Sudden Gate: Two Weeks' Record (4)
"Throat... so dry...."
The place where she opened her eyes was, oddly enough, on a field cot. It was an unusually refreshing and incredibly invigorating morning—so much so that she wondered if such a day had ever existed before.
"Bopal Rabbit. Have you woken up?"
"Ah, yeah. Huh?! Is it morning already?"
"If you mean the time of this world, then yes. It is morning now."
"No... way...!! How many hours did I...! Ah, no. How long was the night...?"
"As long as the day. You slept for fifteen hours. I watched over you."
"Oh my god...!!"
Yeon-ha looked at Tran Van Bao with eyes full of emotion. But he simply shook his head as if it were nothing and handed her a water bottle.
"You must be thirsty. Because you slept so deeply. Most of my guests had that reaction after the first procedure. You are not special. Do not worry."
"But still... you stood watch all by yourself!"
"However, it was fine. Because I had a hobby to pass the time."
A hobby...? What could that be? Yeon-ha tilted her head, but Tran Van Bao only smiled whitely.
"It is time to get up now. There is something I want to show you. While I was looking for a water source this morning, I found footprints."
"Eh?!"
"A large number of footprints. They were watching us during the night. They appear to be nocturnal. However, they have all left. Fortunately, we could tell the direction they went."
When Tran Van Bao said that, Yeon-ha sprang up and shouted.
"Then we have to go right now! Huh...?"
Yeon-ha, who had looked ready to dash out at any moment, suddenly staggered and collapsed back down. Her legs trembled, and a short spasm came from deep inside her lower abdomen.
"What...?"
'Did I... just feel that...?'
Why all of a sudden...? As Yeon-ha stood there confused, Tran Van Bao approached, supported her, and helped her up.
"They have all left anyway. They disappeared a long time ago. We are not in a hurry. It will not be too late to eat breakfast and depart. And if you suddenly get up after sleeping for a long time, you will get low blood pressure. I have experienced that situation often."
"Ah, yeah. Yeah."
"It would be good to eat breakfast and then leave. I have prepared it."
"Uh... yeah."
Still looking confused, Yeon-ha glanced down at her lower abdomen before letting Tran Van Bao support her toward the makeshift table.
"Hiccup♡!"
When Tran Van Bao's hand firmly wrapped around her slim, toned waist, Yeon-ha let out an involuntary cry. A tingling energy from his palm seemed to strongly resonate with her womb. Had he used his ability? She tensed for a moment, but she felt no sign of it at all. There was no way an F-class ability pouring magic power directly into an S-class body could go undetected.
After the long night of development, her pussy seemed to have already surrendered to Tran Van Bao's magic power, but she had no way of knowing that.
'Haaah... seriously. Even without Colossus...!'
Feeling slightly wet, Yeon-ha shuddered. It was not strong, but she felt a little aroused. Maybe it was because she had started the morning in such an unusually good mood. Her body was a bit sensitive.
'Well. It probably just means my condition is good...?'
Supported by Tran Van Bao, she sat at the makeshift table and tore into the ready-to-heat field rations. The usually dry, unappetizing rations tasted strangely sweet today.
"What? Why does this taste good?"
"A meal made with care tastes delicious. Do Koreans not know that?"
"What kind of crazy talk is that!! This is just something that cooks itself when you tear open the heating pack!"
"Ah, the care Tran Van Bao spoke of was not that. But it is fine."
"...Huh?"
Tran Van Bao grinned and began wolfing down the rations. Was it a cultural difference? His joke this time was hard to understand. Teasing him for a failed joke would be too much, so she decided to pretend she did not notice. Yeon-ha chuckled and finished her meal.
*
Sure enough, when she followed where Tran Van Bao led, there were footprints. Seeing countless footprints lined up in a row sent a chill down her spine.
'They were watching while I was asleep and then left?'
If they had been ambushed by an alien species while sprawled out and sleeping soundly like last night, even she would have been forced into a disadvantageous fight. While Yeon-ha was staring seriously at the footprints for a while, Tran Van Bao tilted his head and spoke.
"Is it not because we kept a fire going? It could have been wild animals watching from afar before running away."
"No. They are bipedal."
She had to explain it in Earth terms, but most quadrupedal beasts have differently shaped front and hind paws. Some beasts push off with their forelegs, while others step with their hind legs. Every creature has a center of gravity, and through natural evolution, the stepping feet develop into more suitable shapes. But what about these footprints? Only pairs of similar shapes were lined up. Judging by the stride and shape, they belonged to bipedal beasts with human-like limbs.
"That is my opinion. What do you think?"
"It is reasonable. But monkeys also walk on two legs. These footprints are not wearing shoes. There is a possibility they are wild animals."
"Right. If it were not for this trace."
A little away from the footprints, there was a long, slanted line pattern deeply imprinted. At regular lengths and regular intervals. This was....
"It is a trace of carrying something. If it were wheel tracks, they would have been continuous. Probably... a pole? A spear? A staff...? Something like that. Judging by the footprints and stride, the height is... about your size."
"You can even tell the height?"
"Mm. Not just anyone gets to be a hero."
If Colossus had been here, she probably could have figured out even the approximate limb shapes and build. And by combining that information, maybe even how these guys fight. It was a day when she missed Colossus. Yeon-ha let out a deep sigh and straightened her back.
"Let's follow the footprints. We have to follow quietly!"
"Why is that?"
"Nocturnal animals have better hearing than sight. Since they seem like a somewhat civilized species, it is fortunate that this is a gate where intelligent monsters appear rather than beasts. Then breaking through will be simple!"
In the case of monster gates, finding the core object of the gate is extremely difficult. But intelligent-monster gates are different. Depending on their civilization, all you have to do is find and destroy the devices, structures, or shamans they created.
Yeon-ha cracked her shoulders and took the lead, walking briskly.
*
No matter how far they walked, only the vast grassland stretched out. Because the ground was wet with night dew, the footprints remained clear, but there was no sign of civilization at all. When a civilized species begins communal living, traces remain no matter how primitive the civilization—whether lighting fires or building huts. She suddenly stopped in place and jerked her head up.
"That's it!"
"Yes...?"
"Underground! Yeah! That must be it, of course! In a world where the days are this long, if they are a nocturnal species, they would naturally dig burrows. If that becomes a civilization, underground tunnels... no, an underground city... even if it does not reach the level of a city.... In this case...."
"A dungeon...?"
"Yeah! Something like an underground dungeon!"
Such cases happened occasionally. Sometimes gates that burst out sporadically led to strange, vast indoor spaces. If they were a species that lived by digging underground caves, there would be no sign of them on the surface. She nodded and took five large strides forward.
"Stay right there!"
"Yes?"
Without waiting for an answer, Yeon-ha leaped. It had been a while since she properly used [Rabbit Leap]. The full-powered jump of an S-class hero was destructive enough to leave large footprints on the ground. Leaping high into the sky before slowly descending, Yeon-ha laughed energetically.
"Found it!!"
*
That was why they had entered the damp underground cave. It was a cave where long-dried water mold gave off a terrible smell, as if ventilation shafts had never even been considered. The beings living here were probably short, at the level of some kind of ape. Fortunately, this cave, which seemed naturally formed, was wide enough for Yeon-ha to walk with her back straight.
"From now on, watch your footsteps, and follow a few steps behind!"
"Understood. I wish you luck, Bopal Rabbit-nim!"
"Hehe, when we get back, you have to talk like that a lot!"
Yeon-ha laughed brightly and walked forward confidently. Inside the cave were many strange drawings drawn with mud, and thanks to fluorescent powder-like things glowing here and there, visibility was faintly secured. It was fortunate she did not need to use a flashlight. Though there was one in the supplies, she could not afford to endlessly drain the battery without knowing the cave's width.
She walked while constantly perking up her ears. As she passed, a pair of yellow eyes silently gleamed from behind a cluster of stalactites on the cave ceiling above her head.
*
-Boom! Thud! Clang!
A very colorful sound echoed from behind. Yeon-ha let out a sigh and turned around. This was already the third time. Tran Van Bao had tripped over a rock while carrying a heavy load on his back. He had fallen so hard that he was even tearing up as he rubbed his ankle. Yeon-ha grumbled briefly and approached him. It could not be helped. In such a dark cave where they could not secure lighting, they had to search. With his subtle physical enhancement as an F-class, it would be difficult for him to fully watch his step.
"Are you okay? Can you walk?"
"It hurts. It hurts..."
"Let me see. Ugh. It is scraped pretty badly. What do we do...."
She blew on the wound and took out the emergency kit from the pile of luggage he had dropped. A hero-exclusive medkit only provided simple bandaging and disinfection. Heroes did not usually suffer injuries worse than scrapes. That was to reduce weight. However, it would never be enough for an F-class superhuman who was practically a civilian. There could be infectious diseases in an unfamiliar environment, and.... Yeon-ha looked at Tran Van Bao's injured ankle with bitter eyes.
"Take off your shoe."
"Yes? No! It will smell."
"It is fine."
Tran Van Bao made a shameful expression and carefully removed his shoe. As expected.... Yeon-ha slightly frowned. It was a laborer's foot that had not been cared for at all. The bones were bumpy from the harsh environment, and the soles were cracked from years of carrying heavy loads. On top of that, after the past few days of hardship, blood was seeping out and blisters had formed everywhere, making it unsightly. And more than that, it was pitiful to look at.
She, Bopal Rabbit, was a hero before she was a superhuman. Heroes meant people who sacrificed themselves first for the weak. She truly believed that. If there were the weak, they must be protected. If there were pitiful people, they must be helped. It was a hero's mission and a human's duty. Therefore, her upright and tender heart ached. At the reality of this pitiful, small man carrying all her luggage and being dragged along against his will.
"Give me the luggage."
"Yes...?"
"Quickly. We are already in a hurry. Let us not argue. Okay?"
Yeon-ha's eyes shone warmly. Tran Van Bao unconsciously swallowed and handed her the heavy backpack he had been carrying. She lightly placed the luggage on one shoulder and extended her empty arm.
"Hold on."
"Hah, but...!"
"Hey. Bopal Rabbit does not like repeating herself. You said you cannot see well anyway, right? Since it has come to this, let us stop moving quietly now."
She smiled benevolently and casually ruffled Tran Van Bao's matted hair.
"Let us finish quickly, get treatment, and eat something delicious with the money we earn. I will buy the after-party dinner. Let us go."
"Bo... Bopal Rabbit-nim...!!"
"Instead, when it is dangerous, stay back. Got it?"
"Understood...!!"
Tran Van Bao trembled with emotion and clung to her arm.
"Eh? Hey, that is more than I expected...! Ungh♡!!"
"I will never let go! Do not worry!"
He wrapped his arms tightly around Yeon-ha's waist, rested his arm on her hip, and leaned his body against her as he shouted. It was closer to an embrace than support, almost rubbing his entire body against her.
'Bopal Rabbit is an angel...!'
In reality, he was deeply moved. In a foreign land, an illegal immigrant at that. Even an outsider with a small, dark appearance that everyone despised. No one had ever spoken such warm and benevolent words to him or shown such consideration!! She was an angel. To Tran Van Bao, it seemed as if light was shining from her head.
'I must make her my own angel. Tran Van Bao can do it. I have already succeeded halfway! She is the woman who will give birth to my children, get me permanent residency, and raise my children and me!!'
Ten children would be enough. He smiled whitely and hugged Yeon-ha's waist even more tightly. Truly, he was genuinely moved by Yeon-ha's character. That could also be seen as falling in love. Of course, not all emotion and love was pure.
Yeon-ha was flustered by the tingling sensation spreading from her waist where Tran Van Bao held her, but she could not bring herself to shake him off for fear he might fall. The two of them were about to begin their dungeon conquest.