Glad We Could Meet Again
Shinbaram Corporation.
One of South Korea’s foremost conglomerates. In the domestic business world—especially anywhere connected to the gates—there was no one who didn’t know the name.
Yet it stood a little apart from the true heavyweights of the industry, the likes of the Dragon Guild. The reason was simple: unlike the others, dungeon expeditions were not their core business.
Their real money came from item auctions. The vast majority of dungeon loot passed through their hands. Wedged into every high-value transaction, they raked in enormous commissions and grew fat on the fees. Industry grumbling went so far as to claim that the tax breaks the company enjoyed meant people were effectively paying their taxes to Shinbaram instead of the government.
Their portfolio was sprawling: auctioning, storing, distributing, selling, and buying dungeon items—the list went on. Recently they had even ignored the complaints of rival firms and dipped their toes into dungeon expeditions themselves.
Had dipped.
Past tense, because of that one incident.
The Suwon Hwaseong Gate disaster.
Afterward, Shinbaram had been trying to sell off the entire dungeon-expedition division. The brand-new venture had turned into a perfect money pit. Of course, anyone entering the field for the first time had to weather an early stretch of losses. You poured massive investment into raising green Awoken, then pushed them into higher-tier dungeons before the real profits started rolling in. Shinbaram knew that and had made the bold bet for the future.
Then the expensive new talent they had recruited and bankrolled was wiped out in the incident. Now they couldn’t keep the division running even if they wanted to.
Shinbaram Corporation was a publicly listed company. They simply couldn’t withstand the howling of the shareholders.
Two weeks had passed since the sale announcement, and still no buyer—individual or corporate—had appeared. The reason was obvious: a gap in perception. Between the side that had to sell and the side that might be interested stood a towering wall.
In plain terms, the asking price was ridiculous. A business already bleeding red, and they wanted two hundred billion won for it. No wonder no one was biting.
“You! Do you really have that much money? I nearly had a heart attack watching you put down deposits with the equipment firms the other day… and with all that cash you’re still pinching my hard-earned—”
Hong Eunyoung had nearly jumped out of her skin the moment she learned the company I intended to acquire was Shinbaram.
“No. Five hundred billion is my entire fortune. For now.”
“What? So the whole ‘I’m buying Shinbaram’ thing was just bluster?”
“Not at all. And I’m not buying Shinbaram—just the dungeon-expedition division.”
“Ugh… aaah… oww… that hurts…”
Bluster, was it? The cheek of her. I pinched her cheek. Soft cheeks, soft ass—everything about this woman felt good under my fingers. One side of her face turned bright red. She rubbed the sore spot, pouting, and shot me a glare.
Which only made me want to torment her more.
“Who in their right mind would pay those crooks everything they’re asking? You haggle.”
“How? You think you can outbid every other company?”
“The other companies won’t even try. And the price is going to drop hard.”
“How? They still have C-rank and D-rank Awoken left. Just those people’s market value alone has to be over five hundred billion. They’re not top-tier, but plenty of firms would kill to lock experienced Awoken like that into long-term contracts.”
Hong Eunyoung had a point. Even a D-rank—let alone a C-rank—started generating revenue for a company the moment they signed. That was why every outfit had been scrambling to poach them and lock them down.
That had been true right up until last week.
The situation was different now. All those assumptions only held if nothing had happened. From this point on, the value of D-rank and C-rank Awoken was going to freefall. F-ranks would be forced onto government subsidies and into Supporter roles; they weren’t even worth discussing.
And one more thing: under the new government policy, every small fry at the bottom of the industry was about to vanish. If they wanted to salvage even a single won, they would have to scramble to sell themselves to the big players. Corporate assets would flood the market. Shinbaram’s price would plummet right along with them.
I intended to strike then.
“Do you know any M&A specialists?”
“No…”
“Hmm… among the parents who came to us, is there anyone who could help on that front?”
“Probably a few…”
“Contact them for me.”
“Yeees… once again I’m doing all the work.”
“You don’t want to?”
“Aaahn… stop… Jihyun’s watching… not so openly…”
“So what? With a body this lewd.”
“Haaang… hwaaaaah—!”
The board was set. Until now the acquisition price had been too steep and I had hesitated; soon it would drop far enough that I could actually afford it. The money flowing in from my backers was still growing, so something would work out.
The current was running my way.
Next came the public-relations war. The more impressive their new owner looked, the less resistance the employees would put up. No—I would make them beg me to take them over.
“Hnn… ahn, not there… Jihyun, don’t look… hwaaang.”
But first I needed to raise Ahn Jihyun’s Synchronization Rate.
“Hnn… y-you’re too good…”
“Hah… hah… you’ve changed a lot. From the first time. Hah…”
“Hnn… saying that… nngh… right now is… hyaat! Too… unfair.”
“Hah… now this hole…”
“Haa, haa… n-no… not there, please… hwaaargh!! Hwaaaaah—!”
Healed by the potions, Ahn Jihyun’s anus gripped me exactly the way it had the first time I pushed inside. I kneaded her breasts and kissed her. She had definitely changed. She was feeling everything, enjoying it, taking satisfaction from it—there was no doubt. The way her pussy had been dripping after she watched me torment Hong Eunyoung earlier was proof enough.
“Hngh… hah… damn, it’s tight. Your ass.”
“Hwaaang… so hot… my ass is burning. Hyaaat—! N-no… if you rub my pussy at the same time… kuh… I-I can’t… hold it…”
“Hah… you don’t have to hold it.”
“Hnn… haang… no… I’m going to come from my ass… I hate iiiit!”
She no longer refused my movements. She wanted more—whether it was her breasts, her pussy, or her ass. I couldn’t claim she had completely fallen for me yet; the lewd side that had always lived inside her was simply beginning to surface. I merely assisted while she surrendered herself to the pleasure.
“Hngh… hah… ugh…”
“Hwaaaat—!! N-no… again, again… so much hot stuff pouring into my belly… filling meee!!”
I flooded both her front and back holes with cum. And this time, one more thing: I raised her magic from S-1 to S-2.
Liquid immediately poured from every hole—except her ears and navel.
“Haang, kuhwaaaargh… haeughk… what… is this… hwaaaaah!”
She had already taken plenty of pleasure from more than ten rounds with me. But a surge in magic was an entirely different kind of stimulus. That astonishing ecstasy she had only ever tasted after long training and sudden enlightenment now flooded her through sex with me. Of course she couldn’t hold back. And for a Transcendent, a single-rank jump was on a completely different plane from anything lower.
Tears, snot, spit, and love juices. Even piss was leaking from her urethra. Once she had already wet herself, I might as well finish the job. I worked her urethra and clit hard until a bright yellow stream finally sprayed out.
“Hwaaaaang, nooooo—!!”
Trickle, gush, spurt.
“Haa, haa… pissing with my cock still buried in your ass… you’re something else.”
“Hic… hngh…”
“Congratulations on the magic increase, Jihyun.”
“Hic… thank you…”
I hit 100 percent Synchronization Rate with Ahn Jihyun. Kim Isol, Senior Ahn, and now this woman were all permanently linked on my list.
I wanted to try out the magic right away… but I had to go back to the academy on Monday. I would save it for then.
Creak.
The basement door opened. Exhausted, I lay on the bed without even the strength to turn my head. I could have burned energy to recover, but it felt wasteful—I was only at 16 percent charge. If I planned more sex I would have to recover, but right now I just wanted rest. I wasn’t a cum-producing machine.
Hmm?
No sound at all. Could it be Kim Isol?
I sat up in alarm. If that girl saw this she would absolutely lose her—
“…Oh. It’s Hong Eunyoung.”
“What about me! You get me all worked up and then don’t even touch me! That’s just cruel. It’s all your fault!”
Beyond the basement door, Hong Eunyoung was crouched on the floor with one hand shoved down her pants. She had clearly been peeping and masturbating. Sorry, but I had already emptied everything for the day.
“It stinks in here. Hurry up and clean.”
Not my house. I never had to set foot in this basement again. Cleaning was her job.
“You’re really… too much…”
I felt a twinge of pity as I brushed past her on the way upstairs. She looked ready to cry, so I stroked her hair.
“Clean it thoroughly and I’ll give you a reward.”
“Really…?”
“Yes. So get moving. If the smell soaks in, you’re the only one who loses. This is your house, remember?”
“Fine. You better give me that reward.”
Well, a little finger torment would do. I left Ahn Jihyun sprawled unconscious on the mattress and Hong Eunyoung starting the cleanup mid-masturbation, and headed upstairs.
I planned to check on Kim Isol, who was still out cold in Hong Eunyoung’s bedroom. But first, a shower. Ahn Jihyun’s piss had splattered all over me.
Speaking of which—when exactly did Kim Isol plan on waking up? I stepped into the bathroom and started thinking about her. Reaching Transcendent rank on her own… how impressive was that? So hurry up and open your eyes. I was ready to give you a proper compliment, you little idiot.
“Are you with us now?”
“…Where is this…?”
“Hong Eunyoung’s… well, a place belonging to someone I know. The academy instructor who ate with us last time.”
I brushed the hair from Kim Isol’s forehead while she still lay there. Beautiful face, porcelain skin. She had looked good with her eyes closed, but open eyes suited my taste even better. A little sharp around the edges, yet the more I looked the more of a beauty she was.
“The woman who took me to the hotel…”
“That’s right. You remember? Good to see you’re properly conscious.”
“Why am I… here…”
“I brought you. I pulled you out of the Stone Monastery. Me, personally.”
“How…”
“I risked my life, scooped you up, and carried you out on my back.”
She tried to sit up, then seemed dizzy and let her head fall back onto the pillow.
“You’ll need a little more time. Stay lying down.”
“I don’t remember.”
“What?”
“I… don’t remember.”
“You were unconscious, so that makes sense.”
“No. From before that… after I met the Minotaur… I don’t remember anything…”
“Hmm… maybe you just need more time? Want me to call Hong Eunyoung? She’s sort of a doctor, in a way.”
She shook her head without rising. Looking at her like this, she almost seemed like a little kid.
“Not hungry? You’ve gone days without food. Well, we’ve been pumping glucose through the IV… thirsty at all?”
“Water…”
I brought the water bottle from the bedside to her lips. The straw already attached showed Hong Eunyoung had some real sense. Exactly what a bedridden Kim Isol needed. No wonder she was an instructor.
“Drink slowly.”
I watched her face as she clamped onto the straw and sucked hard. Pretty face, so it was pleasant just to look at. Calling her “daughter” felt weird with only a two-year age gap; more like watching a pet you were raising. There, there—good girl, drinking well.
No memory, she said. Did that mean she also didn’t remember becoming a Transcendent?
“No other physical problems? Think you can skip the hospital?”
“Yeah… but what month and day is it? I don’t remember…”
“You first ran into the Minotaur Thursday morning. I pulled you out that same night. We escaped the dungeon Friday, and right now it’s four in the morning on Sunday.”
“…The others…”
The fact that she asked about the rest of the team made me smile. So that was it, Kim Isol. I knew you had it in you.
“There were casualties, but the three of us from our team are all safe.”
“I see… thank goodness.”
“Of course. Especially that you’re safe—I’m really glad.”
I had only just hit 100 percent Synchronization, and she had even become a Transcendent. I had nearly lost her. That was all I meant. Nothing deeper… well.
“Yeah…”
She closed her eyes lightly and smiled brightly. A single tear slid slowly down her cheek. My eyes went wide. Her next words made something in my chest twinge and ache.
“I’m glad. That we could meet again.”