Chapter 213: I’m Here to Support (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 213: I’m Here to Support (2)
“Let’s go.”
After finishing our preparations, we board the boat.
It’s faster to set off by sea, just like when we saved Miura City, rather than taking the long way around by land.
The Japanese government went overboard, offering us a warship and whatnot, but why would I use a massive vessel that takes ages to dock just for commuting?
I know they want to treat us well because of our popularity, but it costs a fortune and the efficiency is absolute garbage, so I turned them down.
No matter how much equipment is needed for a dungeon conquest, we can just store it at the China Support Base and use it from there.
As long as we pack our essential costumes and personal gear, we don’t actually have that much luggage.
Seriously, I’ll never understand how the heads of those higher-ups work.
“Today is just for light introductions, so we’ll only clear one dungeon.”
“I thought Master would suggest destroying at least three as a warm-up,” Kwon Ye-jin joked with a smirk.
What is she talking about? Warming up is crucial.
We haven’t cleared a dungeon in over ten days, so we need time to loosen up.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be destroying three a day starting tomorrow.”
“Ooh, Black Unicorn, move out!”
“Move out!”
Anna mimicked Kwon Ye-jin, thrusting her hand into the air.
Well, at least everyone’s morale is high.
Even Han So-ye, who isn’t participating in the dungeon conquest but joined us temporarily, is heading toward the China Support Base.
Since the field team will be exposed in Miura City, where safety hasn’t been fully secured yet, she’ll be protecting them while we’re clearing dungeons.
I felt bad for dragging someone along who should be resting at the inn, but Han So-ye said her original purpose was to escort Black Unicorn anyway, so she had intended to follow us during the dungeon raids from the start.
She really is a diligent person.
Though she still seems lost in thought, likely still troubled by the matter regarding her husband.
Walking toward the stern, I see Yoon A-young staring blankly at the pier we just left.
When I silently sit down beside her, she glances at me briefly before turning her gaze away again.
What’s up with you?
Ever since that fun night of drinking, several people have started acting awkward around me.
Han So-ye is understandable since her situation with her husband is complicated, but Jeong Sae-bom glares at me like a wary stray cat whenever she sees me.
Whenever Go Ha-ram tries to approach me with a silly grin, Jeong Sae-bom grabs her by the scruff of the neck and hauls her away.
If I greet her, she growls, looks me up and down, and then bolts.
Did she see me having sex with Chizuru?
There’s no other reason for her to act so strangely, so that has to be it.
And then there’s Yoon A-young.
What’s her problem?
Since that day, she hasn’t been able to meet my eyes properly and keeps trying to avoid conversation.
Even now, she’s turned her head completely, showing me nothing but the back of her head.
“What’s bothering you?”
When I ask her directly, Yoon A-young remains silent for a long time before finally speaking with difficulty.
“I’m sorry.”
…?
Huh?
I stare at her blankly, unable to understand why she’s apologizing.
Yoon A-young, who had been looking at the sea, turns her head to reveal a dejected face.
“For falling asleep first that day.”
“…Is leaving a drinking session early something to apologize for…?”
When I tilt my head in confusion, Yoon A-young lowers her head deeply, speaking as if she’s dying of embarrassment.
“Not that… in the room…”
“In the room? Why?”
Yoon A-young looks around to make sure no one is nearby before speaking again.
“I remember everything I did with you, Oppa…”
“The sex?”
“Don’t say it so bluntly!”
Either apologize or get angry, pick one.
At Yoon A-young’s fierce glare telling me to shut up, I close my mouth and wait for her next words.
Her face turns beet-red, likely remembering how she had clung to me like a spoiled child, as she continues haltingly.
“I… I mean… when I was doing it with you, I fell asleep first… so I’m sorry…”
Why does that matter?
“It hurt your pride, didn’t it…?”
“Huh? Why?”
“I mean… for a woman to fall asleep in the middle of it… It makes it seem like you don’t have any male charm… Ah, I’m not saying you aren’t charming, it’s just that I was drunk… Uh… sorry.”
If I reverse the genders, would it be like a man pounding away and then just falling asleep, leaving the woman hanging?
If a guy who was vigorously moving his hips suddenly fell asleep, I guess the woman underneath would be pretty baffled.
But is it something to get angry about? I’m not a woman, so I don’t really know.
Also, you didn’t fall asleep; you fainted.
The alcohol played a part, but you definitely passed out while climaxing, so it’s a familiar sight to me.
“I’m not sure about that, since people passing out before me happens quite often.”
When I say this nonchalantly, Yoon A-young flinches and starts pummeling me with her bright red face.
Ow, that hurts. You might be hitting me playfully, but my body is weak, so it actually hurts.
I’m driven away, beaten by Yoon A-young as she expresses her shame through her fists.
Why is she hitting me when she said she was sorry?
Whether in my previous world or this one, I’ll never understand the hearts of women.
*
After being beaten by Yoon A-young and then fussed over by Anna, we enter Yokosuka City, where the China Support Base is located.
“First, please set up the equipment and base at the location provided by the Chinese. I’ll request the vehicles and other gear.”
“Yes, sir.”
Woo Jae-hee and the rest of the field team move quickly to transport the equipment, while we head to the gathering point for the dispatched parties.
Many parties have already arrived, and as we enter the large hall, everyone stares at us.
In particular, some heroes look at me—a male hero—with interest, licking their lips.
At their provocative gazes, Lee Yu-na and Yoon A-young stand in front of me as if to protect me, blocking their view.
We didn’t come here to fight, girls.
Ignoring the stares, I head toward an empty seat and sit down.
A blonde woman sitting next to us, likely from an American party, crosses her legs and speaks to me.
“Are you guys Japanese?”
Black Unicorn is the only party with a male hero who carries pistols, yet the blonde woman speaks as if she has no idea who we are.
There’s no way she doesn’t know.
I’m not being arrogant, but at the very least, there isn’t a single hero who came to support Japan who doesn’t know who we are.
Just as I’m about to meet the eyes of the blonde woman—who is clearly feigning ignorance to start a power struggle—Kwon Ye-jin shouts out.
“No! I’m Korean! I’m no mosaic!”
?
Kwon Ye-jin points to her crotch and yells, “No mosaic!”
…?
The people who had question marks over their heads soon realize the meaning.
Lee Yu-na covers her face with both hands in embarrassment as laughter begins to erupt.
“Pfft—Hahahaha! You’re hilarious. Sorry, yeah, if there’s no mosaic, you must not be Japanese.”
While all the heroes in the hall laugh, Satomi and the other Japanese heroes offer bitter smiles.
Hmm, I guess adult videos here in Japan have a lot of mosaics too.
“I’m Victoria. Nice to meet you, Black Unicorn.”
“What? Victory? I’m not a loser.”
“She’s introducing herself. Please stop, it’s embarrassing.”
Lee Yu-na, embarrassed by Kwon Ye-jin’s poor English, pulls her back and explains properly.
However, Kwon Ye-jin isn’t discouraged at all; she smiles and shakes the hand Victoria offered.
“Okay, okay. Victoria, okay. I’m Ye-jin Kwon.”
“What a fun kid.”
Victoria smiles as she looks at me.
“She’s not bad-mouthing me, is she?”
“She’s not, so just stay out of it. It looks like she wants to talk to Yeon-woo.”
Lee Yu-na stops Kwon Ye-jin, but thanks to her, the stiff atmosphere has relaxed significantly.
Victoria, who had been trying to start a power struggle, now shakes my hand without a care.
“I was curious what kind of party you were, and I think I’m starting to get an idea. I’m Victoria from Silver Blood.”
Wow, as expected of a country with such powerful hero forces, they dispatched an A-rank party to help China.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Jeong Yeon-woo from Black Unicorn.”
While we are exchanging light greetings, the Chinese heroes enter.
A line of heroes, standing at attention as if a general were entering, files in, followed by a woman wearing a dojo uniform that looks like something straight out of a Chinese martial arts novel.
“Shaolin Temple?”
Victoria smirks at the woman in the martial arts robes, as if the Shaolin Temple is the only thing she knows about Chinese martial arts.
“I am Hwa-ryeon.”
The woman, who introduced herself as Hwa-ryeon, glares at Victoria for a moment before looking at me.
Why are you looking at me? I didn’t do anything.
Wait, actually, I did a lot.
While saving Miura City, I fought with the Chinese hero who was the acting team leader and even leaked their communication records.
As much as Black Unicorn is being praised, China is being criticized.
Judging by her voice, she seems to be the team leader who was swapped in midway, but didn’t we communicate pretty well back then?
At her cold gaze, I just smile, pretending to be a nice person.
After staring at me for a moment, Hwa-ryeon gives a brief, formal speech thanking us for coming to support them and immediately begins explaining the situation.
“Black Unicorn, like the Korean Support Headquarters, will be used as a sub-unit. Come find me after the meeting.”
“Be careful, you might get dragged off to be part of a pleasure squad,” Victoria snickered.
Hey, I know you don’t get along with China, but could you not drag me into it?
And the "Pleasure Squad" is North Korea, not China.
Here, the term would be "becoming mysterious."
I just keep smiling, pretending to know nothing.
Hwa-ryeon has a brief staring contest with Victoria before concluding the meeting.
“Shall we go together?”
“No, it’s fine. We’re all on the same side.”
When Satomi offers to escort me, I shake my head and go to meet Hwa-ryeon.
The office, which has been partitioned off temporarily, looks similar to Song Jae-ah’s room, as if it were built to a uniform standard in Japan.
I suppose all the other support team leaders’ rooms look the same.
“This is the first time we’ve met face-to-face. Nice to meet you, I am Hwa-ryeon.”
“Yes, nice to meet you. I’m Jeong Yeon-woo from Black Unicorn.”
Hwa-ryeon, whose charismatic voice I had only heard over the comms, was cute.
Yes, her appearance is very cute.
She has a small frame like Anna, but since she wears a grumpy expression like Lee Ru-da, she’s so cute I want to pat her head.
But if I did that, my arm would probably end up on display somewhere.
“I heard from the Korean support team leader how you are utilized.”
“Please feel free to put us wherever we’re needed.”
“I appreciate that spirit. Due to a certain idiot, the conquest has been delayed, and there are several dungeons with severe erosion. We shall borrow Black Unicorn’s strength.”
Hwa-ryeon shows me a list of B-rank dungeons and explains the specific plan to me.
She’s certainly different from that moronic acting leader.
She has a lot of military knowledge and an excellent ability to manage large-scale forces.
Do they receive separate military education because it’s a communist state?
Impressed by Hwa-ryeon’s knowledge, which was deeper than I expected, I also make a few suggestions.
She’s excellent, even nodding and accepting my proposals immediately if they are reasonable.
After a satisfying meeting, I head to the warehouse assigned to Black Unicorn with my members.
The field team, who had already finished organizing, was checking the equipment received from China.
Since all the support headquarters use supplies provided by Japan, there isn’t much of a difference, but we still have to check the equipment thoroughly.
You never know; they might have installed wiretaps or done something strange.
The field team seems to have that in mind as well, checking everything meticulously, even disassembling some parts.
After heading toward a dungeon to warm up, I speak to the field team.
“I’m going to deploy the drones, so please get ready.”
“Not inside the dungeon?”
“No.”
As soon as they hear me, Kim Tae-eun and Joo Ji-hyun of the field team immediately line up the drone cases and set up the communication relay.
“Operator, checking communication status.”
“Yes, communication is good. Is this for perimeter reconnaissance?”
“Yes, it’s reconnaissance, but record all the surrounding geography.”
“Understood.”
Ryu Ji-hye follows my orders and deploys the drones without any further questions.
All the drones we have take off simultaneously and begin recording the surroundings.
“Starting mapping.”
As the drones move busily to record the area, Lee Yu-na watches quietly before approaching me.
“Our enemies aren’t just the monsters, are they?”
Lee Yu-na, who noticed after seeing the drones, speaks in a low voice.
“It’s about being prepared. We’ll all do urban warfare training. Since Hornet and Satomi are new to this, I’ll train them separately. Focus on familiarizing yourselves with the surrounding terrain.”
“Eh? Didn’t we come here to clear dungeons?”
Kwon Ye-jin asks in confusion, but I just give her a thin smile.
“Yes, we’ll train, and we’ll clear dungeons too.”
“Ugh… Master always asks for so much.”
Though she complains, Kwon Ye-jin quickly prepares for training.
The other members, who are quick on the uptake, scan the deserted surroundings upon hearing that we’ll be doing urban warfare training.
The area, which had become a ghost town, was desolate and eerie, but the members’ eyes were sharp.
Good. Let’s prepare diligently to defeat the monsters and crush any villains with bad intentions.