Reunion

Shin Seoyeon was running toward us from far away, her eyes blazing with menace.

"Black Dick! You fucking bastard! You finally showed up!"

I saw her and muttered in disbelief,

"Why the hell is she here?"

"Mr. Minjun, do you know her?"

"Ah, yes, sort of."

I almost said, 'She's a woman who'll do anything for money,' but I shut my mouth to protect our Saintess's innocence.

In the meantime, Shin Seoyeon reached the group of men and ground her teeth as she shouted,

"You're fucking dead. How dare you send me a text like that?"

"……"

This was becoming a pain in the ass.

Of all places, I had to run into her here.

This had never been part of my plans. It was, quite literally, a future I had never anticipated. However, there were people even more troubled by this than I was….

"The Fire-Crotch bitch?!"

"Why is that crazy bitch here? Don't tell me you two know each other?"

The leader of the group opened his eyes as wide as saucers and asked me. I was about to answer, but his subordinates grabbed him and shouted,

"B-Boss! Let's get out of here! If she catches us, we might end up as charcoal like Jingu!"

"Eek! She's right behind us!"

"Goddammit! Run! If you don't want that crazy bitch to kill you, fucking run!"

The men began fleeing in a great clamor.

Before long, the spot where they had vanished in a cloud of dust was occupied by that infamous crazy woman, standing there with her eyes blazing ominously.

I raised a hand and waved as I said,

"Long time no see, Seoyeon. But you're pretty popular."

"What the fuck are you talking about? You trying to get smart?"

Well, our Seoyeon was sharp as a tack.

"Those men were calling you a Fire-Crotch bitch and a crazy bitch and all sorts of things."

"These fucking bastards! What, Fire-Crotch bitch? I told them they'd all die if they called me that one more time, and they're still going around calling me that?!"

As she spoke, she released her magic, and wow. I couldn't help admiring it.

The crimson flames rising around Shin Seoyeon's body were so imposing that I wondered whether this really was Shin Seoyeon in her prime.

Fwoosh!

The fireball blazing atop her palm was more powerful than one cast by most level-five mages.

She had only just awakened and probably hadn't even received her bonus stats, yet she was already this powerful.

I immediately checked her stats with [All-Seeing Eye].

<Status Window>

Name : Shin Seoyeon

Level : 0

Strength : 7

Agility : 10

Vitality : 15

Intelligence : 30

'Holy shit, her Intelligence is 30 right from the start?'

Her magic power was even higher than that of our Saintess, who was also S-rank.

But the truly astonishing part was something else: her Unique Ability.

<Unique Ability>

Name : Primal Fire

Grade : Transcendent

Description : Increases all fire-attribute effects by 100%. Once this fire catches, it will not go out until the caster withdraws it.

All fire-attribute effects increased by 100%.

That meant far more than we might initially assume.

Its effects on every aspect—including destructive power, range, duration, and buffs—increased by 100%. In practice, its effectiveness wasn't merely 100%; depending on the circumstances, it could easily exceed 500% or even 1,000%.

'That alone is troublesome, but the truly frightening part is that the fire never goes out.'

An eternal flame that continued burning until her mana ran out or she withdrew it of her own free will.

That was why Shin Seoyeon would come to rule above all mages as an S-rank mage and be called the Witch of Crimson Flame.

"…I'll deal with those bastards later."

Then that proud woman bared her teeth at me, red flames blazing from her hands.

"Black Dick, we've got a lot to clear up between us, don't we? Hmm? Do you know how hurt I was when you disappeared after leaving me with nothing but a text?"

"Calm down, Seoyeon."

"Calm down? Do I fucking look calm right now?"

I leaned close to Shin Seoyeon, who had come right up to me, and whispered in her ear.

"That way, I can bring you more things later."

As I said that, I grabbed and fondled Shin Seoyeon's buttocks from an angle our Saintess couldn't see, but Shin Seoyeon slapped my hand away and her eyes grew cold.

"…What the hell does that mean?"

Judging by her reaction, she looked willing to hear me out, at least for now.

I shrugged and continued,

"Let's discuss that subject a little later. First, tell me—how are you here?"

"Are you stupid? I'm here because I participated in the selection process, obviously."

"That's not what I mean… How did you know I would come here and wait for me?"

"Ahh."

Shin Seoyeon folded her arms and flashed her characteristic smug smile.

"When you suddenly stopped answering my calls, I called your senior, and they told me you weren't home. Only your smartphone was there?"

She must have even broken down the front gate to get inside.

"So I went over myself, and there was your broken phone lying all alone on the floor. I immediately figured it out—you'd come in here."

"Fine, I'll accept that part. But how did you know we'd meet? There was no guarantee we'd face the trials in the same place."

"Oh, that? I was sitting around smoking with nothing to do after finishing the tutorial here in the shelter, when some people started cursing someone out like crazy."

Cursing?

"Apparently, there was some crazy bastard in the tutorial who only hunted foxes, and he was a college student who had just turned twenty. But the really distinctive thing was that he wore winter clothing."

"……"

"The brand and design looked exactly like the one I'd seen at your place."

Apparently, my antics in the tutorial had been interesting enough to become a topic of conversation.

People kept discussing me afterward, too—whether I was an NPC, whether I'd missed some special event I could have received, and so on.

"That's when I realized it. The heavens were helping me."

"……"

Shin Seoyeon grinned from ear to ear. She looked like the very embodiment of a mischievous little devil—the same vicious expression she'd worn right before extorting money from me in college.

She sauntered over, fondled my buttocks, and laughed.

"Well, well, look at this bastard. You got yourself a new girlfriend while big sis was away?"

"Huh? A new girlfriend?"

Our Saintess opened her eyes wide.

"Don't say things that could be misunderstood. You and I never even dated, so what do you mean by 'new girlfriend'?"

"Sure. Like you said, we never dated."

At that, I heard our Saintess let out a relieved breath. Shin Seoyeon leaned close to my ear and whispered,

"But you took my first time, didn't you? Am I wrong?"

A sly smile.

The way she lazily waved her hand up and down meant she wanted money to keep her mouth shut.

'She really hasn't changed at all.'

It was exactly what I'd wanted.

I turned to the Saintess.

"Ms. Hana. We've eaten, so let's return to our lodging now."

"Huh? What about shopping?"

"Get plenty of rest today, and meet me in front of the lodging at seven tomorrow morning. Bring all your luggage when you come out. We'll shop then. Oh, and this is a present."

I pressed a wind-up clock I'd bought on Earth into her hand, and the Saintess blushed as she nodded.

"Yes, all right. Seven o'clock."

"Black Dick, aren't you giving me anything?"

I ignored Shin Seoyeon, returned to the lodging building, and walked the Saintess back to her room.

"Don't come out early under any circumstances. It's dangerous."

"Yes, yes."

And so the Saintess disappeared into her private room in the lodging.

Then I turned back to Shin Seoyeon. The woman standing there with one hand on her waist and one foot cocked lazily was even more beautiful than the Saintess.

The fact that not only the men around us but even the women kept sneaking glances at her showed just how outstanding her natural beauty was.

'[Primal Fire] is supposed to purge all impurities and greatly improve the skin and complexion upon awakening. Sure enough, her body is practically glowing compared to how she looked on Earth.'

"Hey, what are you looking at? I'll burn your eyes clean out."

But her temper had grown even more ferocious than it had been back then.

It was like watching a young tiger mature, realize that no one in the jungle could defeat it, and establish itself as the ultimate predator.

"Tch."

When Shin Seoyeon snarled viciously at the people sneaking glances at her, they must have already known her infamous reputation here, because they quickly looked away.

I pulled Shin Seoyeon close with one arm and tucked her against my side.

"…What are you doing?"

"We're going to your lodging so we can talk."

"Why bother? We can talk outside."

"Then forget it if you don't want to."

As I fondled her buttocks, Shin Seoyeon glared at me, snorted, and headed for the building entrance.

"…If this turns out to be nothing, you're seriously fucking dead."

[You have entered player 'Shin Seoyeon's' private lodging.]

***

Shin Seoyeon's lodging was no different from mine.

The only difference was that panties and a bra were hanging up to dry on one side of the motel room.

But the panties were pretty cute. Oh, are those animal panties?

"Hey, don't look!"

"Why are you hiding them? We've already done that sort of thing together."

"That's different from this, okay? And before you get the wrong idea, it's only because these are the only kinds they sell here."

"Yeah, yeah."

"You're seriously going to die. Control your expression before I kill you."

Shin Seoyeon gathered up her underwear and hid it behind the pillow.

I wondered whether there was any point in hiding it, but it wasn't my place to say anything.

"So how are you planning to buy my silence?"

Shin Seoyeon put the pillow over the panties, turned sharply toward me, and smiled slyly.

I took out what I had stored in my inventory and showed it to her.

"Huh? What's that? A necklace? There are earrings and a ring, too?"

Shin Seoyeon picked up one of the snowfield accessories, a ring, and her eyes went wide.

"Isn't this what you get from hunting foxes?"

"That's right."

"How many of these do you have?"

"Enough to make a set for you."

"Really? Then hand them over."

I slid the items in my hand back into my inventory. Shin Seoyeon watched the items appear and disappear in midair, then gave a small snort of laughter.

"Ahh, what's this? Are you one of those? A porter-type ability?"

"Who knows? That's not what's important right now."

I sat down on the bed and gestured toward her with my chin.

"Seoyeon, you want those items from earlier, right? Then you know what you have to do."

As I showed her the tent straining against my pants, Shin Seoyeon scowled fiercely.

"Are you kidding me? Do you think I'd spread my legs just to get something this trivial?"

"The set has an effect when you complete it."

"What?"

"All stats +1."

The important thing in the [Selection Process] was the snowball effect.

It was about how perfectly you prepared for each trial before moving on to the next.

The snowfield accessories were the most useful items in the early stages.

They increased magic resistance, and completing the set raised four stats at once.

That meant starting the first trial with four more bonus stats than those who started with only the ten bonus stats they received at the beginning.

'Even without knowing those specific details, there's no way someone as shrewd and calculating as Shin Seoyeon would pass this up.'

Sure enough, greed rippled through Shin Seoyeon's eyes. Her grip tightened around the ring.

But she kept it off her face and put on an aloof act.

"Hmph. How impressive could something from a mere tutorial be? If you think I'll act coy with you over some worthless trinket, you're mistaken."

"Still, it's better than having nothing, isn't it?"

"What are you talking about? Do you think we're on the same level? I'm Shin Seoyeon. Unlike your worthless porter ability, I'm one of the chosen, with a mighty 'Transcendent' ability. Some accessory? Pfft. It makes no difference to me whether I have it or not."

Oh, she was coming on pretty strong.

After spending ten days in the shelter, she seemed to have realized the value her [Unique Ability] possessed to some extent.

I deliberately let out a long, exaggerated sigh and stood up.

"Well, if you don't want them, it can't be helped."

"Huh?"

"I'll give you the ring, so use it well. Then I'll be going."

I turned to leave.

"W-wait a second."

Shin Seoyeon blocked my path. She then furrowed her brow deeply, as though she disliked how this situation was unfolding.

"Ah, shit. Why does this feel like déjà vu?"

"What does?"

"Whatever. Before you leave, hand over everything from earlier."

"You said you didn't need it."

"I'll decide whether I need it or not. So hand over all that stuff from earlier while I'm asking nicely. If you keep acting up, I might just kill you and take it."

"……"

Shin Seoyeon shot those words at me with a menacing air.

She had, after all, burned countless people to death during the first run.

I still couldn't tell whether she could bring herself to commit murder right now, but her eyes already belonged entirely to the Witch of Crimson Flame.

"Hurry up."

Shin Seoyeon waved her hand again, urging me on. I stared down at that hand, then spread both arms wide before her.

"Then do whatever you want, Seoyeon."

Fwoosh! Without the slightest hesitation, Shin Seoyeon created fire in her hand.

Just as I expected. Seeing that, I continued,

"But it might be better not to kill me."

"Why?"

"Here. Take it."

As I said that, I cast a skill at Shin Seoyeon.

A new [Unique Ability] that I hadn't possessed in the first run but could obtain in this one.

"Huh?"

Shin Seoyeon suddenly stared into empty air, her eyes widening.

"Bond…?"

<Unique Ability>

Name : Bond

Grade : Epic

Description : Shares and copies stats with the target. The bound target copies and gains 20% of the caster's stats, while the caster copies and gains 50% of the target's stats.

"S-Status Window!"

Shin Seoyeon called out to the empty air for her status window. Her eyes grew even wider.

<Status Window>

Name : Shin Seoyeon

Level : 0

Strength : 10 (+3)

Agility : 14 (+4)

Vitality : 19 (+4)

Intelligence : 33 (+3)

Shin Seoyeon's stats had risen by three or four points across the board.

My stats rose along with them.

<Status Window>

Name : Kang Minjun

Level : 0

Strength : 22 (+3)

Agility : 26 (+5)

Vitality : 28 (+7)

Intelligence : 31 (+15)

"Wow."

After checking her status, Shin Seoyeon blossomed into a radiant smile.

"Black Dick, look at you. I thought you were completely useless, but you're a supporter? A spatial inventory and stat sharing, too? Not bad."

Shin Seoyeon gave me a greedy look and extinguished the red flames with a snap. Then she smiled with crescent-shaped eyes and toyed with my cheek.

"Well, fine. If it's 20%, it'll be plenty useful to me from now on."

For reference, people can only see information about their own skills.

The other party cannot see that information, and only receives limited information when affected by a curse or buff.

In short, because I had [All-Seeing Eye], I could inspect every detail of the information Shin Seoyeon possessed,

but Shin Seoyeon had no idea what skills I possessed or what those skills did.

Perhaps she thought [Bond] only increased her own stats.

No, she almost certainly did. Her smile was stretched to the point of splitting, and her chin was raised arrogantly.

"Black Dick, this doesn't have a range limit or anything, does it?"

"Nothing like that."

"Oh, it's actually pretty useful."

It was an extremely satisfied smile. Seeing it, I started walking again.

"Anyway, I'm leaving."

"Huh? Where are you going?"

"The accessory deal is over, so I'm heading back."

"Ha, who said you could? Before you leave, hand over everything from earlier. Give it to me before you die."

In a good mood, Shin Seoyeon held out her hand and impatiently demanded the items.

I stared straight at Shin Seoyeon.

"I don't want to."

"What? Are you insane?"

"Then kill me."

"Have you really lost your mind? You think I can't do what I tell you to—"

But Shin Seoyeon, who had just conjured flames in her hand, suddenly realized something and her expression changed.

That's right. She couldn't kill me now.

The moment she killed me, [Bond] would disappear.

"You fucking…"

"Then we're done here, right? I'm leaving."

I headed for the entrance, and Shin Seoyeon rushed over and grabbed me.

"?"

"W-wait. Just wait a second."

Shin Seoyeon gripped my shoulder tightly and glared at me. But the atmosphere was subtly different from before.

Her face was filled with lingering reluctance.

A troubled expression.

"Um…"

She had slipped the ring I'd given her onto the ring finger of her left hand. Fidgeting with it, Shin Seoyeon looked up at me.

She had an expression that suggested she had a great deal to say.