Chapter 42
Pale moonlight settled over the land.
That calm, gentle light quietly embraced the ancient ruins that had become a wasteland.
A beautiful sight.
If this had been Earth, it would have been the kind of place where one could sit with an acquaintance, eating and drinking, chatting cheerfully, and raising glasses of liquor.
Scuff. Scuff.
Taking in the wistful scenery, I slowly moved my feet and returned to my sentry post.
Sitting there was an exotic beauty whose looks were as striking as this beautiful scenery.
A shapely nose. Distinct features. Large breasts. Restrained elegance and an air of aloofness that flowed naturally from her.
I'd heard that one of her grandparents was a foreigner, but she was a chaebol heiress with an outstanding figure and face, as befitted her quarter-blood heritage.
She leaned her back against the wall and stared blankly into space.
Swish.
I approached her from the side and held a teacup out before her eyes.
Steam rose from it, and Han Sohee blinked prettily at the heat and fragrance.
Before long, her lovely eyes slowly turned toward me, then lowered to the teacup.
"Drink. It's chamomile. It's good for insomnia, restful sleep, and relieving stress. If you drink it now, you'll be able to sleep comfortably in a little while."
"Where did you get something like this?"
"I brought it from Earth when I came over."
I had spent a long time deciding what to bring when I came over from Earth.
Since backpacks had limited space.
But stuffing them mindlessly with this and that only added weight and was counterproductive; sometimes, these little luxuries were better than necessities.
'Of course, coffee and chamomile can be purchased at the shelter here too….'
In the early days, though, I didn't have money to spend on things like that, so I'd brought some in one corner of my backpack. It hardly weighed anything, either.
"……."
Han Sohee stared at me, then accepted the tea I offered.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
"But there is something I wish to ask you. Are you normally so attentive to other people?"
In short, she was asking whether I'd given her the tea simply out of courtesy.
'Of course I do, though.'
Having learned over ten brutal years that it paid to watch my words around women, and that a smooth tongue kept me from getting chewed out, I gave her a suitably vague answer.
"…I don't take care of just anyone, anytime."
"What does that mean?"
"You looked troubled."
"Huh?"
"Watching you, I could tell you had a lot on your mind. So I suppose I couldn't just walk past."
Han Sohee looked at me in surprise after hearing that.
"Was it really that obvious? I thought I'd hidden it fairly well."
"I'm rather perceptive."
Naturally, after ten years of living with my life constantly on the line, I couldn't afford to be oblivious.
Just from someone's gaze, tone, and simple actions, I could roughly predict their condition.
"…Is that so? I didn't know you had such a talent."
Han Sohee paused briefly before opening her mouth.
"Actually—"
"Okay, that's enough. You don't have to tell me. I didn't bring this for the sake of hearing about it."
Listening to other people's stories for no reason was tiring.
How many people in the Selection Process had no tragic story to tell?
Once you started listening, you had to hear the whole story and suffer through it to the bitter end.
I'd had enough of rubbing the backs of women who sobbed, made drunken scenes, and couldn't sleep back in my first run.
'Forget the story. As long as it doesn't interfere with tomorrow's fight, that's all that matters.'
That was why I'd given her the chamomile.
Han Sohee stared blankly at me, then gave me a small smile—a human smile utterly unlike the expressionless ones she usually wore.
"You are truly considerate."
In the cold night air, Han Sohee brought her nose to the steaming teacup and parted her lips, smiling warmly.
"Thank you. Actually…."
I sat down. The woman had already opened her mouth to ask me to listen to her troubles. The right to refuse and leave had just vanished.
It meant it was time for me, as the party leader, to manage a party member's mental state.
Han Sohee continued in a somewhat subdued voice.
"…Actually, I was thinking about the people who came over with me. Because of my inadequacy, they all ended up leaving me."
Whether they had abandoned her and left, or died because of some mistake… I couldn't say for certain, but it seemed the middle-aged man who had looked like the leader of her escort had left too.
'He had looked like a fairly steadfast man, too.'
He didn't seem like the sort to betray her, but who knew? When humans were thrown into the atrocious environment of a trial, they dragged up even the basest parts of their nature and struggled to survive.
I'd been abandoned ten minutes after entering my first trial, too.
Not long after being dropped into the trial area, I was attacked by those lizard bastards.
The people who had enthusiastically vowed that we'd overcome the trial together immediately shoved me down as a scapegoat and ran away.
-Now! Run!
-We have to get as far away as possible while it's being attacked!
-…….
Fortunately, there were plenty of reeds around, and because everyone ran desperately and drew aggro, I survived by lying flat in the mud.
But even though I survived, the shock I suffered at the time was indescribable.
That's why I understood how Han Sohee felt now. And the shock she must have experienced.
"So I… I…."
Since she was uncharacteristically blinking back tears, I reached out and clasped her hand tightly.
"Don't worry. At least I won't abandon you."
"Huh…?"
Of course, this was purely for the sake of protecting a party member's mental state. We had a raid to tackle tomorrow, and this state of mind would be a problem.
"What did you just say…."
Our clasped hands trembled. So did the pretty eyes that whipped around to look straight at me.
"I said I will never abandon you. So don't worry. Nothing like that will ever happen again."
"!!"
Fortunately, it seemed to work: she no longer looked depressed, and only stared at me with eyes round as a startled rabbit.
Even as I gazed at her appearance with satisfaction, I swallowed the rest of the thought that came to mind regarding information I had about her.
'As long as you don't get greedy, I'll never abandon you.'
…Greed. Yes, greed was the problem.
The path of one who possessed [Star of Destiny] was harsh.
One could avoid the path laid out for them, but doing so meant they could not grow, while accepting it led to tragedy.
'This was where the Selection Process's damn logic—that great rewards came with a price—was most clearly manifested.'
Someone might want to take her into their party because [Star of Destiny] could turn her into an S-rank prospect.
But I wasn't one of them.
If anything, the opposite.
I'd considered rejecting her because of that damn trait, but she had earnestly begged me to take her along, so I'd accepted her.
Without that trait, she was useful in many ways.
"I-I won't abandon you? What an embarrassing thing to say…."
Well, reactions this pure and cute were also surprisingly fun to tease.
I smiled sweetly as I finished.
"But don't take it too seriously. I'm just the kind of person who doesn't casually throw away what belongs to me. Either way, you're mine too, aren't you? So I won't abandon you—that's all I meant."
"Ah…."
She opened her eyes wide, then after listening to me all the way through, let out a small laugh. Unlike the heavy mood she'd been maintaining until now, it was a carefree laugh.
"Thank you. Your consideration touched my heart. You are truly a warm-hearted man. This kind of thoughtful care is something I haven't experienced since Manager Go."
"Manager Go?"
"Yes, Manager Go Cheolwoo of the Strategic Planning Division. You remember him, don't you? He came to you and asked all sorts of questions."
Ah, so that middle-aged man had been Manager Go.
I briefly wondered where he was, but didn't ask. Just as I'd intended, she was now at ease, sipping her tea, and didn't seem likely to be impaired in tomorrow's battle.
"The tea was good. Thank you for treating me."
"Don't mention it."
Han Sohee thanked me and bowed her head, and I bowed back, indicating it was nothing. When I lifted my head, our eyes somehow met.
"……."
"……."
Maybe it was from drinking warm tea in the cold night air, or maybe the consolation had warmed her heart.
Han Sohee was looking at me with her face flushed pink.
Her heated gaze was unmistakably filled with deep affection, and our noses happened to brush as our faces drew close.
"……."
Anyone would have said this was the moment to do it.
But I didn't kiss her.
Her lips only moved hesitantly for a moment, and her beautiful face slowly pulled away.
She must have thought that doing so would diminish her own worth and dignity.
Perhaps her very way of thinking possessed such dignity, which was why she was so aloof and noble.
…Of course, not kissing her in a situation like this would have made me look like a complete idiot.
"!!"
I immediately slammed my lips into hers. Han Sohee's eyes flew wide, then slowly closed as she began pressing her lips against mine.
Smack, kiss…. Saliva mingled, and our tongues wrapped around each other.
…How many times did that softness and wetness pass between us?
"Haa, haa…. Ngh. I-it's time. I'll go wake the other two."
With that, the chaebol heiress sprang to her feet, her face bright red, and hurriedly fled to the tent. Once inside, she didn't come out for quite some time.
It was the unmistakable reaction of a virgin to her first kiss.
"Yaaawn."
Time passed, and the women emerged, yawning.
'Fortunately, it looks like they both slept.'
The clear pillow marks on their faces and disheveled hair showed that, for once, they'd slept well without doing anything pointless.
"Mr. Minjun, I'm going to use the bathroom for a moment."
"Mmm. Unni, I'll go with you."
The two disappeared into the small room attached to the banquet hall, and Han Sohee, whose sentry shift had inevitably been extended, returned to sit beside me like a refined young lady.
I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.
"Ngh."
She came into my arms without resisting.
I kissed her on the mouth again and pulled down my pants. Seeing that, Han Sohee glanced briefly toward the bathroom, then bent over, buried her face against my crotch, and moved up and down.
"Slurp slurp slurp."
"Faster."
"Slurp slurp slurp slurp slurp."
While enjoying the chaebol heiress's devoted caresses, I reached out and tugged down her waistband.
Along with her plump buttocks, the panties I'd given her came into view. I placed my hand on the cleft of her buttocks over the panties.
Flinch.
"Don't stop. Keep sucking."
"…Slurp slurp slurp."
Rub rub rub.
Flinch flinch flinch.
"…Unni, so what I was saying was…."
I heard the two women returning with a rustle, and Han Sohee tried to raise her head when she heard them, but I didn't allow it.
"Keep sucking until I cum. That's right. Suck harder."
I fiddled with the cleft of her buttocks and rocked my hips up and down.
I could feel her labia beneath my fingertips, and the silhouettes of the two women began to appear at the entrance.
"That black dick guy…."
The two women came out, and the moment their faces became visible, I came into Han Sohee's mouth.
Spurt. Spurt. Squirrrrrt.
"Ah, I'm shooting so much. The rich girl has an amazing mouth."
"…Gulp gulp gulp."
The chaebol heiress swallowed on her own without being told. She ran her mouth up and down my cock several times, making sure to finish me off thoroughly; her attentiveness was clear.
"Sohee, does my cum taste good?"
Nod.
"Then I'll feed you every day from now on. So don't get greedy—just stay quietly by my side. I'll take care of everything else."
As I smacked her butt with a sharp crack to show my appreciation for a job well done, Han Sohee straightened her upper body and quickly tidied her mouth.
She also carefully straightened my clothes and hair before replying.
"I promise. I will eat what you give me every day. I won't get greedy, and I'll stay quietly by your side."
Afterward, even after going into the tent, the chaebol heiress pretended to sleep while letting me come twice more.
"Ngh, I'm cumming again."
"…Gulp gulp. Gulp."
***
When I woke up in the morning, things were much the same as usual, yet slightly different.
'Hmm. It's a little difficult to move my body.'
Raising my upper body was harder than expected, so I cautiously lifted only my head and looked around.
"……."
On my left, Han Sohee was sleeping soundly while hugging me, wearing nothing but panties; on my right, Lee Sera was naked, clinging to me, rubbing her cheek against my upper body as she toyed with my cock.
In short, the three of us were rolling around naked.
'…When the hell did she get in here?'
It didn't even surprise me anymore. Just when I'd thought things were over and was about to sleep, someone had started sucking my cock… so it must have been this little one.
"Hey, wake up. It's morning."
"Mmm."
When I quietly shook Lee Sera awake, she burrowed deeper into my arms and licked my nipple with her tongue.
As my body swayed slightly from her movements, Han Sohee hugged me even tighter and pressed herself against me.
'After living this long, I never thought I'd see a day like this. Waking up to find myself in bed with two beauties—two virgins, no less.'
It was an experience I hadn't even had in my first run, so I lay back down and embraced both virgins.
The sensation of their full buttocks, the faint scent of body wash drifting from both sides, and their fresh, warm skin made my cock stiffen first thing in the morning.
…After enjoying such a special morning, we ate breakfast and prepared to leave.
We took down the tent and the mattresses inside, then gathered our respective belongings.
"I'm ready!"
"Yaaawn. Then let's get going right away. We'll eat lunch at the shelter. Black Dick, what are you doing? Get over here."
"Wait."
Stopping the group, led by Shin Seoyeon, as they headed for the crawlspace, I set my backpack down in one corner of the spacious banquet hall.
"Did you forget to pack something? Or do you suddenly need to take a dump?"
"No. There's something we need to do here before we leave."
I loosened up and put my hand in my pocket.
'A small party can't defeat a raid boss.'
It varied from trial to trial, but the accepted wisdom was that a minimum of five hundred people was required.
That was why defeating a raid boss in the extremely early trials, where the player limit was strict, was practically impossible.
There simply weren't enough people to gather in the first place.
'That's why, if we want to succeed with only five people, we need to prepare in advance.'
The reason a raid required so many people was simply a lack of firepower.
Even Shin Seoyeon, who possessed transcendent abilities, wasn't enough.
'So we need a powerful item to make up for that lack of firepower, or to compensate in some other way.'
But no such item could be obtained at the shelter.
It was only natural. Each shelter sold only the items appropriate for players preparing for the next trial.
If so, then….
"Huh? Mr. Minjun, is that…."
I took out an envelope.
[You have used <Summoner's Envelope: Replica>.]
Wings sprouted from the envelope, which looked like an invitation to a banquet, and it made a rift in the air before slipping inside and vanishing.
"Oh, fuck, that thing!"
Shin Seoyeon's eyes widened as an unpleasant memory resurfaced. For reference, [Summoner's Envelope] could theoretically bring over any target.
'Did it work?'
Ten seconds later, the air split open again, and the envelope returned.
It stopped right in front of me, then saluted respectfully as though a subordinate were saluting a superior, before opening its mouth wide.
Crack.
Then it casually spat out what it had carried inside its belly.
Boom!
The heavy weight shook the space.
"Huh, huh?"
A humanoid appearance. Long limbs. A belly jutting out like a pregnant woman's. A head with nothing but a huge mouth.
A five-meter-tall, alien-like creature appeared squarely before us and irritably looked around.
"M-Mr. Minjun?"
"Hey, wh-what the fuck, Black Dick? What did you bring here?!"
Rock Ghost.
A monster one could encounter around the fourth trial, it lived by eating rocks in mountainous terrain.
As rocks were its staple food, one might expect it to have incredible defenses; ordinary physical attacks could not even penetrate them.
Kraaah!
Apparently displeased at being dragged from its home to an unfamiliar place, it flew into a rage.
Startled by its roar, the envelope that had brought it here hurriedly slipped through the rift in space and vanished.
Grrrr.
Thus, the arrow of its rage turned toward us.