Chapter 39
Chapter 39: Chapter 39
Translated by: ShawnSuh
Edited by: SootyOwl
Frantically running after the champion, Ho Sung had finished off the monsters that had been incapacitated by the champion. Paying no attention to his level or how much experience points he had earned, Ho Sung had focused solely on keeping up with the champion. Of course, the process hadn’t been without peril. Ho Sung had found himself on the brink of death several times. However, it hadn’t been the champion who had saved him. Instead, it had been Bowl, the champion’s pet Lich Doll. After that, Ho Sung became genuinely grateful for the Doll.
‘I’m sorry, little guy. I’ve been a jealous, spiteful jerk. I’ll treat you better from now on.’
If it hadn’t been for Bowl, Ho Sung would’ve died long ago. He would’ve definitely never reached level 200 and become an Aura user.
‘I still can’t believe I’m an Aura user now. This is crazy!’ Ho Sung thought while driving with a silly smile on his face.
—
After selling the loot, Min Sung came out of the store with his money, which added up to one hundred twenty million won. For clearing a hundred twenty floors in the labyrinth, it was hardly a reasonable return. On the other hand, it was not chump change by any means.
‘It’s so easy to make money these days,’ Min Sung thought. Previously, he had made a whopping two billion on a single day. The amount of money he found himself making was mind-boggling. By that point, dungeons had become a boon to the champion.
After clearing yet another labyrinth and selling his loot, Min Sung started to feel hungry. Catching onto that, Ho Sung, being the tactful, knowledgeable foodie that he was, came over to him and asked, “Should we go eat?”
When the two came out of the store, it was raining just like they had predicted after exiting the labyrinth by the thick, rain clouds in the sky. Opening up an umbrella, Ho Sung held it above the champion’s head, who called to him, “Ho Sung Lee.”
“Sir?”
“Take it,” Min Sung said, tossing Ho Sung a weapon. Covered in blood, the sword spun in the rain and lodged itself on the ground. Staring intently at it, a look of shock appeared on Ho Sung’s face. That had been the special reward for clearing the labyrinth within the given time limit.
[The Warlord’s Sword]
[Grade: Legendary]
[Damage (against small/large monsters respectively): 13 / 16]
[One-Handed]
[Additional Properties: Strength +5, Additional Damage +12]
[Material: Mithril]
[Enhancement: There’s a risk of destroying the item when upgrading beyond +0]
[Durability: Damaged]
[Tradeable with other players]
[Becomes untradeable upon personalization.]
[Level Requirement: 200-400]
[Property: Protection from magic explosion damage]
Holding the sword in his hand, Ho Sung’s jaw dropped open. Not only was it a legendary item, but it also offered added protection from magic explosions.
“S-sir? I-I couldn’t. I don’t deserve this kind of gift…”
“What do you mean?”
“This is way too extravagant of a gift. You’ll get at least three hundred million for it, easy. Even if you were to sell it at the store for cheap.”
“Huh! It’s that expensive, huh?”
“Yes, it is. The biggest window in the market is for level 200 to 400 items. That’s why they’re sold at such high prices. If you put this sword up for an auction, I’d say you could get up to five hundred million won…”
“Well, I gave it to you, so you can keep it. Let’s go eat,” Min Sung said, walking ahead. Still blown away, Ho Sung followed after the champion in a hurry, holding the umbrella over his head.
—
“Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, and French. What are you feeling like today, sir?” Ho Sung asked, eager to please the champion. Staring out the window at the rain, Min Sun immersed himself in thought.
‘What to eat?’
To Min Sung, there was nothing more challenging than choosing what to eat. Then, while he was still deep in thought, the car came to a stop, and something caught the champion’s eye. Captivated by the images on the TV in the display window of an appliance store, Min Sung rolled the window down in order to get a closer look.
“What kind of show is that?” Min Sung asked. Looking in the direction the champion was looking, Ho Sung replied, “Oh, that? It’s actually a movie called ‘War Against Crimes.’ It’s a gangster movie set in the ’80s. It’s pretty good.”
The TV showed a man, who seemed to be the mob boss, eating Chinese food.
“Jung Oh Ha. That guy knows how to act,” Ho Sung said.
“… How can one eat sweet-and-sour pork like that? He makes it look so delicious,” Min Sung asked, shocked by the actor’s performance. To which, Ho Sung chuckled and replied, “There’s a reason why people call him ‘The Muk-Bang Actor.’ There’s even a theory that he pioneered the genre.”
‘I’d love to experience what it’s like to eat like that,’ Min Sung thought, his mouth watering. “Is that restaurant actually around?”
“Yes, it is. It’s famous too. Though, they renovated the place not too long ago, so the restaurant’s a little bigger than it used to be. It must have been getting a lot of customers after the movie came out.”
“How’s their food?”
“As far as I know, their reviews are pretty good.”
It was currently 5 p.m on a chilly, rainy evening. Min Sung couldn’t pass on Chinese food on a day like that.
“Take me there,” Min Sung said, his eyes still fixed on the TV.
“Uh… That place is in Busan. It’s about five hours away from here.”
“Busan, huh?” Min Sung asked, and Ho Sung nodded affirmatively, “Yes, sir.”
“I’ll give you a call. I expect you to answer it.”
“… Sir?”
With that, Min Sung got out of the car.
“Sir!? Your umbrella!”
“Don’t need one,” Min Sung said and slammed the door shut.
—
Ho Sung couldn’t make sense of the champion’s bizarre behavior to get out of the car and walk in the rain, but soon, he was astonished by what he saw. It seemed like the raindrops were dodging the champion.
“He surrounded himself in Aura?” Ho Sung murmured, looking at the champion in shock. “Is he even human?”
At that moment, the champion disappeared in plain sight.
“What the!? Where’d he go!?” Ho Sung said, looking around. Min Sung was nowhere to be found. While he was distracted, the cars behind him started to honk their horns at Ho Sung, whose car remained stopped despite the light having turned green. At which point, Ho Sung, still dumbfounded, stepped on the gas pedal, saying, “What the hell just happened?” Clicking his tongue, he looked for a place to park. After parking his car at an alleyway, he rolled the window down and lit a cigarette, feeling the raindrops on his face.
About twenty minutes later, Ho Sung found himself asking, “What do I do now? Do I just go home?”
Then, as he was scratching his head, his phone started to ring. It was Min Sung.
“Yes, hello?”
“I’m in Busan. Where can I find this restaurant?”
“… I’m sorry? Oh, right. Busan… WAIT, WHAT!? You’re in Busan!?”
“Where is the restaurant?”
“H-h-hold on. One minute, sir,” Ho Sung said, searching for the restaurant on his phone. Then, sending the address to Min Sung, he said, “All right, I sent you the address. By the way, did you just say that you were in Busan…”
‘Beep. Beep. Beep.’
When the call ended abruptly, Ho Sung looked down at his phone, bewildered.
“… He’s in Busan?”
Rubbing his eyes, he checked the time once again. No matter how many times he did so, it had only been twenty minutes since the champion had gotten out of the car.
‘He went from Gangnam to Busan in twenty minutes?’ Ho Sung thought, his eyes wide with astonishment. “Hell… Is this guy even human?” Ho Sung asked with goosebumps all over his body.
—
[The Great Wall]
Using the address given to him by Ho Sung, the champion arrived at the restaurant. Unlike its grand name, the restaurant wasn’t nearly as big.
‘Is this the restaurant from the movie?’
Although not the most spectacular on the outside, the interior was rather luxurious, unlike in the movie. Min Sung walked into the restaurant while wondering if he’d be able to go through the same experience as the actor. The interior, while luxurious, was toned down, making it look like a bar.
‘Just like in the movie,’ Min Sung thought. Although the interior seemed noticeably newer, the lighting was just dim enough, creating a comfortable atmosphere. Despite the restaurant’s humble size, it was filled with customers, leaving only a few tables open. At that moment, a young male employee dressed in a red uniform walked up to Min Sung and asked, “Hello. How many?”
“One.”
At that, the employee led Min Sung to a small table by the window.
‘Just like in the movie,’ Min Sung thought. Listening to the loud sizzle coming from the kitchen and the sound of rain coming from the window, which was cracked open slightly, Min Sung looked through the menu briefly. After which, he remembered that he didn’t need to do that and rang the bell on the table. He had come to the restaurant with a certain dish in mind.
A waiter came to his table and asked, “May I take your order?”
“One sweet-and-sour pork, fried dumplings, and soju.”
“Coming right up.”
With that, the waiter left, and Min Sung looked the movie up on his phone.
‘”War Against Crimes,” was it?’
Upon searching, the movie’s poster appeared on his phone, and next to it, was a text that read ‘download.’
‘I didn’t know I could watch a movie on my phone,’ Min Sung thought, tapping ‘download’ on the screen. Then, a new window asking for payment information appeared, and after filling it out, Min Sung played the movie on his phone. Watching the movie, the champion smiled and thought, ‘This movie’s well-made.’
Not only did the movie capture the atmosphere and the sentiment of the time, but the actors’ performances were top-notch. Although he had just started watching it, the movie was rather captivating. At that moment, while Min Sung was enjoying the movie, the door opened and a group of four men came into the restaurant.