The Dimensional Swordmaster C6
by berryChapter 6 How I Ended Up in Another World (6)
The sharp, irritable attitude, the face that was just a little too good-lookingâYurian nodded to himself as he dressed in the clean clothes Gong Siyoung had left for him outside the shower.
Thinking of Siyoung as Ggambi, his beloved cat, made his fondness for the man skyrocket. Of course, Siyoung wasnât actually Ggambiâbut close enough.
Droplets of water rolled off the ends of his damp hair. Shaking his head briskly, he stepped out of the bathroom, where Siyoung was leaning against the wall, waiting.
âLetâs go.â
The man didnât elaborate, simply gesturing with a curt flick of his hand. Yurian, once again, obediently followed.
He hadnât intended to resist from the start.
This world was entirely foreign to him. Machines flew through the air, others sped faster than any horse, and clean, drinkable water poured endlessly from a single twist of a handle.
Surrounded by towering buildings and technologies beyond his understanding, Yurian was a complete outsider.
He had no desireânone whatsoeverâto pick fights with people who could wield magic, or whatever strange power these âhuntersâ possessed.
Magic wasnât widespread here, but these hunters could use it to a degree. And, more importantly, there were monsters in this world too.
That much, at least, was familiar.
The dungeons they spoke of reminded him of the âlands beyond the canyonâ back homeâthe monster territories that lay past the Great Ravine. Just as creatures there sometimes crossed the border into human lands, here too, monsters emerged through âgates.â
Different world, same danger. Monsters attacked humans; humans fought back and died.
The dynamic was the same, though the structure was different.
Hunters, though⊠that was harder to grasp.
They seemed like mercenaries or knights at firstâprofessions one could choose. But no, not everyone could become a hunter just because they wanted to.
And once you were one, entering dungeons was mandatory. In that sense, perhaps they were closer to knights after all.
But even more curiousâonly hunters could manipulate mana.
In Yurianâs world, mages and swordmasters were as common as soldiers, but here, they were exceedingly rare.
It probably had something to do with how thin the mana density was in this place.
Well, not my problem anyway.
Whether he liked it or not, he was here nowâand in this world, he was nobody. There was no need, nor obligation, to go hunting monsters.
Sure, there was the matter of making a livingâbut that, too, seemed solvable. He could always cling to Ggambiâno, Siyoungâif it came to that.
For now, Iâll just keep my mouth shut until they need something from me.
His plan was simple: enjoy whatever conveniences this world offered while he could. There wasnât much else he could do anyway.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime. The way they moved automatically fascinated him so much that he stood there staringâuntil a firm hand pushed him forward from behind.
âMove it.â
Siyoungâs impatient voice snapped him out of his daze.
They emerged into a dimly lit space lined with vehicles. Siyoung strode ahead confidently, stopping before the same machine theyâd used earlier and motioning with his eyes.
Taking the hint, Yurian opened the door and slid into the seat. The soft, enveloping cushion made him sigh in delight.
âSo softâŠâ
The plush comfort, the smooth ride, the sheer luxuryâwords couldnât do it justice.
His eyes sparkled as he scanned the interior, touching everything within reach.
âWhoa, whatâs this? Ohâdrawer? What about this? Itâs round! Huh? I pressed it and now my buttâs warmâwhat the hell, is this magic?â
Every time he touched something new, his voice burst with fresh excitement. Buttons were pressed, dials twisted, chaos ensuing.
When he pressed the audio button and the car suddenly spoke back in sound, Yurian nearly jumped out of his seat. Siyoung turned his head slowly, his expression one breath away from violence.
âFor the love ofâplease. Shut. Your. Mouth.â
âOh? Okay, okay. Iâll be quiet. But wait, whatâs that thing?â
Yurian was poking at the air freshener dangling from the rearview mirror. He tapped it lightly; it swayed weakly.
âWhatâs this? Smells amazing.â
He sniffed it once, twice, then gave it another curious pokeâonly for the string to snap.
At that exact moment, Siyoungâs patience finally did too.
âCan you stop already?! You insane bastard! Canât you sit still for even one damn minute?! Shut up! Please!â
The thunderous outburst froze Yurian mid-motion. He slowly lowered his hands and blinked.
Was he mad about the broken thing? His eyes drifted guiltily to the fallen air freshener.
âIs it that hard to stay quiet? Justâdonât talk! Donât move! Sit still! For once in your lifeâjust sit there quietly!â
ââŠOkay. Fine. Iâll shut up. Look, Iâm shutting up now.â
He slapped a hand over his mouth. He didnât quite get the reason, but if someone told you to shut up, you shut up.
As the silence settled, Siyoung pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling through gritted teeth. Yurian peeked at him, lips twitching like he wanted to speakâbut Siyoungâs glare made him instantly close his mouth again.
Finally, blissful silence returned to the car.
Heâs really touchy, Yurian thought.
Then again, Ggambi used to be like that too. If he petted her fur the wrong way or fussed too much, sheâd hiss and swat him.
Sure, Siyoung wasnât a catâbut the temperament wasnât that different.
If someone said they didnât like noise, you just respected that. Staying quiet wasnât that hard, right?
Still, no one had said anything about hands.
Keeping his mouth shut, Yurian reached out discreetly and pressed one of the blinking buttons.
Each press made a light flicker on and off. His eyes gleamed. He was just about to press the red triangle one whenâ
Siyoung snatched his hand midair.
âTouch that button one more time, and I swear Iâll break your finger.â
The low, dangerous rumble of his voice sent a chill down Yurianâs spine. He nodded instantly.
âGot it.â
Still⊠it did look tempting.
His gaze drifted back toward the red triangle, full of longing. As if sensing it, Siyoung tightened his grip around his hand.
âJust keep holding this. Let go once, and youâll regret it.â
That almost sounded like a challenge. Yurian pursed his lips sulkily.
What was so special about that button anyway? One day, he promised himself, he would press it.
For now, though, he stayed quiet and kept his hand where it was. Whenever his fingers twitched, Siyoungâs warning hissââTch!ââmade him freeze again.
Was this some kind of new torture method? Donât talk, donât move, just sit still?
He smothered his rising annoyance and turned his attention outside the window instead.
The glittering city lights stole his breath. It was dazzlingâevery street, every sign, every piece of this strange new world.
He hadnât known such a place existed, let alone that heâd end up in it. His heart thudded in wonder.
After a while, the car began to slow. Theyâd arrived.
Once parked, Siyoung released his grip and stepped out without a glance back. Yurian hurried to followâif he got lost again, heâd be doomed.
Thankfully, Siyoung was tall, easy to spot in a crowd.
âOh, right. My sword. Do you happen to know where it is?â
He asked casually once they stepped into the elevator, figuring it was safe to talk again by now.
To his surprise, Siyoung answered without snapping at him.
âLeft it in the dungeon.â
âAh.â
That was fine. If it was still in the dungeon, at least it wasnât lostâonly hunters could enter anyway. He could always retrieve it later.
As he thought that, Siyoung turned to him suddenly.
ââŠIs it important?â
âWhat is?â
âYour sword.â
âWell, not important important, but⊠itâs my favored blade.â
It was in two pieces now, but repairable. It was also the only thing he truly owned here. Yurian shrugged lightly.
âItâs something an old friend left me before he died.â
Siyoung fell silent. He said nothing for a long moment, eyes averted. Then, in a low voice barely audibleâ
ââŠThen it is important.â
Was he⊠worried?
To reassure him, Yurian reached out and patted his shoulder lightly.
âDonât worry about it.â
He smiled faintly. It wasnât a big deal. Heâd just fetch it from the dungeon when the chance came.
No reason for anyone to feel guilty over that.