Looking back at these past three months, all my memories were pleasant ones.
After my body fully recovered, I traveled across the country with Si-hyun to challenge Gates. Sometimes we made a loss, sometimes a profit. As we accumulated expedition experience, we were promoted to D-Class and C-Class respectively a month ago.
I had been worried about the rating evaluation, but fortunately there were no restrictions on Artifacts or equipment. Using just my Spear and gloves, I scored 240 points on the test dummy and passed the exam without issue.
Si-hyun seemed to have grown even stronger, scoring 1300 points to advance to C-Class. What an enviable guy.
After our promotion, we considered challenging C-Class Gates but decided it was still too early. We continued focusing on D-Class Gates instead. We never encountered another Gate Criminal again, now I understood our previous encounter was just plain bad luck.
The constant expeditions changed my lifestyle. I used to never leave home, but now I spent most of my week outside and could talk to people like any normal person. Of course, I only responded when spoken to and never initiated conversations myself.
Since we traveled nationwide, we often visited tourist spots or searched for famous local foods during our free time.
Thanks to this, I went from eating just two meals a day to having three regular meals.
A few times, we thought staying at motels or guesthouses was too wasteful and simply slept in the car. Si-hyun would complain, "We should've just bought a camper van from the start."
"Let's earn money to change cars!"
I declared on the spot, immediately opening a joint account where we deposited fixed amounts after each expedition. Our goal was a camper van with a shower!
That's how these three months passed. No accidents occurred during our expeditions. Though I secretly worried about encountering another Criminal, we traveled safely without incident.
The most awkward part was frequently being mistaken for a couple at hotels, the more remote the area, the worse it got.
Once, a motel receptionist slipped me condoms and warned, "All men are wolves, be careful." I was so embarrassed I secretly disposed of them, terrified Si-hyun might find out.
-
-
After working hard on expeditions, we decided to take today off and go out for fun.
That's right! We were going to an amusement park!
For me, this was my first visit in ten years, and my excitement was through the roof. Although I'd been here on a elementary school field trip, I was too young and timid to try most rides back then.
I started preparing before dawn. I used light foundation to cover my scars and chose a comfortable ivory-white dress. The knee-length design wasn't restrictive, and paired with comfortable sneakers, it made my outfit for the day. I tied my hair, which had grown down to my shoulder blades over three months, into a low ponytail. Finally, I grabbed the small bag I'd recently gotten used to carrying. As I was about to leave, Mom handed me sunscreen and reminded me to protect myself from the sun.
When I reached the entrance, Si-hyun was already waiting in the car. From a distance, his casual outfit should have looked relaxed, but his height and face were just brutally handsome. I waved my arms in an exaggerated greeting.
"Good morning~"
"You look beautiful today."
I spun around to check my dress. I was gradually getting used to wearing dresses. Unlike my awkward past self, my current appearance was decent enough that matching clothes had become enjoyable.
"Really? I wanted to wear something light for summer."
Si-hyun watched me with satisfaction as I adapted to wearing dresses.
I gave him a bright smile in return.
Before we knew it, we were smiling more often. The trip to Aeolus Park took over an hour. Even though we arrived right at opening time, the park was already packed with visitors.
Should we have come earlier? We deliberately timed our arrival for a relaxed opening, but the queues were already winding long before. Was it because of the weekend?
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
We stood in line at a leisurely pace, still aware of the gazes around us, though I thought I’d grown used to them.
Running around meeting people had indeed built some courage, but it still felt awkward. Still, the thrill of the amusement park made it bearable.
Just then, whispers drifted from the crowd:
"Wow... are they celebrities?"
"They look like the perfect couple."
"Why can't my boyfriend be like that?"
"My heart aches."
There it was again, the familiar couple comments.
I nudged Si-hyun in the side with my elbow.
"They say we're a couple."
"Should we act like one then, Si-yeon?"
Si-hyun's voice dripped with exaggerated sweetness. My heart skipped a beat.
"Don't tease me like that out of nowhere."
"Si-yeon, do you think I'm joking?"
His mischief didn't stop there. He leaned in, pressing his forehead against mine, so close I could feel his breath. In that position, he spoke to me in the same sugary tone. It was lethal.
"My baby is just too cute today."
I ducked my head low. My face must have been as red as a ripe tomato by now.
Was my heart beating so hard it was skipping beats?
This attack was just too much.
"Okay, that's enough."
"Should I stop?"
Seeing his smug grin, I suddenly felt like getting back at him.
But I didn't try. I'd pulled similar pranks before, and it always backfired on me.
After twenty minutes of playful bickering, we finally bought our passes and entered. As I flipped through the park guide, debating which ride to try first, Si-hyun grabbed my hand.
"I already decided on the first one. Let's go."
"Huh?"
Our quick-paced destination was the Wooden Roller Coaster Express X. The line was already long, but they say you haven't really visited Aeolus Park without riding it. Maybe because we came early, the wait was shorter than expected.
My first ride!
Too bad we didn't get the front row. The coaster climbed slowly, then plunged down.
My screams joined the chorus of shrieks around me.
"Ahhhh!"
The speed was incredible. The rush of the steep drop, combined with the shaking and swaying, sent my blood pumping.
The ride was neither too long nor too short, just the right amount of thrill.
"That was amazing!"
My first roller coaster was a total blast.
"Where to next?"
"We're heading further up."
Of course, someone who'd been here before knew the ropes. I trusted Si-hyun and followed without a word.
The second ride was Spinning O, which we passed on the way.
It was fun, but it couldn't compare to the roller coaster.
The third pick was the pirate ship. It's a must-do, right up there with the coaster!
The one I was too scared to even try as a kid!
The line for Pirate Ship Columbus's Great Adventure was long, but maybe because it held so many people at once? It moved fast.
This time, we got super lucky with the very back seats!
My take: the drop sensation beat even the roller coaster! The constant pendulum motion left no room to catch my breath, and the sheer exhilaration had me buzzing.
"The best! The absolute best!"
My first taste of an amusement park had me completely exhilarated.
Why had I only discovered this joy now?
"Next! What should we ride next!?"
Thoroughly pumped up, I slapped Si-hyun's arm, urging him to hurry to the next attraction.
"Alright, let's go."
Though I noticed Si-hyun's wry smile, I was too excited to care.
We passed through the Music Garden and arrived at Log Flume Sunshine Falls. The cool sound of rushing water immediately lifted my spirits. While waiting in line, I chatted with Si-hyun and gradually calmed down before boarding the log boat.
Our luck seemed to hold after the first ride. The front row was empty, so we took those seats as the boat slowly started moving.
As the log boat rocked along with the current, I secretly reached out to touch the water beside us. The cool sensation spread refreshingly through my body.
The initial backward drop felt milder than expected. Then came the rapids section, splashing massive amounts of water everywhere. After climbing the lift hill, we plunged directly into the final drop.
The roaring water left us completely drenched.
Normally I'd hate being soaking wet, but in summer it actually felt refreshing.
"Hahaha."
When I checked my condition after getting off, I realized how wet I really was.
My upper body, particularly around my chest, was noticeably soaked. Was this lucky? My underwear color matched my clothes so it wasn't too visible. Still, my chest contour became unavoidably prominent, drawing several glances. I quickly used my backpack to cover up. We'd only done four rides, yet lunchtime had long passed.
"Should we take a break now?"
A break already? I still had plenty of energy...
"Huh? I'm totally fine though?"
"I can tell. I should have brought you here sooner."
Well, if I were still male me, I probably wouldn't have come. Being a girl and a hunter now made me more open to it, but back when I was unemployed I would have definitely refused.
Following Si-hyun's suggestion, we headed toward the Rose Garden. Passing a souvenir shop along the way, we bought two hairbands and each put one on.
"Eek, that looks so mismatched."
The cute hairband looked completely out of place on Si-hyun, making me laugh.
"It suits you well though."
"Really?"
Checking with my pocket mirror... Hmm, it did look cute. Though only I looked cute.
Si-hyun bought a large amount of food from a snack stand near the souvenir shop, and we carried everything to the Rose Garden together.
We found an empty bench and shared the food. Though the kebab and chicken skewers were ordinary, my happy mood made even these taste delicious.
After our short break, we cheerfully ran around below. We tried the carousel, but Si-hyun refused out of embarrassment, so I rode alone. While I was riding by myself, Si-hyun unexpectedly took photos with his phone, so I flashed a bright V-sign and smiled at him.
I received the good photos from Si-hyun afterward and set one as my messaging app profile picture.
Later we tried a shooting game with a long queue. There, Si-hyun demonstrated incredible physical skills, racking up so many points it seemed like the machine might be broken. Though I tried my best too, Si-hyun was just too good. Our fellow riders looked thoroughly discouraged. Whether he noticed or not, Si-hyun appeared to be having great fun.
"What should we do next?"
"How about the Wildlife Park area?"
Wildlife Park, huh.
I didn't really want to see the animals. Was it because I'd seen too many Monsters from the other side of the Gate?
I headed in that direction anyway.
-
@support me on Patreon for early chapter ???