Chapter 82
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: 80. Police and Thief
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Shinohara Main House
Shinohara Yuzuki watched the footage of Yoo Eun-ha's battle playing on her computer monitor.
It was the Glass Dungeon clear video that she'd secretly obtained from the Lily Guild.
After replaying it several times, Yuzuki nodded slowly.
"No matter how I look at it, that White Flame is beyond imagination."
"When I met her, she was just fast. I didn't know she had abilities like this."
Shinohara Mariko was also watching the video with sparkling eyes, unable to hold back her admiration.
Back when they were hanging out with her friend Bbeom-mi, she hadn't been this strong—even against the Cyclops, she'd struggled.
"What do you think, Mariko?"
"She's incredible, no doubt. Taking out all those Glass Golems at once... No, turning the entire passageway into a sea of fire—that's astonishing."
It was pretty funny seeing even Rosemary, who was with them, gaping in shock.
Now that she thought about it, Rosemary had seemed off at the rendezvous point. She must have been thoroughly intimidated by Yoo Eun-ha.
"It's too subtle to call it doping. You couldn't draw out that much power, and forcing it would have killed her on the spot."
And yet Yoo Eun-ha looked perfectly fine afterward.
"True. It fits with how popular she is on Korean forums."
Even Japanese communities were the same.
The Hansung Academy aptitude test and team battle footage from a while back had become famous among Japanese hunter enthusiasts too.
Yoo Eun-ha was prime fodder for hunter-related threads.
Korean Yoo Eun-ha vs. Japanese Shinohara Yuzuki. Who wins?
So hot. Take me, Eun-ha.
Shinohara Yuzuki for any real Japanese person www
Who would win in a fight?
No matter how great Yoo Eun-ha is, she's just a cadet. Shinohara Yuzuki is the head of the shogunate? We can only judge by looks.
Honestly, if Yoo Eun-ha unleashes that White Flame, wouldn't it shatter Heavenly Sword? www
They call us East Joseon anyway, so let's recruit Yoo Eun-ha with inner line unity.
"People with nothing better to do are everywhere, even in this era."
Even before the Great Cataclysm, folks had posted threads and wasted time arguing online.
Nothing had changed.
"What do you really think would happen?"
"Hard to say. I couldn't be certain of victory. Especially with that level of control after just a few months—better to have her as an ally than an enemy. Being around her, I can see why women would fall for her."
Having her as an enemy would be trouble. But post-Cataclysm, with monsters as the common foe, wars between nations were off the table amid the chaos.
"Is that so?"
"It makes sense that people around her get influenced too."
She's beautiful. Undeniably so. Up close, she's the type to make hearts flutter. It kinda explained why girls at Hansung were posting on anonymous boards about wanting to "rub up against" Yoo Eun-ha.
"No way the young lady too."
"Me? Even if we met a few days, I'm not some cheap girl who falls that easily. I like her, sure, but not enough to go full lesbian. Yeah... maybe if she saved me from a Hell-rank gate?"
Erosion zones—Gate Regions—were the only places Hell-rank gates appeared, and no one went there unless they had to.
"Would a Hell-rank gate even show up?"
"That's exactly what makes it impossible."
Yuzuki chuckled.
She definitely wanted her as an ally. A lover, though? That was different.
Not that she was teasing Eun-ha, but she wasn't about to fall easily herself.
It had been a while since Yoo Jin-seok dropped by.
He always showed up right when I'd forgotten about him. And this time, our protagonist from the previous work barged into my place grinning ear to ear, pulling a glowing cube from his palm.
That was Yoo Jin-seok's inventory cube.
"What the—"
A few massive shrimp burst out of Yoo Jin-seok's inventory.
Was this why he'd told me to stay home? I should've just ignored him.
"Heard you haven't been eating properly lately."
No, I've been eating plenty. Women, gourmet spots—you name it.
Unlike my office worker days, I craved sweets a lot these days. So I bought a ton.
With Choi Si-woo turned to lust, he might actually be the bigger playboy than Choi Sia.
"I eat fine enough."
"Brought these for you anyway. Eat 'em raw, grilled, whatever."
What kind of brother dumps shrimp in front of his little sister as a "gift"?
Not that I'd ever cooked shrimp before.
And cooking wasn't my job anyway.
Heroines were supposed to handle that.
I'd only sipped sugar water at home before.
"Where you off to now?"
His outfit screamed "heading out."
Gate expedition?
"Ah, meeting Kim Ji-hye at the barrier today. Heading into the Gate Region."
"What? Dating Blazing Bat? Erosion zone date?"
Never saw that coming with Blazing Bat. No wonder their dates were so flashy.
Why the Gate Region? Hunting villains on a date?
"It's not like that. You know Baekhwa TV, right?"
"Yeah, that duo streaming from the erosion zones?"
I figured the country would move on it soon.
Was Yoo Jin-seok on that mission?
"Yeah. Baldy's getting flak from the Blue House and Hunter Association for lagging behind Baekhwa, so they want us to track them down."
If the Hunter Association tasked Yoo Jin-seok with finding me, things must be desperate.
"Got it. Good luck out there."
"Thanks. Stay safe. I'll swing by after."
"Yeah. Watch your back."
Yoo Jin-seok ruffled my hair firmly, left the shrimp, and headed out.
Telling him directly? Poor guy, but now I was in a bind too.
If Baldy threw him in right away, it could spell trouble for the Black God Cult. No—Baekhwa Church.
If Songdo got exposed to Yoo Jin-seok and Blazing Bat while I was gone, and they clashed with the golems?
"Cheonsan Group could get dragged in too."
At least I'd gotten advance warning. Small mercy.
Best to hide Songdo.
Searching for Baekhwa, they'd check survivor spots in the Gate Region. That'd naturally lead to magic-free Songdo.
With Yoo Jin-seok and Blazing Bat's mobility, it'd be a quick find.
I called out to Kate, who was cosplaying as a doll in the corner.
"Kate. Connect to the penthouse."
"Yes."
I ported to the penthouse and checked the weather around Songdo.
Clear skies—perfect for shonen manga vibes.
"Of all days, it's gotta be this damn clear."
Too clear. A bit cloudy, and I could've passed it off as ruins. Now I'd have to put in some effort.
No choice. I spread my wings and soared high.
Just enough demonic energy to blanket Songdo? Pitch-black magic enveloping it like a shell.
It might be taxing, and Hunter Association sensors could pick it up. But worth a shot.
"Hmm, this should do it."
I released demonic energy from my body.
It flowed like water, swiftly covering all of Songdo.
An eggshell-like barrier of magic protected it perfectly.
"That oughta hide it."
If Yoo Jin-seok was humanity's strongest, I was the monster's.
He wouldn't sense my magic over Songdo.
And if Baekhwa hunkered down, they'd never find us.
Maybe later, to mess with him, I could live-stream civilians in downtown Songdo.
"What on earth are you doing?"
Back at the penthouse, Reina greeted me.
Arms crossed, she reeked of incoming nagging. I wanted to bolt, but Songdo was at stake—everyone needed to know.
"Ah, my bro's out looking for me."
"Baekhwa?"
"Yeah. You know how OP my brother is? If he catches us, we're screwed. So I wrapped it in top-tier dragon magic."
From outside, it'd look like a massive dome right now.
"What happens if they find this place?"
"They'd drag us all to Seoul."
To boost the Hunter Association's sagging rep.
Yoo Jin-seok, that stubborn guy who thinks he's always right, might even believe Seoul was safer for survivors than the Gate Region.
"We're doomed."
"Relax. No way they'll find it."
"But he's the first Divine Sword user, right? Yoo Eun-ha, stronger than you?"
Had she forgotten about Yong-yong?
Humanity's strongest or not, could he top the dragon that caused the Cataclysm?
Not that I planned to fight.
Whatever my situation, this body's big bro was Yoo Jin-seok. No drawing blades on family.
"Well, it's not hopeless."
"You have a plan?"
Me playing hide-and-seek with him directly.
But I had no intention of losing.
If Yoo Jin-seok lost at tag, it'd tarnish his rep. And I didn't want my bro looking like a fool.
"I'm pretty fast, you know. I'll just run. Hard."
"What kind of plan is that? What do you tell Mom?"
"You're my daughter—cover for me. Same for Han Su-ji or Choi Sia. Wait, where are they anyway?"
This wasn't about meeting girls, so it'd be fine. Rachel didn't even know about Yoo Jin-seok.
But if those three weren't in Songdo?
"Mom's boiling snake stew. Han Su-ji and Choi Sia are out competing to hunt monsters."
"Can't she quit with the snake soup?"
I'm a dragon, but still tied to snakes somehow.
Lately, dinner was almost always snake soup.
No idea where she got those plump ones, but it was hell for me and Reina.
Like feeding chicken to a chicken, honestly.
"She needs to tone down the philandering. Other women on him is one thing, but it bugs me too—not just Mom."
"Han Su-ji and the others are fine with it?"
Rachel was the jealous one.
"Han Su-ji seems a bit off, and Choi Sia? Her original constellation host Choi Si-woo was a guy, so she doesn't care much. Think about it—Mom vowed eternal love to Dad, then fell for you. Wouldn't that piss her off?"
"Never expected her to fall that hard back then. Though I'd have made her anyway."
Rachel was hot regardless. Flat chest and all. I'd even planned to force it if needed.
"Think about it. Doomed to a lifetime in that library, you solved it and spent 100 years with her to save her. How could she not fall? 100 years alone in that dark, sealed space? Even a straight girl turns lesbian."
"Huh, yeah, when you put it like that."
If someone spent 100 years by my side just for me, I'd fall too.
Rachel must've felt the same.
"Choi Si-woo being a guy gave her that leeway? Anyway, how'd we go from tag to cheating talk?"
"It all connects. You horny snake bitch. So you're confident you'll win? No need for me to go Dark Elf?"
Reina asked worriedly.
Dodging solo while holding back sounded annoying.
Help would be nice, but could a Dark Elf handle Yoo Jin-seok?
Blazing Bat might give it a go, but him? Doubtful.
"I don't know his exact level yet. But he's way beyond what you girls could handle."
"Hey, when are you gonna stop soloing everything? I'm mid full-elf transformation here. And you know my Dark Elf power best."
I'd love to use those two. But even powered-up Han Su-ji or Reina couldn't beat Yoo Jin-seok.
Choi Sia was Divine Sword constellation—no matchup there.
"Erosion Arrows, right? Blazing Bat might win, but matchup's iffy."
"Can I snipe from this penthouse?"
"For real?"
"Yes."
Sniping from the magic-shrouded zone to harass them? Perfect.
"Let's try it."
I activated Reina's yin gate.
Her body shifted from grape-flavored elf around the yin gate.
Soon, she transformed into a Dark Elf with haughty, seductive eyes looking down on everyone.
She checked herself, then stared me down piercingly.
What? Why the "I'm gonna eat you" glare?
"And in this form?"
"Huh?"
"I wanna rape you."
She licked her lips—definitely targeting me.
"W-wait."
"FYI, resist and I won't do it. Won't help at all."
Reina ignored me and flung me onto the sofa.
I could block, but full resistance meant no help. So I covered my mouth and took it.
I'd vent this frustration on Yoo Jin-seok later.