Chapter 93: Eachs Daily Life

The room, empty of anything that could be called an ornament, was desolate.

The TV continuously broadcasted footage of the 5th floors conquest and stories about Kang Jinhyuk.

Is it that guy again?

Cheon Yuseong, who had been sitting on the bed, muttered to himself.

His murmur, laden with complicated feelings, carried several meanings.

One was the frustration that the gap between himself and the rival he needed to surpass wasnt closing in the slightest.

Another was a sense of self-loathing that he had, perhaps unknowingly, started imitating the swordsmanship of that very rival.

To fight the opponent I most want to beat, I end up learning their techniques

It was a sort of contradiction.

He never wanted to win by resorting to such methods.

Yet, no matter how much he thought it over,

he couldnt see a way to close that gap without emulating his opponent.

So, he arrived at a single conclusion:

To taste victory, hed have to cast aside his pride.

Clatter.

Cutlery rattled on the table.

Chicken and pizza, cream shrimp and Yangjangpi, two bottles each of beer and soju.

All were exactly the same as the menu Jinhyuk had prepared for a mukbang in the past.

On a tablet PC at one corner of the table, a playlist of Jinhyuks past VTube videos was cued up.

[Hello, Brosephs! Todays content is Legend of Legends. Im going to pull off a 1v5 Pentakill with Teemo. Ready to watch a masterclass? Eh? You think Teemos overrated? If youre so sure, try to snipe me. Ill shove poisonous mushrooms up your nostrils.]

Imitating everything, from lifestyle and behaviors to eating habits, and every single game and content the guy did,

was not a hard task for medical student Cheon Yuseong, who was adept at designing efficient learning routes.

The key in this video is Teemo, huh.

[Heheheheh?Kahahaha?Kah?Kah! Dont ignore the discipline of the scouts! Captain Teemo!]

Teemo.

Teemo

Cheon Yuseong grabbed his Monami pen and scribbled in his notebook, highlighting the word with a yellow fluorescent pen and adding a star for emphasis.

I will win, no matter what.

Cheon Yuseong bit into his chicken with determination, engrossed in the video.

How many hours had passed?

Ding-dong!

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!

Naturally, Cheon Yuseong intended to ignore it.

A random visitor was not his priority right now.

However,

when the entire front door was slashed apart, he could no longer afford to ignore it.

Kagagagak!

A rapid sword strike.

The place where the metal was cut glowed red-hot,

and through that gap,

Ha-ha. Hope you dont mind if I let myself in.

A smirking blond foreigner revealed himself.

Who are you!

My real names another matter, but you can just call me Gawain for convenience.

Gawain?

Yes. Its common where Im from.

Gawain shrugged as he scanned Cheon Yuseongs living space.

Hmm, this is unexpected. Considering youre Unnown, this place is quite cramped and humble. I didnt expect a 5-star hotel, but I did imagine somewhere more distinguished than a studio.

Unknown?

Out of the blue, he says Im Unknown?

Gawains words made Cheon Yuseong quirk an eyebrow in confusion.

Could it be?

But soon, he realized the whole story.

There could only be one person capable of such a prank.

Kang Jinhyuk, that son of a

Cheon Yuseong couldnt finish his sentence.

Hmm. This isnt the time to be casually looking for someone else, is it?

It was because his opponent had already drawn a sharp sword, smiling as he advanced.

***

Meanwhile, at the same moment, Kang Jinhyuk, who was in front of Shinsegae Department Store in Yeongdeungpo, busied his fingers.

Its strange. Why are my ears so itchy?

As if tiny worms were wriggling around his eardrums.

Thats normal when someone is cursing you, right? said Elis, who stood beside him with an expression suggesting shes stating the obvious.

What? Whos cursing me? Who dares, when I live as nobly and diligently as I do?

Tsk tsk. Ive never seen a Vampire as obstinate as you, its astounding you can say such things.

Look at her, getting all cheeky because Ive been treating her nicely lately?

Shall we just head back? Going around department stores doesnt seem fitting for a rare break. We might as well spend the whole day in dungeons.

Jinhyuk immediately laid down the law.

Elis voice suddenly sharpened in response.

Ah. Why must you touch upon such a mean topic!

Why? I have a favorite idiom. Its putting oneself in anothers shoes. Think about what others might feel before speaking.

Ye, yeah, right. Youre the one who cares the least about others!

Hmm.

She makes a peculiarly logical point.

Not bad for someone whos lived for thousands of years.

But, it doesnt matter.

My other favorite saying is . It means rules apply to everyone except me.

Thats not even a proper idiom!

If I like it, its an idiom.

Whats so big about idioms anyway?

They become an idiom once they earn admiration and resonate with the masses.

Just you watch, in a hundred years itll proudly make its way into civil servant exams with its own Hanja characters.

But this is rightfully earned by me. Its unfair to use it against me as blackmail

Elis, who occasionally fed information to Andria, got Jinhyuk to promise that she could enjoy Seouls cultural life in exchange.

It was a basic course in Bossology:

The way a boss lives, the daily routine of a boss, how a boss speaks. Elis was essentially a professor teaching it.

Ill let it slide, just this once. So stop sulking. Its troublesome as it is, with more staff needing management.

He would have to contact Kim Heewoong, who was in charge of the Black Crow Guild, soon. He had been focusing on climbing the Tower and developing his skills, leaving the guild somewhat neglected, but he felt it needed some attention.

Really, I can shop whatever I like?

Yes, do whatever you want, our Elis.

And he had no idea he would regret those words so much until later.

Shortly after entering the department store, Elis unleashed all her pent-up stress and charged ahead like a runaway train.

Buy everything.

Every everything?

The employees eyes bulged.

No wonder amidst worries over the economic impact of the Tower and declining sales,

they had been catering to small fry who bragged while merely spending a few million won.

Now, a super VVVIP appeared, ready to sweep all those problems under the rug.

Promotions? Bonuses?

Those werent issues anymore.

I must secure this customer.

Thus, a God of Wealth descended at the Yeongdeungpo store, soon to be a legend for ages.

Just a moment, please! Ill call the department the department head right away!

The employee sprinted off somewhere.

Meanwhile, Jinhyuk pressed his temple with his forefinger.

If Korea collapses, itll likely be due to failing to handle the inflation caused by your spending splurge.

He had pitied Zimbabwe and Venezuela for their plight.

When he saw them taking out wads of cash just to buy a bottle of water, his eyes welled with tears.

Yet now, sitting right here was a disaster capable of wreaking a national-scale inflation.

Dont worry. I dont know what inflation is, but if it becomes a problem, I shall simply buy that too.

Sigh.

I should stop talking about it.

Arguing would only lead to his loss.

***

After the storm of shopping had passed,

Jinhyuk and Elis found themselves at a famous nearby pub.

While waiting for the ordered dishes, Jinhyuk took the time to sort out the backlog of things he had not yet dealt with.

The most important was distributing the stats he had acquired by leveling up.

Ding!

The status window activated.

Name: Kang Jinhyuk

Gender: Male

Age: 27

Level: 30

Strength 19, Agility 19, Stamina 19, Magic Power 74, Gaps 100, Luck 10, Adaptive 78

Held Stat Points: 9

Held Coins: 1,283,288

Job: None.

Unique Abilities: Fusion, Sword Grave, Stars Grace, Anubiss Judgement, Blood Demonic Qi, Mandala

Skills: Lv6 Fire Element, Lv5 Eye of Gluttony, Lv4 Sympathy, Lv4 Brand of Scorching Souls, Lv4 Toxic Eater, Lv4 Shallow Breathing, Lv8 Glacial Sculpting, Lv4 Daylight, Lv1 Giants Grasp, Lv3 Soul Chaser Sword, Lv1 Double Agent, Lv1 True Taecheonghwarangsimgyeong, Lv2 Sword Demon Emperors Steps, Lv1 Blurry Scent, Lv1 Psychic Barrier

After dealing with the Cult Leader and his followers, he had gained a whopping 68 in adaptive stats, and also climbed 3 levels.

Its an unbelievably fast pace, even after looking at it again.

Considering the lengths he went to gather Gaps for a month, it was a remarkably rapid level-up,

even compared to ranked players who were boosted through exclusive guild dungeons and herd-hunting to reach levels in the 30s.

Including the stats, there probably isnt a player in better shape than me now.

With all his knowledge and experience as a veteran, the gap was wider than ever.

Good.

Jinhyuk smiled contentedly.

It felt like he was finally seeing the fruits of his past efforts.

Lets neatly round the stats to 20, and then invest the rest into magic power.

[Strength increases from 19 20.]

[Agility increases from 19 20.]

[Stamina increases from 19 20.]

[Magic Power increases from 74 80.]

There might be a touch of OCD, but it feels good when the numbers are even.

Plus, his recently uploaded video looked set to break 100 million views, so using the Coin Exchange Coupon would make it a perfect wrap-up.

At that moment,

Table 127, your food is ready.

The waiter appeared with a table full of food.

The main dishes for snacks were two items, coupled with two 500cc glasses of Hoegaarden beer. Iced water and various salads were separate.

Here we have gopchang and fresh salmon. Watch how its eaten.

Jinhyuk deftly maneuvered his chopsticks.

The gopchangs unique richness was tamed with its piquant sauce,

while the fresh, thick-cut salmon topped generously with tartar sauce and onions brought out an involuntary exclamation of delight.

It was a combination that demanded a drink in accompaniment.

Elis, too, who stuffed her mouth full, sparkled with surprise.

What is this meat? How can it taste so amazing!

Hm.

How should I explain?

Its, um, bowel matter.

What?

Its a dish made from cow intestines near the anus.

Stop kidding. Im enjoying the meal; why say something thatll put me off?

Have you ever seen me joke about what Im eating?

Elis didnt take long to realize Jinhyuk wasnt kidding.

And then she plunged into profound despair.

I must eat it. But how can a noble such as myself Still, it tastes like nothing Ive had before No, I cant. I must resist. Resist my foot. Aaah!

From that moment on, Elis grappled with gopchang amidst conflicting emotions for a long while.

While Elis agonized between pride and desire, Jinhyuk was

The boundary-breaking mirror.

He took out the special item he had obtained from the 5th floor.