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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Outing
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After finally sending Meteiel back to America, I decided to resume the tasks I had postponed.
"Dain. You need to rest."
"...Yes."
...Of course, Soobin told me to rest with a smile on her face, so I decided to take a short break. Honestly, I don't care if I abuse my body since you only live once... but I kept quiet, fearing that saying such a thing would only make Soobin smile even more intensely. Soobin is scariest when she smiles.
Anyway, I sat on the sofa and rested for a while. I told Seoeun and Eunwol old stories, things like that.
"And so, the God of Light gave courage, the God of the Moon gave wisdom, and the God of Stars gave love to humanity."
"Oppa. Isn't that a cult?"
"....!"
Of course, there were minor incidents, like Seoeun treating my interesting mythologies as cult stories, and Eunwol, who used to be a priestess of a cult, flinching at the word "cult."
Well, it was like that. I played games with Choi Sehee, and everyone went to the bookstore to read and relax. Relatively peaceful days followed.
And today, we all came to a cafe that was rumored to have a good atmosphere.
Hayul found this cafe. She said it was popular these days, so we all decided to come during an off-peak hour.
"Hmm... this place is nice."
The atmosphere was quite tranquil and definitely pleasant. The interior was beautifully white, and with grass laid out in front of the cafe, it gave off a green, natural vibe, as if it blended with nature.
With the warm sunlight shining in, it naturally made you feel good.
As everyone was content, the drinks we ordered arrived.
I ordered a blueberry smoothie. It was sweet and quite drinkable.
"...Hey. How is it?"
"Hm?"
As I was slurping my blueberry smoothie through the straw, I heard Seo Jayeong's languid voice asking me from across the table.
"How is it? It's delicious, of course."
"Really? Let me try a sip."
"Go ahead."
She said she wanted a sip, so I handed her the glass. She took a mouthful through the straw, then handed it back to me.
"...It's good."
"Right?"
"Yeah."
She returned the glass to me with a lazy smile, and I took it back and drank again. It was nice and sweet, as expected.
"...Naturally using the same straw...."
"Hm?"
"No, it's nothing."
Seoeun, sitting next to me with puffed-out cheeks, looked like she was about to say something to me but then gave up. What was that? Why were her cheeks puffed? Did she want to be a hamster?
We sat in the cafe for a while, chatting and relaxing. We ate honey bread, tasted Seoeun's mango smoothie, and listened to Hayul talk about university.
We were having a relatively enjoyable time in a peaceful atmosphere, for the first time in a while.
*CRUMBLE! RUMBLE! CRASH!*
"...What the—?"
That is, until suddenly, a building collapsed somewhere across the way. And then, a chorus of screams!
"Hm? What was that?"
Choi Sehee tilted her head.
To her, I replied as if it were obvious.
"Looks like a terror attack, doesn't it?"
"Ah... a terror attack?"
What else would make buildings collapse and people scream besides a terror attack? ...I just don't know why a terror attack has to happen precisely when we're out relaxing.
I stirred the ice in my smoothie with my straw, lost in thought for a moment. Was there anyone who would cause a terror attack right now...? Hmm, judging by the fact that I couldn't recall anyone specific, it was probably some minor player.
Anyway, there was a continuous crashing sound from that direction, and people were running and fleeing in front of the cafe.
Of course, we didn't run. With our combined power, we could defeat most opponents anyway. And it wasn't like the terror attack was happening right in front of us.
So we just sat there, clinking our ice. ...But, honestly, moments like these always make me realize anew that I'm in a hero story. There's no time for peace outside. And this is even after I've filtered out quite a few villains.
"...It feels weird, with everyone else running away and only us sitting here."
"We're a bit far, so we'll be fine anyway, right? The people running away now are probably the ones who were at the scene."
"Is that so?"
Seoeun replied, naturally taking another piece of honey bread.
But did everyone really run away? Thinking that, I glanced towards the counter. ...I saw a part-timer calmly wiping cups, yawning.
The sight was calm, even as the building slightly trembled with crashes from that direction. They seemed perfectly adapted to South Korea, a nation where terror was commonplace. Indeed. You couldn't survive in South Korea if you got startled by trifles like this.
"Then Stardus will be here soon too, won't she..."
And then, I paused at Hayul's mumbled words. Wait, now that I think about it, she's right. A terror attack means Stardus will be here soon, doesn't it?
Having finished that thought, I shot up from my seat.
"Guys. I'm going to go take a quick look. Everyone else, keep resting."
"...I wondered why you hadn't said that yet. Ugh. Oppa, I'm coming with you. I want to see Stardus's skills again."
"Me too!"
"Alright, alright. Come on."
"...You really like Stardus, don't you?"
Leaving Seo Jayeong's words behind, I went up to the building's rooftop with Seoeun and Choi Sehee. Wow, it's been a while since I've seen Stardus fight someone live.
"Tsk. We should have popcorn, but we don't."
I mumbled to myself. As I stood on the rooftop, the urban landscape spread out before my eyes. And next to that building, the culprit was visible.
"KRAAAAH! I'll destroy everything!"
*CRASH. CRASH.*
There was a huge, black, gorilla-like creature, roughly the size of Seoeun's Starbuster, smashing the side of a building.
Of course, like people in a hero-filled world who are well-trained in terror preparedness, everyone had quickly fled, so no people were visible, but it was a threatening sight nonetheless.
"KRAAAAHHHHHHH!"
Oh dear. Now it was even breathing fire.
"Hey! It's a fire-breathing crazy gorilla! A gorilla is breathing fire!"
And seeing that sight, Choi Sehee got excited. Seoeun remained calm, but a grown adult was watching a gorilla with sparkling eyes.
"Hey. Can't I fight that..."
"No."
"Tsk."
Choi Sehee's request, her eyes sparkling as she sparked electricity around her fists, was flatly refused. I knew she liked to fight, but it would be troublesome if she suddenly stepped in here. We weren't prepared, and Stardus would be here soon anyway.
And even before I finished speaking. Someone was already flying over from that direction.
A woman in a red bodysuit, her blonde hair streaming behind her, flying in. Stardus. ...It felt like quite a long time since I'd last seen her. Was the last time at night when I dealt with Seo Jayeong and Shadow Walker?
Anyway. As expected, Stardus arrived immediately. As she descended towards the gorilla, the creature turned its head to acknowledge Stardus.
"GRAAAH!!!!! Who are you! No one can stop me, Black Kong!"
He was screaming so loudly that we could hear him clearly even from this distance.
And that mad gorilla beat his chest like a drum before charging at Stardus. In response, our Stardus also clenched her fists and immediately charged forward. The full-scale battle had begun.
*CRASH. BOOM.*
The sound of impact echoed even from afar. Listening to it, I finally recalled Black Kong. ...Well. There wasn't much to him. Just an extra who briefly appeared in the original story. However, I did remember a mention that Stardus had a rather tough time against him. Then again, in the original, there wasn't a single villain Stardus didn't struggle against.
And now, before my eyes, Stardus was fighting the gorilla quite evenly. When the creature breathed fire, she dodged it as naturally as flowing water. When it charged, she met it with her fists.
Stardus was steadily punching the gorilla. Well. She seemed to be fighting pretty well.
As I watched, Seoeun, who was observing beside me, was muttering to herself with a serious expression.
"...With Starbuster Mk.3, it feels like an opponent that... might be beatable, or might not be... if I increase maneuverability..."
She seemed deep in thought. It was a complete contrast to Choi Sehee, who was watching beside me, swinging her fists as if she were watching an action movie.
The gorilla would jump high and swing its fists at the ground, and Stardus would dodge and then kick the creature from behind.
A fairly dynamic battle continued. While enduring Seoeun's rather cold gaze, I diligently took photos to upload to Stardus's fan cafe, and at the same time, analyzed Stardus's combat power.
...She's definitely stronger than in the original, but it's still a bit disappointing. I feel like she could be even stronger. Especially at this level, I don't think she could catch the monsters summoned by the Moonlight Cult.
Well, I just need to do a little better myself. There's no need to worry yet.
After taking a few more photos, the gorilla was already defeated. Stardus stood triumphantly over it. She looked cool, so I took another picture.
However.
I thought for a moment, my face hardening. ...Now, even on the days we happen to go out, terror attacks occur. The frequency of terror attacks has certainly increased. It will only increase further in the future. Especially once the Moonlight Cult opens a portal.
In other words. It would be right to start immediately before South Korea becomes an even bigger mess. It's truly time to start the PMC business that I've been putting off.
Soon, as the Association's vehicles began to arrive one by one, I took one last look down at Stardus, then took Seoeun and Choi Sehee back.
Well, it was nice seeing Stardus after a long time, anyway.
***
"Whew..."
Stardus, Shin Haru. After capturing the gorilla villain, she stood atop it and wiped the sweat from her forehead. It wasn't easy, but she succeeded in apprehending him in one go. Now, he would be incarcerated in the Eastern Paranormal Abilities Detention Center.
But lately, terror attacks seemed to have become more frequent. ...Except for Egostic, that is.
As she waited, panting, for the Association agents to arrive.
'....?'
A strange feeling suddenly came over her, and she lifted her head to look towards the top of the building across the way. Her eyes met only an empty sky and a deserted rooftop.
....For a moment, she had felt a gaze.
Had she imagined it? Shin Haru merely tilted her head, wondering.