Chapter 25: KABOOM! (My Bad)

The cool night air of the Emerald Bastion felt refreshing after the heat of the teppanyaki grill. The moment they stepped out of the restaurant, Stheno grabbed Hyun-woo’s hand and practically pulled him along with her.

For the first time, Hyun-woo saw Stheno genuinely laughing.

For the first time, she was loud, bright, and completely carefree. The city hummed around them with faint blue magical lights, and the lively energy of both Stheno and the night market seemed to pull him in.

He didn’t resist. He let himself be swept along.

They weren’t really walking anymore; they were half-running through the streets like excited kids. Stheno swung their linked arms playfully, her golden snake-hair hissing in cheerful little bursts. The tough, hot-tempered Gorgon he had met earlier had completely disappeared. Right now, she looked like a happy girl on her first real date.

The high slit of her crimson dress fluttered with every step, flashing glimpses of her beautiful iridescent golden scales that shimmered under the floating crystal streetlamps.

"Alright, pretty boy," she declared, her red-gold eyes sparkling with competitive energy. “I’m showing you how to actually have fun in Eden’s Vault!”

***********

Their first stop was a quirky shop tucked under a steep medieval-style thatched roof, but its storefront glowed with a flashy holographic billboard. The sign floated in bright neon script: Madame Vex’s Holo-Glamour & Scales.

Inside, the shop smelled of ozone and crushed lavender. Nothing was ordinary here. Necklaces made of liquid starlight hovered inside anti-gravity tubes, and mood rings constantly shifted shapes and colors based on the wearer’s emotions.

Hyun-woo wandered over to a display of tiny, shimmering bands. “What are these?”

“Snake cuffs,” Stheno said, leaning over his shoulder. “They’re for Gorgons like me. Usually, they’re just plain brass, but these…”

Before she could finish, Hyun-woo picked up a set of beautiful braided laser-light bands. Ignoring her protest, he gently reached toward her wild golden snake-hair.

The snakes, which were usually aggressive toward strangers, actually purred and leaned into his touch. He carefully slid the glowing cuffs onto a few of them. The bands instantly synced with Stheno’s aura, shifting into a brilliant sparkling ruby red that perfectly matched her dress.

Stheno rushed to the mirror to check herself. She loved what she saw. The snakes wearing the new cuffs raised their heads proudly, showing off to the others like they were modeling.

When she turned around, she noticed Hyun-woo standing there awkwardly, looking a bit embarrassed.

Stheno understood immediately and grinned. “You didn’t bring any money with you, did you?” she teased. As a guardian, practically everything was free for her here anyway.

“No…” Hyun-woo’s voice came out tiny and shy. He is still that adorable little man.

“Don’t worry,” Stheno whispered as she stepped closer. Before he could react, she had already snapped a quick picture of his cute, embarrassed face with her phone. “Things are free for guardians. I’ve got you.”

“Oooh!” Hyun-woo’s face lit up with realization.

Stheno thought he looked adorable, but before she could say anything, he gently grabbed her chin, tilting her face up toward him.

“You look cute,” he said softly.

“Only cute?!” Stheno feigned annoyance, crossing her arms defensively even as her snakes preened happily and her cheeks turned pink.

Hyun-woo smiled. “Oh, sorry. Not just cute. You look beautiful, too.”

“Shut up,” she muttered, but she couldn’t hide her smile.

She grabbed his hand and dragged him back out into the street. She didn’t take the new ruby cuffs off her snakes, not even for a second.

After leaving the shop, they wandered past sleek silver mag-lev carriages and old-fashioned horse-drawn carts until loud, chaotic carnival music and cheers caught their attention. Down a wide alley, a lively row of game stalls stretched out, blending ancient magic with high-tech fun.

“Oh, you are so going down,” Stheno grinned mischievously as she pulled Hyun-woo toward one of the stalls called The Dragon’s Crosshairs.

The game was simple but exciting: shoot holographic flying mini-dragons out of the air using a heavy polymer mana-rifle. The grand prize was a massive, ridiculously fluffy stuffed chimera almost as big as a person.

“Watch and learn, human,” Stheno boasted. She picked up the rifle, her stance shifting into perfect military precision. Her golden scales shimmered under the lights as she fired—Bang! Bang! Bang!—sniping three holographic dragons in seconds. The vendor, a muscular female soldier, clapped enthusiastically and handed her a medium-sized stuffed griffin.

“Not bad,” Hyun-woo teased with a grin. “But let me show you how a normie does it.”

He picked up the spare mana-rifle. It felt surprisingly light in his hands. For a split second, he forgot that his Sex Beast class had boosted his physical strength to literally infinite levels.

When he pulled the trigger…

KABOOM!

A blinding beam of pure white energy exploded from the barrel. It didn’t just hit the holographic dragons—it completely obliterated the entire projection machine, the dragon holograms, and a huge chunk of the stone wall behind the stall.

Silence fell over the alley.

The vendor stared at the smoking crater where her game used to be. Hyun-woo stood frozen, still holding the melted plastic handle of the now-destroyed rifle.

“Uh… my bad?” he squeaked.

Stheno stared at the destroyed wall, then at him. A loud, undignified snort escaped her lips before she burst into wild laughter. Without hesitation, she reached over, grabbed the massive top-prize stuffed chimera right off the rack, slammed a weird coin on the counter to pay for the damages, and seized Hyun-woo’s wrist.

“RUN!” she yelled, still laughing like crazy.

They bolted down the cobblestone streets like criminals, dodging surprised female soldiers drinking honey-mead and merchants pushing glowing carts. Hyun-woo couldn’t stop laughing as Stheno dragged him along, the giant stuffed chimera bouncing wildly in her other arm.

They finally ducked into a quiet, shadowed courtyard and collapsed onto a pale marble bench, both panting and gasping for air. Stheno clutched the enormous stuffed chimera to her chest, tears of laughter shining in her golden-red eyes.

“You—you completely fucking vaporized her stall!” she gasped between laughs, her forked tongue flicking out. “I thought Mother’s barrier was dangerous, but you can’t even play a simple carnival game without breaking shit!”

“Hey, it’s not my fault!” Hyun-woo protested, wiping tears from his own eyes. “I just forgot how strong I am! The gun just… exploded!”

As their laughter slowly died down, the quiet courtyard wrapped around them like a cozy blanket. The floating crystals overhead cast a soft, warm golden glow across Stheno’s face, highlighting her flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. She looked down at the giant stuffed chimera sitting in her lap, then back up at Hyun-woo.

The usual tough, hot-tempered Gorgon sister had completely disappeared. In her place was a woman who looked genuinely, radiantly happy.

“Thanks, Hyun-woo,” she said softly, all the teasing gone from her voice. “I haven’t run like that… or laughed like that… in a really long time.”

Hyun-woo smiled warmly and reached over, gently brushing a stray golden snake away from her cheek with his fingers.

“Anytime, Mistress Stheno,” he whispered, his voice warm and sincere.

For a moment, the world felt small and peaceful. Just the two of them, sitting close on the marble bench, hearts still racing from the chaotic fun they’d just had.

*******

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Eden’s Vault, a very different kind of encounter was taking place.

It was a silent, tense meeting between two very specific entities.

An Outer Guardian... and an Inner Guardian.

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.