Sure, I nearly got into some nasty trouble before meeting Master, but—
["Don't reveal your face. Your fate says that face will bring you great misfortune later."]
It's also because of the fortune Master read for me. I can't read my own fate, so he had to do it. After that, I gritted my teeth, saved up like crazy, and finally bought this cloak.
It looks inconvenient at first glance, but it's surprisingly comfy—breathable in the summer heat, warm against winter's bite, a true jack-of-all-trades garment. And it doesn't even need washing. I get why this Hermit guy never took it off.
Shame they don't sell spellbooks or something.
A quick scan of the shop window makes it clear it's linked to a fantasy world. At first, I thought, I can't learn martial arts, but maybe magic? and scoured it eagerly—but no dice.
Of course, there are plenty of other eye-catching items besides spellbooks. The one that stands out the most, always pinned at the top of the shop window, is this guy:
[Return]
[Price: 10,000 points]
Ten thousand gold coins—or roughly 27 years of time. Even if I'd earned one gold coin a day since arriving here, I still couldn't afford it.
Honestly, by the time I could buy it, would I even want to return to Earth? If I had the means to rack up that many points, I'd probably be living pretty well in this world anyway.
Oh, she's waiting.
I got lost in random thoughts and took too long changing. I put on something comfortable that showed my frame but kept my face hidden.
[Phantom's Mask]
[A mask crafted by the master of the White Magic Tower, once hailed as the continent's greatest beauty, to hide her face after it rotted from the claws of a bloodthirsty undead. As she wished, no one saw her disfigured face even after she returned to the goddess's embrace.]
A mask that won't come off unless I want it to. This one cost 500 points. Unlike the Hermit's Cloak, it feels uncomfortable on my face, so I usually stick with the cloak for most situations.
Click.
Face is covered now.
All set.
Tang Ayeon seemed curious about my face, but sorry—that's a no-go. Really.
I stepped out in the comfortable clothes, and Tang Ayeon's eyes lit up as she scanned me up and down. She made a disappointed noise when she saw the mask, but then her expression shifted to shock as she kept looking me over.
"Uh… how old are you…?"
"Past twenty."
I knew she'd react like this.
"…With that body?"
I'd expected it, but it still stung a little. It's not like I wanted to stay this small and weak. I was already smaller and frailer than most, and my height stopped growing too.
"It hasn't grown since my mid-teens."
"Uh…"
Tang Ayeon looked like her brain was buffering, creaking to a halt.
"When you had the cloak on, you seemed a bit taller…"
"I used some insoles. Happy now?"
It's a mysterious vibe—being short and stubby would just look ridiculous, so I padded it out a bit. It's not like I was trying to hide anything.
"I'm only showing you because it's you. If you spread this around, debt or no debt, I'm done with you."
"That famous fortune teller in Shaanxi? Turns out he's a shrimp barely over five feet!"
If a rumor like that spreads, the only suspect would be Tang Ayeon. I've never told anyone else.
"Then why show me…?"
"You said to take off the cloak to learn properly, right? So I did."
"…"
Tang Ayeon was visibly flustered, unable to form words. Honestly, I'd be shocked too if I were her. To think the suspicious cloaked figure was actually this little guy underneath.
If I didn't have the mask, I could've rattled her even more, but I wasn't about to take that risk just for a laugh.
"I trust you too. Out here, you're pretty much the only person I could call a friend."
"…I'm the only one?"
"Well… the guys at the tavern only talk to me when there's booze involved, so they don't really count as friends. You're the only real one."
Namgung Jin? No clue what he's up to. I could find out if I wanted, but I don't feel like chasing down some guy.
"…"
"Miss?"
"Oh, uh… no… it's nothing."
She hid her hands behind her back suspiciously, but I chalked it up to my paranoia.
"Haa… haa…"
"Huff… huff…"
The room was filled with the panting of a man and a woman. One was mine, the other hers.
We'd been grappling to teach me joint-locking, and naturally, she dominated me every time.
"Hup!"
Seeing me worn out, she squeezed out some strength and reached for me. A painfully slow, clumsy move. She couldn't even muster half of half of half the technique I'd taught her.
Smack.
I lightly caught her hand and slid my leg between hers, making her stumble as she lost balance. It was the same trick she'd fallen for countless times already, yet she hadn't improved one bit at countering it.
If I left it like this, she'd crash to the ground—that much was obvious. I stretched out my other arm and wrapped it around her chest.
In that position, my face inevitably pressed close to her neck.
Sniff.
Her scent hit my nose almost instantly. Sweat should be unpleasant, regardless of gender—
I might sound crazy, but it felt… almost fragrant.
Haa… haa…
This wasn't the first or second time. Something was building up inside me. My head was getting foggy, and sometimes my vision blacked out for a split second.
I saw her slender arms and legs. A fragile, delicate body. Even a sheltered young master who'd spent his life reading couldn't be this refined. Skin so fine and soft it was hard to believe she was a man—prettier than most women.
Every little move she made stuck in my mind.
My body's burning…
It wasn't the heat from moving around. Something deeper—something tied to primal instincts—was stirring wildly.
"Uh, miss, could you let go now…?"
I don't want to. I want to stay like this longer. I want to protect her, hold her, stroke her, hug her, lick her, savor her…