Ambition Stripped Bare
Right now I can't decide whether I ought to laugh or cry. My feelings are a complete mess.
These were the same novice Awoken from my team who'd written me off as trash before we'd even met. And now every last one of those pathetic kids is coming to me because they want to get stronger.
I ought to take it as a compliment and feel proud of them. But given the situation, all I really want to do is run for the hills.
Kim Isol, looking every bit as flustered as I am, mouths the words without making a sound.
"What are we going to do?"
We trade a few silent sentences by reading each other's lips, and in the end I decide to shove her into the bathroom.
Luckily there's a bathroom right by the entrance, so I manage to stuff her inside without anyone spotting Lee Donggeul's clothes scattered across the floor.
I tell Isol to keep her mouth shut and stay quiet, then close the bathroom door.
Before I open the main door I hastily kick Donggeul's clothes under the bed.
I make it crystal clear that she is not to come out until I give the signal—soft enough that only Donggeul, lying on the bed, can hear me.
She doesn't answer. Probably worried Isol might overhear.
I scramble into my pants and shirt and open the door.
"What seems to be the matter?"
I play dumb as I greet Baek Hwayeon.
Letting her into the room is far too risky, so I steer her out into the hallway and talk there.
"Um… are Lee Donggeul and Kim Isol inside…?"
"Those two should be in their own rooms."
"I watched them. I saw both of them go into this room."
"Did you? Are you sure you didn't imagine it?"
"No. I was watching for a whole hour… That's what finally gave me the courage to come…"
"Excuse me? A whole hour? Outside my room?"
Hwayeon nods. Her hair, long enough to brush her hips, sways with the motion.
This is the first time I've seen her with it down. She usually keeps it neatly tied, so I never realized it was this long.
Her personality is almost painfully gentle and obedient; spending long stretches with her might actually feel a little stifling. Her voice is so soft I catch myself leaning in just to hear her.
"Why were you watching my room?"
"Well… I… today in the dungeon I couldn't do anything. And I'm an Awoken too…"
"That's because I asked you to protect me, remember? I came out without a scratch, so I'd say you did your job perfectly."
"But I was the only one who…"
"I think I get the idea. You came because you want to get stronger, right?"
She nods again.
I ought to sit down and have a serious talk, build some real rapport—but the timing could not be worse.
I cannot let the two women inside the room run into Hwayeon, who still has no idea what's going on.
Besides, this expedition runs through Friday and today is only Monday. There's no need to rush.
"Does it have to be today? I'd rather take my time with your growth, Hwayeon."
This time she shakes her head hard. Any harder and that long hair would have slapped me across the cheek.
"I can't wait. I have to get strong quickly."
"Why?"
"My family… I need to start earning money soon. I'm the breadwinner…"
My first impression had been pure chaebol daughter. Turns out her household is struggling more than I thought.
The government subsidy you get once you enter the Academy disappears the moment you graduate. There's a tax exemption, sure, but that only helps if you're actually making money.
I'd love to sit down and listen to her whole story properly, but not right now. I need to peel her off gently.
"I understand your situation. But if we can't clear E-rank dungeons, both you and I only get base pay. We took down dozens of monsters today and still walked away with nothing. So take it easy. I'll help you grow before we hit the next dungeon."
The second I finish speaking, Baek Hwayeon—all 170 centimeters of her—takes a sudden step forward and grabs both of my hands.
"Thank you. I'll trust only you, Team Leader. Please raise my mana the same way you did for Donggeul. I'm begging you."
"All right. It won't be easy, but if you've got that kind of will, you'll get plenty strong."
Because she's tall, that single step brings her face far too close. A faint shampoo scent from her hair tickles my nose.
Those long lashes and soft brown eyes seem to pull me in; for a second my head goes light.
Seriously, why are Awoken all so damn beautiful? They yank my heart around however they please.
If the two women inside weren't here, I'd start building something real with Hwayeon right this second. Who knew things could get this tangled?
I watch her back for a long time as she walks away toward her own room, then turn to go back inside.
Click.
Huh?
Don't tell me…
Disaster.
The door has locked itself automatically.
The key card is, of course, still inside. I didn't bring my phone either, and sending a rescue signal to the people inside is out of the question.
If both women react to my voice at once, we're finished.
The one silver lining is that I already hid Donggeul's clothes.
"Haa… what a mess."
I had been one thrust away from burying myself in Donggeul's pretty little hole. How did it come to this?
I let out a long sigh and call only Isol's name, carefully.
She's in the bathroom—I don't know if she'll even hear me—but I have no other choice.
"Isol! Isol, can you hear me? The door's locked! Kim Isol!"
Sorry to the other rooms, but there's no other way. Then again, we booked every room on this side of the hallway for our team, so maybe it doesn't matter.
At least Hwayeon's room is the farthest away. Small mercies.
Before long Isol opens the door, and somehow we get through without her discovering Donggeul.
"Whew… thank you. You can head back now."
"Hmph!"
When Isol asks when Donggeul showed up, I mumble that she came by earlier and already left, then hustle Isol back to her own room.
After that I hurry inside.
Finally every crisis is over.
We somehow slipped past that cliff-edge situation without anyone finding out. I can finally pick up where I left off.
I walk over to the bed where Donggeul is buried under the covers and gently lift the blanket.
And what do I find?
"Hey! Don't tell me you're actually asleep? You're kidding, right? This is a joke, right?"
I poke her breast with a finger, even give her nipple a light pinch. She doesn't so much as stir.
Same thing as last night?
I stare at her sleeping face in pure disbelief.
Honestly, this woman is incredible. How do you fall asleep in a situation this tense?
I consider forcing her awake, then leave her alone, grab the key card, and step back outside.
Right now I need a cigarette more than sex.
The entire building is non-smoking, so I have no choice but to go outside for a smoke.
"Phew……"
Ah. Tonight the cigarette tastes especially bitter.
"Maybe I should just do the same thing as last night? She won't wake up… right?"
A day later, Tuesday afternoon.
We spent the entire morning exploring the Wolf Forest.
At first it was nothing special, but once we dropped one or two Werewolves, the rest went berserk at the scent of their own kind's blood and charged us nonstop. We barely had time to breathe.
Still, Kim Isol—confidence about to explode—cut every last one of them down, and Jang Yong, realizing he had plenty of healing to spare, threw himself into the tanker role without hesitation.
The endless waves of monsters, however, drained our team's mana dry in no time.
By the end of the morning, further combat was impossible.
We never even touched the lunchboxes we'd brought. Our team simply walked back out through the gate.
"Those people already leaving again today?"
"Heh heh. Looks like they're just commuting. Must be a pretty broke company, huh?"
I was the last one through the gate today, so I heard the company staff snickering the moment the Awoken disappeared.
I just walked out. Nothing they said was wrong.
"All right, free time again today. And if anyone wants to come to my room for training, call ahead and make a reservation. I need personal time too."
Today I absolutely have to deal with Baek Hwayeon.
She still hasn't shown anything special, just trailed after me the whole time. She clearly envies how much Donggeul's mana has already grown.
Which is why, even though it's only two in the afternoon, I am currently inside Baek Hwayeon's room.
I couldn't risk a repeat of yesterday.
Surely no one will come looking for her here… right?
"Um… what do I do now?"
Hwayeon is kneeling in front of me, posture as respectful as a student about to learn martial arts from a master. I sit on the edge of the bed in a comfortable sprawl and simply enjoy the view of her.
"First, take your clothes off."
It was a deliberately ambiguous order.
If she actually strips, jackpot. If she refuses, I can brush it off.
But she starts peeling off her clothes one by one without the slightest suspicion.
"Is this all right?"
The quiet room carries even her soft voice clearly.
In her underwear, Baek Hwayeon looks like a Western lingerie model—long, lean, perfectly proportioned.
"Is that everything?"
"Should I take more off?"
I don't answer. I want to see how far she'll go on her own.
I keep staring, and then something truly wonderful happens.
Hwayeon reaches behind her back and unhooks her bra.
Breasts the perfect size to fill a hand appear right in front of me.
Next, of course, is the bottom.
I still say nothing. She glances at my face for a moment, then slides her panties down as well.
Her most private place is suddenly, completely exposed.
I'm the one who ends up flustered.
I've gotten bold enough dealing with Donggeul and Isol that even I surprise myself, but there's always a higher level. This woman is boldness itself.
She looks ready to obey every single order I give without a single question or complaint.
What made her like this?
Is she just the type who never felt shame about being naked? Did she grow up near some foreign nude beach?
"Hwayeon. Aren't you embarrassed?"
Great. I ordered her to strip and now I'm the one asking dumb questions. Moments like this make me feel like a real idiot.
"I am embarrassed. But I saw with my own eyes how much Donggeul's mana increased."
Is it because they're the bottom group at the Academy? Every one of them charges in without caring how dirty or dangerous it gets.
They want to get stronger that badly?
Well… I wanted to become an Awoken just as badly once…
"Hwayeon, if it means getting stronger, would you do anything? No matter how filthy or humiliating? Even if it's dangerous?"
"Right now I have no choice. I need the money."
Money, huh.
If she'd stood out at the Academy she wouldn't have to worry about money at all.
Watching her, I feel some of my old stereotypes about Awoken starting to crack.
A random thought pops up—couldn't she just use her Awoken strength to work construction?—but I don't ask. She must have deeper reasons. No point sounding like a lecture-happy old man.
"So you'll do anything for money?"
"It's not exactly that… but I'm the head of the household. Mom's hospital bills… everyone is counting on me now that I'm an Awoken…"
"Ah, that's enough. I'll respect your privacy."
She stripped so easily I thought this would be simple, but then she hits me with a story like that. I almost got pulled in.
What she wants is money, and to earn that money our whole team has to climb from E-rank to C-rank. And for that I need to raise her Synchronization Rate.
No point wallowing in depressing talk when it won't help.
"As you know, I can't just make you stronger by myself. Your own will is the most important thing. Understand?"
"I'm fully prepared."
"Good. Then first question. Why did you choose archery when your mana is so low?"
"…I've been weak and clumsy since I was little. I fell down a lot. I happened to become an Awoken, but my body couldn't keep up. So I picked something even someone like me could do."
There are plenty of frail women in Korea. The problem is that she's still frail even after Awakening. Her body shouldn't be like that—maybe it's mental?
"Hwayeon. Can you do some push-ups for me?"
"Push-ups?"
"Yes. I want to check your body first. You didn't use any mana in the dungeon today, so it should be fine, right?"
"Yes…"
She drops to the floor on my command.
That pale skin and those long legs immediately catch my eye.
A cute little ass connected to firm thighs.
I send my gaze between the two soft mounds, but she's clenched tight; I can't see what I want.
"All right—one! Two. Three."
The faint muscles in her arms flex as she lowers and pushes up.
She's managing it without much trouble on those thin arms. Must be the Awoken body.
Every time she dips, the tips of her nipples brush the floor.
The sight is so stimulating I want to make her do other things too.
"That's enough. Stand up. Next is squats."
I mumble something about checking her motor skills and step in close, watching her whole body as she sinks and rises.
The way her thigh muscles tighten on the way down, the way the cleft of her ass opens.
I settle behind her and leisurely admire that backside.
Every time it spreads I catch glimpses of her cute little asshole and that lewd pussy.
I feel like I could keep staring forever.