TNAAS Ch 5

Episode 5

The heat that had moved from his heart now pooled at the wrist where the leech clung. He did not know exactly how, but instinctively felt that it must be someone else’s blood.

“It is all done. It did not hurt, did it?”

At the staff member’s words, Yeonwoo slowly opened his eyes and gave a slight nod. Since it had happened inside his body, he could not be sure if it had worked properly, but he had no choice but to trust it.

The staff member moved the leech back into an aluminum dish, then carried it toward a small well at the center of the room. It had not been there a moment ago, but when Yeonwoo opened his eyes, it was suddenly present. Ever since falling into this world, everything amazed him, and this was no different.

“What is that?”

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Yeonwoo raised his voice and asked. The staff member, who had just placed the leech into the well, replied kindly.

“This is the holy water I mentioned earlier. Once the leech is placed inside, its color will change.”

The sight was completely unlike the holy water he had imagined. Startled, Yeonwoo stared at the small pool with shining eyes. His gaze, filled with both expectation and concern, bore down so intensely that the staff member coughed awkwardly.

Yeonwoo, however, paid no mind and continued observing the leech floating about in the well. After gliding freely through the water as if doing a backstroke, the leech spewed red blood from its mouth.

The blood mixed into the water, its hue gradually fading until it began to shine with another color. The blue glow soon shifted into violet.

“Hmm, unlike what I heard… No, just as you said, you truly are a mage.”

“What did you hear?”

The moment of wonder passed, and Yeonwoo, feigning innocence, pointed out the staff member’s slip of the tongue. Fluster spread across the staff member’s face, his pupils trembling visibly. Yeonwoo had suspected it for a while now—this staff member was not good at deceiving others.  

Even if Yeonwoo had overlooked things once or twice out of laziness, he wasn’t so much of a fool that he couldn’t notice such blatant attempts at concealment. Years of experience dealing with veterans and scammers on the brutal Korean servers had honed his instincts well enough.

“I… Did I really say that? Perhaps you misheard…”

“You said, ‘unlike what I heard,’ exactly.”

The staff member felt cornered. Until now, he had thought Yeonwoo was nothing more than a naïve and slightly slow boy, but it turned out he was far more perceptive. His ability to press in at the right moment and fluster someone was even impressive.

Realizing he had underestimated him, the staff member scrambled for a way out. But Yeonwoo had no intention of letting go easily. He could not help but wonder what sort of schemes NPCs might be plotting among themselves.

At that moment—

“Is the examination finished?”

Just then, like a savior, someone entered the examination room. It was Rai, with whom Yeonwoo had parted ways back in the lobby. The staff member looked at him with tearful relief, while Yeonwoo sent a sharp glare as though confronted by an unwelcome intruder. The timing was almost too perfect.

“Yes, yes! The examination has been safely completed. I must return to the office to proceed with the registration, so I will take my leave now!”

His voice was suddenly brisk and decisive, unlike before. Yeonwoo let out a dry laugh at the absurdity of the situation, but with Rai blocking the doorway, all he could do was watch the staff member make a hasty escape.

“How did your results come out?”

Casting a brief glance at the fleeing staff member, Rai turned his eyes back to Yeonwoo. Because he still wore the crow mask, it was impossible to tell what expression lay beneath, but because he carried the title of Guild Master, Yeonwoo couldn’t speak carelessly. Instead, he simply shrugged.

“It showed mage, of course. But what brings you here? Do you have that much free time?”

In the lobby, Yeonwoo had felt thankful toward Rai and even a little shy, but now, with Rai interfering in his business, Yeonwoo could not look at him kindly. The timing had been too perfect, and he could not help but suspect Rai had planned it. Whether Rai noticed this or not, he gave a small smile, stepped closer to Yeonwoo, and cast a brief glance at the well.

“Since you are the one I brought, I was concerned. I worried you might feel uncomfortable. Violet, huh… Anyone can see you are a mage.”

The last remark stuck with Yeonwoo. He tilted his head, unsure whether Rai meant he disliked that he was a mage, or that he liked it. As Rai stepped closer, he lowered his hand and gently wrapped Yeonwoo’s wrist. Startled by the sudden touch, Yeonwoo flinched, but Rai softly stroked the wrist as if to reassure him not to be tense.

“This spot feels slightly warmer than the rest. Is it because of the leech?”

What a frightening man. To be able to perceive even the faintest lingering warmth.

“Really? I can’t say I noticed.”

Putting on his usual innocent expression, Yeonwoo looked up at Rai. He was struck again by how tall Rai was. Back when he had created this character, he had deliberately set the height short, so the difference was stark. Thinking that the strongest person in this world truly was exceptional in every way, Yeonwoo subtly slipped his wrist out of Rai’s grasp.

“Now that you have checked everything, you can leave. You do not need to waste your precious time on me.”

At Yeonwoo’s words drawing a clear line, Rai looked at him quietly, then shrugged and withdrew his empty hand.

“Then I should go help out the office staff. What are your plans from here?”

“I have not accepted any requests yet, so I plan to rest at the hotel for a while.”

“Even for a mercenary, without work yet, the lodging fees must be quite burdensome.”

Was he seriously worrying about a heavy player’s wallet right now? Yeonwoo let out a short laugh at the absurdity of it. Straightening his shoulders, he curled his fingers into a circle and answered with confidence.

“I have plenty of money.”

Seeing Yeonwoo’s playful grin, Rai burst into loud laughter. Yeonwoo, flustered by Rai’s unpredictable reactions, forced himself to look composed and instead asked.

“Why are you laughing? I may have nearly been shaken down by thugs in an alley, but I really do have the money.”

“Ah, my apologies. I didn’t mean to mock you. I just thought your expressions were remarkably varied. You’re quite cute.”

“That is an insult!”

But really, was being called cute something a man wanted to hear? And wasn’t “having varied expressions” just another way of saying he looked clueless? Trying hard to decipher Rai’s intent with Yeonwoo’s twisted reasoning, he eventually gave up. How could he hope to read a man shrouded in mystery?

Recalling Rai’s words, Yeonwoo felt his ears grow hot.

But it was strange. A man who went so far as to wear a mask to build walls against others was acting this familiar with him. Was it because Yeonwoo did not fully know the NPC settings, or was it because the game was so broken that there were glitches somewhere?

As Rai quietly watched Yeonwoo’s ever-changing expressions, he let out a soft chuckle and murmured.

“You really are cute.”

* * *

After leaving behind only strange words and saying he was in a rush, Rai departed, and Yeonwoo returned to the lobby. Just what was that man’s true identity? The fact that events were unfolding differently from what Yeonwoo knew bothered him, but more than that, he could not understand Rai’s behavior that strayed so far from his supposed character settings.

Even if the game had become reality, there still had to be a basic framework. No matter how unusual Yeonwoo was, the game’s system could not possibly be so flimsy that it reacted to every little thing.

As Yeonwoo stood there, unsure where to even begin untangling this problem, a staff member approached him.

“You must be Mr. Yeonwoo, who completed mercenary registration today, correct?”

“Yes, that is right. What is this about?”

Unlike the office worker from earlier, this woman wore an energetic expression. She appeared to be a desk clerk. Glancing at her name tag, he saw the name “Rena” engraved there.

“I am here to assist you with the check-in process. The gentleman who accompanied you mentioned that I should also help with your lodging. How many nights do you plan to stay?”

Rai, whom Yeonwoo had thought was only intimidating, turned out to have a delicate side. Everything was proceeding smoothly without him needing to handle any trivial procedures. Was this the taste of power?

Wanting to enjoy that power comfortably, Yeonwoo put on a somewhat arrogant expression and said, “For now, I will be staying just one night. Oh, and please give me the best room in this hotel. I want to rest properly after such a long journey.”

Whatever she thought of that display, Rena smiled softly and proceeded with the reservation.

“Then I will book you into the Grand Suite. Would you prefer to pay in advance or upon checkout?”

“In advance, please!”

With a look that practically screamed, ‘I’m loaded with money,’ Yeonwoo answered boldly. The staff member suppressed the laughter threatening to spill out, keeping her professional service composure as she continued kindly.

“The rate for the Grand Suite is twenty million gold per night. Will you be paying by card?”

A card? Did cards even exist in this world? Absolutely not. Payment was strictly by cash. Confused by the foreign word, Yeonwoo could only open and close his mouth without forming a proper response.

He could not exactly ask customer support if cards existed here, so he fidgeted anxiously. At that moment, a chime rang in his head, and the usually quiet spirits suddenly began clamoring.

[Master, Master! Open your inventory! You have a card!]

[But what is a card? Have you ever seen one before?]

[No? Then how do we even know what it is?]

Amid the chaos, the voices only added to the confusion, making his head ache. Since they insisted he check his inventory, he cautiously opened it. Others couldn’t see it, he knew, but still he couldn’t shake the self-conscious feeling of pulling something out in front of people.

Just as the spirits had clamored, a gleaming black card lay inside his inventory. He had never once seen a black card in real life, yet here it was in the game. Yeonwoo’s eyes sparkled along with it.

Rena, watching him from the front as his expression shifted moment by moment until his eyes shone with excitement, flinched in surprise. But remembering Rai’s words, she forced herself to remain composed.

Quickly closing his inventory, Yeonwoo pulled out the black card from his bag, his heart pounding with excitement.

Ah, what a beautiful sight it is.

Thanks to the balance of 34.6 billion gold, he could even make use of such a card, and Yeonwoo felt overwhelmingly happy.

Indeed, it had been worth spending money on the game.

Suppressing the kind of thought that would earn him a beating if spoken aloud, he stretched his arm confidently and presented the black card to Rena.

“I will pay with this!”