'What does she actually want?'
Seojin wasn't great at reading people—his last life proved that well enough. He'd gotten more careful this time, sure, but that didn't mean he suddenly got better at understanding people's intentions.
'No one expects someone to have a rare-tier item on day two—and she refused it.
Is it just curiosity about how I hunt?
Does she just want to see a Rare-tier up close?
We already have a relationship of buyer and seller, so this outing does nothing.
Is she curious about my class?
…I don't get it. What are her intentions?
"So," Haeun asked lightly, head tilted, "what will it be, Mister Loki?"
'Honestly, I want to refuse… but I can't', he admitted to himself.
She was too useful right now—she bought in bulk and paid in a decent amount of TLE, which let him hunt faster while most people were still green. Speed mattered very much right now.
'Also, when others hit level 10 and the real world tipped into chaos, having Haeun as a future connection was worth swallowing this annoyance.'
There were too many pluses to say no.
"Fine," he said. "One hunt."
For a heartbeat, her expression went still—then the smallest nod.
"Good. It's per—"
"But I have a question first," he cut in, tone cooling. "How are you getting this much TLE when you're not hunting yourself?"
'If she was robbing or forcing it out of people with her status and fear, that changed things'
No matter how convenient, Seojin was ready to break this connection right here.
Haeun heard the shift in his voice and answered without hedging.
She adjusted her glove by a hair.
"I promise payment in the real world. They give me TLE here; I pay them money out there."
The slightest tilt of her head. "If they make it out, that is."
He frowned. "You're buying TLE with cash when you don't even know what it's for?"
"Oh?" Her eyes sharpened, catching the hinge in his words. "Do you know what it's for? Is that why you're hoarding it?"
…No wonder she led one of the top guilds in my last life, he thought, a little impressed.
"I don't know," he lied smoothly. "But I have a hunch it's important."
"The same reason as me," she continued with a brief, clean smile. "We're aligned."
Seeing her smile, something unknotted in his chest—competence he could trust, if not the person yet.
"Does that satisfy your curiosity?" she asked.
"Hm. We can go," he said. "But only you and me. No one else."
"Now hold on—" Minjoo began.
"Okay," Haeun said at once.
"My lady!" Minjoo protested, scandalized.
"It's fine, Minjoo. This is about earning trust." Haeun's voice stayed even. "And I'm not careless. We both know death isn't final here unless you burn your NTLE to zero."
"But, my lady—"
"Oh? Worried Mister Loki will try to… attack me in a different way?" A tiny, amused curve touched her mouth.
"I—I didn't say that! Please stop putting words in my mouth!" Minjoo sputtered, cheeks flushing.
Loki watched the exchange in silence, filing it away.
'She is quite different from the rumors. Is it because she is still young?
"So," Haeun said, turning back to him, "when do we depart?"
"In a bit. I need to handle something first."
"Mind if I tag along?" she asked.
"No." He turned, already moving. "Come on."
And Haeun fell into step beside him, the plaza parting for the two of them without quite knowing why.
...
[You have unlocked: Ashen Hollow Teleportation Gate]
[Announcement will be made in Ashen Hollow Town]
[You have received: Free Attribute Point (1), Reputation Point (2)]
"What… is this?" Haeun asked, curiosity plain.
"It's a teleportation gate to other cities," Seojin said.
"So there are other cities," she murmured, like ticking a box she'd already suspected. "Can we travel now?"
"Not yet. The other towns need someone to hit level 5 and unlock their gates too. Both ends have to be open."
"I see." Her gaze lingered on the archway, already calculating.
Seojin caught himself watching her in the quiet.
The clean line of her jaw, the small furrow that appeared when she thought, the way her hazel eyes went still and glass-bright when she ran numbers behind them. The white bob framed it with surgical neatness; even her mouth seemed engineered for restraint, no wasted motion.
'Beauti— ' He looked away before the word finished forming.
Seojin flicked open his panel, dropped all his free attribute points into Agility, then closed it.
'Let's hold the EP for now. I'll spend them all after this trip with Haeun's done.'
"Alright. Let's go."
"Wait, you should sell the equipment you're carrying first," Haeun said, matter-of-fact.
"Oh, right."
He gave all the pile of loot he had to Minjoo and got a total of 350 TLE.
"And I have a few other things to discuss with you," Haeun added.
"We'll talk on the way," Seojin said, then paused as he eyed the crimson mantle draped from her shoulders. "How do you move and fight with that?"
"This?" Haeun lifted two fingers and gave a crisp snap. Fabric loosened; threads rose like embers; the mantle dissolved into motes and vanished. "Ta-da."
'Oh, it's like my mask, neat,' Seojin thought.
"Good. Let's go."
She angled to step, and the world tilted. In one clean motion, Seojin swept her off the ground—effortless, steady.
"Excuse me," he said, adjusting her weight lightly as if it were nothing.
"…" Haeun stared at him in silence, eyes a shade wider than usual—shock flashing.
Minjoo's jaw dropped. "M-my lady?!"
"Don't worry, Miss Minjoo. I'll get her back in one piece," Seojin said, completely missing the temperature change around them.
And then cast [Vanish] out of habit. But the thing was, Vanish made only Seojin disappear.
Haeun did not vanish.
A breath later, she shot across the plaza at breakneck speed—suspended in the air in a very unmistakable carry—while bystanders pointed.
"Who is that—wait, is that Miss Yoon?!"
"She's—flying?!"
"Look at the pose. Why would she be flying like that?!"
A faint heat touched the tips of her ears as she heard the crowd's words.
The wind swallowed the rest as the invisible sprinter and the very visible heiress streaked for the city gate.