Chapter 324

I got crushed by Luna and decided it was better to live as a wildling than be treated like a lunatic.

I had strayed too far to turn back now, and it’s obvious that no one would believe me if I tried to explain. That was Luna’s take on it.

To be honest, she wasn’t entirely wrong, and I couldn’t help but agree. They say even a broken clock is right twice a day, and today was one of those days.

“Oh, by the way, Luna.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Remember that guy you were talking about earlier? The one with the gifts and debts?”

That made me even more curious. She taught me about stocks, but she hadn’t mentioned anything about gifts.

I wasn’t deeply invested in stocks anyway; I’d much rather play it safe since I could foresee the future. After all, there are plenty of people who go bankrupt while trying to gift something. Plus, conflicts that can spark price fluctuations are everywhere.

“What did you use?”

“Well… you do know what a gift is, right?”

“Buying future items now.”

I had a rough idea of the concept. It’s just that I hadn’t actually done it much myself.

There’s no way I’m choosing the risky path when a safer one exists. Messing up could just lead to mounting debt.

What exactly did Luna buy as a gift? That part puzzled me.

“Then this should be easy. I just traded in stocks.”

“Stocks can be gifts too?”

“That’s pretty much how it works.”

“Hmm…”

If that’s the case, then it might be safe. Stocks are alright, but I’m not so sure about gifts.

Honestly, if I wanted to make money, I could do so easily. Just hunting a couple of strong monsters inside the Chaos Forest would be enough.

Yet the thought of choosing a dangerous path over a safe one left me worried.

“What stocks did you get?”

“Magic stones being mined in Tartar.”

“……”

It reminded me of the first time I tried stocks. I discovered a magic stone mine in Tartar and made a fortune off it.

Since then, I don’t know if Luna became addicted to stocks, but she kept coming and going. Eventually, it looks like she also ventured into gifts.

‘Isn’t it like we’re at peak pricing right now?’

Timing is crucial above all. Tartar is just as prone to civil war as the Hwan Empire.

Hector is in a state of confusion, unable to assert himself as king, and there are plenty of critical eyes on him.

In the worst-case scenario, the nation could shatter into pieces. How well they handle that will significantly affect price fluctuations.

“When did you decide to sell?”

“They say the maturity date is in three months. So, that’s when I plan to do it.”

“Three months, huh…”

That means the new semester — March — is coming soon. In three months, it’ll be vacation.

I don’t know what might happen along the way, but at least Tartar won’t go haywire.

If things go off the rails, it’ll likely be the Eastern Empire causing the chaos. Best to avoid any stocks related to that region.

“Stay away from the Eastern Empire stuff.”

“What’s going to happen?”

“Probably. Not right away, but…”

Luna’s gift was now out of my hands. Even if I ended up indebted, it wouldn’t be my responsibility.

‘But won’t I still have to deal with it since it’s not really my fault?’

What on earth was she thinking buying a gift? She should just stick to trading stocks.

As that thought crossed my mind, I felt a twinge of annoyance towards Luna. I shot her a look that clearly questioned her logic.

It was the kind of famous expression you see in variety shows, not needing a mirror to know how ridiculous I must have looked.

“What’s wrong? I calculated this out, you know.”

“Really?”

“Yep. Really.”

“You better not later—”

“Come on, I’m not Antonio.”

Quietly, Antonio got battered. He still wouldn’t have any gifts, as far as I recall. When it comes to risks, Luna definitely has him beat.

I hope Tartar holds it together until the maturity date.

“If I ask you to cover my debts later, you can throw me into the Chaos Forest.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yep. For real.”

“Just try to change your mind.”

We’ll have to seal the deal with a contract to make it hard to backtrack. With Kara around, we could do that soon enough.

After that, I waited quietly until Rod returned. The others were hanging around, chatting away, not leaving either.

Rod returned about thirty minutes later. It was about time for everyone to head back as the sun began setting.

Before leaving, I had to say something. I turned to Rod.

“Grandpa.”

“What is it?”

“Can I stay in the forest for a bit?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

It was Gray who reacted instead of Rod. I turned to her.

She looked like she just realized a thunderbolt had hit her. It’s understandable considering she just came back.

But I needed to stay to return my body to its original state.

“Are you talking about outside the Chaos Forest or inside?”

“Inside.”

“Inside… well, that’s a bit iffy…”

When I said I wanted to stay inside, Rod’s reaction showed he wasn’t a fan either.

Of course, I planned to take my compass to head back to the Academy. That was essential.

Besides, as soon as my body returned to normal, I’d head back, so it wasn’t a problem. Let’s explain that first.

“It’s because of my body.”

“My body?”

“Yeah.”

“You see all this fur I’ve got?”

I casually explained my condition. It felt like my fur had grown even more by now.

Living and sleeping in Frozen did this to me. Tomorrow, I’d be practically covered in fur.

So, I needed to stay inside the Chaos Forest to adapt to the right environment.

“Well… that makes sense, right? No one knows their body better than themselves, so let’s not be too hard on them.”

Kara defended me. Gray seemed to agree since she didn’t object, even though she grumbled a bit.

“Gray.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you prefer furry Sivar or just Sivar?”

“……”

The added question from Eli. This wasn’t a tough call at all.

“Oh, so that’s the reason. I thought you were just love sick.”

“……”

Ignoring Luna Luna was the right move. Seriously, her way of speaking always leaves you speechless.

Though a conclusion was reached, Rod suggested I could enter the Chaos Forest starting tomorrow.

I still needed to get the compass and gather supplies. Above all, I issued one warning.

“Try to ignore the top predator of the food chain if possible. It’s just gonna get annoying otherwise.”

“Okay.”

I needed to avoid combat if I came across the top predator. That was a problem I encountered once before.

When both I and Porori vanished at the same time while playing the role of the ruler, it threw the Chaos Forest into chaos.

You wouldn’t believe the hassle it took to clean that up. Now that we’ve made the outside our territory, it shouldn’t be an issue.

‘But what if I have to eat that guy’s heart…?’

I glanced at Rod. Despite his warnings, I might be forced to ignore them.

Cleaning up the mess would fall squarely on me. But the prohibition on entering the Chaos Forest still stood.

Originally, it’s a place that could easily serve as a classroom, so the professors must have headaches over this.

“How long do you think you’ll be there?”

“Roughly 3-4 days?”

That was Rize’s opinion, so that should suffice. Gray nodded as if she was satisfied with that.

After some light chatter, everyone headed back to the dorms. Starting tomorrow, life would continue as normal.

Rod’s curse was lifted, and the Academy’s collapse was averted. For me, that was the best outcome imaginable.

“You’re back? I’ve been waiting.”

“Yeah. Just wait there for a bit.”

“Sure.”

As dinner time rolled around, I called Danyerin over as promised. Meanwhile, Gray went inside to freshen up.

And then Danyerin’s sneaky little gestures began. Just as Gray entered, she discreetly came up behind me.

– Gently fiddling

There was a natural continuation of inappropriate touches (?). Danyerin began to subtly feel me up.

For a moment, I jolted in surprise before shrugging it off and continued with dinner prep. We were having steak, my favorite.

“Ahh. This texture. How I’ve missed it…”

“……”

“You’re breaking your promise not to leave me already. It’s almost enough to want to punish you.”

Danyerin whispered as she rested her chin on my shoulder. Her voice was a tantalizing whisper, tickling my ear.

The enticing murmurs mixed with her warm breath nearly threw me off, but I held it together.

Barely. It’s almost impossible to tempt me with just that touch. I’d been toughened through training (??) with Eli.

‘Though this does feel kind of thrilling…’

Danyerin is definitely addicted to this sort of thrill. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be doing these things.

What worried me more is looking for Neoburi.

If Neoburi were watching, they’d probably stop this. Instead, Neoburi was munching on their food.

As curious as they are, even they can’t resist their dinner. That was a relief.

“Oh, Danyerin.”

“When it’s just us, call me Yerim. It sounds too stiff.”

“Got it. Yerim.”

“Go on.”

“I’m going to be away for a few days.”

“What?”

When I told her I’d be away for a few days, Danyerin paused. Our close position made the tension palpable.

To make her understand, I simply repeated what I’d said earlier. Her breath gradually stabilized as I spoke.

She knew it couldn’t be helped. Once the conversation finished, Danyerin opened her mouth.

“I don’t mind what form you take, you know?”

“I dislike it. Too much effort to manage.”

“Hmph. Well, if that’s your choice…”

– Swiftly

“?!”

I couldn’t help but jump. It was because of the spot Danyerin’s hand brushed past.

She usually focused on my backside, but this time she went much further up.

It didn’t reach my core, but it was close enough. I was very flustered.

“Ahh… what a nice smell.”

“……”

“I’ll remember this scent.”

She even pressed her nose there. I felt like I was about to lose my mind.

Anyone could see her behavior as that of a seductress. I shot Danyerin a dumbfounded look.

But she just flashed me a charming smile. As if to say, what’s the problem with that?

“……Yerim.”

“What’s up?”

“Nothing… just nothing…”

“Fufu.”

Even after that, Danyerin’s sly touch continued. It was more of a skinship than a simple touch.

Since we were pressed against each other, I could feel her ample bosom as well. It was an extraordinarily vivid sensation.

Thanks to that, I was having quite a difficult time holding it together. If I pitched a tent now, I’d be crossing an irreversible line.

– Suddenly

Before long, I heard the door open, signaling that Gray was done washing up.

The moment Danyerin heard it, she quietly pulled away.

“I’ll always be waiting.”

Before she slipped away, she didn’t forget to whisper that into my ear.

“Partner.”

“……”

What a terrifying woman.

******

The next day, I entered the Chaos Forest with all the preparations made as planned.

As soon as I stepped inside, I was greeted by all sorts of monsters and beasts as if it was a welcoming ceremony, but I managed to settle in without any issues.

“Ah.”

The problem was that I settled in far too comfortably.

Maybe it’s because I had no particular purpose or goals in mind.

“I feel so lethargic.”

I ended up staying in the forest for over a week.

I felt like turning into a rock.

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