067 – Native Nymph Dislikes Invaders! #6
“S Rank Awakened and two fully powered C Rank Awakened. I guess I’ll have to show my true abilities,”
the fake bartender said, gripping a dagger and getting into position.
Lee Jin-A, who was listening to the conversation, frowned.
“What do you mean ‘fully powered’?”
Was she annoyed by the mention of C Rank?
The important part was that the S Rank Awakened, Cha Yura, hadn’t carelessly charged at the enemy or used her skills.
“Everyone be careful! They seem skilled!”
If an S Rank Awakened said something like that, it meant the fake bartender’s skills were quite impressive.
But it was alright.
I had the joker card, Kkungkkungi!
Right now, Kkungkkungi was hanging just above the fake bartender’s head.
For reference, the ghost spider Kkungkkungi was an incredibly interesting and fun spider.
It understood human speech, loved to dance, and sometimes sang alone when in a good mood.
The most remarkable thing about Kkungkkungi was its ability to completely conceal its presence.
Even Yu Ara, who had the most sensitive senses among the people I knew, would be shocked if she ever sensed Kkungkkungi.
I named that technique “Kkungkkungi Secret Technique – Silent Steps.”
“Kkungkkungi! Now! Silent Steps!”
Thud-.
Kkungkkungi fell from the ceiling.
“Hyoo–!”
Just then, Kkungkkungi stuck to the fake bartender’s head.
“Ah! What is this! What is this!”
“Good!”
The weakness of those with sharp senses.
It was precisely their sharp senses.
They trust their senses almost 100%, no joke, more than 200%!
But then something unexpected pops up and surprises them?
It would be like a cat suddenly seeing a cucumber while eating—startled and flustered.
“And when they get flustered, sensor-type ability users are bound to have a gap! Now! Kkungkkungi, Ahn Ahn, let’s go!”
Thud-.
I unleashed my magic.
Ahn Ahn flew up with a whoosh.
Kkungkkungi, who rode on its back, raised its fur and let out a thunderous cry.
“Grrr…!”
“Go! Ram G Thunder!”
Thud-.
Kkungkkungi leaped down from a high place like lightning, spinning in mid-air.
The flash of brown fur collided with the bartender’s body, and the bartender fell to the ground with a loud scream.
“Ugh!”
It was a very ugly scream.
Having been hit by Kkungkkungi’s Ram G Thunder, they were surely incapacitated.
As I approached the tall bar table with that feeling—
I was able to spot a woman lying on the floor.
“Woof woof…!”
“Hyoo–!”
Kkungkkungi and Kkungkkungi were pulling at the woman’s arm or burrowing into her clothes.
Because of her clothes being rolled up, her white stomach was visible.
I also saw the engraving of a Tang on her navel, which was about the size of a pinky nail.
Having a Tang engraving meant she was at least B Rank or higher!
So this woman was at least B Rank!
Just as I thought that,
“Ugh!”
The woman, regaining her senses, quickly put her hand inside her chest.
The action was so fast that I couldn’t stop it.
Bang-!
The woman took out a small pill from between her breasts and threw it to the ground.
Then an incredibly large amount of smoke burst out.
The color was a deep pink, but it was colorless and odorless.
“What is this?”
Whatever it was, it seemed like I shouldn’t breathe it in.
As I covered my nose with my sleeve, something suddenly rose from the bar table.
She was wearing a beak-shaped mask like a plague doctor and wore a black robe ominously.
It really looked like the appearance of a grim reaper.
“Just as I thought!”
I started to faintly feel that the plague doctor mask was related to this incident.
And the message was one.
“There’s also a strange person with a steel arm on this ship, right? They must be hiding somewhere since it’ll be hard for them to conceal their identity!”
These were at least a duo group.
What were they trying to achieve by boarding this cruise ship?
The fortunate thing was that this pink smoke seemed to serve just as a smokescreen and distraction.
This hot pink fog certainly catches the eye.
“What’s the aim here?”
Something made a strange breath under the plague doctor mask.
The woman spoke.
“Elves.”
“Elves?”
“Their surveillance and monitoring armed groups targeting them. It’s not the time to be doing this, right? Gathering people in one place like this. They’re going to move.”
“Them—”
It seemed to imply that other giants were also hiding on this ship besides this plague doctor mask team.
Could they be lying?
However, Lee Jin-A spoke.
“It doesn’t seem like a lie. Though her voice is suspicious, the wave of her magic feels very calm.”
At that moment,
Cha Yura spoke up.
“I’ll leave this here to you! You guys should go to the place where the people are gathering! Seo Ye-Rim is there. It’d be better to stop her before she causes any trouble!”
That was a good suggestion.
Though I felt a bit uneasy leaving the plague doctor mask to Cha Yura.
But Cha Yura was one of the only three S Rank Awakened in Korea.
In fact, our presence here might be a hindrance.
# # #
“Were you the suspicious people who infiltrated the ship?”
Cha Yura quietly asked once Lee Jin-A, who had a long-standing grudge against Haildo, had exited this hall.
Soon, the woman wearing the beak mask, Yu Ara, spoke.
“Almost caused a major problem. We must not be exposed. Thanks to you sending people away, it worked out well.”
“What? If this was a mission on the ship, you should’ve told me! I could help you! You always leave me out. Did your dad tell you to?”
“First of all, we’re on a top-secret mission, so we can’t give you any details. And Yu Ra, you’re not even part of our team.”
Yu Ara was indeed on a top-secret mission.
It was a mission to monitor the elves and gather information on those who might come in contact with them.
Moreover, according to the intel, it seemed that an extreme armed group had also infiltrated this ship.
It was Yu Ara’s job to keep an eye on their movements.
But things had become complicated in many ways.
Of course, Yu Ara wasn’t too worried.
This ship had Haildo, and she fully trusted his abilities, so she felt that there would not be any problems.
‘It was really surprising. A spider suddenly dropped from the sky!’
The ghost spider Kkungkkungi.
It was a formidable opponent that even Yu Ara’s sensing couldn’t detect.
It almost became a real problem.
‘More than anything, I was worried that my senior memorized my mask! If I keep getting pursued like this, it’s certain that my identity will be revealed someday! Then—.’
What would happen if Yu Ara’s identity were revealed?
It was something she hadn’t considered before.
‘But still, I feel somewhat good that my senior is chasing and pursuing me!’
Yu Ara didn’t want to be caught yet.
Haildo being obsessed with her and chasing her around was the kind of relationship she wanted to enjoy a little longer.
‘To my senior, I must look like a huge villain, right? From the perspective of my righteous senior, it’s natural to want to catch me.’
Villains.
On the opposite side of heroes, there must always be villains.
Villains were what completed heroes.
‘If possible, I want to play the role of a magnificent villain, and I’ll complete my senior!’
This was something that neither Seo Ye-Rim nor Lee Jin-A could do.
Only Yu Ara could take on this role.
She thought throwing herself into this dedication was indeed supporting.
# # #
“Uh. Ari. Why?”
I answered my suddenly ringing phone.
Soon, Yu Ara spoke calmly over the line.
“─Senpai, are you possibly on the Fairy Ship?”
“Uh. How did you know?”
“Ilinois tagged you, Ye-Rim, and Jin-A on Instagram. It looks like you’re having so much fun. I’m so jealous. I wish I were there.”
“When I get an invitation next time, let’s go together.”
I suddenly felt a bit awkward and embarrassed even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.
I truly should invite Ari when I get the next invitation─.
As I was thinking that, Ari spoke.
“Senpai. More importantly, be careful. A friend of mine who works at the agency said there might be scary people on the ship. They’re apparently an unauthorized armed group. The executives seem to be really rich.”
Unauthorized armed group.
Executives.
Rich people.
Hearing this information, it felt like pieces of a puzzle were fitting together in various ways.
“Lastly, I want to ask you one thing. Ari—”
Are you hiding something from me?
I wanted to ask that.
But it seemed so ridiculous that I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
“Yeah? You want to ask me something?”
“No. Never mind. I’ll hang up!”
Swipe-.
I had arrived at the Midgard hall where people were gathered.
People were bustling about.
Among them was Ilinois.
“When will the prize draw finally happen…? If the organizers have lied to me, I’ll be calling my lawyer…!”
The situation seemed like multiple incidents hadn’t occurred yet.
Here, one of the VIPs was an executive of an unauthorized armed group?
Indeed.
If a giant was invited as a guest, it was inevitable that suspicions would arise.
Now what should I do?
Armed group executives.
They would likely not be Awakened given their relatively older age.
Then, the most common weapon they could use would be firearms.
“Can Kkungkkungi track gunpowder scent?”
“Woof woof…!”
Kkungkkungi scurried around under people’s feet.
At the place where Kkungkkungi stopped,
There was a woman in her mid-30s wearing a clingy red party dress, elegantly sipping wine.
I recognized her face from somewhere.
When I opened my narrow eyes, Lee Jin-A was astonished.
“Is this for real? It’s the celebrity Song Mi-Nyo. Is she holding gunpowder?”
Song Mi-Nyo.
I had heard of her too.
Back when I was a kid, she was synonymous with beauty.
Swipe-.
I approached Song Mi-Nyo.
And asked,
“Is this Ms. Song Mi-Nyo?”
“If you’re looking for an autograph, I won’t be giving you one. Today, I’m just here as a normal person.”
No.
I wasn’t looking for an autograph.
I said calmly,
“Do you happen to possess any prohibited items? I’d like to check your belongings for a moment.”
“What do you mean?”
Song Mi-Nyo reacted sharply.
Even though she had aged, since she was a national celebrity, the pressure she gave off when she frowned was immense.
People buzzed uneasily at her sharp question.
Soon, they started murmuring things like, “What?” or “What’s this?” while glancing our way.
Did she intentionally draw attention?
At this point, there was no way to continue to hide it.
I said to the crowd,
“It’s just a brief inspection. I’m C Rank Awakened Haildo. I’ve received information that there are people here trying to disrupt the sponsorship event.”
People began murmuring again.
Also, Song Mi-Nyo grew even more irritated.
“If you rummage through my belongings and find nothing suspicious? What will you do? I’m really not feeling good right now.”
“We’ll think about that when we get there.”
Swipe-.
Just then, Seo Ye-Rim approached.
“What’s going on? Is there a suspicious person?”
“Kkungkkungi detected gunpowder scent from this woman. It seems like she possesses firearms, but the inspection isn’t going smoothly.”
It would be a big problem if a man carelessly touched a woman’s body.
Soon, Seo Ye-Rim, having heard the narrative, said,
“I am S Rank Awakened Seo Ye-Rim. Ms. Song Mi-Nyo, if you cooperate, everything will be resolved easily. Can you show us your bag?”
Swipe-.
Seo Ye-Rim reached out her hand.
Song Mi-Nyo opened her narrow eyes and reluctantly handed over her bag.
Swipe-.
Seo Ye-Rim opened the bag.
Inside were cosmetics, a cellphone, handkerchiefs, and a wallet, amongst other oddly ordinary items.
However, Kkungkkungi reacted.
“Woof woof…!”
Kkungkkungi reacted to a pen-like object.
What could this be—?
As I reached out to touch it—
Song Mi-Nyo moved first, clutching the pen and aiming it all around.
“Don’t move! This looks like a pen, but it’s a real gun!”
As expected.
So this was it.
“What are you doing?”
I asked calmly.
There was nothing more dangerous than panicking in such a situation.
While saying that, I made Kkungkkungi move to stick on Song Mi-Nyo’s back.
Song Mi-Nyo, unaware of Kkungkkungi’s presence, spoke.
“Why am I doing this? I’m a patriot! You’re all being deceived by the elves! The elves are horrible beings! I’m going to expose their true faces to everyone!”
The elves’ true faces?
What on earth is she talking about?
Soon, Inoi spoke up.
“I don’t know what you mean, but it’s clear that those pointy-eared fairies are very suspicious…! I, Inoi, want to hear more of this story…!”
That’s right.
I also wondered what she was talking about.
Then suddenly, a man who looked like the president of a company spoke.
“Miss Beauty. Did your ex-boyfriend Kim get married to an elf, and you’re doing this out of revenge?”
“No! You all are being deceived! Alright, now that we’re at it, let me tell everyone! This is the elves’ real mindset! Come on, play it!”
Swipe-.
As Song Mi-Nyo gestured, women dressed in dresses moved.
They seemed to be Song Mi-Nyo’s subordinates.
The women manipulated the hall’s broadcasting equipment to play something.
Chii-.
As the speakers turned on, Ilinois yelled,
“Finally, is the prize draw starting…? Hurry up! I, Ilinois, must surely be the first to become the owner of that open collar…!”
However—
What came from the speakers wasn’t talk of a prize draw.
“We elves are going to marry and breed like crazy with Koreans in Korea. Then someday, Korea will become our elves’ land. Do you think you can stop it?”
“Korea will become the land of elves.”
“Our elves will dominate Korea. Now, we are only a few, but what if mixed-blood elves start being born? What about 100 years from now? 200 years from now?”
“We elves will eventually come to rule the nation democratically. Since it was a country that was already collapsing with a birthrate below 0.4, you should be grateful to us.”
It sounded like someone’s recording.
It was shockingly content, and immense shock enveloped my mind.
It seemed everyone felt the same way.
One by one, people fell silent.
Soon, Song Mi-Nyo declared triumphantly.
“Those were the words of the elf who married my boyfriend, Ayline! She said this in front of me! The elves are threatening our Korea!”
Indeed, it was a serious statement.
Could this be true?
Was it just that elf Ayline’s personal opinion?
It was common for tempers to flare in confrontations between an ex-girlfriend and a current wife.
At that moment.
“Woof woof…!”
A woman appeared with a silver-winged squirrel on her shoulder.
It was the leader of the elves, Freya.
Seo Ye-Rim asked,
“Ms. Freya. Was that story true? Do elves really intend to dominate Korea with mixed-blood elves? That’s really absurd.”
What would the leader of the elves, Freya, say about this enormous plot to overthrow a nation?
As everyone’s gaze turned to her, Freya spoke.
“It is true.”
Gooooo—.
The crowd stirred in various ways.
Soon, Song Mi-Nyo shouted.
“See! I was right!”
“But it’s not illegal, right? Moreover, our elves only love one person for a lifetime. There’s no deceit in falling in love with a Korean and marrying them and having children. I swear on Mother Yggdrasil!”
Love.
Who would have thought they’d hear such a thing here?
Soon, someone said.
“…Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Good thing…?”
“Yeah. After all, the country was collapsing with a birthrate of 0.5.”
“The elves have made funds that were dwindling into surpluses over tenfold. The more babies that are born, the better.”
“It’s better than having the country taken over by foreigners due to population extinction.”
The people gathered here were elites who had built achievements and positions in their respective social classes.
It seemed they were adjudging the current situation calmly and had reached the conclusion that it wasn’t a problem.
“Hyoo–!”
Just then,
Kkungkkungi pounced towards Song Mi-Nyo’s hand.
“Mommy!”
Surprised by Kkungkkungi’s appearance, Song Mi-Nyo dropped the pen gun.
I didn’t miss the opportunity and caught the pen gun.
Immediately, Seo Ye-Rim subdued Song Mi-Nyo by pressing her knee against her back.
“Yikes!”
“I understand your intentions, but the methods were wrong.”
“Ye-Rim, think about it! The men will be taken away by the elves! No, whatever, it’s fine. As soon as I give the signal, the bomb will activate.”
A bomb.
That was on a grand scale.
Celebrities certainly have big ambitions.
But then Cha Yura slowly walked in from afar and said,
“I’ve frozen all the bombs.”
As the situation seemed to have come to an end,
Ilinois spoke.
“So when is the prize draw, really…? I, Ilinois, hate lies…! Surely, the elves are ugly invaders, and I will sue them…!”
