Chapter 85

After leaving the first tavern, Sa-yoon visited six more to gather new information. He stored the trivial details for reference and only committed the overlapping information to memory as he emerged onto the street. The money pouches, which had grown heavier with each new location, had now increased to three.

Whoosh, whoosh.

As he repeatedly tossed the pouches up and caught them in midair, a sigh like a breeze came from behind him.

“What if rumors start spreading because of that?”

“Why? Afraid an dishonorable rumor about being a thief might circulate?”

“It’s already dishonorable enough as it is.”

“Then it doesn’t matter if it spreads.”

Besides, it was questionable whether rumors would properly spread in the first place.

Sa-yoon planned to leave the village tomorrow. By the time the theft victims noticed their missing money pouches at different times, he would already be gone, so there wouldn’t be any problems.

Even if there were problems, they wouldn’t extend to become obstacles. If things escalated, he planned to use force.

Geon-joo sighed at his carefree words. It seemed like he had been hearing his sighs about once an hour since entering the dungeon. Sa-yoon offered his own excuse.

“It’s not like I just stole everything.”

He had stolen half, but the other half was won fair and square through betting. There was nothing problematic about the money he had won in drinking contests from fools who boasted about their alcohol tolerance without knowing any better.

Geon-joo, seeming to have caught his implication, examined Sa-yoon’s face anew.

“Are all S-ranks like that?”

“Like what?”

“I was wondering if they all stay sober even after drinking alcohol by the crate.”

He had drunk about 3 liters of alcohol, with some exaggeration. Geon-joo had been surprised at the first liter, worried at the second, and had given up after Sa-yoon drank over thirty cups. Sa-yoon shrugged at his visibly disgusted face.

“I told you. I don’t get drunk easily.”

“You also said you don’t like it much because of that.”

“I drink when necessary.”

“So are all S-ranks like you?”

“Wondering if you’ll be like this when you become S-rank?”

“Yes.”

“I doubt it.”

While it’s true that S-ranks have some resistance to toxins, not all of them have the “immune to all poisons” trait like in martial arts novels. Sa-yoon’s immunity to alcohol intoxication was due to consistently ingesting deadly poisons for 10 years as part of the system’s quests, not because he was S-rank.

So, there are S-ranks who live with alcohol daily and spout nonsense while completely drunk.

Sa-yoon spoke as if telling him not to worry and enjoyed the night breeze. When they first entered the dungeon, it had been broad daylight, but the sky had darkened while they were gathering information.

As he grinned, feeling lightheaded as if drunk thanks to eating and drinking plenty on others’ money, Geon-joo moved a bit closer behind Sa-yoon.

“Where are we going next?”

“We should rest soon. I think we’ve gathered all the information we can from this village. Here, you keep one of these.”

Sa-yoon tossed one of the three pouches he was holding to Geon-joo and turned his head to look for a decent inn. After selecting a suitable one from the candidates he had marked, he entered and stood before the welcoming innkeeper, taking a moment to consider.

“Should we get one room or two?”

“Do we have a choice?”

“No. It’s better to just get one.”

Geon-joo blinked as he quickly decided on his own less than a minute after asking. Ignoring his questioning gaze that seemed to ask why he had bothered to ask in the first place, Sa-yoon handed the innkeeper an appropriate amount of coins.

“One large room for about a day. The rest is for breakfast.”

It was clearly more than enough for just one room. The innkeeper’s eyes widened, and he promptly offered to show them to their room, leading Sa-yoon and Geon-joo up to the second floor.

They received a quite spacious room, seeming to get their money’s worth. Satisfied with the large bed and ample space, Sa-yoon sent the innkeeper away, placed the money pouches – their only luggage – on the table, and took off the armor he had been wearing. Due to its weight and thickness, the shirt underneath the armor was damp with sweat.

“If you were going to do this, why did you ask in the first place?”

Geon-joo, who had been silently judging with his eyes all along, finally voiced his complaint once the innkeeper disappeared. Sa-yoon, who had been deliberately ignoring his piercing gaze, turned his head.

“You think I’d leave you alone in a strange place not knowing what might happen? If you cause any trouble, I’d have to clean it up. It’s better to just get one big room since I’m uneasy.”

“I’m not a child.”

“Right, you’re not a kid.”

He replied in a humming tone, brushing off his protest. Geon-joo’s eyes narrowed sharply, apparently feeling thoroughly ignored, but Sa-yoon remained nonchalant.

What could he do even if he had complaints?

He was the one paying, after all.

As he put down the removed armor beside the bed and examined his damp shirt, he felt a gaze on him. Geon-joo was staring intently at him, or more precisely, at his stomach.

“What now?”

“I was wondering where all that you drank went, given how much you consumed.”

He seemed amazed that his stomach wasn’t protruding.

Was it the effect of being in this strange world? Sa-yoon stared at him, acting unusually childish today, and then lightly fluttered the bottom of his shirt.

“Want to see?”

He chuckled and lifted the damp clothing about half a span. He had meant to ask if he wanted him to take it off and show him, but Geon-joo’s expression suggested he thought he meant to cut open his stomach to show him. He was alarmed.

“I don’t want to see it at all.”

“Suit yourself.”

“Forget about showing your stomach and just go in and wash up.”

He had done all the work so far, yet he was the one acting tired. As if finding it difficult to continue the conversation, he pushed his towards the bathroom. Sa-yoon, allowing himself to be nudged, suddenly felt mischievous and, just as he was about to enter the bathroom, poked his head back towards Geon-joo.

“Want to join me?”

When their eyes met, this time he seemed to understand his intended meaning, as Geon-joo briefly observed Sa-yoon’s body. The reaction he had expected was for his face to turn red and ask if he was crazy, but unexpectedly, the man stood calmly for a moment before sighing and pushing him the rest of the way into the bathroom.

“Just shut up.”

It was a blander reaction than expected. Instead of asking if he was crazy, he got told to shut up. Sa-yoon openly showed a bored expression before entering the bathroom again.

After washing his clammy, sweat-soaked body and drying his hair with a towel, he came out to find Geon-joo, like him, had removed his armor and was sitting at the edge of the bed. He looked up and then frowned.

“Why on earth did you come out topless?”

“The clothes were soaked with sweat. Would you want to wear them if you were me?”

“You have clothing items in your inventory, don’t you?”

“I’m going to sleep soon, so why bother with a coat? If that’s your preference, wear one yourself.”

He took out a coat from his inventory and handed it to him as if to prove a point, and once again a sigh was heard. At this rate, it seemed like he might be under some penalty of sighing once for every word spoken.

Was that really the case?

It was an absurd thought, but it started to seem possible. In this dungeon, it felt like anything could happen.

Lost in various thoughts and staring intently at the closed door, it wasn’t long before Geon-joo emerged from the bathroom with a towel on his head. Despite treating him like a barbarian earlier, he too had come out shirtless, leaving his top in the bathroom.

If he was going to copy, he shouldn’t have made such a fuss.

He had thought to tease him thoroughly this time, but unfortunately, there was no opening. Geon-joo quickly went to the bed and wrapped himself tightly in the blanket as soon as he came out of the bathroom.

His speed was so impressive that it showed more agility than when facing monsters, eliciting an amused laugh from Sa-yoon.

“Are you preparing yourself to be taken away?”

Wrapped in the white blanket, his body was like an impenetrable fortress. Geon-joo, now oval-shaped like a chrysalis, got up from the bed in that state.

“What nonsense are you spouting? Just lend me the artifact and go to sleep.”

Without a hair dryer, it would take quite a while to dry hair with just a towel. Unless one used the help of an excellent curse artifact, it would be difficult to dry one’s hair before sleeping. Sa-yoon willingly handed over the item and watched with curiosity as Geon-joo wriggled about.

Somehow managing to move well in his chrysalis state, he took the necklace by biting its string with his mouth, then wriggled again to turn off the room’s light. It was such a comical sight that Sa-yoon giggled, which earned his a sharp glare from the darkness. He seemed to think he couldn’t see because the lights were off, but with his S-rank eyes, such a gaze was clearly visible.

Though it was an ominous look, Sa-yoon brushed it off with a laugh. After all, Han Geon-joo often gave such looks whether the lights were on or off. He didn’t seem to realize it himself, but he was quite disrespectful.

To the point where he wanted to give him a smack.

But what could he do?

He decided to think of it as a good thing, considering that his acting this way, despite being so careful about his image before, meant he had become somewhat comfortable with him.

Geon-joo seemed to have safely reached the bed while wriggling, but apparently struggling to lower his chrysalis body, he flopped onto the bed. He clearly had an unnecessary talent for making things difficult for himself, when he could have just relaxed comfortably after turning off the lights.

After fully drying his hair with the artifact, he turned his back abruptly to go to sleep.

Sa-yoon sat on the bed for a moment, observing Geon-joo. His figure, covered entirely by the blanket, reminded him of something.

“What are you, a shy bride?”

At his deliberate mutter, the chrysalis wriggled. Though his face wasn’t visible, he could clearly imagine his expression of wanting to say something out of annoyance but holding back, knowing he’d lose if he spoke up.

What an amusing guy.

Sa-yoon laughed at his peculiar personality in many ways and lay down on the bed, looking at the ceiling. Above the plain patterned ceiling, thoughts of what to do tomorrow floated.

Since one day here was equivalent to three days in reality, they needed to move as quickly as possible.

First, should we buy some everyday clothes tomorrow?

For tomorrow morning, they could make do by taking out and wearing coats, but that attire would clearly be strange in this place, so it seemed better to buy separate everyday clothes. After roughly outlining his plans, ending with the thought of finding a guide to lead them to the Lord’s castle, he heard steady breathing from the bed next to him.

It was the sound of Geon-joo’s breathing, who, despite all his pretenses of discomfort, had fallen asleep quickly.

“He really is a funny guy.”

How could he already be asleep when it hadn’t been long since he laid his head on the pillow?

Usually, he wasn’t one to fall asleep so easily, given his cautious nature, but whether it was due to the alcohol or the constant tension from being in a strange place, he was sleeping as comfortably as if he were in his own bedroom. Sa-yoon found it amusing that while he was racking his brains, he was sound asleep next to him. He pulled up his blanket and let out a long breath.

“Sleep well, sleep well.”

At least you should sleep well, what else can be done?

Though his eyes were tired, his mind was excessively clear, making it difficult to fall asleep. Feeling that it was his job to properly plan the night’s schedule, Sa-yoon thought about what to do after finding a guide, while remaining vigilant for any intruders or assassins who might enter the room. He mentally organized the information he had heard in the taverns.