How the Regressed Munchkin Chews Up the Tower - H.R.M.C.U.T Chapter 11 (Part 1):

The atmosphere freezes.

The Sword Empress’s gaze toward Yujin is as if she’s looking at a venomous snake.

It’s a look filled with pure disgust.

‘…Oh no, I’ve screwed this up big time.’

The words slip out instinctively.

“You’ve lost your beauty”?

Isn’t that just a blatant way of saying she’s ugly?

She’s already on edge, and then some random guy approaches with a smile and says something like this—of course she’d be furious.

Even if the Sword Empress is known for her kind nature, this is no exception.

If a slap were to come flying his way, Yujin would have no choice but to take it without dodging.

Well, if it actually came, he’d probably dodge.

But fortunately, it doesn’t come to that.

Instead of anger, the Sword Empress seems to feel a greater sense of fear toward Yujin’s presence.

She says nothing, only retreating from him at an astonishing speed, backpedaling as if her life depends on it.

“Hey, wait! Hold on a second!”

There’s a term called the primacy effect.

It refers to the phenomenon where the first piece of information presented has a stronger impact than anything learned later.

It’s a term that explains just how crucial first impressions are in human relationships.

And right now, Yujin has utterly botched his.

He needs to do something—anything—to salvage that disastrous remark before it’s too late.

‘That’s it, a gift! A gift is the only way!’

A way to turn around a ruined first impression.

Luckily, dangling at his waist is the 『Black Wing [C]』 he prepared as a bribe, isn’t it?

Hiding his panic, Yujin reaches for the sword at lightning speed.

His movements are so swift that no player at the current level could possibly follow them.

But at that very moment—

“You fu*king psycho!”

The Sword Empress suddenly lets out a curse and draws her sword, swinging it wildly.

Whoooosh—!

The sword’s trajectory is clumsy, almost amateurish.

But as Yujin sensed earlier, her blade is razor-sharp despite its lack of finesse.

With a slight step back, Yujin effortlessly dodges the swing.

“The next time we meet, you’re dead, you bastard!”

With that shout, the Sword Empress turns and bolts.

“Huh?”

Something feels… very wrong.

“No, wait, Just hold on a second!”

Reflexively gripping the 『Black Wing [C]』, Yujin chases after her.

“There’s a crazy murderer chasing me!”

The more he pursues, the louder her curses grow.

Thanks to that, the eyes of NPCs and players alike are now fixed on them.

‘Why the hell is she running?’

Yujin’s expression is one of complete bewilderment.

All he did was reach for his sword to hand over the bribe as quickly as possible…

‘Oh.’

It finally hits him.

‘What am I even doing?’

To the Sword Empress, Yujin must look like a complete lunatic.

Regardless of his intentions, in her eyes, he’s nothing but a psycho pulling a sword to attack her.

Halt—.

He stops in his tracks.

Meeting the Sword Empress at such an unexpected moment made him act too hastily.

He needs to cool his head and calm down.

No matter how fast she is, she’s only level 2 at best.

Catching her would be child’s play for Yujin.

But that would be pointless.

She’s not his enemy—she’s a potential ally, someone he *must* befriend. Not a slave, but a comrade.

Standing motionless in the middle of the bustling street, Yujin quietly watches her retreating figure.

‘Let’s not approach her recklessly for now.’

Using the same approach again would only backfire.

‘And I can’t afford another misunderstanding, so I should probably get 『Subspace』 first.’

Rather than approaching her with swords and blades dangling at his waist, it’d be better to store his items in 『Subspace』 before making contact.

That way, he might lower her guard, even if just a little.

For now, he decides to keep tabs on her location from a distance, observing until the right moment and situation arise.

If an opportunity presents itself, he’ll try greeting her again.

“Phew—.”

Letting out a sigh, Yujin ignores the piercing stares around him and starts walking again.

And so, Yujin begins his journey to becoming an excellent stalker.

* * *

“Haa— Haa—!”

Ishia, who had been running nonstop for a while, ducks into a crowded shop, gasping for breath.

“…A player?”

“It’s a player.”

The people inside start murmuring as they notice her.

But Ishia has no time to care.

She’s too worried that the lunatic might still be chasing her.

That crazy guy she ran into out of nowhere.

‘He’s not following, right?’

She cautiously peeks outside, but there’s no sign of him.

‘What the hell was that…?’

Finally feeling a bit of relief, Ishia covers her face with her hands and crouches down.

‘How did things end up like this?’

Up until yesterday, she was living a slightly special but otherwise ordinary life.

It was her first Christmas as an adult, after all.

She had vowed to have more fun than anyone else that day.

But then, a strange voice echoed in her head, and she was forcibly summoned to this place called the Tower.

What followed was a massacre.

Ishia tried to deny reality, convincing herself it was just a nightmare.

But dreams are meant to end.

‘Except it didn’t end.’

Which meant this situation was reality.

From that moment, she began facing reality head-on, struggling to survive.

Someone she was escaping with was torn apart by a monster’s jaws. Another who rejoiced at finding a treasure chest had their body blown to pieces.

Blood, flesh, corpses, corpses, corpses.

No matter where she looked, the bodies of the dead were everywhere.

It was terrifying, horrifying, and utterly hopeless.

Time passed like that…

And somehow, Ishia survived the hellish tutorial floor.

She couldn’t say it was due to talent or skill.

It was just luck.

Pure, dumb luck was the only reason she survived.

In that maddening chaos, she managed to grab a single sword before ascending to the 1st Floor.

Unlike the chaotic tutorial floor, she found a beautiful citadel and kind people.

There were countless other players in the same situation as her.

It felt oddly comforting.

She didn’t know what the future held, but for now, it didn’t seem dangerous.

But then…

She met a lunatic.

Dangun

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