Chapter 92: The Handle Won't Listen
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 92: The Handle Won't Listen
Anna arrived in Korea a week later.
Square Garden provided extensive support for their newest clan member. Not only did they provide room and board, but they also assigned her a Korean language instructor. They even managed to find a Polish speaker to join the staff to help her adjust.
Square Garden’s philosophy seemed to be that heroes should focus solely on being heroes, and they provided full support to ensure they didn't have to worry about anything else.
You see that, Park Sung-jun? This is what a proper clan looks like.
I was impressed by Square Garden’s attention to detail. It was clear why they were considered one of Korea’s top three clans and ranked globally despite being relatively new.
"Finally, Anna gets to experience the Black Unicorn initiation."
As we entered the D-1 Dungeon for sensory training, Kwon Ye-jin wore a devious smirk.
Initiation? What a choice of words.
This was strictly training. Taking off our clothes was merely a method to sharpen the senses through the prickle of shame.
Unable to understand Kwon Ye-jin’s Korean, Anna blinked her large eyes and looked toward Lee Yu-na. Since staff members couldn't enter the dungeon, Yu-na acted as her kind translator.
"Don't listen to a word this idiot says."
Wait, was that supposed to be kind?
"I think I heard the word 'bitch.' Was that an insult?"
It’s strange how people can recognize insults even when they don't know the language. As Kwon Ye-jin scowled, Lee Yu-na replied with a bright smile.
"When people are close, they often mix in words like 'fuck' or 'hell.' It’s like how friends call each other 'shibal' all the time. Right, you crazy bitch?"
"Ahahaha~ Look at this bitch. A very 'friendly' bitch indeed."
As the two started bickering again, Anna, still unable to follow the conversation, just blinked and tilted her cute head back and forth.
Yoon A-young gave a brief explanation in English and told her not to worry, but Anna hurriedly tried to mediate between the two. Even though they were swearing at each other, they actually got along quite well, but the innocent Anna scrambled between them with her small frame.
Regardless, Anna was adjusting well to the party.
Except for the part about taking her clothes off.
Even after explaining it until my throat was sore, Anna just blinked.
"We take our clothes off to heighten our senses. If you keep practicing, you'll be able to sense objects even with your eyes closed, just like Yeon-woo," Lee Yu-na explained kindly as she undressed. Anna immediately covered her eyes with both hands.
Once everyone except me was undressed, Anna finally gave in and stripped, her cheeks flushed bright red.
The pure-hearted Anna sat down with her blindfold on, nervously glancing around. Fortunately, the party members were all good kids; they didn't haze or bully her. Instead, they looked after her and treated her like a cute younger sister.
But do you guys realize something?
Even though she looks young, Anna is older than all of you, and she has much more experience.
Regardless, she was incredibly cute. From her doll-like appearance to her innocent personality, she was as kind as an angel. Since her skills allowed both an angel and a demon to coexist, you could enjoy two different flavors... wait, no, that’s not it.
Anyway, her personality was very gentle and sweet. And her figure, which she tried to hide by covering her chest and lap with her hands out of embarrassment, was quite a sight.
"Concentrate."
When I placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke, she jumped in surprise before nodding in understanding. She was so cute it made me want to tease her.
"To think such a sweet girl turns into a total brat when she becomes a demon," Ellie remarked, floating in front of Anna’s face with a scowl.
As she said, "Angel Anna" was no problem, but "Devil Anna" was a handful. Devil Anna’s personality was the complete opposite, and she refused to listen to me.
It wouldn't matter otherwise, but she couldn't be allowed to ignore my orders and act on her own during an operation. However, with rebellion seemingly hardwired into her passive traits, Devil Anna would intentionally do the opposite of what I commanded just to spite me, or throw a tantrum saying she’d only listen if I kissed her.
Even Ellie was fed up with her, which was saying something.
I had known about Angel Anna’s personality from my research, so I thought there wouldn't be any issues, but problems were cropping up in unexpected places. Was I too naive to think she’d follow orders as long as I kept her mind steady?
"You're acting like you're deep in thought, but it’s not very convincing when you're lying on the ground staring up at someone's crotch."
At Ellie’s remark, I stood up with an embarrassed expression. I was just getting a good look at Anna’s tightly closed 'precious spot,' so stop interrupting.
Anyway, I had to solve this before we could properly conquer dungeons. I ignored Kwon Ye-jin, who was looking excited in anticipation of another "session," and moved away.
If you don't study your English properly, I'm not doing it for you anymore.
"What are you going to do? Subdue that demon bitch with your cock?"
"That would be too easy."
"You crazy bastard, just how much confidence do you have in that steel dick of yours?"
Ellie looked at me with a fed-up expression.
"You were the one who got subdued and pounced on me in the middle of the night."
"Th-that was just because I was curious! Curiosity! Fairies are very curious creatures!"
Leaving the fluttering, agitated Ellie behind, I sat on the grass and watched Anna, who was flinching at every little thing.
Her stats averaged around 60. When she used Demonization, she became 1.5 times stronger, putting her close to B-rank. When her skills were active, she had the highest stats among us and performed accordingly. During simulation training, she was even able to go toe-to-toe with Teki.
Of course, that was while she was ignoring my orders and going on a rampage.
Everyone liked Angel Anna, but they hated Devil Anna for ruining our tactics. I needed to put her in her place at least once.
I made up my mind and formed a plan.
The next day, we took the van to conquer the C-1 Dungeon.
Since I still hadn't figured out how to stop Devil Anna from ruining our tactics, Yoon A-young looked at me with a calm gaze.
"Anna will only use her skill at the very end today."
"Understood."
Anna nodded, her face tense. It had been a while since her last dungeon run. Although she was a hero who had already reached C-7, she had to start from the bottom again to sync with Black Unicorn.
"Don't be so nervous. Just trust your big sis."
When Kwon Ye-jin put an arm around her shoulder and spoke, Anna nodded with a bright face, seemingly trusting her despite not understanding the words.
Hey, she’s the older one.
As we stepped out of the van, the crowd cheered. After our flashy debut in the D-rank dungeons, everyone was interested in our return. Anna stared blankly at the crowd, surprised that so many people would be waiting for a mere C-rank party.
"Surprised? They're all here to cheer for Yeon-woo."
"They're here for Black Unicorn, not me."
I added to Lee Yu-na’s explanation to Anna, checked our equipment, and entered the dungeon.
"Checking comms."
"This is Operator Ryu Ji-hye. Congratulations on your return. I'm happy to be back on comms after my long vacation."
"Yes, it’s been a while. We're counting on you."
Since we had only been doing tactical training and D-1 runs, I hadn't had a chance to contact the situation room. Listening to her bright voice, I checked the gear one last time and turned around.
"From this moment on, I am the party leader. No honorifics, and I give all the orders."
"Yes, Yeon-woo."
"Got it."
"Huh? English? Okay, thank you!"
"It’s my first time out, but I’ll work hard not to be a burden."
Everyone answered confidently, except for Kwon Ye-jin, who looked flustered when I spoke in English.
"The situation room can provide translation."
"I'll handle the orders myself during combat. Only translate for Anna during non-combat situations."
"Roger that."
I stated my requirements clearly. They really had assigned the perfect personnel to suit my needs. Feeling grateful to Lee Ru-da, we began the conquest.
The C-1 rank 'Acrid Swamp' was, as the name suggested, a dungeon set in a marshland. As long as we were careful of monsters hiding beneath the muck to launch ambushes, it was an easy dungeon. With my Mana Detection, I could practically clear it with my eyes closed.
"We're heading straight for the boss... or so I thought, but I've changed my mind."
Yoon A-young and Lee Yu-na looked at me.
"Weren't we going to take the shortest route and just kill the boss?"
"That was the plan, but I changed my mind. We're clearing every monster in this dungeon."
"Is that a tactical decision? Or something else?" Yoon A-young asked perceptively.
"It’s not a tactical decision."
"Understood."
Realizing what I was up to, Yoon A-young immediately agreed and drew her sword.
"Is your mana okay?"
"Yeah, I have an auxiliary battery."
"I'm not a battery!"
Ignoring Ellie as she kicked my cheek, I aimed my gun at the ground. However, Yoon A-young extended her sword and stopped me from firing.
"I'll make the path."
"...Fine. Watch your mana levels."
I followed the suggestion of the girl who had offered her opinion for the first time during an operation. As she stepped onto the swamp, a cracking sound echoed, and a radius of three to four meters froze over, creating a platform.
Without support, fighting in a swamp meant being knee-deep in muck, which was incredibly inconvenient. But with a platform, the heroes could move freely.
"Until we reach the boss, Lee Yu-na and Yoon A-young are the attackers as planned. Anna and Kwon Ye-jin are defenders; only handle the enemies that charge at us."
I expanded my detection to its limit, searching for monsters hidden in the swamp. Since Yoon A-young was providing the footing, I didn't even need to use my gun. I simply created several mana spheres and placed them above the monsters' heads.
Seeing the mana spheres spinning over the swamp, Lee Yu-na’s arrows found their marks in the muck. Aside from the ambushes, the monsters were nothing special, and they were easily pierced by Yu-na’s arrows and A-young’s icicles.
By the time we reached the boss, Yoon A-young, who had been handling both the footing and attacking, was breathing heavily from mana depletion.
"Yoon A-young, swap. I'll handle the footing from here, so save your mana."
She had done more than enough. Yoon A-young nodded and stepped onto the platform I created by firing at the ground.
"Finally, my turn to shine."
Even with weak detection, the boss’s presence was palpable. Kwon Ye-jin raised her shield and stared at the distant swamp. Since most of the enemies had been picked off by Yu-na and A-young on the way here, Anna and Ye-jin hadn't had much to do.
I cast buffs on the party members and swapped my magazine.
As we lingered, the impatient boss emerged from the swamp.
The 'Red Frog' was exactly what its name implied—a red frog. However, it was massive; just its head emerging looked like a ship rising from the depths.
Bang, bang, bang!
As I fired repeatedly at the ground to create a path, Kwon Ye-jin charged forward behind her shield, with Anna following close behind.
Boom!
The boss attacked with its massive tongue, but Kwon Ye-jin blocked and deflected it with her shield. Anna lunged in, slashed at the corner of its mouth with her sword, and immediately retreated. The boss’s follow-up strike, intended to swallow her whole, landed a beat too late. Anna narrowly dodged, swung her sword again to wound its head, and pulled back once more.
A guardian spirit possessed Kwon Ye-jin as she stepped in front to protect Anna.
"Raaaaagh! Come at me, you overgrown toad!"
The boss’s foreleg swung like a giant slap, but Ye-jin blocked it with her shield. Though pushed back several meters, she held her ground and began hacking at the boss’s leg with her axe. Blood or mucus—it was hard to tell—sprayed everywhere. When the boss retracted its leg, she quickly backed away.
I continued to support them, shooting and clearing the mud that flew everywhere as the boss thrashed around. The annoying part about the Red Frog was how the mud kicked up by its massive body hindered the heroes. It might have looked trivial, but the red flames of the explosive rounds weaving through the air to clear the mud were quite a sight.
Once the nuisance of the swamp was handled, the boss was just a giant frog. Kwon Ye-jin and Anna attacked it with gusto.
"Releasing Guardian Spirit. 3, 2, 1... Release!"
At my command, the guardian spirit vanished, and my bullet struck Kwon Ye-jin’s now-heavy body. Though much weaker than the guardian spirit, she received a new buff and charged back in, adjusting to her altered physical state while Anna engaged the boss.
This is one of the reasons people struggle to use supporters effectively. Maintaining the duration of buffs is incredibly difficult. They don't stack, and reapplying a buff doesn't extend its duration, so you have to apply the new one exactly after the old one expires.
If a hero suddenly slows down after being fast, it’s hard for them to maintain their rhythm. Such a brief moment in combat can lead to disaster. The mark of a good supporter is how well they can minimize that gap. That’s why I was counting down the seconds.
"Lee Yu-na, attack! Yoon A-young, is your mana charged?"
"Yeah, ready whenever."
Cold air began to radiate from Yoon A-young, freezing the surroundings.
"Anna, fall back. Demonization."
At my order, Anna crossed paths with Kwon Ye-jin, retreated, and activated her skill. Horns sprouted from her head as she underwent the brief transformation. I shifted my aim from her to support Kwon Ye-jin.
"How did you know I was sane? Are we soulmates?"
The now-sane Devil Anna looked at me and licked her lips. Flaunting her voluptuous figure, she touched her chest and waited for my command.
"Fall back."
"Haaah? Against a frog like this? There’s no need. I’m more than enough~"
Anna smirked and charged at the boss.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
"Korean is too hard, I don't understand~"
Kwon Ye-jin shouted at her, but Anna replied playfully and swung her hands, which now had long claws, at the boss.
Slash!
Deep gashes, as if made by giant talons, appeared on the boss’s face. As the boss went into a frenzy, mud began to fly in all directions. I swapped to the submachine gun I had brought and fired everywhere. While the explosive rounds deflected the mud, Anna went wild, attacking the boss at will.
"Ahahaha! You were actually struggling against something like this?"
"Kwon Ye-jin, fall back. Yoon A-young, fire."
Without hesitation, Yoon A-young raised her hand toward the sky and brought it down. Following her hand, a pillar of frost fell like a beam of light, beginning to freeze the massive Red Frog.
"Kyaa, that’s cold~"
Anna, seemingly unaffected by the cold, hugged herself, flaunting her large chest as she retreated. Seeing the boss frozen mid-motion while trying to block the frost, Anna smirked and delivered the final blow.
As the boss shattered and crumbled like a collapsing building, Anna turned around and smiled.
"I did good, right?"
Good, my ass. You're dead meat, you brat.