Living Under One Roof With Meowi (2)

Meowi froze like a stone due to the uniquely obscene posture.
Her face turned red, and she broke out in a cold sweat.

Although the screen was shouting, “Point deduction! Point deduction!”, she simply couldn’t muster the courage to follow along anymore.

“Meowi, hurry up. That’s the key to the test. You have to maintain it for 30 minutes.”
“I can’t… I can’t do it!”
“You can do it! You need to score 3★!”

At my words, Meowi made a sad face and raised her arms above her head.
With her small stature, she began to wiggle her waist.

“Meow, Meow, Meow!”

Her expression was almost tearful, but surprisingly, her score was actually quite good. This was evidence that she had a talent for physical activities.

‘In fact, she scored well in GAL too.’

Honestly, I didn’t really care about that during that time.

This very landscape before my eyes was the greatest reward of all.

‘Wow, this is it.’

This was truly the essence of cuteness in the world.

The identity of the dance was ‘Zero Two’.

Even though its popularity had waned, no other dance left such a strong impression.

At ‘GAL’, it was the dance of the mini-game that the Supervisors loved the most.

‘Come to think of it, Moon Bora danced this brilliantly.’

Each character had their own preferred mini-game, and among them, Moon Bora, despite her demure appearance, favored the fiery dances of bold women.

This led to a culture in the community where, whenever something fun happened, images of Moon Bora’s Zero Two dance would flood the forums.

“S-Seha… D-do I really have to do this? M-my heart’s pounding.”
“Mm, you should.”
“Then, could you please put down that camera you’re holding?”

Meowi pleaded while looking at the object in my hand.
As she said, the hand-cam I was holding continued to record.
It might seem strange.
A camera in a secret place…?

‘There is no problem, though.’

The camera was a special artifact that only recorded the person it was set to. It could be used with prior permission.

By the way, the person who lent it to me was Hyeja Noona.

I found out about this secret location from her on the condition that I would record this.

“Sorry, Meowi. A deal’s a deal…”
“Meow!”
“It’s okay, you can do it! You’re from the Myoin Tribe, after all!”
“Meow! Being from the Myoin Tribe doesn’t mean I can dance well!”

I smiled like a proud father and thought again.

The GMs of ‘GAL’ were really bastards.
This was an eternal truth that would never change.
But as the creators of the characters, they were sincere in their efforts.

‘…I admit it.’

Also, I felt relieved in another sense.

‘Yu Seha being born a five-star is such a blessing.’

Well, of course.
To fill the black star, I had to do something like that, too.
Just filling the black star was proof that potential was blossoming, so it was good to do it.

But damn it. Think about it.

A guy doing Zero Two?

‘Just imagining it pisses me off.’

“Meowi. You have 10 minutes left. Hang in there!”

“Meow!”

Right after the fierce battle(?) in the arcade with a machine.
We headed to a restaurant for dinner.

As a guide, knowing what your character likes is crucial.

Meowi, influenced by her father, had quite an old-fashioned taste when it came to things.

The typical holy trinity for men.

Rice, pork cutlet, and spicy pork stir-fry.

Just hearing about these hearty foods makes one feel full, but there was another dish she loved even more.

Sizzle!

The distinctive, charming resonance spread with the sizzling sound of cooking.

“Mmm… ahh…”
“Meowi. You’re drooling.”
“…Meeooow…”

I cut the well-grilled meat with scissors and placed it on a lettuce leaf.
Then I added raw garlic, ssamjang paste, and a perilla leaf and put the substantial wrap into her mouth.

“Here, open wide~”
“Meeooow~”

Meowi chewed on the wrap contentedly.

“…Mmmmm~!”

She shivered and then raised her tail high, wearing a blissful expression with each wrap she ate. Her eyes sparkled as if stars were engraved in them.

‘Ah, pork wrap, thank you.’

Thanks to you, I get to see my favorite character’s happy smile even more.

Her favorite food was indeed grilled pork wrap.

‘…I’d like to crack open a bottle of soju too.’

But since she had to go back to dancing later, I decided to refrain from drinking.

Anyway, since we’ve almost finished our meal, it’s time to order that.

“Auntie~ Another serving of fried rice here!”

After that, it was a repetition of everyday life.

Waking up early in the morning and meeting with Meowi.

Heading straight to the Guild to reserve a gate as the first priority and entering the dungeon.

The dungeon was always fixed at E-rank.

D-rank was possible, but due to potential variables that we could come across, I chose E-rank, which could be easily cleared within 1-2 hours.

There were several reasons for not adventuring by targeting higher gates.

‘Meowi and I have recently achieved rapid growth.’

Based on the stats alone, we were clearly at the level of D-rank hunters.
But that was just what the status window showed.
Our actual experience was still woefully inadequate for clearing higher places.

According to my experience as a guide, forcibly increasing stats in this state was not a good idea.

‘…If it continues like this, there will definitely be a stat imbalance.’

Stat imbalance was a debuff-like phenomenon in ‘GAL’, where characters in their initial pure state were given all sorts of opportunities to inflate their specs.

Despite clearly having superior specs, they struggled to fight properly or were paralyzed with fear by opponents, which was the first thing that bewildered novice Supervisors.

This occurred because the character’s brain and body were not in sync, due to physical abilities and vast magic far exceeding their usual perceived capabilities.

Personally, I thought, ’Why implement something like this…?’ but looking back, I was really glad I experienced it before.

‘And stat imbalance is only limited to the early stages.’

After that, unless they became unbelievably strong, there was no need to make such efforts, as the body and mind roughly adapt to things.

“Seha. Come to my side!”

Right after Meowi’s words ended.

A goblin charged fiercely from the bushes.

It swung a rusted sword in its hand, but to me, who had already noticed its movements, it was a meaningless action.

I braced my legs and dodged it.

I grasped the [Turtle’s Sword] with both hands. And I thrust the sword into the creature’s torso with a straightforward stance.

“Kwek!”

The goblin screamed at its coming death and collapsed.

And now, this was the second reason why we were here in this E-class dungeon.

Namely, to refine my [Swordsmanship].

My current combat style starts with [Flowing Slash] and ends with [Flowing Slash].

Perhaps because [Flowing Slash] was a technique that transcended my mind and became engraved in my body.

It showed a high level of proficiency, close to perfection, right from the beginning, but it wasn’t a characteristic of [Swordsmanship].

‘I can see it is awkward.’

My grip on the sword handle.
The direction of the blade that was thrust.
They all distinctly screamed beginner.

That’s why I needed to practice even more.
[Flowing Slash] was a skill to be discarded eventually.

It belonged to the ‘Skill Tree’ system, so it had the advantage of being able to attach runes, but by that time, the early-stage restriction [Heavenly Governance] would also be lifted, so there was no reason to cling to it.

The fact that the level was only 1 made a big difference when I seriously started using the sword for fights.

Should I say it felt like achieving progress step by step?

Of course, the more I did this, the greedier I became.

‘…Ha, it would be nice to have at least one sword technique.’

A derivative skill of [Swordsmanship] was [Sword Technique].

In fact, calling it a derivative skill…
There were over hundreds of types.

‘….The Plum Blossom Sword technique, the Three Emperor Sword Technique, the Soul Blade Heavenly Sword, the Great Emperor Sword Technique… and many more.’

As for the stabbing I did against the goblin a while back, I followed the ‘Western-style sword technique’ from Xtube.

I was hoping for something to make out from this.

“Cough!”

It was the moment when I wanted to practice a little more.
With good timing, another goblin came rushing at me.

‘…Let’s see then. Obviously, I need to breathe first, strengthen my back, and make my legs solid. At the same time, my arms need to move quickly like a stinging bee… according to what I was told.’

I visualized the image in my mind.

I mimicked the posture of the woman in the video, aiming at the goblin.

Swish! With a long noise, a flash-like thrust pierced through the goblin’s forehead.

Another message announcing a level up came.

It was encouraging that just one stab had increased my level.

But that was it.

All day long, despite my efforts, I could not acquire a [Sword Technique].

Three hours later, right after hunting, the obvious destination was the underground arcade.

“Meow, meow! Meowww?!”

Okay, okay… It had only been three days since she started.
But Meowi was noticeably improving at a rapid pace.

Now, with quite attractive dance moves, even the hunters practicing nearby came to watch her.

―Wow, maybe it’s because she’s from the Myoin Tribe… Her movements are really light. I’m jealous.
―That’s because Unnie has too much fat on her chest. Anyway… she dances well. She’d pass, right?
―Youth really is a danger to the world. When I move, all I hear are creaks… but she moves like she’s as light as a feather.
―Hey, everyone quiet down, she’s coming out.

Soon, the moment everyone had been waiting for unfolded.

It was the 30-minute Zero Two.

“…Meeeooow…”

Meowi’s face was twisted in shame.
Her tears welled up as she began to dance.

As I heard the cheers from the side, I captured everything without missing a beat with my camera.

Thinking that I must send this to Hyeja Noona today as well.

It was always late evening when the two would finish at the arcade.

Normally, this would be where they parted ways.
But recently, a new item had been added to the schedule of the two.

In the backyard of Ma Hana’s house.

Both of them were moving, drenched in sweat.

Without any equipment, the two of them grabbed each other’s waists and arms, engaging in a vigorous sport.

The sport was grappling.
More specifically, it involved joint locks.

“Meeeoooow!”

Ma Hana charged with her arms spread wide.
She took a tackle stance, but it was a feint.

With swift movements, she canceled the stance and quickly took Yu Seha’s back.

Truly, it was a wise decision.

However, Yu Seha, already aware of her intent, ducked to evade it.

With one hand, he grabbed her arm, and with the other, he grabbed her neck and lightly slammed her down.

“Meow!”
“Still clumsy, are you?”
“Meeoow… I-I surrender.”

Upon her declaration of defeat, he quietly let her go as a message sounded.

Oh, this was good news.
I was thinking it was about time for an increase.

“Meow. Seha, when did you learn such techniques?”

Ma Hana, dusting off her body, asked with a look of exhaustion.

Hmm…
Wh-what should I say?

“…I naturally learned it on the battlefield… I guess I can’t really say that’s an explanation, can I?”

There was no helping it.
I had to just make something up.
And it wasn’t exactly a lie, either.

“…My father taught me.”
“I see. Well, I learned the basics of shield skills from my father too.”

At Ma Hana’s words, Yu Seha smiled and nodded his head.
Slowly, he raised his hand to stroke her hair.
This was proof that their relationship had grown close enough to take such actions for granted now.

“You did well today too. You really are amazing, you know?”
“…Hehe.”

Receiving the warm touch, Ma Hana thought.

That she was happy.

And at the same time, she missed him.

‘…Maybe it’s because I’m reminded of my father when I am with him.’

Lately, she’s been seeing her father in Yu Seha more and more.

Though their appearances, physiques, and ways of speaking were completely different.
The warm gaze that looked at her was undoubtedly her father’s.

Therefore, she readily accepted the sudden proposal to learn joint techniques.

‘Later on, it will be a great help… is what he told me.’

There must be a reason for everything he said.

Of course, it wasn’t easy.
It wasn’t that learning was hard.
It was just that… it was a bit… embarrassing.

‘…I-I’m embarrassed.’

Practicing such grappling techniques at night, a grown man and woman touching each other’s bodies—it was quite an awkward situation.

Well, he also mercilessly smashed her to the ground, shattering the illusion immediately.

―Meowi. Wake up!
―Meow…

The joint techniques he used had a truly professional feel.

It felt like she was learning how to handle people effectively.

He was quite merciless with his hands, too.

Anyway, on the first day, it was no joke; she couldn’t even touch a fingertip of his.

For Ma Hana, this was quite a blow to her pride.

Despite being from the Myoin Tribe, who had unique movements and high speed.
There she was, a tanker known for robust stamina, utterly useless and smeared in close combat.

The next day, driven by stubbornness, she charged in desperately, and for the first time, she managed to apply an armbar to him.

‘…Even though he broke free immediately.’

And then he said something.

―As expected, Meowi! You have talent for this!

‘……’

That phrase her father used to say so often during his lifetime.
That single phrase warmly resonated in Ma Hana’s heart.
So, despite being tired, she fiercely kept charging at him.

All because she wanted to hear that warm praise again.

That desire solidified, and before she knew it, she was practicing every day.

Meanwhile, Yu Seha, who had been stroking her head, glanced upward.

Was I too engrossed in the training?

Looking at the sky, the sun had already set, and the moon had risen, staring down as if to say, ‘Aren’t you kids going to sleep yet?’

‘…It’s midnight already.’

I’ve been doing this for too long.

“Sorry. Meowi. I kept you up too late.”
“Meow… it’s okay.”
“Then let’s meet tomorrow morning. I’m going to head out now.”
“Wait, just a moment, Seha!”

Ma Hana rushed over in a hurry and grabbed Yu Seha’s hand.
Despite the late hour, her faint yellow pupils radiated a worried look.

“Where are you planning to sleep now? It’s too late, isn’t it?”

That’s true.
At this hour, not only buses but also subways would have stopped moving.

‘…It’s too far to walk home…’

So he spoke nonchalantly.

“Well, I was thinking of just catching some sleep in a PC room. Why?”

At his response, Ma Hana’s eyes shook as if an earthquake had hit them.

“…What?”