Chapter 1: A Woman You Must Not Touch
Chapter 1: A Woman You Must Not Touch
There are women in this world you really, really should not mess with.
Shin Jiha had messed with one, and so he was, at this very moment, comprehensively fucked.
"A human this time?"
Then, a sudden flash of light.
A woman's voice reached him.
Beautiful, yet cold as frost.
Shin Jiha, slumped on the ground, looked up blankly.
His left eye was swollen shut.
The right one wasn't much better, the blood vessels probably burst.
The woman spoke, a hint of puzzlement in her tone.
"But his condition is poor. Did something go wrong during the summoning?"
"......."
That was an understatement. Shin Jiha's state was absolutely miserable.
His face was a mess of bruises, his eyes swollen.
He'd been worked over from his chest down to his legs.
Cigarette burns dotted his neck.
Four of his fingernails had been ripped out.
Everything below his waist, where he'd been buried in the dirt, was caked in soil.
The woman's voice continued, one-sided and dismissive.
"A defective product? Then I can't expect much. Has a human ever distinguished themselves in the Summoning War?"
"No, my lady. No human has ever achieved more than three victories."
"Then it's a dud. Though frankly, anything we pull is a dud at this point."
Shin Jiha strained his eyes, and the woman's form finally swam into focus.
A silver-haired woman looking down at him with icy contempt.
She was beautiful.
So beautiful he couldn't look away.
Silver hair with an almost white sheen, a stark contrast against her light brown skin.
Haughty eyes, cold blue irises like chips of ice.
Her face alone was breathtaking, but the voluptuous curves below her neck were pure fantasy.
A tight black leather outfit clung to her body, the swell of her ample breasts impossible to ignore.
He had never seen a beauty like this, not even on a phone screen.
Gulp.
He swallowed involuntarily.
Even though moments ago he'd been tortured by a woman and was about to be buried alive.
"......."
The woman's gaze stabbed coldly at his throat, at his bobbing Adam's apple.
Contempt and disgust radiated from her.
But Shin Jiha just shrugged, thick-skinned as ever.
"If you don't like what you see, move aside. Standing right in front of me and telling me to avert my eyes? That's pretty rude for a first meeting."
"...You are extremely unpleasant."
"Well, I'm having a great time. If I gotta have a crazy dream before I die, it might as well feature a peerless beauty like you."
Shin Jiha had been the personal secretary to a very important man.
A dogsbody who handled everything from official schedule management to all sorts of private matters.
Shin Jiha had been an excellent secretary.
His boss was satisfied too.
Right up until Shin Jiha got involved with the man's woman.
He'd thought getting caught would be the end of him. And sure enough, it was.
To think they'd mobilize gangsters to bury him in 21st-century South Korea.
"I dunno if they were really trying to kill me or just scare me, but..."
"......."
Maybe this was his life flashing before his eyes while he was being beaten and tortured?
Meeting a peerless beauty like this didn't seem like such a bad deal.
He hated dying, but if it was unavoidable, he might as well enjoy the show.
Even in his wrecked state, Shin Jiha grinned.
"Do they sometimes suffer brain damage during the transfer?"
The silver-haired beauty posed the question to the woman beside her.
That woman, also a beauty, bowed her head slightly.
"Not to my knowledge, Lady Enril. There have been cases of somewhat violent men emerging, but..."
"Language translation is automatic during the summoning process, so it's not a communication issue. Are you telling me that's him in his right mind?"
The beauty called Enril frowned.
Shin Jiha, sitting comfortably cross-legged, gave a low whistle.
"Oh, a dark elf? I was wondering what you were. You know what that is? The rival race of the elves."
He'd been slow to notice because her beauty was so overwhelming.
The woman looking at him with such contempt had pointed ears.
And so did the two women flanking her.
"Wow, pretty realistic for a dream. But even mobile games don't really feature dark elves much these days, do they? Kinda past their prime, aren't they?"
"......."
Enril's brow furrowed.
A look of extreme displeasure. But Shin Jiha just laughed.
"You're so stuck-up. Big ass, though. Just my type."
"......."
As Enril's disgust deepened, Jiha pointedly scratched at his crotch.
Dirt had gotten inside and it was itchy.
"What the..."
Enril, dumbfounded, could only blink.
Jiha sneered.
"What? Never seen a guy scratch his balls before?"
"...What kind of lunatic is this? Even for a human from another world, how does a moron like this show up?"
As Enril's irritation flared, the women beside her spoke carefully.
"We apologize, but the magic stone has already been consumed. He cannot be sent back, Lady Enril."
"He has already settled in Warsland as a Common. You cannot simply kill him."
"I know that."
Enril's curt reply made both women cast their eyes down, flinching.
A killing chill. A single word from her was enough to crush your spirit.
She was like a furious predator.
Jiha rose to his feet, still talking with that brazen nerve of his.
"Feels like a dream, but if I wake up, it's just more torture waiting for me. Ah, my ears were ringing from the water getting in, but I can hear just fine now."
"You keep yapping. Just how far do you intend to push your luck?"
Enril crossed her arms and glared at him.
Jiha grinned as he replied.
"It's my first time seeing a beauty like you. Should I keep yapping until I get worn out?"
"You human male don't know your place."
A bolt of intense pain.
Agony like his crotch was being split open.
Jiha's mouth fell open, his body trembling violently.
"What..."
He couldn't process what had happened.
A cold sensation touched his cheek.
Jiha was lying sprawled on the ground.
"Maybe I should just kill him. Can't we report the summoning as a failure?"
"Lady Enril, even so..."
Voices floated down from above him.
Cold sweat beaded on Jiha's back, his lower body shaking uncontrollably.
Something had just smashed into his groin.
It looked like a black shadow, but he hadn't gotten a proper look.
His lower half was completely numb. A sudden, chilling fear gripped him—had it burst?
"Kuuurgh..."
All the strength drained from his body, and only a strangled, breathless sound escaped him.
A cold voice drifted down from above.
"That usually snaps them to their senses. Is your tongue still working?"
"What..."
There was no way a dream could hurt this much, like his groin was about to explode.
This single blow was worse than all the torture he'd just endured.
This was no dream.
A woman he'd never seen before, a place he'd never seen before—but one thing was certain.
This woman was someone you shouldn't mess with.
A woman who would end you.
Enril spoke irritably.
"Stop your pathetic groveling, human. Or do you need another demonstration?"
"Kh, ugh..."
That shadow from earlier—this woman had definitely launched it at him.
Jiha bit down hard on his lip.
What a crazy bitch.
He'd been a little flippant without knowing the situation, and she immediately went for his vitals?
That could have easily killed him.
Crunch.
Then Enril ground the sole of her boot into Jiha's head.
"Get up. If you don't, I'll kill you."
"...Guh."
"Shall I repeat myself?"
How the hell was he supposed to get up with his head pinned against the cold stone floor?
Another bolt of pain struck instantly.
Thwack!
This time he was hit in the lower abdomen.
"Kruuurgh..."
Jiha's body rolled sideways.
His stomach and guts seized in spasms, and stomach acid spewed from his mouth.
"L-Lady Enril!"
"At this rate, you'll kill him!"
"Do you take me for a fool? Moron or not, he is a warrior summoned to the Summoning War. Something like this will not kill him."
Enril's declaration drove the trembling, curled-up Jiha almost insane.
"You fuckin' bi..."
Just as the curse was about to fly out, Jiha clenched his jaw and bit it back.
He needed information.
Where the hell he was, what was going on.
"Get up, human."
"W-wait..."
If he didn't get up, this woman was going to beat him again.
She wouldn't just beat him; she'd half-kill him.
Regardless of whether the other humans—no, dark elves—beside her tried to stop her, the silver-haired beauty Enril was resolute.
If he hesitated, she'd likely cut off a limb without a second thought.
As Jiha staggered to his feet, Enril nodded.
"Good. Finally grasping reality, are we, human?"
"...What is this? Where am I?"
The questions were disjointed, but Enril answered as if she'd been waiting for them.
"This world is Warsland. We summoned you here to serve as a warrior."
"Why? You're stronger than me."
Jiha shot back the words immediately.
That shadow she'd used to pummel him—he didn't know the details, but Enril could clearly kill Jiha anytime she pleased.
And he'd often been praised for his competence, but he was ultimately just a glorified errand boy. Why would she need him?
Before Enril could answer, Jiha shot out another question.
"Don't tell me I'm some chosen hero destined to save the world, or there's a monster only I can defeat?"
"Do not get ahead of yourself. Human."
Enril tsked.
"Warsland is divided into two factions. I am a Unique of Blue Seal. Enril Woniak."
"...So why did you summon me?"
Jiha didn't ask to be sent back.
If this wasn't a dream, the situation was a nightmare.
Summoned without consent?
Wasn't this basically kidnapping, human trafficking?
Enril frowned.
"You keep skipping steps. Do you wish to return? If you cooperate with Blue Seal..."
"I'm not the first, am I?"
"......."
"You had a script prepared. There's a standard spiel for sweet-talking and recruiting summoned guys like me, right?"
Enril looked quite taken aback.
Even with his lower body still throbbing, Jiha found himself staring intently at that expression.
When a woman who just moments ago was a cold, venomous predator makes a face like that, it's strangely alluring.
"...Are all humans this quick-witted?"
Enril directed the question to the dark elves around her.
The two women, who seemed lower in rank, shook their heads.
This had all unfolded this way because Jiha was far too accustomed to gauging the inner thoughts of powerful people.
Enril nodded.
"Well, it doesn't matter. You'll find out anyway. There are already others fighting in the Summoning War before you."
"What's the reward?"
"...What?"
"I'm guessing this place isn't full of idiots, and the people you summon aren't all docile lambs either. There's gotta be a carrot, right? Sending me back is way too weak a reward. That's no motivation at all."
Jiha's voice grew rougher.
His body ached, and a surge of irritation washed over him.
He'd had his career ended and been subjected to all kinds of torture back on Earth because of one woman. And now he was getting beaten by another one in a different world?
'What the hell is my life?'
Jiha was boiling inside.
Yet even so, he kept his words cold and sharp.
"A fight isn't something you do once and it's over. If you keep summoning people, that means it's a long-term war. You're at least offering better than minimum wage, right?"
"......."
Surely this place wasn't worse than getting forcibly conscripted into the ROK Army?
But Enril didn't answer right away.
She merely placed a hand on her hip and looked at him haughtily.
"Your attitude changed dramatically after getting hit."
"Are we friends? Wanna start buddying up right now?"
You gotta give honey to get honey.
Jiha had instantly figured out she wasn't the type of woman who'd treat him nicely just because he was polite.
He'd seen plenty of powerful people with utterly rotten personalities.
But Enril's reply was unexpected.
"I am your supervisor. Common."
"......."
Fuck.
Jiha spat the curse inwardly.
Did that mean he'd have to see this face often?
For her part, Enril seemed intrigued.
"A peculiar human. What was your original profession?"
"......."
"Answer. Or shall I make you answer?"
This woman did not hesitate to use violence.
No, she was completely desensitized to killing people.
Jiha answered honestly.
"...I was a personal secretary. I served a very important man. Need me to explain what a personal secretary is? Since it's wartime, would you understand if I compared it to an operations staff officer, an adjutant?"
"Hmm, a staff officer. Are you intelligent?"
"If I was intelligent, would I be running my mouth at you like this?"
The relationship was already screwed anyway. Getting along with this woman was out of the question.
Jiha decided to stake his claim.
'A drill instructor can work a recruit to the bone, but she still can't kill him. I don't know the level of human rights awareness in this Warsland place... but summoning humans from another world can't be a trivial matter. The conversation we had even proved that.'
In that case, he could afford to be a little aggressive.
A dog that cowers after getting beaten looks pathetic.
If he wasn't planning to live like a dog forever, it was better to make sure she knew he had fangs too.
As Jiha thought, Enril just sneered.
"I suppose that's true. Tell me your name at least, worthless male."
"Shin Jiha. Or wait, since we're in a foreign country, should it be Jiha Shin?"
The woman beside Enril wrote it down on the paper she was carrying.
Presumably recording his name.
"I'll call you Jiha. As I said, I'm your supervisor, Enril. Just call me Enril, Common."
"That's it? My introduction is over, so now you do yours?"
"I'll consider it if you survive."
Enril dismissed him with a single line.
A tone that suggested Jiha would be dead soon enough anyway.
He just had to change her mind.
Jiha moved on to the next question.
"Fine. What's the reward?"
"What?"
"I've been asking since earlier. Did you drag me to this place just to exploit me for unpaid labor? It's not just going to be room and board. There should at least be a 'do this great feat and you get this' deal."
"Well..."
Enril looked slightly surprised.
Because no one ever immediately confirmed the terms like Jiha had right after being summoned.
Enril spoke.
"You can have anything you want. Warsland is survival of the fittest. The victor can have everything."
"......."
So it's a world with no human rights or anything else.
Clicking his tongue, Jiha still pressed on.
"If I can have anything... does that include you?"
"...What?"
"I asked if I could have you, too."
The silver-haired dark elf, Enril, looked a bit flustered.
But Jiha stared straight back at her.
He wasn't doing this because he genuinely desired Enril. ...Alright, honestly, the desire was definitely there.
Looking at her again, Enril was undeniably a peerless beauty.
Before, he'd only looked as far as her chest, but her slender waist, the sudden explosive curve of her hips, and the lines flowing into her thighs were works of art.
Even from the front, she was a woman who inspired the thrilling anticipation of a phenomenal backside.
"You said I can have everything if I win. Surely you're not the exception, dark elf?"
They'd had the worst possible first encounter, and he wanted to avoid seeing her as much as possible.
But if this beauty was his supervisor, he'd be seeing her face constantly from now on.
So he pushed harder, even recklessly.
If you want to redefine a relationship, you shake the other person to their core.
It was a philosophy Jiha had picked up from his rough years on Earth.
After a moment's thought, Enril smiled coldly.
"Of course. If you truly win—if you keep on winning—then you can have even me."
"......."
The other dark elf shot Enril a startled look, but Enril didn't retract her words.
Instead, she pointedly crossed her arms and gave another scornful laugh, almost as if flaunting her own voluptuous breasts.
"Well? Can you see this 'reward' you speak of now?"
"Not terribly satisfying, but it'll do for saving face."
Jiha replied curtly and loosened his body up.
The pain had subsided somewhat.
"Then let's go do this Summoning War or whatever it is. I'm guessing we're not holding it right here, are we?"
"You're motivated. Good."
As Enril turned, the full sight of her hips and backside flooded Jiha's vision.
Gulp.
Just looking at it stirred a fierce lust. An ass that made your desire surge.
Jiha found himself swallowing hard before clenching his fist tightly.
He'd messed with a woman he shouldn't have messed with, and he'd gotten completely, utterly fucked.
He wouldn't make that mistake again.
"Follow, Common."
Every step Enril took made that ass move, almost hypnotic to watch, but he forcibly steeled his resolve.
"Lead the way, oh Unique one."
First, adapt to this world.
Summoning War. Bearing the name "war," it was undoubtedly a battle where lives were on the line.
He'd survive by any means necessary.