Chapter 102
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Turning the Barrel (2)
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All rifts are interconnected.
In the past, Earth—the cradle of humanity—couldn't withstand the countless rifts that tore it apart and ultimately "rifted" itself into oblivion.
Earth's heroes squeezed out their last reserves of strength to migrate through a new rift connected to Earth, arriving here in "Tartaros."
But the environment here wasn't much different.
Every few months, or at most a year, new rift portals inevitably opened in Tartaros too.
Hunters had to raid those rifts in time.
If they failed and the rift's internal mana reached saturation, the monsters inside would pour out uncontrollably.
That's exactly how Earth fell.
Thus, the primary duties of active hunters fighting on Tartaros's front lines boiled down to two main tasks.
Risking their lives to raid newly opened "new rifts."
Or assessing the profitability of already cleared and secured "old rifts," turning them into mana stone "mines."
The 11-1 Rift, managed by the Association, fell into the old rift category. Though it was particularly lacking in profitability.
Among them, S-rank hunter Miyazaki Rena occupied a very special position, belonging to neither category.
"Perfect, Rena! That pose is spot on! Let's twist your waist a bit more!"
"Hehe, like this?"
Click, click, click.
Blinding flashes erupted without pause.
Miyazaki Rena was, in a word, an idol.
A kind of political officer meant to lure more young people into the dangerous profession of front-line hunters, risking their lives.
People called her the "Siren of the Battlefield."
Just like any other day, she was dressed in a daring new swimsuit design, posing for a sexy beach photoshoot.
"Yes! That's it! So sexy! This time, let's go more... provocative. Imagine the camera lens is yours—seduce it with a smoldering gaze!"
"Ehh~? Director, aren't you being too mean~? If you shoot me weird, Rena's gonna cry~!"
Despite her words, she brushed off the goosebumps from the cold sea breeze on her arms and arched her back into a perfect curve, thrusting her hips back with expert ease.
Of course, her breasts weren't particularly large, and her height was quite short compared to other S-rank hunters.
But her small face and beautifully flared hips put her far from a child's build.
Rena's petite yet sexy figure stirred a strange protective instinct and possessiveness in others.
"Great! Let's take a break! Back at it in five minutes!"
At the director's call, the entire crew sprang into frantic motion.
And right then.
As if someone flipped a switch, the adorable smile Rena had been beaming at the camera vanished without a trace.
Her honey-sweet voice gone, she turned to her manager beside her and growled in a low, sharp tone.
"Haa, fuck. When the hell does this shoot end? Beach photoshoot in the dead of winter? Give me a break."
The "idol Rena" who'd been coquettishly whining moments ago was nowhere to be seen.
In her place stood S-rank active hunter Miyazaki Rena herself, utterly fed up with it all.
"H-Haha... Can't be helped. Swimsuits are your trademark, and they hook guys year-round."
"Then let me wear a bikini at least. Oh, but first, we'd have to get rid of that asshole director."
"...The swimsuit thing—I'd love to, but the Association blocked it as too risqué."
"Haa, those lolicon bastards. Guess they only see what they wanna see."
She vented all sorts of gripes to her manager during the camera break.
The cute swimsuit was basically a school-issued one.
She didn't hate it, but she was sick of it.
"I like photoshoots fine, but I'm not some cheap model, you know? I'm Association-certified S-rank active hunter Miyazaki Rena."
"I know, I know. How could I forget? Everyone knows."
"If you know, then at least get me a hunting permit! I wanna taste some blood for once! Or even rift patrol nearby! Not shaking my ass in front of a camera in this sea wind!"
But the Association rarely allowed her real "hunts"—her core hunter duties.
For the absurd reason that her overwhelming S-rank prowess might alienate the general public.
"Those damn lolicon Association pricks. Do they think I'm some pet dog?"
"Rena, please... Watch your mouth. What if someone hears?!"
The manager paled, glancing around frantically to hush her.
"Can't be helped. Your exclusive model contract still has five years left."
"I know, fuck! Why'd I sign that stupid thing back then! Stuck playing cocktease for these guys. Am I crazy or what?"
Unable to contain her frustration, Rena kicked at the sand irritably.
It was a shackle-like contract she'd signed naively as a green B-rank hunter.
Who could've known?
Her potential would explode overnight, rocketing her from the bottom ranks straight to S-rank.
Right as she irritably swept back her hair—
"U-Um..."
Hesitantly.
An awkward intern in a cheap suit, clearly green, approached her.
"What."
Rena's brows furrowed.
Before she could speak, her manager rushed over pale-faced, blocking the intern.
"Hey, Jo! What the hell are you doing? Can't you see we're shooting?!"
"B-But...! This has to be delivered..."
"Shh! Quiet!"
The manager desperately tried to silence him, but it was too late—Rena's sharp eyes were already locked on.
"What, a fan? Never seen your face."
"Ah, haha, Rena, ignore him. New intern—doesn't get the vibe yet. He's been spouting weird stuff, so I was gonna train him separately. I'll handle it, so get back to—"
At her words, the manager forced a sweaty grin.
But she ignored his flimsy excuse entirely.
Her gaze fixed solely on the crumpled paper clutched in the intern's hand.
Stamped with the Academy's official seal, clear as day.
"What's that."
Her voice turned ice-cold.
The manager desperately snatched the paper, hiding it behind his back.
"Give it here."
"N-No, it's nothing! Just some trivial official notice from the Academy! I'll report it later!"
But no matter how he squirmed, he couldn't evade an S-rank hunter's overwhelming physical prowess.
Rena slipped behind him in an instant, snatching the paper from his hand like a predator seizing prey.
"H-Hey...!"
She roughly unfolded the crumpled sheet and scanned the contents.
It was an official "complaint" issued by an Academy student named Jo Jaehyuk.
[Complaint Target: Academy Student, Kang Ihyeon]
[Complaint Details: Unauthorized use of pro hunter Miyazaki Rena's likeness to create a doll for lewd purposes, engaging in sexual acts with it...]
As she read, her eyes began to gleam with dangerous intensity.
The manager thought, We're screwed.
She was hysterical enough already; reading such an insulting complaint might make her flip the set and storm the Academy.
"Y-You idiot! How could you show her that during work?! I said I'd handle it!"
"S-Sorry... B-But I..."
"I only took you on as a temp 'cause you're an Academy kid, and you pull this shit—"
"Enough. Stop clutching him like a rat."
"R-Rena..."
But contrary to his fears, Rena didn't explode.
If anything, a faint, eerie smile tugged at her lips.
"N-Not mad?"
The manager asked cautiously.
"Sexual misconduct scandal... Could seriously damage your reputation..."
"Pfft. So what."
Rena shrugged nonchalantly.
Even Jo Jaehyuk, who'd brought the complaint, was stunned.
"How many guys out there jerk off all over my swimsuit mags, splattering cum everywhere? Hell, those crazy lesbian bitches once sent me pussy pics as 'fan letters.'"
She was exceedingly tolerant of that sort of thing.
Maybe even enjoyed her petite body becoming a sexual object.
"This is kinda fun, actually. A skill that makes a doll copying my looks and a degraded version of my skills? That's straight-up broken."
Her words sent chills down the manager's spine.
She'd clearly thought of the same horrifying possibility he had.
"Y-You're not thinking... of using that doll as your stand-in, right...?"
"Why not? What's wrong with that?"
She countered with wide-eyed innocence.
"Never read The Prince and the Pauper? Let the doll handle these godawful photoshoots while I go on real 'hunts' in the time saved. Perfect plan, no?"
"Earth fairy tales are crazy expensive...? Unlike you, my pay sucks. Anyway, no way! If you get caught...!"
"Caught how? Just shut up the guy who sent this complaint."
She grinned and crooked a finger at Jo Jaehyuk.
In that instant, his body froze solid in place.
What...? Why me?
He couldn't comprehend.
Instructor Seraphina had said for sure: Show this to the S-rank hunter, and she'd rage at Kang Ihyeon, officially protesting to the Academy.
So why?
Why were those arrows of fury turning back on him instead?
"Hey, kid."
She stood right before him, lightly lifting his chin with a finger.
"What's your name again? Jo Jaehyuk?"
"Y-Yes...! That's me...!"
"Right. Jo Jaehyuk. Wanna have some fun talking with me?"
Before he knew it, pale green, sticky slime ooze began enveloping him from the ankles up, slowly coating his entire body.
Jo Jaehyuk felt a chilling déjà vu at the eerie sensation.
Yeah. Back then.
In that hellish cave, during the final exam. Fighting Kang Ihyeon—he'd been done in just like this.
By the slime summoned by the Miyazaki Rena doll he'd called forth.
Wrapped head to toe, crushed by bone-shattering pressure, barely able to breathe—that horrific memory.
He panicked and screamed without thinking.
"I-I'll tell you everything! Please, let me go!"
"Oh?"
Rena quirked a brow, amused. The slime's grip loosened just a fraction.
"Go on. Spill. What's the real reason you reported this Kang Ihyeon? Super fan, jealous some guy's using my image however?"
"Th-That's...!"
Jo Jaehyuk's vision darkened.
He couldn't rat out Seraphina—instructor of the Grays, his backer—here.
Eyes squeezed shut, he blurted the first thing that came to mind, screw it.
"Kang Ihyeon...! That asshole just pisses me off, that's why!"
"...Ah, I see."
Rena actually chuckled at his blunt honesty.
"Fair enough. Makes sense. Guy world's like that sometimes."
With that, she fully released the slime's hold.
Jo Jaehyuk finally gasped for air, collapsing to the ground.
Alive.
For now, alive.
Relief washed over him.
But it didn't last.
"Now cough up everything you know. What's this Kang Ihyeon kid like?"
The manager beside her just sighed, like he'd seen this coming.