episode_0021

… … … … …

“Welcome. How does a bear eat an apple?”

At the calm tone of the Sky President, the guests with extremely fierce looks exchanged glances. Finally, the one who came to the front answered her.

“Bear ate.”

“What if you push the bear down the ramp?”

This time, the punk-looking man behind me opened his mouth.

“Bear… … Moongommungommungommun.”

After two odd exchanges with the grumpy guests, the Sky Boss nodded in satisfaction.

“Okay. How can I help you?”

“We need weapons to fight against the rice-suckers of the Human Defense Association and realize the cause of coexistence.”

In response to her question, the man who had not opened his mouth until the end spoke. There was a sense of urgency in his voice.

The Sky Boss was silent for a moment. Her eyes glanced in this direction for a moment, then turned back to the guests.

“There is a weapon that guests of the Pan-Dimensional Coexistence Union can use. Please wait a moment.”

The Human Defense Association and the Pan-Dimensional Coexistence Alliance. I definitely remembered those names.

First of all, the Human Defense Society is the ones who committed the supermarket terrorism, got me shot, and ultimately made me unemployed.

On the other hand, the pan-dimensional coexistence union that is before our eyes right now… … Well, as you can see now, there are cases where it is a completely different race, and cases where it is just Earth humans.

They claim unconditional coexistence with ‘non-threatening’ beings who come through dimensional gates, which sounds good, but…

No matter how I think about it, it’s too radical. If you read the news about their actions, such as forcibly opening closed dimensional gates and dreaming of an infinite influx of extra-dimensional beings, most people would probably agree with me.

Maybe that’s why they had this strange derogatory nickname, “Earth Port Tribe”… … What exactly did it mean?

While I was lost in thought, the Sky Boss slowly walked to the corner of the store. Her movements still looked leisurely, but I felt like she was on guard somewhere. She pressed something like a hidden button on the wall that I had never noticed.

Click—

The moment the Sky Boss pressed the button, the entire store began to transform into a living creature.

First, iron shutters came down on the store’s old sliding doors and windows, as if they were armor, blocking all entrances and exits.

But what was even more surprising were the stalls. The ordinary-looking stalls were retracted into the walls, and new wall-mounted display stands rose from under the floor. The display stands were filled with various firearms and swords.

It was a truly extraordinary sight. My mouth was wide open and would not close.

… … No, no. Am I still dreaming?

While I was pulling the ball to distinguish between reality and dreams, the Sky Boss began to explain the weapons in a calm voice.

“What you see here is a specially modified rifle. Based on the HK416, it has been modified to withstand bullets made from magic stones mined from beyond the dimensional gate.”

She then raised an axe-shaped weapon. “And this is a hot axe. As you know, the blade heats up to 2000 degrees and can cut through steel like tofu. ”

When the Sky Boss introduced the weapons, the fierce customers looked at the weapons she showed them as if they were experts. Their eyes were filled with curiosity and greed.

“… … … … .”

I couldn’t hear clearly beyond the door, but I could hear the guests quietly discussing things with each other. It seemed like a deal was about to be made.

But why at that time?

I had been kneeling for so long peeking that my legs got numb and I ended up touching the bowl that held the pancakes.

Clang!

All eyes were immediately focused on me. The stern guests looked at me through the gap in the sliding door, and they all put their hands behind their backs or in their shirt pockets, as if they were trying to take something out. For example, a pistol.

“Who is that person in the bedroom?”

One of the guests asked sharply. Meanwhile, President Sky remained calm.

“Oh, don’t worry. He’s my… … son.”

“… … Is that so?”

The Sky President opened the sliding door, revealed my appearance to the guests, and then hugged me.

“Yeah. My son is a bit shy―― Hehe.”

… … … … …

The grumpy guests looked at us with suspicious eyes, but did not ask any more questions. After a while, they whispered and discussed among themselves, and finally nodded.

“The transaction has been established.”

In response to the guest’s words, the Sky Boss smiled gently and handed over a few metal carriers, and in return received a bag containing a bundle of bills.

When I heard the door close, I let out a sigh of relief and bowed my head toward the Sky President.

“I’m so sorry, boss… … !

Because of my mistake, I ended up lying to scary customers… … .”

I apologized several times, but President Sky didn’t respond. When I raised my head anxiously, she was looking at me with a strange expression.

Are you angry? I fidgeted for a moment, and then she saw me like that and raised the corners of her mouth as if she had come to her senses. Only then did I relax a little at that expression.

“It’s okay――I wasn’t scared of those people at all. You don’t have to apologize.”

“But… …Those guests, no matter how you look at them, they had guns… … .”

As I hesitated, President Sky was silent for a moment, then this time he took on a serious expression.

“Actually, there’s one more thing I didn’t tell you. I am… …a transgenic trait expresser.”

“Yes… … ? Inheritance… … ?”

My mouth fell open in shock at her words.

A type of awakened person who can display the abilities of legendary figures to some extent, or almost perfectly, depending on the person.

These are special beings that appeared after the appearance of the dimensional gate, and they were all incredibly powerful beings.

“If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you.”

The Sky CEO took out a 500 won coin from the counter and handed it to me. Then――

He held the coin with both hands and tore it apart.

“Wow, wow, wow, waaa… … … ?!”

The sky boss handed me a torn coin.

“Just touch it once – be careful not to cut your fingers on the torn section.”

With trembling hands, I accepted the coin she offered me. It was definitely a real coin.

“Now, do you believe me when I say you’re not scared anymore?”

“Ah, yes… … .”

I barely nodded my head at the smile of the CEO. I could see that her peaceful atmosphere was not simply due to her easygoing personality, but was based on the confidence that came from strong power.

“By the way, sir… …what kind of heroic trait is the boss a manifestation of?”

At my question, she winked playfully.

“That’s a secret. I’ll tell you later if you need it. And――”

The Sky President came very close to me and whispered in my ear.

“Please keep the weapons business a secret. Okay?”

“Oh, yes! I will never tell anyone!”

When I nodded hurriedly and answered, she smiled with satisfaction.

“Okay. Oh, it’s time to leave work now. You worked hard today.”

“… … Yes! Thank you! ”

After receiving the envelope of money, I left the store with the Sky Manager seeing me off and headed home.

“… … It was a great day… … .”

Literally, today was an extraordinary day. My heart still races when I think about what happened just a little while ago.

The hole-in-the-wall store that was my new part-time job was actually a weapons store related to dimensional gates.

Even the owner, Sky President, was a traitor with great brute force who could tear coins.

The new job seemed a little risky, but I wasn’t overly worried or anything. Even though it was the first time I met him, I was sure that CEO Haneul was a good person, like Noona Seoyeon or Teacher Wolhee.

If you work under someone like that, even if a slightly dangerous situation arises, it seems like it will pass without any major problems.

Even the distance between home and work is not too far, and the working conditions are incredibly good. Isn’t it true that this kind of good fortune came right after the bad thing of being laid off from work? Isn’t this what they call a blessing in disguise?

I finally arrived home with a cheerful gait and kicked open the front door and stepped in.

… … … … …

Yun Ha-neul, left alone in the store, fell into deep thought.

People mostly focused on her amazing physical abilities as a result of her atavistic traits: the agility to run at 50 kilometers per hour, the strength to lift a tank with one hand.

But contrary to what people in the world think, there was one more true power that those with atavistic traits possessed.

In fact, they existed before the appearance of the dimensional gate, and they were able to inherit the memories and experiences of their ‘predecessors’ who existed before. Only for a select few.

Yoon Ha-neul was one of those chosen few. She was the inheritor of the oldest mythological hero of this land, Ungnyeo, and with her incredible physical abilities and the memories and experiences of her predecessors, she was able to succeed in the underworld at a young age.

Thanks to this, she has now retired from the front lines filled with violence and is running a (seemingly) legitimate business――this is her life story.

Yoon Ha-neul recalled the image of the child in her mind once again.

A boy so cute that at first glance he could be mistaken for a pretty girl.

Yoon Ha-neul was initially attracted to the child’s appearance, and then to his pitiful personal history. No, it would be more accurate to say that she thought she was attracted.

I thought I accepted him out of pity and whim, but as time went on, it became clear that I was mistaken.

“That kid――”

Yoon Ha-neul’s eyes wavered as she looked at the moon in the night sky. No matter how much she thought about it, that child――

It’s her son.