Overprotected in Pangyo
Jangmi hailed a taxi with a familiar gesture. I followed her into the back seat.
"To Pangyo... □□ Street, please."
Her voice, giving the driver directions, was thick with exhaustion.
Her sudden offer to stay at her place instead of going home alone.
I pretended to think it over for a moment, but honestly, my options were limited.
The house I was living in was about to be sold off anyway...
And in this kid's body, I had no quick way to make money or find a place to stay.
For now, the best plan was to mooch off her kindness and bide my time.
As the taxi pulled away, she leaned her head against the window and drifted off to sleep.
Confirming her steady breathing from the side, I turned my gaze out the window.
Our destination: Pangyo New City.
Life had changed dramatically for everyone since the Gate Incident.
I glanced at Jangmi sleeping beside me.
Subraces had settled on Earth... and with monster threats looming, all the capital flowed to the safe, infrastructure-packed capital region.
At the center of it all were the hunters, who had risen to the top of society.
Especially high-rank hunters—they were practically walking corporations.
And the place where those with immense status and wealth gathered, densest with high-rank hunters, was Pangyo.
She'd invited me to move here countless times before...
Jangmi had always nagged me to come to Pangyo.
But I'd firmly refused every time.
I didn't want to live among hunters even after retiring.
Running into hunter neighbors everywhere didn't sound peaceful for post-retirement life.
Yet here I was, ending up like this...
People's lives are so unpredictable.
"......"
I shook off the idle thoughts, taking in the ever-changing scenery outside.
"Ma'am? We've arrived."
The taxi driver's voice broke the silence, and Jangmi slowly lifted her head from the window.
I followed her out the door.
Stepping outside, I was greeted by the dazzling sight of the apartment complex.
A place I'd visited a few times before at her invitation.
It always had this oppressive vibe that crushed the spirit...
Maybe even more so now that my body was smaller.
"Shall we go?"
Jangmi led the way, frowning at the intense sunlight pouring down and shielding her eyes with one hand.
Her pale white skin stood out starkly in the light.
Sharp fangs peeked from her slightly parted lips, and thin, pointed ears protruded from her hair.
Remembering the feel of her mouth on my neck earlier, sucking my blood, I rubbed my nape with my palm.
"......"
As I'd mentioned before, various subraces had made Earth their home after the Gate Incident.
And she was a vampire hybrid, born between a human and a vampire.
Walking through the complex, I glanced around casually.
An elf returning from shopping, beastkin chatting with perked ears.
A landscape where diverse subraces lived naturally side by side.
Finally stopping in front of her familiar building, she punched in the entrance code with practiced ease.
As the automatic door slid open and cool air enveloped us, her expression finally softened a bit.
I trailed after her like a duckling into the elevator.
Beep—beep—beep—ding~
With the door lock's chime, we entered her home.
Right at the entryway, Jangmi dropped her bag on the floor with a thud, then knelt on one knee in front of me.
"Shina, come on. Let's take off your shoes."
With careful hands, she untied and removed my shoes.
"......"
It was a little awkward—her, my longtime friend, treating me with such devotion and caution.
She led me to the living room sofa, seating me gently before grabbing the remote and turning on the TV.
A children's cartoon started playing on the screen.
"......?"
She bent down to meet my eyes.
Her red eyes fixed on me.
"Stay here just a sec, okay? Auntie has a quick call to make...?"
It felt weird being treated like a kid, but I just nodded.
"Yes."
After she went into the master bedroom.
I sank deep into the sofa, staring blankly at the screen.
Characters were making goofy gestures and laughing hysterically.
Exactly the kind of childish cartoon only a little kid would watch.
Did Jangmi think I liked this stuff?
"......"
I'd ended up here, led by her hand...
But even as old friends, I had no intention of freeloading and being a burden forever.
Free meals always come back to bite you.
I needed to earn my keep somehow to feel at ease.
What could I even do in this state?
Propping my chin, I pondered my strengths.
Hmm, first off: dungeon crawling.
I was a pro at chopping monster heads and harvesting mana stones.
"......"
Okay, pass on that.
"Ugh..."
What else?
After a long think, a hollow sigh escaped me.
"Ah."
Did I... have no real strengths?
After awakening as a hunter, I'd spent my whole life in the industry.
No useful skills like everyone else learned, no proper social experience.
The only fallback was basic housekeeping from living alone...
With hope, I scanned the living room.
But the spotless floor without a speck of dust and furniture aligned like with a ruler mocked my enthusiasm, gleaming perfectly.
"......"
I flopped despondently to the floor.
Am I... way more useless than I thought?
But a former hunter's grit doesn't break that easily.
Fine, if I'm lacking, I just need to improve.
I couldn't become a jobless moocher.
The crisis sense got me back on my feet.
I gathered mana at my fingertips.
A faint, tingling sensation prickled my fingers.
My unique trait: Lightning Magic.
A combat-specialized ability, but with fine control, it could help in daily life too.
The name "Lightning Magic" was vague.
But in the hunter world, vague meant potential.
If it were something like "Electric Ball," I'd be stuck firing electric orbs forever.
But mine was Lightning Magic—control over electricity itself.
I shaped the current at my fingertip into a thin, fine thread.
Then pressed it to my temple...
Lightning Magic (Self-Buff: Brain Acceleration)
Crackle—
A jolt ran through me, and my eyes emitted a blue glow.
Instantly, my blurry vision sharpened into perfect focus, and my stalled thoughts exploded into overdrive.
This was my self-buff using electricity: forcibly boosting brain processing speed.
A precise technique I'd honed crossing death's door countless times—my personal know-how.
Versatile abilities have no limits but are tricky to master.
Anyway, used right, this could be handy outside combat too.
Like channeling electricity to my legs for super-speed delivery gigs?
Or acting as a makeshift power source for broken appliances...
Suddenly, baseless confidence surged—I could do something.
I shrugged proudly and scanned the living room again, seeking a target for my enthusiasm.
But that pride didn't last.
"......"
There, at the master bedroom door—Jangmi, staring at me with dead eyes. When had she come out?
Blue currents still flickered in my eyes, leaving afterimages.
In my accelerated state, my voice clearer and more confident than usual, I started to ask her:
Hey, anything I can help with?
But before I could speak, she moved faster.
"S-Shina...!?"
Her face drained of color as she rushed over.
Closing the distance in a flash, she grabbed both my wrists like a hawk.
"What are you doing, that's so dangerous...!"
"This is just applying my trait—"
"Putting electricity to your head...! What if something went wrong?!"
Her eyes trembled.
Still gripping my wrists, she scolded me like a child.
"Now, sit here quietly and just watch TV, okay? No dangerous stuff, ever...!"
Overwhelmed by her fierce intensity and desperation, my ex-hunter pride and motivation deflated like a punctured balloon.
The blue currents stimulating my brain scattered in an instant.
In the end, I let her push me deep into the sofa and meekly replied.
"Yees..."
Only after confirming my obedience multiple times did Jangmi exhale in relief.
"Haa..."