Chapter 39 Part2 (1/2)
<chapter 39.=”” new=”” party=”” member=”” -=”” 2=””>
Ye Jin Jin was already aware of Lee s.h.i.+n Woo's ability to disguise himself as a human being. He'd explained it to her after fooling Prince. That's why he expected her not to raise a commotion at him appearing as a human. At least, that's what he thought, but...
”You look exactly as I imagined, Mr. s.h.i.+n Woo! You look so cool!”
”You can imagine what I'd looked like with just my build?”
”Yes!”
”Ah, is that so...”
Ye Jin Jin declared without even a shred of uncertainty, which caused Lee s.h.i.+n Woo to go from speechlessness to admiration! Even now, she was carefully touching his forearm, cheek or hair, acting as excited and loud as other girls her age.
Although it'd be easier for him if she followed him unconditionally, it would be a pain in the a.s.s if she clung onto him too much. He tried to cool things down by returning to his original skeleton form, but...
”Kyaa, this form is cool in its own way! So when you become level 7, the atmosphere... Uuaah.”
”Fine. I give up.”
On the contrary, she blushed and looked muddled. That's right, this girl was a necrophiliac! At that moment, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo changed her danger level to 2. 1 was obviously reserved for Seira Von Retadane.
'Is it because I left her alone all this time? She'll likely cool off after traveling with me.'
After all, their first meeting was both dramatic and fleeting. She was the type to fixate on her first impressions and even improve upon them, so if, conversely, he acted together with her, then her once strong impression of him will disappear. He concluded that, at the very least, it would weaken.
”But Mr. s.h.i.+n Woo, could I really be of help to you? I worked really hard, but I wasn't able to reach level 6... I'm still really weak.”
”No, that's fine. You worked really hard.”
Her current stats were slightly less than 3,100. Since level 6 required 3,200 total stats, she only needed about 100 or so stats to level up.
Honestly speaking, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo was shocked at how fast she'd grown. He and Jin possessed a specialized ability that allowed them to progress quickly, but Ye Jin Jin had nothing of the sort!
”I wanted to help you...! So I did whatever I could and worked hard!”
”G-Good for you.”
So this was the power of love, huh. He looked at Ye Jin Jin, who grasped her hands in front of her and almost lost his nerve.
She was the type who ignored everything around her. She wasn't two-faced; she was honest and wore her heart on her sleeve. To think she'd worked so hard and grown so much just to be of help to him. If someone told him that she came out of a romance cartoon, then he'd believe it. Her face was pretty too, so had her partner not been a skeleton, it would've been perfect.
'Even Lloyd, who's pretty much the full package, has some darkness within him...'
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo might've turned out differently had there been a young lady like Ye Jin Jin around in the past. Of course, it was nothing more than speculation, so it was pointless to think about. Plus, he liked how he turned out, so it didn't matter.
”The job I have for you doesn't really require strength. But it does require trust. It has to be someone who trusts me, and someone I can trust. You have to keep this a secret, too.”
”I can do that!”
”I know. That's why I called you.”
First off, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo briefly explained the current situation he was in. She was surprised at the fact that Lee s.h.i.+n Woo could go to the surface, as well as the fact that he could bring her with him.
”It'd be nice... if I could go too...”
”You should be able to. The issue's not about getting there. It's about what you do after you get there.”
He explained what the peddler, Lawrence, and the mercenary, Kay did in detail. She looked really happy to be Lawrence's representative, but she was even happier at the fact that Kay was called the Sun G.o.d's hero on the surface.
”It seems like the Sun G.o.d religion has a discerning eye!”
”So I'll be really busy for the time being. During that time, I'd like you to be Lawrence's representative. Of course, I'll pay you a corresponding amount of Perium... no, I'll pay you even more.”
”Perium...?”
”Yeah. There's a price for everything. The more burdensome it is, the more you have to pay in exchange.”
In exchange for her being Lawrence's representative, he would pay her Perium. He'd planned this ever since he first considered Ye Jin Jin a candidate.
He wasn't really comfortable giving away karma, but Lee s.h.i.+n Woo had realized that he'd be freer this way!
”I shouldn't be the one saying this, but with the hero, Kay and the Sun G.o.d religion's help, the value of the Lawrence shop will increase instantaneously. And if you're the representative of such a large business, then that Perium can go to you. In other words, it's a legal way of gaining Perium.”
This was what 'killing two birds with one stone' meant. Ye Jin Jin would become the representative of his business and simultaneously, become stronger.
Not only would he be repaying her for all her hard work, but she'd also be able to use that Perium to buy more stat boosting medicine. She was definitely one of his allies, so increasing her strength would help Lee s.h.i.+n Woo as well.
Even to him, his plan was perfect. However, Ye Jin Jin seemed to oppose his decision.
”I can't do that! I want to help you, not steal your karma...!”
”I'll be honest with you.”
He knew from the very beginning that she wouldn't be comfortable with this proposal, due to her inherent honest and genuine nature. Lee s.h.i.+n Woo snorted as if he were waiting for her to try to continue and replied.
”Giving you some Perium won't hurt me in the least. I have more than 2.5 billion Perium on me right now.”
”2.5... billion...”
Ye Jin Jin's face stiffened. The medicine cost 500,000 a pop. With 2.5 billion Perium, she could reach level 7 (3,200 stats needed), purely through the medicine, and still have 900 million Perium left over. Ye Jin Jin was well aware of how great a matter this was.
”This is beyond amazing... Mr. s.h.i.+n Woo, you're really...”
”This is all the money I've acc.u.mulated from the Underground Empire. If my business takes off on the surface, then I can make even more. So, you understand now that it won't make a dent on my Perium, right?”
”...Yes, I understand.”
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo spoke confidently so Ye Jin Jin felt less burdened. Instead, she thought something like, 'He's progressed so quickly, yet he's ama.s.sed so much Perium. Lee s.h.i.+n Woo truly is amazing!'. He supposed it couldn't be helped that her impression of him had become even greater than before.
”I'll accept the Perium from you, use it to increase my abilities, and then fight together with you on the frontlines. That's ok with you, right?”
”Good, you understand. I want you to be Lawrence's representative, and by doing so, you will gain a lot of Perium you can use to strengthen yourself. So now we're in agreement, right?”
”Yes, I'll do it. I'll become strong enough to help you, no matter what!”
She was so blind that Lee s.h.i.+n Woo felt anxious. But in any case, she would follow him and take this opportunity to become stronger, so she would definitely be helpful to him. He accepted that reasoning and nodded his head.
”Alright. We're done talking, so let's get a move on. First, we'll go visit the place where we make Lawrence's most popular item.”
”Most popular item... Is it the wine that's being auctioned off? Did you make that yourself? Is it being made underground by any chance?”
”Yeah. Ah, by the way, my name's Paul Zero over there. Keep that in mind.”