Chapter 183 – Lee Do-won (3)

“I didn’t think you looked like someone who had a boyfriend.”
“Is that so? But I did have one.”
“Hmm.”

The woman gazed at my face with half-open eyes, appearing to slowly savor every detail.
Her eyes seemed to possess the unique ability to read a person’s true nature, a trait inherent to a skilled craftsperson.
Every now and then, one encounters someone with a talent for completely piercing through another’s temperament. It seemed she was one of those people.

“…So, what brings you here?”

She habitually licked the corners of her mouth like a snake and offered a playful smile.
Byul, who was leaning against the counter with her hips pushed out, turned her head and looked at me.

“Hello.”
“Hello. If a customer has a serious type, and there are other artifacts on their body… I tend to get a little irritated. Please be aware of that.”

Her words weren’t overtly aggressive.

If taken as a joke, they could easily be passed off as playful banter.

Just as I was about to think it wasn’t that difficult, the star suddenly tapped the gun beside me.

“…I can really shoot. Be careful.”

…Never lay eyes on an artifact that hasn’t passed through your own hands. I removed the mask I was wearing and carefully placed it on the counter.

“If we can come to an understanding, that’s great. But that’s an exception.”

The woman who took the mask from my hand exhaled as she caressed its surface with her fingers.

“…I didn’t realize when looking through the mask, but you’re quite young, aren’t you?”
“I’ll take that as a compliment about my good looks.”
“Go ahead. It’s not an incorrect statement.”

The woman, seemingly more interested in the mask than my face, donned her glasses and examined it as soon as our conversation ended.

“Hmmm…ah.”

An erotic impression emanated from her see-through purple nightgown.

“…The things I dislike are truly trash. However, I do appreciate artifacts crafted by skilled individuals. For example, this jewel…”

The woman scratched the surface of the jewel with her fingernails. As magic surged from her hand, the gem faintly glowed, revealing the characters etched within.

“…Where did you manage to find this?”
“By chance, I happened upon it.”
“It couldn’t have been a normal method… After all, it’s not as if a work of art like this would simply fall from the sky.”

As it turns out, it had indeed fallen from the sky.

I won it through a lottery, without giving it much thought after dinner. Would she believe me if I were to tell her this? I remained silent and nodded my head.

“It’s truly beautiful… This alone could be used at least five times. Oh, of course, I’m talking about the craftsmanship.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“…Hehe, is that so? If this guy were your boyfriend, I’d imagine you’d be somewhat immune to gloomy and lowbrow conversations.”

I immediately gazed at the stars. Gloomy and lowbrow conversations… This person? The eyes of the innocent Gemsuni, who knew nothing about the stars, stared at me.

“What?”

She glanced back and forth between the woman and me, her face reddening before she vehemently shook her head.

“No, no! I don’t just blurt out things like that! I’m not that kind of person!”
“Byul is a pervert, though. Last time, when she was watching cartoons, she only chose the ones with big penises…”
“Aaaah! No! The guild members said I was pure!”
“Hehehe.”

The woman smiled, amused by Byul’s reactions. Indeed, Byul possessed a peculiar charm that made people want to tease her. With her chick-like braided hair and a voice suitable for a voice actress, it was uncommon to find a gamer with such features.

“Anyway, this mask is interesting… Especially the jewels – they’re truly amazing. It’s not their primary purpose, but they’re operating with a different attribute, and they’re performing that role perfectly.”

The Jewel of Hyperion.

Originally, it was an artifact that would have served as an experience boost, raising my magical power up to 10.

“…You could tell just by looking at it?”
“Are you underestimating my skills?”
“No, it’s incredibly impressive.”
“…Let’s get back to the story.”

For a moment, her face grew cold, so I promptly changed my words and offered a thumbs-up.
True to Byul’s words, there are fluctuations.

“Now it seems the jewel has served its purpose. It’s no longer active, with its magical role assigned only to preserving durability.”

The woman stroked the jewel tenderly, gazing at it with a wistful expression as if looking at a former lover.

“…Sigh. If it were in my hands, I’d dismantle it.”

She uttered a chilling statement.
It seemed as if everyone wanted it from me.

I crossed my arms, considering the situation repeatedly.
There will be plenty of opportunities to acquire artifacts in the future, so perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to establish a connection here? After all, the mask was no longer of any use to me.

On the contrary, if the jewel’s hidden potential is being utilized to reduce its allure…As an artifact, it’s nothing short of the worst.
It’s no wonder the woman revealed a disheartened demeanor.

“Would you like to have it then?”

The method effectively concealed one’s charm and face, but in truth, that was all it did.

“Really?”

The woman’s eyes widened in genuine surprise, as large as beads. Her decadent, witch-like face seemed rather exotic as she expressed her astonishment.

“Is it allowed? Weren’t you always wearing that? It was something you cherished.”

“Well… in reality, it doesn’t have much effect.”

Rumors had long circulated on the internet and within academic circles about a masked man of uncertain skill. It seemed the time had come to twist the truth a bit.

“I do have an attachment to it. But if you need it, I’ll give it to you.”

“…”

“However, you must pay a fair price. I have a fondness for it, so it’s a bit expensive.”

“You’re stating the obvious. It goes against my beliefs not to pay for something like this. Oh, by the way, did you give your full name?”

The woman removed her glasses and extended her pale hand. As she accepted the requested handshake, her palm felt so cold that it was as though she was gripping ice.

“Your hands are a bit cold, aren’t they? That’s what everyone says. What’s your name?”

In that brief moment, the tone of her voice became friendly. It seems the jewel truly is valuable. After all, it was no easy task to obtain an artifact of this caliber.

“Lee Do-won.”

At least use that name when acting as a Hunter. That was the intention behind it.

But the woman seemed to dislike my thoughts, narrowing her eyes and offering a bitter smile. It was a weary yet beautiful smile.

“…And your real name?”
“Lee Si-heon.”

It didn’t work. As soon as I made that judgment, I immediately revealed my real name.

“…Use your real name in my presence. There are no secrets here, whether you’re a hardened criminal or a demon lord. In return, I’ll share everything I can with you. As my client.”
“Understood.”
“Since you’re the one who gave me the jewel… I’ll let it slide this time too. I imagine you can endure looking at the jewels three times a day.”

The woman still hadn’t released the hand she shook.

Rather, as if trying to feel my fingerprints, the opposite hand gently caressed my fingers, nails, and the back of my hand.

I felt a ticklish sensation and shivers simultaneously.

“Seri.”

“Is that your name?”

“Yes. Let’s be together for a lifetime.”

“A lifetime?”

“It’s impossible for a client I’ve marked to use someone else’s product. My skills are guaranteed. Trust me.”

Perhaps it’s a different kind of obsession.

Nevertheless, it was quite appealing to see her confidence in her abilities. For the first time, Seri gazed directly at me instead of Byul and continued speaking.

From Seri’s demeanor, I sensed a degree of business trustworthiness. This must be her approach.

“So, what brings you here today?”

“I’d like to get some sturdy clothes.”

“Sturdy clothes… Simple enough. Leave the design to me. Anything else?”

“I’d prefer something that can conceal my appearance as much as possible. I want to hide my identity.”

“…I wasn’t really meant to play and indulge in such things. But yes, it’s my role to cater to the customer’s requests.”

Energized, Seri brought her middle finger to her lower lip, extended her tongue, and lightly licked her fingertip.

Her long, snake-like tongue caressed her fingerprint, leaving a glistening trail of saliva on her finger.

“Don’t worry, there’s an abundance of magic stones coming in lately. Usually, high-quality magic stones are in short supply. That’s why I don’t start working unless I’ve personally obtained one.”
“I see.”
“I have some on hand now… I’ll just do it for you. I’ll start by separating the jewels and the mask, then proceed with the work. Come back in a day or so.”
“That’s quite fast.”
“…That’s just how I am.”

Seri exuded charisma.

Tilting the corner of her blood-infused lips like a crescent moon, she put her glasses back on and picked up her needle and fine tools.

“Instead of removing the jewels, I’ll enhance the mask’s craftsmanship. The goal is to conceal your identity, so I’ll eliminate all unnecessary functions. I’ll guide you in a different direction.”

With that said, Seri lifted the gun right next to her with one hand.

“Now go.”

Seri looked me in the eye and spoke. After confirming the conversation was over, Byul pulled at the hem of my clothes.

-Swish.

Byul gestured toward the door with a nod. Instead of responding, I nodded, bid farewell to Seri, and stepped outside.

-Squeak.

The door closed again. Byul shook her shoulders and pointed behind her back.

“Did you see the gun she just gave you?”
“Yes.”
“…Where do you think it’ll be used? Taking a gun with such powerful firepower that could even kill monsters if one wishes?”
“…”

The story I had heard earlier. The tax collector had a somewhat insane side and was said to pleasure themselves with a gun.

“I heard they discharge it once before work. That’s a ritual.”

“…It wouldn’t be good for the gun, would it? Don’t people who usually cherish their work dislike seeing it ruined?”
“I don’t know? But one thing’s for sure: this person isn’t someone we should regard as rational. Or maybe it really is a gun designed for self-pleasure.”
“A gun that can kill monsters too, you said?”
“…That’s proof of insanity.”
“Oh my goodness.”

Can she really shoot it inside herself and still survive?
That’s a topic I don’t want to think about anymore.

We descended the creaking staircase and walked back through the alley, recalling the woman.

“Anyway, once you get to know her, she’s incredibly kind. As long as you don’t challenge her beliefs, she offers a lot of services, and being a perfectionist… the quality delivered is higher than the price paid.”
“I see.”

“But was it really alright to give away that jewel? Thanks to that… it wouldn’t be odd if I became a regular at that house. When I first met him, I was treated so poorly. Ugh… I get so angry just thinking about that time. Do you know how hard I worked to secure the contract?”

With a sigh, Star began recounting the story of their first meeting and the time when they were at the lowest rung of the Hunter Association.

Listening to the tales of a fellow member of society was intriguing in its own way, as it allowed me to learn more about a person named Star. Azalea always said that it was fun being with me, and Star was that kind of person to me as well. Of course, it wasn’t that being with other people wasn’t enjoyable. It’s just that Star was quite unique, and I saw many similarities between us.

Above all, we both loved playing games. Before coming to this world, I was a die-hard gamer, spending all my time holed up in my room playing games. Star was much the same.

“On our way, let’s grab some ramen at the convenience store.”
“Sounds good.”

After a delightful exchange between two game enthusiasts, we went our separate ways.

* * * * * * * *

“So… these are the clothes?”
“Yes.”

The following day, I visited her shop at the same time as yesterday.

Naturally, the garments and the mask had been recreated. In the far corner of the counter, a red gem, enshrined like a new wine jar, emitted a radiant glow. Unlike when it was on the mask, the gem seemed to have a bloodlike hue to it.

No, more importantly, the clothes. I quickly glanced at the attire Seri handed over. Undergarments, a top, bottoms, and a robe reaching down to the knees, along with a completely different mask.

Even the parts that resembled a stylish belt. I frowned as I observed the coat, which had more unexpectedly fashionable elements than anticipated. Sure, it’s summer, but that doesn’t matter—nothing conceals one’s appearance like long clothing.

However, there’s just something about it. Something.

Not so much stylish, but rather peculiar.

“…Wear this?”
“Isn’t it cool?”

The dreamy eyes gazing at my clothes were filled with affection.
It felt like looking at one’s own child.
The magic circle was also like a work of art. The durability was substantial, strong enough to withstand considerable attacks.

‘The performance is good… Really good.’

The kind of robe that a final boss in a game would wear when concealing their identity.
It seemed as if it would nod approvingly, even if a chain infused with dark energy were to burst forth from behind.

Evidently, the witch found this robe truly captivating.