Monster Wave - 3
“Um... excuse me, Ms. Go Yeon-ju?”
It was a bit disconcerting. Do we really look that weird? With that thought, I took an objective look at our group. Me in my red Steelman suit, Seon-woo in blue, and Si-yeon in yellow. Come to think of it, we didn't look like Steelman at all—we looked like something out of a Japanese sentai show...
“D-Do you know me?”
“Didn't you see us coming through there?”
“I did, but... Ah! Then are you Si-woo?”
“Yeah, that's me.”
I said that while twisting the round helmet plate to show my face. It was hilarious when Seon-woo did it... but doing it myself felt kinda embarrassing for real. I should recruit some mechanical engineering majors as territory residents.
“W-Wow.”
“Don't overdo it. You've already screamed your head off.”
“Th-That was just because it was so sudden.”
“Well, we've learned from you that our visuals are shocking enough to warrant that. Right, Si-yeon?”
“Hmph!”
Si-yeon seemed pretty sulky. She'd have been thrilled if the one screaming at her masterpiece was a monster, but it was Go Yeon-ju.
“Um... did I do something wrong?”
At that moment, Seon-woo burst out laughing heartily.
“Nah, it's just that she made these suits. Haha. She might get a little hurt, but what can you do?”
I get it now. No wonder that blockhead never had a girlfriend... or does he have one now? That's the real surprise.
“N-No, sorry about that.”
Then Si-yeon took off her helmet and spoke up.
“I'm Choi Si-yeon. Si-woo's one and only little sister. Nice to meet you, Ms. Go Yeon-ju.”
Smack! Seon-woo whacked the back of Si-yeon's head.
“Hey! That's no way to talk to your elder!”
That guy's got zero tact, the so-called Korean specialty. He can't be Korean. No Korean would act like that.
“Oppa, you don't want to wear my gear anymore, do you?”
At Si-yeon's icy tone, Seon-woo finally grew a brain and shut his trap.
“S-Sorry. I was just surprised. This is a Steelman suit, right? I never imagined anyone could make something like this. Your skills are no joke, Si-yeon. I want one myself. Haha.”
Si-yeon's eyes lit up at that.
“I'll make you a pink one.”
“No, not pink...”
“Pink!”
“Yes, ma'am...”
And just like that, Go Yeon-ju became our No. 4 Pink. She looked like she might cry, but she'd come around. Even if the suits looked embarrassing, their performance was top-notch.
“By the way, how much time until the monster wave?”
“About an hour, they said.”
“What about the other hunters?”
“It's just my family and fellow celebrities, so combat-wise...”
“Officially, Ms. Go Yeon-ju's territory has become a sub-territory of our Siho Territory. The gate acknowledged it, which is why a gate from our side opened here. See that?”
I pointed to the gate we'd come through, and Go Yeon-ju nodded.
“Yeah, I see it.”
“Want to try crossing over?”
“Sure.”
As Go Yeon-ju walked toward the gate to step through—
Requesting movement from -92AC Gate to 73A Gate. Do you permit?
I paused, wondering what this meant. There'd been no permission request when we crossed over. But now, for her to go from here to our gate, I had to approve it.
“Hold on a sec.”
“Okay.”
“Seon-woo, hop over to our gate and back.”
“Huh? Got it.”
Seon-woo quickly crossed to our gate. No request popped up. He came back—no request. That meant one thing: residents of sub-territories couldn't use gates freely. We, as upper-territory affiliates including Seon-woo, could come and go as we pleased, but for Jeju Gate residents to enter our Siho Territory, they needed my permission. It distinguished—or discriminated between—main and sub-territory folks. Seemed minor, but it was subtle hierarchy. And honestly, it made sense. If sub-territory people could roam the main freely, there'd be no difference. Probably more restrictions in place.
“Anyway, Yeon-ju, let's go together. Looks like I need to bring our knight order.”
“K-Knight order?”
“Yeah. But don't freak out. Our territory's knights are orcs.”
“Whoa!”
She actually seemed excited. Orc otaku or something?
“Not scared?”
“Nope! An orc knight order sounds cool.”
“You like orcs?”
“I like the ones from novels. Never seen real ones, though.”
“Ours don't bite.”
“Heh. Sounds like how I always talk about Yeppe to others.”
“It's the truth.”
“Anyway, let's go. Time's short.”
“Yes!”
I left Si-yeon and Seon-woo in Jeju Territory and crossed back with Go Yeon-ju. Then I called Kar-dok.
Krak!
Kar-dok, decked out in full plate mail, approached and saluted by thumping his right fist twice over his left chest— the orc knight order's formal greeting. Go Yeon-ju stared at him in surprise, then at me.
“Kar-dok, we're deploying. Bring the knight order.”
Krak!
Kar-dok mounted his gray wolf and blew a long blast on his horn pipe. Responses echoed from all around. Soon, the orc knight order appeared.
Thum-thum-thum-thum.
The orcs charged in, beating drums strapped to their sides—who knew when they'd prepped. It was a spectacular sight. Go Yeon-ju gaped at them. Made me feel oddly proud.
“Our sub-territory is about to face a monster invasion. We deploy to defend it! Any questions?”
Krak!
“Then follow me.”
Krak!
It felt a bit embarrassing, but for their first deployment, it had to be done. The elders watched and clapped as the orcs marched out. No one thought we'd lose—otherwise, they'd be worried. I nodded to the elders and my parents before leading the orc knight order through the Jeju Gate. Thought about bringing our high schoolers too, but they needed more growth first.
“You'll get used to it.”
“To me?”
“To the orcs.”
“I'm a pumpkin fan.”
“Heh, I like pumpkins too.”
Go Yeon-ju seemed way more relaxed than at first.
Nyaang.
For some reason, Hoya called me pathetic. Whatever—good is good.
Back through the Jeju Gate, Seon-woo was laughing heartily amid the celebrities. And Si-yeon was glued to an idol?
“You have idol friends?”
“Didn't know? I'm an ex-idol myself.”
“Oh, right.”
Yeah, Go Yeon-ju was an actress from idol days. Made sense she'd know idols.
“But those folks have low levels...”
“They're here to help in their own way. This place is paradise for them.”
“Huh?”
“No prying eyes from the outside.”
“Ah.”
I got it. Celebrities get tons of love but also overwhelming attention. Can't go anywhere alone, always trailed by crowds. But inside a gate? Total freedom. No unapproved outsiders could enter anyway. Could be a real haven for them. Plus, coastal views—mountains behind, beach in front. Glamorous tents like at glamping sites, log cabins under construction. They'd been treating it like a resort.
Observation showed most under level 20. Still coming to help showed loyalty.
“We can just watch for now anyway.”
“Yes! Come this way. Let me introduce you.”
“No need to—”
“You're the grand lord, right?”
Fair point. They were basically my residents too.
“Hurry.”
“Okay.”
Go Yeon-ju led me before the group.
“This is the lord of the grand territory I'm entrusting mine to. Bet you've had the pineapple and watermelon juice here? He's the owner of that gate.”
“Wow!”
They cheered at the weirdest part. Probably my imagination.
“Nice to meet you. Go Yeon-ju entrusted her territory to us, so we're here to handle the monster wave. Those guys over there are our knight order—don't worry. Not all orcs are monsters.”
“Got it!”
“We'll wrap this battle with our knight order. Just sit back and enjoy.”
“Yes!”
The celebrities went full audience mode—great reactions.
I turned to Go Yeon-ju. “Time?”
“Yeah. Alert just came—monster wave starting soon.”
No alert for me yet. Then it popped up.
Monster wave beginning at -92AC.
Participate in sub-territory -92AC's monster wave?
“Yes.”
Messages started popping for everyone. Dust rose from the rear mountain. Then the monsters appeared.
Kieeek! Kirik!
Classic monster wave starter: goblins. Over a hundred charging madly. We watched calmly. Kar-dok approached me.
Krak!
“Deploy!”
Embarrassing. But morale mattered. The orcs roared at my command, spurring their gray wolves into a charge.
Now the goblins seemed pitiful. But they were monsters to wipe out.
Boom! Kwang! Kaboom!
Goblins flew everywhere. They could fly, apparently. The knight charge was more brutal than I'd imagined—more like grinding them to paste.
We watched as they shredded the goblins, waiting for the next wave.
Next: orcs. Same species, but worlds apart. Only fifty, versus a hundred goblins. Seeing our knight order, most surrendered. Good for us.
Now the real issue: ten trolls. Time for actual combat.
How do other territories handle stuff like this? The thought crossed my mind.