Chapter 5
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Taming the Queen Hornet
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"Ugh, so gross."
Lips pursed tight, Sejin shook her head vigorously before stepping forward with a reluctant grimace.
"Ah, I really don't wanna collect it."
Breaking Army Star lowered his voice toward Sejin, who was shaking her head in disgust, as if she were utterly pathetic.
"I will... You're such a hothead when you watch."
Sejin dusted off the hand gripping the bowstring. In an instant, the bow in her hand transformed back into a bell.
She had to seal it quick before more nagging.
Purrrng, purrrng. Bulgasal blew hot breaths from its nostrils and nudged its head against Sejin.
Sejin hid her reluctant expression at Bulgasal's expectant look for praise.
'It's too scary-looking to call it a pet demon.'
"Y-yeah. Good job."
Sejin patted Bulgasal's head a couple times.
Bulgasal shook its head happily, clearly pleased.
Its actions were cute, but its appearance sure wasn't.
Sejin tapped the bell against the spot with Bulgasal's horn. A brilliant blue light erupted.
Bulgasal vanished without a trace from the glowing spot, as if it had never been there.
"Hmm."
Sejin turned to gaze at Queen Hornet, who was barely clinging to life.
Fatal wound or not, pitch-black liquid oozed from Queen Hornet's head.
The foul stench made Sejin instinctively pinch her nose.
"Demon from the depths of hell."
Her voice came out nasally, but thankfully, the incantation worked fine.
Ignoring Breaking Army Star's sigh, Sejin limply shook the bell in the air.
"I grant you a chance to wash away your original sins."
Even she cringed at her own nasal tone and slyly lowered the hand pinching her nose.
"Become my power."
Sssshhh...
A blue circle spread around Queen Hornet, just like when Bulgasal had been summoned.
Brilliant lights shimmered as Queen Hornet's body crumbled into grains of sand and got sucked into the circle.
And moments later.
What remained wasn't Queen Hornet's gasping, broken-headed corpse, but a demonic talisman inscribed with red pictographs.
The demon now belonged to Sejin and would obey her absolutely, just like Bulgasal.
"Hm."
Sejin bent down and picked up the fallen demonic talisman from the ground.
"Now I've got two in total."
This meant Sejin could now command Queen Hornet and Bulgasal as her spirit beasts. The previous one had exhausted all its power capturing Bulgasal and burned away into a red cinder talisman.
Tucking the demonic talisman into her pocket, Sejin swallowed a sigh.
"Another bust today."
As she swallowed her disappointment, Breaking Army Star soothed her gently.
"I wasn't expecting anything anyway."
Sejin replied curtly.
Sizzle, sizzle.
Gazing at the exit shimmering with red haze, Sejin pulled her cap and hood down tight.
She didn't forget to fish out the mask from her pocket and slip it on.
The dispatched hunters hadn't entered yet, but no sense getting careless.
Gates usually unleashed creatures outside if not cleared within 24 hours of appearing.
Hence the rule: subjugate within 24 hours.
But gates that popped up unpredictably like this could be snagged at a discount.
It typically took about six hours from ownership claim to team assembly.
Sejin exploited that window to slip in first and clear them out.
Plus, time flowed slower inside gates than out. Otherwise, hunters would've been dispatched already. Sejin shook her head.
How long did she have to keep pilfering gates like a thief?
The government, bold with their vow to catch illegal hunters, had even sent Elite Team 1—the nation's finest—to nab her.
That team leader, Han Kitae, had been obsessed with catching her. Handsome or not, the guy was relentlessly tenacious.
She'd barely escaped last time by luck... Who knew about this round.
Sejin hurriedly stepped out of the gate.
"Please, nobody be here."
She prayed fervently, but the moment she emerged, a black van barreled straight toward her.
"Oh, shit."
The mark on the van belonged to the Hunter Promotion Agency's Crisis Response Division. Sejin's eyes widened.
"Fuck, I'm screwed!"
Her activity range must've thrown off the government's predictions for this unpredictable gate, but Elite Team 1 had guessed right easily enough.
They'd spotted her too—the rear door flew open even as the van sped on.
Flutter, flutter.
The uniform flaps of the Crisis Response Division fluttered like a grim reaper's cloak in the wind.
Sejin's body flinched at the sharp gaze of the fierce man beyond her legs.
Breaking Army Star shouted urgently.
"Oh, shit."
Unfiltered curses spilled from her lips.
'Of all times, now?!'
Confirming her foe, Sejin gritted her teeth with a crunch.
She hurled herself the opposite way. Tires screeched behind her—glancing back, Sejin's jaw dropped.
"You maniac!"
Han Kitae, Elite Team 1's leader, had leaped straight from the moving van and was charging after her ferociously.
His legs blurred too fast to see.
"Goddammit."
Lips twitching, Sejin summoned the bell at once. It jingled in response, wrapped in blue light.
"Queen Hornet!"
With her shout, she jabbed the new talisman. A massive array bloomed underfoot.
Whoosh.
Queen Hornet appeared amid the wind, greeting Sejin warmly—no trace of her earlier hostility.
"Kyuu!"
"Uh, yeah. Nice to see you too."
Sejin eyed the affectionate Queen Hornet with unease.
"Gotta ride this thing, huh?"
As if sensing her predicament, Queen Hornet lowered its body.
Queen Hornet was her minion now, sure, but creepy was creepy. Sejin squeezed her eyes shut and climbed on.
"Urgh."
She felt Queen Hornet's hard exoskeleton between her legs.
'This isn't a hornet, no it's not.'
No matter how she brainwashed herself inwardly, revulsion won out. With no other choice, Sejin clenched her teeth and yelled.
"F-fly!"
"Kyuu kyuu!"
Queen Hornet beat its wings powerfully as if understanding. Han Kitae, now close enough, drew his sword and bellowed in fury.
"Stop right there!"
'Like hell I will!'
Sejin's body shrank at Han Kitae's audacious demand.
True to his ice powers, blue frost clung to his blade.
'Go, hurry!'
Desperate, Sejin kicked Queen Hornet's side with her heel. Its wingbeats accelerated.
Buzzzzzz—
A deafening roar filled the air as everything blurred. Sejin gripped her hood strings tight to keep her cap on and glanced back.
"Surrender! Or I'll attack!"
Blue chill condensed on Han Kitae's sword—he meant business.
'Surrender and you'll let me go? Yeah right!'
Sejin whipped her head forward and commanded Queen Hornet.
"Get us outta here!"
Boom!
A split-second after takeoff, an attack whistled past, chilling her nape.
Sure enough, the spot she'd just vacated was gouged deep.
Ice spikes jutted sharply from the ground, befitting an ice wielder.
"You psycho?!"
Outrage left Sejin gaping as she ducked low.
'If that'd hit? Fatal wound? Nah, instant death.'
Dodging Han Kitae's next swing, Sejin shot upward in a flash.
"Kyuuu!"
Queen Hornet shuddered angrily, displeased by Han Kitae's attack on Sejin.
"N-no! Hey, just go!"
The vibe screamed it wanted to turn back and fight. Sejin raised her voice.
"Go! Please!"
Capturing demons was one thing; harming humans another entirely.
Sejin tried to stop it, but Queen Hornet vented rage in its unexpectedly cute voice.
"Kyuu kyuu kyuu kyuu!"
'Don't kyuu kyuu. It doesn't suit your face.'
Sejin shook her head firmly at Queen Hornet, who seemed to ask how to deal with the ice-chunk hurling bastard.
"Kyuu?"
Why did that sound like "Shall I kill him?"
Don't make murderous threats with a kyuu.
"J-just run. Okay?"
Her pleading tone got through—came a cute reply.
At least the voice was cute...
"Kyuu kyuu!"
Sejin relaxed as Queen Hornet chirped determinedly.
Glancing back, she saw Han Kitae had given up the chase.
'Whoa... scary.'
His boiling glare felt hot enough to burn.
"Whew. That was way too close this time."