Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: The Unwelcome One
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As we passed through the tunnel, a few grotesque creatures tried to shake us off, but every time one approached, Galaxy sucked them all up in an instant, quickly quieting things down around us.
Thanks to that, we reached the end of the tunnel without any real danger.
The end of the tunnel felt like an empty void, nothing there at all. The evil gods showed no reaction, and figuring it wasn't a trap, I pictured the rooftop of our mart in my mind and stepped forward.
At that moment, a bright light flashed, and we transferred back to reality.
"Oof... Finally... We're out...!"
"Whoa!! The crisp, dirty air of Seoul!! It's been ages!"
I shouted, and Ha-rin jumped up and down in excitement right alongside me. She seemed just as thrilled as I was to escape that stifling forest. Ever since her beast blood had awakened, her energy levels were even higher, and watching her tail spin like a helicopter blade while she bounced around was ridiculously cute. She was supposed to have wolf blood, but her antics made her look more like an excited puppy.
'She turns into a real beast when she unsheathes her claws for a fight, though...'
Still, Ha-rin was right—the Seoul air did feel thick and polluted. The Missing Persons' Forest had been filled with the clear scent of nature.
'It's been almost a month since everyone started dying and the cars stopped honking, and the air's still this bad.'
How bad must the air pollution have been for it to linger like this? It was one of those moments that sparked all sorts of thoughts. That's when A-reum, who had been looking down from the rooftop, spotted us and yelled at the top of her lungs.
"They're here!! Everyone's back!! Jun oppa and the people who went into the forest—all of them!!"
A-reum's shout drew my harem members and the mart's executives, who had been busy with their tasks, crowding around.
"Whoa... They went in with a handful and came out nearly triple the size..."
"Oppa!!"
Hwa-young and A-ram came rushing over. Mer and Ye-won-i were heading up from the lower floors.
Fortunately, the girls looked fine after not seeing them for a while. I'd been worried something bad might happen to the mart while we were floundering in the forest, but relief washed over me.
"Oppa-aaah! I missed you so much!!!"
"Aigoo. Anyone hearing you would think we were apart for years."
"But... I was lonely..."
I stroked Hwa-young's head as she buried herself in my arms. Then Eun-ji sidled up beside her with a sly grin.
"Huh? Unni Eun-ji... something's different. That on your head... horns?"
"Hehehe..."
Eun-ji chuckled at Hwa-young's observation, then tugged down her pants a bit and lifted her shirt.
Revealed on her lower abdomen—right around her womb—was a vivid tattoo of a vulva. It even seemed to glow faintly, like some skill had been used on it.
"Wh-what the...!?"
Hwa-young, who had been coquettishly clinging to me, caught sight of the tattoo and recoiled a few steps as if blinded, scrunching her face. Eun-ji quickly linked her arm with mine and smirked at her.
"Hehehe... Hwa-young-ah. Now unni has... a pussy tattoo too?"
"Urgh...!! H-how much did you... get pounded in the forest...? How does unni have a pussy tattoo now? This... this can't be... The pussy tattoo was... my thing..."
"Hehehehe..."
Eun-ji and Hwa-young were hyper-aware of each other. Before, it had been mostly one-sided—Eun-ji envying and jealous of Hwa-young's tattoo—but now Hwa-young was grinding her teeth at Eun-ji, who had gotten one too. She acted like her very identity had been stolen.
'I wonder what reaction Galaxy would have if she got one...'
I was curious about Hwa-young's face, since she flaunted hers every day.
Meanwhile, A-ram and A-reum approached Juha and Galaxy.
"Oppa. Who are these two? Hmm... They look kinda similar... Sisters?"
Maybe sensing a threat from the sister duo, A-reum sharpened her already sharp features even more and pointed accusingly at Juha and Galaxy. A-ram, on the other hand, seemed indifferent, yawning as usual. That was so like her—apathetic about everything unless it involved sex.
"Hmm... Oppa. You keep picking up strays from who-knows-where, don't you?"
Finally, A-reum crossed the line with her words, and Juha, who had been quietly listening, scowled and stepped forward aggressively.
A-reum could be a bit rude at times... and now she was up against the tough-as-nails Juha. It looked like Juha was ready to show off some North Korean grit...
I decided to watch for now.
I usually let the girls handle their own squabbles. If I intervened too much, I'd rob them of the chance to talk it out and get to know each other. That just deepened emotional rifts in the end.
Better to leave them be—they'd bicker, but eventually make up since they'd have to see each other's faces. Plus, with the strongest member Mer and Hee-sun noona—who controlled water and fire, essential elements—acting as steady elders, the others didn't fight too viciously.
Of course, I'd step in if things got violent, but as my slaves, that wouldn't happen. Scenes like A-reum and Juha clashing were just part of the integration process.
"Hey, that stings. What's your problem with us? And who are you to judge us like that? We're women Brother Jojun chose too. We should support each other as comrades, not keep eyeing us like rivals."
Juha's thick North Korean dialect hit like a shockwave. Hwa-young and Eun-ji, who had been playfully slapping each other's tattoos, froze and whipped their heads toward us. Even A-ram, mid-yawn, clamped her mouth shut. Everyone looked stunned.
"Huh...? Oppa. Are they... North Korean?"
"Yeah. Met 'em in the forest and brought them along. Age-wise... Juha here's a year older than you, A-reum."
"What? This shorty... is twenty-two?"
A-reum jumped in surprise and pointed at Juha again. Juha, realizing she was a year older, lit up like she'd found an easy mark, grabbed A-reum's finger, and snapped.
"What'd you say! You rude little bitch without a mother! Is that how you talk to your unni?!"
"Ah, aaah!! It hurts!! Sorry, unni!!"
A-reum panicked at being called unni and having her finger gripped. Finally, A-ram, who had been watching, intervened.
"Hold on. Let go of her hand and talk. No violence between teammates. And this is my little sister—if you're really pissed, tell me. I'll handle her."
A-ram grabbed Juha's wrist firmly, her voice low and steady, like she was the only one allowed to discipline. For reference, A-ram was a year older than Eun-ji, second only to Hee-sun noona in age. Combat-wise, only Mer or a full-power Ha-rin could stop her half-human half-demon berserk mode.
I quietly tipped Juha off.
"Juha. A-ram, the unni of A-reum, is twenty-seven. Older than Eun-ji. And strong—pretty high in the combat hierarchy."
"Oh... R-really? Uh... sorry... It's just... your sister kept pointing at me... and I have a little sister too, so I couldn't just take it..."
Juha, Galaxy's unni and in the unni role herself, shrank back when A-ram stepped up. She'd flip out and kill anyone who messed with Galaxy too. Empathy hit her.
"Name's Juha, right? I'll talk to her. A-reum, apologize to your new unni quick. We don't do that to teammates."
"Yeah... Sorry. I just... with more people coming... I got scared I'd lose my spot..."
A-reum had grown more possessive of me after sleeping together—maybe corrupted. Her jealousy toward other girls had spiked.
She was the smallest and youngest in the harem, so she hadn't shown it much before, but Galaxy and Juha looked small and approachable, bringing out her bully side.
Of course, with a real tough girl like A-ram—who'd been a legit delinquent in school—stepping in, A-reum tucked tail immediately.
As things settled, Ye-won-i and Mer climbed up through the collapsed rooftop door.
"Master. You're back."
"O-oppa...!"
"Mer! Long time no see, Ye-won-i!"
Ye-won-i shyly waved with a smile. With all the girls around me, she hesitated to approach, so I beckoned her over. She glanced around nervously before hugging me tight and rubbing her face against mine.
Mer immediately tossed her scythe to the ground and pulled me into a fierce embrace. I buried my face in her cleavage, inhaling Mer's scent after so long. As a former angel, her breasts even smelled faintly of milk. I gave her cleavage a quick lick, my heart racing at the thought of sucking and biting her soon.
I wanted to wrap up the rest and tumble wildly with them all.
"No wounds visible. Glad you're safe, master."
"You did well holding the fort, Mer."
"Eh, nothing much. No real updates this week. Just a few zombies crawling around the mart."
Mer casually recounted the past week without us. She'd gone on patrols; apparently, a field boss showed up in the next neighborhood over, commanding hundreds of zombies, so they left it alone. I suggested we hunt it together next time—like asking her on a date.
"And the traders came by."
"Yeah? Got everything?"
"Of course. Stacked downstairs—check later."
"Good job. Thanks, Mer."
I kissed Mer's cheek before slipping out of her arms. Then Ha Jin-seong spoke up.
"Hyungnim! Safe return!"
"Yeah. You too."
"Heh heh. I didn't do much. The wives handled it. But hyungnim... these new slaves?"
Ha Jin-seong thumbed at the blankly standing Japanese folks. As the slave leader, he panted eagerly, dying to start their indoctrination.
"Yeah. All fresh slaves, all hidden classes."
"Ah... I see. We needed more execs. Perfect!"
"Oh, but they're all Japanese."
"Pardon?"
"Japanese. Language barrier. You know any Japanese, Jin-seong?"
"Uh... I've spent my life training... Never clicked with studies."
"Right...? Then go find a slave fluent in Japanese quick. Need to teach 'em Korean before using them."
"Yes, sir!"
Ha Jin-seong saluted and dashed downstairs. He'd round up Japanese speakers among the slaves.
'Come to think of it...'
I suddenly recalled hunting slaves at Daiso.
There was that androgynous blob begging in fluent Japanese to be spared... I'd killed them on impulse, not thinking I'd need Japanese slaves then. Regretted it now a bit. They looked otaku enough to have killer Japanese skills...
'Talent always finds use...'
Still, they'd deserved death. No pointless regrets.
"Alright, everyone's here. Time to introduce the new members."
I drew the chattering girls' attention. They quieted and focused on me. I brought Juha and Galaxy from my right side forward.
"First, these two. From the North. This is the unni, Lee Juha. Twenty-two. Her dongsaeng, Lee Galaxy. Just turned twenty. Both joining our family."
"Nice to meet you!"
"Please take care of us!"
The girls clapped and cheered for the newbies. No objections since I'd claimed them.
"Welcome."
"Looking forward to it."
Before tension built, A-ram and Mer pulled Juha and Galaxy into hugs. Now in the same boat, they needed to support each other. We were all they could trust.
"Next, this one. Hey. Sora."
"H-hi."
"Come here. Greet them."
"Yes...!"
Sora, who'd eavesdropped on my and Eun-ji's talks for days, picking up Korean, understood "come here" and "greet." Even replied "yes." Impressive.
A few more weeks, and her Korean would skyrocket. She'd listened to K-pop idols, so no aversion to Korea. Worlds apart from the lone-wolf Hiiro.
"H-hello?"
"Say it properly."
"H-hello!"
"Good. Keep going."
"Uh, watashi wa... N-no. I am Nanase Sora! Class... Shinto Shrine Maiden!"
"Give it up for Sora-chan's efforts, everyone..."
"Wh-whoa..."
Clap clap clap.
"Hehe... Th-thank you!"
Sora bowed ninety degrees, navel greeting. Whatever her inner thoughts, her desire to bond radiated clearly.
"Sora's a Shinto Shrine Maiden. Think miko—shrine maiden. Handy skills... and pretty, so soon."
"Eh... Haven't touched her yet?"
Ye-won-i asked like it was shocking I'd held back. Felt a sting. Fair, though—I'd been busy expanding, and Sora was untouched.
"No time."
"Aha..."
"Next. Hotaro, greet."
"Y-yes... N-nice to meet you. I'm Hotaro. Please treat me well."
"Class is Onmyoji. Male miko version. Rare one too."
Hotaro awkwardly bowed and retreated. Blushing to his ears under the girls' stares.
His girlfriends Nanasa and Rei pinched his sides hard. He stifled groans, maintaining composure... Tough dating a plain, mean gal.
Probably took the bomb at a mixer and got hooked.
I introduced the rest: Priest Gen and Hakubo, Templar Rin, Cleric Hitomi, Inquisitor Hayato.
Including Hotaru's girlfriend, Seeker Rei. Hiiro, waiting and feeling left out, yelled in Japanese.
Hotaru, knowing he was on my shitlist, ignored him without translating. Hayato and the other Japanese kept distance.
Sweet Ye-won-i asked me.
"Um, oppa... Why skip that one?"
"He pulled shit in the forest. Offering him up today."
"Aha~"
Everyone nodded; Hiiro wailed desperately across the rooftop.
Ignored by all, he shut up. Then reached for his stepsister Sora.
"So-Sora-chan..."
"Sigh..."
Sora sighed deeply, shook her head, and linked arms with me. From subtle touches in the forest, she was now fully attached. She'd resolved to be mine completely.
"Ah... Aah..."
Hiiro collapsed to his knees, sobbing.
"Dumbass."
"Gahk...!"
I spat on his crying head and kicked him down.
Should've bowed like Jin-seong or Hotaro early— I'd have made him a subordinate. But his stubborn bullshit earned fitting punishment. No hobby raising disobedient mutts.
We left Hiiro and headed downstairs for lunch.
Since he'd be sacrificed soon, I ordered him to wait in the rooftop corner all day.
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