Chapter 51
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Plant (1)
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Mana's exact mechanisms and effects weren't particularly well understood in concrete terms.
That said, based on conclusions humanity had drawn from experience, mana had a tendency to make people more instinct-driven.
Greater sexual desire, heightened appetite, stronger urges for sleep. And with those came razor-sharp senses and freakish physical prowess.
It was a kind of evolution, and the women who Awakened were once hailed as the new humanity, inspiring awe and reverence.
Gates seemed like the answer to humanity's resource depletion woes, brimming with all sorts of wondrous new materials. But humanity wasn't the type to share those gains peacefully.
The world teetered on the brink of what would later be called World War III, with the opening salvo fired by the North-South conflict on the Korean Peninsula.
Like a grim reenactment of the Korean War centuries prior, North Korea—emboldened by the rise of Awakeners—launched a southern invasion. The war swiftly engulfed the globe in flames.
Unlike the bullet-and-missile barrages of old wars, this one featured superhumans hurling fire and lightning from their hands in brutal melee combat.
Even humanity's ultimate deterrent, nuclear weapons, proved utterly useless in the end.
-Crazy, a purification skill? Cleansing radiation too?
With superhumans who could shrug off not just the blasts but the fallout swarming the battlefield, raw destructive power was irrelevant.
Someone once quipped that World War IV might be fought with sticks and stones since WWIII had rendered modern arms obsolete. Instead, WWIII devolved into close-quarters brawls with clubs forged from Gate-spawned monster bones and rare metals.
The fighting dragged on without end, and Awakeners—already more ruled by instinct than reason—grew increasingly restless.
-This is frustrating. Who the hell is that bitch to order us around?
-Ah, I wanna fuck!
-Fuck, I'm sleepy, so why do we keep getting sent out to fight?
A torrent of complaints erupted from every corner. In the end, the military—and the government—had no choice but to make a drastic call.
-You're all obsolete anyway. Gotta sacrifice for the women fighting for our country, right?
-Don't men love sex? We'll let you have your fill.
Men couldn't Awaken. At best, a tiny fraction did, but even they offered little help. As their value eroded, their utility dwindled until reproduction was all they had left.
This war was no different. Everyone from conventional troops trained in outdated tactics to air force pilots, artillerymen, marines, and special forces—pre-evolution military know-how was worthless.
No matter how eagerly non-Awakened men volunteered for the front lines to aid their nation, their bullets barely scratched Awakener skin.
Yet the government and military eventually found a new "use" for them.
-Mr. Yoo Seung-jun? MPs here.
-B-but I've completed my reserves training!
-Re-enlist. It's a call from the nation.
-What?!
-Daddy, where are you going?
-Honey? Honey!!!
The military rounded them up and shipped them to the front—not as meat shields or bait, but as rewards for high-achieving Awakeners or stress relief outlets.
Dubbed the "Military Special Counseling Task Force." That was the official name, but people called it something else.
Public brothel. More crudely, the Lust Relief Unit or Frustration Dump Squad. Their role was set in stone.
At first, usage rates were low. Unlike war criminals dragging foreign civilians into sex slavery, these were their own citizens. Even instinct-dominated women had some lines they wouldn't cross.
...Until a few crossed them anyway.
-Ah, fuck, I can't take it anymore.
-Where you off to?
-To suck some dick. Gotta drain mine too.
-???
A few Awakeners couldn't hold back their boiling urges and headed to where the men were kept. When they returned with satisfied smirks...
-Ahh, so refreshing... What're you staring at, you bitches?
-...How was it? G-good?
-What do you... Oh.
Then one of them chuckled and dropped a bombshell that shattered the restraint of every Awakener there.
-Fucking amazing.
After that, aside from a few holdouts with their qualms, most Awakeners swung by.
-S-stop...! I don't want it anymore...! Let me go home...!
-Hey now, the Awakeners are fighting for the country—gotta cheer them on!!
Morale skyrocketed, propelling the Awakeners to victory. Some nations condemned the practice, but...
-Yeah? So who won the war?
-......
History is written by the victors, after all. Criticism of Korea vanished once they crushed China's belated intervention and slaughtered over half of Japan's backstabbing Awakeners.
Surprisingly, the strategy of channeling sexual release into motivation and battle focus worked like a charm.
China and Japan mimicked the brothels after that and stopped crumbling so easily, forcing Korea to broker a ceasefire.
Other nations followed suit, establishing their own male brothels. World War III ended with minor border shifts—and men's rights plunged into the abyss, buried deeper than ever.
The woman who led the military under that president, riding her wartime popularity to the current presidency, was none other than Korea's leader: Shin Eun-hye.
"That woman's the type who'd do the same damn thing to win the war. China would anyway."
Ju Hana's words drew varied reactions from the room.
"......"
Seong Ha-neul and Choi Ju-eun clamped their mouths shut. Ju Hana lounged calmly, despite having scared them witless.
"W-what do we do? Just hand over Do-yun like this?"
The only one fidgeting was, predictably, Han Yu-rim. Already the most anxious, this news made her look ready to bolt.
"Calm down. Who's saying we'll hand him over nicely?"
"Th-then...?"
Ju Hana crossed her legs leisurely.
"We won't."
"......Huh?"
"We won't fight."
...Did I hear that right?
"...How? MPs will swarm us any second."
"Can they beat us?"
"......"
Seong Ha-neul pondered briefly before speaking.
"...We'd crush them, probably. If they were all A-Rank, maybe. Nah, even then—Do-yun's buffs might clinch it?"
"Exactly."
"No, seriously. Even if we win, then what? Flee to China?"
"Same bitches there. Worse, even—population's huge."
"Ugh, so what? Japan?"
Ju Hana chuckled and pulled me into her embrace.
"Eep?"
"Dunno. Exile to another country altogether?"
"...For real?"
Choi Ju-eun, arms crossed since earlier, furrowed her brow. Not panicking like Han Yu-rim, but glaring at Ju Hana with clear irritation...
"...Hmph."
"...Huh?"
She strode over and snatched me from Ju Hana.
"Fine, keep talking."
"...Oh, that was the issue?"
Seong Ha-neul ribbed her from the side, but Choi Ju-eun ignored it, roughly petting my head.
Ju Hana eyed me for a moment, then smirked.
"Do we really need Korean citizenship?"
"...And? Actually bolt to Japan?"
"Nah. There's a better spot—no need."
Ju Hana pulled a thick brick-like device from her room drawer. It looked familiar...
"...Satellite phone? Where'd you even get that?"
"Plant."
"...What?"
Han Yu-rim reacted first. Her already pale face drained further. Hope she doesn't faint.
"Plant? That place I know?"
"Yeah. Hye-eun unnie hooked me up last time."
"...Why there, all of a sudden?"
"Why? Gotta launder our identities. Time to bail."
"...?"
Everyone, me included, stared at Ju Hana. What the hell was she on about?
"If you're holding him that much, hand him over."
"...Tch."
Amid it all, Han Yu-rim took me from Choi Ju-eun. My head sank into her soft chest.
"Snuu... Haah, bliss..."
"You're addicted."
"Good for the body—addiction's fine."
Seong Ha-neul's scolding bounced right off. Han Yu-rim just hugged me tighter, sniffing possessively.
"Hnnng..."
"She's a total nutjob."
"When wasn't she?"
Seong Ha-neul and Choi Ju-eun's jabs didn't faze Han Yu-rim one bit. She looked like one of those opium-addled Qing dynasty folks from history books.
...I'm not drugs, damn it.