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SIS Book 4 Chapter 65: Dinner and Daryl Crowthorne
🕑 Added 2020-09-11 23:39:03 +0000 UTC
"Where, going?" Madison asked as she walked hand-in-hand alongside Daz down the sidewalk of Seoul's surprisingly busy streets.
He smiled at her and answered, "Well, for now I think we should get some dinner. But when it's late into the evening? Well, a place called Bukchon Hanok Village."
Madison tilted her head and Mr Barrier followed suit. "Don't, know."
"It's fine. You'll find out about it when we get there," Daz replied mysteriously.
He had spent a good few hours preparing for this date when he knew he'd be coming to Korea with Madison.
His time spent reflecting on the Ember of Love had led him to a decision, a very important one at that. Daz wanted for nothing to go wrong tonight, and, to be fair, he didn't expect anything to.
Madison glanced from the sidewalk to Daz a few times before her cheeks turned rosy. "You, nice, in, casual, clothes. Always, in, gear."
Daz raised an eyebrow before chuckling. "I figured if we were going on a date I should at least dress for the occasion."
Instead of his usual Travelling Gear of Altros, right now Daz was adorned in a simple white shirt which he tucked into a sleek pair of grey slacks. His sleeves were rolled up, showing off his muscled arms.
He was also wearing a simply fedora-styled straw hat. That was mostly there to hide his halo. He wanted tonight to be about him and Madison, not about random strangers recognising him and bothering them during their date.
In fact, he wanted their time together to go so smoothly that he had even changed his status with false details and he was ready to allow any attempts to identify him to succeed. His hopes there would be that anyone curious enough would see that he was moderately powerful but not anyone super special.
Madison, on the other hand, contrary to her usual attire - a pair of denim shorts and a plaid shirt - was currently wearing a silky blue satin dress.
It was a bit frilly, it exposed her back and it only went down to her knees but Daz seemed to like it so she happily wore it. He'd gifted it to her only a few days ago, after all. So while she wasn't used to wearing something so fancy she didn't mind if it made Daz happy.
Before long, the pair had made their way to a fancy newly-furbished restaurant which usually required a week in advance reservation according to Ho Ran. Thankfully, his grandmother had arranged VIP access for them.
Ho Ran was actually more than willing to bend the arm of the restaurant's owner to let Daz have his date here. A date was a good sign to her that he was a more normal individual than most Hamilios.
If breaking a rule or two to let him have a date with his girlfriend could help foster that more human side of him, then who was she to deny that considering her own goals?
"Good evening, sir, madam," the restaurant's hostess said in fluent English to Daz and Madison.
She was a stunning Korean beauty who could give even Ho Ran a run for her money. "May I have your reservation number?"
'English is helpful since Maddy never got the All Language Comprehension skill,' Daz thought as he shook his head lightly. "We don't have one. I was told to just give you our names." He leaned in then whispered, "I'm Daz and this is my date tonight, Madison McArthur, but call me Daryl and her Maddy."
Madison blushed as she tightened her grasp on Daz's arm. It felt good to be called his 'date'. Something about this entire situation despite it being a bit of a public show of affection made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
"Ah, of course." The hostess smiled then used her arm to point further into the restaurant. "We've been expecting you. Please, follow me to your seats."
Daz nodded and led Madison through the fancy and decadent front room of the building as he followed the woman who was maybe a few years older than he was.
During the walk through the restaurant, Daz felt himself getting identified several times by the other patrons. He assumed they were powerful hunters or important figures of the city since this place was so high class.
This was exactly why he had made a fake name for himself on his status for tonight; Daryl Crowthorne. He really was quite fond of his mother's maiden name and he'd been considering adopting it as his official surname for a while now after his chat with Master Merit a month ago. Regardless, that wasn't of much relevance right now.
He, as planned, allowed all attempts to view his status and from the initial look of things, no one seemed to be following up on their investigation by approaching them. 'Perfect,' he thought.
Before long they were seated in a private VIP section of the establishment that was flush with ice-sculptures and exotic potted plants.
Low and harmonious music flowed into their ears as the hostess took their order. "Excellent choices, sir, madam. Could I interest you in some of our fine wines to accompany your meal?"
Daz shook his head. "No, thank you. It takes a lot to get us drunk considering our stats. Fruit juice is fine, right, Maddy?"
She nodded, resulting in Mr Barrier bobbing around a bit. "Mmm, juice."
"Of course. I'll be back in a moment," the hostess said before bowing her head then leaving.
Daz reached over the table and held Madison's hand in his as he smiled softly. "This place is nice. We never got to go out for dates when we were kids, did we?"
"Mmm. You, school, and, Rose. Me, Rose, then, training," Madison answered sadly before smiling with her eyes. "But, now, chance. Happy."
"Haha, I'm happy too," Daz slowly answered. He paused for a moment as he looked at Madison's face and stared into her bright green eyes. "You're gorgeous, you know? I don't think I've ever told you that but I truly do think you're the most beautiful person I've ever seen."
Madison lowered her head bashfully. Could she show expressions, no doubt she'd be smiling faintly. Instead, she whispered back, "Daz, handsome, too. But, that, not, matter. What, inside, matters."
"I agree, but it certainly isn't a bad thing you're so pretty," Daz chuckled. "Well, I guess it attracts other men to you like Steven and Idris. I'm just very happy to know that no matter how hard things get, you'll always be here for me."
Madison pouted with her eyes. "It, annoying. Only, Daz's, girlfriend. Happy, you, only, look, me, though."
"And I always will," Daz replied. "On that note, I have something I'd like to give you later on tonight. Maybe after our meal. Look forward to it, okay?"
Madison beamed with her eyes. "Mmm! Will!"
***
"It's amazing you could handle a B-rank gate solo, Oppa," a dazzling young woman said to the hunter sat next to her.
"Haha, it was nothing. I'm not an A-rank hunter for nothing," the handsome man answered as he took a refined bite of his steak. "All it took was a bit of effort and focus, really."
The woman continued to fawn over him for a while until she noticed his gaze glaze over, however, this glaze was different from the kind commonly found when viewing system screens.
She followed his eyes and saw that he was staring at a pair of foreigners who were being led through the restaurant by the main hostess herself, no less.
"Who're they?" she asked curiously.
The A-rank hunter shook his head slowly. "I'm not sure, but for foreigners to get a reservation here and to personally have Hostess Hyun-mi serving them... they should be pretty important."
His answer was a bit plain and obvious but he didn't care. His eyes were glued to the blonde-haired and green-eyed foreigner. She was, in his opinion, perhaps the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life before.
She was a little bit on the young side but he was only 25 himself, so that could be overlooked considering his status.
Something about her cold and cool expression along with her exposed luscious white skin and slightly toned muscles just ticked every box for the man. Needless to say, he thought she was drop-dead gorgeous.
Slowly his eyes drifted to the man by her side. 'That guy's so ordinary looking, even by foreigner standards. Maybe he's a little bit handsome but no more so than your average guy who works out. Let's see who he is... Higher Identification.'
His skill was met with no resistance and the man's status was displayed before his eyes.
[Daryl Crowthorne's Status
Basic Information
Name: Daryl Crowthorne
Species: Human
Race: Higher Human
Age: 20
Sex: Male
Class: Shovel Knight
Affinity: Lawful Neutral
Description
Daryl was an ordinary college dropout who gained great fortune from the system's coming.
With luck, wit and skill he has become the foreign ambassador of the freshly founded kingdom, New Earth.
Owns a system-sanctioned mercenary license and is currently a Mark-4 mercenary.
Energies
Lifeforce: 25,000/25,000
Worldforce: 5,500/5,500
Stats
Strength: [LR] 1,500(1,800)
Dexterity: [LR] 1,200(1,440) | Item Boost: +50.
Constitution: [LR] 1,750(2,100)
Intelligence: 800
Transparency: [LR] 400
Agility: [LR] 800
Charisma: [LR] 600 | Item Boost: +15.
Defence: [LR] 1,800
Immunity:100
Patience: 400
Luck: [LR] 300 | Item Boost: +375.
Fate: 200]
The A-rank hunter scratched his chin as he grinned. 'He's got a few stats that have reached their limit and he's evolved once but he seems to be kind of luck and magic focused. Plus, his weapon seems to be a shovel. He also isn't a hunter, which makes him inherently weaker. I've never heard of the mercenary system but I shouldn't underestimate it.'
'He's probably about as strong as a high-class C-ranker. Someone like him shouldn't be escorted someone as perfect as her,' the hunter thought to himself. 'It takes a skilled botanist to handle a delicate flower, after all.'
He got up and paid for his and his guest's meals before he walked further into the restaurant, chasing after 'Daryl' and his partner.
Rather quickly he was stopped by an employee. "Sir, you can't go in there. That is a VIP room that's been booked by some very important guests of President Ho."
"I know. The foreign ambassador, right? I want to meet him. Let him know who I am and that I just want to chat briefly," the hunter said, hiding his true intentions.
The employee frowned but nodded. Offending an A-ranked hunter was above his paygrade, after all. He got another employee to watch the hunter as he left and found the head hostess.
Not long later, he returned and shook his head. "Hostess Hyun-mi bothered the guests inside and relayed your message. The guests inside say they do not wish to be disturbed. If you have business with them you should find them 2-days from now, is what they suggested. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave now, sir."
'A weakling like him dares to refuse to talk to me? Ambassador or not I should be given some respect. Surely he knows how powerful us hunters are here in our United Korea...' The hunter pushed past the employee a but briskly.
"Sir! You can't do this! You'll be barred from the restaurant!" the employee raised his voice in hopes of not angering the guests on the other side of the door.
Granted, an A-rank hunter was of incredible status and he was very important but Hostess Hyun-mi had made it very clear to him that the couple enjoying dinner in the VIP room weren't only foreign dignitaries, but also close associates of the president herself!
When it came down to upsetting an A-ranked hunter or the leader of all United Korea, well, the employee wouldn't really consider that to be an actual choice. It was obvious who he should support.
Still, he couldn't hope to match the hunter's strength. Like a bull in a china shop, the hunter barged right through the employees and then the door, interrupting the two guests who were happily chatting with one another as they ate gourmet meals.
'Daryl' turned to glance at the room's intruder and he frowned. "Can we help you? Are you lost, perhaps?"
The employee gulped as he watched the A-ranked hunter's expression go from annoyed to infuriated. 'This is not good... Why are there always bad eggs amongst the powerful? I hope the guest can defend himself because I don't see this going any other way than violent given this particular hunter's reputation...'
