“Whew, I’m beat.”
Rohan let out a sigh, tossed his weapon to the ground, and wiped the blood splattered on his face with his sleeve.
He must have hit Shadley pretty hard because the hammer was completely wrecked.
Somehow, he ended up losing all his weapons.
From Shadley, who was now out of the picture, Rohan snatched some knuckles as a sort of trophy.
“Knuckles… not really my style.”
Still, they’re definitely better than bare fists, so he grabbed them in a hurry.
He also got a decent amount of coins from this bunch, so he figured he’d try to buy a cheap sword when he got back.
[Quest completed.]
[Rewards acquired.]
[Battle traces erased.]
“Here we go again.”
A notification popped up in front of him.
Rohan smirked.
The promised rewards—a murder manual skill book and a random point pouch—were about to materialize, making the space in front of him wobble.
But something else caught Rohan’s attention.
“Oh, the wound?”
The cut that had been quietly bleeding and draining his health had cleanly healed.
It was so flawless, not even a scar remained, as if time had been reversed. It was almost magical.
This was even better than the famous healer he’d seen from afar during his Hunter days.
Last quest, he didn’t have any wounds, so he hadn’t noticed this before.
**Zzzzzz──.**
The erasure didn’t stop there.
It started cleaning the blood off Rohan’s clothes and body, even repairing the torn part of his hood.
“So, ‘battle traces’ include wounds too.”
Depending on how you interpret it, that’s not wrong.
It’s a good thing, so just accept it. Either way, it’s a big win for me.
“…”
Confirming that everything was done, Rohan reached into the shimmering void.
The skill followed the same process as before, seeping into his body.
[Murder Manual ─ Grade: C]
◇ Increases damage when attacking humanoid enemies.
Simple and good.
It’s a passive skill, not an active one, which makes it even more highly regarded.
And unlike the skill, something tangible caught on his fingertips.
Rohan recalled the time he bought jerky, grabbed the item, and pulled his hand out.
[Random Point Pouch]
◇ Obtain random points upon opening.
What came out was a thick leather pouch.
Despite having no real weight or heft, it maintained a plump, round shape with a single capital “P” on the outside.
Rohan bounced it on his palm a few times before grabbing the tied opening.
No reason not to use this consumable here.
“Even if it’s random, it won’t give less than the tutorial, right?”
Rohan opened his pocket with a tension greater than that of battle.
[Random Point Pocket has been opened.]
[You have acquired 3,999P.]
“Kya!”
Whether it’s luck or the high minimum value, it’s beyond expectations.
It’s not just about barely buying the necessary items.
Now, there’s some leeway.
[You have purchased a Unique Skill Level Up.]
[Weakness Affliction ─ Lv.2]
◇ Grants one attribute as a weakness to the target upon contact.
◇ When attacking a target with a weakness, there’s a low chance to inflict a minor debuff.
‘Yes. This is how a unique skill should develop.’
The condition of contact remains, but there’s now diversity in attributes.
Plus, there’s the new power of debuffing.
Even if it’s weak and has a low chance, it makes you look forward to future growth.
[Shop ─ Lv.2]
◇ Spend points to purchase items.
[Updating the shop list.]
<Shop ─ Lv.2>
◇ Random Skillbook – 5,000P (1-time purchase)
◇ Low-grade Health/Mana Potion – 100P
◇ Dining Hall Reservation Ticket – 50P
◇ Concentration Enhancing Incense – 50P
··
··
◇ Samhwa Kingdom Fruit Set – 10P
◇ Rainbow Macaron Set – 8P
◇ Chicken/Pizza – 8P
◇ Large Combat Rations – 5P
··
··
[Remaining Points – 2,272P]
‘…The skillbook price is 10 times higher?’
The limited sale prices are getting ridiculously high.
But Rohan can now anticipate the flow of the shop skill.
‘Anyway, buying that will probably refresh something again.’
The list of purchasable items has grown enormously.
Things like high-protein jerky and bottled water require scrolling down to find.
It’s also interesting that there are various items besides food.
“…”
After lightly finishing his review, Rohan lifted his head.
Fatigue remains, but with wounds healing, his body feels a bit lighter.
‘This is a turning point.’
The path he only imagined while playing Abyss City comes to mind.
‘What to do.’
Originally, Rohan planned to finish these and return to the dormitory.
Standing up the meeting place and getting stood up is the canon of Abyss City 1.0.
But.
Having searched the group’s smartphones and figured out the location and time they were supposed to meet the elves.
For the current quest, he has more information than when he experienced it in the game.
In the game, parts that didn’t happen were omitted, but just the part about not trying to talk to the female elf who came to greet them and not exchanging any information paints a clear picture.
‘Those old folks…’
Looking at the message sent through the anonymous program, it seemed like the Princess herself would come out to guide the location.
Considering the treatment the Princess was receiving, the possibility itself was more than enough—it was overflowing.
“Hmm.”
That’s why Rohan carefully pondered.
It’s true that facing the Princess in the current situation was dangerous.
If the Princess were to get agitated and fire a gun, the chances of a good outcome with his current frail body would be close to zero.
Even so.
Rohan decided to head to the meeting spot.
He steeled his resolve.
‘Should I buy her some macarons?’
The Princess had never appeared as a playable character in Abyss City.
But she was one of the characters Rohan had such affection for that he vowed to fully develop her if she ever became playable.
Seeing such a character suffer through text in the game and recognizing that she was suffering in reality now felt entirely different to Rohan.
So, rather than delivering some grand information to the Princess, he wanted to see her face and check her condition.
And if he could help a little with some small information, that would be good too.
··
··
‘It’s late.’
Rohan moved as quickly as he could to the promised location, the ruins.
But by the time he arrived, a considerable amount of time had passed.
Looking around, there was no sign of anyone—just the sound of wind passing through the deserted buildings.
It was quiet and desolate.
Thinking she might have already left, Rohan wandered around with a sense of regret.
*Click.*
From behind a wall, a woman with pointed ears revealed herself.
“!”
Her golden hair tied in a ponytail with a hint of green at the tips.
Goggles resting on her indifferent eyes and a piece of cloth covering her mouth.
A techwear outfit with no shortage of ammo and supplies.
‘Crazy old-timers, I thought it was a joke, but they really sent the Princess.’
Rohan felt a pang of pity as he faced the Princess.
*Swish.*
The Princess gestured for him to follow as if to guide him.
Not even attempting a minimal greeting.
Rohan didn’t follow and instead stood still, speaking up.
“Hey.”
The Princess turned to look at him dryly.
I pointed to the lower part of the vest she was wearing.
Grabbing my hoodie, I showed her as an example and indicated the location.
“Check here.”
“….”
Instead of following the action, a flicker of wariness appeared in the Princess’s eyes.
“Let’s move after you do this. I’ll wait.”
Anticipating this, Rohan comfortably sat down on the spot.
He pulled out a set of macarons he had bought from the Shop earlier.
Inside a box slightly larger than a palm, exuding an antique charm.
Colorful macarons were neatly arranged.
“Want to eat?”
A type I’ve never seen before. The Princess shook her head with a flustered look.
Rohan then said he’d eat alone and popped a macaron into his mouth.
“Oh, this is tasty.”
“…”
The Princess stared at Rohan silently.
Not speaking was the basic rule, and it was frustrating. The mouth hidden under the mask felt itchy.
But she couldn’t just drag him away by force. The elders said he was an honored guest.
“Just check what I said. Around here?”
“…”
When Rohan showed the approximate location again, the Princess kept her eyes on him and moved her hand.
“?”
And then she felt it.
A strange sensation at the tip of her fingers.
Without hesitation, the Princess pulled out a dagger and slit the end of the vest.
She found a small device hidden in the clothing.
She knew exactly what this thing was.
‘…A tracking device?’
The same model she had installed on the Yard-Pound brothers at the elders’ request.
Rohan stared at the Princess with his chin resting on his hand.
Just looking at his eyes, you could sense the complexity.
Now, when he went to the city, he would understand why he got caught by the elders.
“Found it right away. Well, I’ll be going then.”
“…”
Rohan got up from his seat, leaving the Princess frozen in place.
“See you next time. Take care of your health.”
As Rohan tried to leave without a second thought, the Princess snapped out of it.
Though the explanation was far from sufficient, the Princess couldn’t help but open her mouth to meet Rohan’s expectations.
“…Stop.”
*Click!*
One of the Princess’s eyes turned into a heart shape as she pulled out the pistol she was carrying.
Rohan knew what that ability was.
‘Heart Sniping.’
A skill that targets the heart with bullets.
Rohan scratched his chin, feeling a ticklish sensation as he faced that eye.
‘This feels kinda naughty.’
Seeing it in person, it felt more like that than anything ominous.
