Outlaw Na Yu-ri
Na... am I alive?
Regaining consciousness, Na Yu-ri kept her eyes tightly shut as she pondered. Her limbs hadn't been torn off, nor did it feel like any part of her body had a hole punched through it. Her throat ached a bit, but her head and body weren't separated. If they were, she wouldn't be able to think like this, pain or no pain.
Na Yu-ri resented the world. It felt like the entire world was screwing her over. Back when she was D-rank, she'd dreamed big and gone on her first hunt with her boyfriend, only to get kidnapped and rolled over like a dog, again and again. She'd clawed her way to survival, reaching A-rank, and finally, life seemed to ease up a little. In the outlaws' society, ruled by the primal law of the jungle where the weak were meat for the strong, A-rank made her one of the powerhouses. Excluding that one at the very top, it was a position with nothing to envy.
In fact, it was better than hunters bound by society's gaze, norms, and morals. Outlaws with power could do anything they wanted, far more freely. Then came the order from the one at the top. She'd heard the name before—the hotshot idiot bitch who was all the rage lately. Capture her. For someone specialized in subduing targets like Na Yu-ri, it was easier than pie. Unless it was an S-rank, a fellow A-rank—barely scraping by in actual specs, at that—was no big deal.
If she'd let her guard down, you could call it that. But even if she hadn't, would the outcome have changed? She'd blindly charged into two S-ranks, after all.
Fuck... Feeling tears cascading like a waterfall inside her, Na Yu-ri racked her brain for a way to survive.
"..."
She heard murmuring voices. The high-pitched woman's tone suggested the mission had gone to hell spectacularly, and the target wasn't just fine—she sounded full of energy. That fucker must be dead. The leader of the outlaw gang that kidnapped her pure, innocent past self. The asshole who'd fucked her in front of her boyfriend and spewed shit like your girlfriend's pussy is amazing. She'd sworn a hundred times to kill him with her own hands someday. If he was dead, good riddance... but his death meant Na Yu-ri's future wasn't bright either.
If they wanted to interrogate her, they'd have kept at least one more for cross-verification. And logically, sparing that fucker over her would've made sense. But the atmosphere suggested otherwise.
So why keep her alive? Spill everything she knew to survive? But the contract made that impossible. Every high-ranking outlaw who knew even a little about him was bound by unbreakable restrictions. She wasn't special. Besides, she didn't know much anyway. A-rank or not, she was just a high-level errand girl taking his orders.
Maybe stick to the guy since he captured her? But those two didn't seem like ordinary friends. Mess up, and she'd get on the bad side of an S-rank hunter infamous for her bitchy temper.
What the hell do I do...?
As Na Yu-ri desperately schemed, a voice reached her. A low, subdued woman's voice. If voices could carry power, this was it. Ignoring the creeping dread, Na Yu-ri squeezed her eyes shut tighter.
"Hey."
She flinched—I'm a corpse. Already dead. Just haven't realized it yet.
"Ha— this dog-food bitch..."
A chill pierced her skin like a blade. This is... dangerous!
"Open your eyes right now, or I'll make sure you never do."
"W-Wait! Sis! Eyes open! My eyes are open! Please spare me! I beg you!"
"Who the fuck is your sis, you old worn-out slut."
This fucking bitch... I'm only 27... and she's calling me old? She's barely early twenties herself, that hag.
Na Yu-ri seethed but didn't show it. She snapped her eyes open and prostrated herself flat. A glimpse of Shin Ye-hwa's violet eyes had been terrifying. They gleamed with a murderer's intent, ready to end her at the slightest displeasure.
"I-If you're stronger than me, you're all my sis or bro..."
To survive, she had to grovel. This bitch would slit her throat without blinking. Deal with him later. He was a distant S-rank; the two right in front of her came first.
"Wh-What do you want...?"
"Strip."
"Pardon?"
"I said strip, you filthy rag."
Eh... not the guy, but her? She's the one into that?
***
After cleaning up the outlaw ambush, Seong Ye-han knocked out the one who seemed like the leader and returned to their campsite. The crackling campfire's light and warmth steadied him.
His first kill. Or was it a kill? The academy had drilled it into him endlessly: "Outlaws aren't human—they're humanoid monsters." Two years post-graduation, it still rang clear. Yet the sensation of bone and flesh crumbling under his bare fists wasn't pleasant. Sharper than cleaving monsters with a halberd, but not that different. Why did it stick so vividly?
Shaking off the inexplicable sentiment, Seong Ye-han shoved the captive woman into a corner. No sweat on her, looking oddly refreshed, Shin Ye-hwa approached the camp.
"Oppa. What's with that bitch?"
She scowled at the captive on sight. Looked like she'd handled the rest without mercy.
"Figured she might have info worth extracting, so I knocked her out."
"Hm... well...? Probably nothing..."
Shin Ye-hwa replied with a cryptic expression. He chalked it up to the gap between rookie him and veteran her, moving on. Other things mattered now.
This ambush tied to whoever brainwashed Shin Ye-hwa. They'd targeted her specifically—not coincidence. With her S-rank powers restored and him by her side, most threats were negligible. But knowing versus not knowing about an enemy gunning for them was huge. Especially a mind-controller who worked on S-ranks. No need to explain the danger, though Shin Ye-hwa said it wasn't overnight. Abilities evolved unpredictably; caution was key. This raid proved the brainwasher hadn't given up.
"Ye-hwa-ya..."
"Yeah?"
"I have something to tell you."
His unusually serious tone made her wait quietly. Seong Ye-han explained: his ability, her brainwashing debuff, and the new evolutions—like sub-heroines and extra-heroines.
Honestly, he expected backlash on that last part. She acted cute with him, but her infamous personality was known nationwide. Surprisingly, she stayed calm—almost pleased.
"I'm grateful, oppa. For trusting me with everything."
"No..."
"Honestly, I felt... a bit—no, a lot—hurt thinking you were hiding stuff."
"Ye-hwa-ya."
"But now you've told me, it's fine. You never lied anyway..."
Pausing to catch her breath, she continued.
"Sub or extra... it pisses me off a little. But for you to get stronger, it's necessary. And if you grow, that makes me happy too..."
Frowning slightly, she sat beside him, leaning in.
"Just promise me one thing."
He could guess what came next.
"Main heroine is me only. Don't care about the others. Fuck as many as you want... that's fine... But your stats, the core of your power—only from me."
Her calm, matter-of-fact tone weighed heavier than any outburst.
"And one more."
Raising a finger confidently—more important than the first, she declared.
"If you fuck another bitch once, you fuck me mandatory too."
"Uh..."
"Wanted to say double, but I held back so you don't overexert."
Got it? Her gleaming eyes were intimidating. Under her strange pressure, Seong Ye-han stammered.
"Got it. I promise."
His agreement brought a pleased smile. She leaned in close.
"Good. Contract seal."
Mwah— A light peck on his cheek. But it resonated deeper than any passionate kiss before.
She... accepted that easily?
As Seong Ye-han spaced out, Shin Ye-hwa went to the captive, said something, and started... whatever. The woman—awake who-knows-when—eyes wide, trembling, began stripping.
"Huh?"
Bathed in the campfire's red glow, her pale body gleamed. Modest breasts, but enticing waist and lower belly lines, capped by massive, moon-like hips.
Shin Ye-hwa bound the naked woman's arms with her discarded clothes, bent her over a tree, ass thrust out.
"Y-You... what are you doing?"
Seong Ye-han stammered in confusion. She replied,
"Housekeeping."