The Siren's Arrival
When I came to, all I could see was fluffy white fur.
“Ah, Minsoo, you’re awake?”
The fluffy fur shifted to the side, revealing Miya’s face. The fur had been her tail, draped over me to keep me warm.
‘Lap pillow… or rather, tail pillow?’
Miya’s tail was quite long—probably over a meter, longer than her legs. It had been serving as a pillow under my neck while also covering my upper body and even reaching my face.
“How long was I out?”
“Umm… not long? Ehehe… I didn’t think you’d actually pass out from suffocating, Miya~? I’m sowwy~”
“Huh? No, it’s fine. It was an accident.”
She hadn’t really done anything wrong, yet Miya looked genuinely apologetic. Honestly, getting buried in a chest like that and fainting? There were probably people who’d pay good money for the experience… and I was one of them, apparently. I kind of wanted to try it again.
‘She really is pretty, though.’
Miya was right in front of me. Depending on the angle, her face could look a little plain—especially if you looked up from below. But right now, none of that showed. Of course, half her face was hidden behind those two massive mountains anyway.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and checked the time. A little past nine. Just like Miya said, I hadn’t been unconscious for long.
‘Maybe thirty minutes?’
“So! Like I was saying earlier!”
While I was spacing out, Miya’s voice reached me. I focused on her as she chattered away.
“There’s enough space for two people to sleep while hugging~ So we can just sleep together!”
“What?”
“Huh?”
She stared at me with those innocent eyes. Thinking back, Miya had run away from home as a teenager. For the next ten years she’d lived alone, constantly hunted by slave catchers.
‘Does she not understand the whole “men and women are different” thing? …No, she mentioned mating right before I passed out, so she probably does. Maybe it’s just a cultural difference.’
“Miya, I don’t know how things work where you’re from, but if you’re going to live here, there are a few things you need to be careful about.”
“Wung?”
I explained the Confucian idea that men and women should maintain proper boundaries. Mating was something that happened after mutual affection and proper steps, and so on.
“Ehh… that’s complicated…”
“If you understand, then head back.”
“Hiiing…”
Miya lingered with a genuinely reluctant expression. When I wondered why she wasn’t leaving, I realized it was because I was still lying down. Honestly, I didn’t want to send her away either. I wanted to mate too. But there was that whole process thing.
‘One look and a one-night stand in a single day? That never ends well.’
One-night stands almost always ended badly. I wanted to keep seeing Miya for a long time. I didn’t want to use her up for a single moment of pleasure. Part of me thought it would be fine since we both wanted it, but to be honest, I was also scared.
‘Even if I’m a lord, I haven’t really accomplished anything yet.’
If we were going to mate, it would have to be after I’d developed the territory a bit more. At the very least, I needed to make the place livable first. Right now it was basically the wilderness.
Suppressing my disappointment, I sat up.
“If you change your mind, just say so anytime!”
When I stood, Miya stood too. She gave me a bright, cheerful smile without a trace of regret and stepped out of the tent. That tempting sight… I wanted to grab her plump tail as it slipped away, but I held myself back.
‘Right. First, I should buy more stuff.’
I purchased a waterproof tarp and a camouflage net to prepare for rain or snow. Covering the tent in two layers made me feel a little more secure. If I had more money, there were other options—container houses or even RVs. A quick search showed container houses were relatively cheap. A space big enough for Miya and me would only cost two thousand gold. But an RV would need at least ten thousand gold at minimum.
‘We don’t really need to move around, so a container house might be better…’
If I had Miya dig a hole and set it in, the camouflage would be perfect. We could live in a much better environment than the tent. If money was the only issue, I could just hunt with Miya. The sea right in front of us was basically a goldmine for her. Even the shallows looked plenty rich. Just catching Sea Groks would net about two thousand gold per monster.
‘While I’m thinking about it, I should list the Sea Grok byproducts too.’
I’d heard sea monsters could be used as alchemy ingredients, so their corpses sold for quite a bit. But the sea was so dangerous that there weren’t many listings. Even so, when I posted the Sea Grok bodies after eleven at night, they sold almost immediately. I’d listed them at seven hundred fifty gold even though the last trade was seven hundred.
The two mana stones I’d posted earlier had also sold. The trident was a sixth-grade weapon, which usually went for around five hundred gold. But because it was a trident—hard to handle—it was cheaper. They averaged four hundred gold. I listed mine at the same price and decided to wait.
My status window now showed over five thousand gold. That was more than fifty million won in Korean currency. The most I’d ever had in my bank account was twenty million, and now I’d earned two and a half times that in just a few minutes.
‘This is ridiculous…’
I could probably afford a container house now. But the future was uncertain, so I held off. After all, midnight was coming soon. It might be better to summon a new inhabitant and adjust accordingly. Miya was beautiful, so I’d let it slide, but she was a different species—a beastkin from fantasy. That meant elves or dwarves might exist too.
‘I can’t resist dwarves who are good at building or elves who make houses from trees.’
The terrain options during summoning had included mountains, so it was definitely possible. While I was lost in these fantasies, midnight arrived. I immediately used my skill.
“Summon Inhabitant!”
“Miya ran away from home, so she stayed. The others on the snowy mountain might want to remain there. I should talk to Miya first before deciding anything, so I won’t do a designated summon.”
Searching for inhabitants suited to the territory.
Mountain. Rocky shore. Coastline. Shallow sea. Inviting residents of these terrains to migrate.
Because I’d summoned Miya, the options had increased. It seemed I could designate and summon the same species I’d already accepted as inhabitants. But I didn’t choose that.
After waiting, the voice returned.
Search complete. There is someone who wishes to migrate.
Target terrain: Shallow sea. Siren, 1 individual.
Would you like to summon?
It wasn’t an elf or dwarf like I’d imagined, but a Siren. The same race from Greek mythology that lured sailors with beautiful songs. I felt a little nervous, but the mutual non-harm clause was still in effect. Trusting that, I allowed the summon.
“Yes.”
As expected, light burst forth and a person appeared. A beauty with light-blue, wavy hair reaching her waist. But…
“Hmm~? Are you the lord who summoned me?”
She asked boldly, but her cheeks were flushed red. Her large, watery eyes trembled slightly, and the corners of her drooping eyes quivered. She spoke in a refined, almost noble-young-lady tone.
‘Oh my… look at that song pouch…’
Unlike Miya, she didn’t have any obvious beast features. Even while slightly hunched, there was a strong sense of self-assertion in certain areas. Miya was already quite large, but this one was even bigger. Especially since she was only wearing a white bikini, it stood out even more. Wearing just that, she had every reason to feel embarrassed.
“Yes. I’m Kim Minsoo, the lord of this place.”
I greeted the blushing woman confidently. First impressions mattered, after all. I tried to act as nonchalant as possible.
“Lord Kim Minsoo, it’s a pleasure. My name is Asne. Ah, and just so there’s no misunderstanding, this outfit has nothing to do with my own will, all right?”
“Pleasure to meet you too. This… outfit is…?”
“When responding to a summon, traditional attire is forced upon you… So this isn’t my choice at all!”
“Ah, got it!”
That counted as traditional attire…? Sirens really were a tempting race! I liked it.
“Ehem! More importantly, I’d like to ask—how far does your territory extend?”
“Well… Sirens live in the sea, right? My territory includes the sea you can see over there, but there are monsters, so you’ll need a way to protect yourself. What do you think?”
I pointed toward the darkened sea as I spoke. Of course, I couldn’t see anything. But Asne seemed to spot something as she looked around. Then she gave a small nod.
Asne stared at the sea for a long while.
‘She’s a work of art.’
If Miya went “boing!” then Asne went “boing-boing!” Even with just a bikini on, the exposure was far greater. No matter how hard I tried not to look, my eyes were drawn in like a black hole. I silently sang the national anthem in my head and endured as best I could. By the time I’d finished all four verses and started on the second round, she turned to look at me.
“Hmm~ It’s a nice place. Monsters of that level are no problem for me at all. Would you accept me as a resident here?”
“Of course. Welcome.”
The migrant wishes to join the territory.
Inhabitants belonging to the territory will act according to their satisfaction level.
Target: Noble Siren of the beautiful shallow sea with blue coral reefs.
Target’s satisfaction: Good.
[More]
Just like with Miya, messages about mutual respect and consideration appeared one after another. In short, it all boiled down to “take good care of her.”
Thus, I received my second inhabitant. I couldn’t wait to see what her abilities were like.
