Chapter 147
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: Sisters? Mother and Daughter?
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'...So how the hell do I seduce Jo Eun-young?'
Han Minguk knew full well what kind of position a man held in this world.
A world turned upside down between men and women. One where the gender ratio was completely shattered.
In the old world, there was a saying that a pretty girl was equivalent to acing all three major civil service exams. But here, even an average-looking guy could outshine those exam toppers and bask in adoration from countless women.
It was a world where a man could wield power simply by virtue of being male.
But his target was the head of a massive conglomerate.
No matter how reversed the genders were, a woman of her caliber had surely grown jaded from encounters with men. She wasn't someone he could win over with the mere title of "man."
Sure, that approach might work on some, but with her status, he had to tread carefully.
'What should I do...'
The most promising tactic was to leverage his unique advantage as a hero. But he had no clue how to pull it off.
Plus, he'd heard rumors that some male heroes were kept as lovers by chaebols, so Jo Eun-young probably wasn't thirsting for male heroes either.
'Why the hell did Qwoo♡ give me a quest like this...'
Minguk grumbled inwardly as he thought of Qwoo♡, who had tossed the quest at him and vanished.
To make matters worse, the reward was exactly 81 Sex Coins.
It matched perfectly with the price of the 【Class Stone (A) - Unique Grade】 he had his eye on purchasing. It was the only item in the Tier-2 Chaos Shop worth buying.
"Is the food not to your liking?"
He was racking his brain over seducing Jo Eun-young when her voice cut through.
"Oh, no. It's delicious."
"You don't seem to be eating much for someone who says that."
Minguk shook his head inwardly at Jo Eun-young's follow-up.
He must have let it show that his mind was elsewhere, distracted by Qwoo♡'s quest.
'With the group's vice president right in front of him, he's lost in thought elsewhere...'
She was clearly offended.
If a favorability message existed, he'd probably hear a ding announcing a drop. But he had a solid excuse ready.
"I was just thinking about the raid for a moment."
"The raid?"
Thankfully, Jo Eun-young perked up at the mention of raids. It seemed the recent diffusion incident in Vietnam had affected the Rose Group too.
"Come to think of it, I heard Team GGW is gearing up to tackle an 【A】-Rank Dungeon?"
"That's right, President. Team GGW is currently clearing 【B - 1】-difficulty dungeons to stockpile Yellow-grade cores. We plan to start on 【A】-Rank dungeons as early as next month."
Answering Jo Eun-young was Oh Hyun-jung, the former leader of the Rose Shield clan.
Minguk nodded along with Oh Hyun-jung's report. Once they raised their star ranks, they'd dive straight into 【A - 9】-difficulty dungeons.
"【A】-Rank, huh..."
Jo Eun-young mulled it over briefly before her gaze shifted to Minguk. Her eyebrows arched softly.
"Not that I, who's stepped back from the front lines, should say this... but isn't that a bit hasty? Hero Han Minguk is still in his first year."
Her tone had grown more casual, laced with concern for Minguk.
But her true worry was different. She was anxious about losing a valuable male hero—an asset to both Rose Shield and the Rose Group.
What if Minguk pushed too hard on an 【A】-Rank and got hurt? Or corrupted? It wouldn't be a minor loss.
So her question was really aimed at Oh Hyun-jung, who managed Rose Shield.
Sensing the vice president's intent, Hyun-jung replied calmly.
"Not at all. Our board has determined that heroes in Team GGW, including Raid Leader Han Minguk, have nothing left to gain from monsters Tier 5 or below. Better to rack up experience against higher-tier foes sooner—it'll boost the team's prowess faster."
"Can't you get enough Yellow-grade cores from 【B - 1】?"
"We can procure some, but Tier-5 special entities in 【B - 1】 won't cover a full roster of ten-plus. Plus, the cores needed to hit six stars..."
"Exactly. Mana cores don't drop at 100% either, right?"
Jo Soo-young, who had been listening, chimed in.
She didn't like her mother, the vice president, meddling in clan affairs. She didn't have much to do these days, but she was still the former clan leader on paper.
With both women opposing, Jo Eun-young turned to Minguk.
"Hmm... What do you think, Hero Han Minguk?"
"Pardon?"
"Looks like you're prepping for 【A】-Rank dungeons... That means facing colossal entities, right?"
Minguk nodded at Jo Eun-young's words.
Even among Tier-5 specials, there were large ones, but true behemoths started at Tier 6. Those bastards were massive by default.
"You'll have to fight monsters like that from now on. Aren't you scared?"
Minguk snorted inwardly at her question.
'Scared? Yeah, right.'
In Galaxy Girl War, some monsters were so enormous they required three separate raids just for the head, torso, and belly.
And those weren't even the hardest.
Some had tricky patterns, but to Minguk, they were still beginner-level. He could master any new monster's patterns after ten to twenty tries and clear it.
'In Galaxy Girl War, straight up...'
Final season bosses demanded triple-digit tries as a baseline, sometimes four figures. He'd swapped positions and skill combos endlessly to break patterns.
Compared to that grind, this was a cakewalk.
The intricate attack patterns in these dungeons? Fun puzzles, not headaches. This world's raids weren't challenging by Minguk's standards.
'The 12 Calamities might be different.'
Even then, he'd find a way.
He was the man who'd scored the world-first kill on Uradius, Galaxy Girl War's nastiest boss. That confidence flowed into his words.
"No, not scared at all. Tier-6 monsters are just stepping stones you brush past on the way to the next boss."
Gatekeepers to clear for the real threats.
"Hm?"
Jo Eun-young's interest piqued at the unexpected reply. As Minguk sliced his steak into bite-sized pieces, he continued.
"Heroes who wield mana are called humanity's guardians. Simple reason: they're the ones who can end this war against the monsters."
The three women turned to him as he defined what a hero was out of nowhere. Minguk popped a hefty chunk of steak into his mouth and went on.
"Guardians of humanity can't afford to settle for their current skills or growth. Heroes must push harder, level up faster—to end this war ASAP."
Getting stalled by 【A】-Ranks or Tier-5/6 mobs? Unacceptable.
They had to surpass colossal monsters and crush the 12 Calamities to win the war. And only then... could he confront Chaos, the one who sent him here.
"Ho..."
Jo Eun-young's expression shifted intriguingly at Minguk's answer, then softened into a pleased smile.
"Maybe it's because you're a raid leader, even as a man? You talk different from other guys."
"Protecting fragile women is a man's job."
Minguk replied nonchalantly, shaking his head at the vice president's words drifting into his ears.
But laughter followed, twisting his face awkwardly. Right—this world saw men as the protected ones.
His words must have struck Jo Eun-young as refreshingly novel.
'It's heating up. She into hyper-masculine guys?'
Or in this world, hyper-feminine men?
Either way, her eyes now brimmed with intrigue, unlike their first meeting.
Minguk met her gaze head-on.
She was stunning enough to make you forget her age. Quest or no, he'd love a shot at bedding her.
Top it off with her vice president title running the Rose Group? The conquest would be epic.
'If only there was a spark...'
He could clear the quest on the spot. The restaurant's upper floors were even a hotel.
They were wrapping up dinner in that charged atmosphere when...
"You said men have to protect fragile women, right?"
Jo Eun-young dabbed her lips delicately with a napkin and turned to Minguk.
"...Yes."
"So, how do I look to you? Am I, the vice president of Rose Group, just another fragile woman in Hero Han Minguk's eyes?"
Oh Hyun-jung and Jo Soo-young's eyes widened at the sudden question.
Minguk smirked inwardly as he caught the sultry heat in Jo Eun-young's gaze. His answer was a no-brainer.
The moment dinner ended, Jo Eun-young dismissed Jo Soo-young and Oh Hyun-jung, saying she wanted more time to talk with Minguk, the clan's representative hero. It was a polite boot.
"Tch!"
Jo Soo-young, hoping to catch up tonight, pouted at Minguk, but he ignored her.
Mother-daughter combo would be ideal, but for the quest, Jo Eun-young was the priority. It had nothing to do with Jo Soo-young reeling him in.
With them gone, Jo Eun-young headed straight for the elevator. Minguk stuck close behind.
- 72nd floor.
Her slender finger hit the button without hesitation. Perks of being a chaebol—she had a personal suite she used often.
As Minguk mused on that, her eyes flicked to him.
'He doesn't look dumb enough not to know what heading to a hotel room means...'
Her composure was flawless. Even facing the Rose Group's vice president—de facto president—he showed no intimidation.
That poise appealed to her.
She who'd led Rose Shield through its golden age and navigated the Rose Group's storms saw men as mere curiosities, nothing more.
Even Korea's ten male heroes were the same.
'Heroes do show a bit more flair than average guys.'
But that was it.
A little handsome, mana-wielding? No real difference from the rest.
Yet the man beside her was different.
Amusingly, this boy younger than her daughter eyed her with raw lust. She couldn't miss that predatory stare.
That's why Jo Eun-young took an interest in Han Minguk. Then her eyes fell on his large hand. Unlike the slender ones of other men.
'From clashing directly with monsters as raid leader?'
Veins bulging over firm muscles sent a thrilling shiver through her. She was already curious how he'd taste.