Chapter 243: The Great Raid (5)
Chapter 243: The Great Raid (5)
Tiamat had never gathered her followers to fight until now.
Compared to other Benevolent Gods, she didn't have many followers to begin with, nor did she feel the need to keep them under her direct command.
Take Laysia, for instance; she wanted to fulfill her role as the guardian of Bürg, and Tiamat had allowed her to do just that.
Even when the Great War against the Evil Gods broke out in Nippur, Tiamat hadn't bothered to call upon her followers because there was no real need for them. It was a rare clash where gods faced each other head-on—a battle between immortals wielding cataclysmic power. In such a conflict, mortals were merely chaff to be swept away.
Just as Tiamat expected, many followers and demons were sacrificed, caught in the crossfire between the Benevolent and Evil Gods.
While Tiamat hadn't planned for the current situation back then, the fact that her followers had been left entirely intact proved to be a massive advantage now.
‘Let’s try summoning her first.’
Han Shin considered informing the other women, but he worried it might look like he was making a fuss over nothing, especially since the new follower, Irene, hadn't even offered a solution yet.
‘Well, it’s always better to have more allies to fight with...’
Without further hesitation, Han Shin decided to summon Irene.
[Would you like to summon Irene?]
[Yes.]
Han Shin pressed "Yes" without a second thought.
“Hmm...?”
But there was no reaction.
‘What? Is it broken...?’
Whenever he had summoned Grace or Laysia, they appeared instantly amidst a flash of light. This time, there was no change at all.
Han Shin stared at his smartphone, even entertaining the silly thought that the device might be malfunctioning. He tried fiddling with the Manager App, but it hadn't frozen or crashed.
However, the text that usually appeared when he selected Irene—the prompt asking if he wanted to summon her—was gone.
It was a phenomenon Han Shin had never seen before.
‘Is it because the current situation makes summoning difficult...?’
As Han Shin pondered the reason, a sudden, intense burst of light erupted right in front of him, filling the entire room.
He instinctively closed his eyes against the blinding glare.
Thanks to his enhanced physical abilities, his vision recovered quickly. When he looked forward, a woman with platinum-white hair and crimson eyes was standing there.
Her slightly wavy white hair cascaded down to her waist, and her attire was so exquisite that even a complete layperson could tell it was high-end.
The base was white fabric accented with black trim, and the gold embroidery decorating the garment was far beyond anything a normal person would wear.
‘Is this... the kind of clothes royalty would wear?’
Han Shin immediately thought of the regal outfits he had seen in movies or manga.
However, that wasn't what caught his attention.
What drew Han Shin’s gaze were the long, pointed ears on the woman standing before him.
‘An elf...?’
Irene was the quintessential image of a beautiful elf.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, my Lord.”
“Ah... sorry. I summoned you and then just stood here without saying anything. It’s good to meet you, Irene.”
Han Shin hadn't expected to see an elf in person. Since Irene’s beauty was on par with the other women he had met, he had been staring blankly. He blushed when Irene took the hem of her skirt in both hands and bowed gracefully.
He felt he had been rude to her during their first meeting, but Irene simply smiled, folded her hands in front of her, and spoke.
“It is quite alright, my Lord. It is understandable that you would find me curious, as it is likely your first time seeing one of my kin.”
Irene was clearly someone of high status. Though she was being polite and humble toward him, she couldn't hide her innate elegance. It was so deeply ingrained in her every movement that Han Shin couldn't help but wonder about her true identity.
‘But that’s not the priority right now.’
“I’m sorry for calling you so suddenly, but the situation is urgent, and I realized I needed your help.”
“I was wondering when you would finally call for me, my Lord. Since you are the Proxy of Tiamat, it is only natural for you to summon and utilize me.”
‘She was waiting for me to call...? Ah... considering Laysia knew about me, Irene must have known of my existence even before I reached the required level.’
Han Shin, who had initially been puzzled by her words, quickly found the answer himself.
“I couldn't summon you before because my level wasn't high enough.”
“Yes, I am aware, my Lord. You have been working hard alongside the other followers.”
Irene’s composed manner helped soothe the anxiety Han Shin had been feeling due to the dire situation.
An elf with white hair and red eyes might have seemed ominous at a glance, but such a thought didn't cross his mind at all.
“My Lord. May I sit beside you?”
“Oh, of course.”
Irene approached him proactively. She possessed an aura of tolerance and composure that made Han Shin feel comfortable speaking and acting naturally around her, even though they had only met minutes ago.
When he first met Grace or Laysia, he had been shy and used formal language, but with Irene, he naturally spoke casually, and it felt right.
Irene walked gracefully and sat down right next to him. With every step, her large breasts—comparable in size to Laysia’s—swayed noticeably.
The clothes Irene wore were custom-made to fit her perfectly, accentuating her figure. Naturally, the vivid movement of her breasts caught Han Shin’s eye, causing him to quickly avert his gaze.
Amused by his reaction, Irene let out a soft, muffled laugh as she sat down and immediately asked for an explanation of the current situation.
“My Lord. Please tell me what is weighing so heavily on your mind.”
At Irene’s request, Han Shin explained the circumstances.
He told her how the demons had launched a full-scale invasion of Earth, and how dungeons filled with demons were appearing all over the world, preparing to unleash their forces.
He explained that the overall level of Earth’s Awakeners was insufficient to face the demons, and that clearing all the portals within a week seemed nearly impossible.
Irene listened intently, her head turned to look Han Shin directly in the face. As he spoke, he found himself staring into her eyes, which looked like brilliant red rubies.
After hearing the full explanation, Irene understood perfectly why Han Shin was worried and why his expression had been so dark when he summoned her.
“As you say, my Lord, the situation is indeed quite grim.”
“Yeah. We couldn't find a solution on our own, so I summoned you hoping for your help...”
Han Shin felt a bit guilty, wondering if he was putting too much pressure on her.
Contrary to his concerns, Irene’s expression didn't darken in the slightest.
“May I ask how many dungeons containing demons remain?”
“We cleared a few yesterday, so there are about 680 left.”
Initially, 720 portals had been identified. Over the course of yesterday, Awakeners around the world had managed to subjugate the demons in 40 of them.
However, the casualties from those first raids were significant, making the prospect of clearing the remaining ones feel overwhelming.
“I believe I can solve this if I go and see the dungeons for myself.”
“Huh? Really?”
Han Shin asked back in surprise. She spoke as if it were a simple task, making him wonder if he had misheard her.
“Yes, my Lord.”
Irene’s composed expression remained unchanged as she calmly reaffirmed her statement. Only then did it sink in that she was serious.
He didn't know how she planned to solve it, but since she was so confident and relaxed, he decided to trust her.
“Alright. Let’s head to a dungeon right away.”
“Yes, my Lord. And... please introduce me to the other vassals as well.”
“Right, I’ll do that immediately.”
Since Irene was now a comrade who would fight alongside them, introducing her to everyone was a necessary rite of passage.
“....?!”
Kang Yujin, who had sent Han Shin to his room to rest because he looked so worried, saw him come out with a beautiful woman with white hair and red eyes.
She had been humming to herself while heading toward his room to bring him some sliced fruit, but she stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening in shock.