Chapter 6

The next day.

After spending the night at their place, as I was about to change into the clothes Sita and Mili had picked up from the bald guy’s shop… I realized there was a problem.

“…Hold on, why don’t I have anything but these kinds of clothes?”

Flowing lace-adorned Gothic Lolita style outfits, pink clothes filled with cute decorations and characters…

“Oh, oh? D-do they not suit you, Ma’am?”

Mili’s reaction was one of genuine surprise, and seeing her, it hit me again that my body was no longer that of a man.

“Ah, no, it’s not that they don’t suit me…”

Truthfully, I thought this body, Edu’s body, would look quite good in such clothes. But…

The problem was that I was a man. Or rather, I had been a man, or maybe still had a man’s mindset?

Anyway, because of that, there was an indescribable feeling of discomfort and a suffocating sensation that made me reluctant to put them on.

“I’m sorry…”

While I was thinking this, Mili’s head dropped dejectedly. But it’s not like she should feel this sorry…

“Hmm.”

Despite everything, it was clear that these clothes were far superior to the rags I was currently wearing, both in appearance and function.

…So it was time to make a decision.

Ah, Junior, are you listening up there? I really feel your absence right about now.

“Ah, no, I’ll wear them.”

“W-what? Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

But still, these two got them for me, so putting my pride aside, I decided to change into them. I can do it, I can…

Unfortunately, it’s not like in games where a right-click changes your clothes instantly; reality isn’t that easy.

After overcoming the feeling of self-loathing and finally changing, the loose sensation around my legs felt strange, unlike the shorts I was used to.

“…”

“You look good in them.”

“R-really?”

“Yes, yes.”

The awkward exchange continued.

Even though I knew Mili was trying her best to compliment me, honestly, I couldn’t shake the complicated mix of emotions that came before any sense of joy.

As I was thinking this, Sita and Mili also began changing. Feeling a bit guilty, I turned my head slightly. In no time, both of them had changed.

Sita wore a tight-fitting outfit reminiscent of gym clothes in gray with bright yellow stripes, while Mili put on a sweater-like top with jeans.

After adding a few tools and equipment they had prepared, they were ready to go, and their formerly ragged appearance was replaced with a significantly more adorable look.

Yes, they truly look much better when properly dressed.

“Both of you look great.”

“…Thank you.”

“E-he-he-he…”

Sita answered with a slightly blushing face, while Mili smiled innocently.

“Then, shall we get going?”

“Yes, Ma’am. Climb on my back.”

“Thank you.”

With that, I hopped onto Mili’s back and we left the house. Unlike the controlled weather of the Fangju, the Outland we were entering was just an empty expanse of stones, with the ceiling exposed above us.

Still, with the light leaking from the Fangju, we managed to keep somewhat regular routines, so there wasn’t much of a time difference between us.

“Alright, let’s go… Ugh…”

Suddenly, nausea hit before I could even finish the sentence, which startled Mili who was carrying me.

“Is it happening again? Are you really okay?”

“Not… really…”

The nausea cut off my words. Looking back, there was one fact I had accidentally discovered last night: digestion issues, one of the free SP bonuses that accompany body and AOE communities, weren’t actually free at all.

In the game, consuming food items simply resulted in a mild stat drop for a certain amount of time, but here, it took on an entirely different effect.

First, there was a subtle discomfort, accompanied occasionally by sudden pain or the urge to vomit. What made it worse was that this could last a full three hours after eating.

At least here, unlike AOE, there was no stat reduction, and the pain and nausea didn’t last the full three hours…

Still, honestly, it would be better to take a stat penalty without the sudden stomach pain and nausea.

“Grgh…”

“Are you okay? Should we rest a bit before continuing?”

“No, no. I can endure, let’s keep going…”

Even as I encouraged Mili and Sita like this, neither of them wanted to take another step.

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes, I’ll get better once some time passes.”

“Alright…”

Sita’s and Mili’s worried faces were touching but unavoidable.

It isn’t like my body just turned out to have this unexpected real effect, right?

It’s true that you could take a break after eating as a solution, but it’s not a good option. Food is something we must consume regularly for life—at least twice or thrice a day, so if we took a rest every time, it would mean wasting at least 6 hours, possibly up to 9, per day.

And AOE, known for its diabolical difficulty due to its background, doesn’t allow for leisurely downtime. Losing 6-9 hours per day, every day, until you grow stronger is almost like suicide.

…And am I really just going to give up now that I can finally see robots with my own eyes because of stomach trouble and nausea? Not a chance.

Jung Eun-woo, 22 years old. Even if I’ve lost Junior and turned into a lolita girl which doesn’t fit my tastes, I will see moving robots at least with these two eyes before I die.

“Then, where to?”

“Let’s head toward the gate near the walls.”

“Y-yes, Ma’am. Isn’t it the large door on the wall?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

As Mili took a step forward, Sita followed closely.

“Will you enter Fangju right away?”

“Yeah. Since I’m an Awakened, they’ll let me in.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Regardless of origin, the Awakened are crucial resources for Fangju, and they would never turn them away.

“…Understood. Rest a bit on Mili’s back, then.”

“Mm-mm…”

I mumbled a drawn-out reply and continued being carried in a daze for some time when suddenly, Mili stopped.

“M-Mili?”

“E-Edu Ma’am…”

“Hmm?”

I could hear the fear and unease in Mili’s voice. Shaking off the drowsiness, I started to make sense of the situation.

“Haha…”

“Kehehe…”

Mocking laughter came from everywhere, accompanied by dull metallic sounds and heavy footsteps approaching.

Young men, clad in grungy punk-style clothing, wielding batons and iron pipes as crude cold weapons, surrounded us.

Their faces had bright, vivid warpaint, meant probably to intimidate, making it look like their eyes and mouths were floating.

Their numbers were around twenty.

And beyond them, sitting on the steps leading to the Fangju wall was a man watching us from above.

“Hey, vermin.”

He paused before drawing heavily on the crude cigarette dangling from his lips and exhaled slowly.

“Where are you rushing off to with such fancy outfits, above your station?”

“…”

“You little brats! Didn’t you hear the boss ask?”

“Answer quickly or what!?”

Commotion spread among the men, and with curses and shouts, threats continued. However, both Mili and Sita, perhaps having a bit of experience with such situations, remained silent while carefully observing their surroundings.

“Hey! Are those lips just for decoration? Should I make it easy for you to speak?”

Saying this, one man licked his dirty baseball bat adorned with corroded metal shards.

While his intention was likely to intimidate, all I felt was disgust as he licked a weapon visibly covered in rust and grime.

How does someone even think to lick something so dirty?

While I was pondering this, Sita, who had been silent and observant for a while, finally spoke softly.

“What exactly would you do with that information?”

“You little rat!”

“Let’s crush it! How dare you?!”

The commotion among them grew again, but when the man on the steps raised his hand, they fell silent as if nothing had happened.

“Tsk—Little mice sure grow arrogant.”

The man shook the smoldering ashes from his cigarette.

“When you raid one store, you start thinking yourself important? As if you’re something special, huh, kid.”

Clap!

He clapped his hands theatrically, after which, as if on cue, his men pulled out weapons from their coats and glared at us threateningly.

Most had pipes or bats, but others had knives, wrenches, and other crude firearms Sita had collected the day before.

“…What do you want?”

“Nothing much.”

The man answered while drawing deeply on his cigarette.

“I heard there’s an Awakened kid on that back. Looks like the little one isn’t in great shape, so just leave him here, and we’ll let the two of you go peacefully.”

“Huh.”

While pretending to offer great mercy, he made his ultimatum, and naturally, Sita’s face twisted in anger upon hearing it.

“Are you asking us to sell Edu?”

“Edu? Oh, the Awakened kid’s name? But I’d prefer you not to use such unpleasant words like buying and selling.”

Huff…

Exhaling a long drag of smoke, the man’s lips slowly curled upward.

“We’re just exercising our rights here. In this Outland, strength is the ultimate right.”

The man was so confident, behaving as if he had already won.

“N-no!”

“That wasn’t directed at you, stupid girl.”

“…”

Mili, who had been holding back, let out a yelp, but the man dismissed it with irritation.

A short silence.

But instead of answering, Sita pulled out the gun she had been carrying on her back as a response.

“Deal broken then?”

The man shrugged nonchalantly.

“You guys, don’t accidentally hit the Awakened kid. He’s—”

“Yes.”

Edu interrupted the man’s instructions with a small but clear voice. Though childlike, it carried an eerie coldness.

“Deal broken.”

“…What? So you were awake? If so, this saves some conversation. Awakened kid, our boss wants you—”

The man pointed a finger at him.

“What the hell? What’s the big idea?”

With displeasure written all over his face, the man’s tone changed.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me I could speak?”

To which Edu boldly replied.

At this, the man blinked for a moment before his head sank, his body began to tremble slightly, and then burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! This one’s got some spunk. Hey, Awakened kid, don’t you know your situation?”

The man spread his arms wide.

“We’ve already figured out you’re a summoner and that summoners without their summons are powerless, right? So what now that you’re surrounded?”

Haha!

The man chuckled again, suppressed it with effort, and then gave a sly smile.

“Stop this nonsense and come quietly. We’ll take you to our boss. Those two… may live if you cooperate?”

The obvious mockery spread among the men surrounding us.

Though Sita and Mili didn’t say anything, their uneasy glances at Edu spoke volumes. To an outsider, the odds clearly didn’t look favorable, yet Edu remained calm.

“So, summoners without their summons are powerless, right?”

With that muttered reflection, Edu snapped his fingers.

Tang!

A gunshot rang out simultaneously.

The man’s expression, previously filled with nonchalance, now vanished in an instant.

“What the hell! Which moron fired that shot! I said no attacks that can’t be healed without using mana!”

He snapped at his men, but they too looked bewildered, craning their necks around nervously.

Something was off.

“Heeh?”

At that moment, the man noticed one of his subordinates standing motionlessly, seemingly frozen in place.

Did he fire the gun?

“You there! What’s going on?”

“…”

The man’s shouts got no response.

“Hey! What are you doing? Wake up!”

The nearby subordinate hesitated, then touched the frozen man’s shoulder, shaking him.

“Hi, Hiiieek?!”

As he shook him, the frozen man emitted a screech and let go. Then, the motionless body collapsed onto the ground with a thud.

A round hole in his head, oozing dark red liquid.

Blood.

“Wha…?”

“Seems like someone did some serious homework.”

At that moment, Edu’s voice rang out again. Unlike his earlier confident demeanor, the man’s head turned slowly, as if it were an old machine, towards Edu.

“But I wonder, why would you think I couldn’t think of what you did?”

As he spoke, Edu tapped his forehead lightly and pointed at the air with his fingertip.

The now trembling, quivering man slowly followed his finger, looking upwards, and his face paled immediately.

“Aaah.”

Following Edu’s finger, the man looked up.

Wheeeeee…

There, above, around thirty little drones were aiming their gun barrels directly at them.