Fangirls Can't Ride the Hype
Her eyes, the exact shade of her pale brown hair, gleamed with a golden light. He gave a light bow in greeting.
Lee Yu-na furrowed her brow.
"Kim Jae-won Hunter...?"
"First time seeing you around. Nice to meet you."
"What the hell do you think you're doing? A hunter using his powers against civilians—this is a clear-cut...!"
"Something more important came up." He cut Lee Yu-na off. His pale golden eyes turned toward Yul. "Enjoying your vacation, Number One?"
"......"
"Sorry to drag you out while you were resting, but I have my own circumstances..."
"......Shiki."
Yul muttered under her breath.
Constellation 'Blind Sovereign of the Sky' cautiously gauges its Incarnation's mood.
That puny worm is dry-washing its face, saying the fool can't read the room.
Kim Jae-won blinked in confusion.
"Pardon?"
Yul, who had been muttering to herself, lifted her head. Impersonation be damned. There was only one thought in her mind right now.
'Let a fangirl ride the hype train for once, you bastard!!'
She screamed the words she couldn't say aloud in her heart and swung her staff. It was an outburst of rage against this goddamn world that kept ruining her fangirling.
* * *
Boom—! A deafening whoosh echoed through the arena, impossible for a mere swing of a bat.
But just as the staff reached Kim Jae-won's nose...
It stopped dead.
Yul halted the hand gripping her staff. Whoosh—Kim Jae-won's brown hair fluttered in the air.
"...Number One?"
"......Nah."
Yul muttered.
"If you croak here, there won't even be mosaics. Can't kill you."
"Pardon?"
"Spit out your purpose and get lost. You've pulled this much aggro, so you want something."
Yul slung her bat over her shoulder. She never killed humans, hunters included, but this was a concert venue. Double Black was watching her, too! She steeled herself against the intense stares boring into the back of her head.
'......Can't show them a murder scene.'
Even without intent to kill, a full-force swing from her would instant-kill most hunters. To Double Black, to the fans. She had no plans to traumatize them with eyeball terrorism.
Yul squeezed out mercy born of fandom and took a deep breath. She'd hear him out, then decide whether to beat him herself or toss him to the Hunter Management Director or Gu Se-ji.
'Tossing to the Director makes sense.'
Constellation 'Blind Sovereign of the Sky' agrees.
It asks if you haven't roughly figured out what that worm's ability is.
'Yeah. Not illusions......'
Mind control.
Yul stared blankly at Kim Jae-won, who was wiping cold sweat with a straight face. Standard illusion types couldn't pull off techniques like this. Controlling people's actions was domination. The hallmark of mind control traits.
If illusions messed with senses and built phantoms, mind control specialized in brainwashing and manipulation. But "specialized" didn't mean exclusive—mind traits encompassed illusion skills too.
'Those past incidents were mind tricks disguised as illusions, probably.'
Kim Jae-won spoke calmly. "I do have a purpose. Everything—the past stuff, right now—was to achieve it."
"Past stuff?"
"......"
"Didn't I just say?"
Lee Yu-na reflexively glanced at Yul. Yul kept her eyes fixed on him without a word.
"The impersonation case. Couldn't have you ghosting anymore."
Kim Jae-won smiled slyly. "Had to play weak, itched like hell, but it worked to drag you out. Pretty... "
"Shut up and get to the point."
Yul cut him off. Can't you see you're wasting my time?
'The more I listen, the longer the prologue.'
She irritably scanned the sky. The early evening was darkening. Stealing her precious concert time with this aggro. Maybe blast him outside and beat him there.
"Straight to it, then."
Kim Jae-won stepped closer to Yul.
"Proxy, Lee Sunjwa Killer."
"Don't say my full—"
"My boss wants to see you."
His faintly golden eyes looked highly suspicious. Yul crossed her arms with a sour expression.
"......Does your guild master know you're pulling this chuunibyou hostage stunt?"
"Not him."
Kim Jae-won pointed at the sky.
This side.
'......The sky?'
Sky meant constellations. Her Star-nim's kin(?). Yul asked her own constellation dryly.
'Any reason a constellation would wanna see me?'
Constellation 'Blind Sovereign of the Sky' spews fire from its mouth, insisting our Yul is for its eyes only.
It declares any divine being coveting our Yul will get a face full of Judgment's staff.
'Not helpful.'
Yul scratched her head and said dryly, "I'm good with my Star-nim. No interest in your boss."
"Dunno. You might after hearing it."
"Won't. Pass it on."
If you wanna meet, don't send minions—show your face yourself. Constellations couldn't intervene in reality; it was common knowledge. Translation: shut up and scram.
Constellation 'Blind Sovereign of the Sky' is moved by the fact that it is our Yul's one and only.
It wipes tears, saying our Yul is its only one too.
Even in this mess, her constellation was steadily getting emotional over her. Yul replied inwardly. Yeah. I like Star-nim too. The best. Number one.
"......I'll pass that on. But personally, one more thing... First..."
Crunch!
The small knife Kim Jae-won pulled from his inventory pierced Lee Yu-na's terminal.
Lee Yu-na, who had been about to report the emergency to Ryu Shin-ah and Joo Young, grimaced.
"Don't interrupt. You. I have words for the Proxy."
"Whatever your goal, this situation won't be excused. Kim Jae-won Hunter."
"Do what you want."
"Yu-na, calm down. You, if you got something to say, spit it out quick."
Yul soothed Lee Yu-na. Kim Jae-won lightly raised both hands. Yes, yes.
"Proxy. You've never once..."
Krunch.
The moment he smirked and opened his mouth, the air warped.
"......!"
All three whipped their heads around. Right above the stage, at a height anyone could jump to, a pitch-black rift was forming.
A Gate.
Rooooar...! The ground beneath the stage trembled. Air was sucked into the growing hole.
Yul ground her teeth. Of all types, an absorption-annihilation one.
Kim Jae-won sighed. "Ah, what killer timing. 'Don't speak,' huh."
"Shit... Yu-na!"
"Yes!"
At Yul's shout, Lee Yu-na drew her shield. First protocol when a Gate spawned.
Yul lowered her bat, and the instant Lee Yu-na stepped on it—
Twang!
Yul launched Lee Yu-na skyward without hesitation. She soared to the open ceiling and raised her shield high.
Absolute Value Protection
The silver-white shield glowed, a translucent barrier spreading in concentric circles around it.
Hummm.
In an instant, the barrier enveloped the audience seats, stage, and backstage, shining solidly.
Lee Yu-na landed lightly below the stage and slammed her shield into the ground. A skill that locked her own movement but granted absolute effects to designated targets. The ultimate befitting her, who prioritized others' safety over her own.
It blocked the worst-case of spectators getting sucked into the Gate. Now, safe evacuation.
First, Double Black right in front of the Gate.
Yul dragged Kim Jae-won and leaped onto the stage. The five were still frozen in place.
"I'll hold it. Get ready, no worries. Time to evac. And you."
Yul grabbed Kim Jae-won's collar.
"Release the domination."
"What if I don't?"
"Then you die here."
Even if you don't, killing you releases it, right? Yul added coldly.
Kim Jae-won, who had been smiling awkwardly, let out a defeated breath and nodded. Golden something rippled from his fingertips, and in a flash, the arena filled with people's noises.
"G-Gate...!"
"I-I wanna get out! Move!"
Good, he's handled. Yul chopped the back of Kim Jae-won's neck, knocking him out, and tossed him to the far side of the stage.
Kim Yu-jun, now free, shouted into the mic.
"Everyone, stay calm and evacuate in order! Hunters are here, Management support incoming! Plenty of time!"
His desperate plea didn't reach the panic-stricken crowd.
In the chaos, Yul calmly pulled out her phone. Reinforcements for evacuation first.
"Ham-su. Problem."
"......Gate?"
"Yeah. Hurry, just evac duty."
"On my way. Hey, cultist! Over here...!"
Yul hung up and asked, "Park Sa-ha-ssi, mic please."
Park Sa-ha handed it over immediately. Yul smiled lightly at the five, tense despite pretending otherwise, and spoke.
"Everyone, see that barrier up front?"
Her booming voice made the audience pause. Her tone was utterly calm.
"Yu-na Hunter made that. Our country's top tank. Won't break unless I smash it, even if waves start."
"......"
"I'll close the Gate, so don't worry, just wait a bit. Space hunters incoming."
"......"
"Everyone gets home safe. I swear it."
The flat tone gradually quelled the chaos.