I Level Up With In-app Purchases

I Raise With In-app Purchases – 25

 EP.25 She Put on High Heels (1)

“This is boring.”

“…I don’t think someone who’s breaking the training equipment that students are supposed to use one by one should be saying that.”

“It’s too easy. Isn’t there a higher level? Are today’s kids really this weak? It wasn’t like this in our time.”

The person grumbling about the past like an old-timer was Rebecca.

In the academy city, there were private training grounds for students, and Rebecca was currently complaining at one of these private training grounds.

During vacations, it was easy to rent private training grounds because most senior students went out for practicums.

The problem was that the private training grounds couldn’t keep up with Rebecca’s level.

I was pretending to be a customer of the private training ground, observing Rebecca’s actions.

“If you train them like that nowadays, it would be a big problem. Back then, the situation was so bad that we couldn’t afford to be picky, but it’s different now.”

The situation had stabilized to the point where the military service term had been reduced to ten years.

But Rebecca wasn’t happy with the current situation.

“I don’t like it! Just because the contamination rate isn’t increasing, people are complacent. Is it right to live with 60% of the land taken away? We should push forward and purify more land now that things are stable!”

“We can live well enough with the land we have now.”

No matter how much the human population increased, the places where people could live were limited.

Most of the contaminated areas were uninhabitable.

‘Most of it is the sea anyway.’

So, the military had shifted its goal from reducing the contamination rate to maintaining the status quo.

In fact, stabilizing the contamination rate in this world had already required the sacrifice of many nobles.

Nobles, tired of the long war, wanted to enjoy peace.

“No!! Not at all. I lost the desert because of that damn contamination. We need to take it back.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. The desert is your homeland.”

“Unless you’re directly affected, you’ll never understand why I want to go back to the desert, leaving this comfortable place.”

“I just don’t want to see you suffer. You can live comfortably here, so why go through the trouble?”

“I know, I know.”

Rebecca was disappointed that her friend didn’t understand her goal, but she also understood her friend’s perspective.

“Don’t worry about me. Are you going to keep living like this? You’ve succeeded enough, isn’t it time to stop hiding? Who else owns a private training ground of this size on such prime land? Those who gossip about you are just jealous. They’re pathetic.”

“Honestly, not getting into the military isn’t something to be proud of.”

Rebecca’s friend Sasha, who had attended the academy with her in the past, had started a business after failing to join the military due to a lack of skills.

No one likes joining the military, but there’s a big difference between not going and not being able to go.

‘You’ll be treated as a dishonorable loser.’

If you can’t get in, it means the military considers you useless and doesn’t want you at all.

Usually, when someone awakens, they develop a high immunity to most diseases, so if someone can’t join due to a chronic illness, it’s understandable.

But in Sasha’s case, she was rejected due to a lack of skills, which subjected her to all kinds of ridicule.

“If you’ve succeeded as much as you have, you should brag about it. While they were slaving away, you were succeeding magnificently! They’re having a reunion to celebrate their discharge, you should go and show off.”

“…I’m not planning to go.”

I, who had been practicing swordsmanship learned during my mercenary days, sighed involuntarily at Rebecca’s friend’s gloomy words.

‘This is frustrating too.’

Then Rebecca, with her fiery personality, spoke up.

“What kind of nonsense is that? You should go even more! Brag about how much money you’ve made. They’ll be so jealous they’ll go crazy.”

Seeing the private training ground would probably make them even more envious.

While some were slaving away in the military, others weren’t accepted and instead made a fortune during that time.

‘Not going would definitely be a loss.’

Those guys would probably get so mad they’d drink straight from the bottle.

Outwardly, they’d curse.

But the next day, they’d wake up and feel a sharp pain of reality.

And they’d be insanely jealous.

“Damn, what are we going to do about this girl’s low self-esteem? Excuse me.”

Could she be calling me?

My heart sank, thinking they had caught me eavesdropping on their conversation.

“Are you calling me?”

“Yes, I’m calling you, sir. You heard our conversation, right?”

“Well, it’s hard not to in this situation.”

The training ground was so large that any conversation echoed throughout.

“Sorry. We were too loud.”

The owner of the training ground apologized, but Rebecca seemed to think that wasn’t the important part.

“Since you heard, could you give us your opinion? She doesn’t believe what I’m saying.”

“Stop it! You’re being a nuisance.”

“What’s the nuisance? Are you uncomfortable?”

Honestly, when Rebecca spoke to me, I was scared, thinking she had caught me following them.

I cleared my throat and spoke to the owner of the training ground.

“No. I think going to the reunion is a good idea.”

“See!! Even this gentleman says you should go.”

“It might seem childish, but classics work well.”

“Exactly! Go there and show off your expensive clothes, jewelry, and handbags. The ones that others can’t easily get. You have a lot of expensive stuff in your wardrobe.”

“And maybe spruce up your appearance a bit. You’d look quite stunning.”

“Wow~ This guy knows his stuff.”

“If you go like that, you’ll steal the show.”

“!!!”

The owner of the training ground was shocked by my words, but Rebecca clenched her fist, agreeing enthusiastically.

“Right! That’s the thrilling part!”

Being rejected by the military due to a lack of skills meant that she didn’t have a normal school life.

It’s obvious she was looked down upon by other students because of her lack of skills.

“You’ve been invited, but it looks like someone else’s party. You need to turn that party upside down.”

“Wow~ Just imagining it gives me chills. Thinking about their faces crumpling.”

“And finally, you can end by saying, ‘If you ever need a private training ground, drop by~ As a friend, I’ll let you use it for free once.'”

Adding a smug grin would be the cherry on top.

Rebecca seemed to like my idea, slapping her thigh in approval.

“Hey, hey, listen to this guy. He’s got it right.”

The owner of the training ground also seemed to brighten up, imagining the revenge.

“Wouldn’t it be too obnoxious?”

“Everyone there already dislikes you.”

“Right. You were an outcast.”

“Hey…”

“They already hate you for no reason, so why not give them a reason to hate you?”

“Wow~ I really like this guy! Sir, since we’re here, let’s introduce ourselves. I’m Rebecca! I teach at the academy.”

“I’m Suhan. I run a general store.”

“Suhan? Cool name. Tell me where your general store is. I’ll visit next time! I thought Ash’s was the only general store around.”

“New customers are always welcome. It’s normal not to know since I haven’t been running the general store for long.”

“How old are you?”

“Thirty.”

“Oh! I’m thirty too. We’re the same age. Let’s drop the formalities!”

Rebecca’s straightforward suggestion made me shake my head.

“I’m a commoner.”

“Oh! Really? I thought you were a noble. And why can’t we drop formalities if you’re a commoner? It’s all about getting along. So, let’s be friends. Okay?”

Surprisingly, Rebecca didn’t make a big deal out of me being a commoner.

Students often used my age as an excuse to speak informally, but I thought it was necessary to be cautious with noble adults.

“Is this unusual? Is it common?”

“What’s the big deal whether you’re a commoner or a noble? If you get along, you can be friends, right? Probably?”

Rebecca tilted her head, unsure, then shrugged her shoulders.

Since she was the one suggesting we be comfortable, I thought there was no need to keep refusing.

“Well… let’s do that. No, let’s do it.”

“Me too! Please, I’d like that. Thank you for your advice.”

The owner of the training ground also bravely joined in.

“Of course, Sasha has to be included!!”

Rebecca patted the owner’s shoulder as if stating the obvious.

“Tell Suhan your name too.”

“I’m Sasha. No, call me Sasha.”

I hadn’t noticed because I was focused on Rebecca, but the owner of the training ground was exceptionally beautiful.

In this world, it’s rare to find someone beautiful unless they’re an SSR character.

But Sasha’s beauty was so striking that it was hard to believe she wasn’t an SSR character.

Her long, pink hair and eyes were so dazzling that I wondered why I hadn’t noticed her before.

However, her appearance was somewhat cold, giving off an unapproachable vibe without a smile.

‘When she’s not talking to Rebecca, she often has a cold expression.’

A private training ground run by a beautiful owner…

I finally understood why this place was so popular.

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***

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After the unexpected introduction to Rebecca and Sasha, we didn’t part ways immediately.

We finished our training and then moved on to have drinks.

It was Rebecca who first suggested having drinks.

It was clear that she really liked what I had said to Sasha.

Although it wasn’t something I had planned, building a rapport with Rebecca wasn’t a bad thing.

“Is your general store doing well? Should I promote it to the kids?”

Rebecca, feeling good after a few drinks, kept offering to promote my general store, saying she wanted to help.

“I can recommend it to our members too…”

Rebecca wasn’t the only one being a bit tipsy. Sasha, though more reserved, also wanted to help and confidently said she could promote it too.

“No, it’s fine. I’ve just made some friends I get along with, and I don’t want to create problems by mixing business with friendship. Even if the general store doesn’t do well, it’s not a problem for my livelihood. Running the store is just a hobby. If too many customers come, it’ll be a hassle.”

Of course, I refused because I didn’t want an influx of customers.

Although my inventory was overflowing with unsold items, I hadn’t opened the general store with the intention of selling everything.

Restocking items was also a labor-intensive task.