CHAPTER 45: DON’T MESS WITH ME!

"Hey... you think my dad is okay?" Chaewon asked.

Ace couldn’t see her expression, but she sounded upset. She held back her tears.

All this time, Chaewon hadn’t wanted to worry anyone about her family, mainly because everyone on her team was an orphan. Ace and the boys often said they had no one but themselves to worry about.

Mercer’s parents were abusive and treated him like trash. That kept her quiet about her deepest worries.

"Is there a chance he wasn’t forced into a Gate?" Chaewon asked. "Please, tell me what you think, Ace. Ah... I’m sorry, but I couldn’t—"

Ace wrapped an arm around her back, pulled her closer, and stroked her hair. He was good at it, and Chaewon relaxed.

None of her strands snagged in his hand as he combed through her hair, the motion soothing.

Before Chaewon realized it, she was lying against Ace, relying on him for support. He cradled her.

"He’ll be fine," Ace replied.

"Really?" Chaewon asked, just to make sure he meant it.

"Yeah. You don’t know this, but your father is a former thug himself. He fought with his fists before you were born and beat plenty of people bigger than him. He must’ve put down low-level monsters like Black Umi or Hollow Woods with his bare hands. After he strapped on high-quality gauntlets, he tore through stronger monsters and threats. Believe me. He’s good. He could take me, Alex, Marko, and the others down by himself. He’s fine."

He believed in me and sent you away from him. If a Gate appeared anywhere close to him, he probably walked into it on his own. I can’t tell what Rank he will gain at the end of his first Gate, but I’m sure he will survive. He’s a hella tough bastard without a leash. I believe in him.

"Thank you, Ace... really, thank you so much..." Chaewon said, ready to pull back and look him in the face.

To her surprise, Ace didn’t let her go. He held her still.

"Ace? I’m okay now. I feel so much better after letting it out... you can let me go. Um... there’s more. I’ve been thinking I jump to help people because I want someone to help my dad when he needs it. Doesn’t that make me a bad person? I feel awful when I think about it."

"You can be a fool sometimes, Chaewon." Ace chuckled. "You’re always the first one to rush to people’s side or comment on our behavior. If you weren’t genuine about it, you wouldn’t be so natural at it. You’ve been so harsh on yourself that you started getting weird thoughts. And even if it’s true, you think I’d hate you or let you go? Nah, you’re my Queen."

"Y-Yes, I am, right? Please, let me go. I’m sweaty from the hunt and work..."

"Nah," Ace replied.

Chaewon’s face turned bright red. "Y-You! You should listen to me! I’m older than you!"

"Actually?"

"Don’t mess with me! You’re being mean right now! I want to smack your face with a wooden sword! Really!"

"Ah, that’s so scary. I’ll let you go, I guess."

Freed from Ace’s arms, Chaewon stole a last glance at his smirking face before turning around and running away to the Bank Grotto.

Ace smiled to himself.

My heart feels sliced up. It’s the feelings of the past trying to tear through my flaw. It means I haven’t lost those feelings. They’re tied to my memories but locked deep in my heart. I may also be developing a new kind of affection toward this Chaewon, too.

Only his genuine care and lust for Chaewon guided his actions just now. But as his head cleared, Ace started to question how love actually feels and whether it was bad for his growth. He liked leveling up, but he wouldn’t want to live in a world full of monsters or in a community built only on strength. That was why he understood so well why everyone wanted the Chessboard Apocalypse gone.

Is there truly no place for love for me in this world?

—

"Don Capo!" Alex shouted as Ace walked into the Bank Grotto. "Is it true that my rank is in danger?!"

"You talked with Chaewon?" Ace asked.

"Not really! I mean, I wanted to ask her about the hunt stuff, but she was so mad she shooed me away and told me to keep an eye on my rank!"

"You’re lucky she doesn’t have her wooden sword. Otherwise, you’d get bonked," Ace laughed, recalling how flustered Chaewon acted in his first life.

"I can take a few hits! I’m the Rook of your Sixteen! Anyway, is she right?" Alex pressed.

"She is." Ace nodded. "In short, we’ve been doing ’common’ quests most of the time. I had some wild ones, but that’s just me. Others might’ve had much more dangerous runs."

"No way," Alex muttered.

"There’s still time until the Ranker’s Ranking Update," Ace said. "You helped fight the Silvervest Bear and transformed Sean, so you’ve scored a lot of points. You need one or two high quests to keep your rank. That’s what I believe."

By then, Ace was already at his bunk. He pulled his phone from under his pillow and turned it on. He usually kept it off to save power. In a Gate, Ace’s phone served only one purpose.

While everyone else relies on memory, I’m the only one with a smartphone in this Gate.

"What should I do, Don Capo?" Alex asked.

"We’ll check one of the tunnels soon. First, we’re heading to the Heaven Village. You’ll have a shot to keep your momentum. Prepare to fight other Rankers, Alex. You’re a tank, so you’ll have me as your damage dealer. I’m hitting the bathroom now. I’ll be locked up for at least 30 minutes. Gotta scroll the catalog."

"Uh, yeah," Alex nodded, clenching his hands. "I need to prepare better for those Rankers. I gotta hunt more of those damn Two-Headed Wolves!"