Chapter 23: The Emerald Bastion

After their kiss, Hyun-woo and Stheno stood before the main entrance to the inner city of Eden’s Vault. They hadn't really walked—it had been more of a run, as Stheno hadn't wanted to teleport there.

The entrance wasn’t a simple wooden door or metal gate. Instead, it was a massive natural archway formed by two petrified white-bark trees, their branches intertwining hundreds of feet in the air.

Soft golden light shimmered between the branches, marking the invisible barrier that protected the heart of the Vault. Normally, only women were allowed through. Any man who touched it would usually turn to ash on the spot.

Hyun-woo felt a cold knot form in his stomach. This was the exact same barrier that had nearly fried him days ago when Mother tested him—or, more accurately, yeeted him into it. Even knowing his Sex Beast powers had saved him, the memory still made his skin crawl.

“Feeling nervous?” Stheno asked, noticing how he’d frozen mid-step. Her golden scales caught the lantern light as she tilted her head, a teasing smirk playing on her lips.

“Yep,” he admitted honestly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Last time I got near this thing, I thought I was dead.”

“_ _” Stheno stopped walking and stared at him, her expression dropping into an unamused deadpan.

Her red-gold eyes narrowed slightly, though amusement danced behind the glare.

Hyun-woo noticed she had stopped and looked back at her. “What?”

“- - You know,” she said slowly, “when a man and a woman are on a date, isn’t the guy supposed to make her feel safe? Not stand there looking like he’s about to piss himself?”

Now it was Hyun-woo's turn to stare right back at her, blinking “o o”. She really doesn't have a filter, does she?

“...So you’re saying I can’t be honest with you?”

“Hey… that’s not what I meant!” Stheno stammered, her cheeks turning a vibrant pink.

“Oh no, my heart,” Hyun-woo said, clutching his chest dramatically and staggering like he’d been shot. “It hurts just hearing your cruel words. I might not survive this date.”

In the next moment, Stheno punched Hyun-woo right in the ribs.

“AGH! You bitch!” Hyun-woo doubled over, wheezing.

“You bastard! This is supposed to be a date!” Stheno snapped. She had known things were going too smoothly. But this bastard couldn't even let her have a moment of peace.

“AAH! My kidney exploded!” he groaned theatrically, still bent over.

His stupid… sigh, his face is way too pretty. Fuck, I’m still thinking about that kiss. A visible tick mark throbbed on her forehead. Fuck you, Hyun-woo.

Stheno crossed her arms and went quiet, stubbornly refusing to look at him. She had been annoyed at first, but now she was properly pissed.

After a few moments, Hyun-woo straightened up like nothing had happened. He shamelessly held out his hand toward her, palm up, with an innocent smile.

“Shall we go?”

Stheno huffed and turned her head sharply to the side, refusing to acknowledge him. Her golden snake-hair hissed softly in agreement with her mood.

“Hey, don’t look away now. You’re the one who punched me,” he pointed out.

“- -“ ….

“Are you angry?” he asked, genuinely curious this time. He realized he might have pushed the joke a little too far.

Stheno stayed silent, but her shoulders were tense. She was clearly pissed, yet part of her was fighting a smile.

Alright, time to fix this, Hyun-woo thought. He stepped closer and gently reached for her face with both hands, trying to turn her head toward him.

She didn’t budge. Instead, her whole body rotated like a statue while her head stayed locked in the same stubborn direction.

“Just how stubborn are you?” he muttered, trying again. Same result.

He switched tactics—placing one hand on top of her head and the other on her shoulder—and finally managed to rotate her upper body to face him.

Success. For about half a second.

Thud!

“AGGGH! Stheno, you weirdo!” Hyun-woo yelped, rubbing the fresh bruise on his side.

“Bitch, I am not a weirdo!” she shot back, finally breaking her silence with a glare.

From their post at the gate, the two female guards watched the entire scene unfold with wide eyes.

“Isn’t that Mistress Stheno?” one whispered.

“And what is she doing with that beautiful woman?”

“Bitch, that’s a man.”

“What?!” The first guard squinted her eyes, and upon recognizing his features, her eyes widened. “How the fuck is he here?”

“Yeah… how the fuck is that man even alive?”

The guards exchanged stunned glances, completely baffled. A man—walking casually beside one of the infamous Gorgon sisters, trading punches and banter like it was normal—right at the edge of the barrier that should have vaporized him on contact. Eden’s Vault had never seen anything like it.

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After their little back-and-forth scuffle (and a couple more playful punches), Hyun-woo and Stheno finally approached the grand entrance gate of Eden’s Vault.

Nobody moved to stop them. Why would they? No one could enter the inner sanctum of Eden’s Vault without Mother’s permission anyway. The two female guards posted at the arch simply stood there, spears resting lazily against their shoulders, watching the pair with mild curiosity.

But what happened next completely broke their brains.

Hyun-woo and Stheno walked straight toward the massive petrified arch formed by the two ancient white-bark trees. The invisible barrier—the same deadly wall that had nearly turned Hyun-woo into ash just days ago—shimmered faintly between the intertwined branches.

They didn’t slow down. They didn’t stop. They just… walked right through it like it was nothing more than a light morning mist.

No resistance. No pain. No explosion of golden energy frying a man alive.

Nothing.

The beautiful man, accompanied by the infamous Gorgon sister Stheno, passed through the strongest defensive barrier in the entire Vault as easily as stepping through an open doorway.

Both guards’ brains short-circuited on the spot. Their eyes widened. Jaws dropped. One of them even let her spear clatter to the ground with a loud, metallic clang.

“Wh… what the fuck…?” one guard whispered, her voice cracking.

The other could only stare, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

By the time their shock wore off, Stheno and Hyun-woo had already disappeared deeper into the glowing streets of the inner city, still bickering and holding hands.

“ARRRGH! What the fuck have we done?!” the first guard finally screamed, grabbing her head with both hands. “We just let a man walk straight through the barrier! We didn’t even report him! Mother’s going to skin us alive!”

“Shit, shit, shit—quick! Report it to command right now!” the second guard panicked, already fumbling for her communication crystal. “A human male just walked through the barrier with Mistress Stheno like it was a fucking joke! He’s inside! HE’S FUCKING INSIDE!”

The incident was reported immediately, though the report was frantic, messy, and filled with more swearing than official military language. Word began to spread through the southern sector of Eden’s Vault like wildfire.

A man was inside.

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As they stepped deeper into the inner city, Hyun-woo stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes widened, his mouth falling slightly open.

“Wow…” he breathed. I never knew a place could look this beautiful.

The visual clash was staggering. Eden’s Vault didn’t feel like a military base at all. It looked like an entire civilization that couldn’t decide which era it wanted to live in, so it had simply stolen the best parts from all of them.

Tall white marble and gray stone buildings rose twenty stories high, built with steep medieval thatched roofs and heavy timber framing. Ancient-looking stone towers that belonged in old dragon-slayer legends now had massive glowing holographic billboards floating beside them, advertising "Mana-Energy Drinks" and "Guardian Gear – Now with 40% More Dragon Strength!"

The streets were paved with old-fashioned cobblestones, but those stones were perfectly smooth and hummed with faint blue light. Sleek silver mag-lev carriages zipped silently past traditional horse-drawn carts loaded with fresh monster meat and glowing herbs.

In the massive central plaza, the mix became even crazier. To his left, a muscular female blacksmith hammered away at a glowing enchanted sword, sparks flying everywhere. To his right, a group of female soldiers in tight, futuristic black polymer armor sat at outdoor tavern tables, laughing loudly while drinking honey-mead from wooden tankards and scrolling on their smartphones.

There were no power lines anywhere—instead, glowing crystals floated lazily in the air every few blocks, serving as both beautiful streetlamps and Wi-Fi routers. The air smelled like a strange but addictive mix of woodsmoke, sweet perfume, roasted meat, and the sharp ozone scent of high-tech magic. It was a place where a knight in full plate armor could pull out a smartphone to take a selfie with a captured dragon.

For Hyun-woo, who was just an average guy, this was overwhelming. Granted, he had seen his fair share of cities when he was in the military, but never anything like this. This city was like stepping into a high-definition fever dream. It was beautiful, ancient, and terrifyingly advanced all at once.

And the most striking thing? There wasn’t a single man in sight.

Every single woman they passed was stunningly beautiful in her own way—tall, confident, powerful, and radiating strength. Warriors, mages, merchants, guards… all of them turned to stare at him the moment he appeared.

Hundreds of eyes locked onto the only man in the entire inner city. Some looked shocked. Some looked curious. A few looked downright hungry.

Stheno noticed the attention immediately. She smirked, clearly enjoying it, and tugged him forward by the hand.

“Welcome to the Emerald Bastion,” she said proudly, gesturing with her free hand across the glowing plaza. “The true sanctuary of my beautiful sisters. Hope you like it, pretty boy.”

Hyun-woo let out a low whistle, still taking everything in.

“…I think I’m gonna need a minute. This place is insane.”

Stheno laughed and bumped her shoulder against his.

“Don’t get too distracted staring at other women. You’re on a date with me, remember?”

Even as she said it, more and more heads turned in their direction. Whispers started spreading through the plaza like wildfire.

“Is that… a man?”

“With Mistres Stheno?”

“How the fuck is a man in Eden's Vault?”

Hyun-woo just grinned awkwardly and squeezed Stheno’s hand a little tighter as they walked deeper into the heart of the city, surrounded by the most beautiful, dangerous women he had ever seen.

This date was about to get very interesting.

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