‘Today is not my lucky day…’

Unless I was blind, that woman was definitely Xiaolin, and the information Mind’s Eye displayed proved that she was the same person I had seen back then. Her stats had increased, but her habit, job, and everything else were exactly the same. Even her minions were the same. I was certain the bag one of her minions was carrying as they were visiting the shops on the street contained a legendary-ranked weapon.

I walked out of the house in joy and was looking forward to walking around Laios, but after seeing a person I didn’t want to meet, I immediately turned around.

‘Shit...’

Xiaolin had agreed to help under the condition that I meet with her not long afterward, but it had already been over a year since I made that promise. I could still recall the letter she sent that said, “You better keep your promise.”

Since Xiaolin was a strong person who was just as crazy as Jung Ha-Yan and Cha Hee-Ra, I didn’t know what kind of trouble she would cause. And if that crazy woman and Jung Ha-Yan met, an accident could happen within this neutral nation.

Jung Ha-Yan was kind of surprised by my sudden behavior, so she started looking around, but I never imagined that I would hear Xiaolin’s surprised voice.

“Huh?”

Jung Ha-Yan seemed kind of lost, but she heard that woman’s voice clearly.

‘Has she caught on?’

At the center of the road filled with tourists and citizens of Laios, I heard her particularly loud voice, so I immediately pulled Jung Ha-Yan’s arm.

‘Let’s go, let’s go…’

Since Jung Ha-Yan was walking while looking forward, she still hadn’t caught onto the fact that Xiaolin had noticed me.

“Oppa, just now—”

“I don’t want to be interrupted by anyone right now,” I interrupted her.

“Ah, o-oppa.”

The fact that I promised to secretly meet the crazy woman of the Republic was something Jung Ha-Yan didn’t need to know.

It didn’t take long for me to drag the slightly emotional Jung Ha-Yan out of the crowd, and even though I got the feeling that we had gotten pretty far from Xiaolin, I was still becoming more anxious.

‘Maybe I should’ve gone in the opposite direction.’

Or…

‘I should go meet Hee-Ra noona, right?’

As long as I could get away from Xiaolin, the direction I was heading didn’t matter. However, just then, Jung Ha-Yan whispered.

“Oppa…”

“Yeah?”

“I think someone is following us,” she said.

“What?”

“There are three people following us. I don’t know their exact location, but I think they’re the same people with that woman earlier,” she added.

“Are you sure it’s not the shadows of the Red Mercenary Guild?” I asked.

“Yes, I’m sure of it. I think they’re those people with that woman. I don’t know the details, but I’m sure of it,” she replied.

‘Ah…’

“What should we do?” she asked.

“Just leave them for now. We can slowly lose them. What about that woman?” I asked.

“I don’t think I see that woman. I’m not sure why, but those people look like they’re trying not to get caught either, and they’re still kind of far from us. D-Do you know them?” she questioned.

“Somewhat…” I answered.

I was glad to hear that they weren’t trying to start trouble, and I even thought that maybe it would have been a good idea to just approach and greet her, but…

‘She’s a crazy bitch, too.’

Xiaolin was a VIP of the black market, and I could tell that she wasn’t an ordinary woman. Even though the meaning behind her habit, A Strangling Romantist, was none of my business, I didn’t want to be strangled to death at this age.

Not only could Xiaolin think properly, but she was probably really angry, so I was sure she would show some kind of reaction, and Jung Ha-Yan would most likely react to that.

Now that I had confirmed she was in Laios, I thought it would be a good idea for me to contact her first. Of course, it would be best for me to leave this place before anything else and act like I didn’t see her. After dragging Jung Ha-Yan to a place where there were a lot of people, we started walking around the outskirts of the city. During all of this, she had to have thought that our date was ruined because she puffed her cheeks, but I obviously couldn’t focus on our date. It was because Jung Ha-Yan was still telling me about the people following us. I had no idea when that crazy woman with the whip was going to show up, so I was worried. To make things worse, Jung Ha-Yan was on edge, and after recalling the Lindel terrorist incident, it was understandable for her to feel sensitive about this because that incident had started out just like this.

In the end, we walked through the alleys of different stores and thanks to Jung Ha-Yan’s magic, we managed to lose Xiaolin’s men, but…

‘Where are we?’

The problem was that we had gotten too far out. We weren’t lost, and since I had a reliable bodyguard, I wasn’t rattled, but thinking about going back was giving me a headache. I was looking forward to properly enjoying Laios, but I couldn’t help but sigh at the situation. And even though she wasn’t showing it, Jung Ha-Yan looked kind of disappointed. It had been a while since we were alone, and she had been really looking forward to this moment. Moreover, she had no idea when she would get this chance again, so she considered this a rare opportunity for us to have fun. Basically, an intruder had ruined her exciting plan.

“I think we should come back next time. Today has been a hectic day,” I suggested.

“Okay… oppa,” she said.

My original goal of making Jung Ha-Yan happy had already been destroyed, and all I could do was pray that taking her to a decent restaurant would help her feel better. There were many decent restaurants nearby, and it was time to eat anyway, so I grabbed Jung Ha-Yan’s hand and started walking.

‘What do I tell Hee-Ra noona?’

Just like how I needed to help Jung Ha-Yan feel better, I had to spend time with Cha Hee-Ra as well, which was giving me a headache.

We soon walked into the place we chose, and I really liked the interior design of this restaurant. It gave off a luxurious feel in its own way, and the crowded restaurant somehow gave off a nice atmosphere. I found it a little bit strange that there were a lot of people with black hair here rather than the citizens of Laios with their brown skin. Moreover, there were even Caucasians who looked a bit different from the citizens of the Sacred Democratic Country.

‘What’s going on…’

I immediately realized that something was wrong, and as if to confirm my apprehension, Mind’s Eye spun into action.

[Checking Player Valentin Alexandro’s Status Window and Potential.]

[Name - Valentin Alexandro]

[Title - Monster of Ronaf, Slaughterer of Ronaf, Republic’s Five Tiger Generals]

[Age - 39]

[Nature - A simple, ignorant slaughterer]

[Job - Fighter of Ronaf - Epic Rank]

[Job Effect - Acquired basic martial arts knowledge]

[Job Effect - Acquired intermediate martial arts knowledge]

[Job Effect - Acquired advanced martial arts knowledge]

[Job Effect - Acquired advanced magic operation knowledge]

[Stats]

[Strength - 97/Above legendary growth limit]

[Agility - 89/Above legendary growth limit]

[Stamina - 91/Above legendary growth limit]

[Intelligence - 31/Below average growth limit]

[Endurance - 87/Above epic growth limit]

[Luck - 32/Below average growth limit]

[Magic - 61/Above epic growth limit]

[Attribute - Anger Control - Legendary Rank]

[Overall Review - His magic stat is unfortunate, but his strength, agility, and stamina are extremely well-balanced. His nature and attributes aren't great, though. I don’t recommend spending a lot of time with this man unless Player Lee Ki-Young wants to die young.]

‘You crazy…’

What caught my attention was that the caucasian man was as big as Park Deok-Gu. Actually, he was sitting down, but he still looked bigger than Park Deok-Gu. The long scar on his face made his intimidating visage look even more threatening. He seemed like an uncommon martial artist, and seeing that he had advanced magic operation knowledge, he was definitely at the summit. His nature sounded dangerous, but what bothered me the most was his title—Republic’s Five Tiger Generals.

‘Shit…’

There was another person who caught my attention. He was a black-haired man sitting at the center of the table, and his frame was similar to mine. I was certain he was Chinese. Unlike my somewhat obnoxious look, he had a pleasant face. However, his stats didn’t look pleasant at all.

[Checking Player Jin Cheong’s Status Window and Potential.]

[Name - Jin Cheong]

[Title - Schemer, Sage on the Battlefield, Republic’s Five Tiger Generals]

[Age - 30]

[Nature - Scheming Tactician]

[Job - Division Mage - Legendary Rank]

[Job Effect - Acquired basic magic knowledge]

[Job Effect - Acquired intermediate magic knowledge]

[Job Effect - Acquired advanced magic knowledge]

[Job Effect - Acquired advanced summoning knowledge]

[Job Effect - Acquired advanced magic operation knowledge]

[Stats]

[Strength - 65/Above epic growth limit]

[Agility - 75/Above legendary growth limit]

[Stamina - 89/Above rare growth limit]

[Intelligence - 99/Above epic growth limit]

[Endurance - 77/Above rare growth limit]

[Luck - 67/Below epic growth limit]

[Magic - 97/Above epic growth limit]

[Attribute - Not accessible.]

[Overall Review - This archmage is perfectly balanced. His stats and potential are standing out to the point that I feel bad for even comparing him to you, so I won’t even mention it. Unfortunately, his magic stat can no longer increase, but his intelligence of 99 and high base stats are more than enough to offset that weakness.]

The remaining person was also part of the Republic’s Five Tiger Generals, and the others with them were pretty talented as well.

‘Did they come out for a company dinner or something?’

I obviously thought about leaving this place as soon as possible. However, Jung Ha-Yan didn’t read the room and urged that we take a seat, but I couldn’t move my feet. To make things worse, our unexpected appearance caused people to look at us. And among them included the Russian, whose frame was bigger than Park Deok-Gu, and the Chinese, whose stats were so absurd a mage shouldn’t even possess them.

‘Is it strange that they don’t recognize me?’

I thought about the possibility that they didn’t recognize me, but it was likely that they knew me. Actually, even if they had no idea of my identity, they probably knew I was from the Sacred Democratic Country. Valentin Alexandro was the first one to stand up, and without exaggerating it, he was probably three times my size.

“Imperial—actually, are you democrats now?” Valentin asked.

His hoarse voice was uncomfortable to listen to. The Chinese member, Jin Cheong, tapped on the table while looking at me, and he seemed like he was enjoying it. I had no idea about the others, but I was certain that he knew who I was, at the very least.

Jung Ha-Yan finally realized that something was off, so when I felt her slowly releasing her magic, I had no choice but to grab her hand because it was just the two of us while they had an entire group. In addition, two of them were part of the Republic’s Five Tiger Generals. I had no idea about Jung Ha-Yan, but it would be difficult for me to deal with them with my own power. Basically, if we got into a fight, I would definitely be the first one who would die.

‘Even though we’re in a neutral nation…’

There was no guarantee whether a fight would break out or not.

I wasn’t sure if this was worse, but I heard a familiar voice behind me.

“You fuckin’ idiots. How could you lose him? You’re all useless pieces of shit.”

‘Shit…’

Our exit was completely blocked. The person who flung the door open was the woman with the whip. I was sure she was shocked, but I had no choice but to be bold and speak before she could.

“Miss Xiaolin, there you are!”

“You…”

“You have no idea how much I’ve been looking for you, hahaha…” I laughed.

Xiaolin didn’t look happy.

“You’re still beautiful...”

Jung Ha-Yan, who was supposed to be happy all day today, was frowning hard.