The Porter Girl's Growing Dread
The porter girl's destination was the outskirts of Shareltea Campus, the area marked in black. It was a place so dangerous that not even life was guaranteed. Everything had been destroyed, sabotage and monsters roamed viciously, and the gates endlessly spat out more monsters. Though some parts had improved compared to before, it was still bad by any standard.
And it was in such a place that Kang Sian held up Shannon's tail. The lizard-like tail characteristic of the dragon race was heavy and solid, making one wonder how she avoided developing a back condition. Because of this, Shannon was happy enough just from having her tail supported. But it didn't stop there. Drawing on the experience of loosening Cheon Mari's shoulders, he caressed it with practiced hands and sent her straight to paradise.
“Heuhe─”
“Uh, Shannon's drooling.”
Through several rounds of careful 'tail rubbing,' he had even located the exact spot she liked best, turning his arms into her personal utopia. Shannon was so pleased that her tail kept curling and uncurling in delight.
“Does this side feel better when I knead it? Or this one?”
She preferred the soft underside of her tail over the firmer upper section. In truth, Sian also found the underside far more comfortable to handle than the rough top. Due to the tail's structure, that lower portion bore most of the weight and frequently dragged along the ground. Naturally, the more that sensitive area was touched, the stronger the sensations became.
“Heh…… Tail massages are the best…….”
The farther they walked, the more Shannon pressed herself against him. What had started as more than a meter apart had now closed to less than ten centimeters. A dragon-like woman. The reality of such a woman approaching with a silly, lovestruck grin. He could have recoiled in horror and told her to back off, but Sian simply let it happen. If she pulled away again, touching her tail would become inconvenient, so he left her where she was.
Of course, Shannon—completely unaware she had fallen into a hellish pleasure—stuck tightly to his side. The scene could easily be mistaken for lovers of different species.
The porter girl, trapped between Shannon and Cheon Mari, turned her head away as if she couldn't bear to watch any longer. But on the opposite side she met Cheon Mari's piercing red eyes, so she quickly snapped her gaze back to its original position.
“Huu……”
In this situation, there was only one sensible action available: challenge someone far taller than herself.
“Hey…… You should probably snap out of it……”
She lacked the courage. Her condescending view of underclassmen remained, but every trace of confidence had vanished.
Shannon ignored the porter girl's words. More accurately, she was so lost in blissful emotion that nothing else reached her ears.
The porter girl considered asking again, but one look at Kang Sian's face killed the impulse.
'I must be crazy. I only came here because they offered good money……!'
She had half-intended to try weaving her way into the party. But she had never imagined they would be this hardcore.
She gloomily predicted a bleak future in which she would be used as a meat shield. After all, it wasn't uncommon for enraged hunters to turn porters into disposable shields.
Besides, Kang Sian, Cheon Mari, and Shannon all had larger builds than her. Even if she ran well, getting caught would likely mean the end.
'Should I run now while I still can……? No, the advance payment and the contract……'
Unfortunately, Kang Sian had already predicted these exact thoughts. Even if she fled, the contract signed in exchange for the advance payment prevented her from doing so unless her life was in immediate danger.
In the end, she had no choice but to follow them in silence toward whatever hellish destination they had chosen.
While one person sank into despair, another stewed in doubt.
Cheon Mari scratched her head as they took yet another back alley instead of the main road.
“But Sian, I get that we're heading into the black zone. Exactly where are we going, though?”
“The back mountain.”
The back mountain every school seemed to have. The one visible right after exiting the World Gate. It wasn't anything special. People simply recognized it because it sat behind the academy.
“……Isn't there nothing there?”
“No. After poking around, I heard monsters keep coming down from that direction.”
Monsters coming down meant there was almost certainly a gate near the back mountain. And a gate meant a boss monster.
Naturally, boss monsters made excellent prey. She didn't know the rank, but with luck it could be a high-value target.
One might ask if it was too dangerous, but back mountains had always been dangerous places throughout history. Just like when they headed there as children simply to play.
This time, they were heading to the back mountain to achieve the goal of winning the competition.
“It's definitely clear there's something on the back mountain.”
“Ah~ But where did that information come from?”
“The academy community. So if we don't move fast, someone will beat us to it.”
“It's not just planted misinformation, right?”
“I've cross-verified everything. There's definitely something there.”
If there wasn't, they could always go somewhere else. The competition period was only one day, and they had plenty of time.
“Um…… But what if every boss is already taken by the time we arrive?”
“Then we'll just steal from other people.”
For reference, the organizers had stated that 'minor conflicts' would be permitted. A normal person would interpret that as light scuffles. But in an academy full of hot-blooded students, it meant something else entirely. For them, a person's death was the baseline for what counted as 'minor.' As long as no one died, fights were everyday occurrences. After all, in life you occasionally had to rattle some cages, right?
'What the hell is that supposed to mean?'
No? Even if it wasn't, it had to be. Based on everything Kang Sian had seen and heard so far, he had to believe it. Since many people planned to act that way anyway, refusing to do the same would make her the fool.
Kang Sian was no pushover. Tragically, the porter girl was exactly that kind of pushover.
'Is he seriously saying he'll steal other people's prey if necessary?'
The confidence she had shown earlier had completely evaporated. She genuinely felt she had entangled herself with the wrong crowd.
'The place we're heading is dangerous enough…… Is he saying those things because he's confident he can win fights? No matter how I look at it, it looks impossible?'
His ridiculously light equipment. His completely unprepared behavior. Being a first-year who was obviously weak. A petty scheme no strong person would even consider. How did he plan to win with any of this? It made no sense no matter how she looked at it.
And wasn't the place they were heading one of the most dangerous zones of all? It would be fortunate if they didn't simply die meaningless deaths.
“Still, don't worry too much. Stealing other people's loot probably won't be necessary.”
“Well, that's a relief then.”
'The fact that you mentioned it at all means it's not a relief in the slightest.'
Kang Sian, the only male in the party. The more she observed him, the more problematic he seemed. His overall personality, the way he treated women—everything. The more she thought about it, the more she felt he occupied a position far beyond what he deserved.
'Moreover, his skills seem worse than expected…… The reason those women stick to him is probably his face, not his ability.'
It was the kind of thought that would have Sian raising hell about slander if he ever heard it.
These thoughts grew darker and more specific the longer she walked. What began as simple negativity evolved into concrete, detailed negativity. In short, her colored glasses were only getting thicker.
A student with nothing but money. A student with pathetic skills. A student with a completely rotten personality.
After long deliberation, the porter girl reached a conclusion. If things seemed hopeless beyond a certain point, she would run immediately. It was a futile thought. From the beginning, the three including Kang Sian had no intention of giving her any such opportunity.
Whether she knew it or not, the porter girl foresaw nothing but defeat in the battle soon to come.
“Hmm, looks like we've almost got it wrapped up.”
“There are still a few small fries alive over here!”
“Kyaaahoo~! I got an orc head!”
They had won. She didn't know how, but they had won anyway. The porter girl couldn't understand even one percent of what had just happened. These were people who should have lost. People who should have died miserably or at least created an opening for her to escape. Yet somehow, as if by sorcery, they had sliced the boss apart like tofu and won. And their opponent had been an orc, no less.
“Sian, for the certification, can we just bring the head?”
“Probably? Though just to be safe, maybe we should take about eight arms along too.”
The man named Kang Sian. He was clearly a stronger employer than expected─
'No. It must just be good luck.'
It was nothing more than luck following them through the black zone. Honestly, it was extremely rare—practically unheard of—for a first-year to cut through monsters so easily.
“Eh? Damn it!! The orc is getting away!!!”
“Sian! The orc!!!”
“You bastard…… Stop right now before I kill you?!”
“Kueeeeeek!!!”
Slash!
The next hunt would surely be a disaster. Even though she had seen Sian's aura, she still thought so. The porter girl waited for the next hunt.