The Catastrophe’s First Stroll
The emerald sea and the blinding, scorching sun of the beautiful landscape had vanished. What filled her vision now were ruins of steel frames and concrete.
‘Is this an abandoned factory…?’
Yuhwa turned around and, fortunately, confirmed that the Gate remained. What a waste. She thought that perhaps, one day, she could turn the inside of that place into a vacation spot.
“Haa….”
Looking to her side, she saw Han Soyi staggering. It was likely due to the peculiar sense of discomfort one felt when passing through a Gate. The very same discomfort she had just felt. Of course, that sensation had no effect on her whatsoever.
Splash.
Murky, stagnant puddle water touched Yuhwa’s feet.
“….”
Her brows furrowed slightly. How should she put it—the smell was unpleasant. Exhaust fumes, fine dust, the pungent, musty scent of mold, and the thick, murky air mixed with all sorts of impurities….
One might say she didn’t particularly care for the air of the modern world.
“The air… is not very good.”
Yuhwa muttered. It was merely a self-reflection, but the aura behind it was by no means light.
Twitch!
Han Soyi’s shoulders jumped violently, and she reflexively clasped her hands together.
“Wait, please wait a moment!”
Her awakening ability was Spirit. Even as a C-class, she was an awakened individual recognized for her affinity with spirits.
Whoosh-!
A faint, light-green mana rose from the tips of Soyi’s fingers. A cluster of light gathered in the air. What appeared was a small, puppy-shaped spirit with fur as soft as cotton candy.
“Sylph! Please purify the air around—!”
The moment Soyi let out a sigh of relief and tried to issue her command—
“…?”
The spirit whipped its head around. Its gaze was fixed on Yuhwa, who stood with a noble, aloof posture. Spirits are crystals of mana that form nature itself. In other words… it was inevitable that it would instinctively feel the aura of a Dragon, the ruler of mana.
Wag! Wag! Wag!
The spirit’s tail shook so violently it became a blur before it flew into Yuhwa’s arms. It then began to rub its body frantically against her cheek.
“Uh…?”
Soyi’s mouth hung open as she watched the scene. Spirits were prickly creatures that would rebel at the drop of a hat and only begrudgingly use their abilities after sucking the mana from one’s body. Yet, to see it wagging its tail and acting so affectionately like this… it had never done that for her even once….
Soyi felt a sense of injustice.
“….”
Yuhwa felt the cool, ticklish sensation of a face rubbing against her cheek. At that ticklish feeling, she let out a faint, blurry smile.
“You are a cute spirit.”
As she touched the underside of the spirit’s chin, it felt… strange. It was like fidgeting with cotton candy.
Whimper….
It seemed to be in a good mood, fully accepting her touch.
‘It’s a high-end upgrade to a puppy.’
And it seemed the spirit was exerting its power. The air around them changed to something cool and refreshing.
“Well done.”
As Yuhwa spread her palm with the praise, the spirit landed on it naturally. Yuhwa looked down at the small creature wagging its tail on her palm.
‘…Is it time?’
Even while maintaining the persona of a beautiful, oblivious airhead, it was important that her abilities remained transcendental. A contrasting image was the most important thing.
‘Like this, then.’
Yuhwa smiled hazily and opened her mouth.
“Thank you. I shall give you a gift, little spirit.”
“Yes? W-what are you going to do?”
Before Soyi could ask in confusion—
Shimmer-!
A strand of deep blue mana flowed from Yuhwa’s fingertips. And the moment that blue strand touched the spirit’s forehead—
Flash-!
The interior of the factory sparkled with a blinding light for an instant. However, it wasn’t the kind of light that hurt the eyes. It was a warm light, and when it slowly faded and visibility returned, Soyi couldn’t help but doubt her own eyes.
The puppy spirit that had been sitting on Yuhwa’s palm had vanished without a trace. In its place, a palm-sized, beautiful fairy in human form was floating, fluttering translucent wings.
‘A High-Class Spirit…?’
She had heard of it. That high-class spirits often took the form of fairies…. With just a single touch, her spirit, which had been a low-class one, had evolved into a high-class spirit….
“Ah, ahhh….”
The shock didn’t end there.
‘…!’
A contract with a spirit is a connection of the soul. As the spirit achieved evolution, the vessel of its contractor, Soyi, was also expanding. It was a dizzying sensation, enough to make her mind flash white. A pleasure akin to every cell in her body being reconstructed washed over her. Soyi clutched her chest with trembling hands. She couldn’t believe it.
‘How much… have I grown stronger?’
Soyi tried to calm her trembling body. It seemed she had leaped to a level comparable to at least a B-class, no, generously speaking, an A-class hunter…. This was a phenomenon impossible even if one poured in all the world’s miraculous medicines or artifacts.
“Ah….”
Her legs gave out, and Soyi sat down on the floor with a thud. Her eyes, wide with shock, trembled minutely. And then, she looked at Yuhwa. She looked at Yuhwa, who was watching the fairy-type spirit on her palm as if it were cute. She was beautiful. Too beautiful. And Yuhwa noticed the meaning behind that gaze, but she pretended not to.
‘Good.’
Yuhwa asked in a feigned, nonchalant voice, pretending she knew nothing.
“By the way, where are we going from here?”
Startled back to her senses, Soyi jumped up like a spring. How could she repay this grace? Yes! Let’s start by providing a residence. Even if it took a lifetime to repay, she would pay it back one step at a time. Thinking so, Soyi opened her mouth, stammering.
“Ah! F-for now… since you have nowhere to go, I will guide you to my home!”
“Understood. Then get on my back. Tell me where we must go.”
“Yes?”
Hard, solid scales mixed with silver and blue began to sprout over Yuhwa’s smooth skin.
“Eek! W-wait a moment!!”
Soyi screamed in terror. Then, she frantically racked her brain and spoke.
“T-that…! To look around the world… wouldn’t it be better to walk directly than to fly in the sky?!”
Here… let’s roll our eyes.
“That… would be better, I suppose.”
Yuhwa naturally retracted the scales that had sprouted over her skin.
“Watching from up close wouldn’t be bad either….”
Soyi let out a sigh of relief.
“Then lead the way.”
At Yuhwa’s words, Soyi stopped just as she was about to take a step. Her gaze scanned Yuhwa’s body from top to bottom. Beneath the long black and blue hair, her breasts were exposed in a way that defied common sense. And the swimsuit-style outfit clinging tightly to her body covered them precariously. Unless it was the beach inside a Gate, walking through the middle of downtown Seoul in this state was an act of madness.
“Um… Great One.”
“Call me Yuhwa.”
“Yes, Yuhwa-nim. That… the outfit….”
“What is wrong with the outfit?”
Yuhwa asked back with an innocent face.
“That outfit… it draws too much attention from people in the world, so I don’t think it’s appropriate for walking.”
Soyi took out her smartphone. She quickly flipped through the screen and pulled up a photo of the most modest and ordinary clothing. It was a white short-sleeved t-shirt and jeans fashion.
“By any chance, can you change into clothes like this?”
It was certainly modest.
“Understood. I shall do so.”
Shimmer-!
The swimsuit-style outfit wrapping Yuhwa’s body shattered into blue light in an instant. And those particles quickly reassembled, manifesting the exact texture and form of the outfit in the photo Soyi had shown her.
A white short-sleeved t-shirt and jeans. It was a modest outfit, but… in front of Yuhwa’s overwhelming physique, it could never be ordinary. The t-shirt couldn’t handle Yuhwa’s chest, so the fabric was pulled taut. The jeans also couldn’t hide her pelvic line, boasting a tension that looked ready to burst. There was even a gap between her thighs.
“Wow….”
Soyi let out an exclamation, then suddenly felt a doubt. No way.
“Um, Yuhwa-nim. By any chance… how are you wearing those clothes?”
What should I answer here… I think this is the one.
“How am I wearing them? I simply sprouted the scales of my body and changed their form.”
“…No way.”
Yuhwa nodded and answered.
“Yes. By human standards, one could say I am currently in a naked state.”
“…!”
“Why are you like that?”
“Nothing, it’s nothing! For now… let’s go out!”
Soyi’s face was red. ‘Kya. This is it.’ Yuhwa smiled a sinister smile once again.
***
After walking for about 10 minutes away from the factory, the bustling streets of Seoul unfolded before them. The noise of passing cars, people looking at their smartphones, and the forest of high-rise buildings. Yuhwa looked around with curious eyes, like a stranger seeing all those sights for the first time.
And.
The moment they stepped onto the street, the air around them began to stagnate strangely. Usually, Soyi herself had a cute enough appearance that men would talk to her once a day. But now, it was different. All the crowds around them stopped in their tracks as if by promise, turning their heads toward them.
-Whoa… who is that woman?
-Crazy… is it cosplay? What’s with that tail? Is that… an appearance that’s possible?
-Wow. Her breasts are that big… does that ratio even make sense?
The murmurs pierced Soyi’s ears. Regardless of age or gender, everyone was captivated by Yuhwa’s overwhelming beauty. A man dropped the takeout coffee he was holding. A woman pinched her boyfriend’s arm. A student even bumped into a utility pole with his mouth open. Soyi empathized with their hearts as she looked at Yuhwa.
‘She doesn’t know anything….’
Yuhwa acted as if she didn’t know the meaning of those gazes. Of course, Yuhwa was cheering inside.
“Um, Yuhwa-nim. People are staring too much… are you okay?”
“They are not worth worrying about.”
As they walked like that, they soon arrived in front of a traffic light at a large intersection. A red light. It was the moment they stopped for a while to cross to the other side.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
From behind her, she heard something tapping the asphalt floor irritably. Soyi checked Yuhwa’s back. Her tail was tapping the floor.
“Y-Yuhwa-nim? Y-your tail…!”
Soyi whispered urgently, checking the surroundings in embarrassment. And at that moment.
Slither-.
The tail that had been tapping the floor rose slightly and firmly wrapped around Soyi’s leg. Soyi was startled. And she looked at Yuhwa’s state. Her eyes were trembling slightly. And her eyes were glancing at the passing cars.
‘No way…!’
Perhaps she was afraid? Of the cars, which she was seeing for the first time in her life.
Soyi almost screamed. Because it was too cute!!!! That a noble being with such appearance and power… was acting like that!
“U-um….” Soyi regretted it as soon as she spoke. She wondered if she had crossed the line. Yuhwa gestured with her chin after hearing Soyi’s words. “Speak. Do not hesitate.”
“C-can I take a picture?”
“What is that?”
“I-it means to capture your beautiful appearance.”
“Hmm, does that mean I am beautiful?”
“Yes….”
“Good, I permit it. Take it.”
Soyi decided to keep Yuhwa’s photo as her wallpaper for the rest of her life.