The Disaster of the Deluge (4)

I suddenly shoved my way between the two ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠women locked in a staring contest, planting myself squarely between them as I opened my mouth.

"Ah—hey. Why's the mood suddenly like this? Come on, come on. Both of you, just calm down for a second…"

"Shut up, Park Jinwoo."

"Keep your mouth shut, Park Jinwoo."

Both of them scowled at my words, then grabbed the front and back of my clothes—and as if they'd somehow reached a mutual agreement, shoved me hard to the right.

…Are they even fighting each other? Why is their teamwork this good…

No, more importantly—why were they fighting all of a sudden? And over me, of all things. You two end up traveling together later anyway!

Oblivious to my inner monologue, Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk kept glaring at each other and opened their mouths.

"You drag someone else's companion off on a whim and then call me a vixen? You think just saying something makes it true, Kim Dokja?"

"Ha…! According to Park Jinwoo, when he was being chased by the Demonic Humans, you just stood by and watched. Is that how you treat a comrade? At that point, you basically abandoned him, Joonghyuk."

"I only did that to evaluate whether Park Jinwoo was truly talented enough to join my party."

"That's the same thing, isn't it? What's the difference?"

"It's completely different. Kim Dokja, are you someone who can't even grasp a meaning this simple? Truly pathetic."

"………………."

"………………."

A chill settled between Yoo Joonghyuk and Kim Dokja, as if a cold draft had dropped into the space between them.

Seeing that, I hurriedly approached the companions who had been staring blankly in our direction.

"What are you all doing? Break it up already!"

Snapping back to their senses at my words, the companions split up and each went to restrain their respective leaders.

Lee Jihye and Lee Seolhwa clung to Yoo Joonghyuk, urgently trying to stop the fight.

"M-Master. Just calm down for a second, okay?"

"Please take a deep breath and settle down, Joonghyuk-ssi."

Yoo Sangah and Lee Hyunsung latched onto Kim Dokja.

"D-Dokja-ssi? Please try to calm down a little."

"He's right, Dokja-ssi. It would be best if you cooled off for a moment."

But even with their companions holding them back, Yoo Joonghyuk and Kim Dokja continued to glare at each other without change.

They stared in silence for a while, then both whipped their heads toward me and spoke at the exact same time.

"Whose party are you in, Park Jinwoo."

"Whose party do you belong to, Park Jinwoo."

"Shit… why are you suddenly coming at me like this."

The two women fixed me with murderous stares and hit me with a question that was extremely awkward to answer. My face twisted with pure discomfort.

I scrunched my face hard at Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk in front of me, and at the Constellations' reactions.

Shit… is this what they call being surrounded on all sides?

A forced binary choice, and it was genuinely agonizing. No matter which of the two I picked, one of them was going to get their feelings hurt.

I squeezed my eyes shut and fell silent, thinking hard. There had to be a way to break through this situation.

And then I gave up. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't come up with a single method to get through this unscathed.

Which meant there was only one option left.

"…………."

I slowly opened my eyes under the gazes of the two women waiting for my answer, looked at them, and spoke.

"Just count me as a dual party member."

"What……?"

At my answer, Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk's faces twisted, and they slowly closed in on me as they opened their mouths.

"You think that counts as an answer? Answer properly, Park Jinwoo."

"Joonghyuk is right. Answer properly, Park Jinwoo."

The two women glared at me with looks that said they were far from convinced. Receiving the full weight of their stares, I crossed my arms and declared boldly,

"Ah, if you don't like it, then I'll just leave both of your parties."

"What…?!"

Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes went wide in shock. The other companions who heard those words also went wide-eyed, their faces painted with pure panic.

Lee Jihye, Lee Seolhwa, Lee Hyunsung, and Yoo Sangah brushed past the still-staring Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk, rushed to my side, and started talking all at once.

"O-Oppa?! What kind of nonsense is that all of a sudden!!"

"Jinwoo-ssi? That's not something you decide on impulse."

"She's right, Jinwoo-ssi. Please think it over one more time."

"Jinwoo-ssi… are you really planning to leave us?"

I pushed aside the companions clinging to me with frantic expressions and continuous pleas, and opened my mouth.

"Alright, alright. Everyone calm down. I'm about to make a major announcement."

"A major announcement?"

The companions tilted their heads at my words. Watching them, I flashed a grin, turned my head, and looked at Lycaon and Shin Yooseung, who were staring blankly in our direction.

"From this moment on, I am founding the New Park Jinwoo Party! Those joining my party are—Lycaon!"

"Yes, Hoju."

"And my adorable little sister, Yooseung!"

"Y-Yes?"

"The three of us are now the Park Jinwoo Party. And as the leader of this party, I hereby formally request an alliance with Yoo Joonghyuk and Kim Dokja, leaders of the Yoo Joonghyuk Party and the Kim Dokja Party!"

Alright—how are you going to react to that, Kim Dokja, Yoo Joonghyuk!!

Shut up. What would you know. You're just a dragon sitting pretty in the constellations watching me—what do you know?!

The moment I finished speaking, the companions stared at me with expressions of pure ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠speechlessness. And then—

Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk looked at me for a moment, glanced at each other, and let out small sighs as they spoke.

"Let's just treat him as a member of both parties, Joonghyuk."

"That would be best. Expecting a proper answer from that bastard seems to be a luxury."

"…I wouldn't have done this either if you two hadn't suddenly started a childish tug-of-war over me going 'he's mine, no he's mine.'"

"Who ever fought that childishly?!"

"Who ever said we fought that childishly!!"

Obviously the two of you right in front of me. Who else would it be?

I shot a look of pure disbelief at Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk, who were once again yelling in perfect unison, then let out a small sigh and said,

"So everyone's going to subjugate the Disaster of Water, then?"

"…Yes."

"…That's right."

Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk nodded in agreement, though their expressions still carried residual dissatisfaction. I looked at the two of them, then turned to the rest of the companions and asked,

"Does everyone agree with your leaders? If not, speak up now."

"If Master's going, how am I supposed to sit it out? I'm in."

"I'll go as well."

"Hehe. Things are getting interesting."

"If all of you are going, then I will go as well."

At my words, Lee Jihye, Yoo Sangah, Lee Seolhwa, and Lee Hyunsung all nodded and declared their intent to join. Confirming the companions' will, I turned my head toward Lycaon and Shin Yooseung.

"For now, we're heading out to face the Disaster of Water. Lycaon, as a guide, you can't fight a Disaster, so just stay inside My Room. Yooseung, what about you?"

"Y-Yes?"

"Do you want to join the Disaster of Water subjugation too? Your stamina and strength are still low, but your agility and magic power are solid enough right now, so I'm asking."

"…Would I even be of any help?"

"Honestly, not a huge amount yet. Your strength and stamina are still lower than your agility and magic stats. But watch the atmosphere of the battlefield carefully, and observe the way we fight. That alone will be a big help for your growth."

Nod.

At my words, Shin Yooseung nodded with a face full of firm resolve. Once every companion had declared without complaint that they would participate in the Disaster of Water subjugation—

I looked over the group one by one and opened my mouth.

"Then I'll take that as no objections. Everyone, before we head into the Disaster of Water, check over the weapons you're carrying."

The companions nodded at my words and began inspecting their gear and the condition of their arms.

And so we checked the status of everything we currently had—supplies and weapons alike—and had a simple breakfast.

Once I and all the companions had finished preparing, I sent everyone into My Room for the time being. Then I turned my attention to the channel screen, watching Jung Heewon, Nouvelle Vague, and Dokja's mother.

Looks like they're about to wake the Disaster of Water.

Dokja's mother and Jo Youngran—who could be called her right hand—issued ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠orders to the Nouvelle Vague members and began pouring magic power into the Disaster meteorite.

Just like the Prophets and the followers of Antinus had done, they were trying to force an early hatch. I narrowed my eyes and watched.

The mid-rank Dokkaebi said they'd hastily restored the northern Disaster of Water and the central Disaster of the Deluge to their original difficulty. So the Disaster of Water that comes out should be at its proper strength.

But the Disaster of Water, like the Disaster of Ice, was one of those unfortunate Disasters that got only a single line of text saying it had fallen to Dokja's mother's forces—no silhouette, nothing. It just came and went.

Which meant I currently had zero information on the thing.

Even so, I wasn't particularly worried. After subjugating the Disaster of Ice, I had grown stronger, and the Disaster of Water would appear carrying its proper original strength and penalties.

As I continued watching the channel screen, Jung Heewon appeared beside Jo Youngran.

"—Heewon-ssi? You're already awake?"

"—Ahaha…. It got pretty noisy around here. But that looks like a Disaster meteorite. Are you planning to wake the Disaster inside it?"

Jung Heewon and Jo Youngran began talking.

When Jung Heewon asked while looking at the Nouvelle Vague members clinging to the Disaster meteorite and feeding it magic power, Jo Youngran answered her honestly.

"—Yes. We absolutely have to deal with that Disaster."

"—I understand after hearing what you and Sookyung-ssi said. But… can you actually take it down?"

"—We should be able to. Though in the process, there will be injuries—and deaths as well."

"—And you're still going through with it? Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"—There's no one who isn't afraid of death. But every one of us personally owes Sookyung-ssi a debt of gratitude. Don't you think we'd feel a little more at ease if we could repay even a fraction of that?"

"—…Everyone in Nouvelle Vague is strong. In body and in heart."

"—Hahaha! Thank you for saying that."

Jung Heewon seemed to have gotten friendly with Jo Youngran already; the two of them chatted back and forth. About an hour passed like that, and just as I was starting to get bored beyond boredom—

Cracks began to slowly spread across the Disaster meteorite. Seeing that, Lee Sookyung and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Jo Youngran started shouting to the Nouvelle Vague members.

"—The Disaster is hatching faster than expected. Everyone, prepare for combat."

"—You all heard Sookyung-ssi, right?! Send the members exhausted from supplying magic power to the rear, and everyone else grab your weapons and stand by!"

"—Yes——!!"

It looked like the time had come.

I carved a Hiraishin mark into the floor of the abandoned building, then carved another onto a kunai. Then I focused my gaze on Jung Heewon—ready to sponsor the kunai to her at any moment.

Crack! Crack!

The cracks in the Disaster meteorite widened dramatically, and large amounts of water began seeping out through the gaps.

"—The Disaster is about to wake! Everyone, prepare to open fire immediately!"

Click.

At Jo Youngran's words, the Nouvelle Vague members holding assault rifles leveled their muzzles at the Disaster meteorite.

And in that tense atmosphere—

CRRRACK! BOOOOOOM!!

The Disaster meteorite split completely open, and something burst out from within.

"—It's out! Open fire!!"

TATATATATATATATA——!!

Following Jo Youngran's order, the Nouvelle Vague members—faces tight with tension—unleashed a wild barrage of gunfire at the spot where the Disaster meteorite had been.

But watching that, my expression hardened.

They attacked too early. And no matter how much the Nouvelle Vague members reinforce their guns and bullets with magic power, it's going to be hard to deal real damage to the Disaster of Water.

The Nouvelle Vague members had average overall stats in the mid-to-late twenties to low-to-mid thirties. They were skilled enough to crush most other factions—but against a Disaster, they still fell far short.

BOOOOOOM—!!

A massive spray of water erupted centered on the point where the bullets were pouring in, and about a fifth of the Nouvelle Vague members were swept up in the wave.

"—Aaaagh!"

"—Unni Chunhyang!!"

"—Don't freeze up! Rear ranks, secure the wounded—front ranks, keep pouring on the fire!!"

Jo Youngran issued orders with a composed expression, while Lee Sookyung—still wearing her mask—glared at the Disaster before her.

The place she was staring at was thick with smoke from the meteorite's explosion, but as time passed, the silhouette of the Disaster began to show through the gaps in the smoke.

…An orca?

The Disaster of Water's appearance closely resembled a killer whale. Except it wasn't an ordinary orca—it looked like an albino, its entire body pure white.

And not just any albino orca. A giant albino orca at least ten times larger than a normal one.

Now I get why the Nouvelle Vague people attacked so hard from the start. That Disaster can fly.

The Nouvelle Vague members had been pouring on the fire to make sure they took it down before it could take to the sky.

But the gunfire they were unleashing didn't seem to be dealing any significant damage to the Disaster of Water.

Confirming that, Lee Sookyung, Jo Youngran, Jung Heewon, and finally Grandmother Lee Bok-sun—who had been active in the early stages of Peace Land—stepped forward.

Now's a good time.

As the four of them, faces set, moved forward to face the Disaster of Water, I smiled faintly and sponsored the kunai to Jung Heewon.

"—Hm? A sponsorship at this timing?"

Turning my gaze to the screen, I saw Jung Heewon tilting her head at the kunai floating gently right in front of her nose.

Confirming that, I immediately activated Hiraishin no Jutsu.

The moment I activated Hiraishin no Jutsu, the scenery around me began to shift. The abandoned building gave way to Gangbuk-gu, where rain was already starting to pour.

Confirming I'd arrived safely in Gangbuk-gu, I turned around.

"J-Jinwoo-ssi?!"

"You…?!"

There stood Jung Heewon and Jo Youngran, staring at me with startled faces. I waved at the two of them and said,

"It's been a while, Heewon-ssi. And it's been a while since I've seen you as well. Have you been well?"

"Heh heh. What's a young man doing giving an old lady a fright like that? Nearly stopped my heart, young man."

At that moment, Lee Bok-sun—standing beside Lee Sookyung—spoke up as she looked at me. I offered a bitter smile and bowed my head to her.

"My apologies, Elder. Seeing Heewon-ssi facing a Disaster made me anxious, so I rushed over."

"Youth, that's youth for you. You're Park Jinwoo, aren't you, young man? You wouldn't believe how much Heewon-ssi talks about you."

"H-Grandma?! When did I ever!!"

"Tsk. My ears still work just fine, you little brat."

At Lee Bok-sun's words, Jung Heewon's face went red and she started yelling at her, while Lee Bok-sun frowned slightly and turned her head away.

I then turned toward Lee Sookyung. She was looking at me without a word. I bowed my head to her and opened my mouth.

"My apologies. King of Wanderers. I'm truly sorry for barging in so suddenly."

"…That's fine, really. But."

Lee Sookyung glanced around for a moment, then looked straight at me and asked,

"Did you come alone?"

"Ah, no. We all came. Well—except for one person."

"What? Jinwoo-ssi, what on earth does that mean?"

Jung Heewon, who had been listening from the side, asked with a startled face. In response, I generated a My Room door beside me, knocked on it, and said,

"Avengers! Assemble!"

Creeeak.

"Who are you calling Avengers."

"Are we a hero team now, Oppa?"

"Coming out like this is a little embarrassing."

At my words, the My Room door opened, and out came Yoo Joonghyuk with a scowl, followed by Lee Jihye and Lee Hyunsung.

"Drawing this much attention from so many people… as expected of you, Jinwoo-ssi."

"I know, right. He really is something else, Jinwoo-ssi."

"………………."

Next came Yoo Sangah and Lee Seolhwa, and finally Kim Dokja emerged in silence, then shot a single glance at her mother, Lee Sookyung.

Lee Sookyung, in turn, began staring fixedly at Kim Dokja's face under that gaze.

I watched the mother and daughter for a moment, then tilted my head at Shin Yooseung's continued absence from My Room, and approached Yoo Sangah beside me to ask,

"Sangah-ssi. Where's Yooseung?"

"Ah, Dokja-ssi said there was no reason for her to come out into something this dangerous, so she decided to wait inside My Room."

"Hmm. Well, she can watch from inside My Room, so it doesn't really matter."

That meant everyone who was coming out had come out. I turned my head and glared at the Disaster of Water that was glaring right back at us.

As the sub scenario arrived, the Disaster of Water before us—Orcanox—seemed ready to commit fully to the fight, and suddenly let out a massive roar.

KIIIIIIK! KIIIIIIIIK!!

Plip! Plip-plip-plip!

At its roar, even blacker rain clouds suddenly gathered overhead, and the rain began to pour down even harder.

"I just took a shower. Damn orca bastard."

The skill it activated sent a fierce downpour from the sky, soaking me completely. My face twisted as I glared at it.

Then black water rose around its body and began condensing into a single point.

BOOOOOOOOM!!

The condensed black water suddenly ballooned as if exploding, and a black wave reminiscent of a small tsunami came crashing toward us.

"Glacier Molding—Ice Wall."

To protect our companions and the Nouvelle Vague people, I used Glacier Molding to create a large, thick ice wall.

Then I shouted at the top of my lungs to the companions and the Nouvelle Vague members.

"Everyone, get behind the wall!"

The companions and the Nouvelle Vague people hurriedly threw themselves behind the wall I'd created as the massive wave closed in at high speed.

And then—

BOOOOOOOOM…!!

The black current and the pure-white ice wall collided.

Cracks began to slowly spread across the pure-white ice wall where the black current struck it—but fortunately, it held by a hair's breadth and blocked the creature's first attack.

"Everyone, draw your weapons. Time to start the Disaster subjugation for real."

As Orcanox floated up into the air before us and snarled down at us, I shouted to the companions and Nouvelle Vague, then pulled Varisada and Samryunhwan out of My Room.

The time to subjugate the Disaster of Water had arrived.