169. The Festival Must Go On (2)
169. The Festival Must Go On (2)
The sun blazed down fiercely.
It was the peak of summer, so the days were long.
Splash— Splash—
The waves came and went, same as ever.
The crowds that had filled the beach evacuated to the concert hall the moment they heard the emergency alert siren, leaving it completely deserted except for the Utopia Party.
The seascape reflected above the people's heads was that tranquil.
"......Wh-what. Are the monsters actually coming?"
The moment a woman who had been watching that scenery with a tense face voiced those words.
Bubble, bubble—
A stream of bubbles rose from the sea.
Then, as if they had been waiting, bubbles began to surface one by one and burst.
Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble—
The continuous stream of bubbles made it look as if almost the entire beachfront was boiling.
Swish—!
The surface of the water swelled into a circle, and a colossal form revealed itself.
A sturdy shell that looked like metal with a faint bluish sheen,
and four protruding eyes on top.
Two claws on each side, four in total, each capable of easily snapping a person in half.
Three long legs on each side to support its body.
A demonic creature resembling a king crab.
It was a Blue Crab.
As those monsters revealed themselves in droves, their blood-red eyes glinting, people's faces turned pale.
Because an enormous number of Blue Crabs were swarming all along the coast.
"......W-wow, they're here."
"I-it was real!!!"
"Oh God, good Lord....... E-even the Utopia Party probably can't handle this—"
Just then.
Thump— thump— thump—
[ Ahh— ]
A voice sounded like a background track over a heavy beat.
People's gazes turned toward the stage once more.
There, a large table had been placed before anyone noticed.
And in front of that table sat two people holding microphones.
One was Shin Se-hee in a swimsuit.
And the other was Seo A-yoon, who had planned this festival.
A suddenly altered schedule.
She'd accepted Shin Se-hee's proposal like a drowning person grasping at straws, in a desperate situation with no support possible from the Hunter Management Bureau or Velvet Hunter Academy.
Honestly, Seo A-yoon was questioning what she was even doing right now.
Anyway, she was on stage now, so she had to do her job.
[ ......Uh, Sh-Shin Se-hee, the m-monsters visible on screen seem quite numerous. Is this really going to be alright? ]
She spoke, biting her lip.
As if fully understanding her anxiety, Shin Se-hee laughed brightly.
[ Heh-heh! It's fine! We're about to show you the true colors of the Utopia Party now! So put aside your worries and just look forward to it! ]
Swish—
The scene of Jin Yu-ha slicking back his hair and stepping forward was broadcast.
He looked back at his party members with a confident face and spoke.
"Everyone, are you ready?"
At his words, the Utopia Party members in swimsuits nodded with resolute faces.
"Just do it exactly like we talked about. That'll be enough to drive the bastards away."
Jin Yu-ha looked so vivid, as if right before their eyes.
A brief silence fell.
"Aaaaaaah!"
"Insane! So damn cool!"
"Jin Yu-ha's looks are out of this world!!!!!"
"Utopia! Utopia!!"
People screamed at the sight of Jin Yu-ha.
[ Ah, that person is the Utopia Party Leader, Jin Yu-ha. H-he certainly makes an impression with how dependable he looks. Um, Shin Se-hee? Could you give us an explanation about Party Leader Jin Yu-ha? ]
Seo A-yoon made a comment to keep the situation moving.
[ ...... . ]
[ S-Shin Se-hee? ]
But Shin Se-hee was just gazing up at Jin Yu-ha's hologram, her mouth hanging open blankly.
[ Shin Se-hee! ]
Seo A-yoon patted Shin Se-hee's hand as she spoke.
Gulp—
Then, Shin Se-hee twitched in surprise, swallowed, and blinked her eyes.
[ Huh? What did you just say? ]
[ I asked you to give an explanation about Party Leader Jin Yu-ha. ]
[ Ah, yes. An explanation....... Right. W-well, let's just watch the battle first. ]
[ Excuse me? Are you sure about that? ]
[ Quiet. I need to focus. Don't interrupt me. ]
[ Pardon? ]
At the situation going awry from the start, Seo A-yoon wore a flabbergasted expression.
* * *
Rumble—
A tremendous number of blue crabs emerged from the sea.
"Y-Yu-ha hoobae......."
Im Ga-eul, who had been staring dazedly at the crabs swarming across the entire broad sea, called out to me in a tense voice.
"D-do we really have to do that?"
"You don't have to if you don't want to, sunbae."
"......Huh?"
"But if we don't, I'll be disappointed, sure, but the people will be even more disappointed. Everyone's watching right now. You've finally got yourself a character, so are you really not going to do it? I won't stop you if you want to go back to being invisible Im Gyeo-ul."
"I-Im Gyeo-ul......!? No, not that!"
At those words, Im Ga-eul's eyes flew open wide.
Then she bowed her head deeply and answered in a deflated voice.
"Ugh, f-fine! I'll do it, okay! I'll do it!"
Im Ga-eul bit her lip and stole a glance at the drone projector floating in the air.
Then, with a tilt of her chin,
she covered half her face with one hand and opened her eyes with a glint.
"Hmph, no matter how many measly creatures there are, they don't stir me in the slightest. Isn't there anything stronger?"
Immediately, a flood of voices burst from the speaker attached to the drone.
— Aaaaaaaah!!!
— Squinting Mastermind! Squinting Mastermind! Squinting Mastermind!
— You're already dead!!!
— Hoobae, help!!!!
— Squinting Idiot!!!
The voices struck deep in Im Ga-eul's chest.
The corners of her eyes twitched.
Flinch—
The approaching Blue Crabs halted in their tracks.
"......Eh, it's real!? O-oh, no....... Heh-heh. Did you stop at the force of my presence? Truly, the level of such insignificant creatures is nothing—"
Pfft.
I burst into silent laughter at Im Ga-eul's mastermind act.
She seemed to hesitate quite a bit until right before, but as soon as I set the stage, she showed tension matching the Black Magic Stone Awakened Im Ga-eul I'd seen back then.
"Now, then, my children. Go dispose of those lowly creatures— Acceleration!"
Clinging to her concept to the very end, Im Ga-eul cast Acceleration on the party members.
"Alright, Utopia Party, sortie!"
I also shouted something I normally wouldn't say, kicking off the ground.
Whirl—
Shing.
I spun my body in the air and drew Moonlight in a flashy manner.
Slash—
A sharp cutting sound.
Simultaneously, two claws from one Blue Crab went flying into the air.
"—SKREEEE!!!"
Whoosh—!
Having its two large claws cleanly severed in an instant, the enraged Blue Crab swung its remaining claws on the other side at me.
'Nice try.'
I watched it with calm eyes, then kicked the severed claw still floating in midair.
Whump—!
Thud!
The claw crashed to the ground as my body leaped once more.
It was an application of the Dark Shadow Step I'd used in the swimming race against Kang Do-hee earlier.
I could float for an instant even on water, so a solid foothold like a crab claw was nothing.
Slash—
Slash—
Slash—
Using the claws as continuous footholds, I began slicing through the creatures' bodies as if flying through the air.
"I can't let that Yellow Dog run wild alone!"
Splash—
Kang Do-hee, in her bright red bikini, also threw herself into the fray.
"Not Yellow Dog, call me something else. Kang Poppy!"
I yelled from a distance.
Tighten.
"......."
Kang Do-hee shut her mouth.
Then, as if venting her fury on the enemy, she spun her body in a whirlwind kick, pummeling the Blue Crabs.
Crunch—!
Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop—!
The remains of the Blue Crabs burst apart like grass being mowed down.
Snap.
In the midst of this, one creature snatched Kang Do-hee's body with its claws.
And just as it was about to bring her to its mouth.
"Hup!"
Kang Do-hee grabbed the claw clutching her body with both arms and forced it open.
Screeeech—
She slipped her body out through the widening gap.
Then she crouched low and burrowed underneath the creature.
Grip.
She grabbed the belly plate of the Blue Crab tightly and exerted force.
And then.
Crack—
Riiip—!
The crab's shell was torn completely free from its body.
"—SKREEEEE......."
As Jin Yu-ha and Kang Do-hee thus began their rampage as the party's Damage Dealers.
"Sofia hoobae?"
"......Haa. Jin Yu-ha is so cool— Huh? Did you call me?"
"We agreed to coordinate together. Hoobae......."
"Ah, right. Just a moment!"
Twang—
Sofia raised her bow and began firing silver arrows.
Fwit— fwit— fwit— fwit—
Every arrow she fired landed precisely on the Blue Crabs' joints.
However, as a Healer, her power was weak, so she only frayed them without succeeding in tearing off the Blue Crabs' legs.
"Heh-heh-heh-heh. Yes, now it's finally my turn to step in."
Im Ga-eul, sporting an arrogant smile, flicked her hand in its black glove.
Whoosh—
Slash—!
"You're already dead."
With Im Ga-eul's Mana threads added to the arrows Sofia had embedded, the joints were cleanly severed.
'Everyone's doing well.'
As I continued to shear off the crab claws, I kept an eye on my party members' battles.
Actually, I hadn't given my party members any separate tactical commands for this battle.
I had just one single request.
Be as flashy as possible. Show them a battle that'll make the crowd go wild.
This Haeundae Swimsuit Event is fundamentally a festival.
In other words, it's an episode whose purpose is fun and enjoyment!
You could tell that just from the characteristics of the Blue Crab monster.
Usually, monsters can't be used as food because they contain demonic energy, but the Blue Crab is different.
Its setting is that if you cut out only the gill section where demonic energy is concentrated, you can use it as a top-quality ingredient that boasts an incredible taste!
On top of that, being a demonic creature, it stays fresh even when dead—a truly helpful monster.
And what's more, the more the crowd is riled up by them, the easier the strategy becomes.
What connection could there possibly be between the crowd going wild and the Blue Crabs?
'Because it makes the monsters retreat faster.'
Besides being usable as food, the Blue Crab has one other characteristic.
'Specifically, it's sensitive to sound and vibration.'
That's why in the game, the more flashily you killed enemies, the higher the Cheer Score would rise, and the faster you could force the Blue Crabs to retreat.
— Waaaaaaaaah!! Utopia! Utopia!
— Saintess, you're amazing!!!!!
— Squinting Mastermind! Squinting Mastermind! Squinting Mastermind!
— Aaaah! Fighting Dog!!!
— Yu-ha! Waaah— You're the only one for me!!!
Even now, the cheers were ringing out in real time.
Maybe because the Utopia Party's standing was higher than the Player Party's standing at this point in the original game, the volume of cheers was truly immense.
Flinch—
The Blue Crabs, which had charged in boldly, were starting to back away—a clear sign of just how incredible the cheers were right now.
'But at this rate, we might not get to hunt enough Blue Crabs before it all ends.......'
Of course, I had a countermeasure for that, too.
"Gukbap!!!"
I called out to Lee Yu-ri, who was waiting at a distance.
As if she had been waiting, she struck her shield with the microphone she held in one hand.
Claaaaaaang—!!!!