Chapter 750 – 750. Beauty’S Early Demise
750. The Savior of the Academy
I brought up Park Soo-ho to continue the conversation with Park Ga-in. My strategy worked well. Park Ga-in’s eyes sparkled more and more as information related to Park Soo-ho came up. It was easy to talk since she was listening so attentively.
Park Soo-ho, beside me, gave a wry smile and occasionally joined the conversation.
Then, I noticed Park Ga-in’s eyelids slowly drooping.
“Ga-in, are you sleepy?”
I asked.
“…Yes. I’m sleepy. It’s the first time my brother’s friend has come with us, so I wanted to talk more… but I’m so sleepy.”
Park Ga-in rubbed her eyes with her hands. For ordinary people, the drowsiness that comes can be endured, even if it’s difficult. But it was different for Park Ga-in, who was suffering from the curse of Baektaek. For her, sleep was a curse. Drowsiness was not something she could resist.
“Don’t push yourself. We can always talk again later.”
Park Soo-ho moved. He laid Park Ga-in down and covered her with a blanket.
“Yujin, I’m sorry…”
“No need to be sorry. Like Soo-ho said, let’s talk again later. You’ll be in better condition then. And if there’s anything you want to eat, tell me. I’ll buy it for you.”
“I want to eat pasta…”
Park Ga-in’s eyes were almost closed. I thought it was natural, but Park Soo-ho couldn’t. His face was horribly distorted.
“Brother, I’m okay. I told you before, I don’t hate falling asleep. I always have dreams. Dreams of becoming an empress and ruling the world. I know it’s a dream, so it’s boring, but… unexpected things happen, so it’s also fun… Ah, I can’t hold on anymore…”
Park Ga-in’s eyes closed completely. She breathed rhythmically and fell into a light sleep.
Park Soo-ho quietly looked down at Park Ga-in for a while.
“Park Soo-ho.”
“…Ah, hyung. Sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment. I get so many thoughts whenever I see Ga-in.”
“Don’t you have something to say to me?”
“Thank you for coming. I think Ga-in enjoyed talking with you too.”
“Not that. I think you have something else to say to me.”
Today, Park Soo-ho was different from usual. He was too conscious of me. He had something to say but couldn’t. It probably wasn’t about Park Ga-in.
Park Soo-ho hesitated before speaking.
“It’s a bit awkward to talk here. Can we talk outside?”
“Sure. Let’s go outside.”
***
I talked with Park Soo-ho.
Park Soo-ho’s concern was about the tattoo world.
“Hyung, you know about my abilities, right?”
“You told me yourself, how could I not know? The tattoo on your body is connected to another world. And the more the tattoo world develops, the stronger you become, right?”
“Yes. To be precise, it’s not the tattoo world itself, but my territory in the tattoo world, the city of Veroprin, that makes me stronger as it develops.”
I narrowed my eyes and looked at Park Soo-ho. I didn’t realize it because we met often, but Park Soo-ho had become much stronger than when I first saw him.
“You’re D-rank now, right?”
“That’s right. I’m preparing for C-rank now. My goal is to become a C-rank hunter within two months. The higher the rank, the more expensive dungeons I can enter.”
Looking at it, Park Soo-ho was also growing abnormally fast. Even without his tattoo world abilities, he had considerable talent as a hunter.
“You’ve awakened your mana?”
“While using the power of the tattoo world, I awakened my mana at some point.”
“If you’ve awakened your mana, becoming a C-rank hunter is just a matter of time. What’s the problem?”
“Hoo. Well… as the tattoo world developed and expanded, I encountered another external force. It’s a force called the Solit Republic.”
“External force? Not bad. You can develop further through diplomacy.”
As a lord of the [Baekhwan] world, I know. Diplomacy is important. Especially with trade, you can easily accumulate wealth. You just need to use knowledge and items from reality. Park Soo-ho can also bring items from reality to the tattoo world, so the development of the tattoo world will accelerate even more.
“I thought so too… but it seems the Solit Republic doesn’t think that way. Last time, an envoy from the Republic came and notified me to hand over Veroprin entirely.”
Park Soo-ho’s city of Veroprin was a neutral city not belonging to any nation. As it developed day by day, it was not strange for other forces to show their ambition.
“If it’s a republic, wouldn’t it be okay to join? It would be more reliable and safer than maintaining a neutral city.”
“Yes. I thought so too at first. But the more I learned about the Solit Republic, the more absurd it became. The Solit Republic is just a republic in name; in reality, it’s a kingdom ruled by five Archmages.”
“Hmm. Still, wouldn’t it be okay if you just handled things well?”
“The conditions of the Solit Republic are the problem. The tax they demand from the city is a whopping 60%. 60%. Do you think that makes sense, hyung?”
“……”
Park Soo-ho vented his frustration. I didn’t respond and listened quietly.
60%.
Considering it’s not reality but the medieval era, isn’t 60% a reasonable tax rate?
‘If I were the leader of the Solit Republic… I would first raise an army and occupy Veroprin.’
And demand 90% in taxes. If they resist? Cut off all their heads and make an example. Then the stupid pigs will surely obey. Of course, I would guarantee good treatment for the beauties.
“60%. The moment I heard that tax rate, I doubted my ears. Currently, 70% of Veroprin’s city taxes are invested in city development, 20% is for fixed expenses like labor costs, and the remaining 10% is saved for emergencies. To pay 60% in taxes to the Republic and still develop the city, we would have to collect at least 80% or more in taxes. But if that happens, the lives of the citizens will be ruined. It wouldn’t be strange for a rebellion to break out.”
For Park Soo-ho, the development of Veroprin was very important. Park Soo-ho also became stronger in proportion to the city’s development.
“I understand that you’re in a difficult situation. But what do the other citizens of Veroprin think?”
Park Soo-ho’s city management style was different from mine. I don’t care what happens to the citizens. But Park Soo-ho wanted the lives of the citizens to improve, not just the city’s development.
“Elisha and the citizens said we should resist. If we join the Solit Republic, life will become more difficult. The citizens of Veroprin are people who have experienced hardship in other cities, so they feel it even more.”
“The conclusion is already made. Just do what the citizens want.”
“The difference in power between the Solit Republic and Veroprin is too great. Realistically, we can only hold out for a few days. And many citizens will die in the process. I don’t want the citizens to die because of my greed.”
A huge force is acting like a thug and putting pressure on them. It’s a stressful situation. But even though Park Soo-ho’s face was hardened, there was no despair in it. He had already prepared a solution.
“I know your situation is very difficult. Now tell me. What do you want me to do?”
“…In three days, an Archmage will come to Veroprin. To give a final ultimatum… no, with the intention of occupying the city.”
“Not an army?”
“The Solit Republic has many enemies. It costs money to move an army, and there’s a high chance of other problems arising if they move carelessly. Besides, it’s more certain for one Archmage to move directly than a regular army.”
“You want me to kill that Archmage with you?”
“Killing him would be a problem. My goal is to show the Archmage that Veroprin has a force that cannot be easily trifled with. If we show them that they will lose more than they gain by trying to forcibly occupy Veroprin, we can buy at least five years. The internal situation of the Solit Republic isn’t that good.”
Park Soo-ho bowed his head towards me.
“Please help me, hyung. It’s hard for me to handle the Archmage alone. But if you’re there… the Archmage won’t be able to ignore Veroprin.”
“I can’t refuse when a close younger brother asks for help. Raise your head. I’ll help you.”
Park Soo-ho’s tattoo world, the city of Veroprin, was a playground I visited whenever I was bored. It was not my wish for the development of that playground to slow down. Moreover, if I didn’t help Park Soo-ho, Elisha would be in danger. I didn’t want to lose Elisha.
“Thank you! Yujin hyung! I won’t forget this favor!”
“I’m helping you because it’s you. Don’t pretend you don’t know me when I ask for your help later.”
“If there’s anything I can help with, I’ll definitely help!”
“But didn’t you have a limit on entering the tattoo world last time?”
I heard that you could enter the tattoo world once every three days for four hours.
“That was before, but as my abilities developed, I can now enter the tattoo world without any restrictions.”
“Really? Let’s go to the tattoo world tomorrow. How’s Elisha? Is she doing well? She didn’t seem like just an ordinary acquaintance back then.”
Park Soo-ho gave an awkward smile when Elisha’s name came up.
“Elisha and I are more like work colleagues. It’s not more than that.”
“Hoo. Really? You don’t have any other women you’re interested in?”
“Well… no, I don’t.”
It took Park Soo-ho a little time to answer. He was clearly thinking of some woman in his head. It wouldn’t be Ha Seung-hee. Park Soo-ho had given up on Ha Seung-hee after that day.
‘It’s definitely a woman from the tattoo world. He got burned badly last time, so it’s not love. Is he just interested? Who is it? I’ve already slept with almost all the beauties in the tattoo world.’
Besides Elisha, there were quite a few women I had slept with behind Park Soo-ho’s back.
Park Soo-ho doesn’t know.
Park Soo-ho automatically knows about enemies who have invaded his territory, but that territory is near the city residence where Elisha stays. He has no way of knowing about other places unless he observes them directly or receives reports from citizens.
‘If I use Park Soo-ho’s sleeping time, I can act without getting caught.’
With Elisha’s help, it’s easy to blind Park Soo-ho.
‘I wonder who he’s interested in.’
I was very curious.
***
I moved to the tattoo world with Park Soo-ho.
Instead of secretly entering the tattoo world using a space movement scroll, I moved in proudly with Park Soo-ho. It felt new.
The city of Veroprin was much more developed than when I had come before. There were buildings I hadn’t seen before, and there were many more people. The roads were well-paved, and there was no foul smell. Looking around, my eyes widened. There was a machine running that didn’t fit the medieval fantasy setting.
“Is that… a truck and an excavator?”
“I brought them from Earth. They’re not new, they’re used. There were many problems, so I used a broker… but having heavy equipment is convenient. Ah, the citizens think they’re a type of golem that moves with magic.”
“It’s no wonder it’s developing so fast with that. Soo-ho, just in case, you’re not investing most of your hunter income here, are you?”
“I’m investing everything except for hospital bills, minimum living expenses, and emergency funds. The city needs to develop for me to become stronger, and if I become stronger, I can earn more money.”
“…Are you perhaps making and selling soap too?”
“I was going to, but there was already soap and shampoo in this world. They have almost everything. They even made a magic refrigerator 300 years ago.”
“The citizens’ faces are bright. It seems like there’s a mine near the city.”
“Oh, how did you know, hyung? The dwarf clan that came last time reported that there’s a mine with a huge amount of iron buried near the city. We’re still postponing development due to a lack of manpower with the Solit Republic.”
“Hmm. There might be ultra-rare metals like orichalcum, mithril, adamantite, and vibranium deep inside. Develop it carefully.”
“Oh, come on.”
“There’s a forest nearby, right?”
“Wow, you’re a psychic. It’s two days away, but there’s a forest to the west. There’s almost no information about the forest, so we need to explore it… but I’m too busy right now.”
“Explore it well. If there are elves, try to seduce them.”
“Haha. Elves. As if there would be any.”
We chatted and walked towards the market residence. On the way, we encountered a woman. She was a braided brunette woman who ran a flower shop. She was a beauty with a voluptuous figure and a gentle aura.
“Oh my! Mayor! It’s been a while!”
“Oh, it’s been a while, Matilda.”
“I have some beautiful hyacinth flowers. Would you like to see them?”
“You grew them yourself, right? They’re really beautiful flowers.”
Park Soo-ho was fidgeting. It seemed that Matilda was the woman he was interested in.
Matilda, who was smiling brightly at Park Soo-ho, met my eyes. In an instant, Matilda’s face became lewd. Her eyes narrowed, and a scarlet tongue came out of her slightly open mouth, licking her plump lips.
Matilda was already a slut who had been slept with by me.
‘Her clitoris was her weak point. Hehe.’
I raised my right hand and inserted my thumb between my index and middle fingers. Then, Matilda pretended to grab a transparent penis and put it in her mouth.
“Matilda, can you wrap these flowers for me?”
“Yes, Mayor.”
When Park Soo-ho called her, her face instantly became innocent.
