Where Draws the Boundary?
Where exactly was the line? The thick, lingering gaze behind me carried so much meaning—"Ah, goodbye!"—it felt downright poignant. Midway through our chat, I'd gotten a kick out of watching the catgirl flinch at my every move, and since I'd racked up over two hundred potion orders, I'd finally stood to leave before she keeled over in shock from the sheer volume. That was the current situation.
Merdi, was it? The alchemy guild's gonna be a riot from now on. Heh heh. I'd ordered a mountain of goods, and my scheme to dilute those potions' effects for the real world meant we'd ended up drafting order forms and contracts. Chewing over the catgirl slut's name that I'd learned in the process, I let out a smirk as I walked away. Even after putting some distance between me and the alchemy guild, that wordless stare still clung to my back like a shadow. It was clear the fun was just around the corner.
She said come back in about a week, right? Hmm... After tasting that tall shopkeep uncle's sponsorship funds, I was dying to know what kind of attitude Merdi would hit me with next time.
Screeech. After leaving the alchemy guild, I wandered the city alone for the first time in ages, savoring the true flavor of this fantasy world. By the time the sun dipped low and thick darkness blanketed the night, I was whistling a tune on my way home.
The presence I sensed inside—Tier and the others—and the sheer volume of mana radiating from their bodies was on another level compared to when they'd set out that morning. It made my heart ache a bit; I'd had no choice but to pressure them. But they were my party members—could I really let them keep scraping by as noob fuckbait trash forever?
One or two more tower runs like this, and I could probably take them along... They'd grown by leaps and bounds, nowhere near passing grade yet but teetering on the edge where I might carry them. Still, what they needed most right now was time to adjust to this breakneck growth spurt. Normally, getting "strong" meant a long, grueling process—from tweaking your habits to refining strategies and tactics. But in this fantasy world, that shit could be shortcutted in an instant thanks to the Tower.
No need to hone your own techniques; just snag the optimal skill from the Tower, and boom—adapted in a flash. Acquiring the perfect ability tailored to your actions in the Tower... The thought filled me with awe even as I kept mulling it over. At the same time, my lips pursed at my current state—I hadn't gained a single scrap from the Tower myself. Sure, after offing that wyvern, my connected Nangkangi had powered up, but even counting her as part of my gains, she was a separate entity from me. It stung with regret that I'd been too busy screwing around in the Tower to set up real opportunities to boost my own specs.
A few more achievements, and I'd hit the pinnacle of Superb realm... But to snag anything meaningful from the Tower at that point, I'd probably need to climb damn near to the top. Sigh... Despite lapping up massive profits with abilities that dwarfed the Tower's offerings, the fact that I couldn't squeeze out even more honey left me slumping my shoulders, plunging into gloom without realizing it.
I dragged myself home, sighing dramatically like the world was unfair, muscles slack... only to find the living room and stairs echoing empty, not a single welcoming face in sight. Normally, Tier would've come bounding over first, tail wagging, followed by Daphne and even Plang—but no sign of them. I cranked up my senses, roughly scanning for their whereabouts.
All asleep...? Centering on my room, I felt their presences scattered east, west, south, north. The mana wafting from their bodies didn't scream "honey-sucked loot"—more like the fruits of their own efforts—and the utter stillness in each room, punctuated by faint, steady breathing, turned my steps into tiptoeing cat paws. Couldn't disturb my cute little darlings' sleep, after all.
Even in my own house, I crept up the stairs like a thief. Straight ahead loomed my door, flanked by theirs—each plaque screaming their personalities. Tier had crafted a tiny wolf tail from a single strand of her silver tail fur, mimicking her own. Daphne, being an elf, had... for some reason... bundled fresh leaf buds into a laurel crown-looking thing.
Isn't that basically a snack to her...? Fuck. Thinking about it, elves are impossible to get. Maybe it was the world tree fruit obsession I'd learned from old man Harun, but some filter had slipped over my view of Daphne and elves in general. I furrowed my brow for a second, but whatever—did it matter? My girls hanging their "woman bento" signs on the doors meant something. Nodding sagely—only a true man of this era understands every inch of his woman—I turned to Plang's door.
And there it was: something anyone would peg as thick-headed Plang's room, no question.
What family's kid drew that garbage... seriously. Hanging on Plang's door was none other than a picture of our party members laughing ha-ha-ho-ho. Last time the girls went out shopping, her babyish mentality had her bugging her big sis-types with boredom, so they'd bought her a drawing set... The result? A kindergartener's finger-painting wouldn't even come close to this messy toddler shitstain scribble. I sighed involuntarily.
Her busty, bouncy dragonkin body pulling aegyo was cute and all, but honestly, I wasn't the type to handle kids well. Seeing Plang flash something so childishly pure made my hands and feet curl up in secondhand embarrassment.
Speaking of which, it's Plang's turn tonight... Just that morning, I'd planned to thank her properly with some deep womb-pounding gratitude-fuck. But now? Some twisted urge to tease the innocently frolicking kid welled up.
Well, sex is the only way, right...? Heh heh. Combining heartfelt womb thanks with ruining her sleep-deprived, fatigue-wracked night would satisfy both urges perfectly. Nodding with no more hesitation, I threw open Plang's door and slipped inside.
Grinning lewdly as I entered Plang's room, that grotesque door pic was just an appetizer—the walls and floor were crammed with drawings of me, Tier, Daphne, in every pose imaginable. Even I, no fan of kiddie art, couldn't help my lips twitching at this level of pure innocence. Chuckling, I stepped forward.
From the entry wall to scattered floor doodles and crayon-like fantasy art tools, my eyes finally landed on Plang—sprawled face-down on the bed, fast asleep. Tier favored tank tops for bed, Daphne those airy princess nighties, but Plang? She let her free spirit run wild at sleep time, snoozing buck-naked with scales glinting everywhere.
Clang!
"Hngh... hnn..."
In her sleep, Plang's tail lashed out mindlessly, smashing into the bedpost—solid steel at least—with a metallic ring. The vibration and rebound tickled her tough hide; she giggled in her sleep, lips curling. Bonus: the thick, clear drool pooling from her mouth.
Face-down with her tail flopped limp to one side, her plump ass was on full display. My body remembered it—and every other secret spot—as mine for the taking; my lower half went rigid on reflex, heavy and insistent.
Hmm... For tail-end species like beastkin or dragonkin, doggy really is the meta... Can thrust in deep... From the moment I'd entered, her lewd-yet-cute sleeping pose felt like fate serving up a perfect meal—dig in already, universe demands it. No second thoughts; I flashed a sleazy grin, stripped naked, and tossed my clothes aside.
Thud!
Ever since pounding that harpy—and yeah, our first time with Tier—I'd noticed it: when my cock got raging hard, slamming against my abs and radiating heat, I tilted my head.
Does that make humanoid beast-sluts furries too...? Fuck, am I the furry here...?
A groan slipped out at the cool moonlight glinting off Plang's scales and dragon tail.