Chapter 95: The Handle Won't Listen (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 95: The Handle Won't Listen (4)
"Anna, fall back."
"Okaay~"
Anna, who had been dealing with the monsters, gave a bright reply to my instruction and retreated.
Yoon A-young stepped in to fill the gap, pushing the monsters back. As Kwon Ye-jin, who was on the verge of being cornered, managed to slip away, Anna broke their formation with a powerful strike.
Once the pack of monsters was wiped out with excellent teamwork, Anna rushed over and threw her arms around me.
"Leader, praise me!"
"Good job. Deactivate your skill."
"Aww... I want to stay like this with you longer, Leader. But fine. Understood... Master~"
She whispered the word "Master" softly into my ear before reverting to her "Angel Anna" persona.
Anna, still hugging me, blinked as her face slowly flushed a deep crimson, and she quickly pulled away.
Even as Angel Anna, she was well aware of how I had subjugated her demon side. The memories of that day didn't vanish even after deactivating Demonization, and Anna would blush and act shy whenever she looked at my face.
"Anna, you did great!"
Kwon Ye-jin patted her on the back and slung an arm around her shoulder.
Though Anna couldn't understand the words, she smiled brightly at Ye-jin’s cheerful expression. She probably missed this kind of camaraderie from her teammates, especially since she had been losing control of herself.
Ever since Demon Anna started listening to me, we’ve been on a winning streak.
Kwon Ye-jin and Demon Anna actually get along surprisingly well; they bicker constantly but are slowly building trust. Since everyone already adored Angel Anna, the teamwork of Black Unicorn was improving by the day.
"We’re busy today, so let’s wrap this up quickly and head back."
"Don't people usually keep their schedules clear on dungeon raid days?"
"That's because we're Black Unicorn."
As Kwon Ye-jin shrugged and spoke, Lee Yu-na showed a flash of pride.
Between Ye-jin, who intentionally set the stage just to say that, and Yu-na, who answered immediately, the two were perfectly in sync.
Normally, you don't schedule anything after a raid because you never know how long it will take, and you're usually exhausted afterward. However, our skills were already far beyond the C-1 level.
It wasn't just that I was capable; both Lee Yu-na and Anna were heroes who had been raiding much higher ranks before joining us. Combined with the three of us, who were already considered special-grade prospects, even the general public knew that C-1 wasn't the right level for us.
Including this one, we’ve raided six C-1 dungeons so far, and we’ve broken the Korean record for every single one. I’d heard that illegal gambling rings were even flourishing based on our clear speeds, which just goes to show how much attention we’re getting.
On the other hand, antis were complaining that it was "unfair" to bring in heroes who used to play in higher ranks, but what a load of crap. Since when was there such a thing as "unfair" when it comes to killing monsters?
Besides, it wasn't even that big of a gap. We're all C-rank.
Ignoring the petty complaints of antis, we just needed to focus on our jobs: training, crushing monsters, and ensuring people's safety from villains and errors. That’s what a hero does.
"Thirteen monsters confirmed besides the boss. Deploying heat signature detection."
Listening to Operator Ryu Ji-hye, I issued orders to the party members.
Yoon A-young’s Ice Pillars erupted from the ground, and Kwon Ye-jin shoved a monster away with her shield. Lee Yu-na’s arrow whistled between the two of them, piercing the boss’s crown, and Anna, in her demon form, slammed her heel down on the half-embedded arrow to drive it all the way in.
I pushed back any distractions and fired rounds into the monsters' rears to support the girls.
Less than five minutes after the battle began, the boss collapsed with a grotesque shriek, and Lee Yu-na fired another arrow to confirm the kill.
Despite the sudden increase in members, we were quickly syncing up through repeated training and real combat. Even though the tactics were different from what they were used to, Lee Yu-na and Anna’s exceptional talent allowed them to melt into my strategies with ease.
"No further monsters detected. Situation cleared. Good work, everyone."
After thanking Ryu Ji-hye for the report, we collected materials from the monsters and exited the dungeon.
"Ehehehe, I wonder if they turned out like the designs we saw?"
"You're a hero, have some dignity. What's with that stupid look on your face?"
"Ugh, picking a fight again. I bet you were just as excited when you got yours."
Kwon Ye-jin and Lee Yu-na started bickering again. The reason Ye-jin was so excited was that our new costumes were arriving today.
Costumes...
To someone like me, who came from a world outside of a game, it felt like a public execution. Raiding monsters in skin-tight spandex? Absolutely unacceptable.
I couldn't fathom the mindset of people who walked around so confidently in those things, yet the public cheered and called them cool. While there were some normal ones, like Lee Ru-da’s white coat that looked like a military uniform, there were also heroes who wore things that looked like micro-bikinis or colorful spandex that made them look like they were about to summon a giant robot with their wristwatch.
Fortunately, since these were made through a contract between the clan and a manufacturer, the hero’s personal taste was taken into account. For the record, Break Line never provided these as a benefit. Those bastards.
Refusing to wear skin-tight leotards, I had fought tooth and nail against such designs. By my will, my costume was designed after the special forces gear I wore in my previous world.
Then again, who knows? The designer might have gone crazy and made it out of spandex anyway. If that happened, I was going to flip the whole place upside down.
After getting out of the van, we headed straight to the room where the costumes were waiting.
"We've been waiting for you. Now, here are the costumes that will make our heroes shine~!"
As we entered, a designer who looked like they belonged in the high-fashion industry and a creator who imbued the costumes with abilities greeted us warmly. Lee Yu-na and Anna already had theirs, so only the original members were getting new ones.
Yoon A-young’s costume was exactly what you'd expect: armor that felt like a dress from a fantasy manga filled with beautiful girls. Since we were Black Unicorn, the base was black, but along the wide skirt, layers of sturdy-looking steel plates lined the fabric from the waist to the hem.
Doesn't that only protect the sides?
When I asked out of concern for her defense, the creator looked at me as if I were stating the obvious and said the defensive properties were applied to the fabric itself.
...?
Is it because this is a game world? I had to shut my mouth as the creator looked at me like I was the weird one. Regardless, Yoon A-young’s costume—a black dress interspersed with pieces of plate armor—looked good. She seemed satisfied too.
Next was Kwon Ye-jin.
"How is it, Master? Cool, right?"
Hmm... I think I have a very clear idea of what your taste is.
A fantasy world mercenary stood before me. The arm she used for her shield was protected by a massive gauntlet from fingertips to shoulder, but the rest of her outfit looked like casual clothes. A short jacket, a black turtleneck visible underneath, and a belt with multiple pouches—the free-spirited look suited her well.
"Yes, next is Hero Jeong Yeon-woo."
The designer pushed me into the changing room with a delighted expression.
...Thank god.
As I had requested, a set of standard special forces fatigues was prepared. Of course, there were some steel plates attached to the backs of the hands and various other spots, but overall, it looked quite cool. Where my unit patch should have been, the Black Unicorn emblem was embroidered.
It felt nostalgic, yet it also made me realize that I was truly living in this world now.
Since it was a familiar outfit, I put it on without difficulty and stepped out onto the fashion-show-like stage the designer had prepared.
"..."
"..."
The reaction was... underwhelming?
Not just my teammates, but even the designer and her staff were staring at me in silence.
"Hey, isn't that kind of... lewd?"
"Stop with the dirty thoughts."
"But a man in special forces gear? It makes you wet. Like, imagine him getting captured as a prisoner and then doing this and that..."
"...I told you to stop."
Stop with the gender discrimination, you people.
Hearing Kwon Ye-jin whisper to Lee Yu-na, I realized why they had lost their words. In their eyes, this was the equivalent of a sexy beauty wearing a military uniform.
Anna, with her hands neatly folded on her knees, was fidgeting with her own costume, while Yoon A-young swallowed so loudly she had to look around to see if anyone noticed.
"Ah... well, it's exactly as I imagined. Ahaha, it's just so sexy, isn't it? Having Hero Jeong Yeon-woo wear it makes my masterpiece shine so brightly."
Calling it a "masterpiece" when it’s almost identical to special forces gear is a bit much. The designer laughed awkwardly and asked me to turn around. As I followed her instructions and showed my back, I heard the sound of people swallowing hard from all directions.
A world where military gear is more erotic than skin-tight spandex... this place is doomed too.
The creator, who used various materials to make the costumes, and the designer, who handled the overall look, began explaining the features. From basic functions like insulation and waterproofing to specialized features for each of us, they went through the list. They mentioned that the pockets on my tactical vest were enchanted with spatial magic.
Good lord, spatial magic.
It was a fascinating ability that didn't exist in my previous world. Apparently, Lee Yu-na’s quiver also had spatial magic on it. However, since it wasn't an easy ability to implement and was quite expensive, each pouch could unfortunately only hold one extra magazine.
But still, double the magazines? That was the most important thing for me.
Feeling immense gratitude toward Lee Ru-da for investing in me, I also thanked the creator and designer for making such a satisfying costume.
We took photos while wearing the costumes. They said these photos would be used to make Hero Cards. They didn't have any special powers; they were just hero merchandise sold to the public.
A collection element? Even though this was reality now, people were still collecting character cards just like in a gacha game. What a world.
After suffering the embarrassment of posing with my pistol, we headed to the press conference hall. This was the place to reveal the costumes and introduce our new member, Anna.
As we entered, reporters scrambled to capture our images, their cameras flashing incessantly. If I had actually been wearing skin-tight spandex, I might have died of embarrassment.
"My god... isn't that too erotic?"
"I didn't expect Square Garden to release a costume like that..."
"Once the Hero Cards come out, they're going to sell like crazy."
"Won't parents complain about this?"
Am I the weird one?
The people gathered in the hall were whispering among themselves, debating the "suggestiveness" of my outfit. Just when I think I've adapted to this world, it proves me wrong.
We sat down, talked a bit about the costumes, and took turns answering questions for each member. Then, a question came for the star of the day, Anna.
"First of all, congratulations on joining Black Unicorn. Hero Anna Rubik, you've gone through many difficult situations in Poland..."
The question was long, but the core was simple: Are you sure you're safe to be around?
I commended the reporter’s effort to phrase it as politely as possible. Anna calmly pulled her chair in and leaned toward the microphone on the table.
"I have been reborn since coming to Black Unicorn. My skills have stabilized, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Leader Jeong Yeon-woo, who turned my talent—which had become a curse—back into a blessing."
The reporters followed up with more questions, and Anna answered as kindly as possible. Just as she said, ever since Demon Anna started calling me "Master," her instances of flying into a frenzy had decreased significantly.
Even when we triggered Demonization and applied various stressors for testing, Demon Anna remained sane. Now, it wasn't even something we had to worry about.
Elly commented that "sex saved the world," but in my view, Anna’s inability to manage her anxiety after her initial outburst was what caused the issues with her skill. Since I had removed that anxiety, she no longer lost her mind even when demonized.
"This might be a rude question to Hero Anna Rubik, but at the time of her recruitment, there were evaluations saying she could no longer function as a hero. It was Square Garden, and specifically Hero Jeong Yeon-woo of Black Unicorn, who recognized her value. What did you see in her future that made you reach out?"
Finally, the floor was given to me.
Looking at the reporter, who was clearly reading a question prepared by Square Garden, I smiled at the camera in front of me.
"We at Square Garden are creating new tactics. We didn't reach out to heroes who are already doing well. We only contacted heroes who weren't able to draw out their full potential—heroes who could reach much higher peaks if they were with us."
Are you listening, you heroes who ignored our calls? Lee Ru-da really hates losing.
"There are surprisingly many heroes like Anna Rubik who haven't been able to showcase their talents. Anna Rubik trusted me, my members, and Square Garden, and she came to Black Unicorn. She will now display her talents to her heart's content and rise to even greater heights with us."
On the screens in the corner of the hall, footage of Black Unicorn raiding a dungeon was playing. It showed us brilliantly defeating a boss—wait, that's the footage of me being pissed off while killing the Red Frog.
Though it was cleverly edited, the shot of Anna looking back at me and smiling with the crumbling remains of the Red Frog in the background looked impressive. It showed just enough before transitioning to other highlights of our performance.
As I shifted my gaze toward the screen, everyone else followed suit.
"Black Unicorn currently has five members. Do you have plans to add more in the future?"
"Well, we'll have to see."
The heroes I had contacted were those whose value had recently plummeted. Seeing the successful image of Anna, who had been considered beyond recovery, the clans that tried to overcharge us would likely be hearing a lot of complaints from their heroes.
You ruined my opportunity because of your greed,What are you going to do about it? and so on. I hoped they would fight amongst themselves as much as they had ignored us.
Behind the reporters, I saw Han Ju-hee, who had been watching the conference, take a call and step out.
It was probably a clan or a hero who had just seen the live broadcast.