Chapter 175: Nothing Happened
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 175: Nothing Happened
“Step back! Get back!”
“I told you to block the reporters first! They keep crossing the line! Arrest every single reporter who trespassed!”
The area around the Zone was a cacophony of noise, thanks to the agents scurrying about.
Because the location happened to be a highway—a major transportation hub—a massive amount of manpower had been deployed. A temporary headquarters had been set up right in front of the Zone to find a swift resolution.
“Currently, the individuals inside Temporary Classification Zone 2 are six first-year students from Yggdrasil and three civilian women.”
“Sigh… Of all things… Are there any transfer students or anyone with over three years of experience holding a Black License?”
The person in charge grimaced as a White Agent at the meeting presented the analysis of the Zone and the current situation.
Even if Yggdrasil students were considered elites, they were still greenhorns who possessed skill and talent but lacked experience.
The only hope lay with the transfer students who had entered through the second admissions cycle, but the reporting agent shook his head.
“With the exception of Chika Fraser, they all hold Black Licenses… but the one with the most experience is Fei Chen, who is in her second year.”
“Dammit.”
A Zone was a place that killed mages.
In a Zone that forcibly rewrote the common sense and laws of the world, cold judgment and experience were more important than anything else—qualities Yggdrasil students lacked.
As the person in charge cursed, the agent glanced at him before speaking again.
“However, two of them have experience clearing a Zone before.”
“Two of them? Who?”
“Seo Yeon-woo and Daihara Shiori.”
“Daihara? The Daihara family?”
“Yes, sir.”
The level of trust the Daihara family—home to one of the 12 Zodiacs and the strongest mages—commanded among mages was immense.
Furthermore, didn't they say she already had experience clearing a Zone?
The deep furrows in the supervisor's brow smoothed out, and a glimmer of hope began to permeate the meeting room.
“One peculiar detail is that this Zone has a capacity limit.”
“A capacity limit? That means…”
“Yes. We need further analysis, but there’s a high probability it’s a stage-based format, meaning each individual must fulfill a specific role.”
“You said there are three civilians too, right?”
“Yes, but in a Zone like this, a single outstanding individual who can lead the group is more important.”
The supervisor nodded at the agent’s words.
Usually, when people heard of a Zone where roles were assigned and one person’s mistake could lead to everyone’s death, they assumed the average ability of the group had to be high.
However, as years of accumulated data proved, the survival rate was higher when there was one person capable of commanding the entire group.
With the prestige of the Daihara name, proven ability from a previous clear, and the talent and skill required to get into Yggdrasil, there was a bit of hope.
Since no one else could enter from the outside anyway, there was nothing left to do but analyze the Zone further. The meeting shifted toward how to handle Zone 1, which was filled with civilians.
*
Unlike the atmosphere in the meeting room, which had gained a sliver of hope, Akito’s expression as he waited in front of the Zone was dark.
“Akito.”
“… …”
Emma approached and sat beside him, offering a warm cup of coffee.
Akito accepted the coffee without a word, his gaze returning to the Zone. Emma looked at the Zone with a bitter expression.
His sister, his childhood friend, and even his Magic Research Club members were trapped inside.
The crushing sense of helplessness—the fact that he could do nothing but watch from out here due to the capacity limit—gnawed at Akito’s heart.
At first, Akito had even attacked the Zone in a desperate attempt to force his way in, only to be restrained by the agents. After a long period of causing a scene in denial of reality, he had finally quieted down.
“Shiori and Chika will come back safely. You know how it is, Akito. You know how smart Shiori is and how strong Chika is. Remember how they performed last time…”
Realizing from the look in Akito’s eyes that he had only gone quiet and hadn't actually calmed down, Emma began to recount stories of their past exploits as if reminiscing.
Though Akito didn't respond, Emma kept talking, trying her best to reassure him.
As time passed, Akito silently took Emma’s hand. Feeling the warmth of his palm, she gave a small smile and leaned her head on his shoulder, watching the Zone with him.
Behind them, Takeo glanced their way before turning his head.
In the past, he had been angry and even done bad things because of Emma, but now he felt nothing.
More than that, he was worried about Yeon-woo, Yukina, and Fei, who were caught in the Zone.
The other members with him seemed to feel the same, as they refused to leave the vicinity of the Zone.
“There’s nothing to worry about. That bastard will clear it again and come out smirking like a prick just like usual.”
Rio spoke up, but no one reacted; they just kept staring at the Zone.
Angelica’s eyes were swollen from crying after hearing that Yeon-woo had been sucked into the Zone.
Akane maintained her usual expression, but she was perched like a meerkat, her eyes fixed on the Zone. Even the usually bright Mary and Jade were deathly silent.
Just then, Masayoshi, who had stepped away for a moment, returned and set down a pile of food and water.
“Eat. You guys must be hungry.”
“… …”
Only Rio and Takeo, mindful of the atmosphere, began to set the food out for the others. The rest didn't move.
Watching them with a look of pathetic pity, Masayoshi started eating a piece of bread he’d brought.
“Why are you guys even worrying?”
“Why are we worrying? It’s a Zone! A Zone!”
They didn't call them mage-eaters for nothing.
Cases where a Zone was cleared without a single casualty were rare. If a Zone was resolved with fewer than double-digit deaths, it was considered a successful outcome.
Zones were so dangerous that sometimes the government would simply give up and abandon them if they weren't near critical facilities.
Mary snapped at him, but Masayoshi continued to nonchalantly chew his bread.
“At the very least, I know Yeon-woo better than you do.”
“And?”
“You think he got sucked into the Zone because he was caught in a car explosion? You know how strong Yeon-woo’s mana barrier is.”
At the time, everyone had been focused on the rescue, so no one knew that a Black Branch executive had attacked Yeon-woo.
The government had concluded that the people were pushed into the Zone by the force of the vehicle explosion.
“That bastard went in on purpose.”
“…What?”
“I don’t know why he took Yukina and Fei with him, but it was intentional. He might have even figured out the Zone’s conditions beforehand.”
The group stared at him blankly.
The idea that someone would intentionally enter a Zone—a place that killed mages—was hard to believe.
“He knew about the Zone last time, too.”
“Huh? He knew? I thought he just found it while looking for Akito after he went missing.”
When Rio asked with a tilted head, Masayoshi let out a smirk.
“You think you can just 'find' a Zone by looking for it? He’s the one who took the lead to find Akito, he’s the one who discovered it, and he’s the one who pushed us into that dangerous Zone.”
“… …”
“Takeo, you even asked him if he was trying to kill you at first, didn't you?”
“…I didn't go that far…”
Embarrassed to be mentioned, Takeo stammered out a defensive reply.
“Anyway, he pushed us into such a dangerous Zone without a moment’s hesitation. To kill us? If that was the case, why would he go in himself?”
“… …”
“He went in because he was certain, and he cleared the Zone far too easily. What do you think that means?”
“…That he knew the Zone’s conditions from the outside?”
As Mary muttered her disbelief, Masayoshi nodded.
The others didn't notice, but Akane’s eyes were sparkling as she listened intently.
She didn't know how he did it, but the ability to know a Zone’s conditions from the outside was incredibly important to her.
“That’s impossible. You can figure some things out through analysis, but it’s just a matter of probability. Knowing for certain is impossible with current technology.”
“Then what about Yeon-woo pushing us in and jumping in himself without hesitation? Simple sense of justice? He analyzed it without any equipment and thought the odds looked good? Is Yeon-woo the kind of idiot who acts on nothing but blind justice?”
“… …”
Those who had known Yeon-woo for a long time couldn't answer Masayoshi’s question.
Though he was often cursed at for his bizarre methods, Yeon-woo was someone who solved problems during training using brilliant intellect and methods others couldn't even imagine.
A man like that wouldn't jump into a Zone without any preparation.
“I don’t know if it’s an ability or knowledge, but he probably doesn't know everything. If he did, a guy with his sense of justice would have cleared the Zones the government abandoned… well, maybe not clear them, but he would have helped somehow.”
Akane, who didn't know Yeon-woo well yet, tilted her head at the mention of a 'sense of justice,' but his long-time friends like Rio and Mary nodded.
Of course, if Yeon-woo had heard them, he would have tilted his head too, but in their eyes, Yeon-woo was perceived as a warm and righteous person.
“I think it’s the same this time. Caught in a car explosion? He’s the guy who didn't take a single scratch even when Under-the-Bed… I mean, Isaac, hit him with everything he had. He would never be pushed back by an explosion like that.”
“… …”
“Even if he knows the conditions, he’ll have a hard time. Zones are no joke. But that guy is a cheap bastard; he doesn't go in empty-handed.”
As everyone watched him in silence, Masayoshi looked at the Zone with a distant gaze and a smirk.
If he were handsome, it might have looked quite cool, but since he was covered in filth from the rescue efforts before the agents arrived and wasn't exactly a looker, he just looked like a refugee chewing on bread.
However, fully immersed in the mood, Masayoshi continued speaking with what he believed to be the coolest smile in the world.
“No hardship can stop you. Hang in there a little longer. We’re waiting for you.”
Watching him quietly, Akane thought it really didn't suit him and turned her gaze back to the Zone.
Meanwhile, Yeon-woo, whom everyone was so worried about…
“Haaang! I’m coming, I’m… I’m, gaaaah!”
He was lying back comfortably, enjoying the sight of Sohyeon thrusting her hips as she reached a climax.
He was working hard to produce a lot of semen, but it was a different kind of 'hard work' than what the people outside imagined.
He was lying with his head on Amber’s lap, sucking on her breast, while Sohyeon, trembling from her climax, collapsed on top of him.
The other women were kneeling in a circle around them, watching the two of them have sex.
Did they do this because they wanted to?
They sat because the Zone told them to, and they had sex because the Zone told them to.
Yeon-woo had realized it late, but he had been lucky to pass the earlier trials with Akito’s followers.
A woman who participated in a trial once couldn't participate in the next, meaning they didn't have to face the trials as the intensity gradually increased.
After the semen transfer trial that Shiori had to lead, sex became mandatory, and all three civilian women had to engage in sexual acts with Yeon-woo.
Amber, who was married with a child; Sohyeon, who had just become a college student; and Sera, a successful influencer—all of them had taken his semen inside them at least once.
Though the women had initially shown reluctance, as the acts repeated and Yeon-woo’s dick plowed through their bodies, their reason gradually paralyzed, and they fell into pleasure just like Sohyeon just had.
Chika, Shiori, Lena, and Fei watched the entire process.
Amber, who said she had to protect her family, became a bitch; the innocent Sohyeon shook her hips like a whore; and the prideful Sera became a slave to his dick.
They saw it all with their own eyes, but it was an unbelievable situation.
Just how good was it that the women who tasted his dick changed like that?
The women who were forced to watch also found their gazes increasingly fixed on Yeon-woo’s dick, and an indescribable emotion now swirled within them.
“… …”
Rumble—
The sound of a passage opening saved Shiori, who had been staring blankly at his dick.
A passage filled with a white light, different from before.
Realizing the passage signaled their escape, Shiori snapped out of it and jumped up. She grabbed the collar of Yeon-woo, who was still enjoying the afterglow of his ejaculation while sucking on Amber’s breast.
“Whoa, what’s with the sudden violence?”
“Everything that happened here… never happened.”
“…Well… that works for me too.”
“No, I mean it didn't happen! Nothing happened! Don't you dare say a word to my brother!”
Releasing Yeon-woo, Shiori shouted at the other women.
“Nothing happened. Right?”
When the women gave their silent affirmation, Shiori quickly began constructing an alibi.
She fabricated a highly detailed lie about what kind of Zone it was and who did what to clear it.
She even pointed at them one by one, checking if they had memorized it correctly, creating a full-blown novel about their escape from the Zone.
“If you get a question that isn't covered by what we just discussed, just answer like this: 'My mind was hazy, so I don't remember well.' Got it?”
After thoroughly setting up the premise that it was a Zone laced with hallucinations, Shiori stood up once she had the women’s confirmation.
“Let’s go. And put that thing away! How long are you going to keep that monstrosity out?!”
“Ah, sorry. The story was so interesting.”
Yeon-woo, who had been listening intently because the 'Rowdy Adventure of Escaping the Zone' was so entertaining, apologized and tucked his now-flaccid dick back into his pants.
Finally, after using all the water they had saved to wash themselves, they stepped into the passage.
As the Zone collapsed and they emerged, everyone nearby cheered. Akito was the first to run over and hug Shiori and Chika.
Surrounded by his friends, Yeon-woo watched the scene and smiled.
Thank god. At least I won't be killed by Akito.
Relieved to have survived, Yeon-woo felt grateful for Shiori’s wisdom.