Establishing a Base

Ding!

A translucent blue system window floated up before his retinas.

Lee Han checked the Cooking trait and tasted the food he had prepared.

Oh...

To be objective, it wasn't quite up to the standard of the food he used to eat back on Earth. However, by the standards of this fantasy world, it was a remarkably flavorful and stimulating taste.

He hadn't let it show, but the food he usually had to choke down here had been incredibly bland and dry.

I'm really glad I picked this up. Seriously. Maybe I'll even unlock a chef class tree someday?

"This is so delicious... How did you make this?"

"Why is it so good...?"

Seria and Ariel looked up in sheer admiration. Seeing them eat so heartily put him in a good mood. Watching them, Lee Han's thoughts drifted to the illness Seria was suffering from.

The affliction she suffered from was exactly the kind of disease you would expect in a 19+ erotic game.

Medically speaking, it was... periodic fever?

In erotic game terms, it was a periodic state of estrus.

In the game, if she didn't take her medicine on time, her arousal level would steadily rise.

The medicine Seria had been taking all this time was actually a sedative meant to suppress sexual excitement. And now, her supply was slowly running out.

"Seria."

"Yes, Master!"

Seria replied, her mouth full of food. Lee Han looked at her and spoke.

"Your medicine is about to run out, isn't it?"

"...Yes."

Seria swallowed hard before answering. For some reason, Ariel, sitting right next to her, also swallowed hard.

"I'll go fetch some more, so wait here."

"...Yes."

They both looked somewhat disappointed... but he figured it was probably just his imagination.

Lee Han stepped out of the cottage. It felt both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

He arrived at the market he had visited before. However, this time, his destination wasn't a carriage, but a small workshop.

Once Elin successfully completes her first trade, this place unlocks.

As Lee Han pulled back the curtain and stepped inside, Elin, who had been dozing off, bolted upright and beamed a bright smile.

"Master Lee Han! You're here!"

Her face was smudged with soot, and she looked exhausted. Yet, her expression was the very definition of lively.

She really did look like a puppy.

"Did you manage to sell the goods well?"

"Sell them? That's an understatement! The premium firewood you provided was absolutely incredible, Master Lee Han! The Lord bought the entire batch in one go, raving about how the heat was on another level and how it barely left any ash!"

Elin wore a dreamy expression, as if reminiscing about that glorious moment.

"Usually, to sell a new product line, I have to grease a dozen different palms. But since the Lord himself stepped in, I only had to bribe him!"

He decided not to rain on her parade just because she was celebrating only having to bribe one person instead of many.

Elin told him to wait a moment, then pulled out a heavy leather pouch and set it down.

Clink!

The clear, metallic ring of coins clashing against one another.

Inside was the remaining balance she owed him from last time, along with the profits from this latest transaction.

"Oh... this is quite a sum. I assume your commission was reasonable?"

"Of course! Just like you said, Master Lee Han: 'By repeating these transactions, we build trust step by step.' To be completely honest, I've never made this much money in my life..."

"So you were tempted to run away with the money midway through?"

"But I thought of you and decided against it! I have a feeling about this. A real gut feeling."

I've heard this line somewhere before.

"I just know you're going to become... someone truly extraordinary, Master Lee Han! So I'm building a relationship with you early on. It's what we call buying the dip. Though I suppose that concept might be a bit too difficult for a mere woodcutter to grasp?"

Elin grinned mischievously as she spoke. Lee Han recalled the game's original script.

That's literally the exact dialogue she says to the protagonist.

Seeing her smug, grinning face made him want to flick her forehead.

Shaking off the thought, Lee Han opened the sack he had brought along. Inside were bundles of firewood, meticulously packaged. Ariel and Seria had wrapped them stitch by stitch, insisting they wanted to be of help in any way they could.

Lee Han pulled out a single log and showed it to Elin.

"Ooh...!"

Elin gasped, running her fingers along the cut surface of the wood.

Thanks to the correction from Woodcutting Lv.3, the split logs were cut at a far more precise and refined angle than before.

"Wait, what is this...? Can a human being really split firewood like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this? Master Lee Han, are you actually a mage? Like, do you use cutting magic to make firewood?"

"If I could do that, why would I be living as a woodcutter?"

"To hide your true identity and then pull off a dramatic reveal later?"

"You catch on quick. Actually, you're right. I was a home protector."

"That sounds incredibly grand! But what is that, exactly?"

"A guardian spirit of the house, of sorts? An invincible being that absolutely no one can touch."

"If you were that good at staying home, your parents must have been thrilled."

"?"

"Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing."

After showering him with endless admiration, Elin handed over a small bundle.

"Here is the item you requested!"

Inside was a green herb that emitted a cool, refreshing scent. It was indeed the sedative that suppressed heat and excitement.

"I have no idea why you'd need something like this... but it was quite difficult to get my hands on!" Elin added, proudly puffing out her chest.

"Thank you for your hard work. This is exactly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what I needed."

As Lee Han spoke, he grabbed a handful of the herbs and stuffed them straight into his mouth.

He began to chew.

Elin's eyes widened in sheer shock.

"M-Master Lee Han? Why are you eating that right now...?"

Paying no mind to Elin's bewildered gaze, Lee Han focused entirely on the bitter juice spreading across his palate.

I wonder if I'll unlock Poison Resistance or Botany...

But.

...Nothing.

Even though he had swallowed a substantial amount, the cold, unfeeling system window remained silent.

Feeling a pang of disappointment, Lee Han wiped the green juice from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

And those actions—eating the raw sedative herbs and smacking his lips in disappointment—were witnessed in full by Elin. She... began to think.

T-That herb is a sedative meant to suppress physical arousal and lower body heat!

Elin's dark eyes began to tremble violently.

He swallowed it... right in front of me. And that sigh, that look of lingering regret on his face... it must mean...!

There was only one logical conclusion.

This tall, handsome man was currently struggling to control an overwhelming, burning lust triggered by the mere ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sight of her. He was chewing and swallowing bitter sedative herbs just to suppress his explosive arousal and cling to his sanity!

H-He got that aroused just by looking at my body?! He wants to ravish me this very second, but he's desperately holding himself back with sheer willpower...!

Gulp.

Elin instinctively wrapped her arms around her chest.

A mixture of embarrassment and a strange, illicit thrill caused a deep crimson flush to spread from her pale cheeks all the way down to her neck.

Meanwhile, Lee Han was busy organizing his plans for their base.

Now that I've gathered a decent amount of money and milked all the hidden elements I can from this tutorial village, it's about time I find a proper base to settle down in with Ariel and Seria.

The base Lee Han had his eye on was none other than the inn containing the Secret Lab where Seria had been held captive.

There was no better location for a base. The only problem was the fat owner of the inn.

His true identity was the tutorial boss. A boss that was programmed as a non-aggressive mob... 'A low-tier demon wearing a human skin.' A demon that wouldn't attack unless provoked directly.

Even if it was just an early-game boss, a demon was still a demon.

Of course, if this were still a game, his stats were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠more than high enough to challenge it immediately. But now that this world had become his reality, things were different.

I need to acquire the Endurance trait before I make my move.

The trigger to acquire it was to ingest Viagra and endure the effects without giving in to lust until they naturally subsided.

Lee Han turned his head toward Elin.

"Elin."

"Y-Yes...?"

"Next time, I'd like you to get me some Viagra."

"...!"

"If you can't, it's fine. Is it too much to ask?"

"N-No. I'll... try to find some. Since I still owe you, after all."

Elin looked at Lee Han, her mind racing once more.

How can a man be this aggressive and lecherous...?

If... if I actually get that for him...

Even now, he wasn't hiding his arousal.

He had chewed and swallowed that awful-tasting sedative right in front of her, almost as if to show off or make a point.

If she brought him Viagra, he would undoubtedly swallow it on the spot.

And after that, surely...

He had to take a sedative just to stay sane right now, so what would happen if he took... Viagra?

And they were currently alone in this secluded workshop.

As she imagined what would follow, Elin felt her thighs begin to tremble.

She mumbled softly, her hand still clasped in Lee Han's for a handshake.

"I... I'll make sure to get it for you."

Lee Han could feel that Elin's hand was damp with cold sweat.

Seriously, I have no idea why her affection keeps rising.

It felt like his character was auto-hunting while he was just standing still doing nothing.

Three days passed.

Lee Han met with Elin once again and received the Viagra from her.

And the moment he took it, a system window flashed before his eyes.

???