Clank. Clank.
The familiar rocking motion. The comforting sensation enveloping his back and buttocks.
Jeong Yusin opened his eyes.
“What is this?”
He was sitting on a train seat.
Jeong Yusin blankly looked around. An empty train carriage. There was no one else.
He shifted his gaze.
Outside the train window stretched an endless sea.
The evening sea shimmered with the colors of the sunset. Crimson. Nature’s gift at the end of the day.
Clank. Clank.
In sync with the rocking, Jeong Yusin’s mouth slowly opened.
“What on earth…?”
In the forest zone, he had defeated a Giant Spider and met a Deer Centaur.
When Ashur had sent him, he was skeptical at first but believed after being shown the sand pouch.
His memories ended there.
Had there been an accident on the way back?
Was he transferred again?
Or, since he was dragged into another world without warning, had he been relocated to yet another place?
No.
That wasn’t it. Due to magical adaptation caused by mana affecting bodily changes—a phenomenon people called “Level Up”—that was most likely the case.
It must be a dream.
Upon reaching a conclusion, the turmoil in his heart subsided.
He leaned back comfortably in his seat and admired the ocean. He enjoyed the peace in the empty train carriage with no one else around.
The train was heading somewhere.
Whether real or imagined, the notion of being in motion rather than stagnant comforted his heart.
“Hmm?”
A change occurred. Two people appeared at either end of the train carriage.
Karin and Mion.
For some reason, both were wearing school uniforms.
“Karin…? Mion…?”
Was this a dream or reality? Could some insidious trick of the mind have conjured this illusion?
Karin, wearing a short skirt, revealed healthy thighs, and faintly visible under her white shirt was a snake-patterned bra.
On the other hand, Mion, though wearing a tidy skirt, had soft, plump thighs that clung to her even without intention. Though she wore a long-sleeved cardigan, her substantial bosom made her shirt bulge as though it would burst, revealing a black lace bra.
Both approached him closely and sat right next to Jeong Yusin.
“Karin, Mion, how…?”
The two people seemed not to hear Jeong Yusin’s words, quietly sitting while glaring at each other.
“Karin-sama, shouldn’t I be the one to take better care of you? Why are you here?”
“Mion, why have you come here? Since Scath is the master, it’s my responsibility to take care of her.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. Why are you here in the first place? Everyone else is working hard down below. There’s no reason for Karin-sama to be here.”
“Shoo… Get away!”
“No…I won’t. Karin-sama, you should move.”
As the two drew closer, Jeong Yusin suddenly felt constricted.
A heavy sensation pressed down on him, as if something was weighing him down.
“Gasp…Gasp. Please, give me some space, the two of you.”
Even as Jeong Yusin flailed and spoke, they ignored him, continuing their argument.
“Just…Just give me a moment to breathe, it’s suffocating!”
Jeong Yusin opened his eyes.
“Huffu.”
A massive presence was heavily pressing against his face.
“…Move aside.”
“Ahhh!”
“You…You’ve awoken, Lord Scath!”
The heavy presence immediately disappeared, leaving a strong milky fragrance in his nose.
And there were Karin and Mion, in their original forms.
Karin in her shirt and leather pants.
Mion in priest attire.
He was in his room’s bed.
Had he returned to life?
For some reason, his body felt overflowing with energy. A strange sense of omnipotence surged through him.
Level up.
Had he survived?
He had been lucky.
“What are the two of you doing here?”
“…”
In response to Jeong Yusin’s query, Karin and Mion exchanged a silent glance.
What was this all about?
“How long was I lying here?”
“About five days.”
Karin replied.
“That’s quite a while.”
“Don’t even start. You were practically a corpse. What exactly happened over there?”
“Didn’t the rest of the party tell you?”
“When I came to retrieve you, everyone was lying down at the rest station.”
“Were they all alright?”
“They’re all fine… though the priest suffered a bit.”
“Why the priest?”
“There were numerous spider eggs implanted in her shoulder, so she had it tough. The Deer Centaur said there wasn’t enough Festicide, so there was nothing they could do.”
“I see… so everyone survived?”
“That’s right.”
“Good.”
It was fortunate.
He had survived. And not just him, everyone.
The fact made him feel happy.
Jeong Yusin smiled and looked up at Karin and Mion.
“Anyway, what are you both doing here? Please, be honest.”
It was at this moment that Karin finally admitted the truth.
“You wouldn’t wake up, so I tried to take care of you, but this… well-endowed priest kept interfering.”
“Excessive endowment?! How disgraceful of you, Karin-sama!”
Mion’s sideways glance at Jeong Yusin left him feeling awkward, causing him to stare up at the ceiling.
No, this kind of thing needed to be let go with flexibility.
“Ah! Priest Mion, I thank you. In the forest area, there was a comrade possessed by an evil spirit whom I managed to exorcise. Without Priest Mion’s blessing, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.”
“…”
“Didn’t you lick my cheek that time? I had misunderstood, but Priest Mion’s insight was truly profound.”
Mion’s body froze stiff like ice.
“…”
“What?! Mion! How dare you this lecherous creature!”
Karin erupted in fury.
“Tha…that. You were aware then? Yes, it’s true. Lord Scath was worried, so I cast my special divine magic on him.”
Confused at first, Mion soon regained her composure and calmly responded.
“You humid, lecherous priest! Get out of this inn!”
“Speaking of humidity, doesn’t Karin-sama excel at that as well?”
“…”
Jeong Yusin looked at Karin.
What exactly was this about?
Could Karin, who always kept her cool and teased others, indeed have such tendencies?
Knock knock.
Just then, the sound of a knock was heard.
Karin and Mion stopped their fight and closed their mouths.
“Th… Lord Scath, there are visitors.”
It was Tarman.
“I see. I’ll be out shortly.”
In response, Jeong Yusin now stared at Karin and Mion.
“Will both of you please step out for a moment? I need to change my clothes.”
“Alright.”
“Yes.”
Karin and Mion exited the room, leaving Jeong Yusin alone inside.
He got up from the bed. Whether because of nursing or Level Up, he was undeniably brimming with vitality.
‘Is this my third Level Up?’
For a while, the lack of progress had been unsettling, but now this reward made it all worth it.
Isn’t it true? The more we grind, the stronger we become?
Jeong Yusin beamed with a grin as he changed his clothes and descended to the first floor.
Upon reaching the first floor, he found Iron Mask, Mars, and Kubo there. With that, the entire party was gathered.
“You look better.”
Iron Mask said with a smile in his voice.
“And so do you.”
“Trying to see through my mask? That’s impressive.”
The naked Dwarf priest bowed his head at Jeong Yusin.
“Scath, thank you. Thanks to you, I survived.”
“Don’t mention it. It was just doing my duty.”
Indeed.
Had they not come rushing to rescue him when his abdomen was pierced by the Giant Spider and he was being dragged away, his life would have ended there.
Though caution and prudence are virtues of an explorer, what truly binds a party together are dedication and sacrifice.
Gurgle.
Iron Mask placed a pouch on the table.
“Here’s your reward. One gold coin, seventy-five silver coins each. That sum corresponds to completing about three Giant Spider extermination quests.”
Jeong Yusin cheerfully took the pouch.
“The extermination reward is quite substantial. But Kubo, are you alright?”
Upon hearing this, Kubo shivered and touched his shoulder.
“As you can see. Phew. It was truly terrifying. My body felt weak, and my shoulder itched, only to realize later that baby spiders were munching on my flesh. Without your Festicide, I would’ve already become spider food.”
“Indeed. You should’ve been more cautious with your marks. Anyway, how about Breen?”
“Her? That student returned to school. She was laughing because she’d secured a hefty bonus and would graduate this time.”
Jeong Yusin’s mouth dropped open.
Unbelievable.
“Laughing? After all that commotion, she’s laughing? Impressive nerve.”
“Indeed, a person of great character.”
“Such a tough character.”
The rest of the party members seemed to agree with Jeong Yusin, nodding their heads.
Still,
Jeong Yusin rubbed his chin. Feeling indebted and having received such kindness, it felt somewhat bitter to part without reciprocation.
“If only I’d known we’d be parting like this, I should have prepared something.”
“Scath, Breen has already taken half of the Giant extermination bounty.”
Upon hearing Iron Mask’s words, Jeong Yusin’s eyes widened.
“Really?”
“Yeah. She claimed her share was the largest, and we acknowledged it. Breen collected her reward from the Explorer’s Guild.”
She really was careful, and yet seeing how thoroughly she took care of herself left Jeong Yusin speechless.
Jeong Yusin turned to Iron Mask and spoke.
“I was wrong about her. The future of Lionel Kingdom surely appears bright.”
“…”
Iron Mask stared at Jeong Yusin. Jeong Yusin turned his head and looked at the rest of the party members.
“So, when is our next Labyrinth trip?”
“…”
Everyone was strangely silent.
“Why isn’t anyone speaking?”
“Isn’t the Blue Moon Festival coming up soon? Even if we are to go, we should participate in the festival first, right?”
Kubo reprimanded him.
“Are you just wanting a rest?”
“Kk! I’m a priest. I have a duty to assist with miscellaneous tasks at the temple for the festival preparation. Moreover…”
Kubo paused momentarily, then grinned.
“The Blue Moon Festival is truly a festival of debauchery.”
“Debauchery?”
“This is it. This.”
The Dwarf made a circular motion with one hand and inserted a finger with the other.
Mating.
Sex.
Still, though.
Living through it, he saw a bare Dwarf grinning lewdly, inserting and pulling out his finger. Jeong Yusin wanted to smack the Dwarf’s buttocks and gouge out his own eyes.
But, having already endured this patience-testing scene for years, he held back.
“So? Mating, huh? The Barbaroy would really enjoy it, wouldn’t they?”
At this offhand comment, Kubo’s and Mars’s faces instantly lost all color.
“That’s an actual ‘madness.'”
“Scath, it’s horrifying. Don’t make such a joke even in jest. Last year’s Blue Moon Festival was nothing short of a calamity.”
Whatever happened?
No.
Just seeing their expressions told him everything.
They must have abducted unsuspecting handsome men and women and had their way with them.
During the festival, a man and woman who fell in love at first sight held hands and entered a quiet alley. They started to lower each other’s pants when, nearby, a Barbaroy stood, smiling contentedly.
It wasn’t necessary to imagine what happened next.
Surely there was no need to hear about the tragic story where both ended up covered in semen, crawling out.
Predictable. The unbridled debauchery of the Labyrinth City’s residents.
However,
“Can I participate in the festival? After all, I have black hair.”
“You’re the kind of Barbaroy who doesn’t commit rapes, right? The guards all know you. The residents of the South Street area might know, but there are still doubters. During the festival, while some people might shun you, no one will exclude you to where you can’t even set foot.”
As Mars spoke, Jeong Yusin’s shoulders slumped.
Public awareness, huh.
They had all known already. It was impossible to conceal from the start.
Kubo smirked.
“To be honest, it’s a bit scary. Sympathy for a man’s first time? Let’s predict mourning for your lover’s waist.”
Jeong Yusin’s expression hardened.
‘These bastards.’
Just because they’ve gotten a bit closer, they start speaking without boundaries.
“Why do you assume I’ll be the one rushing in first? The woman could attack me too, right?”
“…”
The party members closed their mouths and stared blankly at Jeong Yusin’s face.
What?
Clang.
The sound of breaking glass came from behind.
Oh.
Turning around, he saw Karin holding a red-faced empty tray. On the inn floor lay shattered glass and spilled juice.
“Scath, is that your preference? Like when a woman forcefully attacks and spits on your face?”
The idea of being trampled and having saliva spat on him was too heavy a sexual preference.
“Karin, it’s a misunderstanding.”
“W…well.”
Karin nodded though she didn’t seem convinced.
The members of the party stood up.
“Cough…cough. We’ll leave now. We’ve seen your face and know your body has recovered. We’ll meet again later.”
“When will we meet again?”
“After the Blue Moon Festival, probably in a few days?”
Upon Kubo’s words, Jeong Yusin sighed and nodded.
Is this not basically a life of idleness and comfort?
“Understood.”
“Then, see you.”
“Goodbye!”
The party members all hurriedly exited the inn. Jeong Yusin stood at the door to see them off, then returned to the hall inside.
“Scath.”
Karin crossed her arms and stared at Jeong Yusin.
“Is there something, Karin? Where’s Mion?”
“Mion has gone back. Oh! I almost forgot to tell you—Mom called for you.”
If Karin’s mom was indeed…
Ingrid Redtail, the guardian of Labyrinth City and one of the council members.
“…”
“Why?”
“She said to come tonight.”
Another matter, huh?
“Is there anything troubling her?”
“No…I only know it’s something related to Lin. Even I don’t have all the details. Just go and see.”
“Understood.”
Jeong Yusin felt somewhat curious but harbored no significant worries.
‘Considering how good a massage I gave her, what trouble could it possibly be?’
