Chapter 80
One characteristic of Rage Mode is that actions taken during the month accumulate to some degree.
For example, with Rage Mode A, using blood makes the rage intensify further.
Of course, using it sparingly like with Dantalian isn't much of an issue.
But heavy use can cause blood to surge from two or three places on the body simultaneously.
At its worst, the tattoo can even spread right there, triggering a mini rage mode.
Though I've been limiting my abilities lately because of the Otherworlder, there's a good reason I'm conservative with them.
While drinking Holy Water helps endure it somewhat, the side effects are still clearly there.
Rage Mode B is similar but different.
The key difference is that B's reactions shift slightly based on emotions felt during that month.
For instance, if anger was the dominant emotion at the time, rage becomes amplified during the transformation. If it was loneliness, then loneliness intensifies. If anxiety was strong, then anxiety grows.
It's not always the case, but that tendency generally strengthens.
And this month has been eventful for me in many ways.
I moved from a pit to a cave, got a bounty on my head, and even briefly kept a fierce pet named Happy.
Plus that brief incident earlier today.
It's been a month that was peaceful yet full of various happenings.
And Rage Mode B has an uncanny way of picking up on those emotional fluctuations.
- Surrender your body to me
As the Waning Moon's words surfaced, my emotions began to surge once again.
Thump thump-!
My heart pounds violently as heat rises throughout my body.
Various lewd thoughts emerge while blood rushes downward.
Once again, sexual desire is the main theme of this rage mode.
Well, I did see quite a few stimulating scenes this month.
Keeping Happy was probably a big factor.
She was a woman with delicate beauty after all. Having someone like that tied up in my home for 5 days provided quite the visual stimulation.
Yet I only accumulated desire without release, so it's natural that lust became the primary theme.
"Huu... huu..."
For now, I endured without removing my clothes.
I needed to manage my stamina, and honestly, masturbating repeatedly without any material felt a bit pathetic.
Though the future is set, I'll try to hold out as long as I can.
Meanwhile, the demon's voice continued:
-How long do you plan to stay cooped up here? You're well past coming of age now. Shouldn't you be meeting women and such?
The tone felt oddly like a nagging mother.
"Well... that's because someone won't let me leave."
I complained like that.
Even then, its words continued.
-I will fulfill it. Surrender your body to me. Then I shall let you leave this place and grant your desires.
The demon's usual temptation. My heart wavered briefly at the promise to fulfill my desires.
Of course, my answer was already decided.
"...No."
Since I knew what would happen if I listened to it.
Time passed like that. As time went on, desire rose and became increasingly difficult to endure.
With heat rising through my body, I removed my top.
Perhaps due to the heat, my mind felt slightly hazy.
Since there was nothing in the cave, my "material" selection was fairly regular.
My meager imagination could only draw from what existed in reality.
Yoo Chae-rin, Im Ha-neul, some porn I saw in my past life. Then back to Yoo Chae-rin, Im Ha-neul...
Though I felt guilty using people close to me, it was necessary to endure Rage Mode B. The perverse thrill even stimulated me further.
As much as I hate to admit it, the demon was right. I'm well past coming of age.
In this world, people commonly marry right after becoming adults, yet I'm still maintaining my chastity.
Something's clearly wrong.
But I had my grievances too. How is it my fault?
It's all because the demon's blood prevents me from mixing with people.
'Just you wait.'
I can do it plenty if given the chance.
...... The rage mode seemed to be affecting my sanity a bit.
While I was struggling alone like that.
"Um... Yor? Are you in there?"
Suddenly, a familiar voice came as a doll-like figure entered deeper into the cave.
It was Yoo Chae-rin.
*
What she felt upon entering the cave was.
A heated atmosphere and an indescribably sticky mood.
Though the scenery was the same as usual, something felt off.
While slightly puzzled, Chae-rin went in anyway.
She couldn't turn back now that she'd come this far. Besides, she was worried about him enduring Rage Mode alone.
Not long after heading deeper inside, she found Yor.
He had approached her after sensing her presence.
When she saw him, Chae-rin couldn't help but be startled.
'W-what?'
Unlike usual, he was shirtless.
His defined abs were in plain view. Moreover, his breathing seemed somewhat labored, and his eyes looked hazy. He clearly wasn't in a normal state.
The one fortunate thing was that he wasn't covered in blood like she'd worried.
'So this is what a mentally-affecting Rage Mode looks like?'
At least he didn't appear to be in pain. Though his nerves did seem a bit on edge.
All Chae-rin knew about Rage Mode B was that it made one more prone to anger when activated.
Yor hadn't explained anything beyond that.
After all, it would've been embarrassing to confess to a woman that his sexual desire increases.
As a result, she couldn't properly guess his current condition.
As she stood there frozen, Yor spoke.
His voice was lower than usual.
"...... What brings you here?"
"Ah, well..."
"I'm pretty sure I told you not to come."
"I'm sorry. I was worried and wanted to check on you."
Chae-rin answered with a nervous voice.
Whether due to the different atmosphere or mistaking it for anger, she felt strangely tense.
It felt like being a herbivore facing a predator.
Meanwhile, Yor was focused on something else.
Specifically, Chae-rin's body. While he was somewhat conscious of it normally, with Rage Mode activated, it caught his attention far more than usual.
Making matters worse, as summer approached her clothing had gotten thinner.
A crop top showing her navel, and leather hot pants. The only additional protection was small leather armor pieces like a breastplate and greaves.
As befitting her thief profession, she preferred clothing that prioritized mobility.
As a result, her feminine curves were clearly visible.
"...... A-and."
As he continued wrestling with his desires, Chae-rin spoke up.
Time had continued flowing while Yor quietly observed her body.
Unable to bear the silence any longer, Chae-rin opened her mouth.
"I also came to apologize again for what happened this afternoon."
"......"
"Even though you said it was fine, it didn't feel right to just let it go..."
At those words, Yor silently looked at her for a moment.
Normally he might have insisted it was still fine. He'd already received more than enough apologies, and he wasn't the type to dwell on such things anyway.
But perhaps due to the Rage Mode, what came out of his mouth was something rather different.
"...You're right. Come to think of it, I can't just let this slide either."
Then he continued.
"If you saw someone else naked, shouldn't you show yours too?"
"W-what?"
"Strip."
Chae-rin was momentarily shocked at those words. While she expected some scolding, she never imagined he'd say something like that.
Did she hear that right? Maybe he was joking?
But Yor's eyes, from what she glimpsed, were deadly serious.
His breathing was still heavy, and his eyes remained hazy with unreadable thoughts.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up."
In the end, Chae-rin had no choice but to comply with the overwhelming pressure she felt.
'I-is he this angry because of Rage Mode...?'
She thought while following his orders. Surely he'd tell her to stop once she played along for a bit.
And so her clothes began coming off one by one.
The leather armor pieces serving as protection and her shoes were removed in sequence.
When only her crop top and hot pants remained, Chae-rin couldn't help but hesitate.
While removing armor wasn't a big deal, underneath these would be her underwear.
Even though she was a 'woman', showing one's underwear to another person was equally embarrassing.
Her face turned slightly red from shame.
Chae-rin looked at Yor with hesitant eyes, silently asking if she really had to remove these too.
Of course, Yor had no intention of stopping here.
No, rather, because things had come this far, his reason was gradually reaching its limit.
Honestly, he'd endured as much as he could. If he maintained his rationality and backed away now, he'd deserve to be called gay.
After all, wasn't it her fault for coming at night when he'd said it was fine?
"Having trouble doing it alone? Then let me help."
With those words, he took one big step toward Chae-rin.
Then he immediately grabbed her top and roughly pulled it off.
"Eek!"
With that brief shriek, her massive chest was revealed.
A pure white bra precariously supported Chae-rin's breasts. The overwhelming visual stimulus stoked Yor's lust.
It was only natural for Chae-rin to be startled by the sudden contact. By this point, even she couldn't help but notice something was off about the atmosphere.
'Huh? Could this be...'
Could it be that Rage Mode amplifies not just anger, but other things too?
Come to think of it, his breathing was strangely sweet. Like someone in heat.
Since Yor was also shirtless, Chae-rin had been receiving visual stimulation this whole time too.
The moment she realized this, a small system window appeared before her eyes.
[Would you like to unlock 18+ Mode?]
[YES/NO]
The system naturally displayed the window after reading the mood.
As Chae-rin's gaze turned to the system window, Yor pretended not to notice and asked:
"Oh? Something popped up in front of you?"
"Ah, um, yes..."
Cutting off her words, Yor said:
"Turn it on. Now."
At those words, Chae-rin's heart began pounding violently.