Chapter 335

“How surprising . ”

Kirikiri said .

“What?”

“Hihing…… . ”

Kirikiri didn’t answer and scratched her ear .

Unlike humans who can scratch their ears simply by raising their hands, Kirikiri had to stretch her arms high in the sky to scratch her ears .

It looked pretty uncomfortable .

Eventually, Kirikiri scratched her ear more comfortably after pulling her ear down to the front of her face .

“Do you have any fleas or something?”

“I do not!”

Kirikiri cried out .

It’s because you keep scratching your furry ears that I thought there were bugs .

Kirikiri glanced at me as if she was angry at my words, snorted and then sighed .

I guess asking her whether she had fleas or not was worse than I thought .

Is it because it’s Suin*?

Usually when you ask humans if they have fleas, it’s just because they’re dirty enough to have it or they don’t wash up… .

Well, it might be upsetting though .

“Apologise!”

“Yes, yes, I apologise . I’m sorry . ”

“Tsk…… . ”

Kirikiri seemed less relaxed, but she didn’t say anything after I apologized .

“But what’s surprising?”

I decided to change the topic .

Kirikiri unwittingly tried to scratch her ear again at my question, but noticed it and hurriedly lowered her arm .

Instead, while fiddling with her cheeks, she said,

“I didn’t know how Hoojaee would say that . ”

That?

“Are you referring to what I told Lee Yeon-hee earlier?”

“Hmm . ”

Kirikiri had been with us since we entered the 60th floor .

It was just that she was hiding from Lee Yeon-hee, saying she would be angry with her .

“You must have thought that I would kill Yeon-hee Lee too . ”

“Hmm . ”

Kirikiri curtly replied .

I was wondering how close my impression of Kirikiri was .

“Oh my god, I’m so disappointed . ”

I tried to imitate Kirikiri’s tone .

“Don’t . ”

Kirikiri said with a sharp look .

Honestly, it didn’t look so scary .

“Alright, I won’t . Sorry . ”

“…… . ”

After a quick apology, Kirikiri couldn’t say much again .

I found a new strategy .

But it’s better not to overdo it .

If I cross a certain line, she would lose confidence in my words and would treat whatever I say as a joke . .

“It was really surprising . It wasn’t that you didn’t kill Yeon-hee, but that you would say such a thing to her I do know that Hooojaee would get along with people like him, though . “

I nodded .

Kirikiri knows me so well .

I was once her enemy, but we got along after we ceased to be enemies .

It was because most of the people I met were either an outright enemy or someone from the Tutorial Stages that was supposed to be an enemy .

So there were only a few people in the Tutorial that I could talk to and connect with .

“I also knew that you cared for Lee Yeon-hee’s ability . ”

Kirikiri showed me the letters Lee Yeon-hee had exchanged with me in the past, and discussed the replies I sent .

“But I didn’t know how to persuade the two of you to talk about your bond . ”

Was that so surprising?

“And the HooooJaaee I know wouldn’t lie about that . ”

“Yeah, I meant it . ”

In fact, my relationship with Lee Yeon-hee was a bit complex .

The time we spent together was too short for us to be considered family or friends .

It was more appropriate to say that she was a colleague or a disciple .

I couldn’t exactly tell what kind of connection we had, but I was sure it was a deep relationship anyway .

At least I thought so .

I believe Lee Yeon-hee would think the same way too .

“I don’t know if HoooJaae… I didn’t think you would know the importance of family and colleagues . ”

Kirikiri said, and eventually pulled her ear down and scratched it .

“Instead, I knew that you thought such bonds would be a weakness, standing in the way of you achieving your goals . ”

I told Lee Yeon-hee about our bond and that I needed her for that .

This is an important matter

At least for Kirikiri .

“It used to think so too . ”

In the past, I valued friends and other relationships, but I certainly considered their existence as a weakness, and it made a gap in my mind .

Nevertheless, I didn’t let go of them because they were so precious, but I was anxious that I would forget my goal because of the divided attention . As a result, I distanced myself from them to some extent .

“Is it different now?”

I nodded at Kirikiri’s question .

In the end, it was not myself, but others who helped me endure the 60th floor .

Park Jung-ah, who helped me keep me sane every day .

Lee Yeon-hee, who made it possible to see the future again .

Hochi and Yongyong, who became my family .

And from start to finish, Seregia, who trusted me and waited for me .

Thanks to those around me, I was able to withstand my trials and go further .

It was a cheesy and embarrassing story, but I honestly told Kirikiri my thoughts .

Kirikiri said with a bright smile,

“That’s a good thing . ”

A snort came out when she laughed .

“The God of Slowness must be upset . Hi hi . ”

Does that even matter?

I was dumbfounded and just laughed out loud .

* * *

“You’re leaving?”

“Hmm . ”

Kirikiri nodded .

“Why don’t you go see Lee Yeon-hee after she wakes up?”

Lee Yeon-hee, who was crying while eating soup, fell asleep as soon as she calmed down a little .

I wouldn’t be able to sleep just like that if it were me .

“No . ”

Too bad .

I guess it was still awkward for her to face Lee Yeon-hee .

I thought about another way to persuade Kirikiri .

“No wonder when you’re here, I feel like someone is stealing my power little by little . ”

Gosh .

So sharp .

“Then… it can’t be helped . Goodbye . ”

“Hihing, goodbye . People will be summoned here in about 5 minutes . ”

Kirikiri disappeared from the 60th floor after informing me .

I opened the message window after a long time .

[Lee Ho-jae, 60th floor: Jung-ah, are you ready?]

[Park Jung-ah, 90th floor: Yeah . ]

The answer came from Park Jung-ah .

Somehow, her responses had gotten shorter again .

I was a little nervous .

[Lee Ho-jae, 60th floor: It will start now . ]

Soon, all tutorial challengers from the Earth server will be summoned to the 60th floor .

Originally, such a thing was not possible .

But the Earth was now my territory, not the Hundred Gods Temple’s .

Of course, it was an act of authority to run a Tutorial for the people of the Earth for the Hundred Gods Temple .

It was also an invasion against my territory .

I agreed with Kirikiri’s proposal to bring Earth’s Tutorial challengers back to Earth through the 60th floor .

[Stop all tutorial stages on the Earth server . ]

[The qualifications of the challengers on the Earth server will be requalified . ]

[The challengers of the Earth server are forcibly moved to the outer dimension ‘HX60’ . ]

That ‘XH60’ was the name of the 60th floor, which was no longer a Tutorial stage .

Whether it was because of the sudden system message or the opening of a new dimensional link, Lee Yeon-hee, who was sleeping earlier, suddenly woke up and alertly observed her surroundings .

I roughly explained the situation to her .

Soon after that, people began to be summoned to the 60th floor .

There were people who gathered quickly looking for a face they knew, and others were wandering looking for someone while trembling .

There was less confusion than I thought .

Well, they have stayed in the residential area for two months, so they’ve probably heard of this situation in advance through the system messages, that’s why there wasn’t much confusion when they finally had to move to the 60th floor . .

There were also some people who were on bad terms, so some of them were raising their voices at each other .

It was noisy .

Somehow, when a thousand units of people were suddenly summoned in one place, it was bound to be crowded .

I decided to ignore it for now .

Rather, as soon as she was summoned, I had to accept that a woman was running fiercely at me .

Bomph!

“Ugh!”

Park Jung-ah crashed into my body and screamed against my chest .

Fortunately, she did not pass out after making contact with my body . .

Otherwise, Park Jung-ah would have been in a shape similar to minced meat by now .

“I’ve adjusted my strength as much as I can . ”

Park Jung-ah didn’t say anything and stayed still while she pressed her face against my chest and hung from my body .

“Let me see your face . It’s been 10 years since we’ve met, let’s see your face . ”

Park Jung-ah did not raise her head .

She didn’t even answer .

Instead, she started to poke her fingers tightly on my side .

“What are you doing?”

“In the past, when I pressed here, you would flinch and get ticklish . ”

Umm…… .

There is no way I’ll react to such a thing now .

“Maybe after you became a god, your senses became dull . ”

What’s she trying to say?

“Or you have been freed from your mortal troubles and became liberated, or your sexual desire was… No, that’s not it…… . ”

“No, I’m still healthy . It’s normal . ”

I replied in annoyance .

Was Jung-ah always like this?

Yes, her personality was just as I remembered . .

However, becoming a god does not mean that desire disappears .

Rather, they just cling to you more blindly .

Park Jung-ah was still not raising her head .

I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and hugged her .

Then I felt her trembling more clearly .

“Jung-ah . ”

It was always like this .

Park Jung-ah always pretended to be bold .

She looked bolder and more brutal while trying to hide her weakness .

Knowing her for a long time, I quietly waited for her to say something .

“… . . Are your feelings still the same, or…”

I guess that’s what you really wanted to ask .

Too much has happened in the meantime, and too long has passed .

I could understand where her anxiety was coming from .

It was because I had that anxiety too .

“If, if so, then, tell me now . ”

“No . ”

I was able to give a definite answer .

Park Jung-ah spoke again after being silent for a while .

“… you’ve kept me waiting for too long . Did you ever want to see me again?”

The last time I met Park Jung-ah was before I was trapped on the 60th floor .

At the third contest .

That was 11 years ago .

“I’ve always wanted to see you again . ”

I said honestly .

Hoping that my true feelings would be conveyed .

“And…”

I was always sorry for Park Jung-ah .

Even now, when I see her being so anxious .

But selfishly, on the other hand, I was also happy .

“Thank you for waiting . ”

I knew that the reason Park Jung-ah remained in the Tutorial was to wait for me .

She reached the 90th floor a long time ago, but now she doesn’t have to worry about the Order of Vigilance anymore .

When she left first, she was waiting, worrying about me .

Only then did Park Jung-ah step back away from me .

As she wiped away tears from her eyes, she smiled as if she were relieved .

“Hah, I should’ve asked you the truth before; I hesitated for no reason . ”

Park Jung-ah quickly regained her gallant attitude .

It was good to see .

The image of her that I remember from the past remained the same .

In fact, her appearance almost didn’t seem to change at all, so it was even more so .

“What do you think after seeing my face ten years later?”

“It’s good . And…”

Park Jung-ah stood up for a while and said ‘umm… . ’

“It’s awkward . ”

Then she grinned .

I couldn’t help but chuckle .

It had been so long since I’ve seen her, but I did not feel uncomfortable around her at all .

I did notice some changes from what I remembered of her, but those were natural changes that occurred over time; changes that we never observed from each other, or indirectly heard through the messages we exchanged .

“Thank you, and I’m sorry . ”

This is what I said when I relayed a message through Hochi .

I also said it several times through my messages, but I wanted to see her face and say it again .

“Me too . ”

Park Jung-ah replied and hugged me tightly again .

As we hugged for a while, Park Jung-ah smiled .

As if she were showing someone .

Park Jung-ah placed her face over my shoulder, away from my sight .

However, even if I didn’t dare to look directly, I could see everything around me .

Park Jung-ah, who hugged me tightly, was smiling over my shoulder, looking at Lee Yeon-hee who was standing behind me .

Lee Yeon-hee was staring straight into Park Jung-ah’s eyes without looking away .

With a scary look .

This… this situation is a little difficult .

* * *

I excused myself from Park Jung-ah for a moment .

My reunion with her was important, but I couldn’t leave the rest of the humans in a mess .

“Now, be quiet . Focus here . ”

At my word, everyone’s mouths closed in unison .

I climbed on the platform in the square and explained the situation to them .

Let’s see how they’ll react .

“From now on, you can only say what you need . Or when you’re being questioned . ”

The order that only necessary words could be spoken was useful in many ways .

Anyone who tried to ask useless or redundant questions were unable to open their mouths .

“Are we going back to Earth?”

Someone asked .

I’m sorry, but you’re not .

“No . ”

I took these people over from the Hundred Gods Temple .

So their fate now laid in my hands .

They were a usable manpower, and I needed manpower now .

They believed that I would be returning them home, but there was no such thing .

“Unfortunately, you have not completed all the Tutorials, so it means that your training is not yet over . In the future, it won’t be in the Tutorial, you’re going to go somewhere else for training . ”

After that training, they may be able to return to Earth .

At least, they may during the holiday season .

“That… Is the training dangerous?”

It was a very sharp question .

“Yes, it’s dangerous . ”

I told him the truth .

The expressions of the numerous challengers gathered in the square suddenly darkened .

My training will be dangerous .

It will be difficult too .

However, there was no risk of losing one’s life .

Their reward will also be certain .

All the men who have gone through my training have grown enough to do their part wherever they go .

I’ve said it many times, but the only exception is Hochi .

“Hey… I’m a challenger on the 99th floor of hard difficulty . Isn’t that enough to deserve to return to Earth without having to retrain?”

“Shut up . ”

I ignored the unfavorable question .

It was a little coercive, but I had no intention of dealing with them .

I will pay them enough compensation .

To the extent that I think they would do well to be with me in the future .

[Call]

“Huh?”

I’ve been explaining to the challengers for a while, but I got a call signal .

There was only one person who would call me this way .

It was a call signal from Hochi, who was left on Earth .

Hochi was calling me .