Chapter 76 – LV.Seven Priest Seo Yun – [Two]

Seo Yun suspected that the woman before her might not be Kim Jihyeok’s mother, but rather Park Taeyang’s mother. What on earth was she saying right now?

‘So, she’s saying she’ll send her kid to a place filled with mortal danger just to get some fire? No, I offered to give her fire for free, but she refused, probably worried about gossip. So essentially, she’s willing to sell out her son’s life because she doesn’t want to be criticized by the neighbors.’

If the world were normal, she would have suspected the mother had taken out a life insurance policy on her son. Otherwise, this line of thinking was simply incomprehensible.

So, how must that son be feeling right now?

Seo Yun glanced at Kim Jihyeok. She was worried he might be hurt by his mother’s words, but he didn’t seem particularly shocked. It appeared he had already spoken with his mother beforehand.

However, Kim Jihyeok seemed to find the situation itself horrifying and shameful. He couldn’t even bring himself to join the conversation, just hanging his head low.

Seo Yun looked at Mrs. Park Haekyung again and spoke.

“Let me say it again, that place is too dangerous. A Level 2 wouldn’t be able to participate.”

Even after expressing her refusal in a roundabout way, Mrs. Park Haekyung seemed not to understand.

“Jihyeok is a Rogue, so he can just use magic to hide and scout, right? Then there shouldn’t be any danger.”

“But Jihyeok’s teammates would be in danger…”

“Jihyeok can temporarily leave his team and join the expedition alone, can’t he? His team isn’t even active right now anyway. It’s so frustrating seeing him just stay home all day. Since we’re on the topic, let me say this—I’m not saying this just because I want the fire.”

Mrs. Park Haekyung continued, rambling on about something. Ever since that Basilisk was caught, she hadn’t heard any news of Jihyeok’s team succeeding in a hunt. His growth had stagnated, so he needed to take a bit more risk…

So, this woman was now interfering with her son’s Leveling as well. That was truly appalling. She wasn’t some PC bang owner nagging elementary school kids playing games—what kind of nonsense was this?

Of course, unlike a PC bang owner, it was reasonable to guess this woman had motives beyond just giving unsolicited advice.

‘In Happy Village, a Player’s standing is also important based on their Level. Regardless of how it compares to other villages, having a higher Level here means you have a louder voice… And she probably thinks that if her son’s Level rises, her own standing as his mother will rise too.’

The more she thought about it, the more absurd it became. Part of her felt like slapping the woman across the face would be satisfying.

The real reason she didn’t wasn’t because she couldn’t bring herself to hit an older woman.

“Mom. Please, stop…!”

“Stop what? You can’t speak up for yourself, so I’m swallowing my pride and doing this for you!”

It was because she didn’t know how that son, Kim Jihyeok, would react.

If his mother was insulted, would this boy feel gratified, or would he be angry because, after all, she was his mother? She couldn’t tell. Seo Yun had never had a mother, nor had she built a relationship close enough with any childcare worker to consider them a mother figure. It was impossible for her to put herself in that situation and guess his feelings.

So, Seo Yun did her best to remain neutral and politely reiterated her refusal.

“Even after thinking it over, it still seems impossible. If I mention that proposal to the Chief, he’ll be furious, won’t he? He was so angry even when just we few took down one Basilisk.”

“But even young Miss Seo Yun is part of the expedition team now, right?”

Seo Yun smiled awkwardly and thought. Damn, she’s persistent, this bitch.

“I was included because, among the active Priests, my Level is high, so there was no choice. While Rogues are good for scouting, the Mages have Detection Spells, so it’s not absolutely necessary to include Jihyeok.”

Only after saying that did Mrs. Park Haekyung finally show signs of giving up.

“Is it a problem with the class…? I thought a Rogue would be much more valuable than the overflowing number of Warriors… Miss Seo Yun, you must have it good. Even if you just stay put, you’ll be treated well, but you’re also collecting tons of precious items and your Level keeps rising. Lately, I hear the village women are even hanging your picture in their tents and praying to it? Asking to send the dead to a good place, asking for good luck for themselves…”

After that, Mrs. Park Haekyung chatted amicably for a while longer before finally leaving. As she was about to leave with her son, Seo Yun stopped her.

“Wait a moment. Could I talk with Jihyeok for a bit?”

Mrs. Park Haekyung grinned and pushed Jihyeok’s back toward Seo Yun. Seo Yun guessed that this woman was pleased her son was becoming friendly with the high-standing Hearth Priest of the village.

“Here, go play!”

Kim Jihyeok stood dazedly, watching his mother leave, but didn’t make a move to follow her. Well, after hearing that conversation, he probably didn’t feel like it.

However, since he wasn’t coming over either, Seo Yun grabbed his wrist and pulled him.

“Where are you going? Come here, you.”

“Huh?”

Pulled over with a ‘huh?’, Seo Yun shook a bottle of makgeolli in front of Kim Jihyeok.

“Let’s have a drink with mom, okay?”

As a Vampire, Oh Haengbok periodically needed to drink the blood of the villagers.

On the table was a bottle containing the blood collected this time. Oh Haengbok stared at the bottle, then downed it in one gulp with a deeply contorted face.

The more he drank, a languidness washed over his body, which had been tense. He could also feel his own distorted face smoothing out.

After emptying the bottle completely, Oh Haengbok leaned back against the sofa and muttered.

“I guess this is the so-called post-nut clarity.”

“Huh?”

In front of him, Oh Haengun, who had been handling paperwork, looked bewildered. Oh Haengbok spoke.

“I can feel how ugly I’ve been acting.”

“Ugly? What do you mean?”

“It wasn’t her blood I was drinking.”

Oh Haengun still seemed not to understand what his Chief was talking about. However, he seemed to have grasped that the ‘blood’ mentioned now belonged to the village’s Priest girl, so he asked.

“Is there a problem with Angel blood? Setting-wise, a Vampire should be able to drink it… Anyway, did I give it to you for no reason?”

“Not now, last time. I happened to drink it once, and after that, all I could think about was sucking her blood. Even during fights or meetings, my head was filled with the impulse to sink my fangs into her shoulder. I couldn’t concentrate at all, just kept getting more irritated.”

He seemed to finally realize the seriousness. Oh Haengun looked at him with wide eyes.

Oh Haengbok continued speaking.”It’s not really Seo Yun’s fault. It’s just that until now, she’s been feeding through syringes, but once she experienced the thrill of directly sinking her fangs in and drinking, it seems things have come to this. Look at the Rulebook—vampires don’t just crave anyone’s blood; they prefer to drink from attractive, good-looking members of the opposite sex if possible… For vampires, the bloodsucking urge is described as something akin to a substitute for sexual desire.”

“Chief.”

“Do you know why I’m confessing to committing what resembles quasi-pedophilic behavior right now?”

Oh Haengun nodded with a stiff face.

“You want me to stop you if you do it again, right?”

“Yes. And I won’t say ‘just kill me if I do it again.’ I know you wouldn’t, and it’d just be shifting responsibility onto you unnecessarily. But know this: the Chief you respect is doing something filthy. For the sake of that dignity, you have to stop me somehow, no matter what.”

Oh Haengbok gazed through the slightly open gap in the tent.

The sun was setting. The ash and dust spread across the sky scattered the sunlight, dyeing the gray sky a deep red.

It wasn’t the sunset of the old world. Even with the excessive dust in the atmosphere, the scattering phenomenon was extreme.

Beneath the sky, red to the point of being blood-colored, a small sun shone.

It was the suns of the priests, floated around the fortress walls of Happy Village for farming. According to the Rulebook, the light emitted from those magical illuminations was actual sunlight.

That sunlight was dazzling even from a distance. He didn’t know if it was because he was a vampire or if others saw it that way too.

Oh Haengbok muttered.

“I just want to leap right into that light. Though I’ll probably come running out crying in pain within seconds… When the hell is that sun going to rise…”

“Please don’t say such things.”

“Well, is there any other way?”

“I’ll find a way. Whether it’s buying helpful items from the trolls or digging through the Rulebook for more vampire-related settings.”

“You’ll do that for me?”

“Yes. And it just occurred to me—you’ve had too many stressful things lately, haven’t you? That might be why you’re having more trouble controlling your anger. Should I handle the village affairs on my own for a while? For your peace of mind, you should take a proper rest…”

The orc’s sharp, low-frequency growl cut off those words.

“That won’t do, you brat.”

As he said that, Oh Haengbok could guess what his own eye light looked like. Because Oh Haengun’s wide-open eyes were filled with a red glow.

Oh Haengun replied cautiously.

“I spoke out of turn.”

Oh Haengbok gently closed his eyes. Then he muttered an apology, but he thought it was meaningless whether he apologized now or not.

Oh Haengbok knew he would lose to his impulses again, that all the discourse and regret now would melt away in the impulses that would come later.

Seo Yun made Kim Jihyeok drink and drink again. Lately, this guy had been avoiding her, so she did this to get him to spill his worries, and sure enough, after downing the alcohol, Kim Jihyeok muttered.

“I hardly have any friends in this village…”

“You’ve gotten a bit closer to Lee Jongho lately, haven’t you?”

“Even so, that bastard’s real close friends are Jeon Sangguk and Park Taeyang. With me, it’s still awkward… Now I only have my mom.”

Seo Yun already knew Kim Jihyeok’s social circle was narrow. Before, he used to come to her pretending to be close, but after he shot her in the shoulder, he didn’t even do that anymore.

“Now I really only have my mom… and even my mom is like that… Damn it, really…”

After that, Kim Jihyeok kept drinking until he eventually cried himself to sleep.

Seo Yun wondered what to do with Kim Jihyeok, who had taken over her tent, and called Lee Jongho.

Since she, outwardly female, carrying this guy across the village would make people talk nonsense, she asked him to take him away. She also told Lee Jongho what had happened today.

Lee Jongho spat out his impression.

“That’s insane.”

“Insane, right. So, no intention of going on a business trip beyond the dimensional gate for your teammate’s mom?”

“Of course not. But there might be something we can do… The mom’s the problem, right? Then let’s persuade this bastard to leave home so he doesn’t get more stressed, and we’ll take care of him.”

“You guys?”

“Yeah. Me, Jeon Sangguk, and Park Taeyang are all parentless orphans living together, right? Though when it’s cold, we have to squeeze into a group tent…”

“I’ll light a fire using my Hearth Priest authority.”

At Seo Yun’s words, Lee Jongho grinned.

“I’d appreciate that. Then Park Taeyang probably won’t complain about one more person.”

Soon, Lee Jongho carried Kim Jihyeok on his back and left. Seo Yun stared blankly at Kim Jihyeok’s slumped back and thought.

Even if Lee Jongho treats him that well, from Kim Jihyeok’s perspective, it doesn’t feel that close? Seems he still needs other friends.

When she visited the chimpanzee’s den, Han Siwoo was lying down. Without giving a detailed explanation, she urged him to go find Kim Jihyeok later and try to get closer, but this reprimand came back.

“Ah, seriously. Last time too, are you his mom or something? It’s not like you’re some elementary school mom grabbing other kids to ask them to be friends with your child…”

Seo Yun nodded. Indeed, she was aware that she liked acting like a mom. Even before she thought about eliciting praise from childcare teachers at the orphanage, she took care of other kids. It was probably because she herself hadn’t received maternal care, so she tried to vicariously satisfy that by giving care to others.

And to Seo Yun, the underage boys and girls here, including Kim Jihyeok, were kids who needed a mom’s care. Seo Yun deliberately smiled kindly and asked.

“Why, jealous because only he has a mom? Want me to care for you too with my damn vast motherly heart?”

Then Han Siwoo stiffened for a moment. Still staring blankly at her kind face, he shook his head vigorously.

“No thanks…”

Meanwhile, it seemed Gaeulbi was listening to that conversation. The girl asked toward her.

“But Seo Yun, you leveled up again, right? Did you go out alone and meet monsters again?”

“That’s how it turned out.”

“No, clearly when we first met, your Level was lower than ours…”

“Was it?”

“It was! Really, Seo Yun, you…”Seo Yun thought Gaeulbi was about to praise her again. She was observing the girl’s reaction with an indifferent expression when Gaeulbi muttered.

“You’ve faced all sorts of dangerous situations alone… Shouldn’t you be the one receiving care, Seo Yun? Should I take care of you from now on? So you don’t wander off doing strange things alone, okay?”

Seo Yun’s face contorted.

Time passed after that. Oh Haengbok led the expedition party back through the Dimensional Gate, and this time too, there were several seriously injured but no fatalities. Seo Yun also participated in that expedition, fighting Monsters and earning Experience Points.

Meanwhile, the Players who remained in the village formed their own hunting parties to hunt Monsters on the Korean Peninsula. Seo Yun’s former party, including Kim Jihyeok, also joined that expedition, leaving the village and returning only much later.

While everyone was busy like this, the temperature continued to drop. After the summer-like summer that couldn’t exceed 15 degrees Celsius ended, autumn arrived.

During the period when temperatures dropped below freezing even during the day, it was time for the Hearth Priest to work busily.