Only One at a Time
I was so flabbergasted that I boldly threw a word at Jang Yong, who was just standing there blankly gulping air.
"Jang Yong. I'm not forcing anyone, but our team is stuck bouncing between F-rank dungeons right now. If we want to take the next step, this is no time to leisurely date."
"Ah, no! Dating? It's nothing like that... I just wanted to know how her mana suddenly increased, so I thought I'd treat her to a meal and ask. Would that be all right? Lee Donggeul?"
I whipped my head around and stared hard at Lee Donggeul.
Who do you think made that mana increase, and you're going to go on a date with another guy over it?
She can't even manage a nightly thank-you visit, yet here we are.
Let's see exactly how she handles this.
Lee Donggeul looked flustered by the sudden turn and kept glancing at me for cues.
I didn't like that either.
Shouldn't an answer like this come out clean and immediate?
Yet the one who spoke up this time was Baek Hwayeon.
Her naturally timid, almost vanishing voice came out surprisingly clear.
"I'm curious too. How you did it. Could you tell me as well? As far as I know, you only had two heals, but today alone you used it eight times total. Suddenly quadrupling your mana... that's really something that shouldn't be possible."
When even Baek Hwayeon took that stance, Lee Donggeul grew more flustered and shot me a look that clearly asked what she should do, what she was supposed to say.
I gave a light shake of my head and glared at her.
My ability must never leak carelessly.
The moment it does, I'll drop her mana straight to zero—I fixed that thought on her with my eyes.
"Um... I don't know. Team Leader just helped me. I can't say anything else."
So this girl was throwing me under the bus.
Still, rather than letting others pressure her into saying something stupid later, handing the baton to me was the smarter move.
It's my ability anyway; better I handle it cleanly myself.
If Kim Isol started grilling Lee Donggeul on top of everything, that would turn into a real disaster.
I met the gazes gathering on me head-on and delivered pure nonsense with full confidence.
"It all depends on your will. How badly you want to grow stronger, how much money you want to earn, or if not that, how much honor you crave. Only those who have the will should come find me. Then I'll tell you the method that made Lee Donggeul stronger. One person at a time, though."
"What kind of bullshit is that? You're a real dumbass. A regular guy increasing someone else's mana?"
My brilliant speech got ruined again by that devil Kim Isol.
After recovering her mana and even doubling it thanks to someone, she still comes out like this.
Of course I was the one who zeroed her mana in the first place, but that didn't make her any less annoying.
Barely holding back my irritation, I sneered straight at Kim Isol.
"Especially the ungrateful types who don't even know how to thank the person who increased their mana beyond what it was before—no matter how many days or years pass, their mana will never grow. They might even get cursed and lose it completely."
"So that someone was cursed from birth with no mana at all?"
This rude bitch talking out of turn.
Got a little confidence from today's fight, did she?
I decided to deploy my secret weapon without hesitation.
"That's right. Cursed me will just put on a smartphone video and go to bed early. Oh, and everyone—if you hear a 'trickle-trickle' water sound coming from my room, don't get the wrong idea. It's a new ASMR."
"Hey!!"
"What's the matter? My ears hurt. I stayed up all night listening to ASMR, so they're sensitive right now."
Kim Isol glared at me with her face flushed bright red, but that kind of look had already become nothing more than cute.
I mimicked the water sound with my mouth and started walking toward the gate.
"What are you all standing around for? Time to head out."
I felt genuinely cheerful realizing once again that the video stored on my phone was the perfect secret weapon for keeping Kim Isol under control.
Now I just had to wait for Baek Hwayeon to come find me on her own, right?
She should come sooner rather than later.
If it really didn't happen, I could approach first, but then the respect and gratitude that bloomed in Kim Isol might never take root.
From everything I'd seen of Baek Hwayeon's personality it didn't seem likely, but people always hide different insides from their outsides.
Ah, whatever—let's just go eat something good!
We gave simple eye greetings to the company staff standing by the lodging tents with expressions that said "What, already leaving?" and headed for the gate.
The first day's dungeon exploration of the expedition ended that simply.
I gave everyone free time to spend however they liked.
After that we gathered for dinner, I announced tomorrow morning's schedule, and then I returned to my room.
Bored, I thought about watching the video on my phone like I'd mentioned earlier—then a knock came right away.
Someone had come to my room.
"May I come in?"
"Yes. Anytime."
It was Lee Donggeul.
I hadn't expected her to be the first.
In casual clothes she wore dolphin shorts and a plain white T-shirt, probably as pajamas.
Ah, I remembered that outfit.
It was identical to the clothes she'd been wearing when she wet herself inside the dungeon.
Once inside she immediately sat on the edge of the bed.
The room had a small table and two chairs, but even I thought the bed would be more comfortable.
This lodging wasn't bad, but it wasn't luxury either—not cramped, not spacious, just an ordinary room.
"Why did you come?"
I already knew the reason, but I asked anyway in case there was something else.
She seemed too embarrassed to say it herself, shifting her gaze here and there shyly.
Who was the one lying naked next to me all night yesterday?
A snicker slipped out.
Under the bright lights she looked cute in her own way, stuck between wanting to move and not knowing how.
While waiting for her answer I finished every preparation for tomorrow morning.
Only then did I flop down onto the bed.
It was a cheap mattress, so her body sitting beside me bounced hard, and the two round orbs on her chest jiggled up and down without stopping.
I almost made an audible gulp.
"Donggeul."
"Yes."
"You didn't tell anyone? Not even family?"
She quietly nodded.
She still wasn't looking at me, so from this angle I could only see her side profile.
"Why?"
"Because Team Leader said to keep it secret... And I got home late this morning, so I only saw Mom who was already there. No one else."
"If someone asks, will you tell them?"
She shook her head hard without a word.
Her swaying hair slapped against her cheeks.
"Even if family asks?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because it's a secret... just between me and Team Leader."
"Tell me only what the secret is."
She who had shown only her profile until now finally turned her head toward me lying on the bed.
Our eyes met and a strange tension began to flow.
"That... Team Leader sucked on my breasts... and my mana increased."
Suddenly Yoo Dajeong's face floated up.
The conversation we'd had walking near the Suwon Hwaseong Gate.
It had probably started then—making women say embarrassing, shy things out loud.
"Why is that a secret?"
"Because... it's embarrassing."
"Hmm, that's not wrong either. What else is there?"
To her lightly shaking her head as if she didn't know, I brought my face closer.
Then I gently tugged up her loose white T-shirt.
The powerful, springy breasts hidden underneath were revealed right in front of my eyes.
Lee Donggeul didn't refuse.
There was no sign of dislike; she naturally raised her arms as if asking me to take the shirt off completely.
And because she wasn't lying down this time, removing the bra was just as simple.
Under the bright lights the two pale, full mounds were completely exposed.
"Kyaa~ Looking at them again, they're still beautiful."
She stared straight into my eyes.
As if asking what the real reason for secrecy was.
I wanted to suck them immediately, but I still had to answer, so I first just laid a hand on them.
I crawled my fingers around her breasts like a tiny bug, tickling lightly.
"If other women find out that sucking breasts increases mana, what do you think will happen?"
"Well... um... I want you to suck them. Haahng... that tickles too much."
Lee Donggeul was honest.
Every Awoken receives completely different treatment the moment they possess that power.
No—starting from the instant they pass the mana test, even before awakening.
So what about an Academy filled with nothing but people like that?
Obvious, of course.
They rank each other by how much stronger power they hold, assign value, and create invisible classes.
Live that way for three years and no matter how warm-hearted or kind someone starts out, anyone ends up craving greater strength.
Even Lee Donggeul, who could only heal twice, is like this—so the rest are easy to picture.
"Right? If this fact gets out, everyone will come find me begging me to please suck their breasts, won't they? I don't want that. I like Donggeul's breasts. I have no desire to suck strangers'."
"Hehe... because I'm precious?"
I nodded.
This girl really did smile so brightly.
But my gaze kept drifting back to her chest.
Anyway, through this conversation Lee Donggeul would now fully understand that she had come to me because she wanted to.
She would think she needed to stay on my good side if she wanted to ask for more later.
And she wouldn't go around blabbing to anyone else.
"Then shall we start now?"
My hands were already fondling freely, so the question was meaningless.
But she answered properly.
Nodding, she said,
"Yes. Please suck them."
Getting hard like this meant sucking breasts alone wouldn't be nearly enough.
What to do about that?
"Donggeul. Actually, I have a confession."
"What is it?"
"There's a method that raises mana faster and more powerfully than sucking. Want to try it?"
"Yes. Do whatever you want. I only trust Team Leader."
"Well... it's an extension of what we did yesterday..."
"Ah, the massage?"
Even understanding exactly what I meant, she showed no refusal at all.
She was far more open-minded than I'd expected.
Sexually.
Since I'd already confirmed yesterday that swallowing semen raised the synchronization rate, today I fully intended to thrust deep inside her.
I lightly lifted her and laid her down on the bed.
Today every bit of initiative belonged to me.
"Lift your hips."
At my command she raised her hips.
I quickly stripped off the dolphin shorts she still wore and the last scrap of underwear beneath.
With the lights still bright, her entire lewd body was spread out before my eyes.
With her naked form in front of me I threw off every piece of my own clothing as well.
And now it was time to devour her.
Mmm... hup... chuu...
With our bare bodies pressed tightly together I began a deep, lingering kiss.
My fully erect cock rubbed against her thigh.
One hand cradled the back of her head while the other kneaded her breast.
A sweeter scent than expected rose from her skin, intoxicating me even further.
Leaving a faint regret I broke the kiss, and my lips traveled down her chin and throat.
The way both her arms wrapped around my back told me she was feeling it quite a bit too.
I showered kisses along her neck, sucked at her collarbone, and continued downward to her breasts.
Her full, soft mounds swayed as if they had been waiting for my tongue.
I stiffened my tongue and moved it this way and that.
"Haang... nngh... i-it tickles."
The true finale of her breasts was always the nipples.
I carefully licked the cute, protruding pink tips with only my tongue.
I treated the thoroughly wet peaks as if I were kissing them with nothing but the tip of my tongue.
Perhaps it tickled; she pulled my head in hard.
That naturally pushed the nipple into my mouth, and I sucked like a newborn baby.
I deliberately made wet sounds—ssuup, jop—sucking harder and harder.
"Hwaaaang, haa, haa..."
After feeling every breath and the pounding of her heart, I headed lower still.
Soon her cute navel came into view.
Even with all the cake she ate, her abdomen had almost no spare flesh; together with that adorable navel it completely captured my tongue.
I circled the tip of my tongue around her navel, and her waist began to thrash.
Whether it was an erogenous zone or simply ticklish I couldn't tell.
But with my personality, when she reacted so intensely I simply couldn't stop.
After thoroughly tormenting her navel I finally arrived at her sex.
I had no intention of teasing today.
I immediately pressed my tongue between her legs.
I licked thoroughly around her folds before bringing my tongue to her center.
"Heuang! Aang, aaa... there... heuk—"
From time to time I pulled my head far back.
The shape of her pussy was so pretty I couldn't help staring blankly.
Even without my saliva, the love juices flowing from inside her already looked wet enough; I immediately brought my cock against her and began to rub.
"I'm putting it in. If you don't want it, say so right now."
"No. Please put it in."
Now!
Just as I was about to thrust deep inside her—
Knock. Knock.
A sudden knock.
Someone else had come. What now?
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Hey! Open the door!"
Kim Isol's voice.
Of all possible timings.
I couldn't hold back the irritation flooding in at whatever the hell that bitch wanted right now.