I Level Up With In-app Purchases

I Raise With In-app Purchases – 26

EP.26 She Put on High Heels (2)

“You don’t have to feel pressured. A teacher can recommend a good store. That’s how it usually works.”

“How do you know my store is good?”

“Hmm~~ Just a hunch?”

“Hehe.”

Rebecca, Sasha, and I had been spending quite some time at the bar we arrived at.

Empty bottles were scattered across our table, and Sasha, who was heavily intoxicated, was on the verge of passing out.

She had been sitting there with a vacant, dazed expression, giggling foolishly.

But Rebecca was strong.

Among the three of us, she had drunk the most, yet she still looked fine, sipping her drink with her arm draped over my shoulder.

‘When is she going to let go?’

While I appreciated her arm on my shoulder, it was making me unbearably hot.

She probably knew it wasn’t just the heat.

“Can you move your arm? It’s hot.”

I used the heat as an excuse to ask her to lower her arm.

“Hot? Why hot? Because of the alcohol?”

“Yeah, the alcohol is part of it.”

The main reason was that the soft sensation of her arm on my shoulder was causing a reaction below, making it hard to control myself.

It wasn’t just the sensation; Rebecca had thrown off her clothes because she was hot, making it worse.

Rebecca was now wearing only a sleeveless top.

Her exposed cleavage and slender, tanned body were enough to make anyone’s heart race.

Including mine.

‘Drinking is already a distraction…’

Being human, my self-control weakened when I was drunk.

And now I had to resist Rebecca’s allure.

No wonder I felt so frustrated.

“Hehe! You’re cute.”

The fact that she was about my height and her arm on my shoulder wasn’t uncomfortable was also a problem.

Because her arm wasn’t uncomfortable, she didn’t think of lowering it.

I couldn’t tell if Rebecca was ignoring my situation on purpose or if she genuinely didn’t know.

“Loosen up a bit. Aren’t you hot?”

“No! I’m not hot.”

“Don’t lie. You took off your clothes because you were hot. If you’re not hot, put them back on.”

Couldn’t I just force her to let go?

How could I overpower her?

I felt like I was getting a crick in my neck from having to worry about so many things.

“Is it uncomfortable?”

“I’ve told you several times, it’s hot.”

“Tsk, can’t be helped. There! Is that better?”

“Phew… Yeah.”

The soft sensation of her skin disappeared in an instant.

While it was troublesome and I wanted it gone quickly, I felt a sense of loss once it was gone.

I shook my head to dispel unnecessary desires and gulped down my drink.

“Hey! Are you drinking alone?! Me too, me too!”

– Gulp, gulp. –

“Ahh!”

“Ahh~”

The alcohol burned its way down my throat.

I took a deep breath as the heat surged up.

“By the way, we’ve been talking about ourselves a lot. How did you end up opening a general store here?”

“Are you suddenly curious about my story?”

“Yeah. I want to know what kind of person you are.”

Sasha’s eyes seemed to sparkle like starlight, while Rebecca’s eyes had a small flame burning brightly.

I stared at the small flame in her eyes and began to speak.

“I ran away from home when I was 16.”

“Oh~ It’s interesting from the start.”

“Back then, I thought I could become an Awakened.”

Commoners wanted to become Awakened.

For commoners who wanted to become nobles, becoming an Awakened was the easiest way, so it was a natural desire.

“I got tested, but they said I wasn’t. But I had already run away from home. I didn’t want to return home having achieved nothing.”

“So?”

“So, I became a mercenary, thinking I could make a lot of money.”

I gave Rebecca a brief account of my life, the parts she was curious about. I hid the parts that needed to be hidden and added a bit of exaggeration where it was necessary. Rebecca knew this but didn’t spoil the mood by calling out the lies.

“Actually, when we were at the training ground, I thought your skills were pretty decent.”

“You saw me training?”

“Just a little? When you first came to the training ground, you stood out the most. Your muscles told me that.”

Rebecca touched my chest with her index finger.

“These aren’t muscles you get from training for just a day or two. And your swordsmanship skills weren’t bad either. If you had become an Awakened, you would have been amazing. It’s a shame. If we had fought together, we could have had a lot of interesting experiences.”

She whispered that if I had become an Awakened, we might have been in the same class since we were the same age.

Surprisingly, her words were a great comfort to me.

“That’s strange.”

“What is?”

“I’ve never truly felt comforted by any words of consolation before, but hearing you say that suddenly makes me feel better.”

“That’s quite an honor. Hehe.”

I raised my glass and held it out to Rebecca.

She didn’t hesitate and clinked her glass against mine.

– Clink~! –

The clear sound of the glasses colliding rang out.

We immediately downed the contents of our glasses in one shot.

“Ah…! The alcohol tastes great today.”

“Right? I feel the same.”

Since the alcohol tasted good, the night continued without an end.

Sasha had already stretched out her legs and fallen asleep in a corner a while ago.

“Weren’t you scared? Monsters are incredibly frightening to commoners.”

“Monsters are scary, yes. But back then, money was scarier than monsters.”

The fear and sadness of seeing a must-buy bargain item but not having the money to purchase it!

Watching the countdown on a real-time special package deal was nerve-wracking.

Of course, I couldn’t explain all this to Rebecca.

“So, you opened a general store with the money you saved? When did you start dreaming of having a general store?”

“Since I realized I wasn’t an Awakened.”

“Oh… You were quite mature for your age. I don’t think I had any particular thoughts when I was that age.”

There’s no way Rebecca spent her time at 16 or 17 without any particular thoughts.

At that time, Rebecca must have been honing her skills tirelessly to reclaim the desert.

“The things sold in the general store are items I collected while traveling here and there. Whenever I could get something cheap, I bought it and stocked up.”

“Oh…? Then it’s not just a general store, it’s a treasure trove, isn’t it? You sell weapons and all sorts of things.”

“Yes. It’s truly a general store in every sense.”

“Listening to you brag makes me want to visit it.”

Guiding Rebecca to the general store was part of my plan. But not now. Rebecca seemed to have a different idea.

“Let’s go right now! To the general store!”

“No, later. After we sober up. We can’t go now because of the alcohol.”

“Why~ Are you drunk?”

“Yes. I’m drunk.”

I wasn’t sure if I could even stand properly. Moreover, I needed to prepare beforehand if I was to take her to the general store. I had to get ready to introduce the unique equipment. I had to make sure she could naturally see the high heels and hand them over to her but taking her to the store right now could complicate things.

“Tsk! Then it can’t be helped. You have to take me next time, okay?”

“Got it.”

“It’s not a burden, right?”

“Why would showing you the general store be a burden? Let’s get up now. But what about her?”

“Oh… She’s completely out of it. Sasha can’t handle her alcohol well. I’ll carry her.”

Even though she drank more than I did, Rebecca stood up without even staggering. Standing tall at 180 cm, Rebecca easily lifted the much smaller Sasha.

“Alright~ Let’s part ways here! Is that okay?”

It was absurd for a commoner to offer to escort a noble.

“Sure.”

“Oh, one more thing! When are you coming to the training ground? We need to meet again.”

In a place without cell phones, exchanging numbers was also absurd. At the very least, you had to know where someone lived to be considered an acquaintance.

“I go there every day unless something special comes up.”

“Oh! Really? That’s great. I’ve been practically living there these days.”

Knowing that, I had chosen Sasha’s private training ground instead of a nearby public one.

“See you tomorrow!”

Rebecca waved cheerfully and disappeared with Sasha. Sasha’s limp legs dangled as she was carried away.

“Phew.”

I felt like smoking. When else would I smoke if not now?

I took out a cigarette and put it in my mouth. In truth, I was in no condition to walk easily due to the alcohol, so I needed some time.

The moon in the sky looked nice, so I leisurely gazed at it while smoking.

“Phew, it’s strong. I didn’t expect her to walk away so steadily. Didn’t she drink more than I did?”

Well, if she could withstand the toxic air of the contaminated zone, it made sense that alcohol wouldn’t affect her much.

Sitting alone on the ground smoking made me feel sentimental. Normally, I wouldn’t have, but Rebecca’s words suddenly came back to me.

‘If you had become an Awakened, you would have been amazing. It’s a shame. If we had fought together, we could have had a lot of interesting experiences.’

Rebecca probably said it casually. But like a frog hit by a stone thrown carelessly, her words struck deep into my heart.

Most mercenaries harbored admiration and jealousy towards the Awakened. Despite not being chosen, they lived by hunting monsters.

‘The monsters we struggle to kill are nothing more than a post-meal exercise for the Awakened.’

Seeing that made me resent the world. Many didn’t feel such messy inferiority. I was no different.

You ask why I felt inferior when I could buy items from the shop?

‘If I had nothing, I’d admire them. Having something makes me think I can compete, which breeds inferiority.’

Of course, I wasn’t so immature as to be swayed by such base emotions anymore. I wasn’t so incompetent as to let my inferiority towards the Awakened cloud my judgment.

As Rebecca said, I was quite good with a sword for a commoner.

‘I can’t say I didn’t rely on buffs during my mercenary activities.’

But even if physical abilities were enhanced, without solid swordsmanship, one couldn’t make proper use of it. When two people received the same buff, the one with better basic swordsmanship would naturally perform better.

Rebecca knew this, which is why she said those kind words.

‘Is this what it feels like to be recognized for my efforts?’

That night, perhaps due to the alcohol, I couldn’t easily calm my mind, which had been stirred by Rebecca’s casual words. I even dreamed about that moment when I fell asleep.