Chapter 303: Tiger’s Mouth (1)
‘It’s not my lucky day…’
It was definitely Shaolin.
The information in my Mind’s Eye also confirmed that she was, without a doubt, the woman I had seen before.
There was growth in her stats, but the characteristic was the same, and the class and all aspects perfectly matched.
The minions she always dragged around were also still the same.
One of the minion’s bags must have a legendary-grade weapon.
They were looking around the shops on the street, just as I had chosen to take a leisurely stroll on the streets of Laios.
Since I had met an unwelcome face on the street, obviously, I turned around immediately.
‘Fuck.’
It had already been over a year since I got help on the condition that I would arrange a meeting in the near future.
The letter that said ‘Keep the promise’ still lingered in my head.
Since she was mighty crazy, just like Jung Hayan or Cha Hee-ra, I didn’t know what she might do.
If I let Jung Hayan bump into that crazy bitch, an accident would likely happen in the neutral area.
Jung Hayan looked a little surprised as I suddenly turned around.
I never expected to hear Shaolin’s surprised voice.
“Huh?”
Jung Hayan seemed a little confused, but the crazy woman’s voice was clearly heard.
‘Did she notice?’
As a particularly loud voice came from the heart of the streets filled with Laios’ people and tourists, I had to pull Jung Hayan’s arm immediately.
‘Let’s go quickly. Quickly!’
I was walking unconditionally without looking back, so I didn’t know if she found us.
“Oppa, just now…”
“I don’t want to be disturbed by other people right now.”
“Ah… O-oppa.”
Jung Hayan didn’t need to know that I had promised to have a secret meeting with the Republic’s mad bitch.
It was in no time that I managed to escape from the crowded area with Jung Hayan. However, my anxiety refused to die down.
‘Is it better to go through the other side?’
Or…
‘Would it be better to go to see Hee-ra right away?’
Jung Hayan began to whisper at some point.
“Er, Oppa.”
“Yes.”
“I think there is someone following us.”
“What?”
“There are three people following us. I can’t determine the exact location, but I think they are people we saw earlier.”
“Are you sure they’re not the shadows from the Red Mercenary?”
“Yes. They’re not those uncles. They look like the ones she had with her earlier. I don’t know, but… I think I’m pretty sure.”
‘Ah…’
“What should I do?”
“For now, just leave them alone. We just have to give them the slip slowly. What about that person?”
“I can’t see the woman. I don’t know why, but I don’t think they want to be spotted either. We’re still a bit far away. D-Do you know them?”
“A little…”
It was nice to hear that they didn’t want to cause a big problem, either.
I thought it would not be bad to go straight to her and say hello in a casual way, but…
‘That bitch was a real crazy bitch, too.’
She was a VIP of the black market, and I could tell she was insane just by looking at her eyes.
I didn’t know what it meant to have Strangler Romanticist as a characteristic, but I didn’t want to die from being choked at this age.
Aside from not thinking right, she would probably have violent reactions if she so much as got upset.
Of course, Jung Hayan was more likely to react to the reaction.
Since I had confirmed that she was in Laios, I thought it would be better to contact her separately.
For now, I thought it would be better to get out of here quickly, pretending not to have seen her.
I had dragged Jung Hayan, moving to the most crowded places, and then we started to wander around the outskirts of the city.
In the meantime, she swelled her cheeks, feeling disturbed, but, of course, I couldn’t just focus on this date.
Jung Hayan was constantly live-broadcasting about the people following us, and I had no choice but to worry about when the crazy bitch with the whip would find me.
Even Jung Hayan was also quite alert.
When I thought back to the Lindel terrorist incident, it was not unreasonable for her to be sensitive.
Even back then, it had started like this.
Eventually, we wandered around a couple of store alleys, and we often used her magic to get rid of them, but…
‘Where are we?’
The problem was that we had come quite far.
I wasn’t flustered as we weren’t lost, and I had the most reliable bodyguard next to me, but I felt frustrated thinking of the way back.
I came out looking forward to enjoying Laios, but I couldn’t help but sigh.
Although Hayan wasn’t showing openly, she was also a little bit bitter. It had been quite a long time since we had gone out together.
It was actually a time that she was really looking forward to, and since I didn’t know when I would be free again, today was a very precious opportunity for Jung Hayan.
Her happy plans were interrupted by an unexpected visitor.
“We’d better come out again next time. Today was kind of crazy.”
“Okay… Oppa.”
To sum up, the initial purpose of making Hayan feel good was already ruined.
I had to pray that having a meal in a decent place would help Jung Hayan cheer up.
All the good places nearby were also open, and I thought it was time to eat, so I held Jung Hayan’s hand and went to a suitable place.
‘What can I say to Hee-ra?’
As much as I had to cheer Jung Hayan up, thinking about having to spend time with Cha Hee-ra also gave me a headache.
As I chose the right place and went inside, the interior was quite pleasing.
There was a luxurious feeling in its own way, and seats filled with people also looked fine.
What was a little strange was that there were many people with dark hair and not the brown-skinned Laios.
Even white people who seem a little different from the State people stand out.
‘What is this…?’
I immediately realized that something was wrong.
As if representing my uneasiness, my Mind’s Eye reacted quickly.
[Checking the status window and talent level of the player Valentin Alexandro.]
[Name: Valentin Alexandro]
[Title: Ronaf’s Monster, Ronaf’s Slayer, One of the Republic’s Five General Tigers]
[Age: 39]
[Disposition: Simple Ignorant Killer]
[Class: Ronaf’s Brawler (Heroic)]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Basic Martial Arts Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Intermediate Martial Arts Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Martial Arts Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Magic Power Management Knowledge]
[Stats]
[Strength: 97/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]
[Agility: 89/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]
[Health: 91/Growth potential: Legendary or higher]
[Intelligence: 31/Growth potential: Common or lower]
[Durability: 87/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]
[Luck: 32/Growth potential: Common or lower]
[Magic Power: 61/Growth potential: Heroic or higher]
[Attribute: Anger Control (Legendary)]
[Overall: I feel sorry for the low magic power, but the strength, agility, and stamina are balancing it. Neither the disposition nor the attribute is very good. I would not recommend spending a long time with such a person. I mean, if player Lee Kiyoung doesn’t want to die quickly.]
‘What the…’
What stood out was a white man who is as big as Park Deokgu. No, he was even bigger than Deokgu. He also had a long wound on his face that imposed on his intimidating aura.
He seemed to be an unusual martial artist and considering his advanced magical power management knowledge as his class effect.
The disposition itself seemed dangerous, but what was bothering me the most was the title of one of the Five General Tigers of the Republic.
‘Fuck…’
There was one more person who stood out beside him.
It was the guy sitting at the center of the table with black hair and a body shape similar to me.
He was no doubt Chinese. Unlike me, who looked a little bit sneaky, his easy-going impression stood out, but the stats themselves did not seem like that at all.
[Checking the status window and talent levels of the player Jin Qing.]
[Name: Jin Qing]
[Title: Bookmaster, Sage on the Battlefield, One of Republic’s Five General Tigers]
[Age: 30]
[Disposition: Premeditated Tactician]
[Class: Legion Wizard (Legendary)]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Basic Magic Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Intermediate Magic Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Magic Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Summoning Knowledge]
[Class Effect: Acquisition of Advanced Magic Power Management Knowledge]
[Stats]
[Strength: 65/Growth Potential: Heroic or higher]
[Agility: 75/Growth Potential: Legendary or higher]
[Stamina: 89/Growth Potential: Rare or higher]
[Intelligence: 99/Growth Potential: Heroic or higher]
[Endurance: 77/Growth Potential: Rare or higher]
[Luck: 67/Growth Potential: Rare or lower]
[Magic Power: 97/Growth Potential: Heroic or higher]
[Attribute: Unable to read.]
[Overall: A mage with perfect balance. The stats and talent levels stand out that make me sorry to even compare it with player Lee Kiyoung, but I won’t mention it. Unfortunately, the magic power level seems impossible to grow any further, but the intelligence level of 99 and high basic stats are more than enough to offset the shortcomings.]
The remaining one was also one of the Five General Tigers of the Republic.
The other scums were also quite skilled.
‘Are they having dinner or something?’
Obviously, I felt like I had to get out of here as soon as possible.
Jung Hayan, who didn’t notice, looked at me and urged me to go in quickly, but I didn’t move.
The attention was now focused on me because of the sudden appearance of a customer.
The Russian, larger than Park Deokgu, was also looking at this side, as well as the Chinese, who had ridiculous stats as a wizard.
‘Would it be weirder if they don’t recognize me?’
I thought maybe they wouldn’t recognize me, but it was more likely that my face was better known than I thought.
No, even if that’s not the case, they would likely expect me to be a member of the State.
The first to get up was Valentin Alexandro, who had a large body. His monstrous body seemed even more imposing now.
“Imperial people, no, are they now state people?”
His raspy voice made my hairs stand on end.
The Chinese Jin Qing was looking at me, tapping on the table, and there was an amused look on his face.
I didn’t know about the others, but at least he seemed to know me.
I could feel Jung Hayan slowly releasing her magic when she noticed something was wrong, so I had to hold her hand tight for now.
There were two on this side, and a lot more on the other.
There were even two of the Five General Tigers of the Republic, and Jung Hayan might not know, but, right now, it was hard for me to be treated as a man of strength.
If we were to get into a fight, it would be us who would die, without a doubt.
‘Although it’s a neutral area…’
There was no guarantee that a battle would not take place. I didn’t know if this was for better or for worse, but I also heard a familiar voice behind me.
“These dickheads. How can they miss it? Useless bastards. They are all trash.”
‘Shit…’
The retreat was blocked entirely.
It will be ridiculous for them, but I had no choice but to open my mouth with thick skin.
“Shaolin, you were here!”
“You…”
“You don’t know how much I have been looking for you. Hahaha.”
Her reaction wasn’t that good, but well.
“You still look beautiful as ever.”
Jung Hayan’s expression crumbled entirely.