First Steps into the Barren Wastes
Minwoo had spent the morning quite leisurely, but that didn't mean he planned to laze around all day. He knew all too well how sloth could snowball without end. To maintain a regular, fulfilling life in this other world, he had devised his own routine. And for that, he needed to learn more about this place. So he had arranged to hear stories from Ernate and Siola every day for a set time. He had gotten a rough overview when he first arrived, but now he wanted the full picture.
"Hmm... Elves and orcs aside, these beastkin sound pretty unique. If they look mostly human, there should be plenty of fun to be had there too. And orcs aren't treated as monsters but as a proper race, huh? Though most seem scattered or enslaved as labor for humans these days..."
This world was home to many races, but humans held the strongest sway. The Demon King herself had summoned him because of them, after all. Most of the continent lay under human dominion. The deep eastern forests where elves lived, the frozen northern lands serving as a refuge for beastkin, and the barren western plains of the Demon King's Castle—that was about it. Everywhere else was firmly in human hands. The remaining territories weren't ruled simply because humans lacked the manpower; they just weren't interested or saw no value in conquest.
"Orcs are whatever, but I can't miss out on elves and beastkin."
Elves, the very symbol of beauty, went without saying. And beastkin fell squarely within Minwoo's strike zone. With various tribes among them, he could pick and choose to his tastes.
"Of course, I can't just leave the hero party alone either..."
Even as he pondered this, the heroes were steadily growing stronger. He had no intention of going down easy, but complacency was the enemy. The glow stick was a cheat item, no doubt, but not perfect in every way. He'd been safe inside the Demon King's Castle so far, but he'd have to venture out eventually. He couldn't rely on it blindly.
"The problem is ambushes."
Unlike modern society, this world was basically a lawless frontier. Imperial territory offered some security, but nothing like Minwoo's old life. His glow stick boasted absolute defense against magic, but physical attacks left him wide open. If he was on guard, one button press would handle most threats. But sudden strikes, attacks too fast to react to, or natural disasters? He'd be defenseless. And one mistake meant death.
Luckily, he had some countermeasures for ambushes.
"I just slip this on, right?"
Minwoo gazed curiously at the ring on his finger, turning it this way and that. Ernate explained.
"Indeed. It's the Ring of Protection. Fill it with mana, and it blocks physical attacks from outside. It consumes that much mana, of course, but even if the attack exceeds the stored amount, it'll block once. Mages love it."
"Oho..."
It looked like a plain silver ring, but with such a handy feature—this other world never ceased to amaze him.
"Take it if you need it. It's nothing compared to your artifact, though."
"Artifact? Oh, you mean this?"
Minwoo smirked at Ernate, who gazed reverently at his glow stick, calling it an artifact. Who could've guessed a 12,800-won impulse buy from an online shop would wield such power?
"Thanks, Demon King. I'll put it to good use."
"No need for such words. It's only natural for your sake..."
Like Siola, Ernate had been thoroughly brainwashed in every way imaginable. She was now a devoted slave to Minwoo. On the surface, she seemed the superior, but one word from him and she'd spread her legs without hesitation—a mere sex toy, though blissfully unaware of it herself.
"By the way... I hear the heroes are growing fast."
Minwoo tossed out the comment casually while kneading Ernate's breasts as if it were the most natural thing. All his sexual advances were now perceived as training to defeat the heroes. Whether with Ernate or Siola, anytime, anywhere, they'd accept it as routine. And like Siola, Ernate's body had been sensitized—his touch alone sent her sensitivity soaring, drawing sweet sighs with every motion.
"Y-yes... Ahh..! With four such heroes... Nngh..! If we'd faced them like before without summoning you... We'd have lost big again... Haaah..!"
One might think she'd tire of daily breast play, but Ernate showed no such sign. Minwoo found her all the more endearing for it.
"That's why I'm thinking it's time I got some fresh air outside."
Ernate's face lit up at his words.
"Oh, truly..! Yes. If that's your will, we must... Nnh..! Prepare at once."
"For now, just a light tour of the area. Gotta get familiar, you know."
With Ernate's easy approval, Minwoo's heart swelled with anticipation for the adventures ahead—or rather, the beautiful girls awaiting him.
…
'I can't leave the castle empty, so tell Siola if you need to go out. She'll guide you well.'
Following Ernate's instructions, Minwoo took Siola's hand and stepped outside the Demon King's Castle. She first teleported him to the vicinity.
"Ha... Talk about a barren wasteland."
Overwhelmed by the desolate landscape—so different from his old home in every way—Minwoo shrugged in mild dismay. Nothing but endless plains in sight. When he'd first woken in the tower and looked out, thick fog had obscured the surroundings. Now, with clear weather, he could see to the horizon. But it was still just wasteland, rendering the view pointless.
"Even outside, there's nothing to do in a place like this..."
"You didn't say where to go. Your fault."
Minwoo could only shrug at Siola's curt tone, unchanged despite their deep physical intimacy. Ah, yes, of course.
"Huh? What's that?"
Minwoo pointed at something floating high in the distant sky. Looking closer, he spotted more similar shapes flapping wings sporadically.
"Wyverns. Plenty around here."
"Ah... Those things from before. Didn't realize they flew."
They were the dinosaur-like monsters he'd glimpsed from the tower initially. Distant and with Siola beside him, they didn't seem scary. Up close, though? Hardly cute.
"Perfect timing. Let's run a little experiment."
"Experiment?"
Ignoring Siola's question, Minwoo pulled out the glow stick and pressed the button. Siola froze as expected, but she wasn't the target this time.
"Hmm..."
Minwoo raised the lit glow stick high and watched the distant flying wyverns. Soon, the reaction he hoped for came. The wyverns gliding mid-air suddenly plummeted, crashing into the ground.
"Works even at this range, huh."
Straight-line distance over several hundred meters, yet the glow stick's power held. The wyverns, perceiving time as stopped, fell helplessly. Only those that saw the light were affected; ones facing away ignored it entirely.
Minwoo switched to flashing mode, but the crashed wyverns showed no response. A fall from that height? Surviving would be lucky. Hypnosis on non-sentient monsters was pointless anyway.
"At least the time-stop works on monsters too."
That was all he'd wanted to confirm. If it failed on beasts, the outside world's dangers would spike.
"Good enough for dodging crises."
It wouldn't negate kinetic energy, so post-attack use was too late. He'd have to account for that. Minwoo turned off the light and addressed Siola.
"We're done here. Let's head elsewhere."
"Where?"
"Well... That girl we brought before lived in the closest village to the castle, right? Roswell Village. Let's check it out."
Not truly close by any means. It was just the westernmost village from the empire's central territories, hence nearest the Demon King's Castle. Siola visited occasionally for meals, though infrequently enough that the village only noted occasional disappearances.
"Got it."
Siola took Minwoo's hand again and cast teleportation magic.