Chapter 144
After deciding to go to the Imp Hunting Ground.
The first place we stopped at was none other than the Adventurer Guild.
Since the request itself came from the Guild, we first had to register the Mission here. It worked out perfectly. I needed to take on some requests anyway to raise my rank. This was a chance to reach S-rank.
Perhaps because I'd been back and forth a few times by then. No Adventurer thought it strange for a Manifestor to be walking around.
As I was looking at the bulletin board for a moment, someone approached me and greeted me.
“Hmm? Sir, what brings you here? Don't tell me you've also come to hunt those Imps?”
It was none other than Befri. You know, that person I picked a fight with when I first came to This Place, and she accepted the duel? The woman with unusually large bones and a thick build.
Actually, I'd met her a few more times even after punching her in the face back then. Since we used the same Adventurer Guild, we naturally ran into each other often.
And each time, she would approach me and strike up a conversation. I remember us having a fierce war of nerves back then. Whether she was friendly or just easygoing, she was now even speaking to me with a slightly more respectful tone, trying to converse. Anyway, thanks to that, I was getting along with her just fine.
“I told you not to call me Sir. You're older than me.”
“I call anyone stronger than me Sir. It keeps my competitive spirit alive. ...So, are you going to the Hunting Ground?”
“Yeah.”
When I nodded, she frowned slightly and said.
“Tsk... it'll be a bit dangerous. Unless you're like the Otherworlders who don't mind risking their lives. That place is a Monster-infested Area, and you could really die if you're not careful. I hear... there are strange guys wandering around too.”
So, Befri said she had no intention of participating there herself. I heard she was close to reaching S-rank herself. Just how dangerous was that place for her to give such a warning?
Come to think of it, Chaerin and Haneul had also warned me not to go for similar reasons. Even if I was strong, they said there were too many variables there. They suggested it would be better to be careful this time, unlike them who could revive. At the time, I felt their concern and nodded.
Of course, now I had different thoughts. I had no intention of retracting my decision just because of that advice. I looked at Befri and said.
“Don't worry. I don't plan on going too deep. I'm just going to explore a bit.”
“Hmm, if that's the case... When you get back, let's have a drink together.”
With those words, Befri left. Shin Hanbyeol, however, was glaring slightly at Befri, as if displeased about something. Anyway, we took the request and left the Guild.
I got into the carriage I'd found and asked Hanbyeol.
“How long will it take to get there?”“I've been there, it doesn't take too long. About a day?”
Considering we were going to another Country, it was surprisingly close. Perhaps because it was the Country right next door.
That was fortunate for me. Because now I had a kid named Neria, and I couldn't be away for too long. A round trip of about two days was a perfectly manageable distance.
And so, we got into the carriage and began our journey. Not long after we set off, a quiet silence fell.
“······.”
“······.”
Come to think of it, we were currently alone in this cramped carriage. Since she wasn't particularly talkative, it was bound to be awkward. I wondered if we'd have to stay like this for 24 hours straight... but fortunately, that awkward period didn't last long. Because Hanbyeol was the first to speak.
“The Arena... aren't you going anymore?”
It was a rather sudden question. But I didn't care as long as it could reduce the awkwardness, so I answered her readily.
“Yeah, I don't plan on going for a while. I've been there so much that I'm honestly a bit tired of it.”
The original reason I went to the Arena was to see if it would help improve my Skill.
And it actually did help a bit.
But that was only for the first one or two times. The patterns of the fights were starting to become similar, and I'd visited so often that my interest had waned.
“······I see.”
As I explained this, she nodded. Her expression held a deep, inexplicable regret. Why was she disappointed that I wasn't going to the Arena? Was she still regretting the Sparring session we couldn't finish last time?
Anyway, the conversation continued after that.
“What's that on your arm?”
“Oh, this? An item Beled dropped.”
The item Beled dropped eventually became mine. Though I still hadn't quite figured out how to use it.
“It seems the flesh can Transform. It was awkward to carry around, so I'm just wearing it like a simple bracelet.”
“···Doesn't it feel unpleasant wearing it like that?”
“It's a bit squishy and moist, so it feels a little weird, but you get used to it after wearing it for a while. It's even kind of fun to fiddle with when I'm bored.”
“I don't understand...”
After a brief conversation, I pointed out something that had been bothering me.
“More importantly... don't you have any other armor to wear on top?”
She had said that she lost her Steel Cuirass, the only thing protecting her upper body, when she died last time. And it was a very expensive piece of armor she had recently bought. She said the first thing she'd do at the Hunting Ground was to find that cuirass. So far, so good.
The problem, however, was that she was still without her armor. Beneath where her cuirass should be, there was only a tight-fitting Black Tights. Her teardrop-shaped breasts were starkly visible through the tights.
Her subtly large breasts and Slender Waist looked like the figure of a well-proportioned model. I hadn't thought much of it until now, but being alone with her in this carriage, it was starting to bother me quite a bit.
*Is she even wearing a Bra right now...?*
No matter how I looked, it seemed slightly protruding in the middle.
“Armor? No. I sold it right after I got new gear.”
Of course, even when I said this, she didn't seem to care. She wasn't particularly embarrassed. That level of exposure wasn't even considered exposure in This Place...
In the end, only I, who was with her, felt a bit uncomfortable. She said she had no other clothes to wear, so there was nothing I could do. I just had to be careful not to let my 'precious' react.
Anyway, time passed like that. We talked a bit and did some Sightseeing. Still, as time went on, much of the awkwardness dissipated. But then.
*Thump-!* With a *thump-!*, the carriage shook violently. At the same time, Hanbyeol's body was thrown upwards. Unlike me, her body was relatively light, so she couldn't withstand the impact.
“Whoa?!”
*Thud!* Her body collided with mine, with her flustered voice. A soft, squishy sensation pressed against my body for a moment, and when I opened my eyes again, her hand was pressing somewhere against my pants.
“······.”
“···!”
After a moment of awkward silence, Hanbyeol hastily returned to her seat. Her face was already beet red like a radish. Hanbyeol, feeling unnecessarily embarrassed, raised her voice and scolded the Coachman.
“H-hey, drive properly!”
“Hahaha, my apologies. This horse must have eaten something bad, it suddenly went wild...”
It was a brief incident. But because of that brief incident, the atmosphere inevitably became awkward again. I thought about the sensation from when we collided and estimated her Bust Size.
*D...? No. It must be an E...*
Indeed, it was only because her surroundings were so large. She, too, possessed a formidable 'weapon'. Hanbyeol's gaze kept darting downwards.
“Ahem... More importantly. Can I turn on the broadcast?”
“Do whatever you want.”
In the end, Hanbyeol, looking for something to distract herself, chose to turn on the broadcast.
[Hanbyeol, you damn bitch, why aren't you broadcasting on time?!]
[Hello noona haha]
[If you died, you should at least do a chat stream for 3 days, tsk tsk.]
[But who's in front?]
[Isn't that Yor...?]
[Oh haha So you were preparing for a collab stream, you should've said so earlier haha]
[WHYARETHEYTWOGETHER?WHYARETHEYTWOGETHER?WHYARETHEYTWOGETHER?]
[Why is this bastard's face so red...?]
As expected, turning on the broadcast seemed to make things a bit noisy.
*
“Alright, we've arrived~”
So, the next day, we finally arrived at the Hunting Ground in the early afternoon.
Of course, we didn't sleep together. She could Logout to Reality, after all.
“Ugh.”
Stretching my stiff body, I looked ahead and saw the vast Hunting Ground spread out before my eyes.Several Tents were set up near the Border, presumably by Otherworlders.
In the distance, Crimson Monsters roamed among the Ruined Buildings, and Adventurers went out to hunt them. The People visible everywhere were numerous enough to form a Village. I'd heard many had gathered, but I didn't expect this many.
We quietly blended in among them.
And I swung my spear directly at an Imp charging towards me.
“Kieek!”
It died instantly without putting up any significant Defense.
“Weaker than I thought?”
“Most of them are manageable. The problem is that occasionally, high-level ones appear among them.”
“So there are some strong ones too.”
Well, just because people are of the same race doesn't mean they're all the same. Imps probably aren't much different.
So we quietly continued Hunting. Shin Hanbyeol to find her lost cuirass. And I, just to experience the Imps.
They all die in one Attack;I can do that much too hahaYeah, yeah, as if you could.Hanbyeol, don't go too deep like last time. It's one thing if you die alone, but Yor is next to you.Are her clothes not getting torn today...?
The Viewers seemed to be concentrating on the battle too, as the chat room's activity had slightly decreased. It was then, as we advanced a little further. Two Humanoid Figures suddenly caught my eye. One Female Rogue with silver hair, and a black-haired Mage with a particularly prominent chest. In other words, Yu Chaerin and Im Haneul.
They seemed to be in the middle of Hunting, as beads of sweat were visible on their foreheads. Immediately after, their eyes and Hanbyeol's met.
“Huh...?”
“...Oh?”
A subtle silence hung between them for a moment.
“Hello.”
I waved my hand casually.