Chapter 244: The Great Raid (6)
Chapter 244: The Great Raid (6)
Han Shin felt a pang of guilt when he saw Kang Yujin’s startled reaction as she brought him some peeled fruit.
It wasn't that he had summoned a new follower just to expand his harem like some kind of philanderer. He had summoned Irene specifically to find a breakthrough in this dire situation.
However, even to Han Shin’s eyes, Irene was a stunning beauty. Furthermore, as a follower of Tiamat, she would have to have sex with him to obtain Tiamat’s divine power.
Knowing this all too well, Han Shin couldn't help but feel his conscience prickling. These thoughts were written clearly across his face, and Kang Yujin noticed immediately.
Having grown up with him since they were children, reading Han Shin’s expressions was the most basic of basics for her. She knew he hadn't summoned a follower out of lust, and seeing him look so apologetic toward her out of his own sense of guilt made her think that he was truly being himself.
“Shin-a, did you summon a new follower?”
“Yeah, Noona.”
“Then I’ll go call the others for now.”
“Yeah. Please do. Thanks, Noona.”
When Kang Yujin offered to bring the others without saying anything else, Han Shin felt nothing but gratitude toward her.
Soon, Grace, Laysia, and Sitri joined them, and everyone sat together in the living room.
The new follower had white hair and crimson eyes. Dressed in what appeared to be incredibly luxurious clothing, Irene exuded the aura of a noble race even while standing still, drawing everyone’s attention.
In particular, her long ears set her apart from the others. The race with long ears was the Elves, a race that was extremely rare to encounter.
Grace and Laysia had only heard of the Elven race; this was their first time seeing one in person.
Because of their beautiful appearance, Elves were simultaneously envied by other races and targeted by jealousy and dark desires. Consequently, Elves had developed an exclusionary nature toward other races and tended to avoid interaction entirely, though there were always exceptions and various incidents throughout history.
Due to their small numbers and these circumstances, the Elves had preferred to leave for distant lands to live among themselves. At some point in the past—though the exact timing was unclear—the majority of Elves had migrated to the planet Elpion. Those who had seen Elves in person became figures of record, and seeing one in reality became nearly impossible.
Once he confirmed everyone was gathered, Han Shin decided to take the lead in introducing them.
“This is Irene, the follower I summoned this time. I summoned her hoping she might be able to help us with the current situation.”
In truth, although Han Shin had summoned her, he didn't know much about her either. He only knew her name through the Manager App; everything else was guesswork or unknown. Thus, when it came to the introduction, he had no flowery descriptions to add and simply stated her name and his reason for summoning her.
Hearing Han Shin’s introduction, the women, including Kang Yujin, understood that he had sought out a new follower to find a solution to the difficult situation caused by the demons' large-scale offensive.
They introduced themselves one by one, and everyone’s first impression of Irene was positive. She greeted them politely with a bow and didn't seem to show any overt, unnecessary interest in Han Shin.
Moreover, she didn't waste time on idle chatter and immediately addressed the most pressing issue.
“I’ve heard the situation is not very good. I will do my utmost to be of help, however little it may be.”
Unlike when she had spoken to Han Shin earlier, her words were filled with humility, a conscious effort to avoid making the other women feel uncomfortable.
This attitude was a wise choice. Even if she were capable of solving the problem, claiming she could do it all alone could be perceived as arrogance. Her words left a good impression on Han Shin as well.
It would have been nice to have some time for small talk to get to know each other better, but they didn't have that luxury.
Han Shin’s party immediately prepared to head to a dungeon for Irene’s sake.
It was just after sunset, following two rounds of clearing demons from dungeons and a long period of deliberation and brainstorming.
Upon receiving word from the Moon Shadow Party that they intended to enter another dungeon so suddenly, the Korean Branch of the Awakener Association immediately made preparations. Since they were always ready to act on such requests, Han Shin’s party was able to reach the new portal without delay.
Irene also donned Tiamat’s armor, both to hide her identity and to prepare for battle. Although she didn't fully understand Earth’s culture, she had been told that Han Shin operated without revealing his face, so she donned the silver full body armor that covered her entire body without complaint.
Naturally, the staff at the Awakener Association were curious about the addition to the group. As had been the case with Sitri, they had noticed that the Otherworlders, with the exception of those like the Knight, rarely spoke.
Most interactions were handled by Kang Yujin, with Han Shin offering his opinion as the situation required, which had been sufficient until now.
As they moved toward the portal, Irene hid her curious eyes behind her helmet, taking everything in and gathering information. It was a natural reaction, as she was seeing a culture entirely different from Elpion, the world of the Elves where she lived.
However, once they arrived in front of the purple portal, she ceased her personal curiosity. She was the type who preferred to focus completely on the task at hand before resting.
Staring at the shimmering purple portal, Irene immediately began to move her mana to investigate its structure. To an observer, she was simply standing still, but her crimson eyes beneath the helmet were infused with mana.
Irene was the strongest mage of Elpion. No, she was one of the greatest mages in the long history of the Elves. Her magical talent was on a different level from other Elves, allowing her to analyze the structure of the purple portal at the dungeon entrance using only her mana, without moving a single finger.
Meanwhile, Kang Yujin spoke to Park Min-woo, who was standing nearby.
“We’re going in now.”
“I hope you achieve great results.”
Park Min-woo spoke with a desperate tone and immediately stepped back.
On the way there, Park Min-woo had cautiously asked the Moon Shadow Party a question. Since the party had originally planned to rest today and return to the dungeons tomorrow, he figured there must be a reason for this sudden change in plans.
Moon Shadow had briefly commented that they were going to find a clue to resolve the current crisis, which gave Park Min-woo a glimmer of hope.
In the two-plus years he had known them, there was nothing the Moon Shadow Party hadn't accomplished. Since the Otherworlders had appeared and begun working with them, Park Min-woo had come to think of them as the hope of humanity. It wasn't just because he had known them for a long time in Korea; even from a conservative perspective, anyone would think the same after seeing what the Moon Shadow Party had achieved.
Han Shin and Grace led the way into the portal. Immediately, a barrage of dark mana spheres, spears, and arrows—all clusters of dark mana—poured toward them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
‘This is stronger than before…? There are tougher ones in here.’
Based on the fact that the attacks were more powerful than those in the dungeons they had cleared previously, Han Shin judged that demons with greater power were inside this dungeon.
Han Shin’s intuition was correct.
Inside the dungeon Han Shin had entered were two of Baphomet’s demons, possessing power at the highest level among Count-class demons.
These two, with heads shaped like massive bulls, were Terotos and Maldicus.
The two Counts had chosen to enter the dungeon together. While this meant they could bring fewer subordinates, they judged it to be the safer path.
In a way, the two Counts were right. These two bellicose demons were overflowing with confidence, certain that if they joined forces, they could sweep away any enemy on Earth.
They were the ones who had publicly mocked Asmodeus’s demons as pathetic fools for being defeated by an Ego Artifact. In fact, because they were stronger than other Counts, their behavior had actually gained support from other demons.
They had been so bloodthirsty that they wanted to go to Earth and fight as soon as possible, and now that the situation allowed them to exert their full power, they had volunteered immediately...
And they had chosen to be sent to Korea, where the Moon Shadow Party was most active.