Pest Extermination (2)
I checked my equipment. The firearms I had brought from the armory this time were a pistol, a rifle, and a shotgun. Practice really does make perfect. My shooting skills had been utterly hopeless at first, but after studying the manuals and putting in the training, I could now confidently say that my marksmanship was second to none among the Level 2 cleaners.
Kang Naram had even sent me relevant video materials through Veritas. Personally, I found the rifle much easier to handle than the pistol. It offered a longer sight line and far better recoil control. The manual also illustrated plenty of proper shooting stances.
I was fully prepared to put a hole in that vampire’s head. I packed the necessary ammunition and tools into my backpack as well.
Once preparations were complete, I checked on developments again. As expected, Clare had filed an outing request from nine to twelve. The stated reason was a meeting with an acquaintance who had arrived nearby. I informed Lulu of the fact.
“Yeah. I figured she would, so I already put in my own request at eight.”
Lulu had finished her outing application too. All that remained was deciding on the rendezvous point. I picked a location roughly a kilometer from the school gate. It offered plenty of trees and undergrowth for cover, and unlike the other spots—which were wide-open fields—this one wouldn’t leave us exposed.
The only drawback was the distance, but I had anticipated that and brought night-vision goggles along.
“See you then.”
“Got it.”
Now I was the only one left. Unlike the students, staff enjoyed relatively free movement. If I simply slipped outside, the guards would just wave without trying to stop me. Then again, with professors commuting via teleportation artifacts, a mere cleaner coming and going probably didn’t register.
It was as if they had never even considered the possibility of people escaping. The Supernatural Research Institute really needed to adopt that policy immediately.
When the time came, I shouldered my pack and left the dormitory. I had eaten a solid meal and taken caffeine pills. No drowsiness, no physical issues.
“What’s with all the gear? Get fired? They kicking you out?”
As I approached the gate, the guard on duty called out to me. He was busy tearing into bread and beer. I shook my head. When I tried to respond with body language, he raised a hand in clear annoyance.
“Just messing with you.”
I gave him a thumbs-up. Leaving the ridiculously cool guard behind, I moved on.
When I reached the meeting spot, Lulu was already waiting.
“You’re here.”
“Any abnormalities nearby?”
“Nothing so far.”
We still had some time before Clare would move. I kept the gate under constant watch through the night-vision goggles. Lulu, apparently bored out of her mind from simply waiting, poked me in the side.
“Cut that out.”
“Sorry.”
“You showed the professor a pretty impressive side of yourself this time.”
“You saw!?”
Lulu’s face lit up with pure delight.
“Last year that professor was so strong I couldn’t even touch his barrier no matter how hard I attacked. But this time you shattered it single-handedly and even unleashed biological energy!”
“You’ve grown.”
It seemed mages possessed something called a barrier—a mana-based shield that protected the body. The stronger the mage, the thicker it became, eventually capable of stopping even shotgun blasts like a sword master.
“I’m still far from that level. I’m not good enough yet.”
“Huh?”
I took my eyes off the goggles for a moment and looked at her. She suddenly hung her head, looking utterly dejected.
“I’m still not at a level where I can actually help my sister……”
“Aren’t you outstanding compared to others your age?”
“There are still nine kids who are better than me. At this rate it’s not enough. To be useful to my sister, I need to become an even more exceptional mage.”
“Yeah. Do your best.”
I didn’t answer carelessly. Geniuses always looked at the forest instead of the trees, after all. Even Kang Naram hadn’t settled for being an information-security specialist; she had become a researcher to help people. There was clearly a world I couldn’t understand.
From my perspective it was a form of respect, but Lulu didn’t seem to like it.
“You’re really half-hearted.”
“Why do you think that?”
I felt wronged.
“You make such a fuss praising Naram for things that are nothing to her.”
“Hmm.”
I realized what she wanted. Did she want the airplane treatment too? This Woo Suho’s airplane tickets were ridiculously expensive. Unless the recipient was on Kang Naram’s level, even economy class would cost a billion. This man wasn’t free.
“This one time only.”
“!!!!”
The route was complete. Time to board.
“Lulu always seems to shine. If this world has stars, I think they’d look like you. Even when I think about it myself, I believe you’re truly the best. Although our first meeting wasn’t great, I genuinely feel like showering you with nothing but praise. And whenever I watch you use magic, I often think, ‘Whoa, this kid is something special.’ Thank you for always working hard on the Hwanjong search.”
I didn’t forget to finish with a gentle smile.
“U-um……”
Lulu’s face turned beet red, just like Kang Naram’s. The impact of this Woo Suho-brand airplane was tremendous. It was half-joking, and I still didn’t understand why the recipient always blushed so hard, but it was impressive nonetheless. I had planned to reserve the airplane treatment for Kang Naram only, but boosting morale before a major operation left me no choice.
Anyway, I focused on the night-vision goggles again. Right on cue.
“She’s here.”
Clare’s figure appeared in the goggles. I stood up.
“We follow her.”
“Okay.”
“From now on, stay completely silent. If she senses anything strange, she might bolt.”
“Understood!”
We began tailing Clare. Maintaining our distance, I kept her in view through the night-vision goggles set to 3x magnification.
“As expected, she’s heading into the mountains.”
From the beginning, if the vampire had a hiding place, this had to be it. They said mountain mosquitoes were vicious; I wondered how vicious a mountain-dwelling vampire would be.
Lulu watched ahead with a deeply worried expression.
“Why did Clare get mixed up with such a bizarre phenomenon……”
“Just bad luck.”
I considered Hwanjong to be natural disasters—earthquakes, calamities, floods. It wasn’t the fault of the people who got entangled with them. Creatures possessing mysterious and overwhelming power left humans with very few ways to resist. Even powerful otherworlders capable of using magic were, in the end, only human. Resisting a Hwanjong would be nearly impossible. Just like the gladiators who trembled in fear before Jason.
We climbed the mountain. Lulu was panting, face exhausted.
“Huu… I want to use magic, but I probably shouldn’t……”
“It’s better to avoid anything that might alert the enemy.”
“Ughhh… this is so hard……”
Why did the women around me have such terrible stamina? Even Kang Naram would be gasping for breath after running a short distance. It looked like I would need to create a special curriculum later to improve the physical fitness of these indoor-loving people.
Of course, sweat was beading on my own forehead too. They said summer mountain climbing was a hobby for perverts. It really was tough.
At a certain point I raised my hand.
“Why suddenly?”
“Quiet.”
The night-vision goggles had picked up something besides Clare. It was the vampire. A despicable Hwanjong that sucked people’s blood and tormented them. It could be called the most human-like Hwanjong—a selfish creature with strong sociopathic tendencies that moved only for its own purposes.
The Hwanjong I had encountered so far had all changed after transitioning to this world. Jason had gained intelligence. The Neck-Snapping Statue had simply become a neck-snapping monster. This one had most likely shattered its own rules as well.
Its appearance was so beautiful it would not be an exaggeration to call it the most beautiful creature in existence. Clare, staring at the vampire, wore an utterly captivated expression.
“Follow me. Avoid looking at it as much as possible.”
“Understood.”
Honestly, it was beautiful enough that if Lulu became enchanted and stabbed me in the back, I wouldn’t be surprised. It probably wouldn’t go that far, but people instinctively felt reluctance when attacking something beautiful and cute.
A bastard whose appearance itself was probability. If I had been born with that face, wouldn’t Kang Naram have confessed to me immediately? The world suddenly felt hateful.
There was one unfortunate truth for the vampire. When I looked at a handsome guy, I didn’t become enchanted—I got angry. If this Woo Suho had looked like that vampire, I might have been a convenience-store clerk instead of a cleaner at the Supernatural Research Institute. As always, rage welled up inside me. I would definitely kill that bastard who was trying to live an easy life.
I pulled out the rifle I had already finished checking.