The Scorching Jungle Pond
Crossing the gate that had been enclosed by gray walls, an endless expanse of jungle unfolded before us. Exotic plants grew in profusion, and strangely shaped insects and small animals scattered in fright at our approach. The overwhelming heat beating down from the two suns scorched the earth, while the steam rising from the ground created incredible humidity. The intense wave of heat enveloping my entire body triggered the full-body prosthesis’s cooling system to automatically ramp up its operation.
“Wow, it’s incredibly hot here.”
“This dimension’s temperature is even higher than Earth’s tropical rainforests. Gwangnam, is this the rainy season right now?”
“Let me check. According to the dimensional records, we’ve arrived right as the rainy season ends.”
“We should have come during the middle of the rainy or dry season. Of all times, right after the rains…”
“It’s so humid, nya.”
Gwangnam manipulated the device on his wrist, projecting a map into the air. He and Ruya studied it carefully before shaking their heads.
“It’s wrong. Since this dimension doesn’t have much to offer besides fairy fruit, the map data is ancient.”
“More importantly, this is still the same data from our fifth visit. We came here eight months ago, so that means sixteen months have passed in this world.”
“Enough time for the terrain to change at least twice, nya.”
Judging by how eight months on Earth equated to sixteen months here, time seemed to flow twice as fast in this dimension.
“Still, we have a general sense of the direction. Let’s proceed carefully and head toward where the fairies live.”
“There aren’t any dangerous monsters near the fairy habitat, so we can just enjoy the trip, nya.”
“The problem is that those fairies are the most dangerous things around.”
The three of them walked ahead, chatting among themselves, while the silent me and Ekaterina followed behind. We trudged through the vast jungle where massive trees stood sparsely and the spaces between them were thick with relatively low-growing vegetation. The initial energy everyone had shown at the start had long since vanished, replaced by exhaustion from battling the murderous heat.
I was barely managing to cool down within the limits of not detaching the outer shell of my full-body prosthesis.
“Ughhh, I’m dying!”
“Right after the rainy season ends, of all times. Damn it.”
“Nya nya, nya-nya.”
“Charlotte, get a hold of yourself.”
Gwangnam had already stripped off his top entirely. Both Ruya and Charlotte wore only underwear on their upper bodies and shorts below. I too had removed everything except my underwear, maximizing skin exposure to the air to dissipate heat while focusing on cooling. The only one who hadn’t shed a single drop of sweat was Ekaterina, who steadfastly remained in her full nun’s habit.
“How can you be perfectly fine in this weather, Ekaterina?”
“It is the goddess’s grace.”
“Whoa, divine power really is amazing.”
“If you receive the baptism and make an earnest effort, you too can obtain divine power, Lady Elisha.”
“I definitely want to get it.”
Having divine power would greatly help compensate for the full-body prosthesis’s critical weakness in temperature regulation. While the mechanical components like artificial muscles and outer skin boasted excellent durability, the biological parts such as the brain and reproductive organs had durability comparable to an ordinary person. I had already experienced the artificial blood thickening in cold environments due to the limits of the heating function. Even though the most vital organ—the brain—was protected within a metal-alloy skull, the system remained vulnerable to high temperatures because of poor heat dissipation.
As I walked while conversing with Ekaterina, a scream-like shout erupted from Gwangnam, who had been shambling forward like a zombie.
“A pond! Waaahhh!”
“Nya nya!”
“Wait, stop! We need to check if it’s safe before going in! Hey, you two!”
Splash! Splash!
Ruya shouted as she chased after them with all her might, but the pair—eyes rolled back from the heat—had already dived into the pond side by side. As we drew closer, we saw Ruya standing with her hands on her hips, scolding them, while the other two splashed about in the water.
“Ahhh, so refreshing!”
“Get out of there right now?”
“Come on in too, Ruya nya. It feels great nya.”
“Ah, Ekaterina. Could you cast some purification on the pond?”
“Yes.”
Ekaterina crouched by the pond’s edge, dipped her hand into the water, and produced a cluster of light. A soft glow spread through the once-clear water, sparkling even more brilliantly under the sunlight. She soon withdrew her hand, stood up, and announced:
“It is done.”
“At least there don’t seem to be any dangerous creatures. Thank goodness.”
Ruya shook her head as she watched the two swimming. I approached the pond beside her and gazed at the sunlight reflecting off the smooth stones at the bottom.
“A wide, clear pond like this in the middle of the jungle isn’t exactly common, is it?”
“Indeed. Usually stagnant water collects sediment and becomes foul. This one must have formed recently during the last rainy season.”
“Hmm…”
At first glance, nothing unusual stood out. Just to be sure, I gathered essence into my eyes and scanned the surroundings. The unique colors of vital energy that all living things possessed caught my attention first, while the natural energies of the environment shimmered and added their own hues. In particular, the pond infused with Ekaterina’s divine power sparkled pure white, creating a breathtaking sight.
“Huh?”
“What? Did you see something strange?”
White strands of energy extended from the pond into the surrounding trees. Looking more closely, I saw that countless tree roots were intricately tangled beneath the stones, forming the pond’s floor.
“I think the reason the water stays so clean is because of these surrounding trees.”
“Ohh, so the trees are performing self-purification.”
“And… there are very faint, thread-like strands of purple essence drifting in the water.”
“Hmm?”
Wondering if I had misseen them because they were so small and thin, I rubbed my eyes and looked again. The tiny purple essence strands floating in the water remained exactly as before. What on earth were they?
“No matter how hard I look, I don’t see anything. Ekaterina, can you see them?”
“I cannot. Still, since they weren’t removed by the purification spell, they probably aren’t dangerous.”
“Hmm…”
The purification spell, which eradicated and repelled impurity, swirled powerfully through the water, yet the strands remained unaffected. Her words seemed correct. They were likely just some kind of aquatic microorganism.
“They must be ordinary underwater creatures.”
“That’s a relief. An environment with absolutely nothing in it would actually be more dangerous.”
Having said that, Ruya untied the bag from her waist, tossed it behind her, and leaped vigorously into the water. The moment Ruya entered with a huge splash, Gwangnam and Charlotte began spraying water at her, turning the scene into a fierce water fight.
Ekaterina, who showed no intention of entering the water, set her luggage down on a flat area nearby and began pitching a tent.
“I’ll help you.”
“Oh my, I’m fine. Lady Elisha, you should go into the pond and cool off as well.”
I offered to help several more times, but she firmly refused, so I simply entered the water. Submerging myself in the cool pond, I felt the heat drain away and my condition improve noticeably. After swimming with my head dipping in and out, I carefully caught one of the floating purple threads with my finger.
The tiny organism—thinner than a hair and shorter than a fingernail, with a pale black tint—was surprisingly resilient. It wriggled between my fingers. When I released it back into the water, it moved energetically, but its minuscule size prevented it from swimming properly compared to when I had held it.
“I wonder what kind of creature this is.”
When I poked it gently with my finger, it drifted helplessly in different directions. I continued prodding and watching it get pushed around, enjoying the little game, when a sudden violent splash hit my face.
“Pffft!”
“Let’s play together nya!”
“Wait—blub!”
I couldn’t understand how Charlotte could displace so much water with her small body. The volume flying at me made it impossible to open my eyes. I swung my arms forcefully toward the direction the water was coming from to block her, and a scream rang out as the assault briefly weakened.
“Nya! You’re surprisingly strong nya. Requesting backup nya.”
“Oh! So you know how to spray water too? Here we go!”
“Eek!”
Splash!
The moment Gwangnam’s voice rang out, water sharp enough to sting my skin began flying at me in rapid succession. The relentless barrage from two directions forced me to cover my face with my arms and retreat backward.
“I surrender! I surrender!”
“Your spirit is lacking!”
“Gang attack is the truth nya!”
“Stop it, you guys!”
Slap!
Though I couldn’t see it, the cheerful sound of flesh striking flesh echoed.
“Ow ow ow!”
“Kyaaong! That hurts nya!”
“You have to think about your stamina. Let’s get out and rest for now.”
“Okay.”
At Ruya’s words, I answered promptly and climbed out of the pond. Soon everyone emerged from the water, dried themselves in the sunlight, and ate the food Ekaterina had prepared. Even though a considerable amount of time had passed, the two suns continued pouring down their light from the sky without any change.
“When does the sun set here?”
“Ah, there is no night here. It’s always daytime. The planet’s rotation and revolution speeds are identical.”
“If we went to the opposite side of the planet, it would probably be the complete opposite—polar regions without any sun.”
“That’s beyond imagination.”
The concept of planets themselves was fascinating, but the idea that day or night could persist indefinitely depending on rotational speed was equally wondrous. The dimension I came from had pushed scientific development to such extremes that the disparity in advancement between fields was severe. In particular, concepts of planets and outer space existed only within the theories of a small minority, so the vast knowledge from Earth’s dimension had even astonished Elisa.
After a simple meal, we decided to apply sunscreen before setting off again. Gwangnam pointed at Ruya’s face, which had turned bright red from the intense sunlight, and laughed.
“Pfft, we’ve got a Hongik Elf here instead of Hongik Ingan. Heh heh.”
“Why do you always choose words that guarantee a beating?”
“Ack!”
“Stop talking nonsense and put some sunscreen on me nya.”
“Ugh, it stings. Fine.”
The man who had been flailing about trying to rub the spot on his back where Ruya had hit him accepted the bottle from Charlotte with a sigh. However, the scene of Gwangnam applying sunscreen to Charlotte’s body somehow looked dangerous. It wasn’t just that he was touching her bare skin—exposed after she had removed even her underwear due to her small frame—but his lewd expression made the atmosphere even more suggestive.
“Apply some on me too. Here.”
“Ah, yes.”
Ruya, who had likewise become completely naked, handed me the sunscreen. I squeezed the liquid onto my hand and rubbed it onto her pure white, clean back. Come to think of it, the women’s state of undress was practically nudity, yet Gwangnam’s reaction was surprisingly restrained.
“Even when he sees us naked, Gwangnam doesn’t just reach out and grope us.”
“He’s a lecher but also a late bloomer. His sex drive is overflowing, yet he’s surprisingly a pure-hearted type who doesn’t even visit brothels.”
“That really is unexpected.”
He always seemed so lustful and frivolous that I had assumed his sexual morals would be equally loose, but learning that he didn’t visit brothels improved my impression of Gwangnam considerably.
“He might actually be a better man than I thought.”
“Even so, you must never sleep with Gwangnam, Master.”
At my words, Ruya turned her head, eyes wide, and stared at me. I had never intended to have sexual relations with him in the first place, but her unusually sharp reaction puzzled me.
“Why are you reacting so sensitively?”
“Just imagining my master having intercourse with Gwangnam is unbearable.”
“I understand. Calm down. I never had even the slightest thought like that.”
“Ahaha, right? I got a little worked up. Sorry.”
I didn’t fully understand, but Ruya clearly hated the idea of me becoming intimate with Gwangnam. I continued applying the sunscreen from her back to her buttocks and the backs of her thighs.
“Now turn around so I can do your front.”
“Do it like this. I don’t want to show my urethral plug to the team members.”
“Ah, I see.”
That made sense. A urethral plug was generally considered extremely hardcore play. Even though Ruya had become a slave, she still had a social life, so it was wise to be cautious. I moved to apply the sunscreen to Ruya’s front. This gave me a direct view of Charlotte and Gwangnam. Now Charlotte was the one applying sunscreen to Gwangnam’s body. Her small hands moving across his frame created a faintly immoral atmosphere. The bigger problem was the enormous bulge straining against Gwangnam’s underwear and pants, radiating an overwhelming presence.
Charlotte seemed flustered by how obviously erect he was and hesitated. Gwangnam, equally embarrassed, smiled awkwardly and hunched forward.
“Why did your hands stop?”
“It looks like there’s a small problem over there.”
“Hmm?”
Ruya also turned her head to look at Gwangnam’s condition. He was trying his best to suppress his erection, but his efforts were in vain; it showed no sign of subsiding.
“What’s wrong nya? Have you been pent up nya?”
“No, I drained it plenty yesterday before we left… Why is this happening?”
“Nya. I think we should put our clothes back on nya.”
“You didn’t even twitch when we bathed together. What’s gotten into you?”
“I really don’t know. I’m not even thinking about anything, yet it got hard on its own.”
Gwangnam’s face as he clutched his crotch looked genuinely aggrieved. It really was strange. No matter how virile a man might be, maintaining an erection in this situation was difficult. For now, Ruya and Charlotte put their clothes back on. I also slipped into thin garments and took shelter from the sunlight beneath the tent. Even after the women had covered themselves and time had passed, his erection showed no sign of going down.
“You didn’t take some kind of drug, did you?”
“What would I be lacking that I’d need to take drugs?”
“That probably isn’t it nya. You don’t have a partner nya.”
“Urk.”
Charlotte’s words seemed to deal a significant mental blow; he collapsed forward, hanging his head.
“You’re not still a virgin, are you nya?”
“I’m not a virgin!”
“Sir Gwangnam simply possesses strong chastity ideals.”
Charlotte and Ekaterina seemed to be trying to distract him by teasing him with jokes.