Exile Na Yu-ri
Exile Na Yu-ri. Sub heroine and extra heroine. Two words that carry completely different weights at a glance. Come to think of it, when he'd embraced Shin Ye-hwa, she had been the main heroine. Seong Ye-han snapped back to reality and gazed at Na Yu-ri, who was cowering in the corner.
"Why... why?"
"Nah."
The awkwardness between them was impossible to imagine from the couple who'd just been fucking like animals moments ago. Na Yu-ri, stripped of all her armor and weapons and dressed in nothing but ordinary clothes, hardly looked like an exile at all. Well, even if she kicked up a fuss now, what could it possibly change besides her head getting smashed in...?
"Hey. Take this."
Shin Ye-hwa handed something to the bewildered Na Yu-ri. A single white pill resting on her pale palm. Just looking at that hand made the spot on his back where she'd smacked him throb with heat. He'd been so lost in the heat of sex that he couldn't hold back and had blown his load deep into Na Yu-ri's womb. Shin Ye-hwa had seen it and delivered a vicious slap. There are still options to check—how can you end it already? she'd snapped. And sure enough, while Heroine Hunter hadn't reacted at all when he'd cum in Shin Ye-hwa's mouth or pussy during their fuck sessions, it had popped up a brand-new selection window right then and there. He had no excuse, even if he grew a second mouth.
Na Yu-ri wasn't like Shin Ye-hwa, who required multiple rounds; there was no going back now.
"Uh... huh?"
"What?"
"This... it's not p-poison, right?"
Na Yu-ri picked up the white pill from Shin Ye-hwa's palm with a face screaming anxiety. Shin Ye-hwa's expression soured instantly at her words.
"What the hell."
Her face screamed utter disbelief. With that look, she grabbed Na Yu-ri's head with her other hand and thwack!—smacked it hard.
"Kyaaang!!"
"It's a contraceptive pill, you crazy bitch. What, you wanna get knocked up with my oppa's kid and cling to him? Huh?"
"N-no...! P-please, give it to me!"
That had to hurt like hell. It looked casual, but Shin Ye-hwa boasted S-rank strength stats. Na Yu-ri couldn't know for sure, but judging by her build, she was a textbook ability-user awakener. If she hit for real, the physical gap could straight-up threaten Na Yu-ri's life. Awakener durability or not, pure, searing pain must be piercing straight through her skull.
"Auuugh..."
Na Yu-ri writhed in agony but snatched the pill from Shin Ye-hwa's hand and swallowed it down. Shin Ye-hwa nodded in satisfaction, then turned her attention back to him with a pleased look.
"So... how is it, oppa?"
"Something came up, at least."
Seong Ye-han explained the situation to her. He had to choose between sub heroine or extra heroine. Once chosen, no take-backs, so he had to be careful. But Shin Ye-hwa brushed off his concerns and told him to check the extra option first. Just from the wording, sub sounded like it could at least compete with the main... like a major supporting role in a movie, while extra was literally background. In her view, unless it was at least another S-rank or top-tier A-rank woman, it wasn't worth picking. No spot for an exile bitch like her, she'd said.
"Spot...?"
The word choice felt a bit off, but Shin Ye-hwa's logic sounded reasonable enough, so Seong Ye-han selected Na Yu-ri as the extra heroine.
- Selecting heroine Na Yu-ri as 'Extra Heroine'
- Comparing extra heroine's stats to hero's current stats.
- This extra heroine's mana stat is comparable to the hero's.
- Heroine's mana rank: A
- Hero's current mana rank: A
- Hero's mana stat receives a slight stat boost.
His stats had gone up slightly. Jackpot. Seong Ye-han's Heroine Hunter was already an ability that could grant spec growth beyond what most hunters—even high A-ranks—could dream of, just from properly claiming one main heroine. And it didn't stop there; it even threw in extra corrections for any potential gaps? Sure, his specs inherited from Shin Ye-hwa were overwhelmingly dominant even among peers, but the fact that there was still room to grow was what mattered.
Think about how much effort, luck, and talent it took for an S-rank to advance even a single step. The answer was obvious. Wasn't his ability being way too generous? Of course, it was because he'd pulled off the near-impossible—according to Heroine Hunter itself—and triggered an evolution in the ability... Anyway, if a mere passerby No. 1 [extra] level came with this kind of bonus, what would a sub heroine bring? He couldn't help but look forward to it.
Shin Ye-hwa grinned happily upon hearing his explanation. Honestly, wasn't it all thanks to her that his ability had ballooned like this?
"Heh heh. I'll help you out a ton more from now on, oppa."
"Yeah. You're a total lucky charm, lucky charm."
"One more time!"
"Lucky charm!"
"More!"
"Luck!"
"Mooore!"
"Jewel!"
Amid the bare, wintry trees, the laughter of the pair bloomed like flowers.
Watching the harmonious duo, Na Yu-ri furtively gauged their mood. Not that she was thinking of running—no, this was about how to stick tight to their side...
Back when she was still a fledgling. Her instincts from those days of being kidnapped by exiles and treated like a dog sharpened to a point. The senses she hadn't felt since becoming A-rank, except that one time.
The mission he'd assigned had failed spectacularly. The leader asshole was probably long dead by now, and she herself was on thin ice. Fleeing back would just mean his brutal punishment. She couldn't run anyway...
In the end, whether exile or hunter, you had to carve your own path to survival. And right before Na Yu-ri's eyes was that very path.
Treatment might suck, but if she worked hard, she could live decently. Shin Ye-hwa went without saying, but even Seong Ye-han struck her as at least S-rank. A fresh S-rank beyond Korea's existing five, with no hangers-on or faction ties yet. Like a startup with a 100% guaranteed future. This was a stock she had to buy.
Plus, from the vibe, Shin Ye-hwa and Seong Ye-han were definitely lovers. Both S-ranks? Fucking awesome! And that Shin Ye-hwa was even encouraging her lover to fuck other women. It was a lifeline thrown straight to Na Yu-ri.
She had to plaster herself to Seong Ye-han's side to survive. She wasn't aiming for girlfriend status. Just being his casual fucktoy pussy whenever he got bored would let her coast under their protection. With two S-ranks around, even he wouldn't touch her lightly.
Steel-resolving herself, Na Yu-ri sidled up to the pair mid-laughter.
"What?"
Shin Ye-hwa's glare screamed why interrupt our fun?, but Na Yu-ri mustered her courage.
"Um... what happens to me now?"
She pitched her voice as pitiful and pathetic as possible, body language screaming she wasn't ignoring Shin Ye-hwa while targeting Seong Ye-han.
"Master."
I'll serve you as master, so please don't toss me away. Fuck me anytime you're bored or suddenly horny, no pressure. I'll do anything, just let me live.
"Master?"
"Master?? "
Crackle-crackle—the only sound filling the silent campsite was the campfire's wood burning away.
Aaah... wrong move...? Feeling sweat trickle down her face, Na Yu-ri dropped to her knees and slammed her forehead to the ground. The ship had sailed. Now she just awaited judgment.
As mentioned before, accepting hunters who'd committed crimes abroad and fled was a common way to bolster forces. But they were still superhuman criminals seeking asylum. Any sane nation would have safeguards. Authoritarians like China or Russia would grind them down until loyalty was proven, but the free world was milder. Basic human rights hadn't vanished even in this mad world.
That was for 'hunters' seeking asylum, though. For an 'exile' like Na Yu-ri, execution was fair game with no complaints.
At least she hadn't started as a criminal fugitive; she'd been kidnapped into their ranks. So probably no death penalty. Her punishment would likely end at a bomb collar and frontline monster fodder duty.
Not what Na Yu-ri wanted. She wanted to live. Eat good food, watch movies, and occasionally suck and fuck her master's cock.
And it wasn't what Seong Ye-han or Shin Ye-hwa wanted either. It wasn't just because he liked her body. They both valued Na Yu-ri's abilities highly. Useless against S-ranks like them, but her Stasis Field was top-tier in the hunter world—worthy of the best treatment.
With a melee DPS and sturdy tank-DPS, you needed a CC utility support for party balance, right? Plus, who knew what killing a heroine would do to his Heroine Hunter.
The problem? They had no clue how to pocket her legally. If Shin Ye-hwa were her official S-rank self, a simple "She's mine" would suffice. But not now. Seong Ye-han had S-rank power minimum, but he was still bottom-tier E-rank on paper. Return from tomorrow's hunt, and Na Yu-ri's existence would flag immediately. Leaving her in the woods until he got S-rank certified? Absurd.
After fruitless agonizing, Seong Ye-han pulled out his smartphone.
"Oppa?"
"Gotta try; worst case, no loss..."
In capitalist society, money made the impossible possible and the possible inevitable. She might have a way. He'd planned to contact her post-ranking, but this was an emergency. Catching an A-rank exile alive should cover his rating, right? Thinking that, he found her number in his sparse contacts and hit call.
"Call connected. State your business, Seong Ye-han-ssi."
Calm and emotionless. A low register for a woman. For some reason, Ye-hwa's eyes sparkled at the voice, but Seong Ye-han ignored it and got to the point.