Chapter 280 - The Strongest Equipped with both Light and Dark (5)
“Dad!”
“Don’t call me that when you have guests.”
As soon as Vita, who was making cocktails under Claire’s supervision, saw Kang Shin-hyuk, she called out for him with a large smile. It was undeniably cute how her attitude had changed just because he had allowed her to call him dad.
“It’s okay because we don’t have one now. Please stroke my hair.”
“Yes, yes.”
Kang Shin-hyuk put down the glass and shaker and patted Vita, who flourished her bartender’s outfit. She was wearing the exact same thing as Claire.
“Cute.”
How happy and cute was this child to resemble her parents? If only she looked younger, he could admit it.
“Isn’t it? It’s a bit too difficult to see her as a daughter.”
“I thought the same thing.”
“I am your daughter.”
Vita’s cheeks puffed up as she asserted herself.
“So, how is it?”
“Yes, she seems to make them better than you.”
“You lie...”
“Because I’ve been making them for ten years in Cy Zenon. Other than that, shooting and slashing.”
“The cyberpunk world?”
There was no change in Vita’s face as she spoke of Cy Xenon. It wasn’t because she was an android, but that she seemed to have completely regained her composure.
“What about the nanobots?”
“I’m in control of them. I gave them to my mom too.”
“Woohoo, you can expect it. You’ll probably be surprised.”
Cy Xenon left deep darkness for Kang Shin-hyuk but a legacy of ultra-high technology for Claire. For Claire, who originally created and controlled machines with her alchemy, nanobots brought about a change like attaching wings to a tiger. It would be difficult if others discovered the existence of the nanobots, but she could pretend it was her own kind of ability.
“How’re you? That sword...”
“Right. I’m worried that it will pollute your mind.”
“Oh, it’s contaminated.”
“Yes?!”
Vita’s eyes went wide, and Claire grabbed onto his shoulder with a panicked expression.
“Tell me, how can I help you...!”
“Calm down, Claire.”
He explained to them that in obtaining the sword, he absorbed all the magic of Cy Xenon and acquired Dark Mastery that exceeded the current limit. And, according to the administrator, that Dark Mastery had some influence on his personality... He also mentioned the possibility that he had been influenced by Light Mastery as well.
“So you were so determined to Eunah because of that.”
“Maybe.”
“Eun... Oh, Shin Eunah. She is strong, but a little strange.”
“Don’t say that in front of her.”
Shin Eunah wouldn’t react well.
“If you’re ready, let’s open it now. Oh, did you eat?”
“I came after eating.”
“Okay, then, stay in the hall today.”
Since Vita said she was better than him, he couldn’t even complain about it. The day he was freed from this bar job had finally come. That was great since he decided to open an artifact shop with Lee Na-hee after graduation. It wouldn’t be possible to do all that and keep up with Masked Bacchus.
‘Besides, Claire wasn’t the one who originally wanted to run a bar here.’
If her own desire to open the cocktail bar was about 30%, the remaining 70% was worrying about Eunah or her interest in Kang Shin-hyuk. And now that most of it had been resolved, that 30% was the only thing holding her to this bar. Now she had an agent that could protect and run the bar for her. While thinking about that, he changed into his Shin Eun-hyuk outfit and headed to the door.
“Then, open?”
“I’m ready.”
“No, you’re not ready yet.”
“Yes? Mom?”
As Vita clenched her fists to express her determination, Claire tied her hair into a ponytail, then approached Vita and tied her hair into a twin tail for some reason. Maybe she wanted to divide them into bartenders 1 and 2? He was afraid if he got close now, she would tie up his hair into thirds, so he changed the sign to open and sat a little farther from them.
“It’s my first time taking on the hall. Should I clean it up?”
Vita, who was alternating between touching her twin-tails, replied with a slight smile.
“If it’s cleaning, it’s already been done perfectly. I’ve used nanobots to make the environment more comfortable for humans...”
“It feels like they’re more and more versatile, but can you cook with it?”
“I can.”
“It was really all-around useful.”
However, this level wasn’t possible from the start, and after receiving reinforcement from Kang Shin-hyuk’s trait (it became permanent), a secondary mutation occurred from Onyx’s gold magic. Finally, Claire changed her traits. Such a universal machine could only be completed after the structure of the nanobot was repaired. Kang Shin-hyuk thought about it, and after confirming no customers were coming, he turned to Claire.
“Would that be better for Na-hee senior with her runes?”
“Engraving a rune? It’s too small to be easy.”
“So let’s try it.”
“Nanobots are something on the marketplace... Of course, I was thinking about it too.”
Lee Na-hee’s trait was quite similar to Claire’s in how it was used. Going into the details, it was different, but they could use similar tactics because the expression of their abilities was similar. Lee Na-hee’s rapid growth hadn’t just been because of his trait, but also because she learned many things from Claire.
“But the official handing over will be after Na-hee graduates.”
“Yes, that would be great.”
“This isn’t easy to handle. In the meantime, I have to teach... Ah.”
-Tingle
“Unnie, I’m here!”
As they talked, Lim Ha-yeon, a regular at the bar, opened the door and entered. Young men and women were rushing in behind her, apparently members of the guild she belonged to.
“Eun-hyuk is here today! One French kiss... Oh, wait a minute!”
Lim Ha-yeon tilted her head and looked over at Vita.
“There’s another beautiful unnie?”
“Oh, there is.”
“Wait a minute, don’t rush. Maybe this one doesn’t have a boyfriend? Please tell me it’s so.”
“All those who came to hit on the bartender, leave.”
Claire protected Vita carefully from their guests. Kang Shin-hyuk smiled bitterly while he forced the guests to sit down.
“As everyone knows, I’m going to be a little busy in the future.”
“That’s right; he became the No. 2 in the world.”
“No, why are you here? You’re No. 2.”
“Ah, I almost forgot.”
Kang Shin-hyuk sometimes had to field the same questions Shin Eunah received.
“In the future, Vita will be here when I’m not around?”
“Vita? It’s an exotic name.”
“What is your relationship with the Empress?”
“No way, is this bar getting stronger again? What the hell are you doing here?”
“Is that a new member of Masked Bacchus?”
Among those with black hair and gold eyes, Shin Eunah was the most famous, so it wasn’t unreasonable to think of her upon seeing Vita.
“No, I have nothing to do with the Thunder Empress. If you are looking for something with a relationship to me...”
Vita glanced at Kang Shin-hyuk, refraining from calling him by his name since she noticed that the guests were using a different one for him. The reaction of the guests was spectacular.
“No, again? Again!”
“Hey, hey!”
“Bridget Poulsen, and now this?!”
“Bartender, the new bartender is aiming for your boyfriend!”
“Did you two break up? Then, can’t I-“
As Vita’s eyes widened at their reaction, Claire used her alcoholic jellies to hit the customers.
“It’s not like that, so order. And since we haven’t broken up, don’t aim for my boyfriend.”
“The guard is hard.”
“Then, a vodka martini! Shaken!”
“Vita, shoot him in the head.”
It was still early evening, but the tension was like everyone already had been drinking. When Kang Shin-hyuk sighed and looked at Vita, she looked happy.
“I like this bar.”
“Huh, thank you.”
Claire began to laugh too. Kang Shin-hyuk was relieved to see Vita act so skillfully. He was like a parent seeing his child off to kindergarten for the first time.
-Hmm... 700,000HP bonus!
“What else are you evaluating?”
So when the last guest left, and it was time to close the bar, Claire realized an important problem. Usually, the two of them organized things and went up to the room on the second floor... She couldn’t have a good time with Kang Shin-hyuk with Vita there like this! Claire became a bit impatient as she realized this.
“Uh, Vita, aren’t you sleepy?”
“No? Mom, I don’t need to sleep...”
“Claire...”
Kang Shin-hyuk sighed as Claire’s botched containment operation continued. However, as Kang Shin-hyuk wondered how to behave with Vita, Vita’s face suddenly turned red.
“I just got sleepy. I’ll go to bed first.”
“...”
“...”
Of course, Kang Shin-hyuk and Claire were just as red.
“Vita seems to be ruined already, but she needs to learn a lot of common sense.”
“Yeah...”
When Claire gave up on excusing herself, someone suddenly appeared in the middle of the bar.
“Claire, a drink.”
“Ah...”
“Junior, come and listen. Today, I was very upset at the association...”
“No, why did you come this late and start complaining about work...?”
The reward for kicking out Vita vanished before them.