"Lady Yura..." One of the other members of Eternal Horizon sidled up to Yura, glancing back at Neol. A young teenaged girl with pink hair, probably new to the Guild. "...Is your boyfriend... human?"
Yura glanced back at Neol, who was currently being mobbed by a group of kobolds who kept trying and failing to stab him with spears. Then she sighed and said, "At this point, I don't know."
Neol had made a good point before.
Higher ranked Hunters had enhanced physiques. They were, in every definition, superhuman. Due to the increased quantity AND quality of mana particles, their flesh, bones, and skin were tougher with every rank.
Although he was SUPER crass about it... Neol WAS right that if he had been an ordinary person trying to do... trying to be intimate with Yura, it would have been dangerous.
There was a reason why BDSM was the most popular Hunter tag, after all.
...N-Not that Yura would know anything about that.
But ahem.
The pink-haired teenage girl glanced back and said, "...Um." She glanced at Neol. Then Yura. Then she blushed and said, "I-Is it true then? That... you know. If you do... it. If your partner isn't as strong as you..."
Yura turned a bright red and said, "I am NOT answering that question!"
"I-I-I'm just worried! I'm dating a civilian and I'm a B-Ranked Hunter. If I'm not careful during 'it', if I don't pay attention, will he... you know?"
"...Please stop talking..."
"S-Sorry!"
Yura sighed and rubbed her face. "...I don't know, okay? We talked about that afterwards and it was just a lucky coincidence that-" She stopped talking, realizing she had said too much.
A few other girls who had been drifting closer suddenly leaned in.
"ANYWAY!" Yura pointed in the distance and said, "I see the boss! Let's just... kill that thing and get out of here."
"R-Right!"
"Yes, Lady Yura!"
"But I wanted to hear more about her love life..."
"Then just ask HIM about it, dummy! He's not doing anything."
"Good point!"
Yura froze and slowly turned around to look at her party members. "If ANY of you DARE to ask him about our personal life, I'll make sure you don't get any for a year."
Neol's chuckles echoed from the back. "Jealous much, Love? They're just curious virgins. Unlike you."
Gasps broke out.
Yura turned a bright red and then immediately rushed towards the boss.
Stupidly perverted, stupidly hot, stupidly sexy Neol...!
"W-Wait! Lady Yura!"
"Don't go overboard! The drops, the drops!"
"Kya! Stop her!"
===
I laughed as I watched Yura blitz towards the boss, a giant kobold lord that was vaguely- No, VERY reminiscent of a certain 'ill fang' from a certain incarnating radius.
Was it because she was feeling sadistic? Or was she conscious about the drops?
Either way, instead of incinerating it, my lovely Yura was using her blade to hack off pieces of the boss monster.
It was very bloody. A few of the other girls in her party blanched.
Robert, the resident Jeigan- I mean, the tagalong mentor, rubbed the bridge of his nose.
But it looked like it was all very much under control.
"Hm..." I watched the hilarious sight unfolding in front of me and did a quick summary on my laptop. "Maybe my next story should be a slice of life comedy."
A perverted and overpowered MC with his serious but easily flustered lover... A lazybones type protagonist with a by-the-book female lead...
That should sell pretty well-
*CRACK*
I blinked and saw another kobold try and fail to attack me.
This one thought that it would be a good idea to hit my laptop.
Unfortunately...
*Executing counterspell*
Lightning crackled from my laptop case and then zapped the kobold, turning it into dust.
...Yeah.
My laptop was VERY expensive.
Technically, it was decommissioned Hunter Association tech meant to be used on the field by Hunters who were recording field data. Because of that, it was also a weapon with a rudimentary auto-retaliation feature.
...I spent my money wisely, okay?
But anyway...
A half dozen kobolds saw their friend get zapped and apparently had NO fear.
Letting out a strangled war-cry, the group of kobolds rushed in, muscular limbs primed to swing rocks, fists, whatever they could at me.
It was pretty good reference material...
But I was getting annoyed at this point.
So...
"Alright." I snapped my laptop shut. "Enough playtime."
> Compilation is activating!
> Responding to user's will...
> Compiling information about nervous systems, adrenal systems, and fear responses...
> The temporary skill, [Imminent Demise] is activated!
I glared at the kobolds with pure intent to kill.
And then they dropped dead.
I blinked. "...Huh. I just wanted to scare them off. Guess it was overkill."
===
Robert froze in his tracks. In the corner of his eyes, he saw the other members of the Gate Expedition party freeze as well... all except Yura.
The young lady was looking around at the others, confused at what was going on.
One of the girls shivered, hugging herself. Looking at Yura, she said, "Y-Y-You don't feel that?!"
Yura blinked. "Feel what?"
Robert swallowed and forced himself to move his body. It felt like lead. Like every cell in his body was screaming to run.
And he wasn't the only one.
The remaining monsters in the area were frozen stiff. Like prey before a predator.
'What is this pressure...?'
Robert had the misfortune to stand before an S-Ranked monster before. He also had the misfortune to wind up in an SSS-Ranked Gate by accident, only escaping by the skin of his teeth.
But even then, he didn't feel like this.
Death.
Certain death.
Not just certain death, a certain death that would lead to absolute erasure. Void, leaving not even the soul behind.
That was what Robert felt from Neol right now.
But the moment he processed that feeling...
It vanished.
Neol blinked and then let out a sigh. "Maybe I should do some more research... What do you think, Love?"
Yura walked over and tugged his ear. "I TOLD you that you should study more before we head into a gate!"
"Owowow! Sorry! Sheesh, what's the big deal! It's cleared, right?"
"Cleared? What's the big deal?! Do you know how many heart attacks I had today, Mister?! You are SO sleeping on the couch tonight!"
"Lies~ You're going to come crawling into my MMPH-!"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up, dammit!"
With those antics, the tension completely vanished.
The monsters that had been lingering rushed off in random directions, anywhere but near Neol.
The other girls laughed, relaxed at Yura scolding Neol.
But as for Robert...
'...I should report this.'
...He made careful note of the man- No, 'thing' calling himself Yura's beloved.