Chapter 121 – Shut Your Eyes
Each of us had secured a room in the annex, slightly away from the main building. Currently, we were resting as we waited for Adrang’s individual training to conclude. But this training seemed to last longer than expected. The night had already deepened after the day broke, yet there was still no sound from the training grounds.
“Well, at least the result is good.”
I muttered to myself, thinking that during our stay in the capital, we nearly had to live on the streets. Fortunately, the conversation with Adrang had ended well. It was a conversation we’d had through exchanged punches.
The real challenge was yet to come. I scratched my head in thought.
“How should I bring up the matter of asking for training?”
That’s right. I didn’t come here just to watch the martial arts competition. I came here to seek something of value to exploit.
However, considering Adrang’s reaction in Kern, it didn’t seem easy at all. He didn’t appear to have the intention of accepting disciples, and from what I gathered, his personality didn’t seem to be suited for taking on students either.
Lost in thought, I sighed, and just then a knock on the door broke the silence.
I rose from the bed and glanced towards the door.
“Come in. I’m here.”
“Carhalas here. May I disturb you for a moment?”
Who is Carhalas?
I thought for a moment and then recalled the face of the woman with white hair.
She’s the daughter of the household. Remembering that, I nodded and raised my voice.
“Please, come in.”
“Sorry for disturbing you.”
As soon as I gave permission, Carhalas entered. The door opened slowly, and her figure gradually became visible. She approached with graceful steps, and as she came closer, sat lightly on the edge of the bed next to me.
“Now that I think about it… you’re quite different from Adrang.”
In terms of appearance, she almost resembles a younger, female version of Adrang.
However, every one of her movements is full of etiquette; none of the wild animal-like energy that Adrang has is present. It’s quite clear that she was raised in a gentle, upper-class environment, and sitting next to her, I could even smell a pleasant fragrance.
It’s worth mentioning that for someone with my background, this type of person makes me feel slightly uncomfortable.
“Eye of Mimir.”
My defensive instincts against uncomfortable people kicked in.
Before I realized it, I’d scanned her info.
[Name: Carhalas]
[Nickname: Young Wolf, Daughter of Adrang]
[Level: 221]
[Health: 1340/1340 Magic: 880/880 Physical condition: Normal]
[Strength: 208 Agility: 301 Intelligence: 117]
“Pretty strong, huh?”
Seseona is uncertain, but if compared to Seop Baek, she’s undoubtedly stronger.
Besides, with a level 220, she’s much more formidable than I was before my battle with the Resurrection Sect. Truly, the daughter of Adrang – garbage doesn’t float.
“Moreover, no Hero Sense.”
I recalled the stats of Adrang that I’d seen before.
[Character Information]
[Name: Bershults]
[Nickname: 4025703rd Hero, Knight of Red Wolf, 13th Cavalier, Martial God]
[Level: 379]
[Health: 3750/3750 Magic: 1390/1390 Physical Condition: Normal]
[Strength: 536 Agility: 621 Intelligence: 109 Hero Sense: 43]
Adrang clearly had a Hero Sense. He’s a Hero summoned from the alternative world.
So, does that mean this young lady is a half-native? If one of the parents is a Hero but the offspring, starting from the second generation, is treated as a regular native, that would make sense.
“Is there something on my face?”
Carhalas averted her eyes upon noticing my intense gaze.
I gave a quick cough to cover myself and promptly apologized, adding a compliment to make up for the awkward moment considering I might’ve made her feel uneasy with my prolonged stare.
“No, I apologize. I was just lost in thought about how pretty you are.”
“Eh? Oh… t-thank you.”
For some reason, she pulled away even further and completely turned her back to me. Though I tried to catch her eye, she deliberately avoided looking at me.
Hmm. Maybe she prefers to be evaluated for her skills rather than her looks? Perhaps I stepped on a landmine without realizing it.
“But why did you come? It’s pretty late at night.”
I decided to change the topic quickly.
Seeing that my strategy worked, Carhalas turned to look at me again. She was fanning herself with her hands and managed a slightly awkward smile.
“Please speak freely. Given that you’re an acquaintance of father and seem older than me…”
“Yeah, sure. Why’d you come?”
I cut straight to the point.
Actually, if Carhalas hadn’t brought it up, I would’ve soon done it myself.
People like me, from the bottom rung of society, tend to start by looking down on those who appear to be well-placed. A survival strategy I learned from the labor market, if you will. It’s a form of posturing.
I even gave it a try with Minerva, who’s close to being a deity. Shouldn’t lesser individuals feel even more so?
“Uh, that, um…”
She clearly showed signs of hesitation at first, but then she shook her head and looked at me with a serious expression.
Seeing her directly, her calm silver eyes truly resemble Adrang’s.
“Actually, I was impressed by the practice match I saw earlier and wanted to have a conversation with you, so… I approached you today.”
“What’s the real purpose of your conversation?”
“A-ah…”
“Let’s cut to the chase. You didn’t come here for small talk, did you?”
I pressed forward without delay.
Sure enough, she seemed to have been caught off-guard by my accuracy, and her body tensed up as her limbs moved anxiously.
Having been alive for 24 years on earth and one year in this alternative world, I’ve honed my sixth sense through sharp practice. It would be foolish to try and fool me.
My years honing this sense have proven useful.
“Anyone trying to approach me usually has some ulterior motive.”
Not that some special sense is even necessary. With a lifestyle like mine, the realization comes naturally.
Every woman who’s approached me so far always had a hidden agenda. Questioning their intentions tends to yield accurate results. Let me dry those tears for a second.
“Yes, actually… I came here shamelessly to ask you for a favor.”
As I basked in my victory, she hesitated and revealed her intentions.
Of course, that makes sense. Suppressing a bittersweet feeling, I nodded immediately.
“What is it? Go ahead and say it.”
“Would you… consider it?”
“Depends.”
I’ll help if it’s reasonable. Carhalas is beautiful after all.
When a beautiful woman pleads earnestly, your body tends to react before your brain can catch up. Being a sucker for this isn’t for nothing. This behavior is precisely why I get called a sucker.
Thank the handsome face that Adrang passed down, Carhalas.
“Well, to be honest… I’d like to ask you, based on the incredible martial skills you displayed earlier, to participate in the Martial Arts Competition for me.”
“Martial Skills, indeed.”
“I’d like you to participate in the Martial Arts Competition.”
“… Hmm?”
A somewhat unexpected request came out. I immediately raised my eyebrows.
I leaned closer to Carhalas, who tensed up her body but didn’t withdraw as she had before.
Facing her up close, I inquired,
“The Martial Arts Competition starting tomorrow? To participate as a challenger?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“Why?”
I’m not a detective agency that ignores reasons. Since I’m the one considering granting this rather unexpected request, I have the right to know why.
However, Carhalas hesitated and her expression became cloudy.
“By any chance, will you be attending the State Banquet that starts tomorrow, along with my father?”
That was the difficult-to-speak sentence Carhalas finally managed to get out.
Perplexed by her peculiar reaction, I shook my head.
“Why should I attend that? I’m not the emperor.”
“A-ah. Then it’s a bit…”
“What’s the deal? You’re asking me to do something annoying without even giving a reason?”
“Well, um… I apologize. How about it?”
While brushing over her reasons, Carhalas kept anxiously glancing my way. She was clearly worried about whether I would decline or not, and looked uneasy.
How desperate must she be to keep this secret?
“Hmm. There must be a situation.”
In my situation, acting standoffish like this usually means “charging an outrageous price.” For someone accomplished like Carhalas, on the other hand, it signifies “deep personal circumstances.”
I may rant about looks-first, superficial attitudes, but this is reality.
“Hmm. Alright then.”
At that moment, a clever plan popped into my head. Eyeing her trembling eyes with an insidious smirk, I closed my eyes and nodded.
“Alright, I’ll participate for you. Honestly, I’m not even that curious about the reason.”
“W-What? Are you serious? Thank you so much. I’m really thankful!”
“At the same time, I’m not a charity worker. I’m going to need compensation.”
Carhalas, whose cool image was shattered by her bright smile, instantly paled when the word “compensation” slipped out from my mouth. She distanced herself slightly, wrapping her arms around herself. She was visibly trembling.
“Compensation… I, I’m not quite ready emotionally…”
“Shut your eyes.”
What on earth was she imagining?
Honestly, it was somewhat predictable, but do I look like some guy who’s always out to seduce women? And to think I wouldn’t have the energy even if I could do that—it’s frustrating.
“This has nothing to do with that! It’s related to your request to… Mr. Red Wolf!”
“Wh-What? Targeting Father’s body…!?”
“Are you insane?”
Don’t make me some blonde-tanning delinquent.
Through Carhalas, I intended only to cement a stronger connection with Adrang and hopefully get some teaching from him.
I needed to explain this clearly, in as much detail as possible.
“Aha… I see. If it’s that kind of request… I’ll certainly relay the message to father properly.”
Carhalas seemed thoroughly relieved at my intentions. She nodded with great enthusiasm and readily accepted.
“Great.”
Face-saving is done. Participating in a martial arts competition and getting lessons from Adrang in return? This is turning out to be a better deal on my side.
My mental work has transformed into physical action.
“Please take care of me.”
I clenched my fist and extended it to Carhalas, mimicking Adrang’s customary gesture.
“?…”
Carhalas looked at my fist like a monk receiving an unexpected Bible.
Then, with an “Ah!” she realized, and carefully placed her small fist into mine.
“I’ll… also take care of you.”
Our fists gently collided.
Judging by her reaction, it seems Adrang doesn’t often use this fist-bump gesture with his own daughter. A faint smile hovered uncertainly on her lips—a rather strained one, like it was squeezed out.
“More details about the Martial Arts Competition will be discussed a bit later… Um, may I inquire about your name?”
“Park Jeong-yong. Yours is Carhalas, right?”
“Yes, you can call me however you like.”
“Then, since Carhalas is quite a mouthful, can I call you ‘Car’ for short?”
“Yes, feel free to. Hehe.”
The exchange occurred in a rather warm, amiable atmosphere.
Indeed, talking with a beautiful woman is always the best. It’s always fresh and thrilling.
Anyway,
That’s how I ended up entering the Martial Arts Competition, which wasn’t even on my schedule.
