Memorize

There's an old saying: 'Words spoken by day are heard by birds, and words spoken by night are heard by rats.' It means you should watch what you say, even when you think no one's listening. Modern people might laugh it off without much thought, but in Hall Plain, you absolutely have to be careful with your words. Especially in a place crawling with players like this, you need to be extra cautious.

Most players have mana flowing through their bodies. This mana moves along mana circuits embedded in their internal systems, spreading to every part of their body. Of course, there are individual differences in the circuits' thickness, strength, purity, and how well they connect to subtle energy points. But from a basic perspective, they're naturally linked to the eyes and ears. By channeling mana to amplify those senses, you can temporarily boost their performance significantly.

In other words, in a place filled with players, someone could secretly enhance their hearing with mana to eavesdrop on conversations. While this technique is mostly used during relic expeditions or group battles, plenty of players employ it for other purposes too. As long as you have a decent amount of mana, anyone can do it. That's what makes it so unnerving—if I can do it, so can others.

To counter this anxiety and prevent sensitive information from leaking, a specific magic is commonly used: a spatial barrier spell called Block Field.

Block Field creates an intangible barrier that isolates a designated area from the surrounding space. This drastically reduces the chance of conversations leaking out, enhancing security. However, it also blocks incoming sounds, making it a bit tricky to use in places like inns or restaurants.

Still, a table with a Block Field is likely to have more important conversations than others. Breaking through a Block Field with just enhanced hearing is nearly impossible, but not entirely out of the question. So, I decided to use my Third Eye to scan for tables with Block Fields.

"Su-Hyeon-ssi, the prices here are no joke…"

"It's fine. Saving gold is good, but sometimes we need to splurge a little."

That was just talk, of course. Since we'd come to an upscale inn, I planned to milk it for all it was worth. Activating my Third Eye was part of my scheme to maximize the information I could gather. If I could snag even one valuable piece of intel, it'd be well worth the cost.

Without looking at Ha-Yeong, I quietly closed my eyes. She seemed to notice I was focusing on something and gently let go of my arm. I began carefully scanning the entire first floor.

"…"

As expected, I detected two tables with intangible barriers. One was at a nearby table. The Block Field there seemed mediocre, suggesting the players weren't particularly high-level. But the other one was different. It was at a table diagonally across, at the far end, and the barrier was noticeably thicker.

A Block Field of that caliber implied mana levels comparable to Vivienne's. I was curious about who it could be, but I decided to save that discovery for later. For now, I quietly channeled my mana, directing it toward the floor. The mana flowed along the ground, forming a single stream before splitting into two, each heading toward its respective target.

What I was about to do with my mana was called Occupy—the second stage of mana discharge. In simple terms, I planned to infiltrate their Block Fields with my mana, taking over their domains. Once my mana merged with their field, it would create a sort of passage. If I could open that passage, I alone would be able to hear the conversations inside.

Of course, this required two key conditions. First, my mana had to far surpass that of the player casting the spell. Second, my mana control had to be exceptional. I needed to blend my mana into their field subtly, without disrupting its flow. Hesitating or being too cautious risked alerting the opposing mage. I had to overwhelm the field in an instant, before they could notice anything amiss.

In my first life, I reached the rank of Sword Master with a magic stat of 48. While there's no strict stat requirement for becoming a Sword Master, there's an average—typically in the high 70s. That put me firmly in the exception category. Back then, when my magic stat refused to budge no matter how hard I tried, I gave up on raising it and focused obsessively on mana control instead.

Now, with a magic stat of 96, I can wield it effortlessly. Thanks to the grueling effort from my first life, I could now execute techniques I'd only ever conceptualized.

I steadied myself, focusing entirely on the mana streams extending outward. The first stream reached the nearby table. I carefully infiltrated the thin Block Field, aligning my mana with its flow, as I'd already read with my Third Eye. Then, I seamlessly melded into the intangible barrier. And…

"…That's not true. It's practically an open secret anyway."

"Well, yeah."

I was able to follow the flow of mana without much trouble. A quick glance to the side showed players still engrossed in serious conversation. Now that I'd opened the passage, all I had to do was listen. I could already hear faint voices, but I pulled the mana toward my ears to amplify my hearing.

"Something feels off. It seems like they've been quietly suppressing a lot of things over there."

"Goddamn, what do we do? This is a real mess. They were boasting about success just the other day, and I still can't believe it."

"Ha. My friend was in the expedition, and I don't even know what happened to him. Oh, did you hear? They've received exactly three rescue request transmissions."

"Excluding duplicates?"

"Yeah. I overheard one of our clan's higher-ups say it was practically a wipeout."

"No way. A total wipeout? That's too much. These were top-tier clans, hand-picking their elites, and they got crushed that easily? It hasn't even been a week."

"I don't know. That's just what I heard."

After listening for a bit, I promptly withdrew my mana from the field. I'd caught some talk about the expedition, but it was mostly useless fluff. So, I turned my attention to the table diagonally across, where the thicker barrier was. It felt a bit daunting, but I wrapped my mana stream around the barrier like a Venus flytrap ensnaring its prey.

Since it was farther away, I sharpened my hearing even more toward that table. A mix of voices hit my ears at once—a sharp voice, a cool female voice, and a low male voice.

"Where'd you hear that?"

"It's what the player who sent the first rescue request said. We barely got the info. Of course, they were rambling, so it's hard to take it at face value. Still, piecing it together, it seems the vanguard hasn't been heard from at all."

"Really? So the vanguard got completely slaughtered? Not a single one left?"

"That's likely. Wasn't Park Hyun-Woo leading the vanguard? Tsk tsk. Acting all high and mighty as an officer, and then gone in a flash."

"Park Hyun-Woo? Ohh. But that guy seems like he'd make it back alive. What about the main force and the supply unit?"

"No idea. I still don't get why they split the main force and the supply unit in the first place."

"Wasn't it to have the vanguard clear a safe path? The main force handles the stragglers, and the supply unit secures the route."

"That's what makes it so dumb. How cocky do you have to be to set up a formation that's practically begging to get wiped out? Heh heh."

"You… sound way too happy about this."

"Pfft. Why not? Serves them right. Hah!"

"Then let me make you even happier."

"What? What? Spill it!"

"This is top-secret. One of the rescue requests came from someone in the main force. And in that main force, the Golden Lion Clan…"

"Hold on, Chan-Woo. Shut up."

"Huh?"

"Hey. The Block Field…"

I was listening intently when the conversation suddenly cut off. I reflexively pulled back my mana. It seemed there was a mage with a magic stat in the high 80s or even over 90 at that table. Someone with a stat that high? I should've known them. I tilted my head for a moment, then let out a regretful sigh.

I'd been hyped for some juicy classified info, but it looked like a sharp player had caught on. Still, since I already knew the future, this was just confirming details. I decided to let it go without lingering. I'd gotten the info I wanted, so no big regrets.

"Phew."

"Kim Su-Hyeon, why the sigh?"

"Hungry."

"Hmm. Now that you mention it, I'm starving too. I wish the food would come already."

Vivienne nodded with a solemn expression. I wanted to ask how her research was going but decided against it. She'd been so absorbed in her studies but reacted to my sigh, so she was probably keeping an eye on me without showing it.

"Ordered yet?"

"Yeah, oppa. We went with something simple."

There was a strange edge to Yun-Jung's voice. I glanced at Ha-Yeong and saw her flinch—probably her penny-pinching instincts kicking in again. Another sigh escaped my lips, not aimed at Ha-Yeong but at the kids.

Just then, a new waitress approached our table with a breezy step, likely thinking she could score big tips from us and snatching the order from the first waitress. This kind of thing happens everywhere. The original waitress was probably crying somewhere by now.

"Hey there, oppas~ unnies~ Your food's here~."

Despite snatching our order, the waitress flashed a bright smile as she placed the tray on the table. It hit me again that the common trait of expensive restaurants is how little food you get. On the tray in front of us were eight sandwiches the size of a woman's palm and eight pieces of cookies. With eight people in our group, what the hell were we supposed to do with this?

I smacked my lips and lightly flicked a coin with my finger. Part of me didn't want to tip her out of spite, but it wasn't really my concern. The waitress deftly caught the coin that sprang up. When she saw it was a silver coin, her face lit up like a flower in bloom. Her beaming smile reminded me of An-Hyun recklessly kicking around gold coins and gems back during the Chaos Mimic incident.

"Cool oppa! Thank you! Thanks so much! Enjoy your meal, and call me if you need anything else!"

With an excited expression, she bowed deeply and scampered off with a spring in her step. Even though the tray was served, no one reached for it. I really wish they'd break this habit. I'd mentioned it once before, but they all just gave vague smiles and ignored me. According to a tip from Shin Sang-Yong, the female clan members apparently enjoyed watching me squirm awkwardly whenever we started a meal.

Ha-Yeong picked up a fork and neatly speared a sandwich. It was so small it didn't even sag, just stayed rigid. Holding it up, she slowly brought it closer to my mouth and spoke.

"We're not staying here long anyway. Let's just have a quick bite here and eat a proper dinner at the inn later."

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Sounds good."

"I heard the honey meat sandwich here is really delicious. I haven't tried it myself, but they say it tastes a lot like honey from Earth. Here, try it."

"""…"""

Lately—well, ever since Go Yeon-Joo's recruitment was finalized—Ha-Yeong had been getting bolder. Seeing this, Go Yeon-Joo suddenly tilted her head sharply. Yun-Jung's eyes narrowed slightly with a sly curve. An-Sol pulled out her upgraded Shield of Defend, clutching it tightly as if it might break. Vivienne was practically drooling over the sandwich.

"I-I'll eat it. Give me the fork."

Only after I snatched the fork from Ha-Yeong did I manage to quell their actions and stares. Watching this scene, I could've sworn I saw a fat bead of sweat roll down Shin Sang-Yong's forehead.

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