The Crows (1)

Taking a day or two off after clearing a gate is an unwritten rule.

Meaning, no one would say a thing if I disappeared for a couple of days.

First… should I start with Se-hyuk, who’s been such a great help?

I contacted him to see where he was, and he said he was at his guild building.

Not Narak or Blue Forest, but ‘Transformation’.

As you can guess from the name, it’s a guild mostly for Transformation-type Awakeners.

Park Se-hyuk was originally a member of the Transformation guild.

However, Transformation is known for its passive and irregular guild activities, so its members are given a fair amount of freedom.

Which is why, as I understand it, he was just wandering around with nothing to do when I chose him.

“What are you doing at the guild?”

“Ah, it’s nothing major. It’s just… our Guild Master has been inactive lately. So other guilds are targeting the gates under our name.”

“Really? Isn’t your Guild Master an SS-rank?”

The Guild Master of Transformation is famous for turning into a dragon.

“Even if he’s inactive… can they really handle an SS-rank?”

“Even so, his activity has been… a little too sparse. He hasn’t been seen at all. To the point that there are rumors he died somewhere in a gate.”

“For real?”

“Of course, the rumors about him being dead have very little credibility. I think he’s alive, but honestly, I have no idea what he’s doing.”

“Look on the bright side. Thanks to that, I got myself a capable guild member, didn’t I?”

“…But what brings you here?”

“Ah, you’ve been working hard lately. I just wanted to say thank you.”

“Thank you? Think of all the money I’ve received so far.”

Blue Forest has been consistently paying tribute—no, sending money—to Narak. After all, Blue Forest only exists thanks to Narak.

And given the Awakener tendency to earn a lot and spend a lot, the commission from the black market is quite a large sum.

It’s not an absolutely massive amount, but it’s a pretty decent sum for the effort involved.

For the record, I get the biggest cut.

“Anyway. A thank you is a thank you.”

“Hey!”

A voice called out from a distance. I turned my head to see a man walking toward us.

“Park Se-hyuk. Who’s this next to you? Your girlfriend? Hello.”

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Oh, she’s not? My apologies.”

“It’s fine. Is he from your guild?”

“Yes. We’re both… in Transformation.”

“The name’s Kim Chan-seok, from the Transformation guild. So… are you from that side gig he mentioned?”

Kim Chan-seok introduced himself, then turned to Park Se-hyuk.

Side gig?

I turned my head toward Se-hyuk, and he stammered as he spoke to me.

“Ah, I… gave him the gist of it.”

“…Really? I suppose that’s fine. Just don’t let it spread too far.”

“Aha, so you’re one of the people from there. Hey, I’d never talk about something like this.”

I pulled Park Se-hyuk’s ear and whispered.

“Does he know I’m a succubus?”

“…I didn’t tell him that.”

“Good. Then we’re fine.”

After I finished whispering, I looked back at Park Se-hyuk’s colleague. He’d had the decency to look away while we were whispering.

Noticing we were done, he spoke.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Oh, Se-hyuk’s been working so hard lately, I was going to treat him to a meal.”

“Ah… today. I’m sorry, but… Se-hyuk and I have somewhere to be today.”

“Again? Where to this time?”

Sounds like he’s been busy lately. Is this about the conflict with the other guild he mentioned?

“That place, the Crystal Cave.”

“Ah. There.”

Park Se-hyuk looked at me and said.

“I don’t think I’ll have time today. I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. But what’s it for? The conflict with the other guild you mentioned?”

“You know about it? You have no idea how many flocks of crows there are these days.”

“They’re not exactly crows… Anyway, yes, it’s the conflict with the other guild I mentioned.”

“Crows? You mean the ones that show up when a guild is about to collapse?”

“Yes. That’s right. They’ve been such a pain lately. If it weren’t for those bastards, Se-hyuk could be working his side gig.”

Crows.

Let’s say there’s a guild that relies heavily on its master. If that master dies or is seriously injured for some reason, the guild becomes unstable. The term refers to those who prey on the guild’s assets—especially its gates and equipment—at such a time.

But the Transformation guild isn’t the type to falter over something like this.

“Come on… Crows are flocking to Transformation, really? What about the other high-rank Awakeners in the guild?”

“Some are… busy with their side gigs, and some left to become crows themselves. The spectrum of Transformation-types is so wide that without the Guild Master’s active presence, the guild’s core seems to have weakened.”

“Hah, a bunch of ungrateful traitors. Anyway, because of that, Se-hyuk is hanging out with me today. Ah, my apologies. I’ll be sure to return him in one piece.”

“How do you usually resolve these things?”

“Persuasion, of course. Whether with words or with force.”

“Usually with force, I take it.”

“You could say that. Well, we’ll be going. Se-hyuk!”

Kim Chan-seok called to Se-hyuk with a nod of his head. Hmm, is this goodbye?

“…Should I help?”

“What?”

The two men’s eyes went wide.

“I don’t have anything better to do.”

And I’ll get to see some Transformation-types fight. I’m curious how others like them handle combat.

“Se-hyuk here can vouch for my skills.”

He looked back at Se-hyuk, who nodded and said.

“I’ll vouch for her. She’s stronger than me.”

*

We arrived at the gate management building. In front of it, two groups were facing each other.

Se-hyuk’s colleague, Kim Chan-seok, approached one of the groups and asked a question. It was probably the Transformation guild’s side.

“What’s the situation?”

“Ah, Mr. Chan-seok. It’s just as you see. Looks like these bastards are planning to go all the way.”

“Aish, seriously.”

“Mr. Se-hyuk, and, uh, the woman next to you is…”

A man who looked like a staff member stared at me, his mouth agape, unable to finish his sentence.

Should I not have taken off my mask? It felt stuffy, so I took it right off, and now this.

“She’s here to help. Ah, but this… Things might get a little rough. Are you sure you want to see something ugly?”

“I’ll be fine.”

I’ve seen plenty of ugly things already.

“Still, you’re an outsider… Wouldn’t it be better if you waited somewhere else for a bit? Shall I show you the way?”

The staff member was suddenly hitting on me.

“Cut the crap. But really, this isn’t something to show an outsider.”

Seeing the situation for himself, Kim Chan-seok seemed to realize his mistake. Well… I guess it can be embarrassing.

“Well, if you insist…”

“There’s a cafe with a nice atmosphere nearby, how about it?”

The staffer kept making passes. A white flame blazed within his chest.

Hmm… Lust and affection? The lust is a given, but the proportion of affection is quite high. And there are no creepy vibes.

“You idiot, read the room.”

Unable to watch any longer, Kim Chan-seok lightly kicked him in the shin.

Park Se-hyuk glanced at me nervously.

Of course he would. He knows I’m a succubus.

Hmm~ Anyway, that staffer called Jin-su is somewhere between C-rank and D-rank. A bit closer to C, so maybe D++?

A disappointing target in many ways.

The emotion within his flame of lust is almost pure affection, so he probably wouldn’t have much Essense.

Vrooom-

Another car pulled up in the distance.

Seeing the grimaces on the faces of the Transformation members, it must be the other side’s vehicle.

Stepping out of the car was—

Huh?

It’s Jin-seong. Han Jin-seong. The incubus.

Why is he here—no, it’s not impossible for him to be here. So he joined a guild of crows?

“Do you know someone here?”

Jin-su seemed nervous for some reason. Why, worried my boyfriend is over there?

“Well… there is one person. I didn’t expect to see him in a place like this. I’ll go say hi.”

“Uh, wait—”

I put on my mask and approached Jin-seong’s group.

His companions immediately grew wary. But Jin-seong seemed to recognize me right away.

“Uh… what are you doing here…?”

“Long time no see.”

“It hasn’t even been a week… has it?”

“Who is she? You know her?”

Having an acquaintance on the opposing side seems to be a sensitive issue. Well, considering what they’re up to, I guess it makes sense.

“We know each other. But you, you’re going around doing this kind of stuff?”

As punishment for his insolence, I’ll drain him dry—

As if reading my gaze, Jin-seong jumped in surprise and hurried over. Then, he whispered quietly—

“I had to leave that place. Because of someone.”

“Me?”

“How could I stay there after you pulled that shit—I mean, did that—while I was on the phone with my girlfriend? We were in the same guild. I just left.”

“Aha.”

Han Jin-seong let out a loud huff, as if he was about to burst with frustration. A bit insolent. Well, he’ll pay the price for that insolence later.

“So what are you doing here? Do you work for them?”

“I should be asking you that. And besides that, no, I don’t work for them. I just know someone here.”

“Ah, shit. Of all the…”

“Shit? Shiiit?”

“Ah, no, nothing.”

“Whatever. Look forward to later. Anyway, if you work here, you must know what’s going on, right?”

“…I had no choice—no, in the first place, you were the one who did that with the phone on—”

“Hey! You over there!”

A burly man approached the two of us as we whispered. Is he the leader here? His face was covered in scars and tattoos.

A face that screamed ‘I’m a thug’ to anyone who saw it. On his barely visible arms, koi fish swam diligently.

“Stop the chit-chat and get back in line!”

Someone whispered in the leader’s ear. The gazes of the two men turned in one direction… straight at me.

“And who might you be?”

Just as I expected, the leader asked me with a wary expression.

“I just know someone here. Well, what do you know, I have an acquaintance on both sides.”

“Then decide quickly. This side or that side. If you’re going to their side, I can’t promise I’ll let you go nicely.”

As he spoke, he raked his eyes up and down my body. His sticky gaze, crawling over my form, began to glisten with greed.

“Or you could just take off that stuffy-looking robe and those clothes. Then I’ll let you go without a fuss.”

The leader and the subordinate next to him snickered. Their eyes, soaked in lust, refused to leave my body.

I turned my head to look at Han Jin-seong. He didn’t know what to do.

“W-well, I only just joined here, so…”

“…Forget it.”

I clenched my fist, and a cute little bolt of lightning crackled, dancing across my white fingers.

The thugs’ expressions hardened.

Why do bastards like that always act so tough?

When they don’t even have the ability to gauge their opponent’s level.

“Looks like our Jin-seong will have to leave another guild.”

“Oh, please no.”

Thump.

The force from my powerful stomp on the ground shot straight into my fist,

And my fist shot straight into the bastard’s gut.