Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Cuteness*2
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Cheon I-ryeong's gate subjugation count: 324...?
I looked up at Jin Tae-san, doubting my eyes at that unbelievable number.
"It's recorded correctly."
This is right?
"Hasn't it only been two years since gates started appearing?"
"That's correct."
365 days in a year.
In other words, the records showed that Cheon I-ryeong had subjugated a gate nearly every other day since becoming a hunter.
But does this even make sense logically?
It's not like you can just head to gates after climbing a bit in the lower tower floors. She must have gone after growing to a certain level.
Does she have two bodies or something?
"As you can see, Cheon I-ryeong shows an obsessive attachment to gates. The reason is probably tied to her father, Colonel Cheon Ki-hoon, who died in action during the initial gate outbreak."
"Some grudge against monsters?"
"That's part of it, but there's also the fact that she takes after Colonel Cheon so much. In life, he was a true soldier who devoted himself to protecting the country... no, the people."
Back when gates first erupted.
While awakened hunters were confused and people were gripped by fear, the military stepped up first to seal off the gates.
It started with reconnaissance.
But every search team sent in lost contact, and the military eventually gave up trying to grasp the situation inside the gates.
What followed was direct strikes on the gates.
Gunfire had no effect whatsoever, so next they planted explosives around the perimeter and detonated them.
The gate was destroyed as a result, but everything within a 1 km radius vanished without a trace in the gate's explosion aftermath.
'So she got caught up in that incident.'
Later, in the US, they tried bombing a gate that appeared in the middle of the Mojave Desert with missiles, and the outcome was disastrous.
A 50 km radius of glass desert.
The immense heat from the massive explosion turned the desert sand into sharp shards of glass, creating a land of death.
As a result, modern gate handling relies entirely on hunters, with the military and hunters coordinating defenses only in areas where subjugation fails and erosion begins.
"But why are you showing this to me...?"
If it's to say I should work this hard too, that's a bit troubling. No matter how you look at it, this isn't humanly possible.
How does a person live like this? On top of guild duties, she climbs the tower regularly too. What kind of stamina is that?
"Before launching the association, we approached Cheon I-ryeong first to appoint her as association chair."
"A position like association chair... isn't it usually filled by politicians, you know, government officials?"
Which means you, Minister Jin Tae-san.
Why do you keep trying to offload the association chair position onto others?
"Shouldn't we leave it to the experts? Plus, it would be easier for people who have little trust in the government to accept."
Trust in the government had indeed plummeted.
But seeing as this uncle tried to foist the association chair role on me too, calling me cute or whatever, it's hard to fully trust him.
"Anyway, looking at what Cheon I-ryeong has done, it's clear she didn't build her guild just for power and wealth. Amid the mushrooming guilds and their intensifying rivalries and conflicts, it feels right that she's aiming to protect broader areas."
Jin Tae-san took a moment to catch his breath before swiping the tablet screen to show a summary document on Heavenly Flame Guild's support for other guilds' territories.
"96 times..."
"Heavenly Flame is the only guild that provides near-free support to others when high-rank gates beyond their capacity appear. Typical major guilds would monopolize the rewards from such gates, but Heavenly Flame only takes a set fee and a certain percentage."
...At this point, maybe I should just hand over the Saintess title attached to me to Cheon I-ryeong.
"But she refused?"
"Yes. Probably because she lost her father due to the government's early mishandling, Heavenly Flame has little trust in the government too. She listened at first, but now even contact is difficult."
"So you're asking me to act as a bridge?"
"Heh, you catch on quick. Yes. Since Iroha seems to have ties to Heavenly Flame Guild, I'm shamelessly asking."
"Even if I ask, I doubt it would make much difference."
If anything, wouldn't they get offended?
It'd be like the recruit they wanted turning around and recruiting them instead. They might even curse me to my face.
"It won't be like that."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Well, because she's cute—kidding. Call it this old man's intuition. Heh."
I furrowed my brow at yet another lame joke, and Jin Tae-san swiftly changed the subject. But that didn't make it a proper answer.
"The association has secured a winning hand with Iroha's presence, but we lack the capital to expand the board. We don't have enough leverage to pressure uncooperative guilds. But with S-rank hunter Cheon I-ryeong and the Saintess Iroha as deterrents, the association could mobilize for swift gate subjugations."
"Mm... I get it."
I've suffered from gates left unattended due to guild turf wars myself, so I understood what Jin Tae-san meant.
It was about creating a control tower to cut down on pointless waste.
"But don't count on it for sure. I'll just pass along the message."
Heavenly Flame probably knows I've temporarily joined the association, but it's proper etiquette to visit in person and get their understanding.
And relay Jin Tae-san's words while I'm at it.
Understanding both sides' positions, I decided to do what I could from my spot.
"Thank you. You've put my mind at ease. Oh, and this is the ID and documents I mentioned before."
The document folder Jin Tae-san handed over contained my ID, resident registration extract, real estate sales contract, and more.
'...Starts with a 4.'
My male identity, which started with a 3, was completely denied and erased by that single digit 4.
I'd accepted it thinking I needed a proper identity, but seeing it right in front of me left a bitter taste.
Now, aside from my inner self, I was fully a woman.
Hiding the bitterness, I parted ways with Jin Tae-san and returned to my new sweet home via the passageway.
Five-minute commute.
Luxury two-story house in a super convenient location.
Plus, 300 million won a month with no actual work.
Okay, feeling better now.
Even with the TS, the fruits of those efforts weren't so bad.
There's even a small pool in the yard. Nice.
"(๑˃ꇴ˂๑)"
Dal-i seemed excited too, exploring the house here and there before discovering the pool, filling it up herself, and jumping in.
Her splashing around leisurely, floating on her back, was so cute I considered joining her,
but
'Oh, I don't have a swimsuit.'
No way someone like me, with barely any daily clothes, would have one.
Let alone a swimsuit... that's tough.
I haven't even tried skirts yet. A swimsuit?
This calls for a national crisis-level decision.
Leaving Dal-i, who played well on her own, I finished touring the house and soon felt tired again, lying down on the big bed in the upstairs master room.
I fiddled in my pocket and pulled out the orb-shaped item, shining it around under the lamp.
"Hmm, I got it, but how do I use it?"
As if answering, a beam of light suddenly scanned me from the orb, and it floated up lightly beside me.
Oh, did it work?
The orb followed quietly beside me, matching my movements.
So this is the one that provides automatic defense?
It felt like my life was getting more and more automated, but once you taste auto, it's hard to go back.
People always crave x2, x4 speeds on top of that.
'It can turn into a weapon too?'
Somehow, the usage felt similar to my Drawing skill, so I imagined a sleek, beautifully straight sword.
The orb scattered into tiny fragments like rice grains, flew up, and formed a silver-white sword in my hand.
"Whoa, insane, whoa."
All I could say was whoa.
This is totally like nanobots or something.
Having something straight out of a hero movie under my control made my heart swell.
The weightless lightness remained, and though I hadn't swung it, the sharpness of its aura was palpable.
When I casually let go of the sword and shook my hand, it scattered again with a rustle and reformed into the orb, staying by my side.
Hooked now, I tried changing it into an axe, spear, bow, and more, mimicking a weapon master.
'Wonder about the defense function.'
Probably not shooting something.
Maybe it forms a shield in midair to block?
To test it, I'd have to enter the tower and deliberately take a hit, but that scared me a bit.
Feels like a leap of faith with my life on the line?
Still, the weapon transformation part thrilled me to no end.
Magic swordsman. How could I resist?
I might not manage it right away, but I can't give up on the dream of dragon-riding magic swordsman!
After a satisfying demo of the orb, I turned to my new skill, Decalcomania.
A technique for creating symmetrical images as a skill? How does this work? I tried creating a flame experimentally—without any mana drain, another flame appeared.
"...One more appeared?"
It copies magic!
I dispersed the flames and tried it on the orb. If it works on magic, maybe... I can duplicate an S-rank item? Money cheat?!
But the orb showed no reaction to Decalcomania.
Disappointed, I kept trying with the orb in the center when Dal-i, back from her pool play, got curious about the floating orb and poked it with her tiny hand.
"“( ;°Д°) ”"
The orb between us, and Dal-i duplicated by Decalcomania.
"( ｣｡╹o╹｡)｣"
"L( ｡╹o╹｡L)"
Two Dal-is mirroring each other like a reflection.
Which one's the real one...?
"...Dal-i?"
"“(・0・)/”"
Both raised their hands.