003. Gukbap Tank Lee Yu-ri (1)
003. Gukbap Tank Lee Yu-ri (1)
Velvet School Life was set in the modern day.
People drive cars, ride the subway, use smartphones—and since it's a Korean game, the locations are familiar too.
In other words, on the surface, it's not all that different from the world I originally lived in.
Sure, because of the gender role reversal, you see more women wearing suits than men, which is a little unusual, but it doesn't stand out enough to feel jarring or alien.
But there's exactly one thing.
One peculiar detail that forced me to recognize, like it or not, that this world is not the one I used to live in—that it's really a world inside a game.
And that is weapons.
In this world, not only Hunters who possess status windows and wield Mana,
but even ordinary people routinely carry weapons.
Equipment like greaves and elbow guards is the bare minimum.
I turned my head and studied the people riding the subway with me.
A male student with a tense face, carrying a shield on his back that looked like a backpack.
A middle-aged woman dozed with her head resting against a tall spear she'd propped upright.
A high school girl had a cute, rabbit-shaped pink holster strapped to her thigh.
And slotted into that holster, jarringly mismatched, was a hand axe that gleamed with a bluish luster.
Of course, the blades were all wrapped in cloth or something like silicone to keep them from being dangerous.
They say this is for self-protection in emergencies, since you never know when or where a Gate will break open.......
The extraordinary becoming everyday.
Maybe it's the result of a desperate struggle to keep living while under constant threat by monsters.
Honestly, from the perspective of someone who came from a world where carrying a weapon was outright illegal, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dissonance.
'Don't they worry about someone suddenly going crazy and stabbing the person next to them...? Ah, is this why Demonized Humans can operate so openly?'
They seemed dangerously numb to basic safety.
I grumbled to myself like that, but...
well, I'm not really one to talk.
Because I, too, was wearing sweatpants and had Moonlight hanging at my hip.
I'd rummaged through my closet for my Hunter uniform, but my body had gotten too big; it wouldn't even go on.
So what I was wearing instead was the training uniform issued by Velvet Academy.
It was a navy blue sweatsuit-type outfit, flexible and sturdy.
A violet belt—the academy's emblem—was elegantly embroidered on the chest.
Apparently, when you infuse it with Mana, the vitals area stiffens up—one of the new technologies of the Gate Era.
[ This stop is Sindorim, Sindorim Station. The doors will open on your left. This stop is Sindorim, Sindorim. The doors are on your left. ]
I'd been staring in amazement at the people commuting to work early in the morning with weapons strapped on, and before I knew it, we'd arrived at the station.
I pulled out my phone to check the time.
"We agreed on seven, so I've gotten here about thirty minutes early."
Beep─
I tapped my card at the ticket gate.
"We said we'd meet outside Exit 4, right?"
I rode the escalator up and stepped outside; a wide, quiet space welcomed me.
It had a park-like atmosphere.
And then, a bench some distance from the exit.
My eyes landed on a black-haired woman sitting there.
Her hair was tied up with a blue hair tie in a cute style.
Bottom: black, legging-like, clinging to her body. Top: a khaki-colored flight jacket.
She had her arms wrapped around a shield so large it practically hid her small frame, resting her chin on it and staring at her phone with a serious expression.
3-Star Tank Lee Yu-ri. Commonly known as Gukbap.
She looked exactly like the character I'd met in the game.
I let out a little chuckle.
"She's already here. Reliable as ever."
Happy to see her, I strode eagerly toward Lee Yu-ri.
As I did, I caught what she was muttering to herself in a grave voice.
"...That bitch Hye-ji, that damn bitch ran off with the entry fee and stuck me with the tab. Ha, as if I'm not broke enough already. Gotta save up as much as I can before the academy starts....... Once I'm in, I won't be able to do Hunter work for a while. I have to hit it big today....... But he's a guy, can he even pull his weight? Still, he's a prospective cadet, so he should at least carry his own, right? He wasn't lying about being a prospective cadet, was he?"
Even though I'd gotten pretty close, Lee Yu-ri was still totally absorbed in her phone.
A mischievous impulse struck me.
So I leaned in and whispered in her ear.
"I really am an academy cadet, you know?"
"Eek! Gyaaah!?"
Lee Yu-ri let out a remarkably creative scream. Genuinely startled, she flailed like a freshly caught flounder.
Except, the flailing made her lose her grip on her phone.
"Aack!?"
The sky-blue phone arced through the air.
"M-my! My! P-payment plan!"
Crying out about her payment plan, Lee Yu-ri stared blankly into the air. Scrunched around her shield as she was, she couldn't move easily.
Clack─!
I snatched the phone right out of the air and pressed it back into Lee Yu-ri's hand.
She immediately started inspecting it to make sure nothing was wrong.
I leaned in a little, too.
Just in case I'd misjudged my strength and broken it.
It turned off and on again without issue, so it seemed fine.
Lee Yu-ri let out a sigh of relief.
"So your phone isn't broken?"
At that question, she seemed to bristle for a second and snapped her head up.
"No! But! If it weren't for you! Who even just suddenly talks right in—!"
Our faces were closer than I'd realized.
Close enough that if we'd moved wrong, our lips might have touched.
"Hic—cup!"
Lee Yu-ri's eyes quaked as if hit by an earthquake.
In an instant, Lee Yu-ri's face went bright red.
"Ah, I was worried your phone might've broken, too. Sorry. That was a little close, wasn't it."
I said, taking a step back.
She was the prickly type anyway, and here I'd gone getting all chummy with her just because I was happy to see her.
At that, a flustered voice popped out from in front of me.
"Uh, ah....... I-it, hiccup! I mean, wh-who are you?"
"You're Lee Yu-ri, right?"
"...Huh? Yeah, that's me? How do you hiccup! know me?"
"We arranged to go to a Gate together today, remember?"
At those words, the girl known as Gukbap opened her eyes round as a rabbit's, looking startled.
"Huh...? Then, are you Jin Yu-ha?"
"Yes, I'm Jin Yu-ha. We spoke yesterday."
I smiled at Lee Yu-ri and gave a polite greeting.
* * *
I placed Moonlight in the bed of the compact truck Lee Yu-ri had driven here, then got into the passenger seat.
Beside me, Lee Yu-ri, her face still stiff, was fastening her seatbelt.
"I'll brief you as we go. Starting with the situation rundown. Hiccup! Ah, dammit, why won't these hiccups stop."
Lee Yu-ri grabbed a water bottle she kept in the car and drank.
Gulp, gulp, gulp─
Then she started up the truck.
Vroom─!
"Whew. Hiccups stopped. Jin Yu-ha. You do know the Gate we're heading to is called Camela Forest, right?"
Lee Yu-ri shifted the gear and spoke in a businesslike voice.
A professional demeanor entirely different from the almost comical fluster she'd shown moments before.
'She really is different when she's working. Already feeling reassured. The hiccups were cute, though.'
I'd definitely made the right choice picking Gukbap.
"Yes, I looked it up yesterday."
"That'll make explaining easier. Camela Forest is an E-Rank Gate. The monster spawns are goblins. Nakeys pop out now and then, so watch out for those."
"You mean the ones that look like snakes, right?"
"Yeah, their color blends in with the grass, so they're hard to spot. Be careful."
Lee Yu-ri turned the steering wheel with practiced ease.
"There are five of us. I'll be up front as the Tank; you and the other Damage Dealer will hold the middle. The Healer will be in the back line."
"So the remaining person is the Porter?"
"Yes. She has no combat ability, so she'll stay in the middle of the formation. Your job today, Jin Yu-ha, is to protect the Porter."
Given that I'd been squeezed in on short notice and there'd been no time to practice teamwork, it made sense they'd assign me to guard the Porter.
I still lacked confidence in taking the lead to hunt monsters myself, so that was more than welcome.
I nodded.
"Understood. Will we be meeting the other party members at the Gate?"
"Yes, they should all be waiting."
The whole time she spoke, Lee Yu-ri kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, focused on driving.
Watching her from the side, I suddenly had a question and asked.
"By the way, what happened with the one Damage Dealer who dropped out?"
"That bitch....... I mean, that unni just ghosted us out of the blue yesterday, not a word."
"...No contact at all? What if she suddenly reaches out today?"
"Ha, with that unni, even if she contacts us now, it's already too late. She broke trust over a job involving money."
Exactly what you'd expect from Gukbap.
Once you break her trust, she cuts you off without mercy.
After a brief silence, Lee Yu-ri spoke again, her expression a little apologetic.
"......The truth is, Jin Yu-ha, you got thrown into our mess last minute. Originally, we should've been able to take better care of you....... Mmm, but since you're a guy, Jin Yu-ha....... That might make things a little tough for you. Still, I'll make sure you get at least what a regular party member would."
I figured Lee Yu-ri, in her own way, had tried to look out for me—but the other party members had apparently pushed back.
Had what I said about being poor yesterday caused that? She really didn't have to worry about me that much, though.
Truth be told, my goal today was less about the money and more about getting experience dealing with monsters—and getting friendly with Gukbap.
Run Gates together for a month, grab a meal, head to the academy together too—that sounded nice, right?
I smirked and said,
"It's fine. Like I told you yesterday, I only need to get paid for what I actually contribute. If you think my contribution's lacking, you don't have to pay me at all."
After I made my position clear,
Lee Yu-ri briefly shifted her gaze and gave me a peculiar look.
"I'll trust you on it, Lee Yu-ri. I'm a pretty good judge of character. Thanks for looking out for me."
The moment our eyes met, she hastily turned her attention back to the road ahead.
"Ahem! W-well, then! If you show us what you've really got, everyone will accept that. W-we're here now, look!"
Near the Gate, a civilian access restriction line had been set up.
Armed soldiers were packed tightly around the Gate perimeter in a dense cordon.
'In the setting, bullets don't work well on monsters infused with Mana, but still, for ganging up on one bastard, nothing beats a gun.'
Lee Yu-ri decelerated nearby, rested her arm on the back of my seat, and turned her head to reverse-park with practiced skill.
"Let's get out."
"Yep."
Clunk─
The moment I opened the car door, high-pitched voices pierced my ears.
"Team Leader──!!!!"
"Siiis──!!!"
"Gukbap!"
Wait, who was that last one?
'I thought only the Players called her Gukbap. Does she actually go by Gukbap among the people here too?'
The owners of those voices seemed to be the party members I'd be working with today.
I gave a quick glance to see if there were any Velvetsra named characters, but they were all unfamiliar faces.
"I told you not to call me by that stupid nickname!"
Lee Yu-ri yelled,
then put a headlock on the yellow-ponytailed woman (she looked to be a Damage Dealer, most likely).
She'd used a stiff, formal tone when talking to me on the way here, but with her party members, her manner was much more casual and friendly.
"Kack-kack! I surrender! Surre-ender! So, where is he!? You said he's a guy! Is he hot?"
The yellow-ponytailed woman tapped the arm wrapped around her neck and spoke in an energetic voice.
"Is that really what's important to you right now?"
"Well, isn't it important to you, Gukbap!?"
"I told you to stop calling me that─!"
"Ghk! Agh, I won't! I'm sorry! Forgive me! So where is he!"
"Haah, he's right over there. He probably heard every word you just said, too."
Heaving a heavy sigh, Lee Yu-ri nodded her head toward me.
Three pairs of eyes swiveled in my direction.
"......."
"......."
"......."
An instant later, a heavy silence descended between me and them.
"......Hi?"
When I broke the silence and greeted them first,
the yellow-ponytailed one, her head still caught in Gukbap's arm, opened her mouth with a dazed expression.
"......Hey. Why are you a Hunter?"