Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Hey hey!!! You watery sea bitch!!! Handing out your spawn like candy, you're done as a mother?!!!!!
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I'd whipped up a fishing rod in my spare time.
Thanks to the YouTube videos I'd watched in advance, it turned out decent enough.
Bait was the crusts from sliced bread.
Crusts are tasteless anyway.
I'd thought about tossing them to the starving Lena, but she was so damn cheeky trying to pull that robbery stunt earlier, so I decided to use them as fish food instead.
Honestly, I wasn't expecting much.
But when I woke up...
Fish on the line for real!
Three decent-sized ones at that...!!
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ "Hey hey!!! You watery sea bitch!!! Handing out your spawn like candy, you're done as a mother?!!!!! Heh heh heh." Thanks a ton, Mother of Life!
So breakfast turned out to be a hearty protein feast after all.
As I prepped the meal, I mulled over the day's plans.
Hit some morning exercise after eating...
Come to think of it, no equipment's killing my workouts. That's a real problem.
I could probably rig up a pull-up bar using some trees, right?
Plus, easy protein source. Might give it a shot if I have time left.
Morning: Explore the forest, hunt for chests.
Afternoon: Patch up the shelter.
First-time build means it's got weak spots everywhere.
Gonna be here a while, so better put in the work.
Forest goals: Food and artifacts.
Artifacts especially.
Right now, Hecate's way weaker than usual!
A few more artifacts, and she'll be all mine.
Munch munch.
The fish was honey-sweet delicious.
After a day without protein, it hits different...
Good call packing the salt.
But.
Why the hell's Lena still out?
She didn't pass out from hunger after one day, did she...?
*
The uninhabited island's nights were colder than expected.
Sea breeze was the culprit.
Even bundled in her jacket, Lena kept waking up shivering.
What ruined her sweet morning sleep was the smell.
'Smells nutty... I'm starving...'
When she woke, smoke was drifting in.
Kim Taeyang grilling fish.
Lena mustered her scant energy and yelled.
"The smoke's blowing right at me!"
"Huh? What am I supposed to do about the wind?!! If you don't like it, move your ass! You're a homeless bum who turns into a house the second she lies down!!!"
"I... curse you..."
A brutal exchange of burns.
Even while cursing, her eyes were glued to the grilling fish.
'How the hell did he catch fish that big...?'
She remembered catching small fish as a kid.
But that was a riverbank, and she had a paper cup at least.
Barehand ocean fishing? No way that's easy.
'No food means no strength... Dizzy...'
Lena just stared longingly at Kim Taeyang's meal.
She knew it was pathetic, but pride shrinks before instinct.
'He eats those fruits no problem? Safe to eat then...?'
Kim Taeyang peeling and chowing down blue-shelled fruits without a care.
If they didn't fuck him up, edible.
She'd harvest some during her forest trek.
"Ma... ma-naaa..."
Hecate whimpered.
"Just hang in there a bit longer, Lady Hecate. We'll get out of here today for sure."
Lena squeezed out her energy and headed into the woods.
.
.
.
.
Hours of fruitless searching later.
No chests today either.
'At this rate, I'll starve for real... Better find food at least...'
Soon she spotted blue fruits.
Exactly like Kim Taeyang's.
"Found 'em...! But too high up..."
The tree was tall.
Lena scanned around, snapped off a long branch like a pole, and poked at the fruits.
"Fall down! Come on, drop...!"
Poke! Poke!
Stamina drained fast.
Shoulders ached first, then neck, back, calves screaming.
No fruits dropping.
"Haa."
Thud.
Lena flopped down, staring at the sky.
Those plump fruits up high? Pie in the sky.
"If only I had mana..."
She realized anew how fragile she was.
Kim Taeyang.
That guy'd probably climb the tree in seconds, snag 'em with those beefy arms...
His fruits were probably gathered that way.
"That bastard... Shitty personality, but why's his luck so good...?"
Lena wasn't exactly a saint either.
Cursed folks in the shadows since childhood.
But compared to him turning students into brood sows, she was the nice one, right?
"The world's unfair..."
Tears welled up.
Fear hit too.
"Can I even get out of here...?"
Tales of heroes trapped in dungeons forever were common.
No reason it couldn't happen to her.
"I miss the Chairman..."
Seol Ha-jeong was her rock, her mentor.
Thinking of her sparked some will.
She jumped up, grabbed the pole again.
"You tall-ass tree bastard...! I curse you...!! Snap in the next typhoon!!!"
Poke! Poke! Poke!!
Crack...!
Finally, a fruit dropped.
"At last...!"
Fist-sized, just three.
But enough to make her tear up.
'Not much, but I earned it after slaving all day... Ration it out.'
She cradled the fruits like her own eggs and headed back.
*
Smack!
Smashed a fruit with a rock.
Wouldn't open.
"From one... to ten... nothing goes my way...!!"
Smack! Smack! Smack!!
Angry rock barrage.
At this point, she was using more energy than the fruit was worth.
Meanwhile, Kim Taeyang was eating fruit too.
"Hngh!"
Splat!!
One smack, shell peeled clean.
"Whew~ Juicy tropical fruit, tangy and sweet, gotcha!"
His crass commentary came with every crack.
"Hey! This one's a total slut, huh? Opens right up like she don't care who sees her naked?!"
"Look at this ripe, squishy one. Total micro fruit, kekeke."
"Tangy unripe juice-packed tropical delight! Dig in!!!"
'Shut up, you dog...!'
No energy to snap back, so she swallowed it inwardly.
And finally—
Splat!!
Lena cracked hers open too.
"I... I did it...!"
No one stealing it, but she shoved it to her mouth in a panic.
Right then.
"Hey."
"?!"
Kim Taeyang had snuck up.
"Y-you gonna steal it?! No way in hell, dream on!!"
"Huh? You think I'm as morally bankrupt as you?"
"Th-then what?"
"Don't you need this? Kekeke."
Kim Taeyang's palm.
A ring embedded with a magic stone.
"Ma... ma-naaa! Pleeease...!"
Hecate quivered at the mana.
Lena pointed at the pen and replied.
"Fuck off. No declarations of brood sow or whatever."
"Hey hey, hear me out, sow bitch. Hand over all your fruits, and I'll give you this artifact."
"The... fruits...?"
"Yeah. Pretty sweet deal, right? Just pick more."
Trade fruit for an artifact?
Hell of a bargain.
And a sneaky one too.
'This asshole... waited for this moment!'
Grit.
Lena ground her teeth.
He was exploiting her most desperate time.
Obvious ploy, but...
"Ar... tiiiifaaact...! Hiiik...!!"
Couldn't ignore Hecate's spasms.
'Hurts me too... but Lady Hecate's suffering way worse...'
Lena caved.
"Fine... Deal."
"Hey! More sincere than I thought? Kekeke."
"Here..."
"Hey hey! Cough up the peeled ones too!"
"Ngh...!"
All fruits to Kim Taeyang.
Lena got jack squat but air.
"Artifact now."
"Ahh— You're gonna inject mana into your constellation anyway, right?"
"Yeah."
"I'll do it myself. Hngh. Hand over the pen."
"Quit screwing around and just give it."
"Huh? Piss off if you don't like it! I ain't desperate!!"
Hecate shuddered at that.
"D-da... rk traveleeeer... Pleeease... Do as he saysss... Just...!!"
Lena had to hand over the pen.
'No choice... For Lady Hecate...'
"Hngh!"
Kim Taeyang's gnarly, callused hand.
Hecate in that giant palm somehow creeped Lena out.
*
"Mana's filling up...! The curses dormant inside me are stirring...! They envy the darkness and the sun...!! All kneel before Hecate...!!!"
—the pen blabbered.
Hecate: Curse-related constellation.
Setting's basically middle-school edgelord syndrome.
"Dark Traveler who unlocked my power! Speak your curse, and I'll grant it! Even a mighty one to twist your fate...!!"
Hecate still pen-shaped.
Flapping in midair, expressing thanks.
But I don't need curses.
I want Hecate herself.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Rescued Hecate from near-death!] [Hecate's favorability skyrockets!!!] [Hecate's favorability skyrockets!!!] [Hecate's favorability skyrockets!!!] The magic stone ring shattered.
Made me Hecate's savior—hella profitable!
"Hey. Skip the curses. Seeing you perked up puts me in a good mood too."
"Sam-sun...?"
"Three colors, so Sam's your name."
"Hmph... Doesn't suit this Hecate at all, but since you're my heroic savior, I'll allow it."
I used NTR Solution on her.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ◆ NTR Solution ◆ Hecate [Bound Hero: Lena Erandel] [Relationship with Bound Hero: 39] [Trait: Self-Admiration] ◆ Solution + Relationship dropped sharply due to hero's mana exhaustion! + Keep inducing mana exhaustion! + When relationship hits negative, gift Hecate magic stones or artifacts! + Hecate will see you as a capable hero! Lena and Hecate's relationship was near 90 originally.
Now just 39.
One or two more exhaustions, and it'll near -100.
That's my chance.
"Dark Traveler. Got any more magic stones or artifacts...?"
"Ahh—that was all."
"Hate to beg an outer hero, but if you find any, could you help...? This island's... tough on constellations...."
Mana in stones/artifacts doesn't leak.
It's sealed inside.
But circulating mana in a constellation's body drains fast.
Hecate's lucidity won't last days.
"Don't state the obvious? Helping human-friendly constellations is common sense, right?"
"As expected...! I sensed deep darkness, moonlight, curse vibes from you! We might click!!"
"Kekeke. But your bound hero's that sow bitch? Hngh! Back to your incompetent hero, go!"
"Ugh...?!"
Whoosh—
Tossed Hecate at Lena.
She caught the pen, glared daggers.
"Dare throw Lady Hecate? Cursed scum..."
Hecate barked at Lena.
"Lena Erandel. If you've got curse energy left for my benefactor, go find more artifacts."
"...Yes. Sorry."
Lena deflated.
Don't be a punk then?
But...
Looking that pitiful...
Lena hadn't eaten or drunk in two days.
Bad dehydration.
I grabbed a 500ml water bottle and chucked it at her.
"Hey! Drink some water at least!"
"?"
Lena looked baffled.
"Th-this... real drinking water? Not seawater prank?"
"Even when I'm being nice, you bitch? Annoying sow..."
"......"
She cautiously unscrewed the cap.
Sniffed it, took a sip—
"......!"
Tasted it, then chugged the bottle at 90 degrees.
"It's my piss purified clean, so no worries?"
"PFFFTTTTTHHHHHH!!!! GACK!!!! HACK!!!!!!!"
Whoa?
Why waste the good stuff?
"Hey hey! Don't spit out holy water for sows!!"
"You psycho fuck!!!! Feeding me piss!!!!!!"
"Don't want it, give it back!!!!"
Lena wiped her mouth, muttering.
"I curse you... May shit rain on you......"
But she screwed the cap tight and hid the bottle.
*
Day 3 without Kim Taeyang or Lena back.
Ark Academy still in chaos.
Martial law lifted after safety secured, but irrelevant now.
Seol Ha-jeong sat in the student council room, fingers steepled, deep in thought.
'Please come back, Lena...'
Wished she could turn back time.
Wouldn't have let emotions lead to this stupidity.
Or at least jumped into the gate instead of Lena...
Too late for regrets.
A coin on her desk flipped upright, spun.
'Lord Charon...!'
Coin was a constellation.
Hell’s ferryman, Charon.
Clink.
Stopped heads up.
Engraved Charon moved like alive, spoke.
"Figured it out."
"Where?"
"Bit complicated. Dungeon managed by a constellation from another star realm."
"Can't go?"
Charon: Hell’s ferryman.
Guides souls to hell or out.
Also links heroes and star realms sometimes.
Side gig.
"Not human-friendly, that's the issue. But this solves it."
Charon made a circle with thumb and index.
Money gesture.
"Pay any amount."
"Oho. My fee higher than usual? Punching gates to other realms ain't simple. Dinners, drinks, baths with them... Exhausting."
"Of course."
Not real-world cash.
But she'd pay anything.
'No time. Rush to dungeon, save Lena and Kim Taeyang.'
Could wait longer, but Ha-jeong chose speed.
Endless waiting might make it irreversible.
"Good. Prep cash, wait a few days."
"How long?"
"Tch. Amateur? Upfront payment mandatory. Forgot?"
"Rough estimate? I'll pad it generously."
"Ahem. Then... Fastest a week. Confirm funds, start immediately."
Seol Ha-jeong nodded.
Her uninhabited island trip was set.