The Player Who Stands Above All

Chapter 187

-…Let me ask you one thing.

'What, is there something you're curious about?'

At Lee Shin's nonchalant words, Irehgue tapped the back of his head with his tail as if to say, 'how can you not know?'

Of course, Lee Shin didn't feel any damage.

-You, do you remember what you said with your own mouth a little while ago?

'Of course. It hasn't even been a day, so my memory isn't bad enough to forget.'

-Then say it one more time.

Lee Shin gave Irehgue a look that said, 'why should I suddenly say that,' but Irehgue brushed off his gaze with a look that said, 'just say it quickly.'

At that, Lee Shin said in a voice mixed with a sigh.

'I definitely said… I would create a stage where we can play to our heart's content.'

-Yes, it seems you haven't forgotten… But if you remember all that, why are you here doing this?!

"Hmm…"

At Irehgue's shout, Lee Shin scratched his cheek lightly and rolled his eyes.

"Oh my, you must have come to buy clothes with that person. Are you a couple? Or family?"

"Ah, we're family… I didn't have any clothes, so he said he would buy me some."

"Oh my, you have a very kind and good older brother. You seem to have a very good sibling relationship to come together like this. I'm envious."

"Th, thank you."

"Then, I should help make your shopping more enjoyable. Would you like to try on this outfit? I chose a similar type of clothing to what your older brother is wearing from among the latest trends."

Seuk-

"Similar?"

"Yes, you can trust me, as I have 10 years of experience in the clothing business."

"I understand."

Lee Shin watched Raven, who was unable to resist the splendid eloquence of the department store employee, enter the fitting room with a mountain of clothes, and said.

'I'm just shopping at a department store.'

-Yiik, really!!!

At Lee Shin's words, which seemed to ask what was wrong, Irehgue gritted his teeth as if he were about to shoot a breath, and unable to contain his anger, he began to rampage on top of Lee Shin's head.

-I mean! After saying all that! Why are you suddenly shopping at a department store!!!

Of course, no matter how much Irehgue rampaged, Lee Shin didn't feel any shock.

If he had to say what damage he had suffered from Irehgue's rampage, it was that his vision was slightly obscured, but to Lee Shin, who could perceive his surroundings even with his eyes closed, this was just a minor obstacle.

'Now, now, calm down, calm down.'

Still, as Irehgue continued to shout with his mental waves, his head began to ring, so Lee Shin chose to soothe him for now.

'I roughly understand what you want, but right now, there's nothing I can do.'

-Cut the cowardly excuses! To make such an excuse while just shopping at a department store without even making a minimum effort! Do you take this body for a fool!

'No, I'm telling you, this isn't an excuse, it's the truth.'

Lee Shin looked at Irehgue with aggrieved eyes and said.

'I can't make a plan because nothing is striking me in the heart.'

-…Do you want to feel something striking you in the heart?

Simultaneously with Irehgue saying that, the internal energy in Lee Shin's dantian squirmed and moved on its own.

At the sudden movement of his internal energy, his blood vessels twisted, and his heart began to beat rapidly like a time bomb about to explode.

At the clear premonitory symptom of qi deviation, Lee Shin leaned his back against the wall and began to resist the qi deviation by moving the internal energy in his dantian in the opposite direction.

'No, I'm telling you, it's true. You know my personality. It's not easy to move if my heart isn't in it.'

-…What does that have to do with this?

At Irehgue's slightly calmer voice, Lee Shin said confidently.

'Inspiration is something that comes naturally as you experience new things. So I'm just having a new experience so I can find inspiration.'

-Tsk, if only you couldn't talk.

As Irehgue quietly took a step back, Lee Shin let out a sigh of relief.

'Well, since there's nothing to do until the plan is decided, let's move leisurely. It hasn't been long since they came to Earth, and unlike the mage Raven, the other two seem to be a warrior and a psychic, so they probably don't have a proper force yet. In other words, there's plenty of time.'

-What are you going to do if nothing comes to mind even after using up all that time?

At Irehgue's words, Lee Shin thought for a moment and then said.

'Well, then I'll have no choice but to just move.'

-What about the plan?

'It's just that nothing is striking me in the heart, it's not that I have no plan at all. I can move whenever I want to.'

-Hmph!

Irehgue, who had felt that Lee Shin's words were true through the mental waves, stopped moving his internal energy and quietly settled on Lee Shin's head.

Still, since his heart wasn't completely at ease, his tail was still actively moving, hitting the back of Lee Shin's head.

-I'll let it slide this one time.

'Alright, alright.'

Lee Shin said, stabilizing his twisted blood vessels and returning his internal energy to his dantian.

'But you're more active than I thought. Are you that concerned about the kids who came with Raven?'

-Hmph, as if this great dragon would be interested in such brats.

Lee Shin was about to say that they were several times older and bigger than him, but he felt a throbbing in his blood vessels and decided to just hold it in.

-My goal is the ones behind them.

'Why them?'

-…I just don't like them.

'Hmm… well, alright.'

Although Irehgue closed his mouth, showing a clear sign that he didn't want to talk, Lee Shin just chuckled because he could roughly guess why Irehgue was being so active in this matter.

"Oppa, I'm back."

While Lee Shin was talking with Irehgue and passing the time, Raven, who had finished shopping, came running to him.

"How are these clothes?"

Raven, who had changed into the clothes recommended by the clerk, spread her arms, which were full of shopping bags, like a flying squirrel and showed herself to Lee Shin.

"Uhm…"

At Raven's words, Lee Shin calmly looked at her.

She was wearing a black, loose-fitting hoodie that reminded him of the robe she would be wearing in the washing machine at home, jeans that were so short her thighs were all visible, and diamond-patterned fishnet stockings.

Although it looked normal if you insisted it was normal, Lee Shin's thought was that it was an outfit that seemed to be somewhere between hip-hop and chuunibyou, perhaps because of the many red 'X' shaped strings on the hoodie.

'But where did she get the fishnet stockings? Do clothing stores usually sell stockings too?'

He thought about it for a moment, but since it wasn't a problem he could solve by thinking about it, he just let it go.

"It seems to suit you well."

It wasn't an empty compliment, it really did suit her well.

Because Raven's haggard appearance and the dizzying feeling of her missing bottoms mixed well, all the men walking on the street were looking at her.

"But do you like it?"

"Yes, it feels similar to the robe I usually wear, and it feels similar to the clothes oppa is wearing, so I like it."

"Hmm…"

At Raven's words, Lee Shin slyly turned his eyes and looked at the store clerk.

The clerk was looking at Raven with a deep smile on her lips, and anyone could see that she was happy to have sold a lot of clothes that usually didn't sell, thanks to a big customer.

'I don't know if the clerk is competent or if she's just gullible.'

-Personally, I think it's both. I listened a little, and that woman's eloquence and perceptiveness were amazing. She immediately noticed that Raven was weak to you and recommended those clothes.

"Oh my, you two really look like close siblings when you're dressed like that."

As if to support Irehgue's words, the clerk had at some point approached Raven and was talking to her sweetly.

But the clerk's words weren't just a sales pitch.

Because Lee Shin was also wearing dark-colored clothes with a skull on them, their outfits did look similar.

Just looking at their outfits, they could have looked more like a couple in matching outfits than siblings, but perhaps because Lee Shin was wearing a black wig as a disguise and their eyes and pupils gave a similar feeling, they looked more like siblings than a couple.

'Well, it doesn't matter.'

Although he felt like he had been taken for a fool and had bought a lot of clothes, he had no intention of arguing or anything.

Because it seemed she had really just recommended the clothes, and his thought was that the more clothes, socks, or whatever, the better.

"Please ring it up."

"Ah, yes."

As Lee Shin said that, holding out cash, the employee had a slightly flustered expression.

Seeing that, Lee Shin said nonchalantly.

"The world is a scary place, so I don't feel safe leaving my money in a bank."

"Ah, I see."

Perhaps because it hadn't even been a week since the large-scale dungeon break had occurred, the employee also accepted it and moved on.

"Now, then, since we've bought everything we need, shall we go back."

"Yes, oppa."

Raven put the shopping bags in her shadow and nodded her head.

Raven, as if she liked the clothes, kept flapping her arms as she walked.

Lee Shin walked quietly, watching Raven.

In the first place, Lee Shin's tension was low outside of dungeons.

Because to him, walking in a city full of people was no different from walking through a street of restaurants with a feast spread out while being hungry for a week.

'Still, is it a little wrong to just go without saying anything?'

-Surprisingly. To think you're a person who cares about such things.

'Since we're in a family-like relationship, I have to at least care.'

Lee Shin thought for a moment about what would be an appropriate thing to say, and then opened his mouth.

"Do you like the clothes that much?"

"Yes, oppa. I like these clothes."

"I'm glad you like them."

While Lee Shin was thinking about what topic would be good next, Raven, as if she had read his mind, came up to him and said.

"Thank you for today, oppa."

"I didn't do much."

"No, you did a lot. And thanks to you, I achieved a dream."

"A dream?"

"Yes, oppa."

Raven said, pointing to herself and Lee Shin with her finger.

"Because it was my dream to spend a daily life like this with my family."

"…Let's come out often from now on."

"Thank you, oppa."

At Lee Shin's words, Raven's lips curled up faintly.

'What should I do? I really can't stand this awkward atmosphere.'

-Cheer up, you. You'll get used to it over time… probably.

Lee Shin's head became complicated, and he looked up blankly.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, something caught his eye.

The news being reported on a large electronic billboard on a building.

Lee Shin, who had been standing in place and watching it for a moment, muttered, his lips curling up slightly.

"Found it."

"Oppa?"

As Lee Shin suddenly stopped, Raven approached him with a puzzled expression.

"Oppa, is something wrong?"

As Raven tapped Lee Shin, he lowered his head, which he had been holding up, and stared at her face, then touched her face, kneading it.

"Uppa?"

"Raven, your wings were black, right?"

Since it was difficult to answer with both her cheeks being held by Lee Shin, Raven just nodded her head slightly instead of answering.

"Hmm, it seems possible."

At that, Lee Shin, satisfied, placed his hands on Raven's shoulders.

"Raven."

"Huh?"

"You'll have to be an angel for a little while."

"???"

At Lee Shin's sudden words, Raven had a puzzled expression.

-Amidst the spread of doomsday cults in many countries, a new religion has suddenly and rapidly gained power in China…

Above the two, the electronic billboard silently reported the news.

(End of Chapter)