Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 96

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 96

I’d wondered about it before.
When Neia first stepped outside the Gate.
What her first reaction would be.
What exactly had I expected back then…?
Well, what’s the point thinking about it now.
The result’s already in.
And it wasn’t even the right answer.
“What are you doing?”
The moment we left the one-room apartment building, Neia closed her eyes and stood still.
At my question, she opened her eyes gently and spoke.
“I was analyzing the air quality.”
“Yeah? What were the results?”
“It’s not significantly different from where Nemesis is located. How curious.”
Neia recorded the analyzed data on her Hologram Notepad.
Then she swept her gaze around with the eye of an observer and spoke.
“I knew it from information, but the city’s aesthetics are better than I expected—though not quite as good as our city.”
“Anything else?”
I asked further, amused by her response.
Then Neia pointed to a street lamp.
“What about that?”
“It looks vulnerable to impact, and I understand its energy efficiency isn’t good either. If it were up to me, I’d fix that first.”
We could keep talking like this and it’d be entertaining.
But that’s enough for now.
Since someone else was going to join us, I started walking.
I grabbed Tia too—she’d been dozing off.
“Tia? Tia!”
“Y-yes! My apologies.”
Tia, jolted awake, followed after me.

After we properly began our journey and arrived at the rendezvous point.
The person joining us today was naturally Baek Jin-seong.
Unlike last time, he was coming along this time too.
Honestly, I invited him partly because I’d feel drained being the only man.
“Oh… Noona, this is my first time meeting you in person. I’m Baek Jin-seong!”
“Yes, hello, Player Baek Jin-seong.”
Baek Jin-seong tacked on more words, trying to butter her up.
“But I knew it beforehand, and your Korean is remarkably fluent for a foreigner.”
“In person, you’re not as ugly as I thought you’d be, either.”
Wait… that’s a compliment, right?
“Y-yes… Thank you.”
Whether she meant it or not,
Baek Jin-seong switched into gloom mode.
I gave his slumping shoulders a light tap and spoke.
“Come on, cheer up.”
“Yes…”
And with that, all our members had assembled.
I headed for that meat restaurant from before.
Honestly, I was curious about this too.
What reaction Neia would have when she tasted the melt-in-your-mouth meat.
She wouldn’t even dare think about Component Analysis, like when she ate dessert last time.
Because it really is incredibly delicious.
While we waited for the meat we ordered to arrive, Baek Jin-seong turned on the broadcast.

– Whoa, I just saw you earlier!
– Neia is so beautiful!
– You should pay triple taxes!

Taxes are already a headache.
Triple that and we’re bankrupt, you idiots.
In any case, I’ve become far too famous now.
Just getting to the meat restaurant was a series of mishaps.
I got waylaid twice in the middle and nearly drowned in a sea of autograph requests before clawing my way back out.

[… has donated.]
[… has donated.]
[… has donated.]

The voice chat continued unabated.

– Does Sermin like meat?
– Want me to buy you some meat?
– This is pretty rare…
Sermin, who’d been silent until now, opened her mouth for the first time.
“Tsk….”
Though it was hard to call it speech, strictly speaking.
It was the sound of genuine contempt.
Yet the viewers actually seemed to be enjoying it.
There really are all kinds of people in the world.
Paying good money to be treated like this.
And voice chat donations aren’t cheap, either.
“Your meat, as ordered. Please enjoy.”
The meat arrived.
Neia reached for the tongs without a second thought, but I smoothly intercepted her.
I handed the tongs to Baek Jin-seong.
“I’d really like Jin-seong to grill the meat for me today.”
Of course, no matter who it was—even Neia—
grilling meat shouldn’t pose any real problem.
But there’s no harm in being careful.
“Understood! I’ll stake my honor on your culinary satisfaction!”
It was just a Crisis Evasion Maneuver, but Baek Jin-seong looked positively moved.
I appreciate the enthusiasm, though…
Anyway, Baek Jin-seong grilled the meat and offered it to me.
Since he recommended it first, I tried it.
The others seemed to expect the same from me.
Mmm.
To be honest, it’s not quite as good as what Crail grilled the other day, but…
‘This is pretty excellent, actually.’
I placed some meat on Neia’s plate as well.
“Try it too, Neia.”
I watched her dip it lightly in salt and eat.
Why am I so nervous about this?
And then the next moment—
“It’s delicious.”
Huh…?
That’s far more ordinary than I expected.
Maybe it’s because she heard it after the Component Analysis incident last time.
Or perhaps she’s being mindful of the viewers.
Either way, it’s a bit disappointing.
The Component Analysis was actually more entertaining.

[… has donated.]
[… has donated.]
[… has donated.]

Still, the chat’s reaction was surprisingly positive.
– Look how gracefully she eats.
– It’s not just the posture, either. The way she handles the chopsticks has a certain elegance to it.
– So she really is from a wealthy family?

She’s an AI, though…
Not that I’d say it out loud. I swallowed the thought instead.
I turned my head next to look at Sermin.
The viewers were already pelting the chat with comments about her.

– Wow… she’s really going at it…
– Combat eating…
– But she knows her stuff? She’s using the sauce.
– What are you talking about? Hanwoo is meant for salt!

The chat was bickering over nothing.
Regardless, Sermin was inhaling meat at an incredible pace.
She picked up three pieces at a time as a baseline, sometimes four.
She might just break Ar’s record.
I managed to snag just a few pieces before Sermin devoured them all, then I woke Tia.
“Tia, open your mouth.”
“Mm….”
It never stopped being impressive.
The skill of sleeping with your ears still open.
I slipped the meat into her open mouth, and she started chewing automatically before her eyes snapped open.
“Seems like she’s enjoying it.”
Tia picked up her chopsticks and started eating on her own.
Watching her like that…
I was reminded of a tortoise eating broadcast I’d seen on MiTube recently.
It turned out eating was serious business, even for them.
I was contentedly watching all of this when—
“Commander, how are you finding it?”
Neia turned to me with a serious expression and asked.
“Hm?”
“We haven’t heard your assessment of the food yet.”
“Me? Well… it’s good?”
Here I was, disappointed by Neia’s gourmet critique for being too ordinary.
But when I tried to express myself, this was all I could manage.
Criticism really is…
surprisingly difficult.
“Baek Jin-seong?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Baek Jin-seong answered with a contented smile while grilling the meat, and then Neia spoke.
“I would like to grill some for you, Commander.”

* * *

I stopped Baek Jin-seong as he moved to hand over the tongs, caught in the moment’s momentum.
I had no idea what might happen if I let him pass them over, but for the sake of keeping this pleasant outing enjoyable, I had to decline.
But…

– Oh, she’s the perfect supporter, Neia.
– Does Neia cook well too?
– I don’t know what this is about, but it’s already fun. Let her do it!

Voice chats started flooding in.
As the stream’s tier climbed, the voice chat donations had become absurdly expensive.
The fact that they were dropping this kind of money on a simple outing video was almost surreal.
“Trust me, Commander. I confirmed that Baek Jin-seong grilled correctly.”
As I hesitated…
the chat exploded.

– Ugh, garbage.

[…has been forcibly expelled.]

At least Baek Jin-seong had expelled those who crossed the line.
But you can’t stem the tide of such a massive current.
I raised the white flag.
Besides, it seemed unfair to deny Neia the chance to do what she wanted, even if I was reluctant.
“Right then.”
Neia accepted the tongs and began grilling with grim determination.
Sizzle-sizzle.
Come to think of it, there was nothing to worry about.
If anything went wrong, I could just stop her right away, couldn’t I?
So I watched calmly.
And contrary to my fears—
what followed was utterly ordinary meat grilling.
If anything, the way she flipped it with such focus seemed almost to suggest she was enjoying herself.
“Here, please try this.”
I swallowed hard and accepted it from her.
“Hmm?”
It was delicious.
So you knew your way around cooking after all.
“How is it?”
“It’s good….”
“I’m sorry it wasn’t better.”
Was she showing off a little?
Well, not that I’d blame her.
The shift in her demeanor was subtle, but noticeable enough for me to catch.
It was a pleasant sight, in any case.
After that, the rest of dinner passed quite pleasantly.
Though if I’m honest, most of that time was spent coaxing Sermin to let go of the chopsticks she refused to put down.
“You really don’t need anything?”
After the meat restaurant, we stopped by the large department store, just as we had before.
I’d planned to buy gifts for everyone.
I’d decided on clothes for Neia and Tia.
But Sermin didn’t seem particularly interested.
“I’m grateful for the thought alone.”
Tia and Neia had moved ahead into the store with Baek Jin-seong and were shopping separately for a moment.
After leaving the restroom, I browsed through various items with Sermin rather than rushing to join them, taking advantage of the separation.
“Still, just pick something—anything at all.”
“If you insist on giving me a gift, then I shall choose this.”
Chocolate.
Had the one I’d given her before really pleased her that much?
I picked it up anyway.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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