Chapter 18: Monster Corpse Disposal (1)

I caress her, naturally shining silver, with delicate touches.

As if handling the most precious treasure in the world, I concentrate all my senses on my fingertips, caressing her and watching her reaction.

The towel placed beneath her was already soaked.

“Phew, how is it? Do you like it?”

Every time my touch passed by, she let out a plaintive moan and began to fuss more.

Vmmmm…♡

“It’s still not enough. Do you like it harder?”

Vmmmm…!

If you want more, I have no choice.

I got on top of her.

And I spread out the towel and began to roughly wipe the blade.

Vmmmm…♡ Vmm…♡

Every time I wiped the blade with the towel, Cutie♡Angel let out a plaintive moan.

I feel a strange feeling whenever I see the blade trembling and moaning pathetically.

It’s understandable because this act is weapon maintenance for me, but for Cutie♡Angel, it’s s*x… to be precise, foreplay.

A sword… s*x…?

The more I think about it, the more dizzy I get, but 70% of Cutie♡Angel is human, so I just let it go.

Cutie♡Angel, who became an ego sword, has automatic repair magic, but the number of times I’ve used that function is countable on one hand.

There’s also the reason why Cutie♡Angel always desperately sought my hand.

The biggest reason was that if I didn’t maintain Cutie♡Angel directly and left her alone, she would act up as she pleased.

Holy swords don’t even have will.

Cutie♡Angel is an ego sword, so her subjectivity and will were clearly present.

If such a Cutie♡Angel acts up?

Then that day was doomsday.

Because of this, even when I was in Grandia, I made sure to maintain Cutie♡Angel at least once every two days.

That’s why I’m wiping Cutie♡Angel now.

Actually, I had been neglecting maintenance a little because of the overlapping incidents in modern times.

I woke up from a sound sleep to a heavy and stuffy feeling, and somehow, she had popped out of the inventory on her own and was on top of me.

“Here. It’s done.”

I stroked the sparkling Cutie♡Angel.

Vmm vmm vmm!

I didn’t have the leather or whetstone I used in Grandia, so I had to make do with a towel, but Cutie♡Angel seemed satisfied.

“How is it inside the inventory? Is it livable?”

Vmm vmm vmm!

“Ah~ Really? It’s more spacious than the scabbard and livable? That’s good. I’ll wipe you down again before dust accumulates.”

Vmm vmm vmm! Vmmm vmm!

“Yeah yeah. I’m grateful to have you with me. Ogu ogu. Come here, I’ll hug you. Aigoo, when did our Cutie♡Angel get so heavy? Ah. Don’t climb on top too much. It’s really heavy.”

Vmmmmmmmm!!!

“Heh. Just kidding. Still, you used to weigh 50kg, so compared to then, you’ve successfully dieted…”

VMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!

I had a casual chat with Cutie♡Angel (Greatsword/Ego Sword/2m/24kg/Virgin) and prepared to start the day.

Tomorrow is the E-rank hunter promotion test, so I was planning to rest well today.

First, I took a bath.

I fell asleep without washing yesterday, so my whole body felt sticky.

I took a thorough shower with hot water and took out a Dr. Pepper from the inventory.

A can of Dr. Pepper after a refreshing shower.

They say people usually drink milk.

Milk, banana milk, coffee, anything is fine, but no matter how much I think about it, the best among them is Dr. Pepper.

I quickly emptied the can and prepared to go to the department store.

I wanted to eat a warm home-cooked meal instead of delivery food today, so I was planning to buy groceries at the supermarket.

I opened the closet and chose clothes to wear casually.

Actually, it didn’t really matter what I wore because they were all plain clothes.

I left the house, took the bus, and sat by the window.

The scenery of the rapidly passing street was captured in my sight.

The streets where people come and go still had traces of the backflow.

Broken and shattered buildings and roads, and the corpses of monsters scattered all over the place.

Even the expressions of people who are still locked in fear.

The backflow, which closed in just one day, completely destroyed the appearance of the peaceful city.

It was a landscape that was all too familiar to me.

I turned my gaze from the window and looked at the advertisement attached to the front of the bus seat.

[Hunter’s World! The world’s best virtual reality game welcomes you!]

‘Virtual reality game…?’

Virtual reality was not implemented in the original world I lived in.

They talked about VR and Metaverse, but it wasn’t a major genre to the extent that it was popular all over the world.

But in this world, just looking at the large screen of that building over there, an advertisement video for a virtual reality game called Hunter’s World was playing.

Maybe this is also one of the changed common senses that the goddess mentioned.

It’s a world where men and women are reversed.

Even if virtual reality technology has advanced tremendously, I just let it go now.

‘Maybe I’ll try it later.’

I was absentmindedly thinking about random things when I saw a strangely familiar back outside the window.

The pungent smell of dish soap penetrating through the bus window.

It was Manager Pongpong, no, Manager Eun.

Manager Eun was having a conversation with people who seemed to be Hunter Association employees, with serious expressions.

The bus also happened to be stopped, so I could hear their conversation.

“…Sigh. Manager. Is this really possible within today? No matter how much I think about it, this doesn’t seem right…?”
“That’s right. We can’t finish this today. We’re too short-handed right now.”
“Haa… But what can we do. The higher-ups are making a fuss, saying we have to finish it by today. We have to do what we’re told. First, identify the location of all the monster corpses around here by lunch. Send an official letter to nearby guilds requesting support for the collection team.”
“That’s. The guild that came to support us during the backflow last time refused to cooperate. Two B-rank hunters who were the aces of that guild died while catching Ogres. I think they’re really angry because of that.”
“Phew… This is driving me crazy… We can’t call Flame of Upheaval, can we?”
“Hmm. I’ll contact them first. But given Yeom Haneul’s personality, there’s a high probability that she’ll refuse. She’s a b*tch who does whatever she wants. Honestly, it’s a miracle that she even came during the backflow…”
“… Yeah. But you never know, so contact them first. Since we’re outside the gate, we can use machines, so we need to mobilize even porters to move the monster corpses in a hurry…”

They seemed to be racking their brains about the disposal of monster corpses.

Certainly, I saw countless monster corpses while riding the bus.

From the perspective of the higher-ups, whether it’s for the aesthetic problem of the city or to solve the problem of complaints filed by citizens.

They’ll have to take a position that they have quickly overcome the backflow, at least on the surface.

In that respect, the disposal of monster corpses was certainly a headache.

A street battle resulted in monster corpses remaining throughout the city, and there is a low probability that there are monsters hiding while avoiding detection.

Moving the corpses of monsters is also a difficult task.

It may not be a problem for Goblins, but large monsters such as Orcs and Trolls were difficult to move hastily even with the use of machines.

It would probably take five or six strong men with the help of machines to barely move one monster for several hours.

It was even more of a headache if such a monster was in an alley where heavy equipment could not enter.

In such a situation, even the monster corpse collection team of the surrounding guilds refused to support them.

The most specialized personnel in this matter were missing.

It was a situation that would make them worry to the point of losing their hair.

I sat in my seat until just before the bus departed, racking my brain.

Should I participate in this situation or not?

If the bus departs as it is, I will go to the supermarket, buy groceries, and enjoy the day with a hearty meal.

And tomorrow, I will go to take the E-rank promotion test and meet Manager Eun.

On the other hand, if I get off now and go to Manager Eun, the benefit that will return to me is… hmm…

First, a fact check.

Can the inventory put monsters into subspace?

I imagined putting the corpse of a Troll, visible far beyond the bus window, into the inventory.

Without the slightest movement, just by imagining, the corpse of the B-rank monster Troll instantly disappeared from its place and entered the inventory.

It was possible, as expected.

The inventory could even store the corpses of monsters.

I finished calculating the pros and cons and got off the bus and approached Manager Eun.

“Long time no see. Manager Eun.”
“I’m busy right now… Oh, Han Suhyeon…?”

I smiled and offered her a handshake.

Manager Eun also received the handshake with an awkward smile.

This is the first time I’ve seen Manager Eun since I met her at the Hunter Association.

She was smoking heavily and talking about whether the Hunter Association would eat Han Suhyeon or not.

Presumptuously.

“But what brings you here…”
“I happened to see it while riding the bus. You seemed to be having a little trouble with the monster corpse disposal problem, so I thought my skill might be helpful.”
“If you’re talking about skill… Are you perhaps talking about the inventory? Then, as expected…!”

Manager Eun seemed to have noticed through the short conversation that my inventory could also store the corpses of monsters.

But Manager Eun soon stiffened her expression.

“Haha. Han Suhyeon? Isn’t it a bit early right now? You have the promotion test scheduled for tomorrow. Let’s properly test your abilities at the association tomorrow. Tomorrow.”
“Huh? Why tomorrow? Weren’t you in a hurry right now?”
“Ahaha. The monster corpse problem can be solved later. Han Suhyeon, go home and rest well, and come to the Hunter Association tomorrow for the promotion test…”

Hmm. Her tongue is unnecessarily long.

Retracting me, who has the ability to move monster corpses, when they are in urgent need of monster corpse disposal.

Her behavior seems to try to hide information about the inventory ability in this crowded place.

Awkward expression and gestures that seem to hide me.

And decisively, the conversation I heard last time with the nuance that the Hunter Association would take me.

The sharp intuition honed through my life as a hero sounded a signal.

If my guess is correct, Manager Eun, no, the Hunter Association seemed to be trying to monopolize me.

To be precise, not me, but the inventory ability.

‘Ah… a bit… f*cked up?’

“Hey, don’t be like that.”

I smiled brightly and snapped my fingers.

The corpse of a Troll suddenly appeared on the empty floor.

I sat down on the Troll corpse that appeared behind me like a chair and looked at Manager Eun.

“It would be a little easier if I were here. How about it?”

Her embarrassed expression was a masterpiece.