Chapter 174: Gathering (3)

Chapter 174: Gathering (3)

"It's been a while, Mr. Ohjin."

After entering the room, Isabella sat down next to Ohjin like it was only natural and smiled with her eyes.

He thought that Jegal Soyoung's smile looked quite attractive, but Isabella's was so powerful that he momentarily forgot what Jegal Soyoung looked like.

"I wanted to see you."

Isabella laughed sheepishly with an innocent smile.

"What circumstances led you to join Guardian?"

"I directly contacted the First Star after hearing that you were here!"

'What...? She followed me here?'

Ohjin looked at Isabella with a shocked expression.

It was unknown if she knew how he was feeling on the inside, but she looked at Ohjin like a puppy expecting to get praised and leaned her head forward.

'Does she want me to pat her...?'

Due to the silent pressure Ohjin felt from Isabella, he reflexively put his hand on top of her beautiful blond hair.

Her delicate hair which was as soft as fur slipped through the gaps of his fingers.

"Mmh."

Isabella gently closed her eyes and groaned listlessly as if she was savoring Ohjin's touch and odor.

"I was surprised when Lady Isabella contacted me. To think that you would also have connections with the Saintess of Rome..."

"Well... it somehow happened."

Ohjin evasively tried to avoid explaining his relationship with her.

"Mr. Ohjin is my lifesaver."

"Lifesaver?"

Isabella nodded and smiled brightly.

"Yes. He is the very person who saved me when I was threatened by the Black Star Organization's assassinations."

"Oho. So that's how you know each other."

Cheon Sanggil found the situation interesting and looked at Ohjin and Isabella.

"I guess I won't have to worry about teamwork."

He smiled in satisfaction and nodded.

"I would've liked to throw a welcoming party to get everyone acquainted with each other, but unfortunately, with the situation being like it is, I'll have to get right to business."

Cheon Sanggil took out a map from his pocket and laid it out on the table.

It was a detailed map of the Yonghyeon-dong neighborhood that was now a ghost town.

"What I want to request of you all is the tracking and extermination of the demon beast that's said to have appeared in Yonghyeon-dong."

"Is that all?"

"That is all for now, but if possible, I would also like you to confirm its connection to the Bufo faction."

"Understood."

Ohjin nodded his head and confirmed the marks on the map which was where the demon beast appeared.

The distance between marks was too far apart for six people to search in one group.

"I think it'd be best to split up into groups of two since the area is too spacious."

"Heh, is that even necessary? Each one of us can spread out and kill it the instant we discover it."

Choi Yuumi chuckled at Ohjin's suggestion and stared at him.

"Or by any chance—"

A smirk of ridicule was put on her mouth.

"—are you too scared to go around on your own?"

"..."

It was an extremely childish taunt.

Ohjin let out a giggle and started to speak.

"Rather than that, the problem lies within the balance of parties. Ms. Jegal Soyoung has the stigma of Sagittarius that's specialized in long-range fighting. Not only that, but we also have two support-type Awakeners in possession of the stigma of Aries and Aquarius. Despite this, are you suggesting that each of us split up?"

"That's..."

Choi Yuumi slurred the end of her sentence in panic. She was so caught up in taunting Ohjin that she hadn't even thought of the other members.

"If you're going to pick a fight, I would appreciate it if you thought about what you're saying beforehand."

"Wh-What did you say?"

Choi Yuumi ground her teeth.

Bang!—

She slammed the table and shot up from her seat while reaching out for the scabbard hanging on her belt.

* * *

Translator - Maccas

Proofreader - ilafy

* * *

"Fucker, you've crossed the line!"

The moment she was about to unsheath her sword—

"Kyaa!"

Clatter!—

—Surprised by Choi Yuumi's sudden action of standing up and slamming the table, Isabella dropped the tea cup that she was given by Cheon Sanggil.

The hot green tea inside the cup poured out in Choi Yuumi's direction.

"Damn it."

Choi Yuumi frowned while looking down at the green tea that soaked her socks.

She furiously glared at Isabella for interrupting her at a decisive moment.

"I-I'm sorry! Are you hurt?"

Isabella urgently approached Choi Yuumi and continuously bowed her head down with a restless expression.

Her body trembled like a frightened sheep.

Choi Yuumi recalled how Isabella stuck close to Ohjin moments beforehand and chuckled.

'This bitch and that bastard are the same...'

When she was in the middle of preparing to curse at Isabella with all of her might in front of Ohjin, Isabella tilted her face close to her ear and whispered in a voice that could only be heard by her.

"Stop bothering Ohjin and know your place, fucking bitch."

"...Huh?"

Choi Yuumi's eyes widened.

'What did I hear just now...?'

Her thoughts temporarily came to a halt because of the unimaginable shocking words said by Isabella, who looked like an innocent lamb.

"F-Fucking bitch?"

Soon after, all that was left remaining after the shock was rage that sprouted up like a volcano.

When Choi Yuumi stared at Isabella with a fierce expression—

"...!!"

—it felt like something was crushing her lungs.

Just as if she had become a frog that encountered a snake, her body froze on the spot.

Thump, thump—

Her heart beat like crazy.

Her ragged breathing started to bereave her sense of reason.

Her instincts yelled, screamed, and cried out through the gaps of her collapsing sense of reason.

—Run away. Run away. Run away.

—Right. This. Instant.

"Huff, huff, huff."

Choi Yuumi clutched her chest in an attempt to calm down her heart that beat like it was going to explode.

Shiver—

Cold sweat ran down her back.

'What... is this?'

She had never felt such fear throughout her whole life.

Even when fighting thousands of monsters...

Even when battling countless awakeners with her life on the line...

She had never been so scared before.

"A-Are you okay, Ms. Yuumi?"

Isabella approached her with worry.

Choi Yuumi trembled and stepped away from her.

For unknown reasons, she felt like she could smell the pungent scent of thick blood coming from Isabella.

Choi Yuumi started retching and curled up on the floor like a pillbug.

"Hugh, uah, ugh!"

She was barely able to block her mouth and stop herself from vomiting, but she couldn't prevent the area between her legs from getting wet.

"H-Hiccup!"

Choi Yuumi hiccuped with a frightened expression.

No matter how fierce her personality was, she was still a woman.

There was no way she would be able to keep herself together when she was incontinent in front of others.

"Ms. Yuumi? Are you okay?"

"Ms. Yuumi?"

Fortunately, the amount she leaked was not enough for it to be visible to others.

"I... I need to use the restroom!!"

Bang!—

Choi Yuumi slammed open the sliding door and ran outside like she was fleeing.

"I wonder what's gotten into her."

Isabella looked at her fleeing back like she couldn't understand why she was running.

She paced around and continued in a worried voice.

"D-Did I perhaps do something wrong...?"

"That shouldn't be the case."

Cheon Sanggil slowly shook his head.

"Ms. Yuumi is a high-rank Awakener of Phoenix. She couldn't have been hurt by the green tea."

"Then why...?"

"This old man is also clueless."

Choi Yuumi's actions were hard to understand with common sense.

"Hmm. It looks like this old man will have to revoke his statement about teamwork."

Cheon Sanggil sighed deeply and looked around the room that had become a mess.

"This is all because this old man was in a rush to gather you. Please understand Ms. Yuumi's action as she's still unfamiliar to you all."

"Well... it doesn't matter as long as she doesn't become a hindrance to our operation."

Ohjin looked at Isabella after speaking.

'Just what did she do?'

It did seem like she whispered something in her ear, but he couldn't hear what she said because it was so sudden and inaudible.

"I apologize for causing a commotion, Mr. Ohjin."

Isabella sat back down next to Ohjin and gently put her hand on top of his hand.

He was certain that whatever happened to Choi Yuumi was Isabella's doing, but she was smiling innocently like she was clueless as to what happened.

'Fuck.'

Yuumi wasn't in the ranks of the 12 Zodiacs, but Isabella had still made a high-rank Awakener like her wet her pants in mere seconds.

He couldn't get a grasp on how powerful Isabella was.

'It's highly likely that her power even exceeds Cheon Sanggil, the First Star, considering the fact he didn't notice.'

In other words, it meant that Isabella could tear off the heads of everyone inside that room if she flipped out.

It felt like the button to detonate an atomic bomb was right next to him.

The moment he slipped up and agitated her, the Bufo faction would no longer be the problem, and 'Guardian' would instead become the guardians of the underworld.

'I need to do my best to act like I didn't notice.'

"Don't worry, it's not your fault, Isabella. Based on how she tried to pick a fight with me earlier, maybe she isn't doing great today."

"I hope that's the case."

'Of course... my queen— I mean, Isabella did nothing wrong. This is all that bitch Choi Yuumi's fault. I just need to go over this matter like this!!'

Ohjin clenched his fist.

Since Isabella was strangely obsessed with him, there would be no case of Isabella blowing up if he acted his part.

"Then should we decide on our groups?" Ohjin said in a bright voice to lighten the mood.

"Yes, let's do so."

"This old man also thinks that searching in groups will be better."

Lee Woohyuk and Cheon Sanggil nodded their heads.

'Good.'

He had succeeded in securing his opinion.

"As I thought, I believe the best move will be to make up groups consisting of one support and one vanguard."

After setting up a logical point they couldn't refute...

"Since Isabella and I know each other, why don't the two of us—"

"Hmm. I don't know about that."

Jegal Soyoung raised her hand.

She smiled seductively and furtively sat down next to him.

The thick scent of roses stung his nose.

"What if I were to say that I want to be in the same group as Mr. Ohjin?"

"..."

For an instant, Isabella's eyes shone coldly.

'Shit! Fuck off! Please fuck off!!'

Ohjin screamed in his head.

The button of the atomic bomb that he'd barely managed to cut the power of was flashing with a red light once again.