Chapter 47 : A Couple Truly Faces Death (1)

Hoshino’s eyes were half-unfocused.

With a dazed expression, she looked like she could collapse and fall asleep at any moment.

But maybe because we became drinking buddies as soon as we became adults?

My instincts were telling me.

She was on the verge of passing out.

That’s why this was the most dangerous moment.

“You… why are you suddenly asking that?”

“I-It’s just that I was curious, that’s all?”

“Lies! Right now, the taste of your sweat, Janghoon, has ‘lies’ mixed in.”

Sweat… can have a taste like that?

No, before that, sourness or sweetness, maybe.

But did ‘lies’ even have a taste?

It sounded ridiculous, but when a tipsy, highly sensitive Hoshino said it from so close, it oddly felt convincing.

More than anything, I was actually lying.

“Uh… um…”

“Be honest! Do you have someone you’re dating among the soldiers?!”

“Huh? All of a sudden?”

“All of a sudden? Our major is literally all about that, isn’t it…”

“Ah…”

Feeling uncomfortable with the close distance, I took a step back.

But Hoshino took two steps closer than I had moved back and placed her hand on my thigh.

Indeed, the university I’m attending right now…

It’s not quite in the top five of the world’s monster-related fields, but it definitely ranks within the top fifty.

And I was currently enrolled in the ‘Monster Studies’ department.

“Janghoon, your dream is to work for the Hero Association, right?”

“Well, yeah. And aren’t you already a hero in the Association?”

“But you want to work as a researcher! Or a weapons developer…”

“Yeah. It’s not like I have incredible powers like you.”

There were two main reasons I pursued a career in the monster-related field.

First, because I was already a veteran in the subject, even without studying much.

Both monster research and weapons development were things I had tackled in mini-games while playing <Kaiju Frontline>.

Basically, if I could make money while playing games, why would I refuse such an opportunity?

And the second reason—so I could closely follow the storyline that was about to unfold.

As everyone knows, only people affiliated with the Association were allowed to enter areas where monsters appeared.

If I showed up transformed into a monster every time to check things out, I would stand out too much.

So, my plan was to become a monster at night and a nameless Hero Association member in the morning—

All to guide this world toward a happy ending.

But then—

“You… are you really sure you don’t know any soldiers?”

“Of course! I don’t know anyone.”

“Hmm. Since your balls didn’t shrink, I guess you’re telling the truth this time.”

She was completely drunk, crossing the line.

Was she scanning my whole body with the hand on my thigh?

Even though she looked tipsy, her sharp gaze told me she had reached an absurd conclusion.

“You see, men… when they get nervous or scared, their balls—um, testicles—shrink.”

“Uh, okay…”

“And I can sense that.”

“Y-You can?!”

“Yeah… for now, I still have to touch the guy’s body directly like this, though…”

Whoa.

If she were sober, she probably wouldn’t have revealed that.

When did she even develop this skill?

This is basically a lie detector—just for men!

Hoshino claimed she could sense the presence of my balls.

“But seriously, did you hate me asking about the soldier that much?”

Trying to lighten the suddenly heavy atmosphere, I quickly steered the conversation back.

But then—

“Of course…”

The next moment—

“Because… it seemed like you were interested in a woman.”

“……Huh?”

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard.

“A woman…?”

“Yeah? Weren’t you talking about that female soldier? The one I said was smart.”

“Yes! That soldier! But what do you mean, a woman?”

“…? That person was a woman.”

“Huh?!”

Wait, she was a woman?

<Kaiju Frontline> was a gacha-style mobile game where players recruited heroes with unique abilities to fight under the Hero Association.

Normal soldiers, without any unique features, were just low-ranking extras at best.

The only soldier mentioned as a main character was the protagonist.

Even up to the fifth anniversary update—when I quit playing—soldiers had always been like that.

But now, the supposed protagonist was a woman?

“Did she mistake someone else?”

…No.

If it were the drunken Hoshino in front of me, maybe.

But earlier this morning, when she was hunting the wolf monster, she had no trouble distinguishing genders.

So, did that mean the soldier she noticed wasn’t actually the protagonist?

‘Well, the Hoshino in front of me isn’t the cold and indifferent one from the original story, anyway.’

She must’ve made a mistake.

Sighing at the missed opportunity, I exhaled deeply.

“I just… I really thought that soldier was a man.”

“A… man?”

I was about to explain to the lady that it had all been just my own delusion.

“…Janghoon, don’t tell me… you had that kind of preference?”

“What?!”

What the hell kind of nonsense is this now?

“Wait, w-was I actually interested in men?”

“There’s no way that’s true!”

The lady, who had been serious the whole time, suddenly turned pale, as if she’d just seen a ghost.

“B-but! The moment you heard what I said, your balls shriveled up!”

“Well, who wouldn’t be freaked out by something like that?! Don’t suddenly turn me into some kind of pervert!”

I like women, damn it!

How the hell did she even reach that conclusion?

Normally, she would’ve quickly regained her composure and figured out what I actually meant. But since she was still drunk, she just kept trembling.

“I’ll… I’ll try!”

“Huh?”

“I’ll have to borrow some help, but… I heard that if a woman really sets her mind to it, she can conquer a man’s ass!”

“I said, NO, absolutely NOT!!”

This is bad.

If this keeps up, not only will I suffer, but once the lady sobers up, she’ll have a massive black mark on her history.

So, as much as I didn’t want to threaten my master as a mere servant…

“If you keep saying weird things like that…”

“…?”

“I won’t help you during your ‘heat cycle.’”

“!!”

And with that, I played my trump card.

The moment I said those words, Miss Hoshino instantly forgot all the misunderstandings she had been having.

But as a side effect, she nearly stripped naked in the middle of the pub to apologize.

“I-I’m sorry! I’ll take off my clothes and apologize, so please, just…!”

“Okay, okay! Just don’t take your clothes off, my lady!”

“Ugh… Hangover.”

Last night.

Maybe it was because the lady had passed out at the pub while half-naked.

Or maybe it was because I had to carry her all the way back to the dormitory. Either way, my head was still pounding the next morning.

“She kept trying to sleep without any clothes on, so I barely got any rest…”

Since today was a break day with no classes, I took the chance to leave G City, where my university was, and head to I City.

This district was known as one of the most famous sightseeing and landmark-filled areas in Hero City.

In the game, it was where most affection events took place, and it was also the go-to location for proposing to characters with 100+ affection points.

But the reason I came here without telling the lady…

It wasn’t for some sweet and romantic date.

It was because the first story event of <Kaiju Frontline> was about to unfold here in I City.

“Man, there are so many people, even on a weekday…”

Well, it made sense.

This place was basically a combination of Lotte World, Everland, Universal Studios Japan, and Disneyland all in one.

As I was eating a cup of instant noodles for my hangover in front of a convenience store,

I saw at least four or five couples pass by every time I blinked.

…But in just a week, a bloodbath was going to erupt in this happy district?

‘In the original, it was reported as a major disaster with around a thousand casualties. But I have to prevent that before it happens.’

The monster appearing in this first story event wasn’t exactly strong.

Rather, it was just… incredibly annoying.

It was like all of its stats had been invested solely in killing weaker humans.

The story of Chapter 1, Act 1 revolved around heroes chasing after this monster, but because it kept running away, a huge number of people ended up dead.

But as a five-year veteran player, I already knew exactly how to take it down.

“Ah! Janghoon!”

“Oh, you’re here?”

And I had a strong ally on my side.

As a mere human, I was weaker than even a random background soldier in the military.

Even if I knew the monster’s weakness, I’d be completely helpless if I got caught in a crowd.

So, I secretly called for a friend, without letting the lady know.

“You must be busy with hero work. Did I call you at a bad time?”

“Not at all! In fact, if it’s for something like this, you can call me anytime, and I’ll be happy to come!”

A-Rank Hero, Rank 9.

Codename: Creator Girl.

Back in middle school, I couldn’t keep up with the rigorous education system of D City, so we had to part ways after attending Almighty Elementary together.

But we stayed in touch over the years and met up from time to time.

Now, with Carmilla by my side, I was ready to investigate I City—

A place that would soon be soaked in blood.