The Player Who Stands Above All

Chapter 31

On the day he made a satisfactory contract with Cheon Yuhwa, Lee Shin decided to do some simple sightseeing in the city before returning home.

"Hmm, but there's nowhere to go."

He sat in a cafe for a while, staring blankly out the window.

Korea had suffered considerable damage from the monster attack.

But naturally, the difference in damage between regions was unavoidable.

And Seoul, where he was now, was a region with particularly minimal damage, even in Korea, which had suffered unusually little damage compared to other countries.

'Well, that's to be expected. The headquarters of the renowned Player Association is here, and so is the number one guild in the rankings, [Wonderland].'

Perhaps because of that, the people outside the window looked much more lighthearted than the people he had seen on his way here.

After watching them for a moment, he finished his coffee and went outside.

"Well, let's just do some simple sightseeing for today. Wow, come to think of it, it's been so long since I've wandered around the city."

Hoping for something interesting to happen, he stepped into the city.

***

After deciding to just look around and see how the city had changed for the day, the first place he headed to was a nearby famous restaurant.

"Hmm, it's my first time eating pasta in my life, but it's not as bad as I thought. The garlic bread and pizza are also quite delicious."

Thanks to that, he only stood up after finishing about five servings of food.

"Wow, look at that person over there. He doesn't look like he can eat a lot, but he's eating a lot."

"I know, right? At that rate, his food expenses alone must be huge every month."

A few people were whispering in the kitchen, looking at him with fascination, but he just ignored them.

Even in his own opinion, if there was a person with a small build who could finish five servings in one sitting, it was natural for gazes to be drawn to them.

"By the way, it's been so long since I've been outside that I don't know what to do."

After eating, he began to seriously think about what to do from now on.

If he were an ordinary person, he would have called a friend and done something, but he didn't have a single person he could call a friend.

In the first place, to him, a phone was a convenient tool for browsing the internet, not for communicating with someone else.

'And I don't really want to go see a movie either, since what I usually do is roll around in bed reading comics and novels.'

As he was thinking about what to do and leisurely looking around, his bangs fluttered and obstructed his vision, perhaps because he had turned his head left and right too much.

Then, for the first time in a long while, his bangs started to bother him, and he immediately moved his feet.

'This is perfect. I can just get my hair cut and then go buy some clothes. My clothes have been getting worn out really fast from wandering around anyway.'

Fortunately, he was able to find a hair salon quickly.

It was an expensive and nice hair salon that seemed to be frequented by celebrities or people who cared a lot about their appearance, but to the current him, there was no big price difference from a neighborhood salon.

Ting-a-ling-

"Wel... come."

The moment he opened the door and entered the salon, the face of the employee who had been greeting him with a bright smile momentarily stiffened.

It was no wonder.

Sloppy, stretched-out black sportswear and long hair that completely covered his face, making it almost invisible.

Honestly, there would be fewer people who could react naturally to his current appearance.

And she, who smiled brightly at him again, was one of those few.

'What is this? Is he perhaps someone who does internet broadcasts? Or is it a scheme by a broadcast program to film an employee kicking out a shabby-looking customer?'

The moment that thought reached her, her body naturally took a stance, and a kind smile appeared on her face.

She didn't know what it was, but she had decided to treat him kindly for now.

"How may I help you?"

Lee Shin, who had been looking around the high-end salon he had come to for the first time in his life with sidelong glances, answered simply, not knowing what kind of imaginary wings had spread in her mind in that fleeting moment.

"Ah, I came to get my hair cut, is it possible now?"

"Yes, if you could just sit over there and wait a moment, we'll set up and then help you."

"Okay."

Saying so, she guided him to a chair, gave him some simple snacks and a drink, and then disappeared like the wind.

In the meantime, he opened a magazine next to him and decided to think about what kind of hairstyle would be good.

'This is difficult.'

But to his eyes, who had lived without caring about society for over five years, all the hairstyles looked similar, so it was hard to decide.

'Hmm, but since I'm paying for it with my own money, I'd like to get a good one if possible.'

As he was contemplating his hairstyle, the employee who had left her post with her bangs fluttering was talking to the hairdresser.

"Hmm, so there's a slightly strange customer?"

"Yes, it's the customer in that seat over there..."

The hairdresser looked in the direction her assistant pointed and nodded her head without realizing it.

Even for her, with her long 10-year career, it was the first time she had seen this type of customer.

"In my opinion, I think he's someone who does personal broadcasts or something."

"Hmm, is that so..."

The hairdresser thought for a moment and then nodded.

"Well, alright. It's right for me to cut his hair. If I leave it to the other kids, it might become troublesome later. And I have some free time since the customer who was supposed to come canceled."

The woman, who had become a big shot in the hairdressing industry after cutting the hair of countless people for 10 years, strode toward him, exuding charisma.

***

"Have you chosen a hairstyle?"

"Ah, I'm looking, but I don't have an eye for it, so I'm not sure. Please just do a good job."

'Just' and 'good'.

A request that was close to the worst, not just for people who do similar work, but for most people.

"Yes, I understand. Then please come this way."

But she smiled as if she had expected it and skillfully led him to the chair.

Just by looking, she had already predicted that this customer was the type who had no interest in grooming himself.

After being moved to the chair, he recalled how long it had been since he had come to a hair salon.

'...It's been so long, I'm not sure. I think I just cut it myself with scissors before that.'

"Then I'll just move your bangs for a moment."

"Yes."

After hearing his answer, she moved the hair that was covering his face.

"Heok..."

"Hmm..."

And the hairdresser and the employee who was watching him from a distance out of curiosity both let out a groan at the same time.

The hairdresser looked at his face for a moment, then, with a resolute face, picked up the scissors without hesitation.

"Sir, I will give you the hairstyle that suits you best."

"Huh? Yes, please do a good job."

He didn't know what it was, but interpreting it as her saying she would cut it well, he just closed his eyes, and the hairdresser quietly began to move the scissors.

Snip-

Snip, snip-

Hearing the sound of his hair being cut, he was quietly lost in thought.

'Hmm, if I raise my stats and then clear the quest, I'll level up. Well, that will happen eventually, so let's think about it later.'

'I've ordered the basic items, so I just have to wait until I get a call.'

'First, the cultivation method [Flame Lightning Tree God Art], the footwork [Flame Lightning Tree God Step] with [Flame Leaf Returning Step] and [Lightning Wood Thread Step], and the martial art [Flame Lightning Tree God Spear]'s [Leaves] and [Branches].'

'The other skills are the buff [Madness] and the passive [Recovery].'

As he was organizing, his thoughts reached the last two skills.

'[Madness] and [Recovery]...'

He had tried using [Madness] a few times after using it in the fight with the Black Horned Rabbit.

At first, it was difficult to use at will, but as he practiced a little at a time while moving in the car, he had now gotten the hang of it and could control it to some extent.

'If I think of it as having schizophrenia, with one side being crazy and the other side being a little calmly crazy, what happened?'

He grumbled inwardly, but he slowly raised the corners of his mouth and smiled.

It seemed he had found a way to raise his stats quickly.

Sway, sway.

As he was rejoicing inwardly, he felt his body swaying slightly and slowly opened his eyes.

Flinch-

The employee, whose eyes met his, flinched and stuttered.

"Uh, um... you're all done, so you need to get your hair washed now..."

"Ah, yes."

He raised his stiff body, went to the place the employee guided him to, got his hair washed, and then returned to his seat and looked in the mirror.

'Oh, my hair color has changed.'

The phenomenon of hair color changing due to the energy accumulated in the body after becoming a player.

It wasn't very noticeable before because his hair was long, but now that it was short, it was very noticeable.

'It's red overall, but there are yellow highlights only in the bangs.'

He smiled in satisfaction as his hair was being dried with a hairdryer.

He felt a little empty going from long hair to short hair, but the feeling of being comfortable because the cumbersome thing was gone was stronger.

"I like it. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

After finishing the payment with a simple word of thanks, he came out with a refreshed mind.

"Since I got my hair cut, should I go buy some clothes? My laundry has been piling up from going into dungeons all the time anyway."

Thus, he set a new destination and trudged along, and the employee and the hairdresser watched his back, and the moment he disappeared from sight, they let out the breath they had been holding and looked at each other.

"He seems like a customer who will be memorable in many ways."

"I know, right? His first impression was like that, but I was surprised when I moved his bangs."

"Me too. I was curious about what his face looked like, so I was watching from a distance, and I was surprised."

Slurp-

"He's definitely not an ugly face."

"On the contrary, he was definitely on the handsome side."

"But..."

"But..."

The two thought for a moment about how to express this impression and then opened their mouths.

"How can he look so much like a villain?"

"I know, right? Maybe because the corners of his eyes are raised, he gave off a mischievous feeling."

"The fact that such a peculiar hairstyle suits him so naturally says it all."

As the two were chattering about him, he was buying clothes at a store.

"Hmm, are there any clothes with skulls on them?"

For reference, due to his brain being pickled in comics and novels, his taste in clothes was quite peculiar.

(End of Chapter)