novelPioneering Africa (6)
| ← Ch.087 | Ch.089 → |
The night sky appeared to have been torn to make out her neatly combed hair tied down with hairpins. Her eyes were deep and dark without end as if they would pull in and trap everyone who met them. Her flawless, pure white skin contrasted clearly with her dark hair, dazzling those who saw her. Without applying any rouge, her lips were thick and red, in a clear line as she looked at him. Her voluptuous and fascinating body, which could corrupt even a high priest, was confined under a layer of thin silk.
It was the VIP member, Tsukuyo.
"Well?"
"Huh?"
"OMG... !"
"Ah?"
The moment Kang Shin-hyuk confirmed Tsukuyo's appearance before them, he grabbed her hand and ran. Tsukuyo rejoiced at his actions as they reached a place where other humans wouldn't be able to see them. He barely let go of her hand, breathing hard.
"Somehow, Anvil, you're so radical. If you wanted to meet me, you could contact me in advance."
"Why would you appear in front of humans?!"
Kang Shin-hyuk shouted hard. The area where she had appeared contained all the superhumans of Korea. If a person like Tsukuyo showed up in such a place out of the blue, not only would the whole camp be overturned, but even Kang Shin-hyuk would be viewed as suspicious.
"Yes? Oh my, you were worried about that. How cute."
However, Tsukuyo just smiled upon hearing this.
-I want to deport you.
Tsukuyo pointed at him, ignoring the message from the administrator.
"Now I'm adjusting my appearance to be visible only to members of the Hero Universe, so there's no need to worry, Anvil."
"Yes... ?"
When he looked at her, he could see that a red spirit with thick mana was spinning around her. Without interpreting the source, he immediately understood that it was a barrier that isolated her from the outside. Since she was using spiritual power, no human without it could catch her.
"What, it was like that... ?"
"Hahaha, I was very happy because I was in the mood to enjoy my honeymoon with Anvil.
-Only if I die...
"I'm so happy it was fun. Ah."
As soon as his worries were resolved, more questions arose.
"Is there a dimensional quest on Earth? Is that why you're here?"
"Because I knew that sooner or later, Earth would be the target for a dimensional quest, ah... it's a little ridiculous to say this, but I was waiting."
Tsukuyo spoke so and raised a long, thin finger to point at Kang Shin-hyuk.
"It's because everyone wants to go to your world. If you actually look at the bulletin board now..."
When he opened the board, there were several members, starting with Loki, loudly asking who had gotten chosen by Anvil. Kang Shin-hyuk tried to ignore some familiar nicknames among those rioting on the bulletin board. First, he decided to contact Claire again.
"Huh, everyone is slow. If you move when the quest occurs, it'll be too late. You have to move with feeling."
Tsukuyo spoke proudly like someone who had successfully purchased tickets to an idol's concert. However, the administrator denied her words.
-She interfered with the system and accepted the quest even before it was sent. That fox is a cheater! No, a beater! A beater! [lol]
"Did the Hero Universe even have a beta test?"
"Anvil, a dimensional quest suddenly occurred, and I came in a panic. I'll give you a little explanation on that."
She ignored the chatter between him and the admin and reached out to the side of the empty clearing. In an instant, a strong and comfortable bench appeared. Kang Shin-hyuk was wondering if it had been stored in her inventory; she laughed and tapped her knees with her hand.
"Come and lie down while you listen. I'll clean your ears."
"No, my girlfriend... I have a lover."
"Oh my. I thought you looked more attractive than before, so there was a reason. But you're not trying to do anything stupid?"
He was able to clearly read the desire in her eyes, although they were infinitely calm. What the hell was she trying to do with him under the guise of cleaning his ears? How creepy. When Kang Shin-hyuk finally refused and sat away from her, Tsukuyo mumbled with a regret-filled expression.
"To think I cannot serve you... if so, would you like a cup of tea?"
Tsukuyo, whose ear-cleaning operation failed, produced a plate of refreshments, placed it down, and poured him some tea.
"I prepared a higher quality tea than last time. It will definitely agree with you."
"Ah, yes."
Kang Shin-hyuk stopped looking at her fascinating movements. When they met before, he had that thought, but even her movements had a strange charm to them.
"Hm, Anvil?"
"Oh, no. I'll drink."
-Don't be fooled, member! Don't forget that the essence of this fox is to possess a man!
"Woah, we came to a quiet place, but that fly is noisy."
Tsukuyo shook off the admin's message with the wave of her hand and smiled lightly. In fact, the place they were in now wasn't a very suitable environment for a chat. Since they left the base camp, it was natural that monsters would appear. But, Kang Shin-hyuk had a strange conviction that no monsters would enter this area unless Tsukuyo wanted them to.
"Ah, it's delicious."
"Woohoo, thank you. Then, I'll tell you about the conditions of the quest."
-This administrator can do it as well. The dimensional quest that just occurred...
Tsukuyo coughed, and the administrator's message vanished as if it had been interrupted. As Kang Shin-hyuk blinked, Tsukuyo began to explain with a subtle smile.
"Dimensional quests are created for the first time when the dimension's existence is in danger. This is the first time the Hero Universe intervened when there is an abnormality in the maintenance of the dimension itself."
"Then it means that something like that is currently happening on Earth."
"However, the occurrence of the quest is limited. This time, Anvil, a member of the Hero Universe, was on-site, so they quickly recognized the crisis and issued a quest."
"... Is it like that?"
Somehow, the timing felt tricky. The moment he found out about Zeus's cooperator, a quest was created. If he didn't know, what would've happened? It was something he didn't want to imagine.
"The dimension is facing a crisis of existence... are you saying it's that scale?"
"Yes, it's because an existence that can do something like that has infiltrated this dimension."
The names of several people passed through his mind. At least it wasn't Oh Joo-young, nor was it Bomber Girl.
"This also means that Earth has grown that much. Even high-ranking Jormungand executives can't get into a world that is too low-level."
Tsukuyo laughed.
"But rest assured, Anvil. I'll be with you until I kick them out. The big ones suffer a lot of pressure to move even once, so after solving this quest, it will be fine for the time being."
-That's right. Therefore, if this woman is also banned now, it will be difficult for her to return to Earth. Exile! Exile!
Kang Shin-hyuk wondered how much pressure would be needed in order to stop an entity like Tsukuyo. However, he began to wonder if she was worried about it, too, as she listened. Suddenly, he was certain that it wasn't Tsukuyo who looked down on him the day that the Godslayer was stolen.
"... Thank you, Tsukuyo."
"Just being able to meet you is like a reward for this quest. So why shouldn't I be the grateful one?"
With a smile that conveyed her happiness, she poured more tea into his empty cup.
"Oh my, another uninvited guest."
"Huh?"
-Bang!
A lightning bolt fell down upon Tsukuyo's head; however, she brushed it off lightly with the wave of her hand.
"Junior, get away. That woman is dangerous."
"Somehow, a savage has appeared."
Shin Eunah, having appeared from nowhere, was looking straight at Tsukuyo.
"I came here because I heard you ran away, and you were alone with such a dangerous being. I feel the same energy as Jormungand. Junior, come here right now!"
"It's okay, senior. This is Tsukuyo."
"What... ?"
Shin Eunah was also a member of the Hero Universe, so she knew who Tsukuyo was. However, she was somehow even warier of her after learning Tsukuyo's identity. Kang Shin-hyuk suddenly sighed as he looked back at Tsukuyo, who was covering her mouth with a fan (it was the same iron fan that he had made).
"This is Eunah, Tsukuyo. You're both members of the Hero Universe."
"I knew as soon as I saw her. It looks like she wasn't a kid."
"Huh?! Kid?"
"Yes. An unscrupulous kid who always bothered Anvil. A little girl who tried to monopolize Anvil since childhood... that hairpin looks pretty."
"It's mine."
As if Tsukuyo would take it away, Shin Eunah covered the hairpin in her bangs with one of her hands. It was one of the two last works he had completed in his previous life, with fragments of that yellow jewel. Tsukuyo looked at her up and down before turning to Kang Shin-hyuk.
"No way the woman you are dating right now is that child..."
"No."
"That's fortunate. If so, maybe that child with the nickname of Bartender? Even now, it's cute how she pretends to be calm on the bulletin board."
Tsukuyo revealed the truth Shin Eunah tried not to listen to without hesitation. Shin Eunah, who heard it fully, was staring at Tsukuyo with tears forming in her eyes.
"Junior, please leave us for a moment."
"No, absolutely not."
"Junior!"
"Oh, I won't refuse. If I put this annoying girl away now, we can have more intimate time later, right?"
The tension between them rose to an extreme. Why did they need to collide now when a crisis threatened Earth's existence? But when Kang Shin-hyuk was thinking about how to calm them down, Shin Eunah's hairpin began to vibrate.
"Huh... ?"
"Oh my..."
Tsukuyo smiled.
"It looks like the gate of Jormungand has finally connected."
| ← Ch. 087 | Ch. 089 → |