or a scumbag. But ever since learning from Go Yeon-Joo, she'd clearly begun to change.
"Where's Vivienne?"
"She'll be down soo~n."
"I see. Ugh… I should've just left the jacket upstairs. No need to dress up so much—it's kind of warm."
Stretching deliberately, Yun-Jung raised her arms wide and pushed out her chest before slipping off her jacket and hanging it over the chair. She then folded her arms just beneath her chest and leaned an elbow lightly on the table. It was subtle, but I could tell she had used the size adjustment function. Her outfit looked just a bit tighter overall. It was already snug to begin with, but now, the fit emphasized her curves even more, and the gaps between the shirt buttons had widened further.
"Phew. It's hot. Why is it so damn hot?"
Not stopping there, Yun-Jung let out a seductive smile and casually undid one of the top buttons of her shirt. As her upper cleavage came into full view, An-Hyun and Shin Sang-Yong finally turned their heads away at the same time. Their faces flushed red, and they began to clear their throats awkwardly, one after another. Watching them, Lee Yun-Jung let out a small chuckle.
"Jeez. Still men, after all."
"Hoho."
Go Yeon-Joo laughed pleasantly. She wore a proud expression, as if to say her lessons were paying off. At that moment, I had a strong urge to grab her by the neck and shake her while asking just what exactly she had been teaching—but I barely managed to restrain myself.
While waiting for Vivienne to come down, I activated my "Third Eye," focusing on the kids. Since they were the most important, I needed to at least check their recent growth.
< Player Status >
Name: An-Hyun (Year 0)
Class: Energy Spearman (Rare)
Alignment: Amity · Moderation
(4 remaining stat points.)
[Strength 62] [Resistance 60] [Agility 75] [Vitality 63] [Magic 59] [Luck 61]
< Special Ability (1/1) >
Spear Master (Rank: C Zero)
< Potential Abilities (1/4) >
Defensive Formation (Rank: E +)
< Recent Stat Comparison >
Before: [Strength 61] [Resistance 58] [Agility 74] [Vitality 63] [Magic 58] [Luck 61]
After: [Strength 62] [Resistance 60] [Agility 75] [Vitality 63] [Magic 59] [Luck 61]
*
< Player Status >
Name: Lee Yun-Jung (Year 0)
Class: Mercenary
Alignment: True · Desire
(4 remaining stat points.)
[Strength 57] [Resistance 58] [Agility 76] [Vitality 55] [Magic 70] [Luck 53]
< Special Ability (1/1) >
Blood-Soaked Heart (Rank: D -)
『Blood-Soaked Heart. A heart stained in blood occasionally gives rise to murderous intent and desire, regardless of the player's will. Sometimes, it turns cold and rigid; at other times, it erupts like a raging volcano—an unpredictable and uncontrollable heart. However, this heart stems from a single origin: the desire to kill. Grants minor resistance to sensory interference and visual obstruction, but due to the low rank, the effect is minimal.』
< Recent Stat Comparison >
Before: [Strength 48] [Resistance 52] [Agility 64] [Vitality 50] [Magic 68] [Luck 56]
After: [Strength 57] [Resistance 58] [Agility 76] [Vitality 55] [Magic 70] [Luck 53]
< Player Status >
Name: An-Sol (Year 0)
Class: Normal Priest Runner
Alignment: Lawful · Good
(4 remaining stat points.)
[Strength 21] [Resistance 22] [Agility 24] [Vitality 31] [Magic 87(+1)] [Luck 100]
< Recent Ability & Stat Comparison >
Before: [Strength 20] [Resistance 22] [Agility 24] [Vitality 30] [Magic 86(+1)] [Luck 100]
After: [Strength 21] [Resistance 22] [Agility 24] [Vitality 31] [Magic 87(+1)] [Luck 100]
*
Seeing how much the kids had grown brought a warm sense of pride. An-Hyun, in particular, was clearly progressing step by step. His increases in Strength, Resistance, Agility, and Magic suggested he was training with balance and discipline in mind. Agility is typically hard to raise, but perhaps the influence of learning martial techniques from the Energy Spearman class was playing a part.
Yun-Jung's data was based on when she first entered Mule. Even taking that into consideration, her growth was definitely noteworthy. While her Strength, Resistance, and Vitality fell short compared to An-Hyun, both her Agility and Magic had surpassed 70. The fact that she had over 70 Magic despite being in a melee class, and that her special ability, Blood-Soaked Heart, had awakened, was certainly encouraging. Although her special ability was currently ranked D-, even upgrading it to just B-rank would make it quite useful.
Just looking at their stats, it was hard to believe they were still Year 0 players. However, what slightly concerned me was the drop in Yun-Jung's Luck and the shift in her Alignment. Both likely occurred as a result of becoming the owner of the demonic sword, Sculepf. True and Desire. "True" wasn't inherently bad, but the real concern was the "Desire" part. All I could do was hope she would manage it well enough to produce a synergistic effect. For now, I decided to keep watch.
I then turned my attention to An-Sol.
Among the three, An-Sol had shown the least growth. But that didn't mean she wasn't putting in any effort. Thanks to the +1 boost from the ring, her Magic stat was currently on par with Ha-Yeong's. While her physical stats were relatively low, I was aware of just how much effort magic players and priests had to put in to raise their Magic stat by even one point once they reached the 80s.
As I was evaluating the kids' stats, I heard the light patter of footsteps—Vivienne was coming down. She dashed breathlessly toward the table, swept her damp hair back, and plopped herself into a seat.
"Sorry, sorry! I'm a little late. But what about breakfast?"
"We were waiting for you. I'll go bring it now. If it's served too early, it gets cold."
"Yaaay~!"
When Vivienne expressed her joy, Go Yeon-Joo gave a soft smile and stood up. She threw me a subtle glance before heading to the kitchen. Watching her go, I calmly cleared my throat.
"Ahem."
"Su-Hyeon-ssi, do you have something to say?"
As soon as I coughed, everyone's attention naturally turned toward me. Ha-Yeong, ever quick on the uptake, skillfully set the stage for me. I nodded once and then looked around at everyone before speaking.
"It seems like it's about time we wrap up our maintenance period."
"..."
Everyone still wore expressions of mild curiosity, like "Oh, is that so." Originally, I'd planned to head out after about two and a half months, but it seemed better to push that timeline up a bit. Since the expedition report processing and clan establishment had been delayed anyway, it would be more efficient to finalize our maintenance, leave Mule, and immediately start taking action.
Looking at group waiting for me to continue, I spoke in a low voice.
"We've received information that the Golden Lion Clan has finally begun moving in earnest."
At this announcement, each member showed a different expression. Ha-yeong and Shin Sang-Yong's faces hardened, while the younger ones still looked relaxed. They probably just thought this meant we were heading out on our next expedition. And Vivienne… was glancing toward the kitchen, smacking her lips.
I let out a sigh and continued.
"Before that, there's one piece of information I need to share. A new Secret Class has emerged within the Golden Lion Clan. And the player of that class is someone both I and the kids know very well."
"Hyung, who is it?"
An-Hyun tilted his head and asked. I glanced briefly at Yun-Jung's face, then answered without delay.
"I said it's someone we know too. Try thinking about who it could be."
"Eh? If it's someone we all know… I've got no idea."
"Me neither, oppa. Who is it, really?"
Just as I was about to answer the siblings' questions, a sharp voice cut through the air before I could speak. While An-Hyun scratched his head in confusion, a cold, composed voice reached my ears.
"It's Kim Han-Byeol, isn't it?"
The one who answered wasn't An-Hyun. I slowly turned my head toward the direction the voice had come from.
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