Chapter 212: Support Has Arrived
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 212: Support Has Arrived
Support has arrived.
A woman sat on a bench in a dark park.
Dressed lightly as if she were a local resident, she smoked a cigarette while idly kicking her feet, her slippers dangling from her toes.
Another woman, carrying a convenience store bag, spotted the woman smoking and tapping away on her smartphone and sat down on the bench next to her.
The newcomer also pulled out a cigarette and lit it, acting as if they were strangers.
"Spinner. What’s the situation?"
The woman called Spinner replied without taking her eyes off her phone.
"What do you think? That Viper bastard ruined everything."
The other woman frowned at Spinner’s grumbling.
"To think The Hero would interfere. Can we catch Baek Seo-woo?"
"Isn't that impossible?"
"Even with Spinner’s skills, you can't overcome Baek Seo-woo?"
At the woman's provocation, Spinner shot her a sharp, sidelong glance.
"Hey, if you don't want to die, watch your mouth."
"..."
The previously composed woman fell silent and watched Spinner’s reaction as the latter began to radiate bloodlust.
"You seem to be acting tough because you've got Councilor Masami backing you, but should I cut your head off and hang it on your front gate? Stop messing around while I'm still being nice."
As Spinner glared with a predatory glint in her eyes, the woman cringed and looked away.
"I... apologize. My mistake."
"Yes, yes, dear customer. Let's maintain some basic etiquette between us."
Spinner flashed a thin smile and returned her gaze to her smartphone.
"You people might not know, but Viper’s ability to run away is top-notch. Whether you provoke him or offer more money, impossible is impossible. Oh, you know he slipped away recently even when he was surrounded by heroes, right?"
Just as Spinner said, Baek Seo-woo had recently broken into a dungeon that Black Unicorn was raiding.
Numerous heroes had guarded the entrance after receiving a support request, but Baek Seo-woo had slipped away effortlessly.
Even the woman, a civilian who couldn't easily gauge the skill gap between Awakened, knew exactly what that implied.
"But because of him, the plan is completely ruined," the woman said gloomily, her face darkening.
The New Human Alliance had originally planned to trigger Dungeon Explosions in five locations.
However, somehow The Hero, including Baek Seo-woo, had attacked from behind, and the New Human Alliance only managed to succeed in Miura City.
Not only did their numbers dwindle because The Hero attacked them, but the heroes' nerves were on edge because he had shown his face.
Since A-rank heroes were staying in their assigned sectors and keeping a close watch, the New Human Alliance couldn't move recklessly.
They thought other heroes would go to support Miura City once it blew up, but instead, each Support Headquarters strengthened the guard in their own regions. The New Human Alliance had to just sit back and watch, sucking their thumbs.
"All we did was make Black Unicorn famous. Ah... was this also according to your expectations? You guys want Jeong Yeon-woo, don't you? And then there's that brat Councilor Masami dotes on."
"Please do not speak their names so carelessly."
"Yeah, yeah."
Though she had been cowed by the bloodlust earlier, the woman looked around cautiously, worried someone might be listening.
"Anyway, what do I do now? I don't even have a chance to show off. Oh, and since it's not my fault, you have to pay the full down payment."
Spinner was a fixer contracted to the New Human Alliance, much like Hornet had been in the past.
The woman didn't like the money-grubbing fixer, but she didn't want to provoke her unnecessarily.
Spinner.
She was a fixer the New Human Alliance had gone to great lengths to bring over from East Japan, where the bulk of the hero forces were concentrated.
Having spent most of her career committing murders under the guise of 'fixing,' she was a powerhouse that even A-rank heroes couldn't take lightly.
Provoking a professional killer like her any further was a death wish.
The woman carefully relayed Masami's words.
"We will prepare the stage. You just need to eliminate one party."
"Hooo~ That's my specialty. Where? Mobius? Silver Blood?"
The woman stared blankly at Spinner as she listed off the A-rank parties currently in Japan.
"Black Unicorn."
"..."
Upon hearing the name Black Unicorn, Spinner lost her words and stared at the woman blankly before bursting into laughter.
"Ahahaha! You're using me just to catch some greenhorns like them? You must have money to burn. Ah, you people are truly hilarious."
Spinner's laughter was so loud that the woman looked around nervously before continuing.
"Keep your voice down. That's all I have to deliver."
"Yes, yes. Understood. It's the client's prerogative, after all. By the way, isn't there someone important to Japan in that party? Do I take out Jeong Yeon-woo and that girl too?"
"Kill them."
"Heh—you acted like you cherished them, but you're pretty rotten behind the scenes. Ah, whatever. I have no complaints, so I'll handle it. Just make sure that 'stage' is set properly. Don't mess up again."
Spinner stood up, leaving the woman behind.
As she turned to leave, Spinner paused for a moment and then strode back toward the woman.
Ignoring the tensed-up woman, Spinner rummaged through the convenience store bag she was holding and pulled out a lunch box.
"I'll enjoy this."
With a smirk, Spinner waved the lunch box and left the park, leaving the woman alone.
After the exciting sex party ended...
No, wait. A few days had passed since the modest drinking session ended, but the Japanese government still hadn't lifted our prohibition order.
Are they planning to just ignore it and move on, now that everyone's attention is on Miura City?
Black Unicorn saved Miura City, but while people are full of praise, they aren't exactly interested in the prohibition order.
Should I turn on the waterworks?
If I shed a single tear in public and announce that the Japanese government is intentionally interfering with our efforts to resolve the Dungeon Impact, they'd probably lose their minds, wouldn't they?
Still, if I provoke them too much, we might get kicked out of Japan entirely, so let's keep that as a last resort.
"This is boring."
With nothing but repeated training, Black Unicorn had so much free time they were practically dying of boredom.
"Huh? Oh, y-yeah..."
Han So-ye replied awkwardly with a forced smile.
Is she still thinking about her husband? Lately, she’s been spacing out or acting awkward quite often.
Her usual composed and tolerant demeanor was gone, replaced by anxiety. I couldn't help but worry.
"Is it because of your family?"
"No, I was thinking about something else... no, it is because of my family. Yeah, it's family stuff."
When I sat down next to her and asked, Han So-ye flinched and shrank back.
Dear me—she must have a lot on her mind.
It was pitiful to see her eyes darting around, not knowing where to look. Reminded of the team members who used to suffer from family issues, I took her hand.
"It's okay. I'm on your side, So-ye Noona."
"Oh... thank you..."
"If you have something weighing on you, tell me whenever you feel like it. I might not be much help, but I can at least be a good listener."
Han So-ye nodded as if moved by my words and lowered her gaze.
Is she looking at my hand holding hers?
She was looking down, but her gaze seemed slightly off, which was a bit strange, but it was probably nothing.
After comforting her, I stood up to continue training.
"A staff member from the Association is here to see you."
When Yoko, who always came in person whenever there was something to relay, spoke up, Satomi smiled.
"The prohibition order must finally be getting lifted."
"Oh? Really?! Are we finally going to a dungeon?!"
"Don't get your hopes up too high yet; it's not certain."
As Kwon Ye-jin got excited, Lee Yuna chimed in and looked at me.
"Go ahead. We'll be waiting for good news."
Since we were in the middle of training, it was better for just me to go quickly rather than breaking everyone's concentration.
I nodded to Lee Yuna, who understood and looked out for me, and went to meet Atsuko.
Sitting in a chair in the drawing room, she jumped to her feet the moment she saw me and greeted me.
"It's been a while, Hero Jeong Yeon-woo."
Her eyes were dripping with too much sweetness for a professional relationship.
I greeted her brightly, ignoring the way she was subtly squeezing her thighs together, and sat across from her.
While sipping the tea provided by the inn, Atsuko took some documents out of her bag and handed them to me.
"The Association has lifted the prohibition order on Black Unicorn's dungeon raids."
It was clearly good news, but Atsuko's expression was grim.
I looked at her stiff face before taking the documents to examine them.
Hmm... so in exchange for lifting the ban, they want us to go to Miura City?
Even if the monsters have been cleared out, I'm reluctant to take the field team to a place where potential dangers might still lurk.
"Because China is maintaining a defensive line, there's a shortage of parties to raid the dungeons in the Yokohama-Yokosuka area. That's why the Association is requesting support from several countries."
"Which countries?"
"The United States, France, and Japan. Japan is drafting the most parties, followed by the US. And from Korea, Black Unicorn is the only one."
"...Something smells fishy."
"Yes. The Association claims they specially recruited Black Unicorn because your dungeon destruction count is high and you'll be a great help, but there are rumors that Councilor Minami was actively involved."
Atsuko unhesitatingly shared the Association's internal affairs with me.
"What do you think?"
"There's definitely something going on behind the scenes."
Atsuko spoke firmly, her eyes filled with concern for me.
What on earth are these people thinking?
If the Dungeon Explosion was the work of the New Human Alliance, is that woman Minami also involved with them?
The Alliance seems to have someone with a brainwashing skill, given how many civilians are part of it.
Even at the Sperm Factory, the majority were civilians, and they seemed loyal to the Alliance's ideology that the Awakened should rule the world.
Though, of course, I made them more loyal to my cock.
If Minami is part of the Alliance, what does she want?
First, she tried to take Satomi away.
Next, she slapped a prohibition order on Black Unicorn.
Thanks to that, Black Unicorn, with time to kill, was able to be the first to support Miura City because it happened to be nearby.
Since she seems to be looking out for Satomi, is she planning to make her famous?
Currently, Black Unicorn has become the most beloved party in Japan, respected and praised by everyone.
There's Endline and Tenshin, but Black Unicorn is the most well-known because videos were leaked online and even the wiretap recordings of the fight with the China Support Headquarters went viral.
The media was still trying to push the local party, Tenshin, but 80% of the talk on the internet was about Black Unicorn.
It was only natural that Satomi, as a member of Black Unicorn, would receive a lot of attention.
...No.
That's too much of a results-oriented conclusion.
First of all, the fact that the Dungeon Explosion only happened in Miura City was strange.
If they were going to do it, it would have been more efficient to trigger them simultaneously.
Something must have gone wrong within the Alliance.
Was it Baek Seo-woo?
When that squinty-eyed bastard first came to see me, he brought the head of an Alliance Awakened as a 'gift.'
If he stayed behind and kept harassing the Alliance, it would make sense for problems to arise.
But why is that guy staying behind to help us?
In this complex web of relationships, everyone's intentions are confusing.
It's unclear if Minami really cares about Satomi, and the Alliance hasn't officially shown itself either.
It's even possible that The Hero, not the Alliance, caused the Dungeon Explosion.
Since nothing is certain, I'll just keep all possibilities open until solid evidence emerges.
And I'll definitely be careful of that woman, Minami.
I looked over a few regulations written in the documents.
Most of them were demands not to dispute the Association's orders.
Since they were merely recommendations and not mandatory, I signed at the bottom and handed them back to Atsuko.
"Are you really going..."
Atsuko spoke with worry, but I flashed a bright smile.
"Yes. We are heroes who came here to resolve the Dungeon Impact, after all."
My bitter smile and her moved eyes didn't quite match, but Atsuko took the documents with a complicated expression.
"As of this moment, the prohibition order on Black Unicorn's dungeon raids within Japan is lifted. Thank you for your hard work for Japan."
With a face full of gratitude and apology for not being able to stop the Association or the government's strange behavior, Atsuko bowed deeply to me.
Whatever their intentions, there are many people targeting us, so the only way is to level up and get stronger as fast as possible.
Still, since I don't know what might happen, I should prepare just in case.