Chapter 16: The Holy Garment and the GM’s Intervention

She was subtly, almost unconsciously, arching her legs further into the counter, trying to tuck the exposed half of a garment deeper inside.

‘That was…’

From his vantage point, Leaf Su immediately recognized that the garment was far from ordinary. It was highly probable these individuals were searching for this very item, and the young woman’s clear intention was to conceal it, to prevent them from discovering it.

‘Hmm, even though she’d dropped him rather painfully, the fact that she’d still thought to protect him moments ago was enough. He would lend her his aid.’

He reached out, attempting to grasp the garment, eager to see if he could utilize the player-exclusive [Inventory] function to stash it away.

However, the young woman’s legs kept twitching and arching, making Leaf Su misjudge his grab.

“Oh!” The young woman let out a soft cry, then, with a look of utter disdain, cast a downward glance at the thoroughly mortified Leaf Su.

Having directly grasped the young woman’s leg, the sensation… Leaf Su was certain he would never forget it. It was incredibly soft and smooth, like freshly made tofu.

‘Hmm… wait, come to think of it, wasn’t he just ‘eating tofu’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term referring to unwanted physical contact or flirting)?’

‘He hadn’t meant to! She had to believe him!’ Yet, there was no time for explanations. Swiftly, he reached for the partially revealed garment, silently intoning, ‘Into inventory.’

With a flash of light imperceptible to anyone else, the garment vanished into Leaf Su’s inventory.

A notification materialized.

[Kukuru’s Holy Garment Lv. 40] added to inventory.

‘It wasn’t just ordinary clothing; it was equipment? Just as he suspected, these people were clearly here to forcibly seize this very item. But now, it resided safely within his own inventory, much to his satisfaction.’

The young woman, who had been observing him from below with a sidelong glance, now wore an expression of utter bewilderment. ‘Where was the garment? The child merely touched it, and the Holy Garment simply vanished?’

‘Could it be that this child possessed advanced magic, perhaps a Spatial Pouch?’

‘Ah, well, as long as it’s hidden!’

Regardless, it was an immense help. This malevolent artifact simply couldn’t be allowed to fall into their hands again. She had fled alone precisely to find a way to destroy it, visiting countless equipment shops. Though many methods had been attempted, the garment remained stubbornly indestructible.

Faced with such an indestructible evil, Kushi had deliberated at length. Her only recourse was to hide herself and the Holy Garment in secret, ensuring it couldn’t be found, allowing it to eventually fade from history over the passage of time.

Yet, despite her efforts, Kushi had ultimately been tracked down.

“Kushi,” the leading man stated coldly, “do you truly believe your status as the boss’s daughter will shield you from us? The boss made it clear: if the Holy Garment is found, we are to retrieve it, even if the price is your life. We will not return empty-handed.”

He harbored no illusions that Kushi would simply discard such an item.

“I genuinely don’t know where it is,” the girl, Kushi, replied, her voice steady and her expression unperturbed, a testament to her superb acting skills. “It seems a thief made off with it when I left. If you doubt me, feel free to search this entire place.”

As their exchange continued, the “salted fish” (TL Note: A Chinese slang term for someone lazy or inactive, but here implying feigning helplessness or being in a state of passive observation) Leaf Su, still sprawled on the ground, hadn’t been idle. He silently switched to his GM (Game Master) profession, beginning to scan the character attributes of those present.

There were eight of them in total, their levels ranging from 25 to 30, a formidable group by the city’s standards. Yet, Leaf Su, now operating as a GM, felt no apprehension. In truth, he knew he could easily overpower them with a mere flick of his administrative powers.

As long as his own life wasn’t directly threatened, he preferred not to employ his GM abilities against mere mortals. GM powers, after all, were meant to crush bugs, not players.

“Alright, we’ll admit it,” the masked leader conceded, a hint of frustration in his tone. “We can’t actually kill you; those were just empty threats. However, if you refuse to surrender the Holy Garment, that child you tossed in earlier might not be so fortunate.”

Leaf Su fell silent, utterly speechless.

‘What the hell? He was literally lying on the ground, and still got caught in the crossfire (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘tǎngqiāng,’ meaning to be implicated innocently or caught in an unintended consequence)?’

****

To be continued.