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< Take it >
A mess.
Could you find a more appropriate word to describe the situation before your eyes than these two letters?
An open gate about 10 meters above the ground.
Snails pouring out of there.
Annoying screams erupting from all directions.
“Damn it! What is this sticky stuff!”
“Don’t jump on me!”
“Do something about the f*cking smell!”
There were already barricades around the gate.
Outside the barricade, riot police were waiting,
Inside, superhumans from other guilds who arrived before us were fighting.
···correction.
It would be more accurate to say that it was more like holding one’s nose and slashing at a giant snail than a fight.
Phew! Phew! Phew!
Every time the superhumans swung their fists, swords, and clubs, the snails would burst like firecrackers, spraying sticky liquid everywhere.
Even the most agile superhumans couldn’t avoid it all.
“Damn it! You asked again!”
“Ugh! It exploded in front of my face!”
“Whoa! Woofweeeeek!”
Other people might have seen this monster for the first time, but I knew about that snail.
-The King of Smelly Snails-
It has a very pretty looking blue-green shell and a translucent, jelly-like body.
The size varies from 30 cm to several meters.
The most notable feature is the terrible stench it gives off when its body explodes.
When you do a survey of monsters that superhumans avoid, he’s always in the top five.
It was so bad that even the riot police outside the barricade were covering their noses with their hands.
“Woof, woof!”
Some people were vomiting and were vomiting uncontrollably.
I summarized the situation clearly and relayed it to Baek Young-hee.
-This is really a mess.
“Right? And those guys look weak and useless. Even if we don’t come forward···.”
My opinions were actively ignored.
-No matter how weak they are, we definitely need samples of new monsters. Please secure at least 3 of them while maintaining their original form as much as possible.
“···Yes, yes. I understand.”
I sighed and took the sack out of the car.
As we approached the barricade, a police officer approached us, holding his nose with a handkerchief.
“Are you a superhuman?”
I showed him the shoulder epaulettes of the protective suit I had changed into in the vehicle.
The white protective clothing that was issued as a basic item by the guild had the guild’s initials [WH] engraved on it.
“I belong to the White House Guild.”
There was no cumbersome verification process.
Unless you’re crazy, no one would pretend to be a superhuman to enter that disgusting place.
“···good luck.”
We went inside the barricade, leaving behind the words of the police, who seemed to be wishing us good luck.
“Ugh, the smell···.”
Next to me, Lily covered her nose with both hands.
I smiled and teased the little kid.
“I can block your sense of smell with mana. Would you like me to teach you how?”
Of course, it wasn’t a skill that could be learned with just a few words.
Blocking the five senses using mana requires precise control, empathy, and above all, trial and error.
“Huh? It really works? It doesn’t smell anymore!”
···Damn talent.
There is a limit to ignoring effort.
You learned it before the explanation was even finished?
Anyway, we were able to approach the gate without being bothered by the smell any longer.
I unfolded my sack and walked towards the nearest snail.
“What are they?”
“White House?”
“Who are you? It’s my first time seeing your face···.”
The superhumans from other guilds who had arrived earlier glanced at us.
There seemed to be a few familiar faces among them, but I ignored them and focused on my mission.
“Let’s catch one first.”
King Gorin Snail.
The jelly-like skin of these creatures was sticky and viscous, and the smaller they were, the more sensitive they were to mana.
Because mana is charged into an attack, even the slightest stimulation will cause the body to explode like a firecracker.
The irony is that attacks that don’t cost mana are almost never effective.
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Then how do you capture it?
“Do it like this.”
I waved my arm as if I was gently patting a snail that was lunging at me with its teeth bared.
Whirlyrick.
Following the gentle movements of Tai Chi, the snail flipped over and rose into the air.
The snail, floating about 10cm above my palm, swayed back and forth like a fallen leaf caught in a gust of wind, and soon lowered its head.
I put the suffocated snail into the sack.
“Phew.”
In fact, I was worried that I might make a mistake and explode in the middle.
It’s been quite a while since I’ve tried Tai Chi.
“wow!”
When I looked around, Lily was looking at me with bright eyes.
“How did you just do that? Tell me!”
This little brat? Trying to take all my money?
I said with a determined expression.
“If you want to learn, pay. 10 billion.”
“It’s fatal!”
The little kid who didn’t have a penny in his pocket was pinching my thighs indiscriminately.
Soon, I captured the remaining two and placed them in a sack. I slung the bulging sack over my shoulder and spoke into the ear microphone.
“Control room. Sample acquisition complete.”
-Huh? Already?
“I caught exactly three. Can I hand these over to the collection team and leave work?”
Soon, Baek Young-hee’s voice, looking bewildered, was heard.
-Are you just thinking about getting off work on your first mission? Wouldn’t it be normal to be a little more nervous and ask questions?
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
I’ve been rolling around in this field for 20 years.
“Well, the scene is starting to get sorted out anyway.”
It wasn’t an excuse to leave work, it was a fact.
At the gate, snails were no longer pouring out,
The few remaining snails were being hunted at a terrifying speed by superhumans sent from other guilds.
Baek Young-hee sighed and spoke over the earphones.
-Then please secure a few more samples and wait at the site for a little longer.
I checked the time and said.
“You know you get extra pay if you work past 6, right?”
-···I hate you.
When I put a few more snails into the sack, there were no more live snails in the field.
Crackling.
I was a little concerned about the gate situation though.
“I feel like there’s still something left···.”
Unfortunately, this premonition has rarely been wrong.
That was when.
“Hey.”
When I turned my head in the direction of the voice, I saw superhumans drenched in snail mucus walking towards me.
There were a total of three guilds that arrived here before us.
Wearing thick special forces uniforms and with sword and shield logos on their backs, they are the Warriors Guild.
These are the Royal Family Guild, wearing thin suit-style protective clothing with sleeves decorated with gold thread.
And the superhumans with gray body armor and black hunting dogs on their backs are the Black Hound Guild.
Especially black hounds.
I found some familiar faces among them and sighed and muttered.
“I see that same damn bad relationship here again.”
Team 3 leader of the Blackhaunt Guild.
My former boss, Jang Seok-hyeon, saw the protective suit I was wearing and said:
“Are you from the White House?”
“Yes, but.”
“It’s my first time seeing your face… Are you a newbie?”
As soon as I nodded, an arrogant look appeared on his face.
The tone of speech also suddenly changed to informal speech.
“I heard that Baek Hospital recently took a good rookie. Are you that guy?”
‘Baek Hospital’ was a name used by other guilds to disparage the White House Guild.
At those words, the superhumans from other guilds also snickered.
The number of other guild superhumans is at least 3 to 5.
On the other hand, there was only Lily and I here, and since we were both young, it was only natural that we looked easygoing.
That doesn’t mean I’m really easy.
“What the heck···.”
The moment the curses were about to come out of my mouth, Baek Young-hee desperately stopped me.
-Team Leader! Please calm down! I’ll formally protest to the guild later!
“after···.”
I took a deep breath, reminding myself to ‘be patient’.
Okay. Let’s just put up with it this once.
I said as I looked around at Jang Seok-Hyeon, a few familiar faces behind him, and even the superhumans from other guilds.
“What do you want to say by coming all this way?”
I felt a few people flinch at my words.
First, he tried to gain the upper hand with numbers, but he looked a little flustered when things didn’t go his way.
Jang Seok-hyeon coughed in vain and said.
“You were using an interesting technique earlier. Is that your personality?”
It seems to be talking about Tai Chi.
If you count things like that as individuality, I probably have over twenty individualities.
I nodded dryly.
“however?”
Jang Seok-hyeon’s eyebrows quirked at my informal speech, but instead of getting angry, he said this.
“···Every time I touched that damn snail, it burst. I barely managed to get a decent specimen···.”
Kids. Now that I think about it, you came here to say something regrettable.
Are you really using informal language on that topic?
I said with a snicker.
“so?”
Jang Seok-hyun’s eyebrow waves have become even more intense.
“Are you short-spoken?”
“You too.”
“This kid···.”
The moment Jang Seok-hyeon glared and tried to grab me by the collar, the leaders of the other two guilds stopped him.
“Jang-hyung. Let’s not get excited and just talk.”
“Young friends, don’t be so harsh.”
The Warriors Guild team leader is fat.
Let’s call the Royal Family Guild Team Leader “Holjjuk.”
The fat man and the thin man sent the grumbling Jang Seok-hyeon away and started talking.
“As you can see, we fought hard, but everything exploded as soon as we touched it, so we couldn’t get a sample.”
“It seems like the White House has acquired a lot of specimens… I would really appreciate it if you could share just one with each of us.”
“Isn’t it a tradition and human nature in this industry for people in the same industry to help each other in times like these?”
“Haha. Could you please do me a favor?”
The fact that he is able to hit the target with ease is not something that he has done once or twice.
Are these guys wearing steel plates on their faces?
What? This floor tradition? Human nature?
-Absolutely not!
I knew even without Baek Young-hee saying anything.
The value of new monster specimens cannot be measured in money.
Regardless of whether the monster is weak or strong, if you take it and examine it, you may discover some potential uses for it.
So, what I’m saying is that those who try to get it by just slapping it with a few words are thieves.
I said, slung the sack over my shoulder.
“I don’t like it.”
At my one word, the expressions of the fat and thin guys hardened.
“Are you really going to do this? I’m asking you to do this.”
“Young friend. This floor is narrower than you think.”
Since asking won’t do, you’re resorting to persuasion and threats.
Ssssssss.
I felt some superhumans secretly raising their mana.
You probably don’t mean to hurt me.
If that happens, it could even lead to a war between guilds.
“Don’t regret it later···.”
What they’re after is my sword handle.
If you don’t get a sample, you’ll just pick a fight with me and burst all the snails in the sack.
A symbol that if I can’t have it, you won’t be able to have it either.
Before I returned, I knew it well because I had experienced it many times in the past.
But what’s different now is,
The me of now is not the me of back then.
Bam.
I said, putting the sack down next to me.
“Take it.”
The fat guy and the thin guy laughed heartily.
Behind them, Jang Seok-hyeon quietly laughed at me.
They all seem pretty good.
But what can I do?
I’m not finished talking yet.
Bam.
I sat with my buttocks resting on the mat.
“If you can take it.”
Their expressions were distorted terribly.
< Take > End
ⓒ Ganjjajang
