You Should Have Trained Them Better

The next morning, Dohyung purged every trace of last night's alcohol from his system with a surge of mana and headed down toward the basement. Even though he'd expelled the booze, a faint headache lingered from the hangover. Normally, he could have used the mana circulating through his body to treat the alcohol as a toxin and avoid ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠getting drunk altogether, but he hadn't done that.

'Must be because that kid came to mind after so long...'

For some reason, Dohyung had wanted to get properly drunk for the first time in ages, so he'd left the mana untouched. As ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a result, he'd earned himself the delightful status effect known as a hangover. He could have wiped even that away with a simple spell, but once again, he chose not to. Today, for reasons even he couldn't quite explain, he felt like staying just as he was. Without any particular cause, his mood was strangely pleasant, as if he were floating high above the clouds in a dream. He savored the sensation and walked slowly.

When he reached the entrance to the basement, Dohyung paused to listen to the sounds coming from inside.

"Listen up. If you don't do it right today, I'll make you wish you were dead."

"Y-yes...!"

The moment he heard Taehyun's trembling reply to Jiseon's threat, the dreamy, floating haze in Dohyung's mind began to dissolve. He remembered exactly why he was standing here. He recalled once more what thoughts had kept him going all this time. Only then did he open the basement door and step inside.

The instant Dohyung entered the basement, Jia, Jiseon, and Taehyun simultaneously dropped into Position One, pressing their foreheads to the floor as they shouted their greeting in perfect unison.

"Yeah. It's a very good morning indeed."

Dohyung smiled with genuine pleasure as he gazed at the three of them, the very picture he had dreamed of creating. The trio had heard his response but remained motionless. Naturally, he hadn't yet given the command to rise. They simply stayed prostrated, waiting for his order. This was something Jiseon and Taehyun had learned from Jia. Back when she had first been kidnapped, she had stood up without permission after the morning greeting and received punishment. Because she had drilled the lesson into them with desperate insistence, the three endured the uncomfortable posture as best they could, refusing to move until told otherwise.

Watching them strain to hold the position, Dohyung finally commanded them to stand. At his words, all three sprang up at once and snapped into a crisp attention stance, awaiting his next order.

Dohyung examined Taehyun's condition. The boy flinched under his gaze and quickly averted his eyes. Looking closer, Dohyung saw dark bruises blooming across Taehyun's body—evidence of just how brutally Jiseon had beaten him since his arrival.

"Kkami."

"Y-yes?! Master!"

Jiseon jumped at the sudden call and answered hastily. Dohyung pointed a finger at Taehyun and stared at her.

"What the hell happened to Amta's body? How hard did you hit him?"

"Ah, th-that... Amta wouldn't listen to us at all, so I trained him thoroughly!"

"Training, huh... Yeah, training is important."

Jiseon tensed at his tone. From everything she'd observed of Dohyung's behavior so far, this reaction didn't bode well. The atmosphere felt like one wrong word could bring immediate punishment. She steeled herself, determined to stay sharp. Like Jia, she had absolutely no desire to be punished by him.

"But this looks terrible. He's covered in ugly blue bruises."

Dohyung pointed at Taehyun's body again, as if inviting her to take a good look.

"I-I'm sorry, Master!"

Jiseon immediately bowed her head at a perfect ninety-degree angle in apology.

"No need to apologize. Lift your head."

"Yes, Master."

The moment Jiseon raised her head, she found Dohyung already standing directly in front of her.

"Tell me, do you remember how I used to hit you?"

"Huh? That was... urk!"

Before she could finish, Dohyung's fist slammed straight into her stomach. The pain that exploded from her gut made her clutch her belly and collapse to the floor.

'Fuck... it hurts like hell...'

Since she hadn't been beaten by him much lately, the familiar agony of his punch was still almost impossible to endure. Dohyung immediately reached down, grabbed a fistful of her hair, and yanked her back up until their eyes met.

"Ah, ngh!"

"Look at your stomach, Kkami. It hurts, right? But there are no wounds or bruises, are there? That's how it's always been, hasn't it?"

"Ugh... Yes, that's right... Master..."

Jiseon answered through gritted teeth, enduring the pain that felt like her scalp was about to tear off.

"It's ugly when merchandise gets damaged. If you buy something and it arrives with scratches, you want to exchange it or get a refund immediately, don't you? Do you understand why I'm saying this, Kkami?"

"Ugh... I'm sorry, Master!"

Dohyung watched her apologize and finally released her hair. Freed from his grip, Jiseon covered both her throbbing scalp and her aching stomach with her hands.

"Sorry, you say... Why don't you tell me exactly what you're sorry for? Then maybe you'll understand why I'm saying all this."

"Ah, th-that..."

"Yes? What is it?"

Jiseon felt like her mind was about to shatter. She had no idea what to say. From the flow of the conversation, she knew that failing to give the correct answer would result in nothing but punishment. She desperately racked her brain, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but the pain in her head and stomach scattered her thoughts, and she couldn't produce the answer Dohyung wanted.

"Hah... You say you're sorry, but you don't even know what you did wrong? Should we add insubordination to the charges? Nabiya?"

"Yes, Master!"

Jia, who had been watching from a slight distance, answered instantly when Dohyung called her name.

"Do you understand why I'm doing this?"

"Yes, Master!"

"Oh, really? Then go ahead and explain."

"We are Master's possessions and slaves. The reason Master is displeased right now is because Kkami has put scratches on Amta—who has only just become your slave—under the excuse of 'training'!"

Jia spoke her thoughts without hesitation. When Dohyung beckoned her over, she hurried to his side at once.

"As expected of you, Nabiya. As my first slave, you read my mind perfectly."

Dohyung gently stroked her hair like one would praise a well-behaved pet.

"Thank you, Master!"

Jia's mood soared at both having guessed correctly and receiving his affectionate touch. She answered with clear delight.

"On the other hand... Kkami still has a long way to go, doesn't she? I thought we'd spent quite a bit of time together, but she still can't read my mood. Isn't it about time she could understand me with just a glance?"

"Ah... I'm sorr— ugh!"

The moment Jiseon tried to stand and bow in apology, Dohyung drove his fist into her stomach once more.

"This is how you hit someone. Maximize the pain while minimizing visible damage. You used to be really good at that when you were tormenting me, weren't you?"

"B-back then... Yes, Master! I will make sure this never happens again!"

When Dohyung brought up the past, Jiseon immediately dropped to the floor and begged for forgiveness, hoping to soothe his temper before things got any worse. Taehyun, watching from a short distance, laughed inwardly.

'That bitch Jiseon... After beating me half to death yesterday, this serves you right!'

Though he still harbored nothing but hatred toward Dohyung, the sight of his revenge being carried out on Jiseon made Taehyun maintain a perfect poker face while secretly mocking her. His body still ached from the brutal beating he'd received the day before, and he hoped Jiseon would get hit even more.

While he was sneering at her in his mind, Dohyung suddenly whirled around and began walking straight toward him. Taehyun flinched in surprise.

"And you. Just how much did you resist that Kkami had to beat you like this?"

"Ugh! Nngh..."

Taehyun desperately tried to come up with an excuse, but Dohyung's foot was faster than his words. Taehyun was kicked in the stomach and sent flying into the wall behind him. The pain from both the blow to his gut and the impact against his back left him unable to think straight.

'Aagh... It hurts... So much worse than when that bitch Jiseon hit me...'

Compared to Jiseon's wild, sloppy beating, Dohyung's precise, powerful strikes were on another level. It even reminded him of the first time he'd been punched in the stomach and knocked unconscious.

'Yeah... I passed out from a single hit back then too... Just how strong is he...?'

The pain was so intense that passing out seemed reasonable. As Taehyun lay there unable to stand, Dohyung pressed down on his head with a foot.

"You know, you've always had that weird stubborn streak... You could have just lived as my slave and atoned for your sins. Look at Nabiya over there. See how diligently she's been atoning?"

"Aah, Master~"

Dohyung lightly tugged on the nipple piercing of Jia, who had followed him, and spoke to Taehyun in a gentle voice. Jia, now thoroughly accustomed to his touch, let out an involuntary moan. If in the past the act of having her piercing pulled had only brought the pain of stretched nipples, now even that pain felt close to pleasurable ecstasy. Through repeated training under the guise of punishment and erogenous zone education, Jia had been conditioned into a masochistic slave. At some point, she had begun to feel pleasure from the very pain Dohyung inflicted, to the point where she sometimes wondered if she truly was a masochist.

"Well then, it's about time for breakfast. Nabiya, go prepare their meal."

"Aah! Yes, Master!"

Dohyung released the piercing with a light flick and gave the order. Jia let out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a pleased moan as she gathered the dog bowls belonging to Jiseon and Taehyun.

Meanwhile, Dohyung lifted his foot from Taehyun's head, pulled something from his pocket, and tossed it onto the floor where Taehyun could see it.

"Here. This is something you'll be wearing from today onward."

Taehyun flinched when he saw what Dohyung had thrown.

"This... Is this a chastity belt?"

"Yes, it is."

If the one Jiseon wore was a panty-style women's chastity belt on the larger side, the one Dohyung had just thrown to Taehyun was a men's model. The silver-framed device was a simple design meant to enclose the penis while flaccid.

Taehyun felt a slight sense of relief looking at it. The chastity belt Dohyung had shown him during their last bet had been a full-coverage design with sharp internal spikes; any erection would have pierced his cock on the thorns. This one, however, carried no such danger. It would only cause pain by pressing against him if he became aroused. Even though his stomach still throbbed from the earlier kick, Taehyun managed to pick up the device with trembling hands. The thought of having to wear something like this again filled him with gloom, but he knew he had no choice. He stared at it intently.

"Hah, would you look at that?"

At the sound of Dohyung clicking his tongue, Taehyun looked up in alarm. The expression on Dohyung's face—pure disbelief—made him panic. He had no idea what he'd done wrong this time, or if he'd even done anything at all. His mouth opened and closed uselessly, unable to form words.

Jia, who had been scooping breakfast into the dog bowls and handing one to Jiseon, turned around in surprise at Dohyung's voice and quickly ran over.

"M-Master? Did Amta do something wrong again...?"

Her voice was cautious, nervous about how Dohyung might react. His response was to grab her nipple—the one without a piercing—and twist it a full one hundred and eighty degrees.

"Agh!"

No matter how much Jia had been conditioned to feel pleasure from his touch, pain beyond a certain threshold was still simply pain. Not every sensation could be converted into ecstasy.

"What did he do wrong? How can a slave who received a gift directly from me not even offer a single word of thanks?"

"Nngh... I'm sorry, Master! We'll train him again—properly this time!"

Jia shouted as loudly as she could while enduring the pain.

"Training, training... You keep talking about training, yet this is the result. Should I handle their education myself? Hm, Nabiya?"

"We're sorry..."

Dohyung watched the apologizing Jia and finally released her nipple.

"Nabiya, what is the one thing I hate the most?"

"Haa... Repeating the same thing over and over..."

"Exactly. Since I trained you so well, I thought I wouldn't have to bother training the new slaves myself. But the two of you can't even manage that one thing properly..."

Listening to him, Jia could already guess what was coming next from the tone of his voice. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

"It seems our Nabiya has been feeling rather empty around her nipples lately. In that case, it can't be helped."

Dohyung murmured as he rolled her bare left nipple between his fingers. The words sent a chill down Jia's spine.

"I told you to maintain them properly, yet you're already trying to close the holes... It's been a while. Let's give you a proper punishment, shall we, Nabiya?"