Erosion Zone (1)
*Slurp*—I sucked down the apple iced tea.
The sweet iced tea aroma mingled with the tangy apple flavor, rolling around in my mouth.
"Ugh... so happy."
Why did I ever drink Americano back then? When there's something this sweet and delicious.
How did I live on that bitter stuff?
Now, even a hint of bitterness makes my hand shy away.
Sweet things, on the other hand? I could devour them endlessly.
Speaking of which...
"When are they showing up?"
I sucked on the straw noisily, scanning around, but not a sign of anyone from Banwol Guild.
"We still have about ten minutes until the appointed time, miss. Why not wait a little longer?"
Keter checked her watch and said.
"No way. Don't kids these days know the basic courtesy of showing up early?"
"If I may say so, people nowadays would call someone like you a boomer, miss."
"What? A boomer?"
This is why kids today have no manners. None at all.
Anyway, today's meeting spot with Banwol Guild was Seoul B District, the area with the least erosion so far.
No dolls had ever been summoned here before, but one had finally been detected. That gave a shot to a newbie guild like Banwol.
Kim Doa must've pulled some strings behind the scenes, of course.
But no one knows that except the parties involved.
As I was thinking that, a car pulled up.
"Whoa... that kid's super cute. Did she tag along with her big sis?"
The first one out was C-rank Lee Narin.
"You here to play?"
Next came C-rank Yoo Yeonha, scolding her.
"Both of you, shut it. Hurry up and grab the gear from the trunk."
Last from the driver's seat: Banwol's guild master, B-rank Kim Dohee.
I'd thought it from her profile, but how much did she have to adore Kim Doa to copy her hair too?
Anyone would mistake them for sisters.
"At least they seem to have good vibes."
I let out a small sigh.
"Is something wrong, miss?"
Keter looked at me with concern.
"Nah, just... reminded me of the old days."
Back during the Great Subjugation, we had that kind of atmosphere too.
Joking around, always laughing and chatting.
Until that day came.
"I'm Banwol Guild Master Kim Dohee. Are you the mercenary dispatched for this?"
Dohee approached and said.
"Yes. I'm the merc—"
Hm?
Something felt off, so I glanced at Keter. Dohee was addressing her, not me.
Ugh.
"That's not me."
"Huh? But I heard you arrived..."
"This is the mercenary sent by Doa. I'm just accompanying her as secretary."
Keter gestured toward me, and only then did Dohee startle and look my way.
"This little squirt?"
Kim Doa, you bastard—what the hell did you tell her? She knows nothing.
"I'm Baek Yuri, dispatched as mercenary this time. Nice to work with you."
I bowed politely in greeting.
"Whoa, she's so prim and proper. I'm your unnie Narin. Just call me Narin-unnie. Or just 'unnie~' is fine too."
"Suddenly? That's rude."
"It's fine. Our guild master's the one who was rude first."
Narin, arriving late with the gear, beamed. Yeonha scolded from behind.
Fine my ass. That was extremely rude.
"Well, if Doa-unnie sent you, your skills must be solid."
Dohee, who'd squeezed her eyes shut like her head hurt at the word "mercenary," finally opened them and spoke.
"No need to worry about that."
"Then... you're both coming along?"
"Yes. As your miss's exclusive secretary, I have a duty to stay by her side at all times."
"Great. You both have enough erosion resistance?"
"No problem."
I nodded along with Keter's words.
"Alright, quick intros before we head into the erosion zone. This is C-rank awakener Lee Narin, handling the rear guard."
The moment Dohee finished, Narin lunged at me.
I dodged lightly.
"I said call me unnie. But can I just touch your cheek once?"
"No."
"Hing."
"Ha... Next, C-rank Yoo Yeonha. She's on frontline duty."
Dohee sighed deeply at Narin sulking from Keter's brush-off, then continued.
"Yoo Yeonha."
I took her extended hand for a light shake.
"She shook hands! You just shook with her. Why not me—ow!"
Dohee finally lost patience and bonked Narin on the head. Cute.
You weren't going for a handshake—you wanted my cheeks, kid.
"And finally, I'm B-rank Kim Dohee. Nice to work with."
After hearing all their intros, I glanced at Keter.
"I'm a C-rank awakener using defense abilities. Your miss here is a B-rank using support abilities."
Perfect. Good thing we coordinated yesterday.
"One defender and one supporter? That's solid."
Dohee's expression finally relaxed.
Actually, Keter's words were true—aside from the awakener ranks.
My magic was indeed buff-type support for allies, and Keter could only use basic barrier spells now.
"But don't you need a weapon?"
Weapon?
I hadn't even considered it—magical girls have artefacts.
Come to think of it...
Narin had a bow, Yeonha a shield, Dohee a spear.
"I'm fine. But I brought a weapon for the miss."
Keter rummaged in her bag and pulled something out.
"...A magic wand?"
It was a magic wand. A pink one with hearts—clearly a kid's toy.
Dohee stared at the pink heart wand, even more flustered than before.
I'm flustered too. This wasn't part of the plan?
I shot Keter a look.
She just smiled faintly back at me.
I sighed and took the wand.
"So cute! Like a magical girl. Wanna take a pic with unnie?"
"That's also a no."
"Hing."
Well... you aren't wrong. I am a magical girl.
We filled out entry forms at the entrance and stepped into the erosion zone.
"Man, the air's definitely bad."
Banwol's crew, new to erosion zones, all grimaced the moment we entered.
"Yeah. You okay, Yuri?"
I nodded casually.
If they only felt "bad air," they had solid resistance to this level.
The biggest danger in erosion zones wasn't dolls or corrupted creatures—it was erosion itself.
Without resistance, it started with mental breakdowns... and could kill at worst.
"Whoa, isn't that an Otherworld Stone?"
"Let's mine it."
Still, people flocked here for one simple reason.
Money.
Erosion zones spawned special minerals called Otherworld Stones.
Unlike regular ores, they boosted awakener powers and had top-tier durability—perfect for gear.
The stronger the erosion, the better the quality, so many risked their lives for high-erosion spots.
"Sadly, stones of that quality aren't worth much."
Keter called out to Narin and Yeonha, who were eagerly digging.
"For real?"
"Enough, both of you. If the stones here were valuable, other guilds would've cleaned them out ages ago."
Dohee grabbed their collars and hauled them up.
"We're broke lately. Thought even this might help."
Narin grumbled, collared.
"We'll get fat rewards after subjugating the doll. Focus on that."
"Hing, got it."
Not bad for a guild master.
Dohee was right. Doll hotspots were dangerous even for weak ones—vigilance was key.
Dolls had intelligence. They didn't fight fair.
"Here. The point."
We'd arrived at the spot.
Wind whistled sadly through ruined houses.
"Nothing here?"
Narin shaded her eyes, scanning.
"What a letdown."
Rookies.
"Keter, prep."
"Yes, miss."
No presence. No sounds.
But I felt it. That revolting, loathsome sensation.
Keter gestured, and a massive circle enveloped us.
"Wh-what was that?"
Everyone except me and Keter panicked at the barrier.
"No worries. It's my ability. A simple containment field."
"That's... C-rank?"
Not the time to gawk.
About time.
I gripped the wand and counted down.
3.
2.
1.
"Get down!"
An axe flew from the building at my shout.
I casually batted it away with the wand.
Bam!
It exploded into the wall.
"Y-Yuri, you okay? What was that you just deflected?"
"I'm fine. Look over there."
A doll emerged from the building.
The grotesque wooden doll, missing one arm, gripped an axe in its remaining hand.
Low erosion meant it didn't fully match its fairy-tale origins.
Normally a long-nosed weapon master with multiple arms.
Definitely weak.
"Doll type: Wood Doll, judged 7th-grade."
I stared at Dohee after Keter's analysis.
"Ah."
Dohee finally sucked in a breath and snapped to.
"B-Battle stations!"
Good. That's more like it.