Gourmet of Invasion (1)

The plan.

First, we separate the hostages. The Korean side will create a pretext for it.

Once the hostages are out, we wipe them out.

Whether Kim Hee-an drugs them to sleep or we just smash our way through, that’s up to the members of the Narak guild.

My role?

Dealing with the managers.

The director of this ‘headquarters,’ Wei Jin-tao, is already dead by my hand. Of the three remaining managers, I’ll be handling the one on duty, ‘Tang Yiyan.’

First, I’ll cut off the head. If necessary, I’ll kill a few of the underlings and seize the gate. They were human traffickers anyway, so I feel no guilt.

Then, when the other two managers arrive for their shifts, I’ll finish them off as well.

-If you succeed in taking this place… what should we set up here?

-Huh? Obviously, we’ll get rid of the human trafficking… Maybe another black market? One connected to China this time. But if it’s too much trouble, let’s just destroy the path to the gate and leave.

-…Wouldn’t it be a waste to just destroy it?

-Well, you’re the ones doing the work, so do as you please. Alright, Eun-su. Good luck.

-Yes, ma’am.

…A black market is better than human trafficking, isn’t it?

In any case, the only variable was my Expeditionary Force teammates. But just as I’d heard, all of them except Geun-tae were fast asleep.

Despite their severe injuries—limbs bent at odd angles—they were all sleeping soundly. It didn’t seem like a normal sleeping agent. I could feel a faint trace of magic.

Waking them now would be complicated and annoying, so I’d leave them be.

Sorry. I’ll finish this as quickly as I can and get you out.

I left the task of checking on Yang Geun-tae to the guild members. Even in my Seo A-gyeol form, there was no point in needlessly showing my face.

A telepathic message came from the group I’d sent to Geun-tae, specifically from Chae-un.

‘…He says he wants to see the Guild Master.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes. He’s asking what’s going on… and demanding an answer. Should I ignore him?’

‘No. Don’t do that. He’s genuinely strong, so don’t pick a fight. Tell him I’m coming soon. For now… just tell him that the human trafficking will stop.’

A clash with Geun-tae here would be a catastrophe. Just as I was about to head over to give him a brief explanation—

Footsteps from behind. Turning around now might look suspicious, so I waited a moment before looking back.

…It’s that guy.

That, uh, Tang something-or-other. His appearance matched the description I’d gotten from our people in Korea.

Reddish-black hair grown out like a lion’s mane, a muscular, scar-covered body he wore proudly bare, and a massive greatsword slung across his back.

A moment later, someone ran to his side and began translating for him in Korean. So, it really was Tang Yiyan.

Even as we spoke through the translator, his eyes momentarily darted toward my chest. A non-Awakener might not have noticed, but I saw the movement clearly.

Every time his gaze swept over my body, the flames of lust grew a little stronger.

Of course, they had been growing steadily since the moment he first saw me.

Soon, the translator relayed a single sentence.

He was suggesting we pop over to the Korean side for a walk.

…To me, who could see the flames of lust, it was nothing more than a cheap line.

By the way, is there no hierarchy here? The rumor must have spread that I was the director’s woman.

…Then, within Tang Yiyan’s white flames, I sensed a feeling of ‘depravity.’ Aha. So that’s what it was.

You bastard, you’re hooked too, aren’t you? Well, that’s good for me.

I sent another telepathic message to Chae-un, who was waiting for me.

‘Something’s come up, I can’t make it. Don’t provoke him, and tell him that the people here—the victims—won’t be harmed. Tell them to be patient so we can handle this cleanly.’

Yang Geun-tae didn’t know his teammates had been captured. I had no idea what variables might arise if he found out they were captured and asleep, so for now, I cut off the flow of information.

Hmm… Am I a terrible team leader?

‘Understood. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem like an unreasonable person.’

As the telepathic link closed, I deliberately gave Tang Yiyan a bright smile. The white flames in his chest danced wildly.

Alright, it looks like I can deal with you the same way I dealt with the director…

What should I do about the translator?

As if he’d read my mind, Tang Yiyan dismissed the translator. Then he pointed toward the gate with his thumb and shook a powered-off phone.

Aha. A product of civilization. Nice.

Even as we walked toward the gate, Chae-un’s busy telepathic reports continued.

‘We’ve confirmed that everyone has finished the sleeping agent that Hee-an mixed into the drinks.’

‘Good. Don’t kill them for now, just tie them all up. …If they resist, kill them. I’ll be back after I deal with this guy.’

‘Yes, ma’am.’

As we stepped out of the gate, the dim light of dawn greeted us. I’d been up all night, but I was an Awakener. This was nothing.

Tang Yiyan turned on his phone, opened a translator app, and said something. The words appeared on the screen.

-There’s a place I often go for walks. Would you like to come?

Bullshit Detector (Flames of Lust), activate.

Ta-da!

It was bullshit!

Of course, with flames of lust burning that brightly, what wouldn’t be bullshit?

I casually tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and smiled. “It’s hot outside the cave (it’s October),” I murmured, loosening my robe slightly as a bonus.

Mm. I like that reaction.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the thick shape of a rod pressing against the fabric of his pants.

Hmm, is that a new record?

I walked beside him, keeping pace. All the while—

‘What about food and water? For now, give the victims what they were getting before, and starve those human trafficking bastards. No, give their share to the victims. No need to give the victims’ share to them, just starve them.’

‘You’re talking to the office workers? I’ll interrogate them later, so for now, treat them favorably and slowly dig for information. How the operation was run, their relationships with surrounding organizations, things like that. We might have to dispose of them later, so we need to find out everything in advance.’

Tang Yiyan held out his phone again.

-How is life here?

An open-ended question, not multiple choice. How can I make this bastard as horny as possible?

I already knew.

I knew that if I took off my robe right here—I was naked underneath—and spread myself before him, he would start fucking me like a madman.

But how should I put it…

It was as if I could now feel the ‘taste.’

Just as I could now distinguish the subtle emotions within the ‘flames of lust’—for example, depravity, possessiveness, the desire for exclusivity—

I could also feel the taste of each one.

No, rather than a taste… a feeling?

But for some reason, the word ‘taste’ felt more fitting than ‘feeling.’

For example, in the case of depravity, there was a sharp, tingling numbness within a sweet stickiness.

In the case of the desire for exclusivity, there was a savory saltiness, darker than mere possessiveness but all the more delicious for it.

It was only natural that the flavor grew richer as the flames of lust grew larger.

You could say I’ve reached the gourmet stage.

Therefore, it was only natural for me to contemplate how to cook him to make him more delicious.

Does he know I slept with the director?

Judging by the tingling within the stickiness, he definitely knows. He has to. I could tell just from the translator’s reaction earlier.

But for some reason, there was little darkness.

Does that mean… he feels possessiveness, but it hasn’t developed into a desire for exclusivity?

So he accepts that I’m the director’s property, but he’s disappointed. Very disappointed.

Hmm.

After a moment of thought, I pressed the microphone button on the screen and opened my mouth.

“I’m grateful that everyone treats me so well, but I think they find me intimidating. So I’m a little lonely.”

The bottom of the screen filled with Chinese characters. He glanced down at it, then pressed the microphone button again and spoke.

-Somehow you seem lonely. It’s okay. I will help you.

Was this the limit of the translator? A small laugh escaped me.

“How will you help me?”

-When you are lonely, I will be with you.

“Thank you. As a matter of fact, I’m feeling lonely right now.”

Tang Yiyan fell silent at my response, then began speaking into the translator again.

-With your beauty, you can go to a better place to enjoy your life. Why do you come to such a dangerous place?

Hmm?

This sour yet refreshing feeling… it was curiosity. Curiosity wasn’t a bad thing, but it was a bit of a shame that the depravity and possessiveness had diminished.

Anyway, re-translating the translator’s words, it seemed he was asking why a beautiful woman like me would come here, to a place that traffics in human beings.

It was a question I should have expected. Honestly, a woman with my looks… wasn’t common.

Of course, lust had always overwhelmed that question, so I’d never actually been asked it before.

“Well… should I say I had a certain fantasy? Sexually, I mean.”

The refreshing feeling slowly faded. And slowly, the tingling and the saltiness reared their heads.

-You have such tastes?

The tone of his voice as he spoke with a dark grin was different from the tone of the words coming from the translator on the screen.

At that moment—

‘Guild Master, they say the cleanup here is mostly done. You just need to take care of that manager.’

The telepathic message arrived in my head.

‘Good. Just in case, temporarily block the caves connecting the gates, then rest. I’m going to…’

I gave Tang Yiyan a shy smile. At the same time, I lowered my gaze slightly.

“Mmm~.”

As if my embarrassing proclivity had just been exposed—

‘…enjoy myself a little longer.’

The flavor of the white flames flared, rich and deep.