A Cool Summer and a Ghostly Gate
The anti-Chinese sentiment surrounding Hunter activities fizzled out rather anticlimactically. After all, it was only natural for a fire to die down when no more firewood was being supplied. Surprisingly, the Chinese government remained completely silent, which was highly unusual for them. Although some internet trolls kept trying to fan the flames, the lack of any major incidents meant the chatter gradually quieted down.
Boycotting Chinese products was never easy to begin with, and the fact that both the Korean government and the Murim Alliance chose to completely ignore the issue played a huge part. In any case, the tense international atmosphere settled back into a calm state.
And now... summer in South Korea was in full swing, bringing a brutal heatwave with it. It wasn't just hot; the sun was scorching, and the air was so humid it felt like a literal steamer. The only thing that made this sticky, miserable summer bearable was the air conditioner. Right now, I was at home, enjoying the cool AC while doing some light stretching.
"Sis."
"What is it?"
My sister suddenly gave me a bizarre look.
"I know you want to be comfortable since we're at home, but shouldn't you at least wear a bra?"
"Uh, well..."
"But we're at home."
It wasn't like anyone else was here to see me anyway.
"No! Even if we're both girls, it's still distracting!"
At her words, I looked down at my chest. Beneath my thin white T-shirt, my massive breasts were proudly asserting their presence. In fact, the tips were visibly poking through.
"Ahem!"
Seeing that made even me feel a bit embarrassed.
"Well, it's hot."
Even with the AC on, the weather was so stifling that putting on a bra felt like too much of a chore.
"And here you were boasting about how you never sweat."
Up until last year, I really barely sweated at all.
"I still don't sweat much."
It wasn't the heat, but the humidity making everything feel so sticky and gross.
"And aren't those short shorts a bit much?"
What my sister was pointing at was my recent favorite loungewear: a pair of dolphin pants.
"What?"
"I mean, aren't they way too short?"
Were they?
"They're pretty much the same as regular hot pants."
Though, I suppose the difference was how they rather explicitly outlined the curve of my butt.
"Still..."
But having my sister point this out felt incredibly bizarre. Normally, as a former guy, I should have been the one making these kinds of complaints...
"That's why I only wear them at home."
I did have a sense of shame, after all. Sure, some people wore them outside, but I would die of embarrassment. If I had a normal woman's body, I might not have cared as much, but this gorgeous physique modeled after that damn goddess was far too conspicuous to show off to others.
"Well, that's..."
"Let's just be comfortable at home."
"Uh, okay..."
"Since you brought it up, do you want to try a pair?"
I offered, holding out a pair of dolphin pants to her.
"What?!"
My sister looked utterly appalled. Even though she was wearing shorts because of the summer heat, they were just ordinary, sensible shorts.
"Seriously, just try them on once. They're incredibly comfortable."
"No way, I'm good."
I went into my room, grabbed a pair in a nice color, and handed them to her.
"Here, put them on. Once you try them, you'll completely understand where I'm coming from."
Despite her protests, I kept nagging her until she finally gave in and reluctantly changed into them. When she emerged, her expression was a complicated mix of emotions.
"Comfortable, right?"
"Well, I mean..."
"Be honest."
Blushing slightly out of embarrassment, she mumbled.
"Yeah... they are comfortable."
"See? There's a reason all the kids are wearing them these days."
Female idols and celebrities wore them all the time, and now I knew why. In any case, my sister must have found them genuinely comfortable, because she kept wearing them from then on.
"By the way, what should we do for dinner?"
The summer days were so long that I hadn't even noticed evening was fast approaching.
"Whatever's fine."
"You know 'whatever' is the hardest choice, right?"
I did... but nothing in particular came to mind.
"Should we just order delivery...?" my sister muttered.
"Are you too lazy to cook?"
Her cooking was actually quite decent, and I always enjoyed her meals.
"Using the stove makes it too hot."
No matter how cool the AC kept the apartment, standing in front of a hot stove was a different story.
"Delivery it is, then."
"How about chicken?"
Chicken, huh...
"And pizza."
"Got it."
After placing the order, we waited leisurely for the food to arrive. I continued my stretching while watching a popular variety show.
"Sis, are you addicted to stretching or something?" my sister remarked.
"I just get bored sitting still and watching TV."
Since I felt the urge to keep moving, stretching was the easiest option. After waiting for a while, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it."
I grabbed my card and headed to the front door.
"Sis?! Wait!"
I heard my sister call out behind me, but I was too focused on getting the food quickly.
I opened the door and held out my card... but for some reason, the delivery driver's eyes went wide. He began to fidget restlessly, his gaze darting all over the place.
"Um, my card."
"Eek!"
The driver gasped, looking startled, and hesitated to take the card. Then, squeezing his eyes shut, he finally snatched it from my hand.
I took the food and waited for the payment to go through. Strangely, the driver turned completely around to process the transaction. Even after it was done, he kept his back to me, eyes closed, and blindly held the card out over his shoulder. I couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with him.
Was he completely mesmerized by my beauty? Well, I am exceptionally gorgeous.
When I walked back inside with the food, my sister was standing there with her hand pressed to her forehead, letting out a deep sigh.
"What's wrong?"
"Sis... I told you to put on a bra..."
"Huh? What's the big deal at home—"
I started to say, but then the delivery driver's bizarre behavior flashed through my mind. Suddenly, the realization of what I had just done hit me like a truck.
"Oh..."
I slowly looked down. There they were, two massive, mountain-like mounds. I was wearing a white T-shirt, but it was clinging tightly to my skin, making my breasts look incredibly prominent.
If it had just been that, I might have shrugged it off. But as I leaned forward slightly, I noticed two very distinct, pointed shapes poking sharply against the fabric.
"Ugh..."
I buried my face in my hands, unable to look up from sheer mortification.
Only now did I understand why the delivery driver had reacted that way. Sigh, at least he was considerate enough to close his eyes and turn around. What if he had been some creep? He probably would have stared and smirked the whole time.
"That's why I tried to stop you!"
Ah, so that was why she had called out to me when I went to the door...
"I'm sorry..."
"Seriously, even if we're at home, at least wear a bra."
I didn't dare argue. I just nodded meekly.
Placing the food on the dining table, I scurried back into my room and rummaged through my closet for a bra.
"I should have just put one on from the start..."
Slipping the bra under my shirt and adjusting it, I felt a slight, familiar discomfort. At least I was lucky they didn't get any bigger. I'd heard that some women's breasts swelled and grew even larger during their periods, but thankfully, I didn't experience that. If anything, this body was already in a state of absolute perfection, so there was no room for change.
In any case, once I had my bra on and walked back out, my sister had already set everything up and was waiting for me.
"Let's eat."
"Yeah..."
Sigh, I was still too embarrassed to look her in the eye.
Keeping my head down, I focused entirely on stuffing my face with pizza and chicken. Yes, as embarrassing as that was, a girl's still got to eat. From now on, I vowed never to let my guard down, even at home. I had to stay vigilant at all times to avoid making such mistakes again.
Despite the sweltering summer heat, Hunter activities couldn't be put on hold. Well, as an S-class, I didn't have that many duties to begin with...
"It feels like it's been a while since we worked together."
Today, I was tagging along on one of my sister's assignments.
"Yeah, I guess so."
Actually, there was a specific reason I had joined her.
Usually, I just killed time or made money by treating VIPs. Once word got out that I could cure hair loss, I was flooded with requests from desperate bald men. Amidst all that, Jegal Cheon had asked if I would be interested in taking on a different kind of job. When I asked what it was...
Well, there weren't that many types of Hunter work to begin with, so I figured it out quickly. Since it wasn't a dungeon raid, it had to be either clearing a resource-harvesting Gate or escort duty. Sure enough, the job Jegal Cheon recommended was guarding the laborers inside a resource-harvesting Gate. It seemed a bit redundant if the monsters had already been cleared out, but...
"You've heard about this Gate, right?"
"Yeah. The one with the ghosts."
It was a Gate infested with ghost-type monsters, making a complete subjugation impossible. However, because it yielded a vast amount of rare resources, they kept it open specifically to harvest them. To prevent any accidents, they hired Hunters as guards.
"I'm sure you don't need to worry, Sis, but still, be careful."
She warned me that some of the ghosts could exert physical force. I couldn't help but smirk at her warning. Ghost-type monsters... They were the ultimate prey for a former Saintess like me.
Divinity was naturally effective against all demonic attributes, but it was especially devastating against the undead and spirits. When we arrived at the Gate, the surrounding area was bustling with activity. Large transport trucks, heavy machinery, and laborers were moving about everywhere.
"There are so many people."
"Well, it is a resource-harvesting site."
I knew that much... The Murim Alliance had dispatched a total of twenty Hunters to support the operation today. Most of them were C-class or B-class, with my sister being the sole A-class.
"Normally, I wouldn't be assigned to a place like this, but..."
Apparently, she had tagged along because of me.
"Welcome, everyone."
As we approached the site, the site manager warmly greeted us.
Our job was simple: stand at designated intervals and keep a watchful eye on our surroundings. The manager showed us a map, pointed out our assigned zones, asked us to do a good job, and that was the end of the briefing. Since we were all experienced, that was more than enough.
Stepping inside the Gate, we saw people busy at work. Minerals and timber were being transported on newly installed conveyor belts, processed at nearby facilities, and sent outside. Meanwhile, any waste was just tossed carelessly back into the Gate. After all, the trash would disappear once the Gate reset.
Apparently, ever since this phenomenon was discovered, people had been dumping all kinds of industrial waste and garbage into Gates. It certainly seemed like a highly convenient disposal system.
"Nothing much to see here," I noted as my sister and I patrolled our designated area. Heading deeper in, we saw heavy machinery felling trees.
"Is there a mine further in?"
"Yeah. They say humans have to mine that part manually because machines can't get in."
Sounds rough. Since this was an escort mission, there was absolutely nothing for us to do. I had been hoping to have some fun if a few ghosts showed up...
"But don't ghosts usually only appear at night?"
"Common sense says so, but they're monsters."
True. Since when did monsters care about common sense? They might be stronger at night, but that didn't mean they couldn't move during the day.
In the Other World, the undead were severely weakened during the day because the Goddess Hemera's power was at its peak, but even then, they weren't completely immobilized.
"Besides, with so many people around, the ghosts must be drooling."
Since humans were basically prey to them... I wandered around, eagerly anticipating when I would finally get to see a ghost.