Regardless of the reactions, I had no intention of caring about them.
In the midst of it all, I simply found it amusing how they were divided amongst themselves.
Suji resolutely spoke to the hunter system.
“Convert all the gold I have.”
Immediately, a new window popped up.
[Once converted, it cannot be reversed.Converting the full amount, excluding fees, will result in 34,635F.
Do you wish to proceed?]
34,635F.
Just seeing that number made my heart race.
I clearly remembered that the price of the 10th tier item 〈Boots of (Annihilating) Justice〉 in the ‘shop’ was 3,000F.
And I keenly recalled that the prices of other items weren’t much different either.
If I had that much funds, I could purchase around 10 items of the 10th tier.
I thought that without recruiting more team members at this point, there was no way to greatly increase our power, but it felt like I had found another solution.
‘Saving up money when there was nowhere to use it is helpful at times like this.’
I didn’t care if I was left with not a single gold. That money was earned together with Ilein anyway.
If I had to spend money to keep Ilein the way he is now, I wouldn’t hesitate no matter the amount.
And as a hunter, there was no reason to be stingy about spending to become stronger.
If possible, I would gladly offer up my entire fortune.
‘If I take a 10th tier weapon and ask them to refine it, the blacksmith granny’s back might break.’
Just thinking about it was exciting.
Suji answered with a smile.
“Please proceed.”
A window displaying the gold amount appeared before my eyes. The number that was difficult to even read at a glance rapidly decreased to 0, and a new section expanded below, converting it to the F unit.
It was the exact number I was notified of beforehand, but I checked again just in case, and a voice rang in my head, making it buzz.
− It would have been better if you had listened to me first.
His grumbling was no different from a child’s.
Suji snorted.
“Now of all times? Trying to pull another scam?”
− Look here. I think there’s some misunderstanding. I am neither a misguided nor a corrupt being. The reason I created 〈The Laurel〉 was because I wanted to help. There’s no harm in listening to me.
Suji smiled with one corner of her mouth raised.
No matter what he said, he was an existence that tried to maintain the balance of the bet while helping Suji at the same time.
Perhaps there were aspects I could rely on.
However, the fact that he hid things without revealing everything, and grew uneasy if Suji gained too much, made it difficult to trust him.
“Let’s hear it. What do you want to say?”
− …You know, if you disrupt the balance too much, a force will act to restore the balance.
Suji nodded her head.
I know.
Just because I drew some good 9th tier items, I was hit with 3 S-rank waves.
If I purchase around 10 items of the 10th tier, will an SS-rank wave erupt?
But now, I no longer had the leisure to worry about each and every aftereffect.
And Suji had something she believed in to some extent.
It was the overall skill improvement of South Korean hunters.
Even if it had only been a few days, experiencing 〈The Sage’s Tower〉 was a great opportunity for a leap. Even more so for those who had spent a long time only in dungeons.
Just forming teams and making multiple attempts to learn how to defeat bosses greatly reduced the fear of high-class monsters. That directly translated to skill.
And the national buff obtained from the 85th floor was quite useful.
Considering that there was still a significant amount of time given, Suji planned to rely on other hunters for about a week.
“Humans will take care of that part on our own. You just focus on your job.”
− …I clearly warned you.
“Open the shop when needed. As if I said something grandiose again.”
− This is a mess.
A thin, low sound like the whisper of the wind mixed in my head.
It seemed like he was sighing.
Suji laughed.
It was amusing how he acted like he would give her anything to make her climb the tower, but in reality, he tried to control her from having too much.
The two parties of the bet were probably similar, but there wasn’t much difference between the two.
These guys and the Messiah.
Birds of a feather.
Suji changed the subject.
“What do you call F?”
− Huh?
“G is called gold. What is F called?”
− I think it’s called franc.
“You know quite well about human currency units. Stop joking and speak seriously.”
− Farewell.
“Farewell, as in parting?”
− Yes.
“Why is a currency unit called farewell?”
− Fantasy. Fallacy. Whatever you like. As long as it signifies illusion and failure. It’s just a unit assigned to make it easier for humans to understand.
There are so many beautiful and lovely words starting with F.
Farewell, illusion, failure.
Why pick only those to talk about?
“Is there a meaning behind that too?”
− That’s difficult to say.
“Is there a standard for the items and equipment displayed in that shop?”
− That’s also difficult to say.
It seemed to be starting again.
In the end, it’s just a shop.
“Trying to evade again. Is this also a hint that you can’t tell?”
− …You’re the first one to persistently dig this far. Honestly, if we only consider the amount of information reached, it’s more now than all those numerous cycles. Without retaining any memories, it’s remarkable.
Suji gazed at the number 34,635F floating before her eyes.
He was wrong again.
Without retaining any memories, it would have been impossible to obtain such a large sum.
It’s just that she hadn’t gone through countless regressions.
Suji had Suji’s memories.
The memories of struggling at the academy, the memories of meeting each of her current teammates one by one, the memories of laughing, crying, and chatting with them.
If, from his perspective, he had watched the repeated lives from the 1st to the 100th cycle, the value of the information held now should indeed be the least.
But Suji was satisfied with her current self.
She turned her gaze towards Ilein.
As always, when she looked at him, she easily encountered his eyes that were already watching her first. Their gazes lightly intertwined.
According to what he said, the current Suji was ultimately a product of failure.
But that was fine.
She wanted to take the current Ilein and her current self into the future as they were.
Perhaps it was a strange thing to have to struggle like this to obtain what should be natural.
“That’s it for now. I’ll think about the list of items to purchase beforehand and ask you to open the shop. Until then, you can go conspire all you want.”
− …Anyhow, the suspicion. I got it.
He grumbled as if he was disappointed that he couldn’t gain Suji’s trust and fell silent.
As a signal that the conversation was over, Suji waved her hand towards her teammates and put down the terminal she was holding, and her teammates showed curious faces.
“What is it? Even the conversation with Mr. Noah is full of strange things.”
“Did you talk to the ‘great beings’ again? Don’t tell me you’re going to that shop again?”
“Mmph mmph mmph!”
Saint and Peace rushed over and poured out questions, and Nature, who was lying still on one side, seemed stimulated by the words ‘great beings’ and twisted her body vigorously.
Suji organized her thoughts to explain one by one.
First, it would be right to talk about the conversation with Noah.
Suji raised her left hand and pointed towards Nature.
“I’m really ashamed to say this after directly recruiting Nature as a teammate. But I think Nature might be related to the cracks.”
“…Cracks? How is that possible?”
“Being related to the cracks, does that mean being involved in creating the cracks?”
Saint and Ilein asked in turn.
It was funny to see not only Saint and Peace, but even Ilein asking with wide eyes.
“Ilein, you didn’t know either?”
“I never even thought about such a thing.”
“There are things even Ilein doesn’t know.”
It was a good thing that there was information that he, who acted as if he knew everything, was unaware of.
Because obtaining things he hadn’t experienced meant it could become a clue to take a step further beyond the failures Ilein had faced.
Suji gestured with her chin towards Nature.
“To know for sure, I think we need to interrogate her. But I’m worried that 〈Messiah〉 might brutally kill people again. Or she might insist on keeping her loyalty to 〈Messiah〉.”
At Suji’s words, Nature wriggled and moved her body.
“Mmph, mmph!”
It seemed like a gesture indicating she had something to say. But it was also questionable to carelessly untie her.
Peace raised his hand with a grin.
“But is it okay to deceive people like this and act as a teammate? Before Messiah kills her, how about I take care of her first, Boss?”
“Peace, please stop it already. The person you tortured last time begged to be killed and left just like that. How can you do such terrible things to a living person? No country would allow such barbaric torture.”
Saint also immediately swept back his hair and chimed in.
Suji barely held back her laughter that was about to burst out. Since when was she the boss, and since when did they go around torturing people?
Then, Nature moved her body even more vigorously, looking desperate to say something.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
