A Pleasant Bath
The researcher finished his report to the president, the key ministers, and the vice ministers who had stepped in for the deceased ones. “Your Excellency, I support killing those monsters no matter what it takes. But… I regret to say it will take time.”
The Minister of National Defense spoke with visible difficulty. His subordinates were dying on the battlefield, yet the most critical Gwerieoknanshin could not be finished off by their own hands. For him, this had gone beyond humiliation and was on the verge of becoming outright resentment.
“We all know and fully appreciate your hard work and dedication. We will find a way. One piece of good news is that the creature doesn’t seem to be moving right now.”
The president comforted the defense minister before reviewing the report once more.
“Yes, but if it’s based on a scale snail, buying time also benefits the creature. If those scales are completed… normal attacks will likely have no effect. At least by Awakened standards.”
The meeting instantly grew somber. Because it was Jeju Island, the number of troops that could be deployed at once was limited. Not only the monsters in the sea, but those on the mainland as well. And above all, they had to keep the greatest disaster, Steel, in check.
“Then I’d like to hear your opinion.”
The president suddenly pointed at me, and everyone in the meeting turned to look at the person standing behind them. I had expected to be called on, so I had already prepared a simple explanation.
I used talismans as catalysts to float five Chinese characters representing qi, then arranged them in a pentagonal formation. This was the so-called shape of the Five Elements.
“The monsters on the East Server basically follow these Five Elements. After a month in which even the laws of physics have changed, there’s no one who doesn’t know this.”
A few people still looked openly displeased, but there was nothing to be done. The only option now was to quickly accept that this world had become a mad realm straddling the boundary of fantasy.
“The snail is currently a monster rooted in ‘Water.’ It probably uses its own demonic energy to cool the lava, absorbs that energy, and applies it to form a metallic layer of iron sulfide inside the lava… well, I’m not sure if it’s actually iron sulfide, but anyway. At minimum, it handles three of the elements.”
Water, Fire, Metal. It suppresses fire with water and forges metal from it. An absurd level of application that controls three elements, but precisely because of that—
“Since it hasn’t delved deeply into any one of them, there should be gaps. Hybrids usually remain mediocre unless they reach the absolute peak. And from what I felt myself… it’s definitely below Steel. It might be similar to or even weaker than Mountain Lord.”
“…Mediocre, you say. Then right now, before it’s fully prepared, it must be even more uncertain.”
“Yes. Moreover, since it parasitizes the volcano to grow, what if we separate it from the lava?”
“It would lose its fire energy source and its control over metal?”
The defense minister’s eyes sparkled as he answered, but it was far too hopeful.
“…At the very least, we should be able to stop the regeneration of its shell.”
“That’s enough. Your Excellency, we currently have more than ten veteran Awakened on standby who can fight immediately. There are also Awakened already on Jeju Island.”
“You must exclude those with fire attributes. In a pinch, the creature could reverse-use their fire energy. And on Jeju Island, aside from minors, no one has any combat experience against powerful monsters.”
“Excluding fire users leaves eight. As for Jeju Island, we’ll review reservists… but since it must be done as quietly as possible, we’ll put that on hold for now. We will select candidates and report back.”
I had thought a soldier would be stubborn, but he turned out to be surprisingly reasonable. Then again, after being pushed back for an entire month on the battlefield, he probably didn’t want to act foolishly. It might also be a calculated move to actively cooperate with and recruit us in order to restore his fallen influence.
“Good. That about wraps it up. Coordinate the details among yourselves… Does anyone have anything else to say?”
At that moment, a researcher in a white coat raised his hand.
“I’d like to study samples of the scales. After the battle, I want to see if we can utilize them.”
“I’ll do my best, but I can’t guarantee how much will remain.”
After that, the meeting moved on to other topics since everyone was already gathered, but everything was still in progress or lacked any sharp solutions.
‘How peaceful.’
In truth, nothing about the content was peaceful at all, but I liked that we could just sit here quietly without fighting.
‘I wonder if Dohwa has finished washing.’
More than anything, I was worried that Dohwa was waiting for me all alone.
“Then we’ll pause the meeting here for now.”
And so Dohyeon’s wish came true as the president ended the meeting.
“Your Excellency, but allowing a person whose affiliation hasn’t been clearly determined to attend this meeting…”
A public official quietly approached the president after the meeting and spoke, but he simply smiled faintly.
“Don’t worry. He’s a tight-lipped and capable friend. Besides, it’s not even a matter of whether we trust him yet. Simply put… he will fight alongside us until our goal is achieved.”
That was the deal, after all. The president swallowed the rest of his words.
“So, our Dohwa. All washed up?”
“Yep!”
The way she answered so proudly and confidently made her even cuter. I could also see a bit of vitality returning to her body. But it was only temporary. If a mere hot spring could cure the Yin-Cold Body, then this condition would be no worse than a summer cold. In the end, it was just a stopgap measure.
It would be faster to kill the creature and pay the price in advance through the contract for information on the Sunfire Pear and the fire inner core.
“…Still, there’s been no news at all.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind. Let’s head back to the hotel.”
Since I was holding Dohwa right now, I wanted to set my worries aside for a little while.
“Ah, um… Oppa, you’re pretty warm.”
“Haha, I went into the hot spring while exploring, that’s why.”
Of course, it had been a lava hot spring rather than water, but it was fortunate that the heat still lingered on me. Otherwise, my body would have been… far colder than Dohwa’s.
Even pressing her against my chest like this was harmful to her. This cursed—no, this trivial karmic debt of mine had come back to haunt me in this way. A lump of flesh that couldn’t even embrace its family without warming itself in lava. That was why I wanted to savor this moment even more and pulled her closer with strength.
“…Mmph!”
Dohwa buried her face in my chest and began acting spoiled. Of course she would. Having been given a limited lifespan, how anxious must she feel? I hugged her even tighter, and perhaps sensing my heart, Dohwa gradually grew calmer.
-SPLASH!
“Eek!?”
A sudden intense stimulation shot from my nipple, and with a sharp cry I accidentally let go of Dohwa.
“Pwah…! Cough, cough.”
Dohwa had collapsed onto the floor and was coughing. Only then did I realize that she had… bitten my areola.
“I won’t forgive any pests that bother Oppa!”
Unable to hold back my momentary anger, I picked Dohwa up and threw her into the hot spring.
“Yes, I understand. Yes, I will. All right, goodbye.”
-Click.
A tall man with glasses and a robe that suited his calm demeanor set down the old-fashioned landline receiver. Although it was outdated wired technology, with wireless communications unstable, as long as the line was intact, phone calls felt more reliable than wireless.
“Bora, is it work?”
“Yes, Mom. I’m heading to Jeju Island. The situation there is relatively okay, and they say if we just kill the regional boss, it might become one of the safest places among the eight provinces.”
Moreover, if he was lucky enough to settle on Jeju Island, at least from the man’s perspective, he could breathe a little easier.
“Departure is in two hours. And about Jeju Island… it’s work, so don’t tell anyone.”
“Okay. Take care of yourself. And be careful with women too. Surprisingly, once they see a handsome man, they stick to you like barnacles…”
“Ah, Mom. I was originally a woman. Why would I need to be careful around women?”
“Because you’re timid. Women are quick-witted. If they think a guy has even a little confidence in his looks, they latch on immediately. And as for leeching off people… men and women are the same. It’s just human greed.”
Bora—originally a woman who had played a male priest character—couldn’t hide his awkward expression at his mother’s nagging.
‘Is it really that bad?’
With his rather plain appearance, the only confessions he had ever received were from thugs trying to use him as a meal ticket. And even those had been rejected because their behavior was so bad that rumors had reached even him. If he had been an idol, maybe it would be different. His classmates were always talking about idols and would make a fuss whenever they saw one.
Bora looked at the mirror hanging in the house. He was handsome. His calm face was so good-looking that one could believe he was an intellectual-type idol, and his body was naturally well-toned. Objectively speaking, he could see why people might think so.
“Anyway, priests don’t usually face dangerous situations.”
“Right. Then eat before you go. Since you’re working today, let’s have samgyetang.”
Bora’s mother took a frozen samgyetang pack out of the refrigerator. The existing infrastructure hadn’t completely collapsed, but it wasn’t fully intact either, so even frozen food had to be eaten with some hesitation. Still, work brought suitable rewards, so Bora considered it an investment and ate gratefully.