Chapter 137: The World Might End Tomorrow, but This is Hot "Hmm, hmm—"
"Oho—"
…What are they doing?
After defeating the Okigo, the mercenaries were pacing around me, scanning me from head to toe.
Was his name Sunwoo? Except for Sunwoo and Turk, the rest of them were circling me so much it was making me dizzy.
"His looks pass the test."
"Pass? Didn't he just snag the Boss with those looks? He's damn handsome."
"Looks aren't everything in a person."
It was hilarious watching Natsume and some bearded guy whose name I didn't know have such a serious debate.
Excuse me, evaluating someone right in front of their face isn't exactly polite.
"How are his assets?"
"Why are you asking a kid about his assets? Besides, the Boss has more than enough. He just needs to show up with his body."
Sometimes, no matter what they asked, they'd just talk amongst themselves and reach their own conclusions before I even had a chance to answer.
While Turk was snickering in the back, a pissed-off Frey approached and kicked the mercenaries in the ass.
"Get lost and stop doing weird shit."
"Weird shit? Boss, this is for your future—Gah!"
There's always that one person who gets hit because they just had to get the last word in.
I'd seen a few mercenaries from Greyhound during training, but this was the first time I'd seen the ones on Frey's personal team, excluding Turk and Sunwoo.
They were all highly capable, some even leading their own teams, so they were usually busy.
I recognized Natsume and Selby from photos, but I only knew the others by name.
That quiet-looking guy who resembled Sunwoo was probably Rick, and the other two were likely Mots and Brandon.
"Ah, these are my teammates. Yukina, Angelica, and Masayoshi."
"I am Yukina."
"I am Masayoshi. It is an honor to meet mages of such renown."
Yukina gave a short reply, while Masayoshi acted all dignified.
Then, Angelica gave a bright smile and hugged Frey.
"It's been a while, Aunt Frey."
"Yes, it's been a long time since we've seen each other in person."
Eh? Angelica and Frey know each other?
There was nothing in the game about them being acquainted.
Well, it made sense. With so many characters, private lives could be touched upon through events or character info, but it was impossible to delicately portray every single relationship or past interaction.
Still… isn't this important information? If she calls her 'Aunt,' it means their families are close and they've seen each other often.
Tap, tap—
I was internally cursing the incompetent game developers when someone tapped my shoulder. It was Rio.
What's with him pointing at himself?
"Wh-Why aren't you introducing me?"
"That's because… as soon as we get another teammate, you and the thug are getting replaced. You're not on my team."
"…I'm going to kill you."
I tried joking around for a bit, but Rio's fanboying for Frey was deeper than I thought; he made a terrifying face.
It looked like he might actually hit me, so I quickly introduced him. But once he was actually in front of her, he couldn't even speak properly.
"Ah, I, l-lo… no, no, h-h-honor… ah, I—"
"…Did this one get injured during the battle?"
"No, he's always been mentally unstable. Don't worry about it."
Rio had completely blown his chance to greet his idol, but he looked like he was melting just from being near her.
He's already not much to look at, but with his nostrils flaring like that, he looks even worse.
"So, what's the plan now?"
"Ah, has the command been handed back to me?"
"Isn't that obvious? This was your request, and you're the one in charge of it."
She really is thorough about these things.
Since the request was over, she could have relaxed a bit, but she maintained a professional attitude and asked for the subsequent plan.
"The Okigo will make for good material, so let's cast a preservation spell on it and move to the cave where it was staying."
"Are we not waiting for the follow-up team?"
"Let's leave the rest to them. We've already reclaimed the place; there's no need for us to do the cleaning too."
I contacted the Government to report that, contrary to the request details, an Okigo had appeared and been dealt with.
The operator was surprised, but upon realizing Frey was there, they responded as if it were only natural.
It's a bit annoying, considering how much trouble we went through because of the guy who embezzled the construction funds and the fog.
There were about three hours left until the follow-up team arrived to reorganize the base.
"Guys, are you tired?"
"I shouldn't be the one complaining. I just watched you climb the whole time."
Masayoshi was fine.
Yukina and Angelica probably had every right to be tired, but they didn't show it at all.
As for the thug… well, even if he's tired, he needs to suffer more.
"I'm exhausted."
"Exhausted?"
"Of course I am! I couldn't see a thing because of the fog, I had to constantly change the terrain and scout to report monster locations, and I had to support those two in combat. I'm dying here."
Look at this guy exaggerating.
Every role is hard, but he probably had the easiest job next to Masayoshi.
And hey, your idol is right next to you—are you really going to act that weak? There's a reason you're unpopular.
"Really? Well, I'm going to go make some money, so you stay here and rest."
"Money?"
At the mention of money, the eyes of Rio—whose family wasn't exactly well-off—changed instantly.
"Those monkeys we caught in bulk aren't worth much, right? The Okigo wasn't part of the request, and since Master's team caught it, we don't have ownership."
"Ah…"
This guy was clearly excited about the prospect of cashing in on the Okigo.
I have a part-time job ready for a disappointed guy like you.
"There's an undiscovered mining area here. We have about four hours until the follow-up team arrives, right? Once they get here, it'll fall under Government management, so we can make a killing before then. Ah~ but you're tired, right? Just rest. I'll go make some money and come back."
"Wait, wait a minute! I'll go! I'm going!"
As I turned to leave, Rio frantically chased after me.
Since I only knew about it through the game, I followed Frey's lead into the cave where the Okigo had been.
"So that's why you brought those."
Masayoshi muttered as he looked at the pickaxes we were each carrying.
He had asked what they were for earlier, but I couldn't say anything then because the agents were around.
I picked up a deep cobalt-colored ore from the ground and showed it to the team.
"Kamirite. It's a core material for several curse-curing medicines."
"It's also used in crafting magical tools," Masayoshi added.
I looked at Rio, whose eyes were sparkling, and said, "Yeah. A piece of Kamirite about the size of two knuckles goes for about 2,000G at current market prices."
"…That's not as expensive as I thought."
"It's used in many fields and isn't incredibly rare, so it's not that expensive for a material. However, this entire wall is Kamirite."
Only then did Rio look at the wall I was pointing at.
It was the exact same color as the ore I was holding… and it had to be, because the whole thing was Kamirite.
If we stripped even one wall, it would be an astronomical amount.
One swing of the pickaxe yielded a fist-sized chunk, so that's roughly 40,000 to 50,000G per swing. No matter how much mages earn, swinging a pickaxe for four hours would be a massive haul for an individual.
Watch as Rio's eyes fill with greed after finishing the mental math.
Without even waiting for a signal to start, Rio began swinging his pickaxe like a madman, mining the Kamirite.
It was like watching the downfall of a man enslaved by money.
"It was tough, wasn't it? Angelica, you don't have to do this."
"Huh? No, it's okay. I'm still fine."
Her family is wealthy, so she wouldn't be desperate for money, and I thought this kind of physical labor would be hard for her, so I tried to be considerate. But Angelica gave a bright smile and lifted a pickaxe with her mana.
Ah—right. This is a world where magic is part of daily life.
The pickaxe floating in the air mined the ore every time Angelica flicked her finger.
Being considerate of the others, Angelica mined the high spots near the ceiling and used her mana to catch the falling ores, gathering them safely in one place.
Hmm… even if it's part of daily life, that's only possible for someone like Angelica, who has a massive amount of mana.
If I tried that, I'd be exhausted in less than five minutes.
Now then, while the kids earn some pocket money, shall I head further inside?
I looked back and saw that the mercenaries, who already made plenty of money, didn't seem interested in this.
"Master, I'm going to head further in. Please help me."
"Further in? There's nothing where the Okigo was."
"There's a hidden passage."
"..."
She's suspicious. Definitely suspicious.
I could use Frey as an excuse with others, but I couldn't use that excuse with her.
Even the Government doesn't know, so who would know an Okigo was here, and who would know about a hidden passage inside its lair?
Even I thought it was suspicious, but since I had no excuse, I just shrugged.
"Is there an enemy inside?"
"No, probably not. That gorilla was sensitive; he wouldn't even let a monkey invade his territory."
"Really? Then… Boss, we'll just stay here and play miner."
Turk said, putting his arm around his comrades' shoulders.
"Huh? Why me?"
"I'm not the physical type, you know? If I do this, I'll be bedridden for a week."
"Hey, earn while you can. There aren't many chances to mine a site that the Government is going to monopolize."
"No, I mean, it's not even that much… What, Sunwoo?! Why are you dragging me?"
They were trying to leave me alone with Frey.
Thanks, Turk-hyung.
Sunwoo and Natsume also caught onto Turk's intention and led their comrades away to start mining.
"..."
"Shall we go?"
"Don't even think about doing anything weird."
"Weird? Like what? No, no, no, don't use violence."
To think she'd raise her fist just because I teased her a little—she's too violent.
Is she still conscious of the fact that she ran away after that little kiss?
It's too cute.
Her expression—80% annoyance, 15% embarrassment, and 5% fluttering—was so adorable even while she was glaring that I wanted to hug her.
If I hugged her without a word, my jaw would probably get dislocated and I'd pass out again, though.
Regardless, unlike Rio, I'm a man who doesn't miss an opportunity, so I headed inside with Frey.
We entered a passage hidden behind a pillar, a space so well-concealed you'd never notice it unless you stood in a very specific spot.
At first, even I couldn't find it, and Frey's suspicious gaze deepened, but once I finally located the passage, she looked at me with eyes full of grievances.
I'll have to give her a proper excuse someday.
It wasn't just this; I'd shown Frey knowledge that others couldn't possibly have many times before.
Once or twice might be fine, but since it had piled up, her doubts about me must be deep.
I wish there was someone else I could use as a scapegoat besides Frey.
Should I use Akito's father's name? He doesn't show up until the end of Part 1 anyway.
Thinking about how to make an excuse, I walked inside and saw a large magic circle.
"What is this?"
In the center of the magic circle someone had created was something like an altar; it looked like a ritual from some chuunibyou bastards serving a dark god, typical of fantasy.
Frey frowned as she scanned the magic circle on the floor, analyzing what kind of magic it was, while I used the camera I brought to record every single detail in a 360-degree sweep.
After taking the photos, I looked up to see Frey's eyes demanding an explanation.
Perhaps because it included all her previous suspicions, her eyes held a hint of hostility and wariness, reminiscent of the day we first met.
"They were summoning the White Abyss."
"How do you know that?"
"…Someday… I'll explain. Well—even if I say that, I know your suspicions won't disappear."
I gave a bitter smile.
At that, Frey's gaze softened, and she clicked her tongue, turning her head away.
"Don't think acting pitiful will work on me."
Hasn't it already worked? It seems to work quite well.
Of course, if I said that, I'd get beaten again, so I kept my mouth shut.
"Why did you show this to me?"
At Frey's question, I stepped into the magic circle.
Seeing me approach recklessly, Frey flinched for a moment but let me be.
On the altar, which was just the right size to be used as a dining table, sat a round crystal larger than a fist.
As I picked up the crystal, the light of the magic circle faded, and I held it out to Frey.
"There is someone with magic that can control the White Abyss—a natural phenomenon—at will."
"..."
It must be an unbelievable story. If I said they could even control monsters, she'd probably think I was insane.
"As you can see from the fact that the base was overrun by monsters, the person using this magic has no good feelings toward the Government."
"Do you know their identity?"
"A little. I'll send you the data later, but it's so little it probably won't be of much help."
Frey stared at the crystal in my hand for a moment before meeting my eyes.
"Why didn't you report this to the Government?"
"Me? Even if I'm part of Yggdrasil, I'm just a student who just got his license."
Whenever I watched stories with a protagonist who knows the future, I always had the same thought.
Why not just tell them the future and stop it? But the larger an organization is, the more sluggish its movements are because a wrong move can lead to massive losses, and they require a lot of verification.
If someone with no track record and no accomplishments comes along and says the world is ending tomorrow, they'd be thrown into a psychiatric ward, not listened to.
Honestly, there are probably more than a few truly crazy people who say such ridiculous things.
They can't respond to every single one, and they must be sick and tired of it, so it's inevitable that their reaction would be lukewarm.
That's why I'm going to use someone with a strong voice.
"Please research this. And reveal it at the right moment, when it's needed."
"..."
Frey is amazing, but even if she spoke up now, the Government wouldn't listen.
In every request, Akito gathered evidence of the mastermind bit by bit and informed the Government, but they didn't believe him.
Even in the game, the reason the Government, which has the 12 Zodiacs, relies on Akito—who is just a student in Part 1—isn't just because of the Whitening Phenomenon.
A story where a powerful, massive organization doesn't believe the protagonist, gets completely ruined, and then the protagonist cleans up the mess is practically a classic trope.
Similarly, here, the 12 Zodiacs will be busy, some will die, and Government mages will be occupied with disaster relief because they were hit so hard by the mastermind, leaving Akito to solve it.
What I'm doing now is minimizing the damage to lower the game's difficulty.
If I can bring in even one of the 12 Zodiacs, or get support from a few skilled Government mages, we can save many more people and catch the mastermind much more easily.
"…I'll back you up. Then you'll get the credit, and the Government will listen."
"No, rather than an insignificant person like me being involved, it'll be more credible if you report it alone, Master."
"..."
"My credit isn't important. Stopping those who harbor ill will toward the Government and humanity is more important."
I placed the crystal in Frey's unmoving hand.
"Please take good care of it. And I'm sorry for burdening you with this role."
"…Just what kind of weight are you carrying on your back… Phew—fine. If I can share your burden, that's enough."
Frey sighed and put the crystal into a small bag.
Well, the purpose of coming here has been achieved. Shall I take the opportunity Turk-hyung gave me?
I wrapped my arm around Frey's waist, pulling her body close to mine.
"What are you doing?"
"An unfinished Soul Chain verification?"
"…You were just talking about serious stuff. Are you out of your mind?"
…I can't argue with that.
If you see a guy who was talking about threats to humanity and enemies of the Government suddenly getting horny and trying to set the mood, it would be a turn-off.
But I'm turned on.
We're all alone in a cramped space, and I can feel Frey's body stiffen with tension through the arm I have around her.
A high-strung beauty who's always annoyed and acting tough—though she actually is tough—getting nervous and embarrassed… it'd give a dead man an erection.
I looked down at Frey, who was scowling up at me but not pushing me away, then slid my arm down from her waist to firmly grasp her firm buttocks.
"…Let go."
She glared at me as if she were about to wring my neck at any moment, but Frey still didn't do anything and just stayed still.
This is possible, right?
Frey's gaze was terrifying, but I leaned down, slowly approaching her face.
Even as our faces grew closer, her scowling eyes remained steady, continuing to glare at me.
But you know what? It's even hotter when you glare at me like that.
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