122 – Nymph. World. War. # 1
Once upon a time, a famous scientist named Einstein said something like this:
While we can’t predict what weapons will be used in World War III, if a Fourth World War breaks out, all of humanity will fight with sticks and stones.
I was deeply impressed when I heard that story in my childhood.
I thought scientists were good at making jokes with a pinch of truth!
On the other hand, I felt a twinge of fear at the thought that World War III might indeed be horrific.
It’s easy to imagine everything being destroyed!
And now, the fact that World War III might happen because of me…
I couldn’t help but tremble like a newborn fawn.
“A good life it was.”
The memories of my life unfolded like a panorama.
The reminiscence of buying bread to get those sticky stickers.
The memory of being startled and letting go of the hand I was holding with my classmate when kids teased us by asking, “Are you two dating?”
And from the time I had suffered as a D-rank for a long time until I met Inoi and encountered Kkungkkungi, Ahn Ahn, Bang Bang, Kalilnoi, and Mi-yongi—these moments rushed into my mind.
Overall, there was a lot of noise, but still, it was a quite enjoyable life!
Swish-.
At that moment, Lee Jin-A placed her hand on her forehead.
“I told you to be direct, but you skipped over too much. Haildo, don’t just sit on the floor after washing up. Get up.”
Swish-.
Lee Jin-A lifted my body.
Soon, Tsukki nodded as if acknowledging her own mistakes.
“I made my explanation too brief. However, there’s a saying that you have to listen to Korean until the end—well, it’s true.”
Hearing a foreigner say that I should listen to Korean until the end felt oddly intriguing. While I was musing over that strange feeling, Tsukki kindly added more words.
“Haildo. It seems you misunderstood because my explanation was lacking. To elaborate, there is a possibility that the Yakuza of the Ganguokyeon and ninjas might be targeting you.”
“…….”
Hearing the explanation just confused me more.
I felt like I was sinking deeper into a labyrinth.
This S-rank Awakened woman named Tsukki was like this from the first time we met.
Even the gender entry was a question mark, and she kept making me feel puzzled in many ways!
“Haildo, have you considered living with me in Japan? If you come to Japan, there will be so many fun things. My Yagami family has a deep history. We have more than enough money. You could live a life of leisure.”
“Ms. Tsukki. I’m just asking, does living together imply a romantic relationship between a man and a woman? Or is it more like a business scout feeling?”
I wasn’t oblivious.
I was well aware that what Tsukki was saying was close to a confession, but I thought it was good to double-check since Tsukki was special in many ways.
Whoosh-.
Tsukki’s white face turned as red as if she would emit steam.
Fidget fidget-.
After just having a clean bath, sweat began to drip from her forehead, and her hands and feet wobbled around as if they had nowhere to go.
I remembered that those from the physical enhancement type of Awakened had a metabolism more than twice as fast as others, and that sweating a lot was one of their characteristics.
Clap—.
Tsukki slapped her cheeks with a surprisingly loud sound.
Then, as if she had made a great determination before splurging on an extremely large sum of luxury goods, she spoke loudly.
“Matters of men and women and business! Upon reflection, I guess it could be both! Haildo, I’ve heard a lot about you. You’ve been through some hard times, haven’t you?”
Swish-.
What Tsukki revealed was a post titled “Haildo’s Past” that “My Ahn Ahn” had sent as the best and most recommended article.
From the story of how I had long been discouraged as a D-rank hunter but never gave up and tried hard to live, to the trivial detail of having bibimyeon as my only meal every day—it was all documented.
It was true.
But how did she know I ate bibimyeon every day back then?
“Haildo. The hard work you put in was for a better life, right? Come to Japan with me and join the Ganguokyeon! Then I will take care of you for life. So, what do you think?”
Thump-!
I felt like the main character of a shoujo manga.
Was this how women felt when a charming man pursued them without reservations? It was only natural that they would be captivated by such powerful declarations.
Not to mention, Tsukki was a healthy and wonderful woman.
She had great abilities and plenty of money.
Her promise to take care of me for life didn’t seem like a lie.
If I rejected such an offer, I would truly be a fool!
I might be using up all my lifetime luck right now.
In fact, Lee Jin-A, who had been listening to the conversation beside us, was also very surprised, jokingly asking, “That’s an incredible offer. Can I marry Haildo instead?”
Swish-.
Tsukki raised her fingers.
“If you can’t answer right away, you can take a week—no, even a month to ponder. At least I’ll also be in Korea for about a month to a year. I want to eat tteokbokki and hot dogs too.”
I see.
She was giving me plenty of time to think.
However, I had already made my decision.
“Ms. Tsukki. Thank you very much for your great offer. However, I must decline.”
“What?”
Tsukki appeared quite flustered.
She then asked me, “Is the offer unsatisfactory? Haildo, if you desire, I can adjust any conditions!”
“No, the conditions are beyond satisfactory. I wouldn’t need to improve them further. If I had even a day to think about it, I would undoubtedly have accepted your proposal.”
What if Tsukki had wanted me to contemplate this proposal?
As a human being, I would have no choice but to nod at her words.
A life guided by the wonderful woman Tsukki—how splendid would that be?
I wouldn’t be Haildo but rather Tsukki’s Kkungkkungi.
It would certainly be a delightful life!
I could sleep every day in a cool shade, eat whatever I wanted, and the calendar would turn a bright red with holidays like Christmas and birthdays back-to-back.
“So, I’m declining.”
I learned one thing about my attribute when I was stuck as a D-rank for years.
It was that I was motivated when I was hungry in many ways.
Once my stomach was full and my back warm, my human hardness would definitely soften.
If that happened, I would inevitably become lazy and a bad person, and any “sparkle” that Tsukki might have seen in me would surely fade.
Then I would end up discarded.
And I had one goal I wanted to achieve desperately.
“And I want to become an S-rank, without a doubt.”
# # #
In the penthouse sky lounge of a hotel in Machunsi.
Through transparent glass windows, S-rank ranker Yagami Tsukki looked down at the world while recalling the incident from earlier.
“Being rejected… This is the first time in my life I’ve ever had someone reject my proposal. It’s also the first time I’ve experienced failure in various ways.”
Crack-.
Tsukki clenched her fist tightly.
The tremors from her mana caused the entire top floor of the hotel to shake as if an earthquake had struck.
She had never felt this way before.
It was a mix of frustration and determination.
“I’ve heard that Korean men are kind. Haildo, you said this and that, but you kindly declined with the truth hidden for my sake.”
Swish, whoosh-.
Tsukki flipped through the album photos on her tablet PC.
Photos of Seo Ye-rim, Yu Ara, Lee Jin-A, Han Joo-ryeon, and other talented and beautiful women interacting with Haildo filled the screen.
“With so many attractive and pretty women around, how could I not pale in comparison? I’m lacking in femininity in many ways. Ultimately, my inability to win over a man is due to my lack of femininity—”
Overwhelming femininity.
Could that not conquer Haildo?
However, it was uncertain how much time Tsukki would need to begin honing her femininity.
Of course, that wasn’t the problem.
“If needed, I don’t have to be the prettiest; I could just push the other girls away from Haildo. There are many ways to go about it.”
Yagami Tsukki was the daughter of the president of Ganguokyeon, the shadowy figure known as Amryong Yagami.
The darkness of the underworld runs deep.
Ding ding- At that moment, Tsukki’s phone rang.
“Yes. President. I was just about to call you. I failed to recruit Haildo. But I will not give up—yes?”
Tsukki received some surprising news.
“Return to Japan? Right away?”
Her father, Yagami Irochi, was a man of his word and seldom reversed his statements—
What could be the reason for summoning Tsukki back to Japan after having dismissed her in the first place?
The man on the other end of the line.
Yagami Irochi was currently gazing at a satellite image unfolding on a hologram monitor.
The recently launched Japanese reconnaissance satellite “Amaterasu” sent back some astonishing information.
“Tsukki, if you want to bring Haildo back to Japan, you must hurry back. Others will figure it out soon enough. Something has been included in the recently announced Spacetime Typhoon—”
Yagami Irochi, who seemed about to say something, suddenly felt he was overly candid.
He wasn’t the type to be so talkative.
Grimace-.
He scrunched his nose, sniffing, looking somewhat displeased.
He chuckled slightly.
“I don’t know much about drugs, but I understand those who use them well. This pleasant scent—could it be a type of narcotic? Now that I think about it, today’s geisha has more delicate hands than Makiko.”
While wearing a fox mask, the woman who was plucking the strings of the shamisen abruptly froze.
After about two seconds of silence, she said, “What are you doing here?”
Irochi asked with fervor.
Soon after, the fox-masked woman, chuckling softly, hurled the shamisen with force and burst through the sliding door, dashing from the time-worn castle built in the 21st century.
“There was a mole! Chase them! We must capture them and find out who sent them! We must investigate how much information was leaked!”
Bam, bam bam-!
At Irochi’s command, ninjas rushed from all directions to pursue the woman in the fox mask.
Meanwhile, Yu Ara, the woman in the fox mask, skillfully evaded the ninjas, hiding around the corner as she tapped on a specially designed satellite communication device.
“Yura! Contact your father immediately! Hurry back from London! Before anything is seized abroad! Quickly!”
Swish-.
Yu Ara sent a photo taken by a tiny drone to Cha Yura.
The image revealed a next-gen satellite photo capturing a storm, showcasing a monumental artificial structure rising majestically within the tempest.
