Is It Strange For A Succubus To Be Wearing Clothes?

Chapter 11

—–CROW—– 

The landscape of the Mapo District underworld was a unique blend of a modern city’s dark back alleys and the eerie atmosphere of an ancient dungeon.

The paths leading down were accessible through abandoned buildings or subway stations; the “back door” of the nameless bar run by Ahjussi Mikkelsen was one such passage.

The entrances to these paths were always shrouded in deep darkness, or completely inconspicuous from the outside, making it impossible for the government to properly crack down on them.

Past the entrance, a labyrinthine passage would appear, and beyond the area once used as a subway station, deeper down, a complex network of tunnels and caves of varying sizes would unfold.

The ceilings soared high, unbelievably so for an underground space, and the scattered collapsed structures and debris created an apocalyptic, end-of-the-world ambiance that was quite appealing from an aesthetic perspective.

Though it appeared chaotic and disorderly, this underworld supposedly had its own rules and order.

“Hey, stop.”

As I walked lightly along, gatekeepers came into view.

The gatekeepers varied from area to area, ranging from Awakened classified as criminals to wanderers and homeless people.

A variety of people guarded the gates of the underworld.

“Eh? This woman…”

Lust, lechery, desire – I could feel them intensely in the gazes directed at me.

Ah, being beautiful truly is a sin.

Even though I was completely covered up, my silhouette and figure couldn’t be hidden, and even with my face veiled, it seemed impossible to avoid igniting the flames of lust.

“…Whoa, shit.”

“H-hyungnim. This isn’t the time. E-entry i-inspection…”

“Ah, r-right.  That’s right. E-entry pass. Hey, do you have an entry pass, missy?”

Oh, what a shame.

If only their mental barrier resistance was a little lower, they would’ve been completely entranced by my appearance, their souls practically slipping away…

Now I have to bother even opening my mouth.

“An entry pass?”

“Huh.”

“Whoa, what’s with that voice…”

“Oh shit. This won’t do.  Hey, forget the entry pass, if we each… get a…”

Finally, my eyes met with one of them who couldn’t contain his lust and approached.

And I smiled.

When people make eye contact, you smile.

It’s common sense, isn’t it?

“…Ah…”

“H-hyungnim? What’s wrong…”

“Gentlemen.”

Although I hadn’t removed my veil, my voice resonated thickly through the dark cavern.

A succubus’s charm isn’t limited to just their eyes and face.

Voice, gestures, even the slightest presence.

Anything that can be perceived as attractive can be maximized.

“Unfortunately… I don’t have an entry pass.”

“……”

“Uh, uh…?”

“Th-then, th-that’s, a p-problem…”

It was a little funny how they were already entranced even as they said it was a problem.

No, wait, considering they were in that state and still trying to stop me, even if just a little, their mental barriers are definitely stronger than average, aren’t they?

Ahaha, I’ll commend you.

Though, it’s meaningless.

“If you would just cooperate with me a little… I don’t think anyone will have a problem. What do you say?”

“….”

“….”

“….”

I caressed their ears with my delicate and beautiful voice.

I also added the gesture of bringing my hand to my cheek and tilting my head slightly, as if troubled.

Ah, they’ve all fallen for it.

No one answered.

They didn’t answer, didn’t react.

They just stepped aside as if complying with my words and opened the gate for me.

“Huhu, thank you.”

Well then, gatekeepers of the underworld.

Keep up the good work?

Ah, and also…

“Please forget about me.”

“….”

Now, I don’t have to worry about the aftermath.

There are probably CCTVs nearby, but that’s alright.

Such electronic devices are no problem for me.

An entry pass?

As if I’d have such a thing.

I could get one from Ahjussi Mikkelsen if I wanted, but after seeing how I got through last time, he seemed reluctant to give me one again.

Just like this, our eyes meet.

You let me in.

You forget me.

Simple, right?

No need for an entry pass~

“Haaaah. The air is so stuffy compared to outside.”

Still, the scenery itself is art.

The first things that came into view were jade and black, giant pipes and slums, markets and monster nests.

The scent of mushrooms, sharp rock magic stones, and melting hydrochloric acid hot springs.

The underworld is called by many different names, but I call this place the [Beetle Nest].

During the early days of the Rifts, a large-scale translocation phenomenon occurred in Mapo District, causing an overflow of Gates, dungeons, and monsters, leading to immense chaos.

Naturally, many Hunters were deployed to quell the chaos and hunt the monsters.

But a National Assembly hearing happened to be scheduled right at that time.

A National Assembly hearing, at a time when they were desperate to control Hunters and the Awakened.

The massive budget allocated for the Mapo District overflow incident was drastically cut due to the circumstances and nonsense of those high-ranking officials, and thanks to the budget cuts, the Hunters didn’t receive proper compensation from the government.

Naturally, the Hunters protested.

If it were now, a large guild could just bomb the National Assembly building.

However, in the early days of the Rifts, not only the government, but the entire nation demanded sacrifices from the Hunters, showing no interest in their rights or welfare.

When was it… ah, was it around six years ago, after several disasters including the Melting Coup, that the rights of the Awakened began to improve?

It doesn’t matter to me, anyway.

Anyway, at that time, the government seemed to think they had hunted enough monsters on the surface of Mapo District and felt no need to invest any more budget.

So they kept postponing the compensation payments to the Hunters, or spouted nonsense like, “Your scar is 1cm short, so you can’t be recognized for your meritorious service,” like some odd-numbered parent.

The Hunters were naturally furious, but since the social atmosphere itself was one that demanded sacrifice from Hunters and the Awakened, they had no choice but to give in.

Ah, but those high-ranking officials didn’t know much about the ecology of dungeons, Gates, and monsters.

At least now they receive nominal education, but back then, they really thought of monsters as being on the level of gorani or wild boars!

So, while the surface of Mapo District was cleared, they were unaware that a huge disaster was hatching eggs underground.

That disaster was the [Clacklashton Beetle].

A beetle that, like ants, had a queen hiding underground, laying countless eggs and preparing for a ground invasion.

I don’t know how many eggs that beetle lays, or how much of a threat it poses to humanity, but according to the Hunters, if left unchecked, the entire Republic of Korea would have been covered in beetles.

So, a few righteous Hunters and Awakened hunted and subdued the beetles.

At the time, the Awakened who raided the beetles risked their lives for the sake of justice, for the sake of peace, for the sake of ordinary people, challenging this underground world.

Naturally, many Awakened died, and sad and regrettable sacrifices were made.

But the government didn’t want to pay compensation, didn’t want to give any more precious budget to those Awakened, and above all, fearing a drop in approval ratings, they tried to bury the incident using the media:

‘It’s a hoax by the Hunters!’

‘There’s actually nothing in the Mapo District underground.’

‘Actually, some Hunters died while drunk driving, and the raid deaths are a fabrication.’

Ahahaha~ It’s a relief that it only ended with the current reversal of positions between the Awakened and the government.

But in reality, the Hunters didn’t actually kill the Clacklashton Beetle.

They just subdued it using techniques and seals.

In other words, they could lift the seal and release it at any time.

It was also a threat, implying they could turn the Republic of Korea into a hive of bugs at any moment.

The government belatedly learned of this and hurriedly bowed their heads, trying to negotiate with the Awakened and Hunters who had raided the Mapo District underground.

We’ll give you compensation.

We’ll give you more as the budget is allocated.

Be satisfied with this for now.

Aren’t we all citizens of the same Republic of Korea?

But they couldn’t issue a public apology through the media because their approval ratings might drop.

The Hunters, already familiar with the government’s tactics of empty promises, appeals to evaporated patriotism, and delaying payments they weren’t going to make anyway, flatly rejected the offer.

Instead, they decided to take what the government could give them immediately.

Mapo District, the underworld, autonomy.

“What they received was this Beetle Nest. Did they say they established Mapo District and its underworld as their own world?”

Further compromise was impossible, and they decided to release the beetles if these conditions weren’t met.

In the end, the government had no choice but to accept, and as a retaliatory measure, they politically and administratively retaliated by branding the Awakened and Hunters who gained autonomy as criminals and putting bounties on their heads.

But they didn’t care.

They were all first-generation Hunters, seasoned in combat, confident they could defeat anyone, be it soldiers or bounty hunters.  And above all, their trust in the government and the country had plummeted to the Earth’s core, so they had no intention of being citizens of the Republic of Korea.

As a result, this vast and expansive underworld was created in Mapo District.

This place, while a gathering point for all sorts of drugs, smuggled goods, illegal weapons, unauthorized monster byproducts, criminals, and the destitute with nowhere else to go, was fundamentally a place for the Awakened.

That’s why it’s a feast for my eyes when I come here, and sometimes I can even find decent items.  It’s a place of rare and vulgar beauty.

“Ahaha, oppas~ Good work today~ See you again~”

“Uh, uhh.  Mm…”

And there are quite a few succubus and incubus establishments here.

As a Succubus Empress, it feels strange to see this, but being a Succubus Empress doesn’t mean I rule or control the entire species, so I don’t pay it much mind.

Ugh, but what’s with those clothes?

I mean, of course, it’s not strange for succubi to wear revealing and attractive clothes to seduce men, but ugh.  You can see everything!

Their attire and behavior are vulgar.

Beauty and charm don’t come from exposure and vulgarity.

Of course, it’s true that the desire stemming from vulgarity and exposure is primal and stimulating, but ugh.  I don’t like it.

“…Gasp!”

Meanwhile, a succubus, seemingly feeling a chill, looked around nervously before disappearing.

It was probably because of me.

Sorry.

Actually, I’m not sorry.

A sizable economy operates within the underworld.

Smuggled goods and drugs aside, the most important thing is the Clacklashton Beetle eggs.

Somewhere in this underground, still bound and sealed, the beetle, though barely alive, continues to lay eggs according to its instincts.

When life force is extracted from these freshly laid eggs, they harden and petrify. These petrified eggs, now in mineral form, can replace what are commonly known as magic stones.  Considering how magic stones are used in all sorts of industries and everyday life these days, this place is practically like an oil field.

No, it’s even more valuable than that.

I hear the government is in a very difficult situation because of it.

Due to their misjudgment, the Awakened who control this nest have reached a position where they can shake the nation’s economy, even aside from their military might.

Well, it’s their own fault.

Lost in the gloomy yet vibrant scenery of the underworld, I arrived at the auction venue before I knew it.

The most flamboyant and massive structure in the Beetle Nest.

This place used to be the Hongdae Entrance subway station, but after various renovations and expansions, it now resembled a magnificent opera house.

“Halt.”

As I approached the auction house, several people in full-body combat suits, their faces completely covered, surrounded me.

The suits seemed to have a mental barrier enhancement function.

Of course, with hypnotists and mind controllers around, they had to block the entry of any unidentified or suspicious individuals.

“Who are you? You cannot enter without an invitation.”

“Oh my, is that so? Hufufu.”

“External infrared identification shows no invitation.”

“I see. Then step back immediately.”

“Oh, I can’t do that… I just wanted to take a look at the auction house…”

“We’ll say it again. Leave now and no one gets hurt.”

Sensing some kind of threat from me, the suited figures entered combat mode.

Oh my, violence is bad.

“Otherwise, you die.”

“This is your final warning.”

“Immediately…”

“Oh my, I’m scared.”

So, just smile.

Smile.

Smile.

A smile for everyone working hard today.

How about it?

Don’t you feel better after seeing my smile?

“…You, may, enter…”

Ah, the mental barrier!

What amazing equipment!

But not for me.

Anyway, smiles are nice.

You should all smile too.

They say good fortune comes to those who smile.

“Thank you~”

“Have, a good, time…”

“Ah, right.”

I almost forgot.

“Please forget about me.”

“…Yes.”

—–CROW—–