The Arctic Fox Exec's Absurd High-Leg Leotard Is Normal
The sudden call had me sprinting out the door without a second thought.
The caller was Saetbyeol. Locust had appeared and was dragging Manbok hostage into a Beyond Battle.
“Everyone’s okay, right!?”
『Yes. The Beyond Battle Association people showed up and are fighting alongside us. They said they’ve been watching us the whole time.』
“Where exactly!?”
『In Yeongdeungpo-gu, the abandoned industrial area!』
I swallowed my scream about how those kids were out at this hour and got the briefing on the location.
“Thank goodness. The Association really has been watching!”
“They were attacked, so it’s not like they’re totally fine. But where exactly is this industrial area?”
『It’s the old place where they made deck cases and coated paper. It’s been decaying and abandoned lately. I remember some empty lots left from the construction still sitting there.』
“Why would you drag kids, my own son, to a place like that! —Damn it!”
We piled into the nearest unmanned taxi, still processing the new info.
Even though we were speeding the whole way, both moms were on edge. The worry turned out to be right.
“Draw. My turn.”
“Activate Magic.”
“Go! Direct attack with 【Appleman】!”
“Kwoooooh!!!”
We hit the industrial area and saw the strangest sight: kids lined up in a row, throwing down Black Robe cards and dueling adults in a Beyond Battle.
“What the hell is this?”
“They’ve already taken out over thirty of them!”
All the kids wore black robes and had glassy eyes, so they were the brainwashed ones like Manbok. The Association fighters were holding their own but losing ground on a few of them.
Every time the duels clashed, the field shook and the surroundings got wrecked. The real-world damage from the cards was ruining the terrain.
“Uncle. Over here!”
“Be careful. These kids are strong!”
Even in the chaos, Saetbyeol and Chaerin were fighting too. Thankfully they were skilled enough to knock out opponents before I could see the cards.
“Where’s Taeyang and Manbok?”
『They’re inside that factory that was being dismantled! The brainwashed Manbok and the woman who looks like the mastermind of all this are right there with him!!』
“Taeyang and Chaerin, you two hold this side! Uncle and Auntie, head inside!”
“Got it. Both of you, the kids are inside!!”
I grabbed the two of them in the middle of the mess and rushed inward.
Gaeun was initially strutting with fire in her eyes, but her legs gave out right away. I had to hoist her onto my back.
Yumi, following her sister, soon lost her strength too and I cradled her against my side.
“How… Is this really Korea? Am I dreaming right now?”
“Why are these international terrorists even targeting my son…?”
“Both of you, pull yourselves together. You were the ones who were screaming earlier about killing anyone who touched your kids!”
“I never imagined it would go this far…”
“Me neither… Taeyang got dragged into something like this…”
I was just as stunned as they were.
The area still glowed with light, but here in this industrial district it was pitch black. This empty lot had somehow become a perfect spot for those weirdos to operate.
The constant metallic clangs and cracking echoes from the steel beams proved a chunk of the factory had collapsed during the fight.
‘No matter what, this is too loud. If it keeps going, the cops will show up. Or maybe they’re just going to walk out because their brainwashing got exposed?’
While I was still suspicious of other plans, I finally spotted Taeyang’s group.
“Taeyang!”
“Mom! Uncle! Auntie! You’re here!!”
“Aah, our Manbok~!?”
On Taeyang’s side stood Little Dragon Princess. On Manbok’s side was the Giant Raccoon Statue card.
The situation screamed ace-card showdown. Despite the speed, the fight had already reached its climax.
“Manbok! Manbok! Do you hear Mommy!?”
『U… Mom…』
“You do hear me!?”
『Sorry… I’m a bad kid… I did this…』
“What kind of garbage is that! I know you’re kind better than anyone, Mommy! Even if others aren’t, you can trust me!”
『But I… I feel too ashamed to think about it… I did this… Kwooo~!?』
“Dae Manbok!!”
Just like before, he stood there with blank eyes, controlled by someone.
But the brainwashing wasn’t perfect. Every time Gaeun spoke, he twitched in reaction.
“Don’t give up! Mommy’s here! Break the brainwashing and come to me!”
『E-Eh, Mom! Mommy~!?』
Even Taeyang and Little Dragon Princess felt a little moved.
“Auntie Gaeun is amazing! We couldn’t get a single word out of him no matter how much we talked!”
『It’s a miracle born from Mommy and son’s love.』
“Exactly! Sister, Manbok’s looking for Mommy! So keep calling a little longer!!”
Gaeun found her courage again.
“Manbok! It’s Mommy!”
『Ah, M-Mommy! Mommy~!!』
‘Damn, I love this cliché brainwashing trope so much! Love between parents really is the only thing that can break it!’
Even if I was ten years younger, I could’ve joined the vibe. Damn, that’s a shame!
I clenched my fists, secretly cheering for Gaeun, when a new figure appeared.
“Useless. Yelling won’t break the brainwashing.”
‘…Pervert?’
Yeah, it was a pervert.
An arctic fox mask with its mouth open, silver hair in a bob with a faint blue tint.
…That part I could’ve called a mysterious character.
But the “white high-leg leotard”?
‘What the hell. Wearing that isn’t embarrassing? Or are all the female Locust fighters supposed to dress like that?’
She even wore over-knee socks and created an absolute territory.
Her chest was a little smaller than Yumi’s, but the thighs were so plump the thigh-highs bit into them dangerously.
‘These kids’ walls are bad for an ero character. Well, it’s normal for service girls to show up like this… but still.’
I was lost in my own weird thoughts, but Gaeun was seething mad.
“It’s you! You bad woman who turned our good son Manbok into this!?”
“We’re both adults, so let’s introduce ourselves first. I’m a Locust executive. Code name 『Nunbora』. I came to recover the Princess under the Great Leader’s orders.”
Please, don’t play a cool character in that ridiculous outfit.
“I don’t care about your identity! Answer my question! Why are you targeting our son!?”
“People were talking, and you’re butting in like that. Or are you a woman who does phone scams and has an empty head?”
The outburst made Manbok twitch.
『Don’t call Mommy like that!!』
“!”
For a second the brainwashing slipped.
No matter what her expression was hidden by the mask, it was clear Nunbora was surprised.
“Manbok…?”
『I know too! I know I shouldn’t be ashamed of Mommy! But I can’t help it! Since that day… I started comparing everything with the other kids… and on parent-teacher days I always felt ashamed about Mommy’s job! I was scared whether it was right to call her, whether it was okay to call her even though she worked nights, and whether… they’d look down on her…』
‘Oh no. You really know how to hit the parents’ tears, kid.’
The worry turned out to be true.
“Manbok… so you joined Locust because of me!?”
『At first it was when Taeyang’s mom came to observe… but Mom never showed up that day either…』
“You…”
『I deliberately didn’t call her because I thought about her job… but I still felt ashamed! That’s why I fought with Taeyang more, and one day these people approached me, saying if I got Mom to stop her job, I could do something… so I accepted it…!!』
“That’s Mommy’s job. But you’re in elementary school, how did you…!?”
The answer wasn’t from Manbok, but from the pervert who called herself Nunbora.
“We told you rare cards are sold for huge money. You saw the pile in our son’s room that we couldn’t recover. Economic activity isn’t about one big score; it has to be sustainable… but kids are kids. They got excited thinking they could earn a little and caused the whole mess.”
“You used my child as a tool?”
“Not really. I just gave you a hint and stoked your desire. A kid who tries this hard for her parents… that’s rare these days. If Mom hadn’t done it, Manbok would’ve grown up straighter. Hahaha. This is the kind of case where parents ruin their kids.”
『Shut u… Don’t insult Mommy!!』
The villain was a villain through and through.
I wasn’t exactly a good adult, but that line made my blood boil.
“So you kept quiet when talking to your sister or the police? You couldn’t admit you stole cards even though you did it on your own will, even to help your sister.”
『I’m sorry… I thought it through too little…』
“…Manbok.”
The sound of parents’ hearts breaking echoed in the air.
It was obvious her heart had been torn open, knowing the brainwashing started because she wanted to help her parents.
“W-What should we do. Yumi. I really don’t know what to do!?”
“Sister. Calm down. You’re still okay!”
“But, but! It’s all because of me-!”
Gaeun collapsed, and Manbok fell unconscious again, back in brainwashed mode.
But as Yumi said, it wasn’t over yet. The battle was still raging and Taeyang was burning with his usual enthusiasm.
“Auntie Gaeun! It’s okay, it’s almost over! The Princess said if we win this time we can break the brainwashing! Stay here and watch!”
‘What kind of “win with this and that” crap is that, little protagonist.’
No matter how you looked at it, she was reliable.
Even on her knees, Gaeun waved her hands helplessly.
“Ugh, but! Our child, Manbok, is like this because of me!”
“If you can break it, let’s just wait. If not, we’ll stop it with force like last time.”
“Lee Baek…”
“I’m right here too, Sister.”
The two of us grabbed her hands and steadied her.
Taeyang, trying to lighten the mood, flashed a cool thumbs-up.
“Right, by the way, Uncle, you’ve never seen Taeyang and Princess dueling together, have you? Since it’s a special occasion, I’ll show you!!”
【Little Dragon Princess】 [Cost: 5]
[Follower] [Dragon] [5 / 5]
[This card generates 2 ‘Little Fire’ cards into the hand every turn. If there’s no space in the hand, the card is destroyed.]
[If it takes critical damage, this card changes.]
『Ugh, Taeyang! Now!』
“Change! Dragon Form!”
The moment Little Dragon Princess took damage from the Raccoon Statue, she evolved into a new card with flames.
【Princess · Red Dragon Form】 [Cost: 10] [Generated]
[Follower] [Dragon] [15 / 15]
[This card generates 1 ‘Princess Breath’ card into the hand every turn.]
[Every turn, generates 1 ‘Dragon’ follower on the field.]
[If there’s no space in hand or field, the card is destroyed.]
I was completely stunned by the majestic dragon descending from the center of the rising flames.
‘What the hell is that?’
Q. If you give me 5 cost 20/20, would I use it? A. It’d crash the game if I can’t get rid of it. Vanilla? B. Every turn draws 2, revives once, changes, fills the field, and has a removal? A. That’s not a card that dies to one removal? A. …Why isn’t this banned??
I didn’t know either.
Even right after the change, a new dragon appeared with the Princess’s roar.
【Red Wyvern】 [Cost: 3] [Generated]
[Follower] [Dragon] [3 / 4]
[Little Dragon Princess’s follower.]
[A proud sky knight who fights with a just queen.]
The wyvern appeared with some weird flavor text. Cost was there but since it was generated, it was meaningless.
In short, Taeyang was summoning a 23/24 with just 5 cost.
‘What the hell is the late-game balance trying to do?’
No matter who was playing this late at night, a metallic execution BGM played.
Ninety percent, Taeyang had won. I decided it was time for a grown-up to do his part and moved beside the field.
“Lee Baek. Where are you going?”
“Look outside. A truck full of kidnapped kids. They probably brainwashed them the same way and messed with several families.”
Normally I’d leave it to Taeyang and talk about power-up events, but today was different. Arms crossed, I wasn’t in a position to watch and couldn’t let Taeyang fight twice in a row.
Most of all, the words I threw at the pervert stung. Someone who pays taxes and works hard criticizing someone else’s job as a scam? What the hell gives them the right?
“If I don’t turn that kid who thinks her job is a scam into a boring woman, who will?”
“Hee hee.”
Even though she was scared of the wording I normally wouldn’t use, she followed me at a trot.
“I heard your name. Were you a Beyond Battler too?”
“Probably.”
“…Probably?”
I took out my deck from the thigh holster I hadn’t used in ages. The sinister aura was still there, but there was no sign of going berserk like before. Instead, I was openly happy that they were using me.
“Yumi. Could you show me your deck? I’ll give it back after this fight.”
“You’re going to tune it here?”
“Yeah. It’ll be quick.”
I didn’t need anything, so I was about to fight right away with my deck, but luckily Yumi’s deck had the card I was looking for.
I mixed in new universal cards on the spot, removed the ones I wasn’t going to use, and sorted them.
“Are you confident you can beat me with a deck I built on the spot? Or are you just a clueless kid who doesn’t know the skill gap? Either way, losing here would be really embarrassing, you know?”
“You’re going to get your ass kicked right here tonight.”
I set the deck in the air and summoned the field.
I made the objects huge so the kids wouldn’t see and blocked the path.
“Please, be careful with your body.”
Yumi’s voice from behind was ironically aimed at the opponent.