How to Steal the Hero's Woman - 327: Yggdrasil (3-36)
We got plenty of sleep and set out again to explore the dungeon.
The party members were the same as yesterday, and there shouldn't have been any differences in our progress.
But one person's condition looked downright abnormal.
...A zombie. Total zombie.
Even with her eyes covered by a blindfold, Han Yeoreum's face had completely drained of color—it was obvious.
But even with that exhausted look, she was still handsome enough to draw first-time girls charging at her.
A zombie bastard being that good-looking is just unfair, isn't it?
Her actions and vibe screamed zombie, but annoyingly, she was still hot. The thought of ruining that face through my NTL schemes made me even more motivated.
"Over here!"
Min Hayeon was waving at us from far off.
Things went smoothly even after linking up with her group.
Everyone wanted to stick together if possible, but the paths were narrow, forcing us to split once more midway.
Thanks to Min Hayeon's consideration, I ended up exploring with Han Bom and Han Yeoreum.
The events along the way were much the same afterward.
We got ambushed mid-dungeon, and I had to breastfeed them again.
"...".
And Han Yeoreum heard every explicit detail.
One thing was clear: sealing her mouth had been a godsend.
Quiet like this, the mood's perfect.
We reached the final fork before nightfall.
Min Hayeon gathered everyone and started explaining.
"Let's try the right path first."
Three-way split.
Last time, Min Hayeon, me, Han Bom, and Han Yeoreum had taken the center—and ended up in some isolated forest, wasting ages getting back to the village.
Han Bom had shared all her regression intel with me and Min Hayeon, including that the center path was always a trap.
But that didn't make it easy to charge ahead confidently.
The dungeon layout might not have changed, just like Yang Ji-hyeon said, but there were no guarantees.
Min Hayeon led with a tense expression.
"Alright... everyone, let's go."
"Got it."
We followed her, stepping forward in unison.
And in that moment—
A white light enveloped us, vanishing just as quickly.
Beyond it lay...
"Phew... a village."
A new village.
..
..
We sat in the inn's dining hall, chatting idly under the glow of candles.
"It's really quiet."
"Beyond quiet—no summoners in sight at all."
Sunset had greeted us upon arrival.
Caught in that awkward hour, we dithered until Min Hayeon took charge.
(First, book the inn, then split up and scout the village for info.)
We all nodded in agreement.
The trio might've whined for rest back in their old selves, but they'd adapted to Yggdrasil—no excessive slacking.
We fanned out, chatting up villagers for intel.
They welcomed us long-lost summoners with curious, friendly eyes, listening intently and sharing plenty of good info.
Including how to reach the 2nd floor.
"It was so anticlimactic, I had to laugh..."
"Tell me about it."
If the 0th floor was a tutorial for newbies, the 1st felt like a test of traversing wider areas.
The way up to 2...
"Collect tokens from each village except the starting one, then head to the center of the final dungeon fork with them."
The final fork's sides led to villages; center was the trap forest.
But grab tokens from both side villages, take them to the center, and you'd ascend to 2.
"Question is, will the tokens drop easily...?"
For this village, it was hunting.
Spawning token mobs was luck; drops were luck. They confirmed they existed but clammed up on which monsters.
"Still, they said good luck gets it in a day; bad luck, within a week."
Min Hayeon's words lit smiles all around.
Han Bom's face brightened most—she was sick of 1st-floor drudgery and itching to climb, whatever 2 held.
And conversely...
Damn... her face shows it that much?
Han Yeoreum's expression brimmed with worry.
Obvious anxiety over her regression save point possibly shifting.
If we hit 2 like this and it changed, it'd plunge her into deeper hell.
Problem was, I had my own issues.
...Getting antsy to climb.
Breaking the regression was easy now.
But with Min Hayeon and Han Bom's loyalties secured, I was eager to push.
[Remaining contract period: 5 days (excluding today).]
Feels like starting over.
I knew nothing beyond this.
Neither did Min Hayeon, Han Bom, or even Han Yeoreum.
Fastest progress benefited me, Min Hayeon, and Han Bom.
Focus on snagging that token tomorrow.
I turned in early, no fooling around.
..
..
"There!"
Min Hayeon's shout had me instantly releasing my drawn bowstring without hesitation.
Shwaaaa!
The arrow pierced the air with a roar, striking true.
Thwack! Kweeeek!
The target veered mid-flight from my shot, tumbling to the ground.
Party members approached warily, crowding the corpse and peering intently.
About five seconds of staring.
Fade...
The bird monster dissolved into hologram, leaving a crescent-shaped piece.
I scooped it up for appraisal.
One key to the 2nd floor.
"Got it!"
"This'll be quick, right?"
We swept the fields around the village, killing everything.
No tokens, morale dipping—then we spotted weird bird monsters gliding nearby.
They ignored summoners, fleeing on sight.
Ignored at first, but by lunch, hoping they were the key, we hunted one.
As I examined the token, Han Yeoreum approached, frowning at it.
Rare enough that a day's full set seemed tough, but every step forward ratcheted her anxiety.
She'd do anything to stop us reaching 2.
Min Hayeon smiled past Han Yeoreum's grim face.
"Lunch first, then back at it."
We ate quick and resumed.
But token birds were rare; melee summoners couldn't even approach.
"No way! Too fast!"
"Su-ho!"
"It's right there—can you get it?!"
The beauty trio... tokens were harder than clearing a dungeon for them.
Fast and perceptive—they bolted at the slightest hint.
Spotting them was more by ear than eye, stumbling nearby.
The three sighed at another escape.
"How do we catch that?!"
"Yeah... even ranged won't be easy."
"You two are amazing."
"Haha..."
Only Min Hayeon and I could reliably down them here.
She could snipe carefully sans obstacles.
Me? Eyeball and fire.
But dropping wasn't guaranteed.
Min Hayeon got one—no token.
"Not always, huh..."
"No worries. We can hunt 'em. Keep at it, and we'll cover the others too."
The trio whispered relieved thanks.
Couldn't hear, but positive vibes.
They'd once envied Min Hayeon over Han Yeoreum; now, unity ruled.
And our pretty boy Han Yeoreum, face twisted like he'd eaten shit, eavesdropping with a scowl.
Wonder what got him that pissed...
Curiosity peaked.
Then it got funnier.
"Hey... why eavesdrop?"
"What? Who said—"
"...Guys, let's ditch."
"Fuck..."
No trace of their 0th-floor attitudes.
Even with those looks, survival trumped charm here.
Eh... higher floors will have hordes of girls flocking to her looks anyway.
Survival spots favored her assets; girls would swarm.
Hope she ends up motorboated by some She-Hulk later.
[....]
I chuckled inwardly, scanning around.
Amid Han Yeoreum's shabby treatment, one watched us nervously.
"...".
Han Bom fidgeted anxiously, glancing about.
Even on 0, her personality kept her isolated; on 1, no healer moments for glory.
Normal fights might wound for heals, but the trio obsessed over birds, sidelining hunts.
Plus, she'd never warmed to healer.
Impatient type, stuck healing—draining fast.
[Won't comfort her?]
Leave her.
Not malice.
This world brings bigger setbacks eventually.
Half-assed pep talk? Poison.
Plus, healers get VIP treatment upstairs. Let her taste weakness now.
She wasn't cocky, but overconfidence in future perks? Nah.
I left Han Bom and resumed hunting.
By evening, our "last shot" bird...
"Got it!"
"Whew, thank god."
Enough tokens for the whole party.
Seven crescent pieces, identical.
I handed one to Han Yeoreum after pickup.
"Here."
"...Hmph."
Well, look at missy—sniffing at her helper?
"Say thanks, c'mon?"
"...".
"Aw, shy guy..."
"Shit..."
Grumpy mutter instead of thanks; she stormed off alone.
"...Wrong way for that village."
Her antics cracked me up; I headed to the others.