〈 Chapter 200 〉 Let’s Go to the New World!
*
The Lizard Beastman has prepared the animal doll outfits.
On top of that, he promised extra rewards.
“I’ll prepare your compensation once this is over.”
Honestly, I wasn’t too concerned about the compensation.
My desire to mess with that Chief was so strong that I had no reason to think about it.
But since he said he would provide it, I decided to accept it quietly.
I also discussed a few more things with the Lizard Beastman.
Stuff like the participating members and how to react when we secure the key players.
Finally, the Lizard Beastman handed me five small items.
“What are these?”
“They’re body cams. They also have recording functions, so please attach them to your body when the operation starts.”
“It’s okay if they break, right?”
“……They’re a bit expensive since they’re made by a specific maker. Please try not to break them.”
“I’ll do my best.”
After that, the Lizard Beastman started to leave.
As I watched him walk away, I suddenly checked the time and realized it was already late.
We had talked about so much that time flew by faster than I expected.
Just then, the heroines woke up from their corner nap.
Once they confirmed that my conversation with the Lizard Beastman was over, they started to ask what happened.
Since it wasn’t something I could share in its raw form, I tried to explain it as delicately as possible.
Of course.
“So tomorrow, we’re going to mess with those guys.”
That was the point where I couldn’t completely hide the hideousness of my intent as an animal enthusiast.
The heroines were left speechless after hearing my explanation.
They must have been quite shocked.
However, there was still a little time left until tomorrow.
I had something to check first.
“I have somewhere to go before that.”
“Where are you going, Shinwoo?”
“Right now, I don’t think I can enjoy the festival at all, Husband.”
“Me too. It feels like we need to take care of those bastards before we can feel better.”
“Do you have something else to do?”
Instead of answering with words, I began to move my body.
The heroines exchanged glances but didn’t say anything more and just silently followed me.
After walking for a while, we arrived at a place.
“Everyone, come out and report the situation!”
The mountain behind the restaurant.
Here, we were meeting with our animal friends.
It seemed possible that those animal enthusiasts might send supplies from the mountains.
And my prediction turned out to be somewhat correct.
A black horse approached me, shedding tears.
“What’s wrong?”
Then some other animals came over and started explaining.
It seemed that the black horse had suffered a huge shock, so they were trying to speak on its behalf.
The explanation went like this.
The black horse tried to drink uncovered black beer, thinking it was its partner, but it was actually a trap set by someone.
What was inside wasn’t black beer but horse shoe polish.
As a result of that trap, both of them collapsed and couldn’t regain their senses, and then a group of men appeared and took only the partner.
“I told you! Always be careful with uncovered Welch’s and beers.”
The animals regretted not listening to me.
But since it was already done, there was nothing we could do but manage it.
“By the way, these bastards are after another’s wife again.”
Just then, the black horse shook its head.
What followed was a shocking truth.
“…They only took my husband? Left you alone?”
Only then did the black horse nod its head.
Seeing that, the heroines each started to speak up.
“So those bastards are trying to get a male?”
“Even if I’ve lost my marbles slightly, that’s not it!”
“Is there a martial artist among those animal enthusiasts? It seems like there aren’t any normal ones.”
“Looking at you all again, you guys seem like decent folks.”
[……Should I praise the possibilities of humans?]
“F*ck. My bad.”
It turned out that a few other animals had also been taken away.
The animals that were taken matched the list of the sickening enthusiasts provided by the club president’s son a moment ago.
Moreover, the location where they were taken matched the spot where the enthusiasts had agreed to gather.
The cross-check was complete.
At that moment, the animals began to howl.
Cries filled with longing and anguish about their kidnapped family.
I looked at the animals and said firmly.
“I’ll definitely bring them back!”
The sobbing sounds slightly calmed down, but it wasn’t enough.
That’s why I vowed.
To give them a small glimmer of hope.
“I swear on my mom’s name!”
[Are you insane?! Why on your mom’s name of all things?!]
‘Using my grandpa’s name is something only a detective like Kim Jeon-il would do.’
[F*ck.]
But it sure was effective.
Hope began to sprout in the animals’ eyes because of my statement.
Anyway, I had done all I could do.
All that was left was to wait until tomorrow’s decisive moment.
“Then I’ll see you all tomorrow.”
With those words, we all dispersed and returned to our respective dormitories.
To conserve energy for tomorrow’s mission.
Of course.
“I told you I’d drain you dry today, right?”
“……Please spare me.”
“I will let you live.”
I didn’t hold back and drained my energy little by little.
Just a bit.
*
Around evening, I received the animal doll outfits from the Lizard Beastman.
I was a wild boar. Hyeji was a cat. Ayeon was a bat. Elcia was a rabbit.
And…
“F*ck! Why is my outfit like this!!!”
Caressy was a wolf.
A blue wolf with a white neck and a red head and nose, looking exceptionally suspiciously rich.
But I couldn’t bring myself to suggest a swap with Hyeji, and Caressy was stomped in frustration.
Even if we asked to switch, we all intended to refuse her request with one mind.
It suited Caressy’s image so much.
Anyway, we went to our respective dorms and changed into the doll outfits.
Hyeji’s outfit was quite loose, but she seemed to move around without much trouble.
The issue was with me.
“It doesn’t fit well.”
“Shinwoo, do you want me to squeeze it a few more times? It’ll be quick.”
“No! I really like it tight!”
“Tch.”
I forced my body into the outfit and barely managed to put it on.
It was tight, but thankfully, it didn’t burst.
“Okay, Hyeji, you go on ahead.”
“Where are you going?”
“To an important place.”
Before heading to the meeting spot, I stopped by the snack bar to buy some snacks.
Since there wasn’t much room in the outfit, I couldn’t carry too much, so I only bought a few snacks that could fit in my pocket and two cans of beer.
When I arrived at the meeting place, everyone else was already wearing their doll outfits and waiting for me.
Feeling a bit peckish, I stuffed some snacks into my mouth while chewing.
Nom!
“…Did you bring food inside the doll outfit?”
“I did! Can I have some?”
I could see Elcia munching on snacks.
Her belly was so swollen that it was hard to see her chest, so it must be all snacks in there.
Moreover, Elcia finished the snacks she was eating and pulled out another pack.
“We have to work, why are we eating so much!”
“But if we don’t eat, we won’t have strength!”
“This is driving me insane. Shinwoo, say something!”
Suddenly, Caressy scolded Elcia and then turned her arrow towards me.
I opened my mouth to speak, but paused and calmly began to say to Elcia.
“Elcia, I told you to only take appropriate snacks.”
“But you’re doing the same f*cking thing!”
Caressy seemed to have sharp eyes, as she noticed me nibbling on snacks.
Naturally, Piece was the same.
[Do you think this is a f*cking picnic!!!]
‘Well, I have to eat to have strength.’
“Husband! This isn’t a snack, it’s a meal! It’s essential!”
“It’s not meal time now, so it’s all snacks. Drinks are included. Only water and tea are allowed.”
Then, Elcia, who was drinking her beverage, tilted her head and looked at me.
“But I saw you brought beer earlier!”
“That’s not beer; it’s barley tea. But, unintentionally, it got carbonated. I have to drink it since I can’t throw it away.”
“……You both should just die nicely together.”
Anyway, the preparations were complete.
We put on our doll masks perfectly and started walking towards our target location.
As soon as we entered the bar, we moved to the room where the meeting was supposed to be held.
“Wait a second, who are you?”
A man waiting at the entrance while looking at his mobile phone stopped our approach.
I stepped forward and opened my mouth towards him.
Since the others were women, if they spoke, they’d likely be suspected.
“I’m a member of the Animal Enthusiast Man Club. The vice president personally invited me to the VIP room.”
“Oh, you’re the one the vice president called a rising star. Nice to meet you.”
It seemed my tale had spread within such a short time.
It was somewhat annoying, but getting inside was the priority.
“Then can I come in?”
“No, but before that, there’s a test every member of the Man Club must take.”
This was new information to me.
A significant obstacle right from the start.
As everyone watched with worried eyes from behind the doll masks, the man showed me a picture on his phone.
It was a photo of a half-naked beast woman.
What the hell was going on?
In that instant, the man fixed the phone onto my doll mask and started questioning me seriously.
“What do you think when you see this? Does your heart race a little?”
I could vaguely tell what the test was about.
They probably determined the members based on how they reacted to the picture.
Here, I had to display a model animal enthusiast appearance that they would find acceptable.
Though I felt dreadful, I had no choice if I wanted to avoid suspicion.
I steadied my heart.
“This f*cker’s a beast?! Would he try it with humans too? Just get lost in your cowardly super freak club.”
“You’re a member of the Man Club. Come on in.”
The man suddenly asked for a handshake.
However, responding to a handshake here would be amateurish.
Since I had decided to act like an animal enthusiast, I would show a true animal enthusiast persona.
Instead of shaking his hand, I threw a cold reply.
“Get your hands off me. I only contact animals.”
“Perfect! You are indeed the rising star the vice president mentioned! You’ve passed the test!”
“Where’s the VIP room?”
“Just go straight to the end of the corridor inside.”
The man began to cheerfully clap with a bright smile.
With a welcoming demeanor, he looked genuinely delighted.
Thankfully, I passed the test.
However.
“Everyone, let’s go.”
“Wait, those guys didn’t take the test.”
It seemed the man was only planning to let me through.
He appeared intent on putting my heroines through the test again.
“Since I brought a special guest, can’t we let this slide?”
“Sorry, but this test is mandatory.”
The man shook his head firmly.
This was a real crisis.
If any of them made a sound, they could get suspected.
In that instant,
Smack!!!
“What the hell?”
Caressy, wearing the blue wolf doll outfit, slapped a bundle of cash across the man’s face.
Soon after, the dumbfounded man had bundles of cash stuffed into his pockets.
“Are you trying to insult me with money?!”
Then another bundle got shoved into the other side of his pocket.
When his pupils started shaking like crazy, a third bundle was placed right on his head.
“Welcome!!!!!!!”
The man quickly opened the door wide.
He even bowed his head deeply as if to bury it in the ground.
There must have been a considerable amount of money involved to refuse him.
It was indeed a suspiciously wealthy furry.
Anyway, now all that was left was to enter.
Beyond the wide-open door was a place completely different from where we were standing.
‘So this is the Shabondi Archipelago.’
[Yeah, f*ck. Just change jobs from Hunter to Pirate and go find One Piece.]
Right.
It’s a new world.
*