Week 2 (2)
Week 2 (2)
"Hah, haaaah."
Only after the Master's footsteps faded away did Ray exhale the breath she'd been holding back with fierce intensity.
Uncharacteristically, her legs were trembling from the tension, maybe even down to her knees.
When she pressed her hand to her chest, which had been throwing a fit since earlier, she could feel the pounding heartbeat beneath her skin, thumping so violently it seemed like it would burst right through her ribs.
Ignoring the hot flush rising to her face as best she could, Ray took a deep drag on the cigarette she'd had clenched between her lips.
Her breath came out shaky as she exhaled the smoke.
With her head still burning hot, Ray tried to replay the incident from moments ago.
W-Well, all things considered, she thought she'd handled it pretty well.
Didn't she come off looking pretty composed?
...Of course, it wasn't exactly a situation that called for composure, but at least she hadn't shown anything too embarrassing.
...Though, if you really nitpick it, flashing her naked body was embarrassing from the get-go.
"Ughhh..."
In the end, her self-justification engine went into overdrive at full throttle, and Ray crumpled down like a deflated balloon under the onslaught of unfiltered shameful memories.
The excuse about having a habit of smoking naked after a shower was, naturally, a blatant red-faced lie.
Unless you're some serious pervert, you don't just step outside buck naked—maybe indoors, but not out.
And today's Ray had stepped out through some mechanism that made her think she could only be classified as that 'serious pervert.'
It was because of a sudden impulse that hit her right as she was about to put on her underwear after showering.
The temperature was just right, and she felt like experiencing the night breeze on her bare skin once in a while.
Plus, in this cursed Territory, the only sane people left were the butler and the Master in the manor, along with her mercenary comrades Valerie and Kali—and both of those two were out cold, dead to the world.
So, that meant no one would see her anyway.
That's why she'd gone out, and once out, she'd lit up a smoke.
Running smack into the Master was, needless to say, a total disaster.
A chilly gust clawed at Ray's bare skin as it passed, but to her, currently in a state of self-generated heat from shame and various other factors, it barely did more than cool the sweat on her skin.
The memory from earlier kept replaying in her head. He'd immediately whipped his head away, but the Master had definitely scanned her body reflexively the moment they locked eyes.
And then, he'd let out that short "Ah."
Ray nearly let a weird moan slip out without realizing it, barely stifling it with sheer physical force.
Thud. The sound of her hand clamping over her mouth echoed weakly in the air, and Ray shook off the dizzy, spinning sensation in her eyes as best she could, grinding out her cigarette.
Enough, enough. For now, forget it all, go back, dry off her feet, and crash.
With that rather bold resolution in mind, she slowly stood up again.
Her legs were still a bit shaky—
"Eut...♥"
Wobble. Ray's body shuddered hard.
Not for any other reason—just because she'd unwittingly recalled that stimulating gaze from moments ago.
He'd pretended not to, but he'd seen it all.
Thinking about how she'd been so utterly defenseless in front of the Master made her body start to—
Much to the embarrassment of thinking she'd calmed down a bit, Ray felt her breath quickening again.
Starting from her face, naturally trailing his gaze downward, sweeping over her chest like this, then past her stomach to down here...
Her fingertips had unconsciously traced the path of that gaze over her bare skin when she suddenly froze.
Then, feeling her face flush beet red with shame, she muttered,
"C-Crazy bitch..."
D-Damn it, she was wet...
Clearly not water—a sticky, transparent fluid.
At this rate, there was no way she could deny not being a pervert...
Ray bit down hard on her lower lip without thinking.
She couldn't control her increasingly ragged breathing.
Finally resolving to take drastic measures, she slapped both cheeks with her hands. Slap slap.
A stinging pain spread across her cheeks, and Ray forced her reluctant body to move.
She couldn't stay outside forever.
She barely managed to open the door to the Barracks and slip inside, letting out a sigh of relief.
And at that exact moment, a half-asleep, drowsy voice came from across the room.
"...What're you doing, you?"
Startled, she whipped her head up to see Valerie stumbling out, rubbing her eyes.
Suppressing her still-pounding heart as best she could, Ray feigned casualness and asked,
"Not sleeping?"
"Woke up. Why're you wandering around outside like that?"
"Night breeze felt nice. Wanna go out too?"
Huh, words were coming out smooth.
Just moments ago, her head had been foggy like it was filled with mist, making it hard to think straight, but in front of Valerie, it didn't bother her at all.
Valerie yawned as she replied.
"Nah, I'm good. Might be a knightly night stroll for milady, but to a mere gunner like me, it just looks like pervert shit. Eh, no one to see anyway."
Ray awkwardly sidled away, subtly pierced right in the heart.
Valerie didn't seem to care much, chugged a cup of water, and headed back to her bunk.
Looked like everything was a hassle to her.
Still, thanks to that, the weird mood had completely vanished.
Only after confirming Valerie had gone back did Ray let out a sigh of relief.
Yeah, what happened earlier was just because it was a guy... the Master who saw her.
Thinking that made the heat she'd barely suppressed threaten to flare up again.
Tonight, she definitely needed to wear something to bed, she thought, bending down to rummage through the shelf for some haphazardly stored underwear and a comfy shirt.
As she straightened up, right next to the shelf where she'd grabbed her clothes was a full-length mirror.
Ray felt a bit embarrassed seeing her naked reflection so blatantly exposed—well, it was exposed, after all.
About to give up on the mirror and head back to her room, something shiny caught her eye for a split second.
"...Huh?"
Did she see wrong? In the mirror's reflection, on her lower abdomen, there was some unfamiliar... pattern or something.
Must've been so flustered earlier that she was seeing things from exhaustion.
Ray rubbed her eyes, dismissing it as a hallucination, then suddenly realized just how chilly the weather was.
Her self-heating state from before had vanished in an instant, leaving her skin cold.
Kinda cold, she muttered, quickly throwing on the clothes and diving straight under the blankets.
*
"—Yes, and with that, the profit distribution is complete as per the contract."
"Not much to distribute, really."
"It's our first profit, so let's celebrate a bit."
Valerie grumbled pointlessly, but her eyes openly showed she was pretty surprised.
Truth be told, the 'profits' were just the sales from the Magic Stone obtained by taking down Ursus.
Even so, pulling out an amount worth 'distributing' like this was impressive.
"Still, taking down one and getting this much? Whew, gets me motivated."
Valerie was thrilled.
Come to think of it, there wasn't really anything to spend the money on while stuck here.
Curious, I asked, and got this response.
"Dunno how it looks to you, but I don't blow money like that. Honestly, being here means no expenses at all, which is great."
"Once the Territory's situation improves, should we get a street vendor or something?"
"Pfft, what street vendor would wanna do business in a dump like this?"
"You sure don't hold back on badmouthing someone else's Territory..."
"Enough chit-chat—we're here to plan, right?"
Ray clapped her hands clap clap to draw our attention.
As she said, the profit thing was just for fun; the main topic was this.
"I heard from Ray-ssi that the Labyrinth's 1st Layer is in the form of a Forest. Right?"
Kali lightly raised her hand and asked.
"Yeah. So, um... I don't know much, but you said there might be herbs useful for making medicine?"
"Can't say for sure, but it's pretty plausible. Mana-infused plants are the most sought-after raw material for meds."
Kali replied.
Every word from her now radiated intelligence.
But I hadn't forgotten that dead-ringer druggie from our first meeting.
Better secure some spare meds ASAP...
"So, for this week's expedition, the goal is to finish clearing the 1st Layer from last time. Bonus if we scout for herb materials."
"Well, more heads this time, so it'll be easier than before."
Valerie added casually, picking at her ear.
As she said, the 1st Layer's boss had no complex mechanics and didn't demand high specs.
As long as you entered with full combat power above the threshold, it was straightforward—no real challenge unless some crazy variable popped up...
But as always, I knew better than anyone in this trash game how arrogance and carelessness led to disaster.
Having been screwed over in every conceivable way while playing, I couldn't afford to let my guard down.
"Departure?"
Ray asked.
Maybe because of yesterday, she'd been a bit awkward when we first met today, but now after some time, she seemed fine.
I thought for a moment and said,
"With Kali-ssi's situation, how about departing as soon as possible? Unless there are other circumstances."
"Supplies? Didn't the butler just get back?"
This time Valerie asked.
As she said, the butler had only returned last night.
Asking him to prep supplies right away would be harsh. At least give him a day.
"Then, how about tomorrow?"
"Fine, if no objections, that's the plan."
Ray glanced around and replied.
Looks like among the three, Ray had naturally taken the leader role.
Thinking about it, she'd been oddly proactive with tasks since arriving at the Territory.
Maybe she was just that diligent by nature.
"Got it. Guess I'll just lie around doing nothing till tomorrow."
Saying that, Valerie leaned way back in her chair.
Watching her quietly, Kali spoke up.
"Master-nim, I have a question."
"Yes, what is it?"
"Do you know what's beneath the floor of this place?"
Caught off-guard by the question, I managed my expression and picked my words carefully.
Honestly? Yeah, I do. Because I'm a Possessor.
But no intention of revealing that.
"No, I don't know either. I can sense something ominous and foreboding from the vibes, so it's probably real."
So, I lied.
Not expecting much, Kali just nodded, "I see."
Ray and Valerie didn't seem too interested either, so I tossed all the contingency lines I'd prepped in my head into the trash.
Then, I declared cleanly.
"The expedition departs tomorrow morning. Everyone, rest well today."
"Yeah. See ya tomorrow."
Valerie said that, then abruptly stood and strode off to her room.
Even waving her hand dismissively behind her head on the way.
Guess she really planned to do nothing all day like she said.
As we watched her bold retreating figure, Ray clicked her tongue once and asked Kali,
"So, how long does that med effect last? Even if we go tomorrow morning, will it hold up midway?"
"I'd love to say yes... but honestly, can't guarantee it. Normal effects don't last over three days. I dosed a bit heavy for non-combat, so we'll see, but safe zone is definitely today. Tomorrow's wishful thinking."
Kali's expression showed faint anxiety as she answered.
This is bad. If she snaps in the dungeon, we can't handle it.
"Hm. Then how about afternoon departure? Could prep supplies by then?"
"That'd be too risky. If we're set on clearing the 1st Layer, assuming 'we'll be out by whenever' is the most dangerous."
In this game, relying on luck was only for the absolute last resort.
Even if the mercenaries were Superhumans, rest was needed, and resting in the Labyrinth was insanely dangerous.
We needed to maximize usable time—aka 'active time.'
Hence, depart at the earliest without straining conditions.
"Hmm, no helping it then."
"Sorry for the trouble."
Ray replied, convinced by my explanation.
Kali apologized after.
It wasn't even her fault, but having to apologize for an illness was sad.
Told her it's fine, just be ready tomorrow, then I left the mercenaries' Barracks.
"Then, I'll head out. Got my own preps to do."
"Yeah, tomorrow."
With more people, more supplies to manage proportionally.
Meant I needed to sort them even more meticulously.
From now on, I'd settle that with the butler.