Gaegukja Yeol stood in front of a mirror and exhaled. The white, crystalline armor she wore around her body made of flames sank inwards into her skin, and a series of orange crystals emerged in a dress-like pattern, covering her from her shoulders to her knees, her arms and legs giving off light as they flickered with reddish fire. She angled her right shoulder forward before angling her left, examining how the light shone off of her crystalline clothes. After a bit, she nodded to herself and turned around, placing her hands on her hips.
On the ground, there was a wide assortment of items. Ever since Vur had led the Extreme Heat Clan to the top, donations and tributes came flowing into the clan’s treasury. They were offerings meant to appease Vur; apparently, he had a reputation for being violent even amongst the dragons. As the leader of the Extreme Heat Clan, even if just in the eyes of the public, Gaegukja Yeol was given an appropriate amount of respect in the form of gifts as well. They were items she only daydreamed of having, but now she had enough of them to cover her floor.
The fire spirit race member floated over to a blue bracelet wrapped around a mannequin’s wrist. Gaegukja Yeol grabbed the bracelet before putting it on, examining it. The blue metal stayed in place despite her motions, and she nodded to herself before leaving the room which was her walk-in closet at the Hwasan Lava Baths. After floating around and making sure everything was the way it should be, she opened the door to the bathhouse, opening it for the day. As expected, no one was waiting to use her service; after all, she only opened the place when she had spare time. Who would go to a bathhouse without knowing whether it’d be open or not?
Gaegukja Yeol floated behind the counter and took a seat on chair made of black crystals. No matter how warm her body was, the crystal would remain cool to touch. Then, she took out a tablet made of white crystals, pressing on it while injecting mana inside. Words appeared on the tablet, and she made herself comfortable before reading the tablet’s contents. After several hours, which only felt like a few minutes, had passed, a bell rang, drawing Gaegukja Yeol’s attention away from her book. She sat up and put the tablet away before folding her hands in her lap and sitting up straight. “Welcome,” she said as a man stepped into the lobby. The fire spirit race member blinked. “Kim Hajun, you’ve finally arrived.”
Kim Hajun adjusted his sleeve cuffs as he scanned the lobby. His gaze fell on Gaegukja Yeol, and he couldn’t help but swallow. His mouth dried up, and he smiled at the flaming woman. “Gaegukja Yeol, hello,” he said and nodded. “I imagined you’d be busier as the leader of the strongest clan in the tower.”
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Gaegukja Yeol smiled back at Kim Hajun. “The tower is stable since a certain hero played such a major role in defeating the Oebu Sin,” she said. “There isn’t much that requires my direct attention.”
Kim Hajun scratched his head. Recently, everywhere he went, he was treated as a hero who sacrificed greatly to save the tower. There were even rumors he was as powerful as a god but lost his strength due to the injuries he had received in the fights against the Oebu Sin. “You know I didn’t do much,” he said, staring at his feet. He raised his head to make eye contact with the flaming woman, his cheeks warming up as he met her gaze. “I brought you something.”
“Oh?” Gaegukja Yeol raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t prepare a gift for you in return. You’re kind of leaving me in an awkward position here.”
Kim Hajun cleared his throat. “There’s no need to give me a return gift,” he said, holding out his hand. A white flower made of translucent rocks appeared in his palm. He held it out towards the flaming woman. “It reminded me of you, so I picked it up.”
Gaegukja Yeol hesitated before taking the offered flower. “It’s lovely,” she said, rotating her wrist to view the flower at different angles. “Where did you get it? Was it expensive?”
“No, no,” Kim Hajun said. “Don’t worry. I found it on someone’s lawn.”
Gaegukja Yeol blinked. “Someone’s lawn?” she asked, emphasizing the last word.
“Yeah,” Kim Hajun said, nodding his head. “I think it must’ve been a dwarf’s or a gnome’s house because it was awfully small. There were a lot of crystal flowers growing there.”
“You know people put time and effort into growing flowers on their lawns, right?” Gaegukja Yeol asked.
A furrow appeared on Kim Hajun’s brow, but it disappeared a second later. “Yes,” he said. “You’re absolutely right. Because it was just a flower, I failed to consider the care the owner needed to put in to grow his flowers properly.”
“It’s also stealing,” Gaegukja Yeol said.
“Not if they don’t find out…?” Kim Hajun asked in a joking manner, but his voice lost strength as Gaegukja Yeol’s face remained impassive. After staring at one another for several seconds, Gaegukja Yeol broke the silence by letting out a laught.
“I’m messing with you,” the flaming woman said. “Did you come here just to give me this stolen good, or did you want to take a dip in the caldera as well?”
Kim Hajun exhaled, his face breaking out into a smile. “I see,” he said, patting his chest in feigned relief. “I remember you said there was an opportunity to be found here. Perhaps you could give me a hint as to what it is?”
“You don’t know?” Gaegukja Yeol asked.
Kim Hajun nodded. “I lost some of my memories during the encounter with the final Oebu Sin.” A wry smile appeared on his lips. “I hope that doesn’t lower your impression of me.”
“Not at all,” Gaegukja Yeol said, a faint smile appearing on her lips. “You weren’t very good at predicting the future in the first place.”
Kim Hajun let out an awkward chuckle and scratched his head. “I might’ve sucked, but I still stopped the tower from being destroyed, so at least there’s that.”