DBOFS 42

Chapter 42

Clink.

The sound of ice melting echoed from the glass warmed by my hand.

“You know who I am?”

The handsome Mercenary King grinned widely. Without asking for permission, he pulled out the chair in front of me with his large hand and sat down.

Long, flame-like red curls.

His bare upper body, with its glossy bronze skin, made his muscular build all the more striking.

Adorning it were various tattoos and ornaments of large gemstones and gold, typical of the desert tribes.

“……”

He was an undeniably gorgeous man. Alucas laughed at my expression.

“You’re gonna drool.”

“Ah, I won’t.”

Even as I denied it, I found myself wiping the corner of my mouth.

There was nothing there, of course, but Alucas chuckled anyway, amused by my reaction.

“Cute.”

A large mouth. A defined T-zone with a smooth forehead and sharp nose. Eyes tinged with red-gold that gleamed like a hawk’s—intense and captivating.

His strong gaze softened into a smile, not sexy per se, but oddly boyish.

‘Seriously… this is insane. His looks are just unfair.’

He gave off the complete opposite vibe from Harris. Dazed by the sheer power of this ridiculously good-looking man, I muttered:

“Just sitting here feels like I’m absorbing vitamin D…”

“What?”

Alucas covered his smiling mouth with a large hand.

That mocking expression, too, was incredibly good-looking. I finally understood why he was one of the top five most popular characters in <Shicheongwi>.

‘He was made to be a womanizer.’

A gorgeous, fire-type S-rank esper. The Mercenary King.

Another key trait of Alucas? He was a massive playboy.

His preferences knew no bounds—age, gender, didn’t matter. Charming, smooth, endlessly flirtatious. And, well… his stamina was infamous.

‘He was definitely created to be a flirt.’

Honestly, aside from the fact that both he and Harris were S-rank, they couldn’t be more different.

‘If I had to categorize it, Harris is definitely yin.’

Alucas, on the other hand, was a man whose very presence radiated scorching masculine energy. Not my type, but easy on the eyes nonetheless.

But I wasn’t in the mood to enjoy it.

‘Why the hell is he here, looking for me?’

Thankfully, I had enough presence of mind not to say that out loud.

‘Alucas is an S-rank esper. If he wants to meet someone, he can.’

…But why me?!

My head was already a mess, and now the Mercenary King bomb had dropped on top of it. I couldn’t help but sigh.

“You’re sighing. Why?”

Alucas tilted his head, as if to say, Women don’t usually sigh when looking at someone like me.

As he crossed his thick arms, his massive chest muscles bulged under the pressure…

‘No wonder people—men and women alike—throw themselves at him during those night banquets.’

This was no joke. I mean seriously—this wasn’t a joke.

‘Pretty sure it’s bigger than mine.’

I let out another deep sigh.

“…The world just feels unfair.”

“What? The world?”

“Yes.”

I mean, I had to wear a bra, and he didn’t?! Why?!

“So unfair…”

I was dressed from head to toe exactly as the maids had coordinated for me.

‘It’s pretty, but honestly, it’s stifling.’

From hospital pajamas to slave rags, I’d only ever worn loose clothes. But now, as Harris had been recognized as the young duke, his guide—me—had to be dressed like a noble lady.

I was thrilled when I saw myself in the mirror, thinking Wow, I’ve finally become a romance fantasy heroine! But actually moving around in it was a pain. The maid outfit I first wore was way more comfortable…

“…Pfft.”

Alucas, who had been hiding his smile behind a hand, suddenly lowered his head.

His broad shoulders trembled as he chuckled, and when he finally lifted his head, his lips were pressed tightly together.

“Well then, our unfair young lady. Have a drink.”

It’ll ease the discomfort.

Following his words, I obediently sipped the iced tea he handed me.

Slurp. The chilled tea was infused with the refreshing scent of fresh peaches and a delightful, sweet flavor.

“…!”

“Does it suit your taste?”

Suit my taste? This wasn’t just good—it was so delicious it shattered my caution.

I took another long sip and spoke sincerely.

“Alucas-nim, now I understand why you’re so popular.”

“…That good?”

“Yes, it’s amazing.”

The food at Godwin Castle was good too, but it was a little bland, probably adjusted to the owner’s taste.

“This is touching…”

Tears welled up in my eyes.

So much had happened today. I almost died, too. But now I knew—it was all so I could drink this iced tea!

“……”

Alucas had now slumped halfway over the table.

I watched his trembling shoulders and perfectly sculpted back as I sipped my iced tea again.

‘By the way… what kind of day is today, exactly?’

Earlier that morning…

The reason I attempted mana circulation was to better understand this body.

‘It’s a common technique in fantasy possession stories.’

By checking the mana core and circuits of the body, you can see your current “stats” and what kind of body you’ve taken over.

‘Usually, it’s an overpowered soul in a trash body.’

But then that OP soul discovers hidden potential and grows stronger.

Of course, I was a low-level soul myself, but since this was a fantasy possession scenario, I wanted to follow in the seniors’ footsteps.

‘First, check the mana core.’

I’d already used magic before, so I was sure I had a core.

But then…

‘Huh? My mana core is in my heart?’

Normally, the heart and mana core aren’t placed in the same location.

It’s too risky.

‘It’s standard practice to spread out the risk.’

Even just destroying a mana core alone renders someone half-dead. Put it in the heart—which is already a critical organ—and you’re asking for trouble.

‘That’s… unexpected.’

Still, not impossible. There were cases like dragon hearts, where the heart and mana core were the same.

But that wasn’t the real surprise.

“…Eh?”

What truly stunned me was this: the intricate network of mana circuits running from head to toe like blood vessels—

“—was clean?”

Not a single blockage, like smooth asphalt on a highway.

Unlike the typical cliché settings where circuits are clogged and turbid, mine were perfectly clear.

‘A trash soul… in a flawless body?!’

Even more baffling was what happened next.

Usually, your first attempt at mana circulation is difficult and exhausting. Lose focus for a second and it all falls apart.

‘Why is this so easy for me?’

It wasn’t just easy—it happened naturally, like breathing. I wasn’t even concentrating, but mana flowed smoothly through my perfectly clear circuits.

“……”

Usually, the main character would go, “Hmm… the mana here is murky! That must be why X happened! This body has Y problem!” or something like that.

‘But me? There’s nothing to diagnose.’

Even the mana’s purity inside me was shockingly high. I don’t know how I knew—I just felt it.

‘What the heck… was I secretly a mana genius?’

Is this even humanly possible? I was honestly more confused than anything.

But my confusion didn’t last long.

“…Wait a second?”

A bigger issue appeared.

My eyes flew open as I focused on mana circulation.

‘What’s this… inside my body?’

Slots?

Jade stared silently at her palm.

As if responding to her will, something pooled beneath her pale, translucent skin—one pitch black, the other faint.

‘Crap…’

While circulating mana, Jade discovered what looked like a “slot” inside her body. And inside one of them…

‘Pitch-black power of an esper.’

There was no need to guess who it came from.

‘Harris.’

She hadn’t just absorbed mana with that energy-sucking technique.

Realizing this, Jade thought only one thing:

‘I have to run!’

If he found out, he’d kill her. No question.

Even if it wasn’t Harris, just the existence of her skill made her public enemy number one among espers.

The power to steal and use someone else’s abilities?!

‘It doesn’t matter if I’m a guide or an esper now.’

This was life and death.

Of course, she didn’t expect to escape right now. She planned to focus on Plan B and move methodically.

But at the very least, she couldn’t just stay cooped up in Godwin Castle.

Then something made her freeze mid-step—Count Artu’s daughter.

‘…An esper?’

Maybe because she’d just done mana circulation, but her senses were sharp, and she detected a strange ability.

And then…

‘Bona confirmed it.’

Jade curled her fingers, covering the glowing patterns under her palm.

One slot was dark and large—probably from Harris. The other was faint and small—Bona’s, likely usable only once.

‘Does the slot size depend on power level? Or mana?’

No idea. To figure out more, she’d need to re-enter the dungeon and access the system again.

If not…

“Ugh, what a pain.”

She’d just have to test it herself.

Alucas’s shaking shoulders finally stilled after the tea and snacks had been set on the table.

“You’re the first woman who’s reacted more to my drinks than to my face.”

His flirtatious smile was dazzling enough to make you smile back instinctively, but Jade wasn’t fooled.

‘He’s an S-rank fire esper.’

If he snapped, she’d be reduced to charcoal in the blink of an eye.

She snuck glances around, but all she could see were Alucas’s mercenaries guarding the terrace.

“Wow—this is a first. Impressive.”

Surrounded.

‘Yeah… no way a regular knight escort could stop an esper squad.’

Jade gave a resigned nod and focused on her iced tea. At least you’re sweet…

Slurp—

“Wow, you sure are enjoying that, even now?”

“It’s tasty, at least.”

“True, I did squeeze the peaches myself.”

“Thanks for your hard labor.”

“No need to thank me.”

Alucas winked.

“What if I’d poisoned it?”

Title: Don’t Obsess Over the Fake Tranquilizer, Dark Lord-nim