134 – Martial Realm Nymph #4
“Hmm, do you know something…? All martial arts have supposedly derived from the ancient move ‘Nymph Fist Wild Beating’…!”
Instead of taking the plane, since it was hard to carry all the animals, we were heading to Shanghai by ship.
Illinois was saying something odd, perhaps due to watching some bizarre documentary or M-tube video.
“All martial arts originated from the Nymph Fist is even recorded in ancient history books of Goguryeo, called the Melon Sutra – it’s not the Watermelon Sutra but the Melon Sutra…!”
Illinois wouldn’t stop talking nonsense until Coris brought over some ice cream.
“Here I Coris have brought some ice cream…! The Nymph sisters should all share it together…!”
Coris had brought a large paper bowl filled with vanilla ice cream, and both Inoi and Illinois eagerly started shoveling it into their mouths with spoons.
“Ah…! It’s all gone…!”
“What a title! This ice cream is far from ‘together’! We nymphs need at least three cartons to enjoy it deliciously…!”
In such a bustling ship journey, I glanced at my mom and dad.
“I’m not here to play. You two should wander around and enjoy your trip by yourselves.”
I informed my family that I needed to go to China, but both mom and dad wanted to come as well. Dad had some annual leave to take and wanted to travel abroad.
Plus, my younger sister, Haray, tagged along.
“Bro! Look at this! Kkungkkungi is so cute! Kkungkkungi, bark for me!”
-Honk honk-!
Haray was enjoying herself looking at Kkungkkungi, Ahn Ahn, and even Bang Bang (the wolf-spider), petting them, giving them snacks, and taking pictures to post on SNS.
“Bro, by the way, have you thanked Yerim for her support? Our family trip expenses were all covered by Yerim! Overseas family trips, this is a first, right? Huh?”
We’d actually been on domestic trips quite a few times, but this marked our first overseas venture. As for me, it technically wasn’t a trip.
Soon, Seo Yerim, busy tapping away on her phone with a rather serious expression, spoke up.
“Since Haildo is an honorary employee at Telos Corporation and a team leader, he gets a family travel allowance once a year. That’s it. No need to thank me.”
“Amazing! As expected, a big corporation! I want to work at Telos too! Telos’ in-house cafeteria is famous for being so delicious, isn’t it? Sister! Can’t you help me find a job there? Even as a cleaner?”
Haray suddenly clutched Seo Yerim around the waist.
Haray had always been good at following people around and enjoying herself, playing and petting animals. So, it wasn’t much of a surprise that she was a terrible student and had no hope of ever working at a large company like Telos.
Soon, my mother chuckled.
“Ah, having someone as perfect as Seo Yerim as a daughter… your grandparents would be so proud! She’s beautiful, does well in commercials, excels at her job, and is so kind!”
“Don’t make it harder than it needs to be, ma’am. Just call me Yerim. At home, I’m just a regular person…!”
Even strict Seo Yerim was very polite to her elders. Truly, a popular S-class Awakened and celebrity.
Then, my mother laughed again.
“Well then, Yerim, while the subject comes up… Il-do is currently seeing Jin-ah, but honestly, it seems like they won’t last long. They aren’t really going on dates, you know.”
Suddenly, my heart felt uneasy.
Mom looked at me with a narrow gaze.
“Isn’t it actually? You’re pretending to date someone and lying to your mom, aren’t you? It’s because Mom keeps asking when you’ll get married or bring a girlfriend, right?”
“…”
I’ve always been a poor liar. Mom immediately caught on to me.
“Yerim, you know what? If I could, I’d suggest someone – any virtuous woman from Telos Corporation that might catch Il-do’s attention…?”
My face grew hot.
During puberty, some friends might feel embarrassed when their parents engaged in random conversations in front of their friends, but that wasn’t me. However, this was just ridiculous, wasn’t it?
Soon, my younger sister chimed in with her own remark.
“I believe Yerim would be the best match for our brother! Of course, it is a bit pitiful for her, and frankly, our world and Yerim’s seem completely different so I’d never dare say it aloud!”
“Mother, I actually feel the same! If a pretty and capable person like Yerim were to become our daughter-in-law – one who respects her elders and is diligent – Mom would have no regrets!”
Apparently, Mom hoped for Seo Yerim to become our daughter-in-law.
After tasting the privileges of the Megacorp owner circle, she couldn’t seem to regain her senses.
I hesitated before saying this, but… our mother has a bit of a materialistic side, you know.
“Ho, daughter…daughter-in-law!”
Yerim’s face turned bright red all of a sudden.
The temperature around us rose by one degree.
Illinois, who was munching on the ice cream, threw a fit.
“Ah…! My Illinois’ ice cream is now in the past tense! This is not together; it’s boiling water! Call me a lawyer…!”
As Illinois went on a yelling spree, Seo Yerim’s face turned red too, seemingly annoyed by my mother’s remarks. She was lightly fanning her red cheeks with her palms.
Our household was relatively well-off as my father worked diligently as a professor, but it was certainly rude of us to tell the princess of a conglomerate to move into our home.
“Mom! It would be tough unless brother is hiding wings or something!”
“That’s right. Yerim, let’s just joke about this! Haha!”
Soon, the nymphs and Haray began chattering, and I headed up to the deck.
Whoosh—
The dazzling lights of distant Shanghai came into view.
—
# # #
The Martial League of Shanghai.
We arrived at the martial artist institution styled like an oriental pavilion. After showing the invitation, a woman in a red cheongsam gave me a quick once-over.
“Are you the Squirrel Beast Haildo?”
She spoke fluent Korean.
Indeed, these days, no matter where in the world, institutions dealing with Awakened individuals tend to speak Korean quite well.
Besides the well-developed translation AI, it’s also because Korean Awakened often travel abroad for work or missions, thus increasing interaction.
Who could have foreseen that Korean would become the most economically efficient language?
“Yes. I am that Living Legend, Haildo.”
“Oh! I’m honored to meet such a renowned Awakened. I’ve seen the animal ranch! So, this is Kkungkkungi? This is the golden honey bee Ahn Ahn, and here is Bang Bang! And over there, that’s Kalilnoi?”
It seems the pets I bring along are already quite famous; perhaps even more than me.
“This Inoi here is a ditch-water nymph, Inoi. Glad to meet you!”
“Nymph…”
China still seems unfamiliar with nymphs.
Soon crowds gathered to gawk at the nymphs, muttering greetings like “Hao” or “Hao Hao.”
“Hao” means “good,” I suppose.
Illinois, however, was upset.
“Why do you people look at me Illinois like that…? There’s something unsettling about your gaze…”
Illinois clenched her fists and shivered.
Before I knew it, Illinois charged toward the onlookers.
“The might of US citizenship! The banner of the US…! Pax Americana is what you’re looking at…! Nymph Fist Wild Beating…! Let’s do it…!”
Thudthudthudthudthudthud—
“Hey, hey! Stop! Why are you hitting people!”
I was very flustered. A decade ago, China was quite aggressive and extremely strict, showing no mercy to foreigners.
However, contrary to my concerns, the awakeneds in Shanghai were highly impressed watching Illinois’ punches.
“Hao…!”
“Look at the incredible mystery embodied in her fists!”
“Extremely impressive techniques! She’s beating people wildly, yet not a single bruise appears!”
“…I, Zhang San, understand this. This girl is actually a grandmaster who has reversed the aging process!”
This was…what exactly was going on?
As I puzzled over it, the female receptionist in her red cheongsam with a bun hairstyle offered an explanation.
“Indeed, what a remarkable fist! In the martial world, the fist is law and reason. This is a well-known proverb from China’s historical records.”
Ah, I see.
After the Fifth Industrial Revolution, China appears to have become a romantic world ruled by the logic of power through awakeneds.
—
Anyway, I booked a hotel to participate in the upcoming tournament in Shanghai.
Seo Yerim, being an S-class Awakened, had some special procedures to complete, so it would take some time.
I headed toward a nearby place called “Fairy Guesthouse.”
Apparently, pets were permitted there.
It was a beautifully designed building in the Eastern style, typical of 21st-century China’s architectural style.
Most women wore cheongsams, showing legs that looked very healthy, while the men carried swords at their waists, wearing wide-brimmed hats.
“This Inoi does not know what this is, but this second floor appeals to me! Sitting here on the second floor, I get a clear view of the first floor scene!”
“Is there no black bean sauce noodles? No black bean sauce noodles in a Chinese restaurant? What’s this outrageous, nymph-hating behavior! I am filing a complaint against nymph fraud! Call me a lawyer!”
Illinois loved black bean sauce noodles. When I ordered them for her at my house before, she absolutely adored them, claiming she could eat them every single day without growing tired of them.
Waah, the nymphs were creating quite the disturbance.
Soon, someone shouted.
“Look at that person!”
“They’re bringing amazing animals!”
“Isn’t that the famous person? That celebrity! They appeared on TV training animals, didn’t they?”
Ah, so it goes.
I just wanted a quiet meal, but here were people recognizing me. I’d heard that “Animal Ranch” was quite popular in China, but it seems that the 1004th episode propelled me to the status of a Hanryu celebrity.
Swiftly, I got up from my spot and pulled out the autograph pen I always kept on me.
“I am the Living Legend Haildo…”
Thump, thump – people rushed past me to gather near the entrance of the shop.
“-?”
What exactly was going on here? I turned around to see someone entering the shop. He wore a black Chinese-style suit, his face was flushed, and he bore many scratches.
“That’s Master Lao of Beast Palace!”
“Awesome! Can I have your autograph!”
“Our continent’s new star! We love you!”
The oddest feature of this newcomer was that he brought along a cat, a panda, and a red locust.
Cats are fine, but I’ve never seen anyone bring a panda and a locust around before. When my honey bee Ahn Ahn, sitting on my shoulder, reacted…
-Zzji…!
Hoo – so it wasn’t an ordinary locust?
Soon, after looking around, the man loudly called out.
“Where is the Squirrel Beast Haildo? I know it’s not good to meet other competitors before the start of the tournament, but I can’t help it! Let’s see who the better trainer is!”
