[Protagonist’s POV]
The road ahead felt hopeless.
Last ti, I at least had the shield of passing out while it happened—but not this ti.
I don’t rember everything, but I’m pretty sure I took the lead here.
How am I supposed to shalessly pretend this never happened?
’I... have to take responsibility, don’t I?’
Given our positions, it’s less taking responsibility and more ending up as a live-in son-in-law for the Sichuan Tang Clan—but either way, I’d have to own up sohow.
’But I need to return to the mountains soday... and this world might end before that... I’ve got to stop it first... ugh...’
My thoughts spiraled endlessly.
I knew back on Earth that screwing around could screw you over—but how could I have predicted this happening to ?
Glance.
I peeked at Dang Ayeong, still asleep beside .
Snore...
"..."
It hit again—she’s really pretty.
Compared to Master, who I’m used to, she might fall short, but objectively? Top 0.1%, easy.
Yeah, objectively speaking—whether it’s the Sword Empress or Dang Ayeong—looks, status, wealth, martial prowess—they’re flawless. Pri catches any guy would grab if he had the chance. I get that.
I know I’m sounding spoiled here, but—
’I’m not in a position to date...’
Thud.
I buried my face in my hands again.
My situation? Sneaking out from Master to ss around in the martial world, only to face a potential apocalypse I need to stop—or escape.
Personal feelings aside, I’m in no shape for romance.
When every day’s a rush, where’s the ti to date, bond, or marry?
And if the world ends anyway, it’s all over—
’What the hell do I do...’
Even if I smooth things over with Dang Ayeong, there’s still the Sword Empress to deal with.
How long’s it been since we parted with that conversation, and now I’ve pulled this stunt?
’...She can never find out.’
She might swing her sword at , calling a lecher—
...Wait.
The Sword Empress was a virgin... Dang Ayeong was too...
So I’ve taken the firsts of both the righteous faction’s hero and the most outstanding young talent?
’I’ve got no defense if they call a pervert!’
Boiled down, that’s the situation—no excuses needed.
At this point, I wondered if fleeing to the mountains was even an option—
Wouldn’t they hunt down there too?
’Ughhh...’
Scratch scratch.
I clawed at my head—things were screwed beyond belief.
I must’ve been insane—absolutely insane.
I wasn’t clueless about where this could lead, so why’d I let it happen and make this ss?
Sure, I drank, but my body wouldn’t move right—
As I cursed yesterday’s —
Rustle.
"Mmm..."
Dang Ayeong stirred, sleepy-eyed.
Oh, and we were both naked, by the way.
"Yaaawn..."
Rubbing her eyes, her skin caught my attention—
She’d always had good skin, but now it practically glowed, like she’d drained my vitality dry—
Which made sense, since I felt utterly spent while she looked fresh as hell—
"Oh... you’re up already?"
"D-Dang, uh, lady... about that..."
"Hungry, right? Hang on—I’ll whip up sothing tasty and good for you."
Watching her hop out of bed right after waking, I thought she looked damn healthy—
Was that just her personality, or last night’s doing? No clue, but one thing was clear—
Dang Ayeong’s face radiated relief, like so pent-up weight had lifted—
After washing up and dressing, I sat at the table, eating the al she’d made.
"I put so effort into this one—how is it? Edible?"
Like she’d said, the food was damn good—
Better than most inns, honestly—
"It’s great. You could sell this."
"Oh, co on—not that good..."
"No, really—I’d eat this every day—"
I nearly let it slip, swallowing the rest in a panic—
Just a careless comnt, but it hit —that’s a classic Earth proposal line—
’Almost screwed myself there.’
Good thing I don’t usually talk like that—would’ve been a nightmare otherwise—
"Was that... what you almost said—"
"N-No, I didn’t say anything!"
"Hmm..."
I dodged her narrowed eyes—
Normally, I could handle it, but eting her gaze now? Torture—
I had no idea how to fix this—
"Uh, c-could you grab more rice? I’ve burned a lot of energy..."
"...Well, you did work hard."
She looked a bit uneasy but got up willingly to fetch it—
Though the portion she brought back—
"...That’s a lot."
"Hey, you need to eat big to keep your strength up."
"Huh...?"
Her whisper tickled my ear—
"Looking forward to tonight—"
"I-I’ve got work to do!!"
Goosebumps erupted as I threw on my cloak and bolted out of her house—
Glancing back, I caught her sinister smile—
Bang!
I slamd the door and headed for my stall, vowing—
Tonight, I’m crashing at an inn—
After washing up and dressing, I sat at the table, eating the al she’d made.
"I put so effort into this one—how is it? Edible?"
Like she’d said, the food was damn good—
Better than most inns, honestly—
"It’s great. You could sell this."
"Oh, co on—not that good..."
"No, really—I’d eat this every day—"
I nearly let it slip, swallowing the rest in a panic—
Just a careless comnt, but it hit —that’s a classic Earth proposal line—
’Almost screwed myself there.’
Good thing I don’t usually talk like that—would’ve been a nightmare otherwise—
"Was that... what you almost said—"
"N-No, I didn’t say anything!"
"Hmm..."
I dodged her narrowed eyes—
Normally, I could handle it, but eting her gaze now? Torture—
I had no idea how to fix this—
"Uh, c-could you grab more rice? I’ve burned a lot of energy..."
"...Well, you did work hard."
She looked a bit uneasy but got up willingly to fetch it—
Though the portion she brought back—
"...That’s a lot."
"Hey, you need to eat big to keep your strength up."
"Huh...?"
Her whisper tickled my ear—
"Looking forward to tonight—"
"I-I’ve got work to do!!"
Goosebumps erupted as I threw on my cloak and bolted out of her house—
Glancing back, I caught her sinister smile—
Bang!
I slamd the door and headed for my stall, vowing—
Tonight, I’m crashing at an inn—
Tap tap tap.
I’d bolted saying I had work, but the stall wasn’t exactly ready—
No special gear, just months of neglect—dust piled high—
"Ow, my back..."
After hours of solo grunt work, I finally cleared the dust and prepped to open—
My back was killing —yesterday’s ss plus cleaning solo didn’t help—
I lay in the back room, nursing it with a break—
’Seriously, what do I do...’
Even while cleaning, I’d racked my brain—no clue how to untangle this—
If I’d just cut her off clean or said we’re just friends, last night wouldn’t have happened—peace would’ve held—
But I caved to temptation, and now this—
I’d kill to rewind ti—
Too bad I can’t—
’Why’s there no ti-reversal item in the shop...’
I’d buy it even if it ant debt—
As long as it wasn’t so absurd 10,000-point price like Return or Summon, I’d manage—
The shop felt useless when I needed real help—
’Oh, right—I need to find Yeo Socheon too.’
The shop reminded —
The saintess’s words about sticking close to Yeo Socheon—
No clear reason given, but it was her last advice, my only lead—
Problem is, I’ve got no idea where she is—
’She said she’s a Kunlun Taoist... so, Kunlun?’
This world’s so damn vast—finding soone’s a chore—
’Now that I think about it, it’s all won around .’
Every ss I’m in involves won—
Right then—
Knock knock.
"Anyone there?"
Soone tapped the stall’s door—
I wanted to pretend I wasn’t here, but it’s a custor—felt wrong to ignore—
Rubbing my aching back, I shuffled to the door—
Creak.
"Who’s this...?"
"Oh, Masked Gold Ghost... right?"
"As you can see...?"
My look’s distinctive—anyone in the know would spot —
The cloak’s shadow hides my face—not exactly common—
’A custor?’
At first, I thought so—but what the man said next threw —
"I’m from the Martial Alliance. Looks like you’ll need to co with ."
"...Huh?"
About a year and a half since I left the mountains to roam the martial world—
Now I’m suddenly being dragged to the Martial Alliance—
The Martial Alliance—
A massive coalition of righteous sects, led by the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, wielding influence across most of the Central Plains—
Barring the distant Demon Cult, evil factions, and imperial strongholds, their reach covers damn near everything—
’And they want ?!’
Why the hell would they summon ?
I couldn’t help but freak out—
’What did I do?! Did I screw up sowhere?!’
Getting hauled off with no explanation—how’s that not suspicious?
Unless you’re so diehard optimist, this screams bad news—
’Think, think—what’ve I done lately? Any mistakes? Hurry up and figure it out...’
I left the guy standing there, brain racing—
"Uh... any idea why they want ...?"
Hoping for a hint—
"I don’t know the details..."
He’s just a ssenger—clueless—
Cold sweat dripped inside as I weighed my options—
"...Fine. If they’re calling, I’ll go..."
I gave in—
No point resisting—they’d drag anyway, and getting hit for it? Bigger loss—
Plus, a small part of figured—would the mighty Martial Alliance really bother killing a random fortune-teller?
This isn’t the Demon Cult—surely they wouldn’t off in broad daylight in Shaanxi—
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