Chapter 143
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: Something's Off About the Newbie's Skills (6)
She stood up from her seat and stretched languidly.
And then, without a care, she rubbed her hot cheek against my thoroughly chilled hand.
Rubbing it back and forth.
"Whoa, Ihyeon, your hand is freezing cold. Feels so nice and cool..."
The soft, warm sensation.
I flinched at her sudden action.
Like a big cat nuzzling its owner for affection, she kept rubbing her face against my hand. Her platinum blonde hair and breath tickled teasingly between my fingers.
"U-um, Team Leader?"
"Sorry, sorry. Your hand's just so cold, it feels great~"
"I-I think I should go help the other seniors now."
At my words, she looked up at me with a pouty expression.
"Aww... Already? Then what about the AC...?"
I couldn't help but let out a disbelieving chuckle.
This awful team leader.
She was treating me like a human air conditioner completely naturally.
"I'll leave the doll here."
I summoned Da-eun noona's clone body into the tent.
As the clone emitted a cool chill again, she finally smiled in satisfaction, beaming brightly.
Then she grabbed the doll's hand and started rubbing her cheek against it once more.
"Whoa, this one's cold too! Thanks, Ihyeon!"
"...Yeah, yeah."
This bizarre woman who ruined her own reputation without a second thought.
She really seemed like the perfect candidate for a fuckhouse.
'I'll shove my dick in there later for sure.'
With that, I left the tent and headed toward the other team members.
Here and there, running around. Not really getting much done, but somehow feeling strangely busy.
They were still wrestling with the sticky spiderwebs. Drenched in sweat, they looked no different from when I'd first seen them.
But with the manpower doubled from before.
I could see some seniors I'd never met before too...
They must have been wrapping up the work.
"So, what do you think about that newbie's proposal?"
Nick Hobbs stood with his arms crossed, trying to persuade the other squad leaders.
The recent interview.
From Nick's perspective, who was always short on manpower and reaching out everywhere, there couldn't be sweeter fruit than Kang Ihyeon's ability.
Puppets that could be deployed instead of personnel.
He'd have to see exactly what they could do, but leaving them unused without even testing was nonsense.
"I think it's a pretty good proposal. If the guy's ability isn't fake, it could drastically boost our team's efficiency. In non-combat tasks, no one in Team 5 could match his output, right?"
"Senior, you're serious?"
Squad 2 Leader Chloe Riard shot back with an incredulous look. Her red ponytail whipped wildly with every shake of her head.
"Change our entire operation on the word of one D-rank newbie? What if something goes wrong? How great can one puppet be to connect all five zones and even set up a kill zone? It's ridiculous."
"I agree with Chloe."
Han Yurim, who had been bickering with her just moments ago, looked equally displeased.
"The risk is too high. And even if it's possible, it's way too much burden on that newbie. It's basically dumping all the work on him."
Frustrated by their negative reactions, Nick ruffled his own hair.
"Haa... You guys are missing the point. Whether his puppets are amazing or not isn't the key."
"Then what is?"
"He said he uses those puppets like 'consumables.' Get it? If they break, he just makes more. Need labor? Labor puppets. Need bait for monsters? Bait puppets. He can swap them out as needed!"
At Nick's words, Chloe and Han Yurim's expressions hardened instantly.
Not missing their reaction, he drove the wedge in.
"No way... You're not pissed because that newbie might slip out of your control and act independently, are you?"
"Wanna die, senior?"
Killing intent laced Chloe's voice. Han Yurim glared at Nick sharply too.
With their fierce gazes deflating his momentum, Nick cleared his throat awkwardly and changed the subject.
"N-no, I mean, our workload decreases anyway, so what's not to like?"
"We've said it a million times—it's about workload imbalance! If it's like you say, the newbie does all the dirty work, and we just watch from behind. Is that a team?"
"Then we take on more jobs. Team 5's standing in the expedition will rise too...!"
Han Yurim's point was sharp.
As the mood soured between them, Squad 4 Leader Jo Kyungin, who had been listening quietly, awkwardly smiled and stepped in.
"H-hey, everyone calm down. How about we test it out like Nick senior said? We can watch closely, and if it's no good, stop it then. Not too late."
At his mediation, Chloe and Han Yurim pondered briefly before reluctantly nodding.
Anything was better than the current stalemate.
The moment Chloe and Han Yurim reluctantly nodded.
"I smell a rat around here."
Chloe's eyes sharpened like a beast's.
With her words, a long, supple leopard tail sprouted from near her hips, swishing lazily.
She kicked off the ground and shot like lightning toward the tree where Kang Ihyeon was hiding.
Kang Ihyeon sensed her movement and tried to dodge, but before he could react, her hand clamped down on his wrist.
Incredible speed.
Discomfort flashed across Kang Ihyeon's face.
"Oh, Senior. I was just passing by."
But his awkward excuse didn't work on Chloe.
She kept his wrist gripped tight, her tail swishing as she growled.
Her eyes scanned him from head to toe with keen interest.
"My skill, Leopardization. Sight, hearing, smell—all way beyond normal humans. I heard your breathing and heartbeat from the start, newbie. I just let you listen in."
She grinned and shouted toward Nick and the other squad leaders.
"Nick senior. I'll take this newbie for a spin."
"What? Hey, Chloe, you...!"
"You said to test it. I'll check myself if this newbie's the real deal or just a big-talker."
Chloe shot Nick a challenging glare, still holding Kang Ihyeon's wrist.
Nick hesitated, then shrugged and gave permission.
He had no choice.
Stopping Chloe in her 'feral state' wasn't easy, and he was curious if the newbie was as useful as claimed.
"Handle him gently, please."
Chloe snorted dismissively and waved him off.
Then, gripping Kang Ihyeon's wrist, she bolted without hesitation toward the core of Zone 3.
Her speed was like the wind itself.
The surroundings blurred into afterimages in an instant.
The wind whipping past was sharp as blades, centrifugal force crushing his body like it might tear flesh from bone.
"Hold on tight, newbie! Fall off and it's your hand!"
Chloe's shout pierced the howling wind. Kang Ihyeon, too stunned to curse, instinctively grabbed her waist.
"Where you touching, pervert?!"
"You said hold tight!"
"Then don't grope!"
Chloe's body moved like a true leopard, utilizing every terrain feature. She leaped lightly over massive tree roots, skimmed across swampy mires like skating on water. When spiderwebs blocked the way, she spun gracefully, slipping through gaps like a dancer.
No room for lewd thoughts or anything else.
And soon, that storm-like dash halted abruptly.
Kang Ihyeon barely steadied his wobbling body.
They'd arrived at the deepest part of Zone 3, the core area teeming with massive spider nests.
Unlike the key site Team 5 was handling, most webs here remained intact.
"This is Zone 3's real playground. Now prove how useful you are."
'Damn... I was just about to score with Team Leader, how'd it end up like this?'
Should've stayed holed up in the tent.
Kang Ihyeon swallowed his inner grumbling and side-eyed the woman who'd dragged him to this ominous spot.
Chloe Riard.
Healthy, sun-tanned bronze skin.
Well-toned muscles visible over her tight combat suit.
And above all, her defining feature: the long, beautiful leopard tail extending from near her hip bones.
Her pants, slightly revealing her butt crack due to the tail's lazy swaying, were striking.
Kang Ihyeon gulped dryly.
"W-what... do I need to prove?"
At his question, Chloe gestured around dryly, devoid of any anticipation.
"See those massive spiderweb clumps? Biggest headache in our op. Paths to the boss zone are mostly cleared, but securing that mana stone area they've blocked has been stalled for days."
"Can't we just burn them?"
"They burn, sure. But lighting them up releases toxic gas—we can't stay long. Plus, those webs don't just stick; they absorb mana, so magic has limits. Physically cutting's impossible with normal blades. And deeper in, small stealth spiders ambush, so we can't touch them rashly."
She added,
"Beyond delaying conquest, mineralizing stabilized new rifts for guild handover is just as crucial. Team 5 has low budget but gains big from these profits. Handling side areas well means solid returns when handing rifts to guilds."
Kang Ihyeon nodded.
In other words, the rift's prime flower—the mana stone production hub—was right in those spider monster habitats.
"If you're really useful, change this shitty terrain to suit us right now. Do whatever with your fancy puppets."
"......"
This wasn't what I'd pitched to the vice leader.
Kang Ihyeon sighed inwardly at the daunting setup.
What he'd suggested to Nick was a macro strategy to restructure the entire rift and shorten conquest time.
But Chloe demanded immediate, on-the-spot fixes for the eyesore ahead.
Bigger scale, far more ad-hoc and micro-focused.
'Could maybe try setting up a separate kill zone tailored to this terrain...'
But more than that, this woman.
Kang Ihyeon got a strong vibe that Chloe was a serious problem child, rivaling Squad Leader Soyoung.
If the team leader was the lazy, sleepy type who slacked off,
Chloe was the hyper-energetic type overflowing with energy, constantly stirring trouble.
'Maybe a skill side effect. Turning into a real leopard...'
Kang Ihyeon sighed inwardly and decided to comply for now.
"First... I need to survey the terrain closer. Mind if I take a lap around?"