Chapter 46
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Monster Subjugation (2)
Two days flew by as they prepared the right equipment for the subjugation.
"This should be enough."
*Heave.*
Oh-jin hoisted the rather heavy backpack onto his shoulders.
It was quite heavy, but thanks to the enhanced strength he'd gained upon reaching 4-Star, it felt like carrying nothing more than a light laptop bag.
"Isn't that too much?"
Ha-eun asked as she approached.
"Better to have too much than not enough."
"What's gotten into the born cheapskate?"
"I at least know when to spend and when to save."
He couldn't afford to be stingy when it came to survival equipment.
Anyway.
"...Why are you dressed like that?"
He squinted, examining Ha-eun, who was wearing skin-tight leather armor.
He understood she was prioritizing mobility, but the armor, clinging to her like a racing suit, revealed her figure in stark detail.
"Heeheehee! Why? You like what you see?"
Ha-eun burst into a fit of giggles and struck a pose worthy of a magazine model.
His face flushed at the incredibly embarrassing pose.
*This girl, seriously.*
It was just the two of them now, but what was she planning to do wearing something like that outside?
"Hurry up and change into something else."
"Heehee. Why~? This is super comfortable and easy to move in~"
Ha-eun snickered, covering her mouth with her hand.
"..."
Oh-jin's eyebrow slowly rose.
"Kyahahaha! Just kidding, you punk! You think I'd actually go outside like this?"
She cackled as she put on a jacket she'd hidden in the corner.
It was a long jacket, covering her all the way down to her thighs.
"Aigoo. You cute little punk! Why? Were you jealous someone else might see?"
Ha-eun playfully leaped up, put him in a headlock, and ruffled his hair.
Oh-jin's eyes gleamed coldly.
"Yeah, that's right. I was jealous."
"...Huh?"
*Flinch.*
Ha-eun's body trembled.
Oh-jin gently unwrapped her arm from around his neck and took a step closer.
"Only I get to see your body. You can't show it to anyone else."
"O-Oh-jin?"
"Ha-eun."
*Thump!*
He pushed her against the wall.
"Huh? Wh-what?"
Ha-eun shivered.
Her uncovered left eye darted around frantically.
Slowly.
He leaned his face close to hers.
"O-Oh-jin! W-wait!"
Ha-eun was in a fluster.
"...Close your eyes."
"Eek!"
Ha-eun squeezed her eyes shut.
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
"Oh-jin..."
He could see her cautiously lifting her chin and puckering her lips.
On those light pink lips of hers—
*Flick!*
"Aack!"
He flicked her with his finger.
His nail made a crisp sound as it hit her front teeth.
"Pfft! Just kidding."
"Y-You bastard!"
Ha-eun kicked him in the shin while furiously rubbing her lips.
She was the one who started it.
"We're going to be late. Let's get going."
"Sheesh."
Though she narrowed her eyes with a look full of dissatisfaction, she grabbed her things and followed him out.
*Vrooom.*
They loaded their luggage into the trunk of the car borrowed from the Association and headed for Sokcho.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Ha-eun looked around and asked.
"Hey, you know how to drive?"
"I learned."
"Ooh. When?"
"Yesterday."
"You son of a bitch."
Her face went pale as she gripped the handle above the window.
*Ppyororong.*
Just then.
The pendant around Oh-jin's neck glowed, and a small, doll-sized goddess appeared.
[Ooh. Are we departing now?]
"Yeah. It'll take a few hours, so you can go back inside. I'll call you when we get there."
[Hmm. Before that, I wish to observe this thing called an 'automobile' for a moment.]
Vega, perched on Oh-jin's head, looked around with interest.
[I heard from Lyra that humans ride in these metal contraptions... but to think I would actually get to ride inside one!]
"Is it that amazing?"
[Hmph! Of course! It is something I have never seen in the world I have lived in until now!]
"It's amazing to me, too."
[......?]
Now.
Shall we get started?
"Right is the gas, left is the brake."
[My child?]
"Alright, perfect."
[Are you sure it is perfect?]
"No. That is not perfect at all."
*VROOOOOOM!!!!*
The engine roared like a beast.
Was the car borrowed from the Association just that high-performance?
The car shot forward with terrifying acceleration.
"Th-this is!"
A thrust far exceeding the manufacturer's expectations!!
"Kyaaaaaaah!!!"
[St-stop this thing!!]
The screams of the two women echoed faintly.
* * *
*Click.*
He opened the car door.
"We got here fast."
"Hah, hah, hah!"
Ha-eun stumbled out of the passenger seat, panting heavily.
Vega had fled back into the pendant less than five minutes after the car started moving.
"I-I thought my stomach was going to turn inside out."
"But I got the hang of it and controlled the speed from the halfway point."
He'd stepped on the gas too hard at first because he wasn't used to it, but he'd driven pretty well for the rest of the way.
"See if I ever get in a car with you again."
"You have to ride back with me anyway."
"Dammit."
Ha-eun looked miserable.
Chuckling, he started walking.
After walking for about five minutes, the city of Sokcho came into view in the distance.
"That's..."
"It's pretty bad."
They could see acrid smoke rising from various parts of the distant city.
It seemed the stories about monsters coming down to attack the city center were true.
"They said everyone evacuated, right?"
"Yeah."
The Awakened from the Association and the guilds had prioritized evacuating the city's residents before the subjugation operation.
"Then Sokcho must be completely overrun with monsters right now."
"Probably."
With the people gone, the monsters that inhabited the Seoraksan area would have descended in droves to take over the urban center.
"Ugh. It probably would've been better to attack them while they were still hiding in the mountains."
"But if the fleeing monsters had all swarmed the city at once, that would have been a problem too."
From the Association's perspective, they had no choice but to prioritize the residents' evacuation.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
After walking a bit further, they saw a gathering of what looked to be over two hundred Awakened.
*Click! Click!*
"Could you please say a word about the [Star of Peace] Guild's resolve for this subjugation operation!"
"We promise to always prioritize the peace of our nation and eliminate the wicked horde of monsters!"
As they approached the gathering point for the subjugation team, reporters with heavy cameras were trailing after the guilds, conducting interviews.
The guilds, for their part, accepted the interviews as if they had been waiting for them.
The subjugation had already taken a backseat, with everyone busy spouting off about national peace and safety.
But that was only for a moment.
"N-Noerang!! It's Noerang!"
"Whoa!"
"Awakened Kwon Oh-jin!! A word, please!!"
The moment Oh-jin appeared, the reporters swarmed him like a colony of ants that had found sugar.
*Click! Click! Click!*
The camera flashes twinkled like starlight.
*Let's see.*
Oh-jin organized his thoughts on what to say to the reporters.
After a brief pause.
"...What do you all think you're doing right now?"
"Pardon?"
"Uh... interviewing."
*Glare.*
He frowned and spoke coldly.
"There could be citizens who failed to evacuate still in there, even as we speak. Is this really the time to be leisurely conducting interviews?"
"Ah."
"Tsk. Move. I'm busy."
He deliberately put on an irritated expression and pushed past the reporters.
In truth, he couldn't care less whether there were any citizens left behind or not.
"A-as expected of Noerang!"
"Yeah! Now this is what I'm talking about!"
"I've already got enough for three articles!"
Just as he'd expected, the reaction was enthusiastic.
*In a situation like this, this kind of act works better than just spouting empty words about national safety.*
Who would pay attention to someone droning on with the same old clichés?
"...You're still devilishly good with words."
"It's how I made a living. I have to be good at it."
Ha-eun, who had roughly guessed Oh-jin's intentions, clicked her tongue.
Oh-jin shrugged and headed toward the subjugation team's gathering point.
"Due to the urban terrain, the subjugation teams will enter in groups of three! Those who need more members, please write your name and specialization on the application form here!"
Since it was just him and Ha-eun, he went to fill out the form.
After a short wait, a young man carrying a heavy shield approached them.
He was a young man with an impressive, square jaw that looked like it had been measured with a protractor.
*A tanker-type, I see.*
Perfect for party balance.
*...Though he doesn't seem to be just a tanker.*
In the hand opposite his shield, he held a large hammer.
"Oh! Noerang! You're Noerang, right?!"
The square-jawed young man beamed upon spotting Oh-jin.
"Wow~! What a fateful encounter!"
"Fateful encounter?"
What fate?
"Haha! I'm from the Valhalla Guild! I knew about you, Mr. Oh-jin, even before the Seoul Station incident!"
"Ah."
So he was from the Valhalla Guild.
"Hehe. It's a pleasure to work with you! Oh, right. I'm Park Chang-hyun, the Apostle of Taurus!"
"Nice to meet you. I'm Kwon Oh-jin, the Apostle of Lyra."
Park Chang-hyun.
*Wasn't he the Awakened who cleared the Mok-dong Gate in the first timeline?*
He vaguely recalled hearing the name in the memories inherited from Lee Shin-hyeok.
"How is Lee Woo-hyeok doing these days?"
"Hyeongnim is busy trying to track down those Heukseonghoe bastards, or whatever they're called."
Good for him.
*Still, it's been three months. Hasn't he found any leads yet?*
He had given Lee Woo-hyeok Ashad Khan's contact information, but it seemed he hadn't found any decisive clues yet.
*Well, I suppose.*
He has the contact info.
In other words, he *only* has the contact info.
Lee Woo-hyeok's goal wasn't just Ashad Khan, but to bring down the entire Heukseonghoe.
To wipe out a group that operated secretly in the shadows, he'd need more than just a contact number.
"But he's been going out a lot recently, so I think he might have found something."
"I hope he gets some good results soon."
The Heukseonghoe was an organization that Oh-jin himself was keeping an eye on.
*After all, it's the organization that will one day give birth to the Heavenly Demon.*
Of course, he also planned to use them.
*But even without that, they're a group to be wary of.*
They were lunatics spouting nonsense about making the Black Stars rule the world.
It would be one thing if they were just crazy.
But they had the power and influence to make their crazy talk a reality.
"I'll let you know if there's any good news, Mr. Oh-jin."
"I'd appreciate that."
He shook hands with Park Chang-hyun.
After shaking hands, Park Chang-hyun's gaze turned to Ha-eun.
"By the way, who is she?"
"Song Ha-eun, Apostle of Draco. I'm not used to formalities, so you can speak casually too."
"Whew! I like your fiery personality! Hmm... I'll start speaking casually once we get to know each other better."
Park Chang-hyun let out a hearty laugh and nodded.
"Well then, shall we get going?"
"Let's."
Just as he nodded and was about to head toward the city center.
"Well, well, who do we have here? If it isn't our oh-so-great rookie? Huh?"
A blond young man with a nasty look on his face approached them.
"You remember me, you bastard?"
The blond man pointed to his own chin and asked.
"No. Can't say I do."
"Gah! Park Jeong-woo!!! I'm Park Jeong-woo of the Pandinus Guild, you goddamn bastard!!"
Ah.
It was that prick he'd met at the Association.
"Pfft! Did you pass on my regards to your Guild Leader?"
"Regards, my ass!!!"
Park Jeong-woo seethed, baring his teeth.
*Well, it's not like he got beaten up for actually passing on my regards.*
He probably saw my face in the news and realized he'd been tricked.
"Whoa, whoa! Calm down, Mr. Jeong-woo."
*Step.*
Just then, someone walked up from behind and stopped Park Jeong-woo.
A middle-aged man with a sly, unpleasant face.
Coincidentally.
This, too, was a face he remembered.
"Yaaah~ What a fateful encounter we have here!"
Hehehe!
The middle-aged man looked between Oh-jin and Ha-eun, sticking his tongue out.
His eyes, fixed on Ha-eun, glistened with a slimy desire.
Oh-jin's expression twisted into a scowl.
"...Choi Jong-cheol?"
What the hell is this bastard doing here?