Chapter 82
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Fallen Hero
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“Well, hero records get updated every day, so yeah, that makes sense.”
As she said that, Yerin casually placed her Hero Pad on the table. It lit up brightly as if she'd accidentally pressed something. Naturally, the screen displayed her hero record in stark detail.
“Ugh, now I see you were just groaning to rub it in. Good for you, real good.”
“Is her way of bragging getting more elaborate every day?”
Eunbyeol and Jiyun let out hollow laughs and shook their heads at their friend's unchanged attitude, which hadn't shifted a bit from the old days.
Still, they were clearly curious about the achievements of Yerin, who was making waves as a dealer in the Rose Shield clan's GGW raid team amid their recent surge in fame. Without missing a beat, both reached for her Hero Pad.
“Whoa! Already at 3 stars? No, almost 4? When did you... Never mind. If you properly clear a 【B – 2】 dungeon all the way, you can snag one or two mana crystals at once, huh.”
“Jeong Yerin, you've really become a dragon. Though you were always top-tier back at Hero Academy.”
Yerin's nose rose higher at her friends' envy-laden words. Praise directed at her always felt great, no matter how often she heard it. They were in the middle of chatting like that.
“Hey, haven't you picked up any raiding tips from Han Minguk, the raid leader? Learn some so we can run dungeons together.”
“L-leading?”
Yerin's eyes shook at Eunbyeol's sudden remark. She'd never even considered it. But after mulling it over, it didn't sound half bad. Raid leaders drew way more attention than regular heroes.
The contract terms with clans went without saying. Proven raid leaders were every clan's top recruitment pick.
“Yeah! What's the point of friends otherwise? Raid Leader Jeong Yerin, loyalty!”
“Right. I'll work my ass off under you. I wanna escape 【B – 9】 too. I'm still stuck at 1 star.”
At her friends' words, Yerin pictured herself as a raid leader.
Commanding nine heroes against terrifying hordes of darkness. Amid the battlefield, she'd relentlessly deal damage while reading the monsters' movements and issuing orders...
“I don't think that'd work... Our raid leader isn't human. His leading is on a whole different level from regular ones. Tips? Even if you learned them, you couldn't use them.”
Yerin replied with a smirk. Better not to gaze at a tree you couldn't climb.
Han Minguk scrutinized every team member's movements and pointed out the tiniest details—something no one else could replicate, herself included. Better to learn from other raid leaders than chase Minguk's style; it'd just raise her standards pointlessly.
“Once your stars go up and you get better gear, I'll carry you whenever we hang out like today.”
The three friends, meeting after so long, hunkered down at the café, sipping coffee and desserts while gossiping endlessly. As fellow heroes, they had plenty in common to talk about.
“Alright, let's grab dinner and knock back a few. You two free, right?”
Hunger kicking in, Eunbyeol stood and addressed Jiyun and Yerin with beastly eyes that said she'd devour them if they refused. Yerin nodded right away.
“I'm in. Raid leader told me to rest till tomorrow anyway.”
“A top raid leader even gives vacations differently. You coming too, Jiyun?”
“Ah, sorry. Gotta split here. My raid team's hitting a raid at dawn tomorrow. 【B – 9】 of all things, and they pick dawn? Ugh, fucking annoying.”
Jiyun looked genuinely bummed. It had been ages since the three met, and she clearly didn't want to go.
But skipping a raid without reason meant fines and wrecked relations with the raid leader. For a first-year hero like her, it was as risky as quitting the clan.
After parting with Jiyun, the two finished a rowdy meal at a nice spot and moved to a nearby bar. No schedules tomorrow—they'd drink hard tonight.
“Ah! Jeong Yerin, I'm so jealous. Last year we were laughing and goofing off at Hero Academy together, and now you're in a whole other world?”
“What other world? Just got lucky. Without our raid leader, I'm nothing.”
“Yeah, lucky you. Must've saved Korea in a past life. Man, seriously jealous. Just hearing that hot guy's commanding voice... Ugh.”
Eunbyeol squirmed as she spoke. Minguk's stunning looks and voice from the hero gathering a few weeks back were still vivid in her mind.
“True, but don't get me started. Our raid leader's a total beast in raids. One critique and you're sweating bullets.”
He wasn't that scary, but his raid prowess was so elite that a single word from him had the team tensing like prey before a predator.
Over a month together, and Yerin still startled whenever he called her name mid-raid—not just once or twice. But to Eunbyeol, it sounded like whining from someone stuffed.
“So what? Sounds amazing. Anything sparking between you two?”
“Sparking? Hmm... Kinda?”
Eunbyeol's eyes sparkled at the loaded word Yerin dropped with laced fingers. Nothing beat someone else's love life for bar talk—especially with R-rated spice to stretch it all night.
“Kinda? Spill, spill! Wait—what about your boyfriend?”
“Dumped him. Ugh, got totally played. Must've squeezed tens of thousands of dollars outta me.”
“Whoa... Even the great Jeong Yerin gets owned by guys. See? Told you he was sketchy. Skipping dates was the first red flag. When'd it end?”
“At our hero gathering.”
“Huh...? Hold on.”
Eunbyeol blinked at Yerin's answer. The timing was suspiciously perfect.
That hero gathering was when Yerin showed up with her raid leader Han Minguk, turning all the guys into squid and earning massive envy from their peers.
And she broke up with her boyfriend that same day? Eunbyeol's face turned sly as she caught on.
“...What? Spill it. What happened? Tell your big sis every detail—who, what, when, where, why, how. Right now, this instant.”
Yerin glanced around at her friend's intense demand, then leaned in. Eunbyeol swallowed hard.
“What else? We went wild that night. Till morning. Hotel was right upstairs, remember?”
“Fuck, insane. So jealous.”
Eunbyeol's mouth spewed awed curses at Yerin's follow-up. Truth be told, she envied the sex with a male hero way more than Yerin's hero success.
“Here I am blowing my paycheck on limp Vienna sausages at host bars. And my so-called friend? Bangs one of the ten male heroes in Korea? That's it? Details, girl!”
“Details? Nearly died. From pleasure. Pounded all night, woke up and pounded again.”
Reliving the intense memory, Yerin spared no crude detail in bragging to Eunbyeol.
Tales of orgasms—hell, blackouts—from superhuman power and stamina beyond normal guys had Eunbyeol gulping repeatedly.
And now, under Kim Sojeong's management as his sex secretary, she hooked up every ten days? Envy flooded Eunbyeol's face.
“Crazy...”
Eunbyeol's eyes welled up. Jealousy brought tears. She craved just once with a male hero, not some normie. Her lust bypassed her brain and blurted out.
“...Hey. Raid leader's off today, right?”
“Huh? Yeah, but...”
“Text him. Say dinner. Or drinks. C'mon?”
“...You're nuts?”
“No, you never know. Maybe he's home alone and jumps at the invite? What're the team doing tonight?”
Yerin tilted her head at Eunbyeol's plausible pitch. Come to think of it, the team had personal stuff. Sojeong unnie was with her daughter, Hyun-ah and Yuna were shopping and night-dating. Raid leader Han Minguk was...
'Definitely chilling at home.'
With that thought, courage surged. Yerin whipped out her phone. Play her cards right, and tonight could be ecstasy overload.
[I've come to Korea to experience the 【B – 2】 dungeon 'Night Citadel.' How does its difficulty and danger compare to Japan's 【B – 2】...?]
Weeeeeng!
The blender's whir drowned the TV. The huge screen showed a ponytail girl in revealing red cloth facing reporters.
Shiranu Mai, prodigy of Japan's Cosmic Style sword school.
“Tilt the camera a bit more sideways and you'd see boobs...”
Minguk smacked his lips at the screen while blending bananas with milk from the fridge. The reporter's angle was such a tease. Then his phone buzzed wildly.
'Jeong Yerin?'
Minguk tilted his head at the familiar name and picked up.
“Hello.”
- Y-you picked up? Raid leader?
Wasn't answering a call obvious? Minguk smirked at Yerin's slightly tipsy voice, like she'd been drinking.
“Yes, Han Minguk speaking. What's up with the sudden call?”
- Uh, well... Um, just maybe...
Someone was egging her on to speak up. Not a casual call—there was a point. After an eternity, Yerin spoke.
- H-have you eaten?
“Eaten? Now?”
Minguk glanced at the kitchen. Ramen pot from earlier still in the sink. Banana milk in hand to tide him over. And it was past eight.
- Y-yeah. Met an old friend—you know, from the hero gathering? She's treating you to dinner.
- Drinks too! Drinks! He said tomorrow's off, right? Why dodge, Jeong Yerin? Spit it out!
- Shut up and back off. I'm on with the raid leader.
They thought they were whispering, but the phone fed it straight to Minguk's ear. Sounded like the size was showing.
Hanging with a friend, his name came up, and she suggested inviting him. Classic bar talk among guys.
- Help a sis out. Me too? A male hero once... Threesome wouldn't suck, right? Remember Hero Academy? You, me, Jiyun...
- You psycho bitch, he might hear! Pipe down!
'This is unexpected.'
But given this world's male and female libidos—amped by monster fights and hormones for female heroes—it wasn't weird.
As the chatter stalled, Minguk spoke calmly.
“Hello?”
- Y-yes. Raid leader. You heard? My friend...
“Wants to buy dinner? Problem is, I just ate.”
- Ohhh... Already ate.
Disappointment poured through the phone. No fun quitting cold.
“So buy drinks instead. But is it cool for me to crash your friend meetup?”
Yerin squealed excitedly that it was fine. Friend whooping in the background. Just like that, tonight had a booze date. Totally normal.