191 – The Nymph and the Ugly Chick
# 1
—
Zuzji…!
Ahn Ahn, the honey ant, once again climbed atop a rock to deliver a lecture as usual.
The ants listening to Ahn Ahn’s story responded by saluting.
—
Doji…!
Geulji…!
Duji…!
—
All of them were knight ants with silver bodies that shone like steel armor. Among them were some with gleaming bodies scarred in battle and others with broken horns. According to Inoi, “Honey ants regard battle wounds as glorious…!”
—
Indeed, Doji, the knight ant with an impressive X-shaped scar on its back, seemed to receive respectful treatment among the knight ants.
Doji…!
When Doji shouted loudly, the ants quickly aligned themselves into neat rows. Their silver exoskeletons gleamed like newly purchased armor, and the shiny new ant recruits stood ready. Doji instructed them on various tasks:
How to dig the ground.
How to evade predators like tiger owls.
How to fight in organized groups.
—
Paji…!
Hyuji…!
—
The ants trained hard, and watching them filled me with a sense of pride. It seemed like the peace and order of Primal Village would improve.
However, not all the ants followed the training well.
—
Ree… Reji….
—
Upon observation, Reji was an ant who struggled with the drills, fumbling through everything. Unable to execute commands like “left face” or “right face,” Reji couldn’t coordinate their six legs with the others and often tripped over them. While the other ants shone with a sleek silver luster, Reji’s color was a dull chrome, making them look scruffy. It reminded me of an ugly duckling among elegant swans.
“Ahh, there are always trainees who lag behind. It brings back memories.”
—
Watching the ants roll around in a harvested field took me back to my own memories.
Today, Awakened individuals might act like celebrities or successful freelancers, but around eight years ago, they were closer to soldiers.
—
Back when I began leading a platoon of roughly 24 members—around the time we recruited the second batch of rookies—it was during the crisp autumn season. They were all the talk of the town.
“Do you mean she’s Telos Group’s daughter?”
“In times of chaos, even the children of conglomerates and women are drafted into the military.”
“Looks like there’s an Osa Group heir as well. Is that him? Joon-Hun Lee? Ha, if he ends up in my platoon, he’s dead.”
—
At the time, the second batch was filled with famous teenagers. Many were scions of corporate owners, high-ranking officials, politicians, and even idols.
The transformation of Awakened activities into something akin to celebrity work began when these second-generation rookies started gaining prominence. Journalists and fans would swarm the training grounds for photos, causing quite a commotion.
—
Anyway, I met that scruffy girl with glowing dark eyes around that period.
“I… I’m Ari. Yu Ara.”
—
Though a classmate drafted alongside idol-like Ye-rim, who acted arrogantly from the start, Ara was different. She was shy, easily embarrassed, spoke quietly, and had trouble forming proper sentences. At the time, as platoon leader, I was quite concerned. I feared that taking such a passive and obedient person into a mission within a rift would result in someone getting hurt—or worse, dying.
Suddenly, Inoi clenched their fists and cried out.
“This Inoi has tried to suppress the urge to reflect on past memories, but it’s impossible! Stop reminiscing before I start punching blindly!”
“Fair enough.”
—
I snapped back from my hazy memories of the training grounds.
—
—
—
I enjoy checking social media for updates on people’s lives.
—
Ever since I plateaued at D-rank, I developed a habit of peeking into how others were faring—how they were doing well and what they were achieving. If someone posts about buying a new car, getting married, or traveling abroad, I end up feeling envious. It also reminds me of my own inadequacies. Of course, now that I’ve regained some momentum, seeing people thrive doesn’t bother me as much.
“Barbar the Imp, Rib the Racoon, and Welcome Party!”
Smiling at the photo posted by my sister, Hye-ra, from last night, I saw that they had welcomed Barbar the Imp and Rib the Racoon into the family with cake and fried chicken.
Ding-dong!
Walking through the door into the familiar sound of the door-lock opening, my mom greeted me with a warm welcome.
“Come in. Inoi, hello!”
“Hello to all of you! It’s good to see you! Inoi would like to let Kkungkkungi roam free in the living room! Ahn Ahn and Bang Bang will be released as well!”
With that, Inoi raised the glowing, rainbow-colored Iningyi to show Mom, wearing an expression and posture brimming with pride.
“Behold this rainbow cloud! Not even any nymph or god possesses such a beautiful cloud! Her name is Iningyi!”
“Another new animal! What’s with the cloud?”
—
After some casual greetings, I started looking for Hye-ra.
“Is Hye-ra here?”
“She went out to the mountains for training with Dad and Rib and Barbar! Phew, ever since she became an Awakened, she’s all over the place. Imps and racoons are pretty cute, though.”
It seemed my mom was worried about Hye-ra, who had awoken as an Ability user after turning twenty.
“Dayil, wasn’t she supposed to go to the training camp for a month? Will she be able to handle it? Can you help her out in some way? You’re doing well these days, right?”
—
What’s she expecting me to do? Send her to an easy place where she can slack off? I’m not that influential, and even if I could, harsh training will help her realize how tough the life of an Awakened can be.
“So what’s the matter at home?”
“Nothing much, I just stopped by while I was in the area.”
—
I was heading toward the address my mom had sent me earlier. I figured buying some talismans might help.
Apparently, Hye-ra seemed to have awakened with a talent similar to a spirit-user, so some protective tools might be useful.
—
With that thought in mind, I left the neighborhood behind and headed toward a more rundown area. This was a region untouched by the fifth industrial development boom, filled with old housing.
“The public housing apartments are over there, so the address is…”
Passing by a playground that hadn’t been repainted in who-knows-how-long, I headed toward a quieter alley. In the distance, I could see colorful flags flying high.
—
Bang-bang! Ruff-ruff!
At the sound of barking dogs, Inoi grew tense, grabbing their coin-purse tightly.
“Those dogs are probably going to come out and try to steal this Inoi’s coins! It happened last time!”
Recently, Inoi had their coin-purse stolen by a pack of dogs but managed to retrieve the coins after encountering the same dogs on the street.
Ever since, Inoi has become wary of stray dogs.
“Ah! That one!”
Inoi, spotting something, exclaimed in alarm.
“We must attack quickly!”
Inoi rushed off like a beekeeper encountering hornets, heading in some direction. Did they encounter one of the dogs from last time? Inoi threw punches wildly.
“Nymph-fist, Attack!”
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom
However, the recipient of this sudden violence wasn’t a dog or a hornet…
“Yeeek! Stop hitting me, Morales!”
It was Morales, the muddy water nymph! After calming Inoi down, I helped Morales, who had fallen to the ground, up.
“Morales, what brings you here? Is Ari nearby?”
While I asked, it wasn’t odd for Morales to be here since the house with flags belonged to Yu Ara’s grandmother.
—
Sliding the door, Morales and I entered the flagged house.
Creak
The door opened, showing a yard filled with statues or figurines of various deities and spirits, which were often targeted for destruction or beatings by Inoi and the nymphs. As I took in the surroundings, which felt strangely familiar, Inoi spoke.
“I feel strangely familiar with this place!”
—
Had Inoi also sensed something? I gently knocked on the entrance.
Morales then said,
“Ara, come to the door!”
Soon, there was movement from inside, and someone peeked through the frosted glass. The door unlocked with a clink, and Ara appeared in her black tracksuit.
“Morales, I thought you were going to play outside. Why are you back so early?”
—
Ara appeared as if she had just woken up, yawning and rubbing her eyes. Her hair was tousled, her tracksuit jacket unzipped, revealing her white t-shirt underneath. What stood out most was a large bruise under her left eye, making it look as if she’d been hit.
“Ari, there you are. What happened to your eye?”
“Hiiyaa!”
Slam!
The door quickly shut.
“Ahhh, Senior…! I didn’t expect you to visit. Meeting you like this is such a surprise! And Morales too!? Wait a moment…”
From behind the door, there were loud sounds of shuffling.
—
A moment later, Ara’s voice could be heard through the door, asking me to wait.
